Delmarva Farmer Columnists

 

Technology pitfalls (Feb. 21, 2012)

Pig Tales

By Dr. Rich Barczewski, Associate Professor, Delaware State University

I had the opportunity to attend some of the Agriculture Week presentations that were held in Harrington, Del., this year.
I listened to quite a few of the agronomic presentations and during a couple of the talks, it was made clear that there are increasing problems with herbicide resistant weeds in fields in some sections of our region.
This made me think about many of the new technologies that we are using on our farms.
Essentially, it made me ask, are we properly using the new technologies that have become available to us over the past decade?
There is no doubt that many of the genetically modified crops that have been developed have had a major impact on agriculture.
I would venture to guess that a vast majority of our corn and soybean fields on Delmarva are planted to these genetically modified, herbicide resistant crops.
However as with many things, too much of a good thing may not be all it is cracked up to be.
I remember when the first discussions were being made about herbicide resistant crops and how it was going to make weed control (especially problem weed control) much easier to deal with.
When many of the initial discussions were occurring, it was common to hear people discussing how these GMOs could be used to clean up noxious weeds like Johnson grass or Canada thistle problems in fields.
But in the end, the new technology was soon incorporated to almost all fields and as herbicide prices came down, it became an economic advantage to use these modified crops on most if not all of the acreage.
Currently, we are seeing increased herbicide resistance in some weeds in these crops and ultimately, this resistance could lead to some of these genetics becoming obsolete.
I say this with a little bit of a crystal ball in hand, but my thinking is coming from what I have observed in the livestock industry.
Resistance to chemicals is not new in agriculture.
The sheep and goat industries have been faced with anthelmintic resistance for quite some time and it is getting more difficult to control internal parasites in small ruminants.
A new product will come out as the “save all” chemistry only to be ineffective in 15 or 20 years (sometimes fewer).
Ultimately, it comes down to the fact that Mother Nature has a way of overcoming what we throw at her and continued exposure to certain chemicals results in parasites (and weeds), eventually being able to survive the chemistry.
Currently, the small ruminant industry has one product that still has some effectiveness on most farms.
Word is that there is a new product being used in Australia that will be here in about five years.
The big question is how long will this new chemistry remain effective once it gets here?
I raise these points for a couple of reasons.
First, it costs a lot of money for a company to develop a new technology and I do not fault them one bit for trying to recoup their investment by promoting those technologies.
The point is that a well thought-out plan needs to be developed for using these genetics in a way that minimizes resistance and this plan should be developed prior to the release of that technology.
Secondly, it is in the best interest of the entire agricultural community to have as many weapons in our toolboxes as possible to combat problem weeds and insects.
In some cases, rotation plans to alter which technology is going to be used in which fields, and in which year, should be developed to avoid the development of resistance.
Finally it may also be critical to incorporate years where a non-GMO technology products are used to further assist us in avoiding resistance problems.
I am not anti-progress and I firmly believe that the new products that we have available to us are critical for the survival of our industry.
Weed control has definitely become easier with the introduction of these new products.
However, learning from other sectors of our industry, I hope we are able to find ways to incorporate these technologies so they remain effective for many, many years to come.

Beginning farmer project launches in Virginia (Feb. 21, 2012)

Keeping the Farm

By Ellen Davis, State Director, USDA Rural Development, Virginia

Beginning farmers face a wide range of challenges to successfully start up an operation — including access to credit, access to land, access to markets and technical assistance.
The USDA has taken steps to try to reach out to the next generation of farmers by utilizing non-profit farming organizations with established track records in cultivating new farmers.
Back in October 2010, the USDA announced funding for 40 of these non-profit recipients nationwide to help explore, develop and deploy assistance to young beginning farmers.
In Virginia, the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coalition Project was launched to accomplish this task.
Headquartered at Virginia Tech and directed by Dr. Kim Niewolny, the coalition project has taken on a three-tiered approach where project activity occurs at local, regional, and state levels to meet the needs of Virginia’s aspiring and establishing farmers.
With the coalition at the heart of the project, faculty at Virginia Tech are working with Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia State University’s Small Farm Outreach, Virginia Association for Biological Farming, Virginia Agrbility, VT Earthworks, USDA Rural Development, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Farm Servicing Agency, Virginia Farm Credit and many other agricultural leaders to obtain a wide spectrum of expertise on how to best foster the next generation of producers.
Recent activity by the coalition includes the development of classroom, online, and hands-on learning opportunities.
The project uniquely includes a mentoring component through which beginning farmers can gain access to the knowledge of Virginia’s experienced farmers.
A statewide survey has been completed along with the development and implementation of a Whole Farm Planning Curriculum that provides five key modules/steps that young farmers can use to help navigate their way through the process of becoming a farm/ranch operator.
These five areas include, Introduction to Whole-Farm Planning, Land Acquisition and Tenure, Marketing, Sustainable Farming Practices and Holistic Business Management.
A key feature of the program is its mentoring program.
Kelli Scott and C.J. Isbell — farm mentor coordinators — are leading the effort in building a mentor network that provides beginning farmers the opportunity to connect with folks working in agriculture.
The goal of the mentoring network is to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and skills of experienced farmers and ranchers with the beginning farmer community.
Niewolny and her staff are truly excited to be leading this effort for the next generation of farmers for the commonwealth.
She has surrounded herself with very talented people who are passionate about seeing the continuation of the rich history of agriculture in Virginia.
I wish her much success in her mission and that of the future agricultural entrepreneurs. 
For more in-depth information on the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coalition Project, visit www.vabeginningfarmer.org or its Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Virginia-Beginning-Farmer-Rancher-Coalition/239686926056659.
For more information on Rural Development programs, visit http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/va.