Precision Pays

Many growers across the Midwest report one of the best weather harvests in a long time. I know my brother and cousin in central Iowa finished their shared harvest duties earlier than anyone in the family can remember. And the nice thing about that—more fall field work was completed.

While it’s a big relief that the crop is in, make sure your prep work of winding down harvest equipment before winter is completed. Regarding precision farming equipment, I spoke recently with Nathan Tebbe, technical support supervisor with Ag Leader Technology, who provided some tips and reminders.

• Create a data backup before removing your display from the combine/tractor for winter. Put it on a card and then transfer it to your computer hard drive. Make sure the individual log files are on the hard drive. And it’s always wise to pull the data into your SMS software now to work the data while it is still fresh in your mind. “It’s a lot easier to transfer and analyze data now before you forget, compared to doing it in January or February,” Tebbe says.
• Bring your display unit inside for winter to store them. Although these can stay in your equipment, they are too valuable to leave outside.
• Tackle all those little fixes on your equipment that you didn’t have time for in the heat of harvest while you still remember them.
• Clean all equipment to prevent mice damage. Sweep or blow out all the dirt and debris in the nooks and crannies of your combine. “You’d be amazed how often we troubleshoot grower problems, and the culprit turns out to be chewed wires that happen during the winter.”
• Also in combines, remove the mass-flow sensor in the clean-grain elevator because mice like to attack it. And it’s wise to be sure and clean the elevator mount unit, as any type of moist grain or crop residue can easily coat the sensors.
• When removing any equipment, put a cover, rag or plastic bag over the cable ends to keep them clean and dry.
• For GPS equipment, Tebbe advises to remove and store it. That way nothing will happen to it.
• And don’t forget to clean out all hoses, especially on anhydrous bars that applied N-Serve. Winterize all pumps and sprayer boom valves. Blow out all the lines, oil the planter chains, and just give all equipment the once over before stowing it in the far reaches of the shed.

Winter training. Tebbe reminds all Ag Leader customers of upcoming winter training coming to a dealer near you. “Check with your local dealer for days and times, as well as check our Customer Support page on our website (link below) as we’ll be posting dates soon.”

Visit these links for more information.

Tech Support Tips for Organizing Your Data Collection http://www.agleader.com/2010/11/19/tech-support-tips-for-organizing-your-data-collection/

Ag Leader dealer locator
http://www.agleader.com/dealer-search/

Ag Leader Customer Support page
http://support.agleader.com/

SOFTWARE:
SMS Advanced http://www.agleader.com/products/sms-advanced/
SMS Basic http://www.agleader.com/products/sms-basic/

Urban Lehner, head of editorial for DTN/The Progressive Farmer, wrote an opinion piece this week that talks about the need for precision farming technology to help balance high-yield production with environmental needs.

In the piece he writes… “But, for the foreseeable future, technology will be the key to boosting yields and avoiding billions of acres of forests and grasslands morphing into farmland.

Having said that, I’d add that improving yields isn’t the only contribution agriculture should make to the environment. The dictator also wants to maximize soil health and minimize runoff and input use.

Can technology-driven non-organic agriculture do that? There are reasons for hope. GPS, GIS and other tools of precision agriculture enable farmers to use only what’s absolutely needed in the way of seeds, fertilizers, chemicals and fuels. And the high price of inputs motivates farmers to realize precision agriculture’s potential.”

Read the rest of the piece here.

If you’re not a tech head, ISOBUS talk may just be a flyover term that causes one’s eyes to glaze over. In reality, it’s a great technology standard that is working toward having all electronics of all implement brands and colors speak the same language.

In brief, ISO 11783 is an international standard of ‘electronic language’ that is specific to farm equipment. If a piece of equipment is deemed ‘ISO 11783 compatible’ then it can share electronic signals seamlessly with other equipment that is compatible. All compatible equipment/implements will have the same ISO 11783 wiring harnesses and connectors. And a display unit that can control an ISO 11783 sprayer, planter, baler, combine or other implement is called a ‘virtual terminal’.

In a recent Ag Leader Precision Point blog post, the company describes how its INTEGRA is compatible with the ISO 11783 (ISOBUS) Virtual Terminal Standard:

“We’re excited to give growers the option to control additional implements with one tool by offering Virtual Terminal capability on the INTEGRA display,” says John Howard, Product Manager. “Virtual Terminal functionality enables the compliant implement’s user interface to be viewed and controlled on the INTEGRA display. The INTEGRA display has been specifically designed so users can easily toggle between the Virtual Terminal run screen and the advanced mapping, guidance, and control functionality supported on the INTEGRA run screen.”
Virtual Terminal capability allows the ISOBUS compliant implement’s functions to be controlled on the INTEGRA display. Additional capabilities include interface to ISO compliant blockage or seed tube monitoring systems, as well as operation of ISO compliant sprayers and spreaders.

