VIRGIN.COM BLOG

From horses to drones. Idaho farmer Robert Blairtalks elks, surgical agriculture, and the future of farming. 

Top left: My grandfather Reinhard Wilken plowing with horses in the 1920s, Top right: Cletrac with a bean cultivator on front in the1930s, Middle right: My mother Marga Wilken Blair on a Farmall M cultivating beans in the 1950s, Bottom right: Robert Blair on a Case 2470 disking pea ground in the 1970s, Bottom left: Dillon Blair harrowing stubble ground with a John Deere 8520T in 2010, Middle: My son Logan Blair with a hexacopter in 2013. Image from Robert Blair.

There are very few points in time when a person can help influence the future of an industry they love. Agriculture is my industry. Technology advancements such as John Deere’s plow, McCormick’s reaper, Eli Whitney’s cotton gin from the industrial revolution, and Norman Borlaug’s breeding techniques that started the green revolution, are the foundation of today’s agriculture.

Today we are in the information age and Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) are another such advancement that can positively impact agriculture. The ability to capture information to help farmers and ranchers better understand their operations to make more informed management decisions is a reality.

Our farm was founded in 1903, the same year the Wright Brothers had the first successful powered flight. One hundred years later I have tractors that drive themselves, the capability to properly apply inputs to specific areas, and eyes in the sky to assist in monitoring the crops during the growing system. As the old advertisement stated, “We’ve come a long way baby.”

My precision agriculture journey began in 2003 by using a PDA (handeld digital device) with a wire connected to a small GPS receiver to do simple mapping. Now we use our smart phones with built in GPS and apps that are way more complex, user friendly, and functional to not only gather data but to control irrigation systems remotely.

This has two pictures of the same thing; the one on the right is the original RGB image and the one on the left has had false color added to it to stand out. The white arrows are the same areas in each picture and point to a 45 foot wide block where the fertilizer machine was turned on/turned off properly. I used this for management/instruction purposes.  The black arrows point to a steep area that is very shallow, rocky ground that doesn’t produce well no matter what management is done to it. The red circle shows an area where the dark green in the RGB corresponds to the light blue where nitrogen levels were good coming out of winter. The green, red, and dark blue in the image on the left corresponds with the yellow, light green, and brownish color on the right image where more nitrogen is needed.

Image from Robert Blair

In 2004 I put a yield monitor onto the combine. It's made up of a computer in the cab with different sensors situated in and around the machine to collect elevation, temperature, crop moisture, on-the-go yield, etc. This is great information, but it is reactive data. That means the crop has matured to be harvested and there is nothing more I can do to affect the outcome of the growing season.

I took precision agriculture to new heights in 2006 by becoming the first farmer in the US to own and use a UAS. Just like my early precision ag journey, there were many rocky roads to traverse and lessons to be learned. It’s tough being on the “bleeding” edge of industry.

With the advancements of UAS and other agriculture technology we have surpassed precision agriculture and are now in the early stages of surgical agriculture. What I mean is, through advancements in technology we can do an even better job of managing our soils, crops, and other resources to more precise levels.

To be as good as our fathers we must be better, imitation is not discipleship.

~ Wendell Phillips

Elk Damage in Peas – The arrows point to depression in the peas where elk laid down. You can also see the trails going all direction through the crop along with the seed rows of peas.

UAS change the game drastically. They can collect data throughout the growing season so management decision can be made on when to water (I am a dryland farmer and rely strictly on rain), fertilizer needs in certain areas, weed problems that need to be treated, or other anomalies that show up. The best part is that I now have coordinates to physically check targeted areas, and this makes better use of my time.

However, a UAS is only as good as the other precision ag equipment on the farm. If there are no computers on the tractors or controllers on the equipment, the UAS data collected is just good general information with no directed purpose…pretty pictures. Also, without the yield monitor, images taken during the growing season cannot be quantified to know how good our management strategy was.

I have used the data gathered by UAS for multiple things such as showing wildlife damage in crops, seeing how far the nutrients from cow manure travel from winter feeding areas, spotting pest areas, and for management lessons on operating equipment properly. Basically, I want to gather as much data as possible so when the time comes that new software and systems have been developed I have many years of historic data to show the path forward.

To be successful, agriculture and our urban cousins need to quit pointing fingers and work together. Farmers and ranchers are sustainable and we can use technology to not only prove it, but to make it better. But we need help from the business industry outside of our sandbox to create technologies and solutions centered on the vast agronomic knowledge farmers have gained from years of working and loving the land.

Me with a UAV I designed and built. It is five feet long, has a nine-foot wing span, and weighs roughly seven pounds with batteries and cameras.

UAS is a natural evolution in agriculture’s story, and it can help our industry responsibly meet the tremendous challenge of feeding nine billion people by the year 2050. Farmland is being consumed by people to live on. Water use is becoming restricted. Resources are depleting. Precision Agriculture Technology and UAS will play a major role in agriculture being successful. But, we need help from outside our industry.

Oh, one more thing; farmers are young at heart and just big kids still playing in the dirt…only with bigger toys and now UAS!

– Robert Blair is a fourth generation farmer from north central Idaho managing 1,500 dryland acres of wheat, barley, peas, lentils, chickpeas, alfalfa, and cows. The farm is situated on the edge of the rolling hills of the Palouse and not far from his Alma Mater the University of Idaho where he received his B.S. in Agriculture Business. Robert is also the current president of the Idaho Grain Producers Association, past chairman of the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) Research & Tech Committee, and chairman of the US Wheat/(NAWG) Joint Biotech Committee.

