Episode 42 - Farmers For Soil Health Program, Wheat Harvest, Local FFA State Winners

Thanks to this week's episode sponsor Masterson Farms!

Thanks also to our studio sponsor Biotech Innovations.  Learn more about them at www.biotechinnovationsag.com.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:07

Welcome to Dirt the Dollars, where we cover everything from the dirt on your land to the dollars in your hand.

SPEAKER_01 0:14

We're talking all things agriculture is simply cooking, from the field to the farm office.

SPEAKER_02 0:19

Join your hosts, Daniel Carpenter, Matt Adams, and Mark Thomas as we dig into current ag news, practices, and more. And now, coming to you from the biotech innovation studios, here's dirt to dollars. Now let's get innovative.

SPEAKER_01 0:34

All right, welcome to this week's episode of Dirt to Dollars. I'm your host, Mark Thomas. And much like the White House front lawn, we are MMA this week. Missing Matt Adams.

SPEAKER_00 0:47

That's pretty good. I was wondering where you were going with that. I was like, MMA. Gotcha.

SPEAKER_01 0:56

That's a good thing. Throw something in there. I thought that uh thought that that was fitting. So we'll get we'll maybe uh touch on that again here in a minute. But uh we uh thanks this week to our sponsor, uh Arlo again over at Masterson Farms. So they're digging just a little bit deeper into his college funds. So hopefully that's money well spent for them.

SPEAKER_00 1:19

Yeah, I think they've had a busy week cutting uh cutting some wheat and cutting some straw and baling up anything they can find. So I appreciate them sponsoring us again this year.

SPEAKER_01 1:29

Yeah, thanks thanks for that. Uh again this week. But we quit growing wheat. 2020 was our last wheat crop that we harvested. And some years I regret that. Most years I'm very happy with that. This year it seems like it's been a struggle. Um wheat harvest has been going on this week. Uh we had frost early on, we had dry as well. Uh seeing some really good yields in some spots in some fields, but hearing, you know, typically our low spots, our basins are where yields at. Not hearing that this year. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:10

And and obviously, you know, those low spots get colder, right? So those low spots got hit on when we had that uh freeze and heavy frost issue. But I've I've also been seeing a lot, and I've been working with some farmers across the Kentucky, and there's some fields that look like they had some really high yield potential. I mean, you when you drive by a lot of these fields, they're just solid, great stands, but the seed is just it's just not there. Um lots of I'm hearing lots of 40s and 50s.

SPEAKER_01 2:42

That's that's a lot of what I'm hearing too. Um this was very similar to what we ran into in 2020. And and we had some zero in 2020 that yeah, we shouldn't have took to the combine, but we did. Um we bailed some straw behind it. But the straw even this year is is still green, but the the grain, I think, you know, I'm I'm hearing 11-12% moisture on grain.

SPEAKER_00 3:11

And when we say, you know, 40s and 50s is what we're experiencing in a lot of these uh wheat fields for yields, what's you know, the typical yields are what's probably 70 to 80?

SPEAKER_01 3:23

I would say uh maybe 80. Maybe 80. Yeah. I mean, it's not uncommon in the Nash or in the Kentucky Yield Small Grain Wheat Contest to have several over a hundred, uh, lots of nineties. But if you're not seeing a hundred, you know, ninety to a hundred on a yield monitor in places across the field, you know, most farmers will look at that as a as a failed wheat crop. But they're seeing that this year. And they're not gonna be able to do spots. That's true. That's true. I got a video um from actually from our missing uh from our MMA from our MMA this week. But uh, you know, he he was running some really good wheat on some hills, but it the the average just wasn't there. And and with what we got to put into a I I keep saying we like I grow wheat, but what you know wheat growers have to put into a wheat crop uh with what nitrogen cost this year and and PK cost they really needed better yields this year. But um on a on a bright note, uh I don't think there's any canola grown in Harden County. I think maybe there's some in southern LaRue County or northern Hart County. Uh I haven't heard yields from down there, but from West Kentucky, I've been hearing some really good canola yields.

