2025 field work

[ISUAgronomist]

Captan was a major product for Stauffer Chemical especially in California and the fruit and nuts groves.

Stauffer also had Sutan, Dyfonate and Eradacane. Their plastics division created what is now known as Roundup but thought it was too hot of a product and didn’t think it would ever be approved by the EPA so they sold it to Monsanto

They didn't sell glysophate to Monsanto. There was a huge IP lawsuit between the two on who invented it and Stauffer lost as they didn't develop it as a herbicide. Family member worked for Stauffer at the time and one of my graduate committee members was subpoenaed as a material witness.

 

[Turn2]

They didn't sell glysophate to Monsanto. There was a huge IP lawsuit between the two on who invented it and Stauffer lost as they didn't develop it as a herbicide. Family member worked for Stauffer at the time and one of my graduate committee members was subpoenaed as a material witness.

Seems like there were similar issues with resistance genes. I just don't recall any details though, except I think DEKALB was one party involved.

 

[cydnote]

Grew up in a family of 8 and always had a LARGE garden--to the extent that between canning and freezing we put up over 500 qts. per year (my mom kept a journal). It was just part of (my) life back then.

Retired from farming, the garden is one of my few ties to yesteryear and I still enjoy canning the excess and even though some of it doesn't make sense economically there is some comfort in knowing how your food was handled and what it will taste like when you open a jar.

My wife developed a rare form of gastroparesis and is extremely limited on what she can consume. She makes her own ketchup from tomato paste that I can, mostly on instant potatoes from the store as she can't eat the ones I raise. (she can't do meat in any form).

My canning thus far has been 18 pints of pickled beets, 20 pints of green beans, and 15 quarts of home grown peaches. Tomato canning is yet to get underway as the Amish Paste I raise are a later variety.

 

[cyphoon]

whats your opinion on white sweetcorn? we have a new.. its a growing market (latin/middle east).... one of the best tasting i've ever had. sweet but you know its corn.... thoughts?

We have planted some white sweetcorn in our gardens and it has been pretty good. Glacial was the last variety we tried, and I think we planted Silver King about 10 years ago. Glacial was really good, and produced huge ears.

Genetically, seed color has nothing to do with flavor, but some people are convinced that "peaches n' cream" is the best sweet corn ever made. And when they say "peaches n' cream", they mean every bi color variety of sweet corn ever produced. Others are convinced that all yellow is best. Might take some education to convince people that white sweet corn is ready to eat.

Old timey story. In the 70s and 80s, my dad would plant some end rows to sweet corn. Yeah, you aren't supposed to plant sweet corn right next to field corn, but whatever. One year, probably 1985 or so, he sent me and my 2 brothers out to pick some corn that he thought it would be ready. We came back and reported that it wasn't ready. The kernels were still white. Few days later, we repeated the effort with the same conclusion. Sweet corn isn't ready.

Finally, after a week of this or so, I decided to just pick it. The ears were fat and kernels were plump and shot white cream when pinched (easy fellas, not everything has to be innuendo). It looked like it would be too far gone if left for another couple days. Maybe 1 in 10 kernels were yellow, and I figured I would just take a bag in and see what pa had to say. My brothers ridiculed me. "It isn't ready, it is still white!"

Well, when dad saw the ears, he agreed it looked ready. Then he thought for a bit, and said "come to think of it, the seed dealer did say this sweetcorn would have a mix of white and yellow kernels." Best sweetcorn we had ever had to that point.

H