PINK TRACTORS

April 7th, 2014 is a day that Rhonda and I will never forget. It was a Sunday and I was busy getting clothes ready to head to Washington, D.C. for the National Wheat Improvement Committee/National Association of Wheat Growers Research Fly-in.

Rhonda and I were sitting on the couch in the office (we have a separate building that serves as office, man cave, dog house for the times I'm in trouble, In-law storage, visitor retreat, etc.) where I stay the night so I don't wake the family up at 2-2:30 am to catch my flight.

"Robert, could you feel my breast? I think I have a lump" Rhonda said. Now as a guy I would normally be excited and happy to oblige to such a request...but this was definitely different. My heart rate increased, I was getting sweaty, and I was nervous...similar to younger days but in a completely different way.

I felt the "LUMP."

"Rhonda, you need to get that looked at. It might be nothing but it should be checked out." The timing couldn't have been worse for either of us, we were parting at a time of need for each other.

I left for DC Monday and didn't get back home until Thursday while Rhonda visited the doctor. We were both continuing on with what we needed to do professionally, but our minds had other things on them definitely that week.

The second week, things moved fast as well. On the 15th she had an appointment for a mammogram and her friend Dianne went with her. After that visit she went back on that Thursday the 17th for a biopsy with support from Dianne and her friend Jaime. That started the long wait.

I know my blog handle is "The Unmanned Farmer" and should deal mainly with UAVs and this story does have a UAV portion to it.

Tuesday, April 22nd is another date I won't forget. I had a reporter up from the Lewiston Morning Tribune doing a story on my use of UAVs. It was raining so we couldn't actually fly which was a bummer. However, standing around in the shop with the UAVs set up and doing the interview the phone rang.

I looked at the caller ID and it was the grade school. Oh, Rhonda is calling for something............

My heart dropped and my breath was completely taken away, she was crying uncontrollably and I knew she was hurt. The frightening part was I knew why. After getting her to calm down a little she told me she had to go to the doctor that day at 2 pm and would I go? Farming, UAVs, or anything else in the world didn't matter and I was not going to let her down.

I hung up the phone and still had an interview to do. Stay professional, carry on as if nothing happened, get through this with all costs and as normally as possible.

During our reminiscing about this quick journey I would equate my reactions that day to President George W. Bush being informed of the Twin Towers being attacked. I'm sure the shocked showed initially, but you needed to get through the current job as quickly and professionally as possible to not alarm others so that you can deal with the situation.

Farmers deal with tough situations every year, especially if they raise animals. Farmers pull on their years of knowledge and experience to identify the problem, quickly analyze it, and then take a course of action. This all happens in the blink of an eye usually. I could not use my skills as a farmer to solve the problem of someone I truly love hurting over the phone. I could not reach out to provide a comforting touch or reassuring embrace. And I still had the interview to do.

That day we met with the doctor and received the news that Rhonda has Breast Cancer confirming our fears.

Since then we had a visitor from Australia who took our mind off of things for a couple of days. Simon Mattsson is a sugarcane farmer from Australia and a Nuffield Scholar. Also, our church had a service dedicated to the seniors of the high school.

Monday and Tuesday Rhonda met with two great doctors to (As Paul Harvey would say) get the rest of the story and plan a course of action.

Things have moved very fast in less than a month, even to the amazement of the doctors. Support has been great and having some answers to the unknowns has been a relief. There are still tests to be done and more unknowns, but there is HOPE! God's hand has definitely been there in many different ways but that is a different story and should and probably told by Rhonda.

Now to the Pink Tractor. As Rhonda was checking in to her first appointment Monday, I saw a young nurse in the facility with a black shirt with a pink tractor...I NEED TO GET ONE FOR RHONDA is all I could think. I called a couple of people that I know and there was one waiting for us at Farm Credit Services Northwest in Spokane https://www.northwestfcs.com/Stewardship/The-Pink-Tractor .

If there is one color Rhonda loathes it is pink! However, since it is on a tractor she could handle it and wear the shirt.

Our spirits are up and our family is dealing with it well. Rhonda and I cannot say thank you enough to all of the support that has been there from friends and strangers. It truly is amazing and has turned this crisis into more of a mission of hope and determination.

I am certain that this will not be the last post I will write on this journey or subject and there are definitely better stories that can be told from this month of shock and discovery but I will leave that up to best friend, partner, soul mate, and wife Rhonda. Maybe for Mother's Day I will give her a pink tractor to drive.

As a note of recognition and thanks we want to thank Northwest Farm Credit Services for their recognition and support for Breast Cancer! Rhonda and I both hope that you and your friends will take time and be more aware of this cause.

Merry Christmas From The Blair's 2011

At Christ the Redeemer
in Rio de Janeiro

At a church in Rio

First off, we hope that this finds you and your family doing well. If you are like us we can’t believe that another year is gone and passed. If you paid any attention to the news it seemed like the world was going to implode with unrest in the Middle East due to bread prices, regime change in North Korea, economic instability in Europe, Japan’s tsunami, and our own troubles in the U.S. Just think, the Mayan calendar calls for complete destruction in 2012. With that in mind you had better of enjoyed 2011 ;)




Dillon & Logan in the shop
with Dixie Dog

 

My name is Wally Weather Station and I will be your host this year. I am in position to give you a great account of what happens on the farm. Not only with weather, but with everything else. I live on a pole in the center of the farm, giving me a bird’s eye view of everything that happens. Since weather played a big role in 2011 I was asked to do this.



