| Corn | Soybeans |
| Small Grains | |
| Peas | Sweet Corn |
PRODUCT VIDEOSApril 2011
New Salvo By Organic Farmers and Seed Sellers in Ongoing War with Monsanto
What Do The Weeds Really Tell Us?
My Cows Won't Eat GMO
I0 Steps for Planter Tune Up
Dr. Dan Skow on Tissue Testing
Notes from Arden
Traveling With A U-Trough State of Mind
New Salvo By Organic Farmers and Seed Sellers
in Ongoing War
with Monsanto
By John Mayernak
In a calculated and bold move on Tuesday, March 29, 2011, the Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT) representing 60 organic farmers and seed growers filed a preemptive suit against multinational chemical corporation Monsanto seeking a ruling that would prevent Monsanto from suing the plaintiffs for patent infringement should they become contaminated by Monsanto's GMO seed. Monsanto has a history of such patent infringement suites like the battle it has waged with Canadian canola farmer Percy Schmeiser. According to the Institute of Science in Society Monsanto has filed over 90 suites against farmers and caused over 150 farmers and companies to have to struggle for their very existence. Here is a description of the case from PUBPAT:
The case, Organic Seed Growers & Trade Association, et al. v. Monsanto, was filed in federal district court in Manhattan and assigned to Judge Naomi Buchwald. Plaintiffs in the suit represent a broad array of family farmers, small businesses and organizations from within the organic agriculture community who are increasingly threatened by genetically modified seed contamination despite using their best efforts to avoid it. The plaintiff organizations have over 270,000 members, including thousands of certified organic family farmers. A copy of the complaint is available here.
"This case asks whether Monsanto has the right to sue organic farmers for patent infringement if Monsanto's transgenic seed should land on their property," said Dan Ravicher, PUBPAT's Executive Director and Lecturer of Law at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York. "It seems quite perverse that an organic farmer contaminated by transgenic seed could be accused of patent infringement, but Monsanto has made such accusations before and is notorious for having sued hundreds of farmers for patent infringement, so we had to act to protect the interests of our clients."
Once released into the environment, genetically modified seed contaminates and destroys organic seed for the same crop. For example, soon after Monsanto introduced genetically modified seed for canola, organic canola became virtually extinct as a result of contamination. Organic corn, soybeans, cotton, sugar beets and alfalfa now face the same fate, as Monsanto has released genetically modified seed for each of those crops, too. Monsanto is developing genetically modified seed for many other crops, thus putting the future of all food, and indeed all agriculture, at stake.
In the case, PUBPAT is asking Judge Buchwald to declare that if organic farmers are ever contaminated by Monsanto's genetically modified seed, they need not fear also being accused of patent infringement. One reason justifying this result is that Monsanto's patents on genetically modified seed are invalid because they don't meet the "usefulness" requirement of patent law, according to PUBPAT's Ravicher, plaintiffs' lead attorney in the case. Evidence cited by PUBPAT in its opening filing today proves that genetically modified seed has negative economic and health effects, while the promised benefits of genetically modified seed – increased production and decreased herbicide use – are false.
"Some say transgenic seed can coexist with organic seed, but history tells us that's not possible, and it's actually in Monsanto's financial interest to eliminate organic seed so that they can have a total monopoly over our food supply," said Ravicher. "Monsanto is the same chemical company that previously brought us Agent Orange, DDT, PCB's and other toxins, which they said were safe, but we know are not. Now Monsanto says transgenic seed is safe, but evidence clearly shows it is not.", thus putting the future of all food, and indeed all agriculture, at stake.
Many of the plaintiffs made statements upon filing of the suit, we are including just a few:
Dewane Morgan of plaintiff Midheaven Farms in Park Rapids, Minnesota, said, "For organic certification, farmers are required to have a buffer zone around their perimeter fields. Crops harvested from this buffer zone are not eligible for certification due to potential drift from herbicide and fungicide drift. Buffer zones are useless against pollen drift. Organic, biodynamic, and conventional farmers who grow identity-preserved soybeans, wheat and openpollinated corn often save seed for replanting the next year. It is illogical that these farmers are liable for cross-pollination contamination."
