Corn and soybeans are big here – ubiquitous in this part of the country – but success with these crops, as in any crop, is not guaranteed. There are many decisions to be made every step of the way and then weather and other factors are also constantly changing. How do farmers decide when to plant, what to plant, how to fertilize and treat their fields? How do they recognize problems and respond to them in a timely way? How do they decide when to let it go or replant? Which weeds do they need to kill and which should they leave? These decisions and others can make the difference in seeing a profit, breaking even, or suffering a loss that year. The best way to gain a feel for it is by being in the field with experts.
This is FFA teacher and learning experience coordinator Ethan Lapham’s third year at Fillmore Central. Mr. Lapham grew up on a farm in Caledonia, graduated high school in 2011, went to the U of M in the Twin Cities for Agriculture and Teaching, then came back to Southeast Minnesota to teach in 2015. He lives close to home and still helps his father on the family farm so he knows how much goes into successful farming. After his first year of teaching, it became clear to the FFA teacher that his students needed a chance to implement in the field what they were learning in the classroom. They needed to talk to experts in agriculture and have the opportunity to learn from them. So Mr. Lapham set to work to find partners for a summer learning experience. Through his search he found Jim Love, farmer and landowner from Harmony, Randy Mayer, Agronomist with CPS, Emily Pilikowsky with Preston Dairy and Farm, Josh Schoffner (a Fillmore Central grad), Agronomist with Pioneer Seed; Jason Schwarz, Pioneer Rep and Agronomist; Fillmore County Soil and Water Conservation District, and assistance from Harmony Ag Services. Together, they established a learning plot near Harmony. All these team members are critical in making the learning plot a highly engaging and intensive experience for students.
First things first: In order to immerse themselves in farming and gain experience in the field, students needed a field. Jim Love, a fifth generation local farmer with one son graduating from Iowa State (Agronomy with a minor in Ag Business) and another another son, vice president of Fillmore Central FFA planning to go to college next year at the University of Minnesota, was willing to help with that. Jim says, “I’m most excited for kids to have the opportunity to experience another side of agriculture. They have many opportunities in FFA but this is breaking reality. It’s the way farming is going. Farming (of all kinds) is like raising kids. For crops, you may have 40 sets of crops — it’s like you have 40 sets of kids and 40 chances to get it right. You watch every one grow and you learn something every time. You are involved, hands-on, and you grow with your crops.” Jim sees that farming is heading more and more into high tech and kids are so knowledgeable about tech and gadgets. It’s part of who they are. Rural America has a place for them and a need for them. There are jobs here, good jobs, that pay well. “Students have a skill set I don’t have,” says Love, “and I have skills they don’t have. We have a strong FFA instructor and lots of involvement and support from within the businesses and organizations in our community. I just want kids to be in the middle of it all.”
Last growing season, anywhere from 8-15 students, community members, and industry experts participated in the FFA learning plot experience. Field plot days ranged from 1-2 hours in length and were held every other Monday night through the summer. Students grew about six varieties of soybeans on the Learning Plot last year. All the planting was done by the farmer over Mother’s Day weekend, the same time many other fields were being planted. But 2017 brought an unpredictable spring with wet conditions and colder temperatures. Students went out to do population counts and witness emergence problems in their field. They were concerned that the soybeans had emergence issues due to crusting of the soil. Randy Mayer, CPS, stood in the field with them guiding their questions, “These are the things we need to look for,” he’d say. “These are the concerns. Look around, see what’s going on. Let’s see what we come up with.” It was the same situation that farmers in fields all around them were experiencing and the same questions they were asking themselves.
Although FFA was created in 1928 as Future Farmers of America, the name was changed in 1988 to the National FFA Organization to represent the growing diversity of agriculture. We have student interests ranging from active farmers to chemists, bio-tech people, genetic breeding folks, research and development, veterinarians, teachers, doctors, business owners, sales, marketing, and public relations professionals, mechanics, manufacturing, construction experts and others. The National FFA Organization’s official mission is to make “…a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through agricultural education.” Students who worked on the learning plot with their teacher were able to see how certain farming methods came into play – till or no-till, for example. They got to consider how farmers planting before or after this particular day did comparatively in plant population, stand quality, and yield. They got to look at how different methods or treatments made it better or worse. Farmers don’t just plant and let things grow until harvest. It’s not an easy job, but one of knowledge, skill, creativity, vigilance, and solid decision-making methods. Experience along with instruction helps to develop future leaders.
Students growing soybeans in 2017 not only tackled emergence problems, but also learned more about a farmer’s awareness of the field. They scouted for insects and plant diseases. It was a serious game, for instance, to try to be the first to find white mold. They knew it would appear given the wet weather, the question was, “Who can find it first?”
“It was neat for us to see how certain farming methods came into play,” said Mr. Lapham, “and I could see lightbulbs going off for some of the students.” It would happen that something would suddenly make sense and a student might say, “I have to go home and tell my dad!”
Experts working with students get a chance to teach what they know. They are rewarded by experiencing students’ interest and enthusiasm for agriculture. These professionals also get to know the students who participate in the learning plot. The students who work closely with local experts are then familiar with the professionals and companies who could possibly be in charge of hiring them or recommending them for a future internship or career.
This spring, Mr. Lapham will talk to his classes about the experiences last years’ students had with soybeans, sharing what was learned about yield, fertilizer applications, spraying, etc. They will see what can be transferred to the corn that will be grown this year. New opportunities are also in the making. “We’re working on getting GIS technology,” Mr. Lapham reveals. “We’ll use GPS, overlaying maps to evaluate how soil quality and yields are affected.” Mr. Love has complex technology on his combine — it can record yield data and students should be able to take out their iPads right in the field to evaluate the data. Results from soil tests and spray/fertilizer applications can also be incorporated into the data being evaluated.
“We’d like to involve more students and invite local farmers as well as community members to attend our field days,” says Mr. Lapham. “Field days will be scheduled twice a month and we hope to have a more steady group this year. Last year we learned a lot and it was a good experience.” One improvement likely to be made this year according to Mr. Lapham: “We had a cookout with brats and burgers on the last day. I think we should definitely do more things like that.”
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