Excerpt
AGAIN and again nature reminds us of the risk associated with farming. Too many pests competing for the crop, too much or too little rain, frosts that come too soon, or winds that blow too hard all prove expensive to farmers each year.
Drought, for example, is a challenging situation. Regardless of the farmer's best intentions, that one missing ingredient, water, proves costly. It doesn't matter if the fields were prepared in an agronomically sound manner, if long hours were spent selecting proper seed varieties and planning chemical programs, if a significant amount of time was spent adjusting and calibrating the machinery. It doesn't matter if years have been spent upgrading and refining managerial skills. It doesn't matter because one critical input is missing.
This example demonstrates a well-known fact. Agriculture is a risky business because the farmer cannot control all the inputs. But did you know that the way we promote soil and water conservation …
Footnotes
Peter J. Nowak is an associate professor with the University of Minnesota Agricultural Extension Service. 109A Washburn Hall. 2305 East 5th Street. Duluth, 55812.
- Copyright 1984 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
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