Dr. Carol Goland, Ph.D., Executive Director of plaintiff Ohio Ecological Food & Farm Association (OEFFA) said, "Consumers indicate, overwhelmingly, that they prefer foods made without genetically modified organisms. Organic farms, by regulation, may not use GMOs, while other farmers forego using them for other reasons. Yet the truth is that we are rapidly approaching the tipping point when we will be unable to avoid GMOs in our fields and on our plates. That is the inevitable consequence of releasing genetically engineered materials into the environment. To add injury to injury, Monsanto has a history of suing farmers whose fields have been contaminated by Monsanto's GMOs. On behalf of farmers who must live under this cloud of uncertainty and risk, we are compelled to ask the Court to put an end to this unconscionable business practice."
Ed Maltby, Executive Director of plaintiff Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance (NODPA) said, "It's outrageous that we find ourselves in a situation where the financial burden of GE contamination will fall on family farmers who have not asked for or contributed to the growth of GE crops. Family farmers will face contamination of their crops by GE seed which will threaten their ability to sell crops as organically certified or into the rapidly growing 'Buy Local' market where consumers have overwhelmingly declared they do not want any GE crops, and then family farmers may be faced by a lawsuit by Monsanto for patent infringement. We take this action to protect family farms who once again have to bear the consequences of irresponsible actions by Monsanto."
I met Dan Ravicher at the BRT/FHR Conference on February 4, 2011 in Des Moines. We had a long conversation and he described his organization as a not-for-profit legal services organization affiliated with the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. He stated that PUBPAT protects freedom in the patent system by representing the public interest against undeserved patents and unsound patent policy. As I realized after talking with Dan, patent law is yet another avenue of assault used by Monsanto but now ironically is being turned on them instead. Makes you smile.
It is difficult to keep in mind when faced with the staggering calamity that is looming that Monsanto and the other multinational chemical corporations' primary aim is making money and nothing else.
Assaulting this corporate giant from many sides is an effective strategy. Here is the way it can be done: We have to cost them too much money defending themselves in court, creative angels like this one can work. Stop using their products and encourage others to stop buying their seed and chemicals. Public awareness, support groups that are pushing for GMO labeling on food, the people will decide NOT to eat GMO if given the choice. And bad publicity, write letters to the editor, post on the internet and tell your friends about the dangers of GMO and glyphosate, and Monsanto's outrageous behavior, corporations like to operate in the shadows, not in the light of day.
All of these things will impact their "bottom line," thus making their products less profitable. The "bean counters," who run the world, will force them to look to other areas for better less painful profits.
- John Mayernak
Jump Start Your Legume/Grass with Just 150lbs/acre
What Do The Weeds Really Tell Us?
Giant Rag Weed
Weeds shouldn't be a plague or a market to eradicate. They should be viewed as what they are meant to be, an indicator of your soil conditions. Weeds can tell you more about your soil fertility than most standard soil analysis, if you know how to read them. Thes e unwanted guests have many benefits, foremost is to rearrange the soil to allow other plant and soil microbial life to repopulate and restore nature's balance.
Low calcium levels tend to favor many weed types, mostly the grasses like foxtail and quackgrass. Broadleaf weeds are an indicator of a phosphorous to potassium imbalance. They also act as a detoxifier of chemicals in the soil. Theoretically, the more toxic chemicals you apply, the more broadleaf weeds you will be favoring. Succulents are an indicator of poor drainage (anaerobic conditions) and low carbonate ions.
