The start of a new year often feels like a clean slate – a fresh opportunity to renew commitments, reverse unwanted habits and revisit priorities. While it is certainly a time for reflection, it is also a time for action.
Farmers make 50 actionable decisions in a year. They could be making up to half of those decisions just this month and the next. We hope to be a part of these selections, of course, but our purpose is to help make those decisions clearer around fertility, nutrient availability, plant health, agronomics and the impacts of cropping systems on the environment.
Our commitment to sharing what we’ve learned begins within our own walls. Recently, our technical development team spent several days sharing among our teams the data, results and key learnings from their 2016 field trials. Now, we look to share this information with our partners, and to help farmers maximize this year’s on-farm productivity.
We won’t shy away from tough conversations or exchanges about helping farmers do what’s right for their land, their resources and their communities. That begins with providing farmers and agronomists with actionable information, data, tools, resources and the expertise necessary to increase the likelihood of successful outcomes, from yield and performance, to nitrogen uptake, phosphorus availability and limiting runoff into waterways.
There were many wins to speak of in 2016, as well opportunities for additional exploration, both in the lab and field. You’ll read more about these studies, and what they mean to farmers, as our technical development managers and research partners begin sharing them here on GroundWork. Right now is a time to plan and look ahead, and in 2017 we will work to develop new opportunities to demonstrate how nutrient efficiency impacts crops, soil and water.
Happy New Year,
Kenny Avery
