It’s not planting season for a while yet in Brown City, Michigan where Dwight Bartle and his family farm 1,400 acres of corn, wheat, soybeans, and sugarbeets. They also sow cover crops, with some oats at times as a cover/cash crop. He’s hosted a plot for FIRST for several years.
Seed Decisions
We wanted to know what Bartle’s biggest considerations were when buying seed for this year: “You always pick yield,” he said. Standability is very important, and he wants FIRST to score hard to get good information about how hybrids are standing at harvest. Tar spot developed on his farm in the 2021 season, as it did through many areas of FIRST testing, bringing disease resistance into focus.
Working with FIRST
Why does Bartle work with FIRST on the plots? One reason is that the fieldwork is done by FIRST managers, and “they do a very good job.” He has a few test plots on the farm, and wants it done right. He makes use of the trials data, “to see what’s out there.” The Bartles like that FIRST is providing information without selling seed. If something’s yielded well, he’ll plant some of it, trying new brands and products when they prove themselves in the trials.
Changes coming in 2022
We talked about what’s changing in farming. The economy in 2022 is something that the community hasn’t seen for a while, with inflated input costs and high grain prices making an interesting environment. Bartle thinks it’s going to bring new efficiency to operations, and folks will take a second look at areas that need improvement. “Everybody can do a better job.”
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