Harold Reetz is one of the board members for the Conservation Technology Information Center and has formed Reetz Agronomics. I spoke to him following the CTIC board meeting. He says he just retired after 28 years with the International Plant Nutrition Institute. But he’s not retired from working. In my interview you’ll hear about some other things he’s involved in. …
The 4R Nutrient Stewardship System
Representing The Fertilizer Institute on the Conservation in Action Tour was Kathy Mathers, V.P. of Public Affairs. I spoke to Kathy during the Conservation Technology Information Center board meeting that followed the tour to Nutrient stewardship is on the top of the list for TFI according to Kathy. She says they’re promoting the 4R Nutrient Stewardship System which means using …
More Organic Matter Good For Soil
Making a sponge out of dust. That was pretty much the theme of remarks and a demonstration we saw on the Conservation in Action Tour at the Davis Family Farm. Conducting the demo was Chris Lawrence, cropland agronomist with Virginia NRCS. The point of his message was how no-till farmers are working to create more organic matter in their sandy …
Mapping Your Field To Maximize Nutrient Application
Precision ag was highlighted at the Nutrient Use Efficiency Expo during the Conservation in Action Tour by a company called Geosys represented by Don Lampker. Don says Geosys is a relatively small technology supply company. He says they do a lot with satellite imagery and have a product called FieldInSite which helps a farmer map their fields so they can …
AGROTAIN Assisting No-Till Farmers
During the Nutrient Use Efficiency Expo on the Conservation in Action Tour our sponsor, AGROTAIN, was one of the exhibitors. Manning the booth was Daryl Clay. He says many of the farms in this part of the country have used no-till for decades. However, using no-till does present some challenges with nitrogen management being one of them. Daryl says that …
Nutrient Use Efficiency Expo – John Deere Demo
Late in the day on the Conservation in Action Tour we participated in a Nutrient Use Efficiency Expo with several exhibitors. One of them was John Deere where Pauley Bradley was demonstrating their PitStop Pro coupling system that lets farmers quickly change anhydrous ammonia tanks without getting out of their cab. I asked Pauley to demonstrate for me and you …
Variable Rate Application For Conservation
Paul Davis farms in New Kent County, VA and drives a truck with a bumper sticker that says, “Never-Till.” His farm was a stop on the Conservation in Action Tour. He’s been in continuous no-till since 1999. While we were on the farm he gave us a presentation about his use of the Trimble Greenseeker technology that makes variable rate …
Listening To Farmers Conservation Regulation Concerns
The Deputy Undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment, USDA, is Ann Mills. Ann oversees the Natural Resources Conservation Service. During lunch on the Conservation in Action Tour she spoke to us about several initiatives under her oversight. She talked about her goals of getting 100 percent participation from Chesapeake Bay area land owners to help with the watershed cleanup efforts. …
Finding A Win-Win Between Farmers and EPA
The Conservation in Action Tour provides an opportunity for farmers to see how other farmers are implementing good conservation practices but it also allows policy makers a chance to learn more about this area. One of our tour participants who spoke to us at our lunch stop was Kelly Shenk, EPA. She works in the Chesapeake Bay Program office. Kelly …
Adapting and Diversifying Key To Long Term Success
The first plantation in Virginia was Shirley Plantation, established in 1613. This was the lunch stop for the Conservation in Action Tour. Tourism and education play a big part in the family business today. Greeting us was Charles Carter who owns and serves as executive director for Shirley Plantation. He says they’ve been there for 11 generations! He says they’ve …