The End has Come

The Final Ear of the Year

 It is that time of year when the locusts are out, the nights are cool and we turn our thoughts to important things like football and eventually harvest.  One of the things that is also bittersweet about this time of year is that sweet corn consumption has sadly come to an end.

This summer we had the opportunity to try out some sweet corn from Monsanto call Obsession II.  I discussed it earlier here (http://bit.ly/NM0Op4) and the advantages it gives anyone who grows sweet corn either as a business or for personal consumption.  The great thing about it, is that we definitely consumed it this summer.

Back when we planted it, we started in late April and finished the last of it in early June.  This allowed us to have about a 6 week period to enjoy the sweet and juicy goodness.  My family was elated with the how excellent the sweet corn was and how relatively free of worms it was as well. Was it 100% free of worms? No but the technology built into the seed allowed it to be very near 100% clean.  Also, our fields stayed clean of weeds which is always a plus for plant health and water consumption also gives us bragging rights when comparing our patches to the neighbors.  (It is always fun to have bragging rights at the local watering hole)

The "cooling" tubs

One of the most enjoyable things we do with out sweet corn is we get together with our neighbor across the section and "put up" sweet corn for the winter.  This is not only the final stages of utilizing our sweet corn but will also determine how well the crop actually did for the year.  What you need to understand is that my family is that research and number oriented group that HAS to determine and figure out everything.  We have a running idea of how many ears it will take to fill a quart sized bag to the predetermined amount of cups of corn we want in them.  Last year it was roughly 7 ears.  This year it was 4.5.  One of the major reasons was that there was very little "wasted" corn and that we did not have to cut off a couple of inches per ear because of bug damage.  This allows us to either end up with a lot more corn to enjoy over the winter or that we do not need as many ears harvested to maintain the number of bags we had last year. (Yes we are nerds)

Shucking the corn

Our process of putting of sweet corn takes a lot of help.  From picking the ears to shucking the ears to cooking and cooling the ears to removing the kernels from the ears and finally bagging.  Start to finish was about a 7 hour process.  It would've been shorter but we had trouble getting the cooking pots we use every year.  I hope some of these pictures will portray what goes on and some of the fun the kids have as well.

After our first year of growing and eating Obsession II sweet corn, I would say it was a success.  I heard from others how sweet it was.  We were able to eat every ear we picked.  This type of technology to keep the ears cleaner and the fields cleaner really shows how beneficial it can be, not only for sweet corn grown in a garden but also for the corn we raise to feed to livestock or that gets processed into corn chips or corn flakes.  The next goal will be to get technologically enhanced popcorn to make your movie theater experience even more enjoyable.






FUN WAS HAD BY ALL!!!

Extend your weed destroying options

Late season pigweed

August is always an interesting of year on the farm.  We are trying to wrap up irrigation for the year and get ready for 2 important things...Huskers and Harvest.  But there is always one sight that will ruin my day and that is weeds in my soybean fields.  Yes, there may only be a few of them but they stick out like a miniature pimple on the prom queen's forehead.

While the actual yield robbing components of the weeds may be gone, they are a potential problem for next year.  Some of these weeds can produce multi-millions of seeds per plant and so making sure they die a painful death is very important to making sure we go into next year with less weed pressure than we had this year.  At this stage in the farming year it may not be economical or even allowable to apply a herbicide to control them.  Plus the soybeans are very hard to walk through and makes removing the weeds via human labor hard and expensive as well.

Even those these weeds may be a problem now, hopefully with some new technology that, in very short order, will be available on the farm.  Technology that will be available to add to our arsenal especially for troublesome weeds. Any time we can utilize technologies on the farm that will allow us to continue to produce a healthy and safe product we will gladly try it out.

