Mission Critical: Agriculture

Tags

technology

So, I obviously haven’t been very religious about posting…think about it frequently, but just don’t stop and take the time to do it. And it truly amazes me how time can pass so quickly…how did an entire month go by already?!?!

Anyhow, found something fun to post today. Got an e-mail about the newest digital edition of a magazine called Mission Critical. It’s published by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems Internation (AUVSI) and their most recent edition talks about the use of technology in agriculture. Click here or on the photo below to browse the articles online.

While there are no forage-specific technologies mentioned in the articles, the whole idea of using these types of things in agriculture is fascinating to me….it’s almost like watching something magic! While cost is usually the most prohibitive factor, the possibilities for the future are almost limitless.

What do you think? Is there a future for any of these types of technologies in the forage world?

Keep Families Farming

I’m sure many of you have heard about the new proposed legislation to limit the opportunities youth will have to work in an agricultural setting, even their own family’s farm.

As someone who spent many hours moving irrigation pipe, on the seat of a tractor cutting hay or moving bales, fixing fences, on horseback pushing cows or many other tasks associated with farming or ranching, I can fully attest to the fact that the things I learned were invaluable. While I may not necessarily be doing any of those tasks directly today, the work ethic and appreciation for rural agriculture and what it provides for all of us is something I will always treasure. They are life lessons that I don’t think I could have learned any other way.

I watch my own children today and worry about what they are missing out on. They have to help pull weeds in the garden and mow the lawn in the summer and do a few chores around the house. A couple of them have had the opportunity to be involved in 4-H and show pigs at the fair. But other than that, what ways do I have to teach them responsibility and how to work hard? How will they make the connect between where their food comes from and the hard-working farm families across the nation?

We would be doing our country and our kids a disservice to take away the opportunity to have the kinds of experiences they can get in a rural agricultural environment working on the farm. Yes, safety is important, but there are all kinds of dangers out there for our children. Let’s just be smart about how we go about protecting them.

If you have similar thoughts and feelings, visit a new website: Keep Families Farming to share your comments.

Pretty or problem?

Tags

contest, corn, phosphorus

I find it fascinating that the International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI) holds a photo contest every year. This isn’t just any photo contest…this is for photos of nutrient-deficient plants. The winners of the 2011 contest were released today and I love this first-place photo of phosphorus deficient maize (corn).

It’s obviously not a very good thing for high yields, but it sure is pretty!

Click here to see the other winning photos. Then keep your eye out for nutrient deficiencies in your forage fields this coming year. Maybe we’ll even have a contest…

“Where is this” photo contest

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photo contest

I love photos of nature, especially when they include forage! And we are lucky enough to get some of the most beautiful photos submitted for publication. A couple months ago I thought it would be fun to start a “Where is this?” photo contest with some of these pictures that we feature in upcoming Progressive Forage Grower articles.

A new contest photo was uploaded yesterday here; go take a look and post your guess in the comments section on that webpage.

You can win a newly designed Progressive Forage Grower hat if your guess is the closest!

Good things come in…fours?

Tags

calf, calves, dairy

I know this isn’t exactly a forage related post, but this picture just made me smile. Zuppan Dairy in Orlando, California had a cow give birth to quadruplet calves, all alive at birth. Odds of that happening?

• Odds of quadruplets in cattle: 1:700,000
• Odds of quadruplets all born alive: 1:11.2 million

But, there’s even more to the story…read the complete update on a sister website, Proud to Dairy, clicking here.

And may your day be as lucky!

Photo courtesy of Michael Karle, Mid-Valley Veterinary Hospital

Producer survey

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survey

Every couple of years we conduct a survey of our Progressive Forage Grower readers. It helps us plan for future articles and lets advertisers know who is reading the magazine. No individual information about you or your farm is shared, but results are compiled and presented in graphical format.

Copies of the 2011 survey were mailed to a random selection of readers at the end of the year, but if you didn’t receive a printed copy in the mail we would still like to invite you to participate. Click here to access the survey.

We’ll be tallying the results in the next week or so, so be sure to submit your responses no later than Friday, January 13th.

We look forward to hearing your thoughts! And drop me a note if you’re interested in seeing the results from the survey.

The importance of forage

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alfalfa, forage, forage and grassland council

The Canadian Forage and Grassland Council recently held their annual meeting and reading a summary at the Manitoba Co-Operator it sounds like the speakers had some great things to say:

“That’s one of the problems with our industry. We don’t recognize the importance of forage,” said Ed Shaw, owner of Alberta-based International Quality Forages, and past president of the Canadian Forage Grasslands Association.“We don’t count it. Nobody thinks it’s important, but without forage, you’ve got nothing.”

Doesn’t that ring true? Forage crops really are the foundation for animal agriculture and of vital importance in crop rotations. Where would we be without them?

The start of something new

With the beginning of each new year my thoughts turn to questions like: “What can I do different?” or “How can I make this year better?”, both personally and professionally. Coincidentally, at the same time we were busy laying out Issue 1 of Progressive Forage Grower for 2012, it was also time for personal and team year-end reviews. So I’ve had plenty of time in the past few weeks to ponder the coming weeks and months and improvements I would like to make.

I’ve been thinking about having a blog for awhile now but just haven’t ever taken the time to do it. I felt it could be a fun and easy way to keep in touch and be able to interact with readers. And so, we’re going to give it a try!

I welcome you to the new Progressive Forage Grower editor’s blog and hope you will visit and share your thoughts with me by leaving your comments and sharing these posts.

For our first order of business, I’d like some help to come up with a name for the blog. Any creative ideas out there? Leave your suggestions in the comments section until Friday, January 14th. If your idea is chosen, I’ll send you a fun prize in the mail!