“This is the first step by Ag Leader in providing support for the ISOBUS standard,” says Howard. “Advanced features, including prescription file variable rate application and AutoSwath control, will be supported by future development efforts.”

The bottom line—lower costs within the supply chain and with growers, improved diagnostics and improved functionality. You’ll only need to have one controller in a cab (if all your equipment is ISO compatible), as it will easily plug and unplug into your tractor, sprayer, combine—no matter what brand equipment you are running. Granted, equipment companies who desire to keep their own proprietary electronic communications won’t work in an ISOBUS system, so growers must plan accordingly.

Visit these links for more information.

INTEGRA http://www.agleader.com/products/integra/

The Agricultural Drainage Management Coalition (ADMC) has named Dr. Harold F. Reetz, Jr. its new executive director. ADMC is dedicated to educating farm, drainage, conservation, and regulatory groups about the latest drainage water management system technologies, which can help benefit crops and reduce nutrient enrichment of surface water. Its members include equipment manufacturers, drainage contractors, and state commodity associations. The coalition recently coordinated a three-year demonstration of controlled drainage management in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota and Ohio.

Reetz is an independent agronomy consultant based in Monticello, Ill., with long experience in research and education, from his role as an extension and research corn specialist at Purdue University to a 28-year post as a regional agronomist with the Potash and Phosphate Institute/International Plant Nutrition Institute. Reetz was one of the founders of the Certified Crop Adviser program, has served as first vice chair of the Conservation Technology Information Center, serves on the Executive Committee of the National Association of Conservation Districts, and is an active member of the American Society of Agronomy, the Crop Science Society of America and the Soil Science Society of America.

“We are delighted to have Harold in the role of ADMC’s executive director,” says ADMC president Charlie Schafer. “He brings a combination of research expertise and on-the-ground practicality that will help the coalition continue to help advance the understanding of drainage water management systems and communicate that knowledge to many audiences. Harold’s interest in high-yield cropping systems and precision agriculture also make an excellent tie-in with the next frontier in crop production and environmental protection – the management of agricultural drainage water.”

ADMC conducts training sessions and serves as a clearinghouse for information on drainage water management systems. The group’s web site, www.admcoalition.com, features cost-benefit analyses of drainage management systems, guidance on drainage regulations, and data from many of the 19 on-farm demonstrations conducted as part of the Midwest project.

Reetz says he is eager to help ADMC develop even more outreach and educational programs.

“Having grown up on a grain and dairy farm in east-central Illinois, I have known the value of a good drainage system all my life, and I am intrigued by the possibilities for managing those systems for better water efficiency for the crops and better control of water quality downstream,” he says.

Yes, PepsiCo, one of the world’s largest food and beverage companies, is working with farmers in Europe by rolling out its i-crop precision farming program.

PepsiCo announced plans to roll-out its new i-crop farming technology on a global basis. The web-based tool, which was developed by PepsiCo in conjunction with Cambridge University, United Kingdom, is a crop management system that will enable PepsiCo’s farmers around the world to monitor, manage and reduce their water use and carbon emissions, while also maximizing potential yield and quality.

Trials of i-crop are currently underway at 22 farms in the U.K., where PepsiCo yesterday announced ambitious plans to reduce carbon emissions and water usage by 50 percent across the farming of its core crops in the next five years.

The technology will be rolled-out in Europe in 2011. The company hopes to take it to India, China, Mexico and Australia by 2012.

As one of the world’s largest food and beverage businesses, with brands including Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola and Frito-Lay, PepsiCo is a major investor in global farming. In 2010, the company announced 15 global goals and commitments to guide its work to protect the Earth’s natural resources through innovation and more efficient use of land, energy, water and packaging.

In the U.K., the company is the largest purchaser of British potatoes and one of the largest purchasers of British oats and apples, using 100 percent British produce in Walkers crisps, Copella English Apple juice, Quaker Oats, Oatso Simple and Scott’s porage.