In this case I am talking about dicamba tolerant soybeans also know as Roundup Ready Extend.  It will be a soybean that allows farmers to go after those troublesome weeds including those that come up late in the season and can cause problems for the next years to come.  It gives us another weapon in our arsenal to fight weeds, rotate crop protection products, and work at preventing resistance to develop in certain weed species.  And with the new formulation of dicamba it will a low volatility mixture meaning that the drift issues will be lessened protecting vulnerable crops like the neighbors garden. (I would be better off mowing the neighbors sweet corn crop mess with this lady's garden)  

A couple weeks ago I saw an infield trial of this technology and was very impressed with how clean the field was.  It definitely reiterated how important having technologies like this are to the farming community not just now but also in the future.  If you are a farmer I would greatly encourage you to add your voice of support to this great product, which was discovered at the University of Nebraska.  Which is a great reminder of how important our land grant universities continue to be.  To add your voice go to http://1.usa.gov/NYqD1N.  Just remember that if we want more technologically innovative products in the future it is important to protect the ones we have and voice our support for the ones coming out.

Crop Circles All Around

There is nothing like being in an airplane and flying over states like Nebraska, Colorado and others with pivot irrigation. All one can see is what looks like a never ending pattern of crop circles. Only these circles aren't created by aliens but by our self propelled rain making machines.

Years like 2012 are the type that make me very very grateful for irrigation and at times cause me to curse it as well. Without it there wouldn't be a crop to speak of around us as these pictures show.

Neighbor's rainfed field which hasn't had much rain

Field with ability to irrigate

This year some of these fields that don't have irrigation will be lucky to raise any sort of crop.

But why would I want to curse it at times? Murphy's law goes into affect when it is hot, humid and dry. This is the time that anything could go wrong on a pivot will. And it usually happens when the walk to get to the pivot is the longest. Or the tree branch that I swore was only a couple feet long suddenly grows to catch something on the pivot and wreaks all sorts of havoc to a machine that can cost over $100,000.

But in central Nebraska whether I am raising corn, soybeans or even Monsanto's Obsession II sweet corn for my family, my brother's family and my mom and dad irrigation is needed to make sure we have the best crop we can.

Is My Sweet Corn Safe?

With sweet corn being a major staple of summer-time food enjoyment, it is important to determine if what I am going to be enjoying with hamburgers, hot dogs and watermelon is truly safe to consume.  This is definitely a concern for anyone who is putting any food into their mouth. (This would be everyone)  My family and I are no different.

We have the opportunity to raise an acre of Obsession II sweet corn from Monsanto this summer.  Is it safe though? It does contain proteins in it that help fight off insects to keep it from doing harm that makes either part or all of an ear non-edible.  

Sap beetle that feeds on damaged kernels from other insects.

Ear worm (which is controlled with new Bt sweet corn)

But aren't companies just putting harmful, deadly insecticides in the corn (whether sweet or field) that is harmful to humans?  Actually the proteins that are being introduced are from a family called Bacillus Thuringiensis which have been used for years in controlling of pests and can still be used in organic corn production to control insects.  According to Wikipedia: Because of their specificity, these pesticides are regarded as environmentally friendly, with little or no effect on humans, wildlife, pollinators, and most other beneficial insects. (http://bit.ly/NBxlg8)   For more information go to University of California Sand Diego at http://www.bt.ucsd.edu/overview.html.  It has a great FAQ section for both the consumer and farmer.  This is a technology that has been derived from naturally occurring soil bacterium and has been shown to be safe in multiple studies.

Are the fields safe to walk in with these "pesticides" growing in the plant?  We already know that the Bt protein that introduced into the plant is extremely safe to non-targeted pests.  In agriculture we are using crop protection products that are being applied to the fields to protect against insects, disease and weeds.  All of these products that are "synthetics" have a period that workers, agronomists, and farmers need to stay out of the field.  These may range from a few hours to 24 hours or more depending on the synthetic being used.  Anyone can walk through a Bt field of sweet corn at anytime without problems.  Most people don't like walking through any corn field organic, Bt, or otherwise during pollination. Not only does one get pollen all over them but if one has a pollen allergy it will affect them as well.

