I am currently reading "A Rabble of Dead Money" which is a depiction of the financial, military and political threads which ultimately led to the Great Depression in the United States.  Excellent read, but a striking quote which comes out of the second chapter is that of Nikola Tesla in reference to Thomas Edison's persistence in discovery - recall that he tested some 3000 variations of the light bulb before finally arriving at the incandescent bulb.  Tesla's quote is "a little theory and calculation would have saved (Edison) 90% of his labor".   Rationality and logic before perseverance and heroism.

Broken down a different way is that a lot of time can be spared by avoiding randomly testing variation after variation, ie guessing, to arrive at a desired result and instead think the problem through from what is known and then working toward the conclusion, either through calculation or by deduction.  Then and only then run the study.

I like this, especially since field testing of something like a fumigant alternative is an enormous undertaking and randomly testing stuff just to see if it works is not efficient at all.  Let's start by putting together what we know so far about the fumigant alternatives, what happens to the soil when we use them and then make some decisions on what to test from there.

Which we can very well do.  A good point to start would be a meeting being arranged by Farm Fuels, Inc. of some of the local greats of our soil science and pathology group which will meet this upcoming August 9 at the auditorium here at my office.  Looking to engage in discussion and get into some good takeaway advice.  More details to follow - save the date.

The following is an announcement for the California Farm Conference coming next year March 10-12 in Fresno.  Some berry growers might be interested, and fortunately there are scholarships available too:

Growers know that success in agriculture does not depend solely on a farmer’s ability to raise crops. Today’s successful agriculturists must also be expert business managers, marketers and stewards of the land.  The California Small Farm Conference offers diverse learning topics for small scale farmers and ranchers. The 2013 conference theme, Harvesting Knowledge: Growing Small Farms, reflects the goal of the California Small Farm Conference.

The California Small Farm Conference provides the small scale farming community with the opportunity to address industry issues, engage in educational sessions, attend local farm operations for additional insight, and participate in networking opportunities.

People should know there are scholarships available to attend this event.  Scholarships are awarded based on financial need. Depending on this need, scholarships may include conference registration, conference-hosted meals, a ticket to attend the Tasting Reception, travel and lodging costs, and a reduced Field Course rate.

“This organization exists to provide small scale farmers and those in the industry with access to relevant farming education,” said California Small Farm Conference President Casey Walsh Cady. “Our scholarship program ensures that access to farmers in California."

Please visit www.californiafarmconference.com/index.php/attend/scholarship to download the 2013 conference scholarship application. Applications will be accepted until December 3, 2012; bi-lingual scholarship advisors are available statewide to assist in the application process. Please visit the website for a list of advisors and their contact information.