SPEAKER_00 4:43

Yes, and and and they're getting a decent price for it too. So that's um, you know, with I so you got you said you got out of wheat back in 2020, and I've talked to several producers this year who have talked about how this is the first year they're not growing wheat. Like you're it seems to be a trend, and there may be some more after this year to sort of have their feel of it and and move on and try something else. And you know, we may see, we may very well see some canola try to make its way up here. We've got a few listeners that aren't very pro canola. Uh they don't think that it's gonna do well here. And and they may be right, but uh I think it's it seems to me like it may be worth uh a shot and trying in some some fields and some farms if you're looking to diversify a little bit and add a add some uh income at a different time throughout the year. Maybe maybe something if you're replacing wheat to think about.

SPEAKER_01 5:37

Well, I think uh when it comes to canola, and I and I don't know anything about it um and really haven't looked into to growing it, just enough to know that it's different, very much different than wheat. It's it has to be managed. Just the planting of it is such a small seed. Um seed to soil contact matters so much more that the people who have had success in West Kentucky, they're either really working the ground uh and going back to a conventional till type ground, which is not uncommon in the western part of the state. Uh they're planting it behind soybeans. Or actually, the fellow I was talking to today uh is from Missouri, and they burn off all their corn residue. Uh and actually out there it's still common practice to burn off their wheat residue and then plant their double crop beans. So like burn it with fire. Burn it with fire. That that makes me sick to my stomach uh to watch all of that carbon and all those nutrients just go up in smoke. But that's what some people some people do. I I couldn't do it. I would have a very hard.

SPEAKER_00 6:49

You know, and I get nervous when I burn a brush pile, you know, like I call the I call the the burn number and then I'm just gonna start, you know, when it gets going real good and it's and it's just pumping, and you're like, oh my gosh, if this wind blows another two miles an hour, I'm gonna catch the whole Hal Valley on fire. And uh but I couldn't imagine trying to burn a big crop field.

SPEAKER_01 7:14

I just I will say there has to be a little something to it uh back in 2020, I think it was that fall of that year. It was 2020 or 2021, I can't remember. We had a little fire and we burned up probably two or three acres of some corn stalks on accident. Obviously, a truck set it on fire. But the next spring, that's where my best beans were in the field. They looked the best the whole time. Uh I can't explain why.

SPEAKER_00 7:56

But maybe there's something to it, but I there's there is, and then there's um, you know, you mentioned some things like uh floating up in the air. I I really think a lot of your your um phosphorus, potassium type stuff stay, but I think the carbon like is a big part. Like I do think you're you're you're losing carbon. Like that's a big part of that. Um, but then there's like some weeds that respond differently to burning, you know, some weeds like it, some don't. Um, you know, like I have uh a lot of broom sage in in my pastures, and I know we don't have that in crop fields much, but like they like fire. You know, you try to burn that off, you think you're doing some good, and it just comes back better, right? So it's uh uh because it likes it like that. But I don't know how much uh um I don't know. There's there's there's obviously there's probably something to it. Maybe you ought to do another research plot on that and uh do an accidental uh fire somewhere and check it out.

SPEAKER_01 8:54

Well, if we keep having dry weather, we hope we never have any fires, but there might be some of those accidental, accidental, truly accidental fires that that we could uh maybe do some research in in the in the spring, but uh or next year. But yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:09

But you know, this wheat crop, it's probably two weeks early, um, maybe a little more than maybe two to three weeks early, and a lot of guys getting their their dub crops planted, and and I think that's another reason that maybe our uh we're having MMA uh this week um is because he was trying to get that done before this rain comes in. We're recording this on Wednesday, uh what is today, the 16th? And uh it is 17th, 17th. Yeah, but uh they're calling for some showers uh tomorrow on the 18th. So um hopefully we get some of those because I think we're about due for another shower, and then um, you know, we keep getting these about once, you know, one or two a week. That's gonna really one help these double crop beans that are gonna be in some heavy stubble, probably. And then uh, but then uh also this the corn and beans that we do have that are starting to really come on now. I've I've noticed this corn is just getting with it.

