I’ve been in a bit of a writing slump lately so I’m going to ask all you readers what you’d like to hear about. I’ve had plenty of my weekly pictures posts and mentions of what’s going on around my farm, but now that my social schedule has calmed down a bit after the past month or so I’d like to get back to some of the issues that concern all of ag.
So what do you guys want to see? Something new I haven’t talked about yet, or maybe go back to some previous issues like biofuels and precision ag technologies?
Leave a comment with a topic you’re interested in and might just get inspired to make a post out of it!
How do farmers deal with allergies?
That’s an excellent question and one I’ll have to look into a bit. I have never had any allergies. I’ve actually seen a few studies that imply because I lived on the farm and have been around dogs and cats my whole life could be reasons I didn’t develop allergies. That being said, I’m starting to wonder if I have developed and allergy.
When our corn and beans stored in grain bins gets low enough in the bin we have to go in with what’s called a sweep auger (an auger that pivots around the center of the bin and pulls grain into the unloading auger) some scoop shovels, and a broom to clean up what’s left. We’ve always worn basic paper dust masks when doing this. In the last year or so I find that if I go into a particularly dusty bin by the next morning I feel like I have a cold and end up feeling stuffy for at least a week. I went out and bought a painter’s respirator mask which is a bit cumbersome but has two filters and let’s out the air I breath out. So far with the new mask, no cold like symptoms after cleaning out. So maybe I’ve developed and allergy, but it only happens in that one contained/concentrated situation, never outside or when I’m out in the fields.
I know you’ve talked about this some in the past, but it has been a hot topic lately…as a corn farmer, the high cost of corn is a plus, but it also hurts other areas of ag that depend on it as a source of feed. How do you think (if) a balance can be found?
Another great question, Joey. There are so many variables that go into this. The only simple way to say it is that we’re all in a massive global market and carryover stocks of corn from year to year are very tight right now. Relatively strong oil prices and a weak dollar only make the problem worse. We’ve had a few average or less than average years for corn production nation wide lately. What we really need is for Mother Nature to cooperate here pretty soon and get a really good harvest in. That will help stabilize and bring prices down a bit. Another big factor is China. Three years ago they were exporting corn. The last three years they’ve been importing. Whenever China does something it affects the whole world, not unlike our economy. Their standard of living is rising rapidly and their eating habits are changing along the way to higher protein diets.
I guess my opinion would be that you need to let the market run it’s natural course. I don’t think we need government stepping in to try and fix it. Prices will come around though. Even corn farmers are interested in prices coming down. When prices go up, input costs go up to because the demand is greater and probably partially because the supplier knows we can pay it when prices are high. I can tell you I’ve only been farming full time for two and a half years and I’ve sold corn from I think $3.45/bushel to over $7.50. That $3.00 range will come around again, we all just hope it doesn’t go from $8 to $3 in five months like it did last time. Inputs for the next crop ended up at $8 demand, but crop only sold for half that.
Let me reveal my ignorance.
How a farmer limits pollen drift (cross-contamination)
Refuges? (if there are such things?)
Wildlife protection/concerns
Applications of (fill in the blank)
FWIW, I think you do a great job of writing. Keep it up.
Good questions. Pollen drift is not a real issue on our farm. We don’t have any organic neighbors at this time, nor do we have anyone raising seed corn in close proximity to our fields. Our popcorn is “dent sterile” meaning it can’t be pollinated by normal field/dent corn. For neighboring farms that may have issues they can use a number of practices. They can manage planting dates and crop maturities so their fields pollinate at different times. They could also have buffer strips of a different crop, variety, etc that will provide a barrier to drift.
What type of refuge? Mostly when I think of refuge I’m thinking about Bt corn crops. They require a refuge of corn acres that don’t express the Bt trait. This non-Bt event corn provides a place for pests like corn rootworm to feed. Refuge is a way to mitigate selecting for resistance in pests. Until recently refuge for corn was 20% of your acres within a certain distance of the Bt variety. Now most seed companies have, in conjunction with the EPA, come out with Refuge in a Bag products. RIB corn contains 5% of a refuge variety mixed into the bag of Bt corn. Now refuge is spread across an entire acreage instead of in separate blocks.
We’re not out to bother wildlife, and we do our best to limit our impact. To me this is important regardless of production method. Even if you’re a “natural” farmer, working up soil and putting things in neat little rows isn’t exactly natural.
Thanks, Brian. As I said, I’m exposing my ignorance for all to see in asking my questions. I’ve seen the term “refuge” used in a number of posts and wondered what a refuge was being provided for.
As for wildlife, in prior hats I’ve been a forest practice inspector for the state. Because our environmental laws have become so onerous, forest landowners cannot profit from their timber and want to try making money from grapes (Lake County is prime wine grape country). They would need to get permission to convert their land’s use (but only once and then it’s done). I would be called to assess the impact of such a change and wildlife was often on my to do list. What raptors use the habitat? e.g.
The vineyard might then be required to put in posts for raptors to use (something they would probably do anyway, since raptors predate the rodents).
What environmental requirements do you have to follow?
‘Even if you’re a “natural” farmer, working up soil and putting things in neat little rows isn’t exactly natural.’
I completely agree. Agriculture disrupts habitat big time. Yet conventional (for want of a better term) American farmers use less land to grow food and fiber than anyone else in the world. This frees up acreage for other uses, such as wildlife refuges or forests.
So why are all the “green” ideas land intensive?
I once argued with our local Sierra Club forestry rep about using straw bales versus wood for making houses. Even the most managed plantation has loads more diversity than an alfalfa field. He just couldn’t wrap his mind around that.
When you spend your day surrounded by food growing in the fields, how picky are you about the food you eat? Do you grow it yourself? Are you THAT guy at the farmer’s market that is asking a million question of the farmer in the stall? Or are you content with standard supermarket stocks?
I plan on doing a post about our garden in the near future. We’ve had a couple tomato or squash plants in the past, but never a garden.
You probably won’t find me at the farmers market. Not that I don’t like a good market, it’s just not one of my hobbies I guess. I like tasty food and I try to limit things like sugar and excessive fats. I’m definitely not THAT guy. I’m an average Joe.
How do you know where agriculture is happening?
What do you know about agriculture in entomology.?
I keep myself educated on the insects in our area that can be detrimental or beneficial to our crops.