Richard Evans, President of PepsiCo U.K. and Ireland said, “Farming is in the DNA of our business – we rely on fresh produce every day. Finding ways to produce more food with less environmental impact is essential to our future.” He added, “i-crop has the potential to revolutionize the way we farm, enabling our farmers to save costs and water and carbon consumption, while at the same time improving their yields. I am immensely proud of this innovation which I hope will also benefit PepsiCo farmers around the world.”

In its first Sustainable Farming Report published yesterday, PepsiCo U.K. outlined how it is working in partnership with its 350 British farmers to reach its aim of ’50 in 5′. Other initiatives announced include trials of new low-carbon fertilizers and plans to replace more than 75 percent of PepsiCo U.K.’s current potato stock with varieties that will significantly improve farmers’ yields and decrease wastage by 2015. A full copy of the report is available for download at www.pepsico.co.uk/farming.

Commenting on the PepsiCo U.K. sustainable farming report, Richard Perkins, Senior Commodities Adviser at WWF said, “The food industry is starting to recognize that in order to fully embed sustainability and biodiversity in its business practices, a large part of the focus must be on the agricultural supply chain. In this respect PepsiCo U.K. has taken a leadership role in recognizing that it is, at its heart, an agricultural business. The focus of the business on improving its key environmental impacts, such as greenhouse gas emissions – in the field and on the farm – is most welcome.”

For further information about i-crop visit: www.i-crop.com

i-crop will be rolled-out to the following markets in 2011:

Holland
France
Germany
Belgium
Spain
Portugal
Turkey

IF YOU ARE APPLYING FALL NITROGEN TOO EARLY, STOP! MISUSE MAY ELIMINATE FALL APPLICATION FOR EVERYONE

We’ve shared with you in this forum on many occasions that increased regulations and legislation are headed your way. And in this case, some farmers and applicators might be asking for it. It is too early to be fall applying nitrogen. Environmental extremists are documenting, right now, everywhere they can find, individual cases of N being applied at inappropriate times. Is the rush to get field work done worth costing everybody in the industry fall applied nitrogen? That’s not an exaggeration and the outcome is nearer than you might choose to believe.

We’ve all been victims of “one bad apple spoiling the whole basket.” Years of responsible fertilizer application and nutrient management plans by thousands of farmers in Illinois will be undone if irresponsible behavior is undertaken and we turn a blind eye.

Take a lesson from what happened in the state of Florida. Legislation via litigation ended up costing farmers in that state after extreme environmental groups pushed their agendas through the courts. Illinois is next on their hit list. This means you. The loss of fall applied nitrogen will cost Illinois agriculture billions of dollars.

You may not be fully aware of how imminent this situation is. But take this as your notice. You will lose the opportunity to include fall applied N as a management tool in your nutrient plan if as a whole, we don’t do what’s right. We’ve talked the talk. Now it’s time to walk the walk.

Illinois farm organizations and the Illinois EPA have been in your corner, supporting your access to fall N. Not following best management practices for nitrogen undermines everyone’s credibility and will soon cost you this option.

The future of fall applied N in the state of Illinois depends on YOU. Do what’s right.

• The IL Fertilizer and Chemical Association recommends using nitrogen stabilizers for ALL fall applied N.
• Wait until after October 15th before even considering N application.
• Only apply N when the soil temps are in the low 50’s and the longterm forecast is for sustained cool weather.
• If you choose NOT to use an N stabilizer, only apply N when soil temps are below 50 degrees and will stay that way.

Fascinating video of how one Sonoma County, California vineyard, Jordan Winery, is finding the best grape characteristics in various field locations, digging soil pits and analyzing soil attributes and characteristics in order to bring that location’s success to the whole field. Talk about precision agriculture!

Take a look.

And here’s a blog post about the soil mapping study.

Energy costs can be huge on some farms–from dairies to fruits and vegetables. In this age of greater precision to find ways to cut costs, an orchard in Massachusetts pursued grants to install solar panels to reduce its $80,000 annual electrical costs, according to a piece in The Telegram in Worcester.

Carlson Orchard, selling apples since 1938, has installed 1,050 solar panels, thanks to a combination of federal and state grants and private financing.

David Weiher, a friend of the Carlson family, said the idea of installing solar panels at the farm had been discussed many times, but the demands of the harvest and running the farm always took precedence over developing something new. He said it wasn’t until Symantha Gates, founded EC3 Sustainability Consulting in Amherst, N.H., and was looking for a green project to do, that idea became reality.

Ms. Gates said she is not a farmer and is not really good at growing things, but she understands what goes on behind the scenes at Carlson Orchards, including a heavy reliance on energy for its cooling barns to store fruit in. She brought together $1.25 million in financing for the project from private, federal and state sources, including $900,000 in grants.