Calcium & Magnesium
An imbalance of magnesium to calcium can lead to tight soils and anaerobic conditions. Calcium causes soil particles to move apart and provides good drainage and oxygen movement. Magnesium allows soil particles to stick together, limiting oxygen, which does not permit beneficial microorganisms to flourish. This does not allow organic matter to decompose properly and promotes fermentation that favors by products like alcohol and formaldehyde. These conditions also favor soil diseases such as pythium and phytophora. An ideal Ca:Mg ratio would be 7:1. Weeds that indicate a Ca:Mg imbalance leading to a tight and poorly drained soil would be: Creeping buttercup, curled dock, giant sorrel, broad-leaved meadowsweet, field bindweed, and quackgrass.
Phosphorous and Potassium
Phosphorous is important to the manufacture of sugars and is a key factor in the transport and translocation of nutrients and metabolites within the plant. Too much potassium will have a tendency to replace calcium in the cell resulting in weak cells and black spots on the leaves. An improper phosphorous (P) to potassium (K) ratio will favor the broadleaf weeds like: ragweed, eastern bracken, yarrow, velvet leaf, and lamb's quarter. A proper P:K ratio is 2:1 for most row crops and 4:1 for alfalfa and grasses.
Succulent weeds (purslane) indicate that the soil is deficient in biological carbons (Andersen). This can be attributed to poor drainage where the oxygen is not capable of moving into the soil, creating an anaerobic atmosphere. Most beneficial microorganisms do not prefer this condition, will not grow, therefore the lack of biological carbons.
Control
There are many theories and practical methods to control weeds without using chemical herbicides. The first hurdle that must be overcome is the weed free field. Weeds are not just indicators of fertility imbalances but also can be instrumental in breaking up hard pans and loosing tight soil through their extensive root systems. Weeds are the natural result of defying natures' preference for high species diversity and covered ground. Weeds are natures' struggle to bring about ecological succession. When we clear native vegetation and establish annual crops, we are holding back natural plant succession. Nature abhors a vacuum, and can't stand bare ground either.
Rye Grass
Rapeweed Flower
Allelopathy
Allelopathy is the ability of one plant to chemically inhibit the growth of other plants around it. Rye is one of the most useful allelopathic cover crops because it is winter hardy and grows almost anywhere. Rye contains a great deal of allelopathic chemicals. When left undisturbed on the soil surface these chemicals leach out and prevent weed seeds from germinating. This is effective for around 30 to 60 days. Once the rye is tilled in, the allelopathic effect is lost. In one study, a cover crop of rye and one of clovers showed 85 -95% broadleaf control 45 days after planting corn. Other crops that have allelopathic effects are wheat, sunflowers, sorghum, and rapeseed. All members of the mustard family (Brassicaceae) contain oils that inhibit plant growth and seed germination. In general, typical levels of cover crop residues, when left on the soil surface, can be expected to reduce weed emergence by 75-90%. In general, a rye cover crop will decrease weed pressure from 83% of broadleaf weeds to 36% of grasses, with clover cover crops controlling 66-40% of broadleaf weeds to 34% of grasses (Principles of Sustainable Weed Management for Croplands, P.Sullivan, ATTRA, Agronomy System Series, Sept. 2003).
Bio-herbicides
Bio-herbicides are made up of microorganisms that can target very specific weeds. The microbes possess invasive genes that can attack the defense genes of the weeds, thereby killing it. The genes of disease-causing pathogens are very specific. The microbe's genes give it particular techniques to overcome the unique defenses of one type of plant. They instruct the microbe to attack only the one plant species it can successfully infect. The invasion genes of the pathogen have to match the defense genes of the plant. Then the microbe knows it can successfully begin its attack on this one particular type of plant. The matching gene requirement means that a pathogen is harmless to all plants except the one weed identified by the microbe's genetic code.
This selective response makes bio-herbicides very useful because they kill only certain weed plants that interfere with crop productivity without damaging the crop itself. Bio-herbicides can target one weed and leave the rest of the environment unharmed. There are few bio-herbicides on the market today, but since they are very weed specific, more work is destine to produce future bio-herbicides that could be a long lasting control method for production agriculture.
