Dl4—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, Novembar 15,1980
Each year farmers around
the country spend untold
dollars on whiz-bang kinds of
products that are supposed
to make their soil more
productive. These “ad
ditives” have been around
for years, repackaged, re
labeled and re-mtroduced
now and then. But the
principle is the same - some
kind of product that can be
added to the soil to make it
grow better crops.
Some of these “snake oil”
products have common
charactenstcs:
They’re usually sold in
small quantities and applied
at a very low level;
They cost a lot per ounce
or per gallon;
They’re usually not
available through reliable
farm supply stores;
They’re not backed by
national advertising and
sales campaigns;
They usually contain so
called ‘ ‘secret’ ’ ingredients;
They lack a crediatbility
base - that is several years
or testing and research and
farmer experience.
Reputable agricultural
researchers, including those
m many land grant colleges
and the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, have ex
perimented with these soil
additives over the years and
just about every one has
proven worthless. And yet
fanners continue to buy
them, and that just amazes
me.
Here in this area, with the
research and extension arms
of several land grant
universities, the facilities of
various Department of
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JAMES E. NOIL GRAIN
Farm
Talk
Jerry Webb
Agriculture units and the
knowledge and testing of
numerous reputable com
panies, farmers still buy an
unknown product from an
unknown salesman who just
happens to be in the bar
nyard.
If those additives really
worked and really saved
fertilizer or seed dollars,
don’t you think extension
agents would be their
biggest supporters? And
wouldn’t agricultural
researchers hawk their
virtues at field days and
winter meetings 9 And
wouldn’t other farmers be
willing to admit that they
had tried them, with good
success 9
Unfortunately, soil ad
ditives seem to be m the
same category as gas savers
for automobiles. You always
hear those tales about the
miracle carburetors that
have been invented, only to
be bought up by large oil
companies who don’t want to
see the American motorist
get a break.
Some salesman will tell
you the same thing about his
miracle products - that the
universities are in cahoots
with the fertilizer companies
and therefore won’t test
these miracle products or
won’t give them good
recommendations even
though they know the
products work.
Well, if you believe that
ime then how can you believe
anything that the ag colleges
or the Department of
Agriculture say 9 Their only
purpose is to help farmers to
be more productive and if
there wie a mn product
they would be the ones who
would tell you about it.
Consider the other in
novations - time, energy,
and money savers - that
have come to agriculture
over the past decade. Didn’t
the ag colleges test them?
And weren’t the extension
agents out there plugging
away, trying to get you to try
them’ New varieties, new
chemicals, new tillage
techniques.
Consider no-till as an
example. I know extension
and research workers at the
University of Delaware were
very active in the early
seventies developing and
modifying this technology
for Delaware conditions.
And as they demonstrated
sucess with it, farmers
began “experimenting.” But
they weren’t really ex
perimenting. They were
simply demonstrating to
themselves what the
research and extension folks
already told them - that no
till was, in fact, a way to
save energy and labor and
produce equal or better
crops.
Believe me, when soil
additives that work are
available, the ag college
experts are going to know
about them and have data to
support their claims. So
when the snake oil'peddler
comes around touting his
miracle products and asking
for your hard-earned bucks,
suggest that he talk first
with the soil scientists at
your state university.
If they’ll recommend his
product then maybe you’ll
consider it along with other
good products and chemicals
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mended.
Some states have laws
protecting farmers from fly
by-night salesmen with Sy
be-mght products. But most
haven’t made the effort
because they haven’t had big
problems. These quick buck
artists typically come into
an area, sell a few gallons or
pounds and then move on
before too many questions
are asked.
It’s not until much later
that state officials even find
out about the problems. And
usually the cost, shared by a
number of farmers, has been
relatively small.
So you can’t look to the
government for control. It
must be done by the farmers
themselves by simply not
buying anything that doesn’t
have a proven record of
success
MEMO
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