And what a year 2011 turned out to be. You could say that it was the year of different weather. We had snow into May, rain that prevented us from planting crops this spring, tropical weather in Brazil, and freezing cold when we arrived home. May set a record for rainfall, causing haying and harvest to be late. Even Bandit was tired of the weather. Without any spring crops harvest was done in eight (8) days, but we have more winter wheat planted than we have ever had on the farm. And it is looking really good.

Dillon turned 15 in February and has his learners permit so watch the roads next year. Logan turned 13 while in Brazil (will talk about that later) and had the best present of his life. Rhonda and Robert celebrated 17 years of marriage, meeting each other in Sao Paulo, Brazil on their anniversary. This is the first year they have been able to spend that day together without anything going on for several years. However, I won’t tell you their age because they will unplug me.

Sports and school take up the most time. Dillon is a sophomore and Logan is in 7^th and both carry straight A’s. Both boys played basketball. Dillon spent time on JV, but played some varsity earning his letter. Logan played on an AAU team from the Craigmont area and his class was moved up to play Jr. High basketball. The 7^th Jr. High almost went undefeated, losing in overtime on the last game. They both played 3-on-3 at Locust Blossom and Logan had his cousins as teammates. They attended a basketball minicamp with a former coach at LCSC and Dillon played summer league. Dillon also went to NBC Camp and won the “Grit” award.

Dillon & Logan
with coach Walker

Dillon played on the Kendrick Golf team and they made it to State. Logan played baseball, was a pitcher and played different positions. Logan and some of his friends played in a baseball tournament in Potlatch…for Genesee. It was tough for Robert to see him in those colors, but he said a Genesee uniform never looked better. Both played football this fall and Dillon received his letter in that. Now basketball is in full swing again.

Chris (Robert’s brother) started working full time on the farm taking place of Dean King who had worked for 7 years. Dean had been diagnosed with cancer and beat it. Dean is doing well and was able to drive truck at harvest and helped with fall fertilizer. Chris started at the right time helping to clean up the 23 trees that blew down or were topped out during a windstorm last November. We also had lots of fence to fix due to that.

In June the America’s Heartland film crew was at the farm. They were interested in what was being done with Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs) and precision agriculture. It was an interesting experience that everyone partook in. You can watch the video from our website www.threecanyonfarms.com or this link http://vids.kvie.org/video/2169504176.

Brazilian Whitetails

The biggest news was Robert being named an Eisenhower Fellow. In April Robert traveled to headquarters in Philadelphia to meet the other U.S. and International Fellows. General Colin Powell is the Chairman and there are just over 2,000 Fellows worldwide with 18 being Ag Fellows. In May Gong Weibin, a Fellow from China, visited the farm starting what they hope will be many visits from people around the world. To learn about the Eisenhower Fellowship you can go to http://www.efworld.org/ .

Robert’s Fellowship took him to Argentina, Uruguay (where he spoke in front of 1,000+ farmers), and Brazil where he learned about their agriculture, precision farming, remote sensing, and UAVs. He met with Eisenhower Fellows in the respective countries creating a closer bond between the countries. He spent a total of 6 weeks down there totaling 51 meetings.

Rhonda & I with Flavio
Nogueira & family

Rhonda joined him on November 5^th in Sao Paulo and as mentioned, they were able to celebrate their anniversary together. They traveled north of Sao Paulo to different towns for meetings along with stops in Brasilia and Belo Horizonte. In Belo they spent time with Robert’s friend and 2011 Brazilian Fellow Flavio and his family. They had a weekend together seeing some sites and celebrated Robert’s birthday and their last day having dinner with Flavio’s family and other Fellows.

Then the fun really began, Dillon and Logan arrived in Rio de Janeiro on November 19^th. They traveled alone and met up with mom and dad at the airport. During the week in Rio they toured the sites like Sugar Loaf and Christ the Redeemer along with playing on the beach. Everyone became sunburned at some point and there was not enough aloe in Brazil to sooth the pain.

Dillon & Logan with the
Girls from Brazil

The highlight of their time in Rio was traveling to Petropolis (north of Rio). Petropolis is the home to the summer palace of the last monarch of Portugal and Brazil. There is also a strong German community there because farmers were needed to harvest their cash crop, coffee. It is something of a retreat and there had been a casino there built in Bavarian style architecture that is tourist site…and that is where the real fun began.

While going through the old casino a group of students were on a fieldtrip there. We walked down a hallway and a group of girls followed and went past. Robert saw them huddle up, look back, and giggle. He motioned to the group and Dillon and Logan to get together for a picture. That picture started about a ½ hour of picture taking with many girls.

Dillon & Logan going
bananas in Brazil

Since it was Logan’s birthday (the driver told the girls this as well), it is customary for girls to give the birthday boy a kiss and they lined up to do it. Dillon was watching and said “I wish it was my birthday” prompting the driver to tell the group of girls this and they started kissing him as well. Needless to say Dillon and Logan both want to return to Brazil.

Now it is time to finish up and get back to work tracking weather. It is cold, but there is no snow. We hope that you had a great year and wish you a Merry Christmas and an Awesome New Year! Take care and God Bless! Adios, Feliz Navidad y Feliz Ano Nuevo! (Spanish)  Feliz Natal e Feliz Ano Novo! (Portuguese)

SINCERELY,

Three Weeks Down

We watched the tower do
different things for about
an hour. It was spectacular.

My oh my, time is fllying by like a comet in overdrive. It still feels like I just arrived a couple of days ago. I am now in Sao Paulo...and my wife Rhonda is with me. It is nice to have someone to talk to and to recap my experiences.

