Every field in 440 miles of my travel to Field Day Frenzy was dead or dying but these fields were near maturity also but not dead and dying. They were green from top to bottom. Don't get me wrong, there is Goss's Wilt in the corn and Keith can't hide it. No one can, it is everywhere in the industry. But his "bandaids," yes Jerry I said bandaids have increased his yield and crop health in a profitable way.
Then my friend Dr. Richard Cooper gave his presentation on semi dwarf soybeans. That man did something in th 70's no one else ever had, cross the best soybeans from the north from the best soybeans from the south. The result was he broke 100 bushel soybeans many times in the last 40 years. That is something I don't anyone else did.
His reward? Nice job Dick Cooper but we think it's time for you to retire now. I know the extreme rejection and disappointment. It is like correlating soybean yields to calcium levels for seven years and having your work rejected. Then, 40 years later it turns out you were on to something that agriculture is really talking about today! Or worse, finding cures for major human disease and be shunned by big money.
Dr. Cooper reminded me we were farther ahead in soybean research 40 years ago than we are today! It was melancholy but fit right in the days teaching. What is best for your farm? What is the next thing you need to work on? Non GMO? Weed Control? Calcium? Balance of the 20 minerals needed by plants? We have much work to do!
You know it as soon as you turn onto the field day site. Here is green corn with erect ears planted early May right across the road from brand name corn that is almost ready to shell. It won't make half as much corn as the corn in Keith's field and I watched three fellows study Keith's corn and walk across the road and look at the neighbor's. The whole deal took almost an hour. It is fun to watch farmers truly discover.
Dr. Cooper did great considering a TV crew was setting up lights for Dr. Kindness talk. It turned out to be a PBS crew because they were taping his presentation! I thought you little Scottsman, I didn't know you were an Internation speaker. He truly gave an International presentation. It alone was worth driving 440 miles but so were Dr. Huber and Dr. Cooper.
Amy Bandy gave the best presentation I ever heard a crop scout give. I am not exaggerating, these presentations proved Field Day Frenzy is the very top of the nation for agricultural advancement. I admit I had conversation with all the speakers more than one time this past year so you might consider me biased. I feel I am not.
I just wanted to give you a feel for this once in a lifetime field day before my battery runs out.
More soon....
Ed Winkle
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