Among the grants received was a $565,000 grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, a $30,000 grant from the state Department of Agricultural Resources and $287,638 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Granted, this is a big application, but Carlson says this solar installation should pay for itself in five years.

In an era of continued concern for the environment and tighter regulations, it simply makes sense to ensure we practice precision crop protection application on every acre.

To this end, the Center for Integrated Pest Management (CIPM) announced the launch of a new Pesticide Environmental Stewardship (PES) website. The site (http://pesticidestewardship.org) is designed for anyone who applies, sells, stores, or disposes of pesticides; provides advice or training on pesticide use; or is involved in pesticide stewardship or regulation.

“Our ultimate goal is to cover the basic tenets that apply regardless of who you are, where you live or the pest you’re trying to control,” says Wayne Buhler of North Carolina State University, PES national coordinator and a Pesticide Safety Education Program coordinator for North Carolina. “There are fundamental principles and practices to be aware of whether you are protecting agricultural crops, homegrown vegetables, a lawn or golf course. We hope that whenever the choice is made to use a pesticide, good stewardship practices will be followed.”

The new website complements the work of county extension agents and state-level Pesticide Safety Education programs. It covers a wide variety of stewardship topics, ranging from pesticide storage, handling and disposal…to how to avoid drift, runoff and leaching during and after the application. Homeowners can go straight to a section geared to their needs.

Buhler’s colleagues in the Pesticide Safety Education Program from across the United States were instrumental in the development of PES, including Ron Gardner of Cornell University, Carol Ramsay of Washington State University, Jim Wilson of South Dakota State University and Fred Whitford of Purdue University. Other scientists in academia, extension, government and industry (http://pesticidestewardship.org/Pages/About.aspx) partnered with CIPM on the project, including members of the Weed Science Society of America, the Entomological Society of America and the American Phytopathological Society.

“We know there is a wealth of expertise in the public and private sector regarding pesticide stewardship,” observes Ron Gardner. “We look forward to a growing list of partners who will help us add value to current and future topics on the site.”

A pesticide resistance management topic is currently under development. Future plans include educational quizzes to reinforce important stewardship concepts and self-assessment tools to evaluate personal stewardship practices.

“Search the web for phrases like ‘pesticide stewardship and drift’ and you will get thousands of results,” says Carol Somody, senior stewardship manager for Syngenta Crop Protection and PES industry coordinator. “It can be quite overwhelming to someone who wants to start with the basics, and teaching the basics is the purpose of PES. It provides a much-needed entry point to essential pesticide stewardship information.”

10 Stewardship Tips from the Pesticide Environmental Stewardship (PES) Website

1. Read the label before buying the pesticide.

2. Buy only the amount of pesticide needed for one season.

3. As a general rule of thumb, the temperature inside the storage area should not get below 40 F or over 100 F.

4. Calibrate equipment carefully to assure that the pesticide is applied at labeled rates.

5. Be aware of the current and probable future weather conditions in order to make the best application decisions to prevent drift.

6. Locate the mixing/loading site away from wells, streams and lakes.

7. Never leave a tank while it is being filled and pay constant attention during filling to prevent overfilling and spilling of the pesticide on the ground.

8. When you empty a container, allow it to drain into the spray tank for 10 seconds after it begins to drip.

9. Remember that exceeding the label rate of application is a violation of the law!

10. Follow the label each time you mix and use the pesticide, and follow the label when storing or disposing of the pesticide. Do not trust your memory.

Successful Farming recently compiled various statistics on how precision farming pays, based on the experience of some farmers and university experts. Check out this story from it’s special summer 2010 issue, where they highlighted such benefits as:

• Strip till and RTK guidance saves a huge amount of hours and fuel savings, while delivering big conservation and environmental benefits.
• Planter clutches can save 3-7% in seed costs.
• Banding P&K can reduce rates as much as 40%.
• Spray boom section control can save 5-15% in input costs.

Joe Nichols has evolved from watching his parents lose their farm when he was 17, to building a highly diversified 19,000-acre farm near Cadiz, KY. A recent story in theleafcronicle.com offers a fascinating look at his Seven Springs Farms. In that piece he highlights his precision farming emphasis on input savings as well as environmental protection.

He makes extensive use of precision farming technology. For instance, he uses variable rate planting, determined by soil type. “Soil type reflects the water holding capacity of the soil,” he says.