SPEAKER_01 10:06

I have been in, I was in more cornfields today. Uh I haven't been a very good steward of the crop this year, but I was in more cornfields today than I had been all year. And wow, is all I can say. Um stands good, looks healthy, somewhat even across the field. I mean, we're really set up if we can get if we can get some rains, timely rains from year on out. Get an inch a week. If we get an inch a week, we can have an inch and a half every two weeks or something.

SPEAKER_00 10:38

Yeah, just keep it keep it coming. Because I don't know that our root systems are all that uh developed.

SPEAKER_01 10:44

They're probably not very deep. Um but they they have the potential if we can keep what keep some water in in the top end of the field. And I our beans, a lot of farmers are probably like me and in some of this early stuff that part of the field looks really good because it was saved from the frost, uh, whether that be a hundred foot around the outside or or somewhere it just didn't get quite cool, and and you went in and replanted and it looks terrible because it's very uneven. Some of those fields are starting, some of the first that we replanted are kind of starting to come out of that. Um I was having a conversation with a guy today, and and I had kind of forgot about this, but um, I think it's something we need to bring up as a reminder for us soybean growers that you know soybean growth uh staging isn't necessarily linear. What I mean by that is we always want to target our R3 growth stage for fungicide and foliar nutrition applications. Well, when a soybean plant uh hits R3, it does that more than once. It might go back to R2 and then it's R3 again because it gets new growth, then it's back to R2, then it's R3. So even though these fields can be uneven, we need to be more uh cautious when we're scouting because we might catch a time and hopefully can catch a time in there where the replant beans are hitting that R3 maybe for the first time, but those uh beans that didn't necessarily get hurt from the early planting maybe still in R three. And we can still make an application that's timely and makes sense and and can still have potentially good yields across the field. So that got me a little more hopeful. I I was ready to pull the plug and and give up on some of these uh beans that had you basically replanted half the field, you know, a spot here, a spot there. Um but but that's something to to watch out for as we move into uh what could be fungicide time on some early beans really soon. I mean, I I don't have anything nearing R3, but I've got a lot of R2. And I actually had some blooms three weeks ago. I mean, when's when's the summer solstice? Uh it's gotta be coming up. Yeah. So it'll be um Sunday of this week, and and they always say you want to have blooms on your beans by the summer solstice. And it's a lot of beans out there.

SPEAKER_00 13:33

That's just because it's the longest day of light, correct? That's right. And you that's there's like a what is it, a a uh what's the word they use? There's a very strong correlation with uh those flowers being open and and on those long days of light, right? That's just a very good response to to light.

SPEAKER_01 13:56

So soybeans, corn, uh and we may have talked about this on the show at some point or another, so I may be repeating myself, but corn works off of heat units and GDUs, it basically works off the daylight. Um soybeans mature off the nighttime. And when the when the days start getting shorter, which they will from June 22nd until all the way until the winter solstice in January, February, whenever that is. Um at that point, beans now are saying, okay, well, I need to stop growing because days are getting shorter and my life cycle needs to start moving to the end. So that's why that date becomes so important.

SPEAKER_00 14:42

Um and on that note, we've had some cool nights for corn. So it's been that's been pretty uh uh beneficial too. Whereas I was it last year we had a lot of really just like hot 80 degrees, yeah 80 degrees at 10 o'clock at night. And I think we've had some, maybe earlier this year, we've had a few warm nights, but it seems like now we've kind of got into a almost almost maybe just a touch on the cool side, really.

SPEAKER_01 15:06

It has been um for for this time of year. And and even during the day for the past week, it's just been it's been warm, but it hasn't been hot. It's just been pleasant. That's well, might be the way to put it.

SPEAKER_00 15:19

You you know how hot it can be in June, because you you were at my wedding in June, in late June, and it's like the hottest day in on record in the last 25 years of Kentucky weather, I'm pretty sure. So guarantee it. Yeah. That's it's a day I'll never forget. So, yes, and also happy anniversary to my wife that's coming up here next week. So I don't forget that. I'll go ahead and say that now. Um, yeah, so yeah, it's been pretty good for for the crop recently. So let's hope that let's just hope that weather keeps up and uh some of these weather patterns stay. And um also our guy from Central Kentucky Weather, I think, has I I haven't seen that we've also, you know, we've we're not officially into this uh El Nino yet, but he this is exactly what he said was gonna happen.

unknown 16:08

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 16:08

He said we were gonna be cooler.

