It’s been a while since I have written about my granddaddy, and many of you would probably guess that he’s passed on. As Lee Corso, college football analyst, would say, “Not so fast my friend.”
Nope, granddaddy is alive and well, though by his own admission, he is slowing down a little. Uh huh. How many 99-year-olds do you know that still drive to town to get the mail, still teach Sunday School every week and still direct a hushpuppy cookin’ because he’s the only one who does it right?
What got me thinking about granddaddy? I was cleaning out some files from Peanut Growers past and looking at article notes from five or six years ago. It is phenomenal at the changes in our knowledge base and technology in just a few years. At that time, producers were transitioning from the old quota program to the new market loan program, you had the Tomato Spotted Wilt Risk Index, but not the Peanut Rx, which incorporates other diseases, and autosteer technology was being used by only a few producers.
Think about the changes my granddaddy has seen since he was born in 1910. Now think about the changes you have seen on your farm since you first began. It is amazing. I’m sure some of you can remember your first tractors, irrigation systems, office computers, etc. Do these changes make it easier? Not always. In fact, it mostly just creates a different set of problems. But at least it keeps producing peanuts interesting, or that’s what I think.
This issue is always about keeping you up-to-date with the products available to combat pests, from diseases to weeds. Not only does it contain the newest pesticides available, but also identifications because even pest problems can change in your fields from year to year.
In light of last year’s staggering event in mid-January, I hope this year is a bit less eventful and that you are only left to worry with producing the best possible crop you can. |
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