Buckwheat Flower
Mulching and Smother Crops
A fast growing crop can smother weeds by out competing them for nutrients and sunlight. An example of a short duration "smother crop" would be oats , buckwheat, and sorghumsudangrass. If possible mulch the soil. It sounds like a lot of work, but in Nebraska wheat straw was applied in early spring at rates from " ton to 3 ton per acre. At the higher rates, weeds were reduced by more than two thirds (Principles of Sustainable Weed Management for Croplands, P.Sullivan, ATTRA, Agronomy System Series, Sept. 2003).
Crop Rotation
Changing crops through rotations limit the buildup of weeds that have a similar growing habit as the crop. Fields of annual crops favor short-lived annual weeds. Rotations change the timing of cultivation, herbicide applications, and fertilizer inputs. This changes the growing conditions from year to year, something that few weed species can easily adapt to.
Intercropped Wheat and Beans
Intercropping
Intercropping is growing two or more crops together. Having different plant types growing together enhances weed control by increasing competition in tight crop spacing. When one crop is inter-cropped into another standing crop prior to harvest, the planted crop gets off to a weed free start. Intercrop soybeans into standing green wheat, planting date, planting method, and variety must all be well planned in advance. Soybeans can be planted into standing wheat, but less damage occurs to the wheat if the beans are planted in skip rows. You can plug certain drop tubes in the grain drill. Then plant the soybeans with row units spaced at the skip rows in the wheat. The tractor tires will follow the skip rows resulting in little damage to the wheat. Some results indicate that three to six bushels were lost in the beans when intercropped with wheat. This method might be even more risky where growing seasons are shorter, like in the northern mid-west.
Closing Notes
Weeds are a constant problem to agriculture, presented here are a few methods to gain long term control. Balance and re-mineralize the soil. This not only benefits the crops, but also diminishes the weeds. The minerals that they are designed to "pull up" have been added by you! Concentrate on calcium, phosphorous, and sulfur. Try some alternative methods of cover cropping or intercropping, if your program and equipment can be set up for the new method. Alternate your herbicides to avoid developing resistant weeds. Mechanical cultivation with a rotary hoe is effective if conditions are favorable. Try incorporating more than one of these methods to see which system is the most successful at reducing weed pressure. Remember, nature is always trying to overcome everything we do, so we need to out think her and double up on our efforts.
My Cows Won't Eat GMO
by John Mayernak
Loren Barnes lives in Fillmore county Minnesota. He has been farming corn and beans for over 40 years and he has a small heard of beef cattle. Loren told me more than once, "My cows won't eat GMO stalks, and those plastic stalks are hard to break down. You have as many in the spring as you did at harvest. I don't grow GMO on this place anymore."
Loren remembers the first GMO crop, probably back in the early 90's. "It was the BT corn about 10 acres. I was so proud of that crop, after combining there wasn't hardly an ear on the ground. I kind of felt sorry for my cows so I turn them into the BT field. They just walked around and really didn't eat much of anything. I didn't pay it much mind until a couple of years later."
"About ten years ago or so I planted that Roundup Ready corn, ten acres next to ten acres of conventional. Both fields looked really good, I thought that Roundup ready corn could be a good variety. I combined both fields and hardly had an ear on the ground. I was pleased, but when I let my cows out they wouldn't eat the Roundup corn, they just went through the rows into the conventional corn," he laughed. "They wouldn't eat it! That was the end of growing GMO corn for me."
"I told my neighbors about what I saw and they all thought I was crazy. They don't think that now."
Loren continued, "The other day I was talking to a young fellow building a confinement pen. He said that the cows will gain more in confinement. I told him that they'd grow faster if you fed them non-GMO corn. There was a salesman listening and he smiled and said to the young fellow, "you'll gain more with conventional corn without the confinement pen."
I asked Loren if he felt like he was an expert or ahead of his time? He said that he didn't know about that, he just knows what he saw and trusts his dumb animals to eat what is good for them.
