Crop scouting
In some ways it seems hard to believe that summer has actually arrived. The weather for the most part has been cool and wet in southwestern Ontario. Wheat crops are roughly a week or so away from being harvested with corn and soybean fields growing very well for the most part.
For farmers there is no time off and one of the most important areas of concern for their corn and soybeans is “crop scouting.” Insect infestation and a wide range of plant diseases’ can devastate these crops if not caught in time and appropriate action taken.
Crop scouting is an integral part of ensuring healthy corn and soybean plants reach full maturity, maximizing their yield potential for farmers. It is not unusual while crop scouting for a farmer to discover a weed, disease or insect which is not easily identifiable and until this is done they cannot even begin to establish a corrective course of action to eliminate the particular problem.
Some farmers depend on outside help in scouting their fields such as an AGRIS Co-operative or Wanstead Farmers Co-operative crop specialist to assist them walking their fields looking for potential problems. Even then, they can run across a situation that requires the expertise of a professional and in southwestern Ontario our co-operatives work closely with the experts at the University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus.
Leading industry staff at the Ridgetown Campus like Albert Tenuta, Tracey Baute, Horst Bohner, Mike Cowbrough, Peter Johnson and Greg Stewart to name just a few, help provide a wealth of experience and research knowledge for farmers finding solutions to their crop problems. The Ridgetown Campus is again holding a very successful and well respected “Crop Diagnostic Days” on July 8th and 9th, 2009 where farmers and agricultural industry personnel can receive, as detailed on their website, “state-of-the-art training in all aspects of crop production and management.”
Another welcome development for the agriculture industry has been a new blog to hit the internet this spring. It has been an instant hit and is called “Baute Bug Blog.com.” Tracey Baute from the University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus is a field crop entomologist for the Ontario Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Rural Affairs. Tracey’s blog keeps everyone up to date with the latest in insect problems being identified in fields and possible solutions to deal with the infestations.
So while farmers walk their corn and soybean fields this summer scouting for potential problems it is very reassuring for them to know that they can rely on the crop experts from the University of Guelph’s Ridgetown Campus to assist them in identifying field problems and providing solutions to help them maximize their crop yields.
Farmers keep pace with advances in internet usage
I had the opportunity this week to attend a presentation about an eBusiness in Agriculture Report that was hosted by the Canadian Agri-Marketing Association at the Cutten Club in Guelph. This report was completed by IPSOS FORWARD RESEARCH and is repeated every two years and represents more than 1000 farmers from the prairies, Ontario and Quebec. The base criterion was that the farmers had to have more than $50,000 in annual sales in order to participate in the survey.
The results demonstrated that farmers as a group were keeping pace with their internet usage as much as urban folks. The biggest single factor identified as the catalyst for farmers increased internet activity has been the rapid expansion of high-speed service, particularly in rural areas. There are still pockets where high-speed internet service is not available, but this is changing rapidly with almost all provinces having commitments to establish access for everyone by 2011.
Some interesting survey results (random)
1) More than 53 per cent read a blog
2) More than 53 per cent watch streaming video
3) 33 per cent visit social networks – chat rooms (modern coffee shops)
4) More than 55 per cent reported purchasing products online in the last 12 months
5) 82 per cent use the internet to view their financial statements
6) Farmers spend on average more than 8.5 hours a week on the internet
Some of the conclusions reached by researchers are that the internet is the mainstream tool for commercial farmers and e-mail is the most cost effective way for suppliers and or advertisers to reach them. Farmers are also looking for ways to electronically interact with their chosen suppliers providing convenience for them in business transactions.
As identified in the survey results farmers are avid readers of blogs and watching streaming video. As our newspapers continue to experience a downward trend in readership and advertisers and suppliers are increasingly finding it more difficult to reach their farm customers, the internet is proving to be fertile ground for them to expand their communication skills. These survey results confirm that not only do farmers adapt to new technology – they embrace it!