SPEAKER_01 16:11

We were wet. And here we are. We have done that, and and even some of the fields we were in today, as dry as it seems, you didn't have to dig very deep to find a fair amount of moisture.

SPEAKER_00 16:24

And and and on the dry, on that dry topic as well, we moved up into abnormally dry last week. So we're in a I think very small part of the county is still in that uh D1, but most of the county moved into that D zero designation. And um I kind of think if we get another, I don't know if this week's report will change much, but when we get the rains uh Thursday and then you know maybe another chance Monday, I think we'll be we'll be back out of that uh drought status. And and then on that note, too, if you haven't uh if you haven't made it into the FSA office, don't forget to um give them a call and and set an appointment up and go in and and fill out that paperwork for any kind of uh programs that you may be eligible or eligible for due to the the drought conditions that we had.

SPEAKER_01 17:16

I wonder if it's ever happened that we went into D3 and came out of it that quick. I'm sure it has at some point, but it just seems like once we if we do get into that D3 like we did uh in May of this year. Yeah, we were in it for two weeks. I think we were in it for two weeks. Two of those. Usually it seems like we're in part of the county, I think, was in it for three. Rest of it might have been in for two. Um but then the weather shifted, we started getting some rain. So um I'm I'm like you, Daniel. I think this week we will kind of stay status where we are, where we are, but if we get a little more rain, I would look for the the drought monitor that'll come out on the 25th to to maybe put part of that county, part of our county, Harden County anyway, back out of any drought status.

SPEAKER_00 18:07

And we don't always, you know, it's it's funny how it's not that far away, but what was it? Uh is it Casey County? Casey County where they're having like their waters, they're having to they had to cancel their dairy show at the fair because of the water it was going to take. There's, you know, there's some some areas not far from us that are still in just really dire need of rainfall. Now, they they may think there's some they're calling for several inches to hit in that area this week. So hopefully that'll that'll help. And much like we saw with some of our lakes around here that almost filled up uh you know just within a few weeks, that they may have the same thing happen there. But um, yeah, we still have a lot of a lot of parts of Kentucky that are dealing with it. So we're not all out of the not all out of the uh danger of that yet, but hopefully, hopefully still trending in a good direction.

SPEAKER_01 18:55

Hope so. I I talked to a friend uh farms down that Casey County area, and he said they've been ground zero for drought since day one. And this was probably two weeks ago when I talked to him, and he said if we get an inch a week for the rest of the year, they will be at normal average rainfall for their area for the year. So that's how far behind they are. Um pretty pretty serious situation down there. So hopefully we can get some get some moisture sent sent down that way for them.

