ROCK RAPIDS, Iowa — On one wall of my office I have a picture of an Amish couple hand-harvesting corn. Next to that picture is hanging the thumb hook my father used to harvest corn when he first started farming. Surrounding all of that are cloth seed sacks from companies, some with original seed tags from the WWII years. On my computer I have an aerial photo of the Northwest Research Farm taken with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Why? I want to remind myself of what my role in agriculture is – to help get new research-based technologies that improve our industry implemented on Northwest Iowa farms. Knowing where we came from and knowing we are working to create new information for the future motivates me to continue my work.
Change in agriculture seems to be coming at us at a more rapid pace every year. Challenges come with change, but contrary to what some people seem to think, change isn’t always bad. Do we adopt new technologies? Which ones? What “baggage” comes with it? I believe it is more important than ever to be certain we take time as a part of our careers to learn because our industry is changing and we need to know more about these new technologies in order to make good decisions about the value of adopting some of them.
Winter is one of my busiest seasons of the year because that is when I, and many others at Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, are working to share some of that new information with Iowa’s ag producers. Pesticide applicator meetings start in early December and other conferences are in the works. Included in that list is the Crop Advantage Series being offered across Iowa. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach specialists will travel to 14 locations around Iowa from January 3-26, 2018 providing updated management options and recommendations on current and future crop production issues. Continuing educations credits for Certified Crop Advisers and pesticide safety recertification will also be offered as part of the day. There is no other program in our crop production education year that allows us to bring several extension specialists together at individual sites across the state like we are able to do with these crop advantage meetings.
In Northwest Iowa, locations include Sheldon on January 3, Okoboji on January 4, Storm Lake on January 9, and Le Mars on January 23. Each site has a slightly different agenda, so check with your local Extension office for location details, or go to www.cropadvantage.org. Key issues for 2018 will be presented with two morning keynote speakers followed by several optional workshops to choose from during the afternoon. A registration discount is available if registering online at www.cropadvantage.org at least a week in advance of each conference.
If you are an ag producer, take advantage of learning opportunities this winter! The world changes, so be prepared to make wise decisions.
— Joel DeJong, Field Agronomist
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
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