We both arrived in Sao Paulo on Satuday, November 5th which happened to be our 17th anniversary. She arrived before I did, but because of baggage claim and getting through customs she didn't have to wait that long. What a sight for sore eyes she was.

We were both tired. Her because she hadn't been sleeping much while getting ready to travel, the last night home and then over a day of travel. Me because I couldn't really sleep and was worried about catching my flight from Montevideo to Sao Paulo (I had to leave the hotel by 3am).

We made it to the airport, through security, and to the hotel. Then we met my program officer Luciano and his wife and daughter. We went over the schedule and then went for lunch to a restaurant built around a 100 year old fig tree (the restaurant is called Figueira). It was awesome.

The time was 8:11, but I
took it because it
represents the year! Go
The EF Class of 2011!

They had a buffet style lunch that they only serve on Saturday (at lunch time) based upon the food the slaves ate. It would be similar to the start of American BBQ and the types of meat. We went through and had a little of everything including pigs ear, pig tounge, sausages, and other meats. There were also great vegetable dishes and beef. Lots of meat.

We also tried the local drink made from sugar cane alcohol and limes. They also brought another type of drink to the table with 4 shot glasses. There were two types of alcohol (same base) but one was straight and the other had honey. They were delicious.

We finished lunch after 3 hours, went back to the hotel and grabbed my cell phone for Brazil. We had to put a new sim card in, buy credits, and set it up. Now I have contact within the Brazil. We went to our room, took some pictures and went to bed around 8 or 9 pm. We were exhausted.

Today we didn't do much except work out, eat breakfast and pack our luggage for easy use. We combined clothes into certain cases for easier access. I organized pictures, cleaned powerpoints off my thumb drive to make room, and sized pictures from previous adventures for use later this week.

We are getting ready to head out of the room for some sight seeing and dinner. We are just begining our travels in Brazil and hope to keep things up to date better. Ciao for now!

Time Flies on Fellowship

I can't believe that two weeks have past already. It seems like yesterday that I left my family early in the morning and dogs with looks that would make even the toughest of men break down.

This is definitely an experience of a lifetime. Although the schedule has been demanding with travel, tight time frames between meetings, little chance for communication home (except at places with WiFi), and buses being canceled I would not have missed this for the world.

I know that I have skipped a bunch of time since the last posting, but managing data, laundry, pictures, farming, and travel leave me little time for this. I am also writing a column a week (deadline Wednesday/Thursday) so those things are taking priority.

Camera batteries (two), two computers, keyboard, and a Gopro video camera takes time and juggling to keep charged. The priority is the ipad and camera batteries. When I download pictures to the windows computer I put excess onto a 500 GB hard drive.

Anyway, the information that I have learned has been very useful, I just hope that it does not get wasted by not being able to share it with people. The way they manage their farms in Argentina is at a higher level than in the U.S.

The youth that is involved in agriculture at all levels is something we in the U.S. should envy. The average age of a farmer is 55-59 in the US, but my guess is around 35-40 in Argentina. This youth brings a love for technology and a hunger for being successful in agriculture. I am jealous of their country for this.

The Pampas is a top notch production area in the world and the logistics for export are better than the US. However, their could be improved by building an extra lane of road each way. When traveling in the country I thought that it sucked because the side roads were dirt, but after learning there are no rocks on the Pampas and hauling rock for gravel roads is cost prohibitive.

Wind erosion is the main concern ecologically. Because the early use of the land was mainly for beef production, many trees had been planted to stop the wind, but to mainly give cows shelter. Otherwise trees are not native to the Pampas. I wonder what the environmentalists would say if they were to be cut down.

I had a great learning experience with all of my meetings. This one-on-one learning from biotechnology to precision theory and practical use to politics makes me (as a friend and EF Alumni said) the only person in the world with that knowledge base. It is pretty humbling when you think about it like that.

I was fortunate to arrive a week before their Presidential Election and to see all of the propaganda and campaign material makes the US look cheap by comparison. The incumbent won and I had an opportunity to sit in on an explanation of the the results by a famous Argentine political analyst (name in other suitcase that is still checked in with the hotel). I could not have planned things better if I had tried. It would be like Bill O'Reilly or someone of that level giving the presentation to a small group of people. What an opportunity.

Finally I traveled to two Estancias (farms) for my last weekend in Argentina. I was picked up by a car and driven 6 hours basically west of BsAs to Rufino. I was picked up around 8pm by the Chief Production Officer (Julio) and we headed off to the farm. I was put into my own casa and dinner was served to the two of us along with the agronomy team (Jorge-Head, Gustavo and Arturo). After some small talk we went to bed for a 7am start.

I woke up without an alarm (John Denver said it best - "Thank God I'm A Country Boy) at 5:30 and a good thing too, my battery died. Julio and I had breakfast together after meeting with the crew in their quarters. Then out to the field with Julio and the crew of three.

Our first stop was a corn field being fertilized with UN32 by a Rogator. I hopped on board and road two passes with Julio standing on the steps. The fertilizer was being placed according to a prescription map and it was fun to watch it increase, decrease, or stop according to the zones or areas already treated.

Next we head to a field that was being seeded to sorghum by an Argentine no-till drill and an Agco tractor. We hopped on board and at the end of the pass I took over. I set the drill to seed, reved the tractor, and engaged the auto steer. Finally I have driven a tractor in both hemispheres. At the end of my pass I make the turn and head back and make the next turn and hop off for the next adventure.

A field of last years corn was being seeded to soybeans with an air seeder, JD 9220, and fertilizer. They were just finishing filling up the fertilizer and we hopped on. No auto steer on this one yet but I drove it back seeding my first soybeans and straight and true. AWESOME!!!