SPEAKER_00 19:24

So well, having a lot of moisture in the soil is very good for soil health, right? It is. Um, so one thing I wanted to talk about this week is uh yeah, I you could have seen about it in in a few different places it's been on. Um what's the show that Alan Watts does? Uh Traveling is Traveling the Bluegrass? Traveling the Bluegrass or something like that. Anyway, uh they they had a few people, a few guests on their show to talk about this Farmers for Soil Health program. And I've been very involved with uh the program as well through my job with precision conservation management. Um not going to go into the details of my job yet. We're maybe talk about that more next week when we have our uh PCM director to come on and join us, uh Greg Goodwin. But uh this Farmers for Soil Health program, um, if you're a grain farmer and uh you use cover crops, you might want to give me a call and discuss this a little um just you know on a farm-to-farm basis. But the general uh guidelines for this program is if uh if you're looking to plant cover crops this fall, there are some uh there's a grant out there that you could get uh $35 an acre uh to plant cover crops, and that could be um wheat, rye, could be a mix of different things. Uh you can broadcast it, you can drill it, you can seed it with a drone, you can spread it and vertical till it. I'm trying to do my best forest gump impression of all the different types of cover cropping that you can do in this program, but you can you can do a lot of different things. Um, and and basically we're just helping coordinate um the payment of for this program. So uh if it's something that you're interested in, um you could contact me at my cell phone. It's 270-763-7363. And you can also go to, I think it's if you just Google Farmers for Soil Health, uh, it'll bring you to their website where you can apply uh there, and then I'll be notified that you apply and I'll reach out and get everything that we need uh from you. But for the the most that we need really is just some FSA field numbers. So if you know that you know all your uh fields that you've got in beans this year are gonna get a cover crop this fall, then you know I'll just want the farm and track numbers from all those fields, and then um then I can sort of work with FSA office after that, after we get you to sign a few forms and we can get your acres signed up for the program. Really may not even take more than an hour of your time. It can probably pay for your cover crops. seed and uh maybe even the application of it if uh uh if if you will so pretty good program that I think it seems to be like pretty pretty easy money maybe um so if it's something that you're interested in uh please let me know I'd be happy to get you signed up for it or answer any questions you may have about it.

SPEAKER_01 22:21

And then go ahead. Their website uh is farmersforsoilhealth.com and I've spent a lot of time over there. I I I'm not an anti-cover cropper but we have had um some bad luck with some things over time and uh maybe just need to reevaluate um how we've done things um maybe we've put out too much or at the wrong time or whatnot but there are a lot of uh documents on this website and a lot of information uh some blogs and different things check out that website and look around you might find something that that can help you out uh you know it's it goes over the benefits uh it talks about you know uh some some professionals talking about maybe why cover crops fail sometimes or how to measure cover crop success so check out those documents um call Daniel if you got any questions if you want to get it signed up now Daniel correct me if I'm wrong here if you're in a state or a federal equip program you cannot double dip in this program is that so if you're in a federal program then yes you you this this grant is a federal grant um I believe it comes through National Fish and Wildlife Foundation I think that's right and um maybe another group that's involved with that but it's um so it it's it's federal money so you can't get federal money twice on the same acres.

SPEAKER_00 24:01

So you could be somebody that maybe what I've experienced so far a lot of is uh producers who have applied for equip or CSP and were denied um or maybe have been denied many years in a row and or maybe they just stopped applying because they just keep getting denied uh this is one that um it's it's not so much like that you're gonna get denied it's just uh you just need to apply pretty soon uh because I think there is a uh it's a first come first serve type of program uh so the only way you would get denied per se is to not apply but um uh or to apply too late but then um the part where you know we're it's not like you're signing your name in blood on a contract to say you're gonna definitely plant 60 pounds per acre of wheat by November 15th this this fall it's it's not that kind of program. Uh you're basically stating your intent to plant those cover crops. And if weather changes like if we just have a terrible fall and it's wet and you can't get barely get things harvested let alone a cover crop planted you will not be penalized for for that you just won't get paid for um for planting a cover crop because you didn't plant it right so um pretty low risk things change yeah and things change and markets change um your crop rotation may change and and you may you know who knows what could happen there. But uh there's there's no uh penalties and there's no long-term commitments like you can find with other programs like equip which is a three or a five year program um that and and has a few extra uh requirements that that are take place with that program as well. We still go by the NRCS seating guidelines so those things are the same but um but anyway it's just one year so it's uh if if it's something like I said if it's something that you're interested in and and this has kind of sparked your interest in it maybe uh please uh get in contact with me or just go on the website there and apply and it'll um and it'll show up for me and then I'll just give you a call and we'll talk about it that way too. But um but yeah and you you talked about you know that uh farmers for soil health you know being a helpful or like explaining on how to measure success of cover crops. Well we when you enroll for farmers for soil health we're also going to enroll you in precision conservation management in PCM and uh we actually help do that for you is to measure the success of your cover crops and show you how um those can affect your bottom line or how they do affect your bottom line and uh also what other farmers are seeing um on how it affects their bottom line as well. So lots of lots of interesting stuff there especially if you're into or thinking about doing cover crops. It's definitely something to look at and and and you know too especially if you're you know like Mark with with you and you're talking about you know thinking about doing a little bit you know you we finally got you to seed a little bit uh this last uh fall and it did okay and you know this is just a it's also a good way to maybe take some of the risk out. I know there could still be management issues in the spring but uh but it does take a little bit of that cost risk um out of the practices and just helps out with that a little bit so it's not as intimidating from that side of things. But um but yeah it's it's it seems to be like a pretty neat program and if somebody um is interested in it sign up. You can enroll really not going to be out anything to to enroll because if you don't want to do it you just don't do it. Right.