“Some soils are more productive than others, and the more productive soils get the higher plant populations. In sports terms, we play defense with our less productive fields and play offense with our more productive soils.”

He also uses global positioning and auto-steering on his equipment for swath control during planting, spraying and applying fertilizer. “This cuts down on over applying and wasting money,” he says. “We strive to protect the environment and be the best stewards of the land and water that we can be.”

As a result of his success as a row crop farmer, Nichols has been selected as the 2010 Kentucky winner of the Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year award.

“The goal I started with was to build an operation from scratch that could someday be viewed as one of the best, well-managed farming operations in North America,” he says. “This overarching goal is what drives me each day.”

Read the entire story.

The technology of precision agriculture has long outpaced the agronomics needed to prove its investment value, but we’re a lot closer today than we were 10 years ago.

I read a recent piece by DTN agronomist Dan Davidson, written during the recent International Conference on Precision Ag in Denver, Colo. He stated, “But what is interesting is how the use of yield monitor data, grid soil sampling and variable fertilizer application hasn’t changed much in two decades with only about 20% adoption. But the introduction of lightbar navigation (80+% adoption), assisted steering and section control really showed farmers that there were benefits from adopting the right technology.”

Sure, this is oversimplification of a lot of complex factors, but we’re also dealing with a larger percentage of farmers near, at, or beyond retirement age who, most often, seek simplicity and reduced investment. One look at the light-speed adoption of glyphosate-resistant crops is one example this simplicity model. (Although that simplicity is now resulting in greater management due to resistant weeds.)

Yes, precision farming technology is complex, and turning data into sound management practices that improve the bottom line often takes hired experts, in the same vein as why crop scouts are hired. But make no mistake, the profitability of certain technologies has improved dramatically in the past 10 years. It just takes hard work by a grower to find what can pay on a given farm.

Growers wouldn’t pay $300 for a unit of seed corn if they didn’t see the value. They just have to work harder and smarter when it comes to investing in precision agriculture technology. But that process is getting easier.

Are you navigating your precision agriculture technologies and using data to their fullest extent? A new three-day program offered by University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension, Precision Agriculture Practicum, is designed to help participants gain practical experience using their own field data in hands-on exercises. And you’ll have the opportunity to network with each other while collaborating on team projects.

Who should attend?
- Farmer operators wishing to get more return on their precision ag dollar investment.
- Crop consultants and industry agronomists who desire to provide more accurate information and better service to their customers.
- Corporate industry and government agency personnel needing to know and understand the technology being used in today’s production agriculture.
- Precision ag instructors.

The inaugural Late Season Session is scheduled for August 31 through September 2 at the UNL Ag Research & Development Center near Mead, Neb. Curriculum includes:
• Introduction to equipment used at UNL’s Agricultural
Research and Development Center and site-specific
management capacity; introduction to case study
fields
• Entry points to GPS auto-guidance, yield monitoring
progressing to yield mapping, Google Earth, aerial
imagery, county soil survey, Web Soil Survey, recordkeeping
• GPS principles
• Yield monitoring/mapping principles; data filtering
• Variable rate technology and control systems
optimizing autosteer and swath control.
• On-the-go soil sensing
• Collection of active crop canopy sensor data
• Develop N recommendations
• Aerial and satellite imagery
• Group exercises

Winter Session is scheduled for December 2010, with date and location yet to be determined.

Learn more at http://ardc.unl.edu/precisionagpracticum/

Enrollment is limited so act soon!

As a agricultural journalist originally from a rural Iowa family farm, who now lives in suburbia close to Minneapolis, I’m always educating urban friends about farming and correcting their misconceptions.

To this end, I applaud anyone in agriculture who takes time to listen and understand consumer thoughts and feelings–without getting defensive about farming practices. If you want to learn good techniques (especially via social media), Michele Payn-Knoper is doing an awesome job educating farmers. Check out the upcoming training seminar.

Right now, as we’re fully into the county fair and soon approaching state fair time of the year, I challenge growers to seek out consumers at these events and help them better understand your role in putting food on their table. Ask questions and truly listen, rather than preach.

Farm shows are another good venue, especially if the show makes an effort to get consumers on the grounds. The upcoming Wisconsin Farm Technology Days farm show near River Falls on July 20-22 has set up special “Courtesy Tours” for consumers.

Jay Richardson, organizer of “Courtesy Tours” is excited about this unique feature of this year’s show: “We love telling our story to the 98% of our population who are not engaged in producing the food they consume. This year we are setting up special tours to educate and answer questions about production agriculture.”

