After last week's blog post, I received a message from a colleague of Dr. Franzen. Here's an excerpt from that message:
With that said, I also stand by my statement that if my post came across as a bit too snarky or even mildly condescending, I challenge you to read the Crop & Pest Reports mentioned in my previous article and see for yourself if they don't sound a bit the same way.
No, Dr. Franzen did not personally attack anyone, and I really do hope that my article isn't interpreted that way either. In my opinion, he did, however, attack a farming practice on the basis of his professional opinion without adequately considering the available evidence (i.e., the extant university literature on the impact of N placement). And THAT's my issue. It's not like the research doesn't exist. I linked to a whole bunch of it in that article. And I'm probably even more personally invested in this particular debate because I've spent so much money out of my own pocket researching this myself with my Dynamite Growers.
On the bright side, this whole thing did spark a rather healthy Twitter debate. Many of you read the article and took a strong stance. People got engaged. You actually had a discussion about this whole thing. And because of that, I feel a strong sense of accomplishment. Do I wish everyone would use Y-Drops? Of course. But I'm not stupid. I understand that sometimes terrain is limiting, or you don't have a high clearance sprayer, or, or, or, etc. I get it. But at least now you're thinking about it and talking about timing and placement. And I consider that a victory.
Also, please don't get me wrong: I don't think that 360 Yield Center is perfect. (After all, they do sell a product for anhydrous and I think we've adequately addressed where I stand on that issue). Yes, I wish that they had data comparing every conceivable rate. They don't (yet). But cut them a little slack. 360 has only been a company for like 2 years now. They're gathering data all the time. And so am I. And you should be too.
Oh, and God knows that I'm not perfect. Not by a mile. I'm not arrogant enough or stupid enough to believe that I know everything or that I'm right about everything. But I am right about THIS issue.
I guess I just view my role as that of a watchdog-- protecting your farming operation from people in positions of influence trying to convince you to ignore ideas that work. And I'm sure that most academics would say that they feel the same way on the opposite end of the spectrum-- that they're trying to guard you against all the "snake oil" sales people out there. Without getting overly statistical on you, they're concerned with committing a Type I Error (i.e., adopting a farming practice that won't pay consistently), and I'm more concerned that you'll make a Type II Error (i.e., ignoring practices that will help you be a better environmental AND economic steward).
If you'd like to better understand the differences and the importance of these errors, I highly recommend that you contact the University of Illinois and acquire the "On-farm Research Guidebook" authored by Dan Anderson. That publication used to be available online for free from this website, but unfortunately it appears that it's been taken down. I'd still encourage you to get your hands on that publication as I'm convinced it is the single best resource for producers who want to understand and do good science on their farms.
In the meantime, here's my favorite way to remember the difference between the two types of error:
So just so we're clear... I'm sorry if I seemed to attack Dr. Franzen on a personal level.
I am not sorry if I stepped on your toes (or his) regarding the statements that he made about how there's no difference in placement. There is. Period. I've seen it personally and the data supports it.
"I feel compelled to say (in support of my colleague) that I think it is unfortunate you chose to slam a specialist in your blog and again on Twitter who is just doing their job as hired by the university and state of ND. As specialists, we are asked for our educated opinions based on experience with management practices in our region at the time we make the statements. Franzen is just doing his job and didn't personally attack anyone."And here is an excerpt from my response:
"Thank you for your input. My goal was not and is not to attack Dave personally. And I do sincerely apologize if it came across that. I will issue a public statement to the same effect. The point WAS, however, to attempt to write in the same tone that he used in the Crop & Pest Reports. I certainly respect his right to have an opinion and even to make an educated guess in the event of a lack of evidence one way or the other. However I grow weary of tenured academics (especially those who are well respected and carry a lot of influence) who make statements like his without adequately researching the topic."So I just want to make sure we're clear here: I really have no ill-will toward Dr. Franzen and my intent truly was not to attack him on a personal level. And I do sincerely apologize to Dr. Franzen and anyone else who took it that way.
With that said, I also stand by my statement that if my post came across as a bit too snarky or even mildly condescending, I challenge you to read the Crop & Pest Reports mentioned in my previous article and see for yourself if they don't sound a bit the same way.
No, Dr. Franzen did not personally attack anyone, and I really do hope that my article isn't interpreted that way either. In my opinion, he did, however, attack a farming practice on the basis of his professional opinion without adequately considering the available evidence (i.e., the extant university literature on the impact of N placement). And THAT's my issue. It's not like the research doesn't exist. I linked to a whole bunch of it in that article. And I'm probably even more personally invested in this particular debate because I've spent so much money out of my own pocket researching this myself with my Dynamite Growers.
On the bright side, this whole thing did spark a rather healthy Twitter debate. Many of you read the article and took a strong stance. People got engaged. You actually had a discussion about this whole thing. And because of that, I feel a strong sense of accomplishment. Do I wish everyone would use Y-Drops? Of course. But I'm not stupid. I understand that sometimes terrain is limiting, or you don't have a high clearance sprayer, or, or, or, etc. I get it. But at least now you're thinking about it and talking about timing and placement. And I consider that a victory.
Also, please don't get me wrong: I don't think that 360 Yield Center is perfect. (After all, they do sell a product for anhydrous and I think we've adequately addressed where I stand on that issue). Yes, I wish that they had data comparing every conceivable rate. They don't (yet). But cut them a little slack. 360 has only been a company for like 2 years now. They're gathering data all the time. And so am I. And you should be too.
Oh, and God knows that I'm not perfect. Not by a mile. I'm not arrogant enough or stupid enough to believe that I know everything or that I'm right about everything. But I am right about THIS issue.
I guess I just view my role as that of a watchdog-- protecting your farming operation from people in positions of influence trying to convince you to ignore ideas that work. And I'm sure that most academics would say that they feel the same way on the opposite end of the spectrum-- that they're trying to guard you against all the "snake oil" sales people out there. Without getting overly statistical on you, they're concerned with committing a Type I Error (i.e., adopting a farming practice that won't pay consistently), and I'm more concerned that you'll make a Type II Error (i.e., ignoring practices that will help you be a better environmental AND economic steward).
If you'd like to better understand the differences and the importance of these errors, I highly recommend that you contact the University of Illinois and acquire the "On-farm Research Guidebook" authored by Dan Anderson. That publication used to be available online for free from this website, but unfortunately it appears that it's been taken down. I'd still encourage you to get your hands on that publication as I'm convinced it is the single best resource for producers who want to understand and do good science on their farms.
In the meantime, here's my favorite way to remember the difference between the two types of error:
So just so we're clear... I'm sorry if I seemed to attack Dr. Franzen on a personal level.
I am not sorry if I stepped on your toes (or his) regarding the statements that he made about how there's no difference in placement. There is. Period. I've seen it personally and the data supports it.
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