For the past three years in December, King’s Agriseed organizes an agriculture dealer college for all of its seed dealers to introduce us to new research and speakers we may not normally cross paths with. Each year a new theme is introduced, the previous two years was soils and then grazing. This year the theme was regenerative. There were speakers from Idaho, Vermont, New York, Nebraska, and Germany and a variety of topics were presented from soil testing, companion cropping, reducing glyphosate, and the benefits of microbes.
Tim Fritz, owner and president, said “the presentations we hear today may make us uncomfortable, and that is okay. They are meant to stretch us. We become better humans when we take time to listen to something that challenges us.” And, the presentations did not disappoint presenting challenges to modern day farming.
Soil Health: Importance of Comparison Sampling
Kristen Kurtz, Assistant Director to the Cornell Soil Health Laboratory, taught us about the science of measuring soil health. Her presentation urged us to pay more attention to the health of our soils because it stores more carbon than the atmostphere and plant life combined. Globally we have lost one third of our soils to erosion, a sobering statement considering the effects we are currently experiencing from climate change. She also paints with soil!
Biodiverse Plant Communities
Dr. Matthias Westerschulte and Sophia Breische presented their research from DSV, a seed company in Germany, on the benefits of mulltispecies cover crop mixes and companion planting. Their TerraLife MaizePro led to diversity of beneficial soil bacteria and increased yields.
A Case for Reducing Glyphosate Use
Dr. Don Huber, professor emeritus at Purdue University presented us with the most challenging information, the need to reduce glyphosate in farming. One farmer quipped, I can’t farm without glyphosate! But, Dr. Huber’s presentation again and again presented information on the harmful effects of glyphosate. It is slow to degrade, can be reactivated with phosphorus, and prevents the uptake of valuable micronutrients in plants and possibly animals and humans. Read his most recent research here - Saga of Soggy Sauerkraut.
To Treat or Not to Treat, That is the Question
Dr. Heather Darby, agronomist at University of VT extension asked the question to treat or not to treat seeds? Treating seeds with neonicotinoids can kill beneficial insects, like bees and beetles, resulting in slug infestations. Beetles are natural predators to slugs. She presented other treatment options like diamides that are less harmful to the environment and ways to reduce the effects of pests with certain practices like no-till and cover crops.
Big thanks to all these presenters, I know myself and fellow seed dealers learned quite a bit and enjoyed the debates and conversations that followed. And, we learned it is possible to farm without glyphosate, using all the techniques, knowledge, and skills the presenters shared.
