The Farmer's Daughter USA

Hi, I'm Amanda! My family farms corn and soybeans in Southwest Michigan. I'm also a practicing attorney.

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Farming Fridays!

September 12, 2014

White Mold

Last week we discussed Sudden Death Syndrome, so this week I decided to continue talking about problems that farmers face with a soybean crop. On Sunday, we drove past a few fields on the way to church that have been hit by what’s called white mold. Once we changed into more field appropriate clothing, dad went with me to a neighbor’s farm to get a closer look at the sick plants.
The brown patch in the top middle is actually soybean plants that have been hit by white mold.

This spring and summer were particularly cool. Although we had some dry spells, it was also wet or damp. As you can imagine, just like other molds, white mold tends to favor those conditions. The mold, which officially is called Sclerotinia stem rot, thrives in cool damp fields. The symptoms from the mold usually show up in July and August. The disease will start with just a single plant here and there where the leaves will wilt and die. Eventually, the entire plant will die.
As you can see from the photos, a bean crop tend to create somewhat of a canopy with their leaves. Beneath the leaves, where it is protected and shaded by the sun, it can remain damp. Again, it creates a favorable environment for the mold.

Although it is a little hard to see on the above picture, there are actually “clumps” of white stuff on the stem of the dead plant. As you can imagine, the mold can really hit yields. Once the plant dies, it isn’t going to allow the soybeans to fully mature and (obviously) it won’t create any new ones.
Currently, the best management for the mold is just stopping it from getting into the field in the first place. In fact, farmers are usually advised not to harvest a field containing white mold before harvesting a field that does not have it. The spores can actually get on the equipment and be transferred from one field to the next.
Soybean plant with white mold.
Some seed companies promote bean varieties that are better equipped to resist the mold, but there are currently no beans available that are completely resistant to it. There are also some fungicides that are available, but won’t necessarily control all of it or eliminate it from the field.
The other difficulty is that some methods for increasing soybean yields can also be a boost to the mold. For example, although planting in narrow rows with high seed populations can increase yields for soybeans, such planting methods also increase the likelihood that the mold will spread. The more soybeans that are planted closer together, the thicker the canopy will be.
Further, the mold can live in the soil for up to 10 years, so crop rotation does not necessarily help unless farmers can keep that land productive in other crops for a decade. Many types of weeds are also good hosts for white mold and can spread the spores even when soybeans aren’t planted in the fields. However, rotating with plants that are not susceptible to the mold can at least help cut down on the number of mold spores in the field and reduce future incidents in soybeans.
If you’d like to learn more about white mold, check out my sources at Purdue Extension, Pioneer, and Crop Production Services.

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: education, farming fridays, farming pictures, science, seeds, soybeans

Farming Fridays!

July 12, 2013

Crop Insurance

First things first: the corn. As you can see it is getting a lot taller (can you spot my little red flag?):

Otherwise, dad has been working on his “maps.” Each year the Farm Service Agency and our crop insurance provider give us a bunch of maps with the farms on them. Think Google Maps, except black and white. Dad has to go through and make sure all the acres are correct. Unfortunately, the two groups give us different maps of the same fields, so it can be a little bit of a headache. 
But, essentially, if dad wants help with the crop insurance premiums, we have to supply the information to the FSA. The FSA then uses the maps to check out all of our land and make sure we’re complying with regulations (you knew there had to be a catch). This is the trade off — we get help with premiums, but they now micromanage the farm. 
Put it this way: they can even tell if we remove a tree on the farm. Of course, this prompts a whole series of investigations and questions as to whether or not we were allowed to remove the tree. (And, yes, this is happening this year.)
So we’ve been in the middle of this process the past couple weeks. Our house has black and white maps strewn about. Seriously.
By the way, did you know if you click on the little “tag” under the post that says “Farming Fridays” you can bring up every Farming Fridays post? You can also click on the link on the right hand side that will take you to the Farming Fridays Diary! Nice way to catch up or look back to see just how far the corn has come in a few short weeks!
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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: corn, crop insurance, farm subsidies, farming fridays, farming pictures, federal government

Farming Fridays!

April 12, 2013

Under Water

We all know the old adage that farmers are never happy with the weather, but let this be a lesson that the weather actually really does effect what we do! 
Yep, that’s our tractor and disk. In the flooded field. Not doing anything. 
I know, last summer we were all desperate for rain, but now we need it to stop raining so we can actually get in the field! Not to mention the cool temperatures have apparently set the fruit trees back at least a week. 
Meanwhile, our planter is stuck in the barn getting worked on. 
Hope you enjoyed the wet, rainy week! ๐Ÿ™‚
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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: corn, farming fridays, farming pictures

Hi, I'm Amanda. My family farms corn and soybeans in Southwest Michigan. I'm an attorney and I'm passionate about agriculture!

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17 hours ago

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Things I didn't miss while on vacation:โŒ watching the newsโŒ hours scrolling on my phoneโŒ stress about creating new contentโŒ hours in front of the tvโŒ worry about billable hoursโŒ always being connectedโŒ my to-do listIsn't it funny how a good vacation can change your perspective? Hoping to keep a few of these things with me until my next adventure.