The Applied Technology Education tent will serve as headquarters for a group of almost 50 dairy and crop producers that have volunteered to serve as tour guides of tent city. These producers will take small groups on guided tours along predetermined routes through tent city. Each tour will be about an hour to an hour and a half in length. During that time the participants will be able to ask questions of the guides about the equipment that is on display as well as general questions regarding modern agriculture.

The goal is to reach out to the people that may be attending in hopes of learning more about what it is that dairy and crop producers do and the tools that they use to produce the world’s safest and most abundant supply of food. Even though Farm Technology Days is primarily a show for farmers, many curious non-farmers attend as well. With the close proximity to urban areas, this year’s show in Pierce County hopes to capitalize on its location. “We want to welcome and educate those that might not call a farm ‘home!’”

Tours will leave about every 10 minutes from the Applied Technology Education Tent; starting at 9:30 a.m. with the final tour leaving at 3 p.m. each day.

For more information, please contact Jay Richardson at 715-495-8440 or Liz Doornink at 715-760-1221 or visit www.piercefarmtech.com

Time for other farm shows and country fairs to use this idea! Pass it on.

Job opportunities in crop sciences are booming. Why? More than half of all crop scientists in industry and in government jobs will retire over the next decade.

A recent report by Purdue University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture predicts more than 54,000 agriculture-related job openings annually between 2010 and 2015.

“There isn’t a better business to be in right now,” says Randy Smith, a member of the Weed Science Society of America and a field research and development leader for Dow AgroSciences. “Agricultural scientists have an opportunity to feed a hungry world and to write the next chapter in the ‘Green Revolution.’ It’s a cutting-edge profession and a noble calling.”

But despite the promising employment outlook, there is a talent shortage in the applied agricultural sciences. Data from the National Academies shows 4,010 baccalaureate degrees awarded in agriculture business and management in 2007 – but only 177 in crop production. A 2008 USDA review shows Bachelor’s degrees awarded in agronomy and the crop sciences decreased by almost a third between 1984 and 2003. Several universities have dropped or consolidated programs in the agricultural sciences because of low enrollment and dwindling funds.

“The issue of talent development in the agricultural sciences is a topic of paramount concern within higher education and industry circles,” says Emilio Oyarzabal, technology development manager, Monsanto. “There are many students pursuing degrees in the marketing, sales and business side of agriculture, but the number in the applied agricultural sciences is declining steadily.”

Oyarzabal and other experts say a number of intersecting trends are contributing to the dwindling talent pool. Publicly funded graduate assistantships have evaporated. Budget cuts, retirements and competition from higher-paying industry jobs have resulted in the steady drain of agricultural sciences faculty – the very individuals responsible for recruiting and training. Grant monies are pouring into molecular biology and other basic sciences – not into applied sciences like agriculture. One possible reason:

“There is a misperception that the agricultural sciences have matured and aren’t as exciting as some of the newer, emerging sciences, such as biotechnology and molecular biology,” says Roger Gast, product development leader, Dow AgroSciences. “But nothing could be further from the truth.”

Don Wyse, Ph.D., a professor of agronomy and plant genetics and director of the Center for Natural Resources and Agricultural Management at the University of Minnesota, says changing demographics also play a role.

“The number of students raised on a farm has plummeted, and we haven’t yet figured out how to engage and recruit students from urban communities,” he says. “The link between their lives and how their food is produced is really remote at best.”

Initiatives to build a sustainable agricultural workforce

What’s the solution? The Weed Science Society of America and nearly 30 other scientific societies and agricultural industry partners have begun to collaborate on ideas for building a sustainable agricultural workforce. Some of the proposed initiatives include:

• Promoting an awareness of career opportunities in the crop sciences.
• Building a pipeline of students in middle and high schools who are interested in pursuing degrees in applied and basic agricultural sciences.
• Generating awareness of the importance of sustainable agro-ecosystems and the crucial role of the agricultural sciences in feeding a growing world population.
• Funding scholarships to attract the best students into agricultural science studies and to support applied learning programs.
• Developing innovative recruitment and training programs to attract high-quality graduate students with leadership potential.

Most agree it will take a sustained investment of resources to reverse the talent shortage. And the need has never been more critical.

“To feed a growing population, experts predict we will need to produce more food over the next 40 years than we’ve produced over the past 10,000 years combined – and with diminishing land and water resources,” says Lee Van Wychen, Ph.D., science policy director of the Weed Science Society of America. “The stakes couldn’t be higher.”