Thursday, June 28, 2012

Email Friends


I have spent the last two days with email friends. Yesterday, my friend John Haggard, a consultant in North Central Ohio invited me and another consultant to look over the fields of a new client. John was taught the Albrecht Method of balancing soil fertility and uses it with several clients in that area.

The program is all based on dry fertilizer with no liquids, no foliars, no insecticide or fungicide, and no inoculants. These clients have built dry storage and purchase dry fertilizer by the semi load.

They use ammnonium sulfate and urea as nitrogen sources and MAP or DAP or potash for phosphorous and potassium food sources. The soils area also balanced in zinc, manganese, born and copper but calcium is key to making the whole thing work.

The crops all looked very good and were superior to the neighbor's fields across the fence. Using dry fertilizer the farmer can concentrate on seeding properly without worrying or messing with and other crop inputs. The whole concept is based around what I taught for 40 years and that is healthy soil, healthy plant, healthy livestock, healthy humans. The circle is working quite well for these farmers and they are obviously very pleased and happy.

Today another email friend from Oklahoma stopped by and we toured local farms all day. He is in charge of the animal feedstuffs laboratory at the University of Arkansas and and farms/ranches across the state line in Oklahoma. We have talked about everything under the sun and today he got to see where and how Ed and family lives and works.

We went by every house I ever owned and the home farm. We talked about old barns and barn quilts but didn't see any like the picture. We looked at March planted corn, April and May. We dug up soybeans and pulled leaves. We found red eggs on some corn I need to investigate and find out what it is.

Email and Internet has multiplied my writing at least ten fold. Maybe 100 fold. I have worn out several keyboards. It's all been for the good because I talk to my closest friends and families this way and you, my valued readers.

The heat has now set in with the drought and crops will struggle and wither across the country. I have my email friends to share my joys and frustrations with.

It's quicker than snail mail.

Ed

3 comments:

  1. Chinch bug or Lesser cornstalk borer?

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  2. They looked like rust but were tiny red pustules scattered across the leaf where you normally see corn borer "shot holes." I will let you know what I find out and try to post a picture later. Our batteries were dead at this point!

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  3. Rust looking pustules may not be eggs. Maybe scales (coccus and related families)? This sucks! (literally ^-^)

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