Where Do You Go For Ag Information?

I have always credited my dad and the Extension Service for starting my love for farming and finding answers to how things grow. Soil Life just posted an interesting question on Crop Talk. Where do you go for agricultural related information?

1. Farm Magazines

2. seed catalogs, seed company meetings. Your seed dealer, DSM

3. Your State Agronomy Guide.

4. Purdue University Internet sites. One of the best. or the OSU Ag crop report.

5. Your Local Extension service office.

6. Visiting co-op meetings

7. Working with your crop scout and or your Private consulting Persons.

8. Reading Documented University Agronomy studies. available in most every state.

9. Visiting state University research farms consistently for current updates.

10. Reading Ag Talk

11. or other internet sites

12. YOUR, On the Farm plot work over the years. side by sides. trial by error or success. On your farm.

13. RFD TV ?

14. your accountant

15. your banker

16. your farm management company

17. your soil testing laboratory. Laboratory personnel.

18. Independent web sites, Blogs.

19. all of the above.

My answer is all of the above, although the rankings have changed somewhat. After teaching and farming 40 years I get more questions so I learn by digging out the answers. I use all of those categories to find answers. Any system of farming develops over time and my base knowledge is from my dad and his teachers, the Extension Service.

I wanted to be an Extension Agent among many other things and got my chance in 1987. The pay wasn't as good as classroom teaching so I went back to the classroom before retirement in 2002. Knowledge is wonderful but it doesn't mean much unless you can put it into practice. I have been blessed to be able to do that since I was born.

Farm magazines and Extension have fallen from top sources for information for many farmers as they adopt and learn the Internet. As you know, the Internet has totally changed my life but all of the 18 sources has impact on what I do.

Where do you go for agricultural information? Here's another thanks to Dad and Jim Wells and Al Rhonemus for a job well done!

Ed Winkle