We head back to the farm and I hop on a motorcycle and a worker hops on another one and we take a ride around the farm before lunch. We stop at the feed lot holding over 3,000 head of beef of different weights. We drive around some more and grab lunch.

After lunch I give a presentation of what I am doing on my farm and how the UAV is being used and then we head to another Estancia that is rented by Caldenes. This Estancia is also owned by the 3rd EF in Argentina who happens to be my Program Officer's father.

We tour the corn, with the Julio and Jorge, head back to the farm for tea, and I walk around taking pictures before it rains or the light leaves. After siesta and showering time, I meet Conrado Etcebarne again. We talk for almost two hours and then dinner and bed. What a day of learning and experiencing.

The next day I sleep in a little and finally head outside at 7am to find a quite spot to process images and catch up on my journal. I finish and am served breakfast around 9am.

I grab my camera because the grounds keeper Carlos is getting the wood ready for Argentine BBQ. Lamb is on the menu and I get some great pictures. I head back to my room, grab my windows computer, and show Carlos and his wife the pictures of him and the farm from the day before and they were pleased.

We ate around 2pm (as is customary) and I bring my bags down to the car to catch my bus. We head to Rufino and learn at the bus station that my 4:30 bus is canceled and the next one is at 11:30pm. We grab that ticket and head back to the farm.

I rest a little, have dinner at 9pm, and the car arrives to take me to the station. I was saddened parting my new friends on my last evening in Argentina and I was definitely not looking forward to the bus ride at that time.

It worked out fine because I spent more time with my friends and did catch about 5 hours sleep on the bus. Not bad, but I was definitely tired. Arrive BsAs at 6am, hotel at 6:15, and my room just a little after. I had to take a shower to get the travel off of me. Ate breakfast and the took a dip in the jacuzzi tub...very relaxing after the travel debacle.

I will sum things up better after I get home, but the experience is something that I will never forget. I have fallen in love with Argentina and it's people. The knowledge that I gained can never be replaced and I hope I am better for it and can live up to the expectations of the EF goals and motto. Until next time keep it between the fence rows!

Argentina Day 2

Had an awesome nights rest and get up at 8am to work out. They have nice weight equipment and a decent eliptical. Spend about an hour there, head back to my room, and get ready for breakfast and the day.

The breakfast is included and is buffet style. Lots of different breads and pasteries, runny eggs, Argentine bacon, small sausages, seasoned potatoes sliced thinly, meets (like lunch meats) and cheese, fruit, and yogurt. I grabbed what I wanted and poured my OJ and had coffee. The differences that I see between meals in Argentina and the U.S. is it is treated as an occassion. No one was dressed in shorts or pajamas and time is taken to enjoy the food.

I head back to my room to check email, Facebook, and call home. I decide to grab my tripod and EOS camera and head out. I go the opposite direction from last night and walk past the French and Brazilian Embassys. I walk along the main avenue towards the "Oblisk" and the building with Eva Peron.

As I am walking I look down a side street and see an awesome building with it's reflection in another one. I walk past a huge building with security and think it is something political. After taking pictures and moseying around a little I come upon the signs describing what the big building is...a world renowned opera house.

I take more pictures of it and the park across the street. It had "music stands" as decorations with pigeon nests in them. Rhonda would freak because of her "love" of birds. I walk some more with my camera still on the tripod. I figured I am a big boy and not many people would probably mess with me. Also, 90% of all people are good and would help out if needed. Also it was Sunday.

I scramble around and finally find my way back to the main avenue (me, directions, and cities don't always jive) and see the "Obleisk." I take pictures of side streets (I hope they capture the mood I was feeling) and make my way to a better place to see the monument. As I look around I can see 3 McDonald's and a Burger King.

I head towards the hotel with tripod and camera in tow taking pictures here and there of things that catch my eye. One thing that popped out most was a marquee that said TANGO in big silver letters with a black background. I had to have that picture since Argentina is the birthplace of the Tango.

Back at the hotel at 4pm I start to get ready to meet my Program Officer (PO) Ines at 5pm. She called not long after I get into my room and says that they will be an hour late due to the ash coming down from a Chilean volcano. That explains why it was kind of hazy out and I was coughing a little (I was also fighting being sick).

Ines and her husband, Sebatian, arrive and we tour the city. We stop at a coffee shop called Tortino that is a local favorite. We go over my agenda and grab a bite and a beer (Ines has OJ because she is pregnant) and then head to a community center in the city where she had set up a
"Jazz" concert.

When we arrive the local people are doing the tango. It was awesome to see something that was not a tourist attraction. We take pictures (and I took some video) and then the band came on around 9:30. They played dixieland music and were not bad.

We then head to dinner. In their culture dinner starts around 9 or 10 pm. We try a restraunt that was their first choice but the wait was long...it was Mother's Day in Argentina. We go to a German restraunt and I have bbq ribs (pork chops).

Back to the hotel around midnight and I see the light dusting of ash on their car. To my room and off to bed for a car that will pick me up at 6am for my first meeting. Now the Fellowship really starts.

A Brand New "Fellow"

I can't believe that it has been just over a year and I have started my travel portion of being an Eisenhower Fellow. I did not know what to expect, but I have found out that there is not much free time.

I thought for sure that I would be able to keep up the blog, but sleep was more important. Now I regret giving the other Ag Fellow, Rhett Proctor, a bad time during his journey. I completely understand why he didn't post as often as I thought he should :)

I woke up at 2:30 am PST to catch my 5:30 flight to Salt Lake City. As I was walking out of the office the emotions really hit me that I would not be seeing my boys for 5 weeks. I was also torn by the look Bandit gave me while he was sitting on the porch. He knew I would be gone for awhile and was miffed.

