Farmer Meeting

Last night I went to the best farmer meeting I have been to all year. My friend Philip Huffman put on his annual Christmas Appreciation Dinner for his customers. He saved me a lot of money on my chemicals this year. I have been wanting to go the last several years so this time I went.

Everyone was in a good mood but went home happy, smiling, laughing and better informed than when they came. Golden Corral put on a pretty good meal off Interstate 75 just south of Interstate 70. I had Bourbon Chicken on rice and vegetables for my main course but the meat loaf tasted home made.

They had a produce section of fresh vegetables on a slant just like our Kroger store behind the bar where where the workers pick from for the salads and cooked vegetables. It looked fresh and tasted very good.

A man from Direct Enterprises explained all the products they provide Philip and other seed dealers with and how they independantly tested all the combinations to come up with a set of recommendations. You wouldn't believe all the chemical and bilogical choices for seed this year!

I can order any combination of treatments on my seed for my particular farms. The Rancona mixes, Bayer Macho, Gaucho, Poncho mixes and Syngenta Cruiser Maxx all stand at the top of their tests.

The District Sales Rep and the Regional Sales rep from Stine both spoke. They are the contacts from the main company in Adel, Iowa to Philip's business on Union Road west of Dayton.

I spoke on Respect the Rotation explaining their survey and how to use it help decide your seed mix for your farm. I quoted "I was reading Farm Journal last night and Staff Agronomist Ken Ferrie said "once resistant weeds show up, no farm is safe. Start with weed-free fields and keep them clean. Appoint a pesticide boss to be responsible for scouting."

That quote caught my attention and fits in with what I have been working on. One farmer spoke up, you better listen to him, he is on to something. He had switched chemical programs to combat his resistant weeds.

Several farmers asked me about notill, radishes and other cover crops, soil and tissue testing, gypsum and other topics. Some are concerned what glyphosate is doing to the soil and I referred them to the National NoTillage Conference in St. Louis next month where this topic will be covered in depth.

Lots of farmers have lots of questions but some got theirs answered last night.

Ed