A properly adjusted planter could add an additional 1,000 ears to your field, which is a 7 bushel/acre increase, just by having precise spacing and proper seed depth. Here are a few key areas to check before you go to the field.
- Row unit ride
Check your bushings for wear, replace if you have noticeable slop - Check meter drive system
If chain drive check for kinks or excessively worn areas, replace, adjust, and oil it. If a flexible drive system check for smooth movement and operation. A line clutch and meter drive system. - Level the Planter
Hook up to the tractor and check level on main bar. Set planter units on a 2x6, coulter should be 1/4 inch above floor. - Meter
Take meter to a certified tech to insure it is accurate - Create a sharp seed trench
Check the double disk openers, they should be a sharp V, worn disks produce a W looking trench. Check disk contact area, it should be 1 # to 2 inch spacing from area of first contact to the end of the contact area. If less, shim disk closer. If disks are worn or less than 14 inch diameter, replace. - Seed delivery
Make sure seed tubes are not worn or have burs inside to effect a smooth drop. If worn or damaged, replace. - Seed firmer
Make sure it runs even. - Gauge wheels
Check arm bushings and replace or adjust. - Closing wheel adjustment
Make sure they are directly over the seed trench, adjust and align bushings and or bracket. - Prepare for spring conditions
Adjust the row cleaners to sweep away the trash, not the soil.
Dr. Dan Skow on Tissue Testing
A laboratory tissue test of your growing crop is a fast, inexpensive way to:
- Track effectiveness of your fertility program
- Detect deficiencies before they seriously impact yield
- Verify that foliar applications have corrected problems
Advances in lab automation have restrained costs of a complete plant tissue test to about $40, and a trace element test alone to less than $20. Turnaround time is typically two or three days, with results e-mailed to you. That gives you time to apply foliar nutrients to attack crop deficiencies before they turn into major yield losses.
Tissue tests can be especially revealing — and beneficial — if you're raising genetically modified crops and applying glyphosate. Generally, GMO crops are less efficient at metabolizing key nutrients such as manganese and zinc. Also, glyphosate is an active chelating agent which can reduce availability of calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese and zinc. Glyphosate can immobilize more than 25% of the manganese, magnesium, zinc and calcium in young leaves.
Together, GMO traits and glyphosate raise the odds that you'll need to take remedial action during the season. Thus, crop scientists are starting to recommend higher "safe" levels of trace elements in the tissue of glyphosate-tolerant crops.
Foliar applications are generally the most costeffective way to cor rect t race element deficiencies. Most trace elements applied to the soil are quickly tied up in other compounds. Foliar developers are rapidly improving adjuvants to improve t race element absorpt ion and translocation in crops.
Dr. Dan Skow, founder and partner in International AgLabs , Fairmont , MN, recommends these ranges of nutrients in crop leaves — including corn and soybeans — through the growing season.
First the "trace" elements, in parts per million recommended:
Iron (Fe) — 50 to 350 ppm
Iron influences leaf thickness and energy absorption. If you can double leaf thickness, you can increase the leaf's sugar-manufacturing capacity by four times.
Manganese (Mn) — 20 to 100 ppm
This element is essential for a wide range of enzyme reactions, especially early in the growing season. The ratio of iron to manganese in parts per million should be about two parts iron to 1 part manganese. Glyphosate has a strong affinity for chelating, or locking up, manganese.
Copper (Cu) — 10 to 30 ppm
Copper deficiency leaves crops susceptible to fungal invasion, such as sudden death syndrome in soybeans and powdery mildew in wheat. In fields where fungal invasions are common, you'll gain more protection with tissue levels of copper at least 35 ppm
Zinc (Zn) — 20 to 50 ppm
Zinc, along with boron, are the two most important trace elements assuring the functional stability of plant membranes which control translocation of nutrients.
In winter wheat, winter kill caused by Rhizoctonia rose to nearly 100% where leaf zinc concentrations dropped below 20 parts per million.
