Field-to-Table

Keith & I worked together explaining how soybeans grow & develop

Leah in the corn classroom discussing corn by-products
Mark & Anthony using a football field to show a big an acre is
Dennis & Kevin were in charge of popping an ear of popcorn & talking about novelty corn

Well it has felt like forever since I have made any additions to my blog. I have wanted to but just have not had the time or the energy. This summer has been really busy with work. It just seems like I have had one project right on top of another with not much of a break in between if at all. With September starting to wrap up work has finally started to let up some. Immediately following the SD State Fair I was in charge of a program called "Field-to-Table". We had 362 third, fourth, and fifth graders come out to the field where we taught them about agriculture. We taught them about corn growth & development, soybean by-products, corn by-products, soybean growth & development, wheat & oats, combine, planter, popcorn/novelty corn, and an acre comparison/explanation. We held the program just outside of Gayville, SD. The cooperators that I worked with really support and value Extension so I felt very lucky to work with them.

I have also spent a lot of time out in my sentinel plots scouting for disease and counting soybean aphids. If I am not in my sentinel plots than you can find me in my on-farm research plots. My plots involve counting soybean aphids in a soybean aphid resistant line and a non-soybean aphid resistant line. Let's just say that this project SUCKED!!! I hate counting soybean aphids and here I was counting close to 1,000 aphids on each plant. I had 150 plots in this study! I kept hoping for an isolated frost or mis-application of round-up but neither happened! I was selected as a leader writer (sounds glamorous but way more work than it was worth) for our impact statements. I will also be working the Extension Booth at the SD County Commissioners State Convention. I can't wait to just be in my office for a few days--I really need to clean it!