Bt is only used in crop production right?  No. It is actually being used to control flies, mosquitoes and other pests in urban areas.  Since DDT was outlawed in 1972 in the United States there needed to be a way to control the pests that not only are an annoyance but do have a negative health impact on society.  Bt was introduced and shown to be extremely effective and extremely safe to the human population.  The pest controlling is done through such modes as aerial spraying.

In the last 50 years there have only been 2 reported cases of possible allergic reactions to Bt.  One was a situation of a disease that was present.  The other was an extreme food allergy. (http://bit.ly/Kzz8m3)  At the end of the day Bt is a naturally occurring soil borne substance that has been used for almost 100 years with an unmatched safety record.  Enjoy your Bt sweet corn or any other Bt foods knowing that it is safe for you and your loved ones.

The water is flowing

This year on Hunnicutt Farms has been dry. Not the devastating drought dry but dry enough that irrigation has been going on sporadically for a month in the area. Farmers are watering corn, soybeans and seed corn.

The same is true for our Obsession II sweet corn. This is our crop that I baby. Yes it doesn't bring in any income but the reward of smiles on my family's face is payment enough.

So yesterday I used the tractor and hiller to create a ditch to run water down. After I got done, my cousin's hired man set out the garden hose and the watering contraption that my cousin built. Slowly but surely water started traveling down the ditch I made.

I can't wait to enjoy this patch of sweet corn. My family was able to try some a couple weeks ago when Monsanto graciously sent us a sample to tease our tastebuds for what we will have in a few short weeks.

I can taste the juices already.

Are You Calling for a #FarmBillNow

For any naysayers out there on the importance of the 2012 farm bill, they simply need to check out the vote tally in the Senate today.  In an impressive 90-8 vote, the farm bill now moves into debate on the floor. In the coming days, amendments will be offered and NCGA staff will be keeping you and me up to date as important votes come to the floor.  But until that time, there is something you and I can do to help out. 

A few weeks ago in a blog post, NCGA’s DC Communications Manager mentioned the importance of Twitter in contacting our members of Congress.  Well, here is your chance to join me in taking some action.  NCGA has teamed up with other agriculture organizations to get the grassroots activated in tweeting U.S. Senators using the hashtag #FarmBillNow  to let them know why the legislation is important to not only my farm but yours as well.   We are ginning up our farmers, aggies and advocates and asking them to keep contacting their Senators as debate begins on the floor.  This is a vitally important piece of legislation that impacts 16 million jobs.  Yep, 16 million. (Have you seen the unemployment rate lately???) 


The campaign went live this morning and already we are seeing it is being picked up by the Senate Ag Committee, Senate offices and press.  It is an impressive start to the campaign but we can get even bigger.  Let’s get so many tweets using #FarmBillNow that we get calls from Senate offices saying “Uncle! I give in!  Please stop Tweeting me!”



Join me in making sure we keep this vitally important legislation on track in helping farmers everywhere.

Butter, Salt and Juicy Goodness

On the farm the most important crop that we raise is definitely our sweet corn. We make no money from it but it is the crop that brings the most smiles or sadness (if there is none), especially in my household. Having a meal in the middle of the summer with butter,salt and corn juice running down your face brings smiles to many faces.

This is the crop that gets babied in the farm. It gets planted on time and multiple times per season. (Can't run out). It gets watered and fertilized just right. But there have been challenges in raising it...bug control and weed control. These two things will ruin the crop. Too many weeds not only limits yield but makes your sweet corn patch the laughingstock of the neighborhood. And bugs will gross out the females when they open up an ear to cook it.

However these shall no longer be a problem here on Hunnicutt Farms. With our new Obsession variety from Monsanto we now have an easier way to control both weeds and bugs. With the Roundup Ready trait I can apply the same weed control that I use on my corn fields and my city neighbors use around their yard. With the traits to protect against bugs I can now keep my sweet corn from getting those nasty little creatures that turn a beautiful ear into some disgusting wasteland. This will allow for ears with the possibility of more juicy goodness.

I cannot wait to plant this so come this summer my family can enjoy some of the cleanest and, hopefully, juiciest sweet corn that has ever come from Hunnicutt Farms.