Zinc also inhibits insect attacks. Apparently, chewing and sucking insects don't like the taste of zinc. A common folk remedy for reducing your appeal to mosquitoes is to take a couple of zinc tablets before your exposure to mosquito-infested areas. "With zinc in your blood, mosquitoes tend to leave you alone," says Skow.
Here are recommended levels of major crop nutrients in tissue tests, as percent of dry matter:
Phosphorus (P) — 0.25% to 0.5%
This is the "engine" which runs the plant. Nutrients enter the plant in the phosphate form. Skow recommends in-furrow placement of phosphate fertilizer directly under the seed.
Nitrogen (N) — 4% to 5.5%
Good nitrogen levels, along with iron and calcium, build thick leaves and strong cell walls. One of the best sources of nitrogen is digested stalk and root residue from previous crops. With abundant soil microbial life and good residue recycling, you can raise a bushel of corn with about half a pound of purchased nitrogen.
Potassium (K) — 0.35% to 2%
This element has a strong influence over stalk size and number of seeds per plant.
Calcium (Ca) — .35% to 2%
Even in soils considered "calcareous" with adequate limestone, Skow says his laboratory often sees calcium levels below 1%. Calcium is essential for strong cell walls, which are the first line of defense against insect attack.
Magnesium (Mg) — 0.3% to 0.6%
Sulfur (S) — 0.25% to 0.35%
Sodium (Na) — 0.001% to 0.003%
Plant sap pH, measured in the field — at least 6.4
Crops that are more acidic than a pH of 6.4 are more susceptible to disease and insect attack. A low pH in plant sap, which you can check with a pocket meter, signals a lack of calcium or potassium in the plant.
Wow, it is April already, weather patterns are swirling around all over the world, farmers are in the fields in the South and waiting to get in the fields in the North. Probably after this latest series of snow storms the first week of April and things will be off and running for the season. I am sure that most of you have already gotten your pre-plant and row support programs in place and hopefully delivered. It is a good time to be thinking about and planning for the midseason foliar and side-dress programs. Many people are worried about the possible upcoming season of disease stressors particularly SDS and Goss's Wilt. These and all other diseases are correlated to plant and soil nutritional balance, biological stamina and energy; all of which are manageable by the farmer. Certainly there is a lot of truth to the differences between certain genetic lines, one being more susceptible to certain disease than another; one wanting more nitrogen early, the other wanting its nitrogen later in the season. Acting on this information should have already been done in selecting your seed for planting.
All living entities, from micro-organisms to plants to animals and peopl e require energy to live. As long as we have the energy necessary to maintain our immune systems, get rid of toxins and regenerate tissue, we do just fine. As soon as our energy drops below a given threshold where we are not keeping up with the energy demand, dis-ease symptoms begin to set in, premature aging appears and eventually disease takes over. The same is true for the crops we grow in the field. Mid-season foliars and side-dress applications are vital to pick up the slack regarding nutrient demand and energy supply. It takes a lot of energy to reproduce, to make grain, fruit and berries. Think about how much food demand a pregnant lady has the last trimester of her pregnancy. She has to feed two or more. The same holds true for your crop. Think of these plants as "pregnant rabbits" as they have multiple fetuses to feed all the way to maturity. Note how many blossoms drop off the soybean plant; notice how many potential ears there are in a corn plant; look at how many blossoms shrivel up on your tomato, okra, or pepper plants, all of which could and should be fully developed, mature off-spring from that mother plant.
The reason these "potentials" don't make it is because of energy, actually the lack of energy in the form of nutrition. Understand a little about the birds and the bees. It takes both male and female to reproduce. This is true at the microscopic level just as it is true at the macroscopic level. Early in the season with annual crops , we want the crop to grow sufficiently to handle the future "pregnancy." This early season growth is "male" in nature. On a sliding scale of "maleness" to "femaleness" fertilizers fall into place. Calcium, potassium, chlorine, and nitrate nitrogen are all "male" fertilizers. All else is "female." In particular, regarding fertilizer and especially nitrogen management, ammonia nitrogen is "female" as is sulfur and the trace elements such as manganese and boron. This means we need a little nitrate nitrogen early and a little ammonia nitrogen late.
Ever hear the saying that when a man and a woman who really like each other get together that "sparks" fly? Well, that is what's happening in the soil with electron transfer. When we react the bases (boys) against the acids (girls), sparks will fly. These sparks are what set fruit and keep the plant pregnant. This is what makes the difference between 20 pods per bean plant and 40 or 60 or 200 and what determines whether we have 2 or 3 or 4 fully developed beans per pod. All the varieties have many flowers blooming, it is the management of the crop that determines how many of those flowers translate to grain in the bin at harvest or tons of tomatoes, okra, peppers or melons in the wagon at harvest.
Once we have laid the foundation before or at planting, we can then use foliars and side-dress materials to ensure our crop gets pregnant, stays pregnant and delivers maximum potential yield. Foliar Seed Set is the foundation to every foliar feeding program. To this base product to which the farmer can add specific additional nutrients, biologicals, or additives customized for his/her specific crop and farm. Those farmers that believe they can have these "pregnant" crops skip a meal and be happy are just fooling themselves and loosing out on better yields, better quality and improved disease and insect resistance. Plan now for mid-season foliars and/or side-dress programs, having the necessary products on hand by the time you need them in June, July and August.
Traveling With A U-Trough State of Mind
by Jeff Littrell
The first announcement I would like to make would be to thank every attendee that was part of our winter conferences, and a special thanks to all the speakers, to quote a close friend of mine, "Jeff you sparked the fuse that was heard around the world." I'm so proud to be part of not just this company but part of a greater good, and this paradigm shift in modern agriculture.
Spring has finally arrived throughout the Midwest. Last week I made my spring journey through several states; Texas, Louisiana, Wisconsin to Illinois, to southern Missouri and back up, with a second trip planned to southern Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. I found little activity considering the time of the year. I found some activity south of Dubuque, Iowa and east of Clinton and some activity north of Deer Grove, Illinois on Wednesday.
Thursday I traveled south on Highway 51 to Oconee, Illinois. The soil temps in this region where in the low 30's and I could have counted on 1 hand the rigs in the field. That evening I traveled south on 51 to the Mississippi River crossing over to Sikeston, Missouri. I did not see a single rig running. I did see remnants that one field had been planted.
My Texas trip found almost 3 million acres in west Texas that had yet to be planted. I don't believe that will have any effect on the markets. Southern Texas looks good, just a few planting delays due to the lack of moisture and cooler soil conditions. This is tough on cotton germination, it has forced some replanting, but that is the nature of dry land cotton. The sugar cane looks good and most of the crop got harvested without a lot of freeze issues. The corn, sorghum, and soybeans all looked great but are very dry this year.
We have the government release that came out on March 31st, the planting updates from the Ag periodicals, and I have yet to see anything relative in my travels that correlate to these predictions. I will believe it when I see it! When it comes to our industry, I think we might want to evaluate whom we use as our forecaster into the future.
2011 has brought about nine new U-trough planters in 5 states, and our 12 row Kinze would be one of those 9. We have become better at retrofitting these planters. Tim Maasch and Matt Horsman, the shop and welding crew, have put some very long days to get this monster ready, but we are finally getting close. A few final touches added to the electric clutches, auto steer, 4 monitors, 2 miles of wire and a football length of hose, I feel we are ready.
When we go to the field in 3 weeks, I'll find myself for the first time feeling that we are on top of our game and will have an opportunity to control some of the uncontrollable issues for the first time on a large scale in our operation.
With this said, I wish everyone a safe and eventful spring and may all our days be filled with lessons which we can learn from and remember that we only have 40 to 50 crops in our lifetime so we better make the most of it while we are here.
From the Staff and Employees of BRT/FHR,
we would like to thank you for your support and business.