Rhonda rode with me to Lewiston. We talked business, boys, and Brazil. The timing for getting to the airport could not have been better and I didn't have to wait long. As Rhonda is accompanying me in line the emotions start to hit again. We have never been apart for more than a week at the most. Torn between excitement and regret I take my shoes off, put my electronics in the bin and prepare to leave Idaho for the longest period since college.

After arriving at the airport I am on a mission to find the Brookstone store to purchase an iPad holder with built in bluetooth keyboard. It is awesome BTW. As I am walking I run into Senator Jim Risch (Jr. U.S. Senator) and we have a quick chat. We wished each other well and went our ways. After going into another terminal (SLC is under construction) I finally find Brookestone, make my purchase and head for the Crown Room to have a quick bite and play on the iPad.

The flight to Atlanta was fine and I had a 5 hour layover there. That is a bunch of time to kill. I walk around for a couple of hours to get the blood flowing. I stop at a money exchange place and convert dollars to pesos...4.2 to 1. I head to the Crown Room to have a few snacks and a couple of cocktails to prep me to get some sleep. Hop on the plane at 8:30 and we are delayed an hour for some reason. Finally we take off leaving the good ol' US of A behind.

The meal was wonderful and the movies available were good. I watched the Green Lantern. As the movie was playing I switched to the traveling map and saw that we were over Cuba. I open the shade and see lights and not much happening. As I am preparing for sleep I look at the map again and notice we are over Kingston, Jamaica. I scramble to grab the camera and take a picture. Finally sleep.

I am awakened at 6 am (4 hours before home time) and have an English Muffin with spinach, eggs, and cheese, fruit, and COFFEE! I slept ok, but I am tired. We arrive in Buenos Aires, Argentina and have to wait on the tarmac for 15 minutes due to our delay. Hop off, grab my luggage, and go through customs with no problems. Waiting for me is my driver holding a sign with my name...a first.

The travels to the hotel take about an hour and I am in a semi coma, but I am so curious with a new country and city that I am trying to take everything in. I grab my little point and shoot Canon camera (PowerShot SX210 IS) and take picts. I also get the GoPro out and take some video. I am amazed and concerened about the driving and all the traffic...almost panic. Not a good thing for someone who likes to be in control of situations like that.

As we are traveling down the main avenue, I see a bulding with a likeness of Eva Peron talking into a microphone. I realize I am in Argentina.

I check into the Hotel Emperador around 11am and I start to get situated. I scramble to call home on Skype. My excitement is dashed by learning that my oldest bagged his first bull elk...a 5 point. I was not there. We chat for awhile and I proceed to take a nap. I was not planning on eating, but just getting sleep for the schedule I have.

I woke up at 4pm after a 2 hour nap and I feel the pangs of hunger from airline food at 6am. I get into my new cool jeans and start to do a walkbout. I ask the front desk about seafood and he points me to Puerto Madaero. I walk the other direction to see what is there (came in from that way).

I head back past the hotel with map in hand and a camera in my pocket. I see the sights (A bell tower dedicated by the British citizens for the 100 year anniversary of democracy). I cross the railroad tracks and I am begining to wonder if I am heading the right direction. Me no hablo makes me worried.

I make it to the old port and am in awe of the newer buildings and the companies that have offices there. I consult my map and keep walking towards a neet looking bridge. As I come to it I put more attention to the grain elevator on the other side...my first glimpse of agriculture while on the ground.

I finally come to my restraunt, Puerto Cristal, and have a wonderful appetizer of veal salami, cheese, greens, in a vinegrette. Nice and light but full of flavor. I am fascinated by the basket of breads that is placed at the table as well. My main course arrives...seafood stew with clams, shrimp, octopus, squid, and other fish in a tomato sauce...mucho bueno.

With dinner I had the server pair a wine for me that was wonderful. It went extremely well with the appetizer and the main course. I am stuffed and left a bunch. Since it was my first meal in Argentina I had to try a desert. I had the creme brulee...vanilla, chocolate, and caramel. I was in heaven.

I grab a cab back to my hotel and through gestures and finally pulling out my room key give the driver the address. Lesson number one...when you don't speak the language make sure you have the address of where you need to go. I went to bed satisfied around midnight with a great first experience in Argentina.

3-2-1 Liftoff: Three More Days Until Travel

Where does time go? Last year I was just learning that I was an Eisenhower Fellow for Agriculture and now I have less than three days until I leave for Argentina.

I am used to being gone 3-5 days maximum, but being away from Rhonda for three weeks and the boys for five is definitely a new challenge. The emotions are starting to hit all of us. To be sure we had quality time the boys and I golfed Sunday with beautiful weather.

I was able to see Logan’s football game Monday night, but miss the rest of his and Dillon’s. If the team keeps winning, I will miss the playoffs and potentially the Idaho Championship game.

Rhonda stayed home this week to help me get things organized and we have spent some great time together talking about farm stuff and the trip. However, life happens and those moments are interrupted.

Seeding is done with both soft white and hard red winter wheat poking through. Most things are winterized and I have tried to get things lined up for my brother to take care of on the ranch while I am gone. The only thing left is to spray roundup on the stubble and chisel plowing. Oh, how I will miss my tractors.

This weekend panic started to hit. I realized I didn’t have any clothes except suites and jeans with cowboy boots; nothing in between. A trip to Spokane, WA fixed that and now I have stuff in between. I just might stick out with a chaw of tabaccy and a cowboy hat down there.

