# 373, July 28, 2005

HOYTVILLE, Ohio:  Last week I reminded you that for farmers, the relief they get from the sky is better than waiting for relief from Washington. Well, after going through a long dry spell, relief has arrived. A total of 6 inches of rain fell here in two weeks, so the crops have recovered and look mighty promising.

Now that don’t mean everybody got relief. There’s plenty of farms in this part of northwestern Ohio, and all across the Midwest that are still suffering. The rain clouds appear on the horizon, then just as they get close to your farm, they turn away.

About a hundred farmers gathered at this ag experiment station this evening to learn about fertilizer and tillage, and assorted bugs, weeds and other pests.

For some of you folks, spreading nitrogen on your lawn to keep it green is your only direct connection to fertilizer. And then you irrigate it to be sure you can’t go a week without mowing.

Well, these Ohio farmers don’t irrigate and they found out that about 100 to 125 pounds of nitrogen is all they need for good corn, as long as the rains come. Rain and other environmental conditions mainly determine how big the crop will be, not fertilizer.

And tillage doesn’t help. No-till did just as good for growing corn as a lot of tillage.

Farmers ain’t the only ones trying to solve their problems. NASA still can’t find a way to hold the foam to their fuel tanks. The big chunk that broke off didn’t appear to do any damage this time.

I reckon they have considered everything from Super Glue to Saran Wrap. But I bet they haven’t tried the one thing that’s been proven for at least a hundred years: baling wire. Any farmer could tell them: wrap those tanks with baling wire, and nothing will escape.

Historic quote from Will Rogers:

“Just been prowling around up in this country with the farmers. They have about given up hope of getting farm relief and have decided to fertilize instead.” DT # 494, Feb. 26, 1928.