SPEAKER_01 27:32

Just that's right. Now I wonder how that works.

SPEAKER_00 27:35

Uh I notice enrollment is goes until August 31st but I've dug in deep on the document so also real quick on that enrollment in Kentucky uh is pr is is not gonna uh go that long we have to we have an extra level of uh field clearance that we have to do that runs through it actually runs through the NRCS through like a resource check that they do and I think it's basically checking for cemeteries which is kind of weird and maybe some endangered animal things that that could be in specific places but um but anyway there's a there's just a check on that so I think it's actually like uh late July like July 30th or something something weird like that because they're these they have to be submitted by August 1st uh for Kentucky but um since this is a first come first served program and I I don't think there'll be money by then I think uh it'll probably all be divvyed out um because they'll have their they're we're really ramping up in applications this week so I'm gonna have to get mine uh signed up for before Daniel gets the show edited and sent out because I know that all of our listeners will be jumping over there and I won't get any money but uh well and deep enough on the website you'll find a cover crop guidance document that actually gives uh dates for that program.

SPEAKER_01 28:56

Um here's just the first one that's on it uh basic winter cover crop these species can be used for the purpose of nitrogen scavenging andor to reduce soil erosion August 15th to October 15th barley winter black oats triticaler cereal rye uh and then it gives the the requirements for what you need to do it'd be 50 pounds an acre drilled 60 pounds an acre broadcast or drone and 70 pounds the acre aerial so I would assume in that drilled at 50 pounds the acre uh if you scattered with a vertical tillage would that be no I think if it's broadcast it has to be so it still have to be broadcast yeah even if you're even if you're in in integrating. Okay. That makes sense. So all good questions that uh can be directed to Daniel moving forward. So there there's a lot of options there dates of when you can start and when you have to be finished if you're going to to sew that so check that out and maybe check that document out uh even if you're not gonna apply for the program but if you want to play with with some cover crops and you can kind of you know get some ideas of of maybe what to what to sew how thick to sew it or drill it or broadcast it or drone it or whatever. This would be a really good opportunity for a for a drone business to sponsor our show so we could get their name thrown out there out there and uh maybe get them some business this fall for proceeding and sowing. Maybe even spray in here coming up so if you're listening season.

unknown 30:40

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 30:41

Hit us up you just talked about fungicide season is right is just right around the corner and they're uh a lot of the cornfields we were in are three to six leaves from tasseling. So we get a rain shower this weekend and a little bit of heat next week we'll be seeing some tassels by July 4th. I I'd say we're gonna see a lot of tassels by July 4th it's it's gonna be busy time and I heard I'm I'm ready I I'm gonna text my drone guy right now and get on the list and make sure I'm don't get left behind.

SPEAKER_00 31:26

So we talked a little bit about uh the FFA state convention that took place I guess it was that last week? It was uh we had some some local people do very well at that we've got another state officer that's been on this show I tell you what and I'm pretty sure that's probably what did it just what got it over the top definitely he probably walked in and he was like I've been on dirt at the dollar and they were like what do you want but that will be uh congratulations to Cyrus Bibbins and that'll be the third state officer in that family so Avery pressure's on buddy you got a you got a few more years but pressure is on so and then speaking go ahead speaking of Avery he was on the um oh I'm drawing a blank food science milk and quality he's on one of them I think state winning maybe food maybe food science contest that uh won the won the state so they'll be heading over to national convention here in fall of this year so congratulations to him yeah so they're I think it was the food science milk quality and products and then the poultry teams for LaRue County FFA uh were all state champions so they've got they've got some uh they've got a big group to take to to nationals that'll be that's great that'll be a fun a fun time um on those teams uh let's see Tyler Englebright was state high individual in milk quality and then Aaron Grimes was state high in food science and poultry so that that's that's knocking it out of the park. That's pretty good that's that's great. So congratulations to those students also Cyrus won uh some other stuff too I think he was the um crop he won a crop proficiency I think proficiency winner uh and the big one he was the state star in placement nice so he's he's taking home some hardware his his shelves are full of trophies from this year.

