And another seed company goes off the map. Alfalfa seed is already horribly expensive, and less competition and less genetic choice is certainly what we want...
According to Hay and Forage Grower, Dow has purchased Cal/West seeds.
Cal/West was a major breeder of Alfalfa and Clover seed.
Of course with the advent of GMO "round-up" resistant Alfalfa the demand for regular varieties of Alfalfa will plummet.
Which puts one into the whole GMO argument.
I would like to see a herbicide resistant Alfalfa which was bred that way without the use of GMO. The danger of cross-polenation from a GMO seed can be a market killer.
I personally like to see the GMO paranoia as it always boosts my feed and hay sales.
And...
I don't like Monsanto.
Now I am going to go plant wheat. If only someone would buy me auto-steer I could have planted all night. The dust is too think to see my marker row and since I don't have tilt compensation in my GPS antenna I tend to start wandering from side to side on the A-B line. I really should have spent more time playing Astroids and Pac-man as a kid.
Perhaps I could practice on the Wii.
Posts
No field markers needed here this morning. The ground is white with new snow. If the ground wasn't too hard to get a seeder into, I guess it would make a fine black line to follow on the snow.
ReplyDeleteI guess it is October! Time to set by the fire? Or time to cut wood...
DeleteMaybe your fields are too big! Never have that problem over here!
ReplyDeleteKev, the fellow who wrote the GPS program that I use with a tablet computer says he has had problems with farmers in England who use his program without paying. The program will run for 10 minutes as a demo and it would seem there are a lot of fields you can farm in 10 minutes. I'm not sure why you would need GPS in a 10 minute field but if you have a lot of them it would keep you busy all day!
DeleteLast night I would have been lost in a five acre field. The dust was so thick I couldn't even see the grain drill.
I should be happy for all the dry weather, but I'm getting seriously sick of dust. Upside: won't need the pressure washer to clean stuff for winter.....just use an air hose!
ReplyDeleteMaybe they need to make a Virtual Lazy Farmer game for the Wii?
Orin, The last two nights there has been enough dew to turn the 1/2 inch coating of dust on the 2-155 into a crust. Need to get an air compressor back in my pickup.
DeleteI don't know about a Virtual Lazy Farmer game, who would ever get around to finishing it?
It would be one long coffee break!
I have auto steer on my sprayer and floater and I would never go back to the old way. I usually don't spray or float at night, but it sure makes my long days less tiring.
ReplyDeletecuscut, I have a hard time spending $4,000 or so on auto-steer when I need tires. However, I think I will buy a better antenna. I could almost plant using last pass in the dark. Problem was the antenna was not updating fast enough and I was working for someone else. If it would have been my field I'd have just gone for it.
DeleteI think the dust will end this weekend. Dust, or mud.... hard to choose.
ReplyDeleteThe river page says the Yamhill will raise a foot! I have a lot of work to do before that happens...
DeleteWho is the major producer for you of non GMO seeds. Did you have problems with nematodes?
ReplyDeleteDang, there is so much to try to keep up with as a farmer. I'm still trying to learn.
Bobby, we have bought from Kussmaul seeds of Mt. Hope Wisconsin. We have more problems with bullfrogs than nematodes. The bullfrogs eat the endangered pond turtles.
DeleteSorry farming has gotten so technical...I just remember back 50 years ago when my Dad grew potatoes, wheat and alfalfa and you just plowed,picked the rocks (he had girls not hired men)and fertilized, planted the seed and water
ReplyDeleteand grew the crops, no vacations and my mother worked to support us but then came harvest and for a while there was extra money and money to do the next year and fix whatever...what happened? My dad is now gone but I am glad he had those years.... He wasn't a big farmer, rented the land, owned his equipment, taught bowling in the winter and sent all four children to college. I guess that is why they call them the good old days!
We still work a lot...
ReplyDeleteNot saying you don't work alot but the technical side seems to have taken some of the joy out of farming....
ReplyDelete