PEORIA MAGAZINE June 2023

SEED AND SOIL

MR. AND MRS. SHARKFARMER GIVE THEMSELVES A GRILLING

BY ROB AND EMILY SHARKEY

F armers have had a busy spring. Farmers are front and center working the ground, planting, spraying and caring for their crops this time of year. With a flurry of activity always comes a flurry of questions from people outside of agriculture. Here are a few of the most commonly asked and our answers to them: Q: I just moved into a neighborhood surrounded by corn fields. Can I eat the corn that grows right behind my house? A: This is one of the most common questions we get. As people drive along the interstate and see the thousands of acres of corn, they assume it’s sweet corn meant for human consumption. While there are some fields of sweet corn — sweet corn is much shorter — most of what you see is corn being grown for feeding animals raised for meat, as well as corn used in making the ethanol used in fuel. Yes, it is safe to eat, but remember, it’s not yours. Just like you wouldn’t want that farmer to come into your yard

and take an apple off your tree and eat it, don’t go into a field you don’t own without permission. Q: I keep hearing about all the new technology farmers use on their farms. Is it true that tractors can drive themselves? A: It is true that the technology is here and that a tractor can drive itself, but we are a ways off in terms of affordability and practicality in making that a reality on every large farming operation. We do, however, use auto steer, which allows us to use satellite technology to perfectly line up our rows when planting and harvesting a crop. The tractor can steer itself through the field, but we usually turn the tractor manually at the end of the row. There also are dozens of problems that can occur when planting, harvesting or spraying and a real, human farmer needs to see and address these problems … for now! Q: I just learned about the Dust Bowl in school. What has changed since then

and could this happen again? A: Just like every industry, farming has been a learning process and we find better ways of doing things over time. Before the use of herbicides (spray that kills weeds), one of the best practices for weed control in tillage was plowing. This process would completely overturn the soil, but its overuse left the soil exposed to erosion. High winds often would carry away valuable topsoil because there was no organic matter keeping the soil in place. Heavy rains also washed topsoil right out of the field HERBICIDES, ONE OF THE BEST PRACTICES FOR WEED CONTROL WAS PLOWING Today farmers engage in limited tillage and sometimes none, planting right into last year’s corn or soybean stubble. This makes those old Dust Bowl days less likely. and down a creek or river. BEFORE THE USE OF

12 JUNE 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE