The Theodore Roosevelt National Park is not a place you just accidently stumble upon. Located in west central North Dakota, the park is a place you have to “go find.” Compared to the 4,000,000 annual visitors to Yosemite National Park, Theodore Roosevelt National Park receives about 600,000 visitors each year. This fall, Peggy and I decided to visit this region because of our interest in the park’s namesake. Theodore Roosevelt first visited the Dakota Territory in 1883 and fell in love with the austere landscape. At one time, he even …
A Farm Kid’s Perspective
There is not a farm scene more beautiful than fields of uniformly tall, tasseled corn, butting up to waist high, weed-free soybeans waving in the breeze, set against carpets of well-manicured road ditches and close-clipped waterways. From the perspective of this Iowa farm kid, southern Tazewell County, Illinois is simply beautiful to behold; a vision straight out of a children’s storybook. Tazewell County is neither flat, nor steep. The area is dominated by row crop in an almost level landscape with gently sloping rises. There are no visible …
Straight Talk
Hot off the press! National Geographic reports the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is the largest ever. And all science points to agriculture in the Upper Midwest as the major source of nitrogen contributing to this dead zone. If this doesn’t demand straight talk with farmers then I don’t know what does. It’s time for government agencies and agribusiness to be honest with farmers. We all need to quit pretending that stabilizers, split application and spring application of nitrogen is the answer to water quality. All that may help with …
Agronomy Doctor
Six months ago, I went to the doctor for a check-up. The doctor was blunt. He told me I need to eat more fruits and vegetables, and exercise more. And most disturbing to me, he told me to lose weight! At the time, I wasn’t very thrilled with his advice. But I listened. Since then, I started exercising a little more. I stopped eating between meals (for the most part). And best of all, I have lost 15 pounds. What if doctors failed to initiate difficult discussions or offer advice? What if doctors withheld information fearing their …
Really, One More Thing?
Last month at a round table discussion, Paul Meints, Minnesota Corn Growers Association, stated that farmers are fatigued from the “one more thing.” When farmers are asked to do a conservation practice and they do it, they think this thing is going to solve their environmental problems. Then 5 years later, 3 years later, or even 6 months later, they are asked again to do one more thing. They do another one more thing and the cycle continues. Mr. Meints’ comments reminded me of when Peggy and I bought our house; a house we love. Naturally, we …
Iowa Entrepreneur
I am always excited to share how technology can impact soil and water conservation. So, I am especially thrilled that Iowa Public TV provided me the opportunity to showcase technology to a new and different audience through their Iowa Entrepreneur series. Iowa residents can watch Agren's story on Friday, June 30th at 6:30 pm or Sunday, July 2nd at 10:30 am. If you are outside the state of Iowa, you can stream the video after it airs at Iptv.org/IowaEntrepreneur. …