Well, here we are in mid-April, and that generally means one thing. You’re reading this column early in the morning, late at night, or on “the throne,” as my dad used to say. Wherever you are now, I appreciate you stopping for a moment and reading, or at least skimming, the magazine.
I know you folks are grinding it out, so here’s a few random notes and thoughts from my humble perch here in Ohio:
At the Commodity Classic in late February, I had the chance to catch up with a number of seed manufacturers. One of them told me that he had just put the finishing touches on the company’s seed production plan for 2009. I guess there’s no getting around the need for early planning, but considering that, as I write this, it is still not known what growers are planting in 2008, planning for next season would seem like a Herculean task.
I just got a little ribbing from a reader about last month’s column on the increasing price of food (“The Future … It’s Here,” CropLife® March 2008.). After chiding me about having to live in suburban Cleveland, he reminded me that things cost a lot more on the farm than they did when we were kids and I need to recognize that the price of food needs to go up, too. I know and understand, but I still wonder about Joe Consumer out there. At what point does the riot break out? If Cap’n Crunch tops the $4 mark, I may break out the rake and torch myself.
The Weed Science Society of America just sent me an interesting little press release entitled “Climate Change May Be Fueling a New Generation of More Aggressive Weeds.” As if we don’t have enough to worry about, now global warming may be helping weeds to supercharge their progeny.
Apparently, the increase in carbon dioxide does have a positive effect on “good” plants, making veggies and grains more tolerant of drought and higher yielding. But it also gives the weeds a boost.
According to the release, a study conducted by Dr. Lewis Ziska of the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service showed that weeds grown under urban conditions featuring warmer temperatures and more carbon dioxide — conditions anticipated for the rest of the world in 50 years — grew to four times the height of those in a country plot 40 miles outside the city. In addition, the high CO2 conditions dramatically increased the amount of pollen they produced. If you can stop sneezing, then the weed scouting business looks promising for years to come.
I’ll end on a serious note by asking all of you who have not won a national or regional Environmental Respect Award to please consider competing for the honor this year. One of the big five areas of need we identified for retailers at our annual PACE Advisory Council meeting in October 2007 was re-shaping the industry’s image. The Environmental Respect Award is, of course, an honor worthy of achieving, but it is also a forum for sharing positive stories of professionalism outside of agriculture, and in particular with the folks in the Beltway. Visit www.croplife.com for more information.
Here’s wishing you a prosperous spring season. Let’s have at it!
