Snow days don’t stop farmers from attending Extension meetings to learn new methods, I’ve learned. However, icy roads stop wise travelers. We’ve been tested big time lately.
At the Show-Me-Select meeting and Missouri Cattlemen’s convention, we had great turnouts. But, ice came after people were in Columbia. Some opted to stay an extra day.
Computers on the Farm (COTF) meeting wasn’t as lucky. Severe winter storm warnings of ice, caused attendees and speakers to say they would not go to Osage Beach for meeting. Organizers cancelled.
COTF is an outstanding program. Computers went from bookkeeping to complex precision farming. Computers even track drones scouting crops.
The best part is that most speakers are farmers. MU specialists add more options. Farmers talking to farmers makes good Extension teaching.
John Travlos, an MU organizer from the start, said this is the fourth year to be hit by bad weather. Last year I recall there was a 50-car pileup on icy Highway 54 near Lake Ozark. Those who arrived early at the resort held their meeting. But COTF was reset later for all.
This time the meeting has been reset for Feb. 14-15 at the Margaritaville Resort on TanTarA Road. The resort gives good rates for winter meetings.
It will be almost spring-like by time of a new meeting. Right? We hope.
Now more people can attend. There’ll be more details as new speakers are lined up and added.
Kent Shannon, MU Engineer, has joined the planning team. He knows precision farming approaches. He’ll take queries at shannond@missouri.edu.
Internet exchanges this week said computer programs aren’t keeping up with advanced farm bookkeeping. With Artificial Intelligence (AI) surging in manufacturing, more number crunching may guide farm management.
I hope by time of the meeting, someone will step forward with an AI approach to farm finances. It’s already close in precision agriculture.
Meanwhile, in my recent experience, I learned about ice walking, to no avail. I’d saw on the web how to walk on ice. Don’t stride in long steps. Take tiny steps forward, always keeping feet under weight of your body. Facebook called this “penguin walking.” I tried it and felt more secure.
Earlier, I learned to not use my cane for stability on ice. The cane slides right out from under me.
I did the penguin creep to my iced-over car Friday noon, after a doctor’s appointment. My car was clear when I went in. Ice totally covered sidewalks and windshield when I came out. Got to the car, but when I did a shove with ice scarper, my slick shoes shot the other way.
Plop! I was down hard on water covered icy parking lot. It was raining good. I thought for a bit, I’d never get to where I could pull myself up on a car-door handle. Finally, I was up just as another person came out the doctor’s door. He learned to be more careful, seeing me. My good deed for the day.
There will be plenty more winter meetings, with possible snow and who knows how much ice.
There will be Show-Me-Select meetings coming up to plan starting new sales this year.
Most advanced is a planned sale at the Vienna sale barn. Anita Hill, MU livestock specialist in Callaway County, Extension Center, Fulton, Mo., has enough consignors for a Spring sale in May. There, producers of fall-calving heifers will sell proven heifers that meet standards of MU Show-Me-Select protocols.
Buying SMS replacement heifers is a quick way to jump start a better cowherd. It’s faster than growing your own. Producers already advanced their herds, going out of area to buy from six existing sales.
Fall sales are held for spring-calving heifers. There are sales for both types of herds, fall calving and spring calving. All add value to their calves. Those SMS heifer calves make better mama cows. Steer mates make value-added feeder calves.
Send your ice story to duanedailey7@gmail.com.