SPEAKER_01 33:51

And I I think he's got a couple of proud parents uh I know we're proud of him over at Dirt to Dirty.

SPEAKER_00 33:58

Oh yeah for sure and and while we're talking about some LaRue FFA members they also had some state FFA degree recipients uh Miguel Salazar Jocelyn Hinton um there Cyrus again he he got that Aaron Grimes Caleb Brangers and Luana Huff so congratulations to all those LaRue County students um did uh Mark did we have some Central Harden uh winners as well and we did people being honored uh we did we can't forget our friends over at Central Harden FFA uh they had some state degree candidates over there Molly state degree recipients not just candidates uh Molly Berba Katie Beth Meals Avery Miller Addie May Williams and Leanna Green so the other thing we had um was uh Alex Haddon was the second place in the Ag Mechanics and Fabrication actually for the second year in a row um so he went into state convention with with very high hopes to to go from second to to win that uh here in 2026 but um it's it's pretty darn impressive to to to be second place you know two years in a row that that says a lot about what his uh sae was and what his program is something that he's he's continuing on to to keep doing so he he's built uh had a base there like many of us farmers and and Avery will be inside and Avery will be the same you know building a base to to continue on in the future so that that's what FFA is all about and we're proud of of all of our local FFA members that that had success and or or even if they didn't have success at at the state convention we're we're proud of them for for what they do on a daily basis. Yep did you have you been following you know you mentioned the uh the MMA uh missing Matt Adams um event like that took place on the White House lawn have you been keeping up with uh some other stuff that have been has been going on in the the area of uh of the Capitol there I have but you know there's so much AI anymore I have a hard time believing about half of it because there are a lot of times if anybody's ever been to Washington or even if you've never been but if you just open your eyes or maybe look at a map you can see that the pictures AI the videos AI because something's in the background that shouldn't be there.

SPEAKER_01 36:52

And I know I know what you're getting at. You're getting at the reflecting pool and there is so many videos that I've seen you don't know if that's what's happening exactly right now.

SPEAKER_00 37:07

Yeah and you don't know if it's from now today or if it's from before because I've recently been to DC within the last year and really you know spent a lot of time in that area and and it was it was nasty when we were there.

SPEAKER_01 37:23

It's been several years since I've been there but it it was not not pretty right in in any way. But when you're looking at a a shallow pool which is what it is when you're up beside it it looks deep but seeing the videos of it drained the water at the edge is no more than maybe a foot deep so when you're when you're looking at shallow water it's gonna grow algae. Right well shallow stagnant water.

SPEAKER_00 37:52

Yes and you know when I I really I kind of wish Matt was on because we could just talk about being extension agents a little bit because that's something that we get calls on quite a bit as extension agents is algae blooms in ponds. So um I kind of felt like I'm like I know all about these things and I know what they're talking about and that's not right. Right. Uh and and so you have all these people who are pool specialists who think they know what all the chemicals are supposed to go in there to clean it up or what you're supposed to do for uh uh for for pools but just what I know with farm ponds is if you have an algae bloom you have to have a source of nitrogen and and a source of uh like fuel for that algae and anybody's ever been there you know what what's all around what's all around the water trees and grass and yeah so sometimes just something as simple as you know grass clippings getting tossed in there which I don't I don't think that's going on there but there's there's some there's some some fowl there's birds true that are everywhere and hooping everywhere and that's that that's a lot of fuel especially right there when there's a big body of water and that's you know stagnant and not moving but then you have dogs everywhere and you don't really get runoff into that thing like you do in a pond because a lot of times in the pond it's the it's the manure all around it that washes in or um or you know maybe in a random situation where a fertilizer application was put on right before a pouring torrential rain and it washed some of that in there and caused it to green up. It's not one of those toxic algae blooms which that kind of aggravates me too that they talk about it being an algae bloom and it's not like it's it's algae but it's not like it's not what I would call an algae bloom. But anyway that that's uh but it's just there's there's a lot of things that that go to that.