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5 days ago

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Whoops! Looks like I missed #NationalAgricultureDay.We're on a family vacation in Florida this week. We hit SeaWorld, Universal Studios, Magic Kingdom, and Animal Kingdom. My highlight was spending some much-needed time with my favorite people. Headed home to Michigan soon. We're all hoping to bring back some warmer temperatures! ๐Ÿคž I hope you're having a good week! ๐Ÿ’œ

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2 weeks ago

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I almost feel bad for Kroger. Almost. My latest for AGDAILY

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Kroger learns hard lesson about aligning with ag extremists | AGDAILY

www.agdaily.com

Mercy for Animals goes for the kill shot against Kroger after the grocer loosened its approach to selling only cage-free eggs.

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2 weeks ago

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I bet I'm not the only one with extra coffee this morning. Just remember: farmers don't like Daylight Savings Time either! ๐Ÿ˜‰

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3 weeks ago

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I'm not sure I deserve to be on the same list as these other ladies, but I'm so flattered! Here's to all the ladies in agriculture today!

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thefarmersdaughterusa

I'm Amanda. My family farms corn and soybeans in Southwest Michigan. I'm an attorney by day, and "agvocate" at night.

Amanda Zaluckyj
Things I didn't miss while on vacation: โŒ watch Things I didn't miss while on vacation:

โŒ watching the news
โŒ hours scrolling on my phone
โŒ stress about creating new content
โŒ hours in front of the tv
โŒ worry about billable hours
โŒ always being connected
โŒ my to-do list

Isn't it funny how a good vacation can change your perspective? Hoping to keep a few of these things with me until my next adventure.
Whoops! Looks like I missed #NationalAgricultureDa Whoops! Looks like I missed #NationalAgricultureDay.

We're on a family vacation in Florida this week. We hit SeaWorld, Universal Studios, Magic Kingdom, and Animal Kingdom. My highlight was spending some much-needed time with my favorite people. Headed home to Michigan soon. We're all hoping to bring back some warmer temperatures! ๐Ÿคž

 I hope you're having a good week! ๐Ÿ’œ
I bet I'm not the only one with extra coffee on th I bet I'm not the only one with extra coffee on this Monday morning. Just remember: farmers don't like Daylight Savings Time either! ๐Ÿ˜‰

#agriculture #usagriculture #farmers #usfarmers #farming #farmfamilies #sustainableag #sustainableagriculture #sustainable #sustainability #farmerscare #homegrown #localagriculture #knowyourfarmer #shoplocal #madeintheusa #madeintheus #americanagriculture
Do you know why farmers choose to grow bioengineer Do you know why farmers choose to grow bioengineered crops?

#agriculture #usagriculture #farmers #usfarmers #farming #farmfamilies #sustainableag #sustainableagriculture #sustainable #sustainability #farmerscare #homegrown #localagriculture #knowyourfarmer #shoplocal #madeintheusa #madeintheus #americanagriculture #be #bioengineered
Oh, man. These lyrics are hitting me in all the fe Oh, man. These lyrics are hitting me in all the feels right now.

"When they pave all the dirt roads and John Deeres are dinosaurs

When the last back forty gets sold and young boys don't open doors

When you can't hunt a white tail and keep what you reel in

Well, I hope I'm in Heaven by then

Oh, I don't wanna go today, but I don't wanna live

Down here at a place that thinks that that place don't exist

If there comes a day this country's somewhere country don't fit in

Hell, I hope I'm in Heaven by then."

"Heaven By Then," Brantley Gilbert & Blake Shelton

#countrymusic #country #heavenbythen #faith #rurallife #countrylife #farmlife #myhome myhome
Sunday morning snuggles. ๐Ÿฅฐ๐Ÿฅฐ #Mischa #doggie Sunday morning snuggles. ๐Ÿฅฐ๐Ÿฅฐ

#Mischa #doggielove #dogsofinstagram #dogs #furmom #furbaby #sundayvibes #sundayfunday
U.S. farmers are constantly improving their craft U.S. farmers are constantly improving their craft and becoming better at their jobs. These types of statistics prove it.

#usagriculture #agriculture #soybeans #soy #soyproduction #soilhealth #sustainableag #sustainableagriculture #sustainablefarms #sustainablefarming #healthysoils
Did you know this about the organic label? If yo Did you know this about the organic label? 

If you want to buy certified organic products, that's totally your choice! But you should also know what you're buying and what it actually means. Often that reality is different than organic marketing.

#agriculture #usagriculture #farmers #usfarmers #farming #farmfamilies #sustainableag #sustainableagriculture #sustainable #sustainability #farmerscare #homegrown #localagriculture #knowyourfarmer #shoplocal #madeintheusa #madeintheus #americanagriculture #organic #organicfood #organiclabel
Now that's efficiency! #dairy #dairygood #milk # Now that's efficiency! 

#dairy #dairygood #milk #farms #sustainableag #agriculture #food #milkglass #dairycows #dairyfarm #dairyfarming #dairyindustry #drinkmilk #chocolatemilk #farmfact #farmsfacts
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