Winter and the planning for the 2018 crop season continue. Both have been unsettling and a bit nerve racking. As to the weather the trend seems to be two cold weeks of bitter cold with strong winds followed by three to five days of warming and melting of some snow and ice. Luckily there have been no big blizzards that have shut the roads and travel down for several days as seen in past years. When schools were shut down it has been more as a precaution of big storms being predicted that did not materialize. At this point the beginning of spring is only about eight weeks away. We can survive those.
The Big Iowa Power Farming Show
On the Ag scene the next big event in the state is the Iowa Power Show scheduled for the last Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in late January and running into February. The show is typically well attended on Days 1 and 2, with smaller crowds on the final day. Everything depends on how navigable the roads are during those days. There have been a few shows where snow limited or closed things down for part of the event.
This show includes a wide variety of lecture topics and displays. It provides a great opportunity to find out what new products will be available for the coming season, be it a new variety of corn or soybeans, possibly a new fertilizer, or new application equipment or add on to machinery you already own.
We always have a booth there and it has been time to start assembling the equipment and display items we typically use. It will also be the week where the speakers will be finalizing the information they will be presenting.
Practical Farming Show
This past weekend was the annual Practical Farming Conference. The crowd is quite a bit different that the IPS in that the producers are typically smaller in nature and more in the business of growing food for people. That can include a wide range of products. With farmers’ markets becoming increasingly popular and dollars spent at them a number of growers have found they can earn decent amounts of money growing produce or other food products they can grow for the market and consumers.
Closer to the larger towns and cities there are more CSAs being developed as more consumers like the connections they can form between themselves and the person growing their food. Having the food not spending days or weeks in transit allow it to ripen in the field or on the tree and carry the great flavor we have gotten used to.
At the BioNutrient Food Conference held in MA last month there was one Ag professional who had developed a food vacuum drier that removed 100% of the moisture from fresh food, and found that it actually enhanced the flavor of the flakes produced. He needed at least two million pounds of produce, be it raspberries, cherries or other fruit or veggies to feed the drier and spread the cost of the equipment. It caused us to ask what other item that people might identify with in Iowa that could be a candidate for such a venture. The first thought we had was sweet corn or vine ripened tomatoes. I tried a sample of the raspberries and the flavor was intense.
He currently has a number of contracts that are quite profitable and would offer growers the chance to join a producers’ coop to grow for that market. There is money in food so who has the desire to become specialized in a particular crop. Will our weather cooperate to make such a venture feasible?
ISU Crop Advantage Seminars
The series of Midwinter meetings continue this week across the state. If you wish to get updated about new findings and outlook for the coming season check these out for one close to you.
SCN News
Growers across most of Iowa and surrounding states have been fighting the battle with soybean cyst nematodes since the 70s. At first when the initial resistant varieties such as Bell or Jack became available we felt like we could win the battle. But now we are recognizing and finding that resistance to the Fayette source is losing the battle with the little worms. I am now hearing of fields where the populations are climbing into the 30,000 or up levels again. And the procurement of new sources of resistance from China is a slow process plus one that takes a number of years for plant breeders to convert the viney sources into an agronomically sound type of plant.
There are now two new products that may offer hope to growers on that treadmill. Another product might be available for the 2018 season, but I will have to check first to see if it has been approved by EPA for sale. One of these is a species of bacteria while one is a plant extract that reduces the oxidative stress that the plants have to tolerate with the feeding. The data on this last one seems quite strong. I will relay the information to you after I gather it. Until them I will be looking forward to seeing you at the IPS in Des Moines.
Bob Streit is an independent crop consultant and columnist for Farm News. He can be reached at (515) 709-0143 or www.CentralIowaAg.com.