I was on the farm last week and early this week. My timing was right. I wanted to be there for the corn planting. We finished and started on soy beans. I have never seen the seeds go in the ground under better conditions. That rich, black dirt was not cloddy, not too wet. It would crumble in your bare hands. The day I got to the farm, the corn was not up. But when I left this week, I could mow it. To look at those green sprouts peeking up out of that rich earth is a beautiful sight.
Think about all the time and effort and money spent in getting the crop this far. Last fall, we put lime on some fields where the soil tests told us it was needed. We applied phosphate and potash at just the right amount to meet fertility needs. With GPS and accurate soil tests, we can apply the right amount in the right place. That’s precision farming.
We knifed into the soil “honey” from our hog barns. That is powerful fertilizer. Finally, anhydrous ammonia, our source of nitrogen, was put on the fields. We did all of that last fall. We won’t see any return on our investment until this fall.
When the corn gets up a foot high this spring, we will spray for weeds. With genetically engineered seed, we don’t use anywhere near the amount of weed spray that we did 30 years ago. The critics of GE crops are making a big mistake. GE allows us to dramatically reduce the amount of chemicals to grow a crop. We don’t use the energy. In days back, we would have to cultivate the growing crop twice. And, we would still have weeds and grass in the corn rows.
Farmers are better stewards of their land than they have ever been. We have technology that makes it possible. We value our land and livestock. That’s how we make our living.
Of course, there are exceptions, but I can’t imagine a farmer mistreating his animals. I love our pigs. They are beautiful – so healthy. They are gaining weight and growing faster than I have ever seen. Sometimes, I think it may be the feed. It is a balanced ration. Corn, soybean meal and distillers dried grain (DDG). DDG is the high protein feed left over after making ethanol out of corn. It has become a very popular and valuable livestock feed.
Watching the 2015 crop grow this summer will be exciting. I’m sure we will be praying for rain in July. It’s in God’s hands now.
John Block was Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 1981-1985, where he played a key role in the development of the 1985 Farm Bill.