SPEAKER_01 39:56

Now I don't think painting helped it or hurt it either way it probably needed to have something done to it because it I just I thought it was an eyesore when I was there is a year ago but uh and you can believe whatever you want to read and whatever you you want but uh no matter the situation if if what we read is true that it was truly leaking and losing millions of gallons of water a year something needed to be done and and maybe painting it wasn't the right decision but if we can seal it uh and keep it from losing water then that was a benefit. Yeah I'm sure there was some type of sealant component to that and and I'm sure there's a well there has to be uh a circulation system under that somewhere and I and if I'm uh correct in this I believe they're pulling water out of the Potomac River and and using that as using that to fill it so so any uh plumbing that they have that when it was drained if there was that algae it was probably sitting in those lines so when they filled it that's where that initial flush came from um when they get some aeration in there and and get it floating around maybe we'll get that cleared up.

SPEAKER_00 41:16

Yeah it's it's it's another good example of just something that everybody is going to argue about and and and nobody's ever going to know what really caused it or why it happened and um and it'll and you know what in two months it'll either still be algae covered or it'll be crystal clear and nobody's gonna say anything about it either way because that's exactly right and moved on to the next to the next we'll be arguing about the next thing that's going on so without a doubt.

SPEAKER_01 41:44

So did you catch the MMA fight the other night? I actually did you watch that?

SPEAKER_00 41:48

Yeah it's not really my thing I didn't I didn't watch me neither I just felt like it was an important or not important it just it just I don't know I was like you know what I'm gonna watch it and I did and I watched most of it I didn't watch all of it but I watched most of it and it's probably the first it's the longest I've ever sat through a a UFC MMA fire whatever you want to call it I've I've never and and I may never again but I did I watched it well good I'm just glad we got to we got to tie that into MMA this this week.

SPEAKER_01 42:23

I'm proud atoms I'm so proud of you for that mark that's probably the that's probably the best dirt to dollars joke that's that's been told we'll let our viewers or listeners tell us so we probably don't have to do it this week but uh we've talked about our hats and our shirts uh we ought to come up with something to give away a hat and a shirt to some of our loyal listeners.

SPEAKER_00 42:51

Yep I know one thing I want to do is I think we let's let's maybe do that this week. We'll post the show on Facebook uh this week and if you if there's something you want us to talk about or somebody that you want us to interview or if you've got ideas for a show uh comment on that post and then um I don't know we'll take we'll take we'll take two different winners from that and if we like uh your comment or even if you just say something funny and it's not even serious um we'll we'll pick our favorite comments we'll we'll probably read several of them put them in a in a drawing on the show but we'll we'll we'll come up with a way we'll we'll get some uh we'll honor some winners with that and uh and get you some hats or drop you off a shirt or something so uh yeah be looking for that uh this week and we'll try to get some of our we got a little bit of swag in the in the dirt to dollars um closet here at uh uh biotech innovation studios that we can I think we can need to we need to spread the love out there get some of that swag out there some of that swagger culture oh there you go well done yeah and if and if you really enjoy be sure to like us give us a review uh especially if you liked this this week's show uh MMA free and uh just let us know we gave Daniel a hard time when he wasn't on a couple weeks ago so we gotta give him that a hard time too so but we're getting close on time now we we are yep so we'll go ahead and wrap up for the week thanks again to Arlo and the crew over at Masterson Farms uh we'll get this out as quick as we can so y'all can have some good tractor listening while you're in the in the straw field this week so thanks again to you guys catch you next week all right see y'all next week