I believe all of the paperwork is done. Crops reported to insurance and the government, bills are paid, and other paperwork is finished. So far no fires to put out. Travel arrangements are made, meetings set up, and clothes are being washed. Gifts are bought, my PowerPoint presentation is finished, and confirmation on meetings when I get back are done.

WHEWWWW! Trying to cram so much stuff into a smaller time frame with what seems like a ton of bricks on my mind is starting to get to me. DID I FORGET SOMETHING IMPORTANT? I will wait to sync my computers and phone, packing will be tomorrow and Thursday, and airline tickets will be printed as well.

Toothpaste, tums, aloe vera, bug spray with DEET, socks, shoes, ties, underwear, etc. I feel like I need to take the kitchen sink. Did I remember my underwear? I am as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

With all of that aside, I have some very interesting meetings and opportunities ahead of me. In Argentina I will be staying an evening on a farm (Estancia), one of five farms (Campos). The link is http://www.caldenes.com.ar/campos/estancia.html They raise Polled Herefords. Maybe I can drive a tractor down there.

I will also spend time with the Argentina No-Till Association (Aapersid) http://www.aapresid.org.ar , an Argentina based ag biotechnology company (INDEAR/Bioceres)  http://www.indear.com , and something similar to our University Extension systems (AACREA) http://www.redcrea.org.ar/aacrea/site/PortalInstitucional-internet/index.html . There are quite a few other meetings.

After Argentina I head to Uruguay by way of ferry (2-3 hours) from Buenos Aires to Montevideo. I will visit Uruguay’s Parliament and meet with Senators, give a presentation to the Faculty of Agrarian Sciences, Universidad de la Empresa, and then travel to Delores City (Northwest of Montevideo) and participate in and give a presentation to Agronegocios del Plata (ADP) at their annual meeting. At the meeting will be Uruguay’s Minister of Agriculture, what an opportunity. You can also see me listed on their program at http://www.adp.com.uy/programa_jornada.php . It is definitely different seeing everything in another language.

From Montevideo I travel to Sao Paulo, Brazil and meet up with Rhonda…on our anniversary! While in Brazil I meet with their Ministry of Agriculture people, the President of Monsanto – Brazil, and EMBRAPA (similar to our extension) http://www.embrapa.br/english . On November 15th I get to share the honor of having my birthday with Brazil becoming a Republic.

In Wikipedia – “Upon the proclamation of the Republic, one of the civilian leaders of the movement, the lawyer Ruy Barbosa, proposed a design for the nation's new flag strongly inspired by the flag of the United States. It was flown from November 15, 1889, until November 19, 1889, when Marshal Deodoro da Fonseca – acting as provisional president of Brazil – vetoed the design, citing concerns that it looked too similar to the flag of another state.” This will be special because I truly believe in the power of a Republic!

The last week there will be vacation. Dillon and Logan will join us on November 19^th. We will spend time in the Rio de Janeiro area and celebrate Logan’s birthday on the 23^rd (November is a big month in our family). 

Writing this hasn’t helped to cure my nerves like I had hoped, they are still there. I know once I am on the plane I will relax and my mind will be working in another mode. I am hoping that it will take my mind off of missing my family and little corner of the world.

I will try to post as often as I can on the blog and Facebook. I will have a couple of different cameras and I also bought a GoPro to attach to me for video. Since I am not as proficient with video I probably won’t have much up until I get back home, we will see. I will have email and you can contact me through the blog or Facebook. By the way, did I pack my underwear?

Harvest - Day 6 - A Generation Lost

I was hoping to write a little more often than six days, but that is how it goes. Waiting for trucks, a minor breakdown, and a high school practice football game (Orange and Black game) have kept me in the field longer which has deprived me of sleep. Anyway, it is the weekend and no phone calls that are really demanding.

I finished up the first field Tuesday but haven’t had a chance to tally the final yield. If you are a Facebook friend you have seen some of the pictures I posted. It is definitely one of my favorite fields because of the view down the Clearwater River canyon, the route that Lewis and Clark took to the Pacific.

It took me Tuesday to Friday to finish up the second field (twice as large as the first) and I moved onto the third one. Wednesday brought the mechanic out in the morning to replace a couple of bushings for the straw walkers. We had it apart and at the shop so he could press them in. It is very crucial to get them seated properly.

But as I have been cutting I have been thinking about a generation that was lost this year. My great aunt, Henny Reil, passed away earlier this year at the age of 96. Looking at her house is not the same. Her husband and my grandparents farmed together in the 20’s and 30’s. Her mind was still sharp up to the end.

This will be the first harvest in my memory that there will not be 4 generations alive. The wealth of knowledge and history that is lost is immeasurable. I asked Henny earlier this year if she ever remembered a year this wet and she said no. We had a record amount of rain and I didn’t get any spring crops planted.

As I am sitting on my butt going around in circles, I have been wondering about farming and the future for my boys. What major changes will be made in my lifetime that will seem foreign? Will farmers be regulated out of business? Will they even be able to keep farming? These questions bother me because I don’t have the answer.

I think of the changes that happened in Henny’s lifetime like the move away from horse drawn equipment to mechanized farming. The change from steel wheels and tracks to ones made from rubber. Or to the extreme, the use of Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs) and auto steering to assist with farming.

Today, our lives are so dependent upon electricity of one form or another. I use it to light my shop, run my welder, grinders and drill press. Gone is the stationary motor and drive wheels on the wall to run shop equipment.

