As it typically does Thanksgiving has snuck up on us again. We get consumed with harvest, grain drying, tillage, cleaning up and storing machinery for the winter that we don’t have the time to think about holidays and holiday activities. But here we are and it is time to remember the last year and this past growing season. For those who graduated, got married, or had some other life changing event or achievement, congratulation and give thanks for the occurrence. For those involved in farming or producing food or fiber, 2018 and 2019 have been two seasons in which weather and marketing challenges make us look forward to a more normal 2020.
On the national stage we are still waiting for the congress to end their daily circus and get the Mexico/Canadian trade pact signed. Those two countries are two of our larger markets and our two closest neighbors. Japan is also huge and a great destination for many of our meat products. Whether or not China and their policies change much is a question mark When a group of thirty Ag scientist and practitioner were over in Beijing to present at a food conference back in July of 2014, we visited a number of museums where the focus was on the great advancements in science, math, trade, ship building and discoveries made by their people over a thousand years before they turned inwards for 800 years. With many of their national policies directed by teams of grandmothers they are more focused on wellbeing and health of their people of their people plus making China the dominant superpower or at least dominant in five or six major areas. Asian Swine Flu likely has upset the apple cart for them. We will see how it turns out. Remembering Rule #1 in business must remain #1 for us as an exporting company as well. The reason for the conference being held and publicity about it has never made front page news in their country, as it likely should. It would be shocking to most people here.
New Learning Opportunities
The upcoming ISU extension ICM conference is rapidly approaching. The number of difference topics appears to have widened and should appeal to more people. People interested in learning more about it can access information on line and can sign up yet to attend.
The annual Acres Eco-Ag conference is scheduled for the second week in December up in Minneapolis. At their beginning their topics of interest would have been considered on the fringe, but now that soil health and cover cropping are two hot buttons and appear to be two useful advancement in raising healthier and more profitable crops a larger percent of today’s producers would benefit by attending and hearing from the presenters or other attendees. As a warning most who attend are also looking for their niche where there is demand for quality and health promoting attributes to growing such food or produce.
Last week the annual Bio-Nutrient Food Conference was held out in Massachusetts. Two years ago I attended and presented. The list of other speakers was amazing well rounded and well versed in their areas with several international soil health and soil carbon scientists and/or authors who have specialized in helping us understand what Haney tests are telling us or suggesting an area we need to concentrate on.
One reason I mentioned that group is that the founder and several consulting electronic engineers working with the group worked with the expert in her lab to design and build a small $370 handheld food scanner that a housewife could carry into a grocery store and scan all food items for mineral content. Theirs is the beginning of such scanners being available.
December and January Tasks
Based on weather predictions many of us may be looking for more office tasks during December and January. For a number of them that will mean finding someone who could help them interpret soil test results, including Haney test results, that were taken and reported this fall. Others will be asking for help in figuring out how they may be able to tackle the riddles of how to make cover crops work, or how to become more efficient with fertilizer dollars. That is where a good agronomist or an experienced certified crop advisor can be valuable.
Bob Streit is an independent crop consultant and columnist for Farm News. He can be reached at (515) 709-0143 or www.CentralIowaAg.com.