Everybody knows that in order to kill a werewolf you have to have a magical silver bullet.
Well, I have good news and I have bad news.
The good news is that werewolves aren't real (which, sadly, means that there probably aren't vampires that look like Kate Beckinsale, either).
The bad news is that magical silver bullets don't really exist either-- not for killing werewolves, and not in farming.
In all seriousness, here's how the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines, "Silver Bullet": "Something that acts as a magical weapon; especially: one that instantly solves a long-standing problem."
Don't get me wrong, we've a few things that we've treated as though they were silver bullets. For example, a 2008 article published in a peer-reviewed, scientific journal called, Pest Management Science, called glyphosate "A once-in-a-century herbicide."
However, you might recall this article on glyphosate published in a 2010 issue of No-Till Farmer called, "Are we Shooting Ourselves in the Foot with a Silver Bullet?" The point of that article was that the overuse of glyphosate (i.e., the "silver bullet") has led to other problems. You see, the problem is that silver bullets come with baggage. In the case of glyphosate (or any chemical, really), when we overuse it, we end up with resistance. In other cases, the baggage may be that something works, but it doesn't pay.
My good friend, Kip Cullers, put it this way:
So the point of today's article is this: In a year with depressed prices it's critically important that you make sure you're evaluating ALL of your farming practices to see which ones that you've maybe been treating like they're the silver bullet.
Here are some questions to consider:
In short, make sure you're holding your current farming practices to the same standard to which you hold all of us sales people pushing "snake oil." If you don't, then you might as well take those silver bullets and go hunting for werewolves.
If you have questions about how to set up on-farm tests, or if you would like to see how we can help make you more profitable in 2017, give me a call at 641-919-5574. Also be sure to check out www.DynamiteAg.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Well, I have good news and I have bad news.
The good news is that werewolves aren't real (which, sadly, means that there probably aren't vampires that look like Kate Beckinsale, either).
The bad news is that magical silver bullets don't really exist either-- not for killing werewolves, and not in farming.
In all seriousness, here's how the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines, "Silver Bullet": "Something that acts as a magical weapon; especially: one that instantly solves a long-standing problem."
Don't get me wrong, we've a few things that we've treated as though they were silver bullets. For example, a 2008 article published in a peer-reviewed, scientific journal called, Pest Management Science, called glyphosate "A once-in-a-century herbicide."
However, you might recall this article on glyphosate published in a 2010 issue of No-Till Farmer called, "Are we Shooting Ourselves in the Foot with a Silver Bullet?" The point of that article was that the overuse of glyphosate (i.e., the "silver bullet") has led to other problems. You see, the problem is that silver bullets come with baggage. In the case of glyphosate (or any chemical, really), when we overuse it, we end up with resistance. In other cases, the baggage may be that something works, but it doesn't pay.
My good friend, Kip Cullers, put it this way:
So the point of today's article is this: In a year with depressed prices it's critically important that you make sure you're evaluating ALL of your farming practices to see which ones that you've maybe been treating like they're the silver bullet.
Here are some questions to consider:
- Have you been using the same chemistry for multiple years with little or no rotation?
- Have you noticed that weeds are getting a little harder to kill or that maybe a neighbor's field looks a little cleaner than your own?
- Are you still broadcasting all of your P&K?
- If so, why?
- Have you done any tests to see if it actually pays?
- Are you putting your nitrogen on in the fall?
- (Here's some free agronomy advice: DON'T DO THIS.)
- When was the last time you went to any sort of educational agronomy event?
- I'm not talking about a field day where they told you which new numbers were defensive and which ones had this trait or that one... I'm talking REAL agronomy.
In short, make sure you're holding your current farming practices to the same standard to which you hold all of us sales people pushing "snake oil." If you don't, then you might as well take those silver bullets and go hunting for werewolves.
If you have questions about how to set up on-farm tests, or if you would like to see how we can help make you more profitable in 2017, give me a call at 641-919-5574. Also be sure to check out www.DynamiteAg.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
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