What would I do without my Android smart phone, Jawbone ear piece, yield monitor, or camera to help me during harvest? I can call about markets, talk to the service department, and take pictures of problems in the field. But are we better off for the advancements?

There are some in the U.S. and world, elitists that are trying to halt advances for agriculture and business. They would almost like to see us go back to riding horses. I mean, how does the EPA expect us to regulate dust on a job that requires us to work in dirt? Should we all go back to picking berries and eating pemmican?

No, I believe the advances made during the lifetime of my great aunt have made us better as people and a society. We are not only living longer, but we are living better. The American people don’t have to worry about food, it has always been there.

Why? It is because of the advancements of technology. I am thankful that I don’t have to farm with horses anymore; I deal with enough horse puckey as it is due to radicals and government regulations. Take care and keep it between the fences!

Three Canyon Farms 2011

Click here to view this photo book larger

This was a great project and we came upon it accidentally. We bought a camera at the begining of the year at Best Buy and a coupon and code came with it. We decided to try it out and have our first finished book.

The hard part was what to put in it and how to lay it out. We decided to use chapters and do pages based upon different things that take place in our lives. Family is first and then other activities.

We hope you enjoy looking at it and catching a glimpse of our family and farm. We plan on doing a book for each year now to highlight the different things that take place and make a collection for future generations. Enjoy.

The Philly Eisenhower Experience – Day 3

I was too tired to write in the morning, but will tackle that task now. After being sick and fighting the crud I needed my rest, and there was a full day on the agenda. Breakfast starts at 8 am and I am one of the first down. I took my computer with me to show the Fellows that were interested what I was doing with precision agriculture and Unmanned Air Vehicles. Definitely not enough time to eat and do everything. Cest la Vie!

Today is the day we learn the results of the tests that were sent to us a month earlier by Dr. Cheng Zhu, Expert in Leadership Development, Doctorate of Harvard. I was just hoping I didn’t fail the tests. We were still in our groups from the day before, but positions were switched around in the room. Instead of being in the back, we were in the front (probably due to necessity.)

The first test results (Change Style Indicator) placed a person on a scale from 66 (Conserver side) to zero (Pragmatist) to 66 (Originator), a range of 132. I was a 2 on Conserver side labeling me a Pragmatist. I have never thought of myself as a pragmatist, the sound of the word makes me feel dirty or something.

The definition according to “The Free Dictionary” is: A practical, matter-of-fact way of approaching or assessing situations or of solving problems. I agree, but instead of fancy words that I don’t understand I call it common sense or being a farmer.

Everyone got up and had to line up from highest score on one side, to zero, then to the highest score on the other side of the scale. There were more people on the originator side (about 2/3). However, I was not alone and had another 2, a kindred spirit in James Rosen. I called us the negative numbers.

Ariel Hernandez (Philippines) was the highest on the originator side with a score of 24 and Gong Weibin (China) had the highest score of 12 for conservers. And imagine that, both farmers were conservers. In reality, not much separated one side from the other (36 points) on the 132 point scale or 27%. We all like to have goals and objectives to help guide us.

After a working lunch, we received the results from the FIRO-B test. It is designed to help a person understand their behavior and the behavior of others in an organization. The results consisted of two rows and three columns, a total of six boxes. The score in each row or column was then added to get a total for each.

The interesting class result was on the column for “Inclusion” and the row for “Wanted.” Out of 21 scores that I counted, 17 had a score of 3 or less (0). Inclusion is defined by the test as “…Relates to forming new relations and associating with others.” Wanted is defined as “The extent to which you want or will accept that behavior from others.”

 In a nut shell the result means that we may get many invitations to attend meetings or discussions but often turn them down or don’t show up and we pick and choose which social events to attend. We are also not bothered by rejection and are exhausted by constant meetings. In other words, we could care less for being invited and it depends upon the situation. A very interesting trait for the class.

We also did an exercise involving blind folds. We were handed two puzzle pieces and as a group (about 15 people) had to decide which two shapes were missing and which two colors. This was a tough exercise with type A personalities. Our group guessed both colors and one shape ahead of the other group before time expired.

Class was officially over and we left to change into business attire and walk to the Rittenhouse Hotel for individual and group pictures. The time for hamming it up started. Not only did we get professional pictures, but everyone’s camera came out to take pictures. A great moment.

Next was the discussion meeting with Ambassador John Negroponte. This was a wonderful experience and opportunity to interact with a world leader that I grew up reading about. The questions from the Fellows were outstanding. The insight that he provided is beyond description.

A social hour followed and it was a great opportunity to talk to Fellows that I had not spent much time with and to chat with former New Jersey Governor, Christine Todd Whitman. My usual audience is my ladies (cows) and the conversation consists of them mooing to bring them hay. Most definitely a step above the norm.

Dinner followed. The Fellows were spread out at different tables and had a chance to interact with EF Trustees and Directors. This was proved to be very beneficial for my trip to Argentina. I sat at the table with 1988 Fellow Julio Hang and his wife. Julio is from Argentina and his brother has a farm. I look forward to seeing him again on my visit there.

Then to the watering hole. Since this was the last night for the US Fellows, we decided to kick up our heels and drink some adult beverages. It is not a party time, but a time to get to know each other better and to develop a better network. Don’t get me wrong, we definitely had a good time but being 40 something’s has allowed us to use better common sense.

The US Fellows definitely lived up to expectations and then some. With a time together of just two day, it was not long enough to really get close to everyone. I look forward to getting together with them next year during the closing session of our adventure. What a great time with a great group of people. Too bad it had to end.