Kent's Korner for February 1999

TSM Logo February 1999

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Kent's Korner

By Kent Durbin, President
TSM Services, Inc.

I just returned home from our second winter conference held at Mt. Vernon, Illinois where we had a full house. Actually, the first conference at Ft Wayne, Indiana was a full house also. I always like these winter conferences because many new ideas always come forth. The crop production cost analysis is being accepted quite well. Several people have offered suggestions to improve them. This is a training visual to help growers understand more about their farming operation. Nutrient Management Programs seem to be creeping out from several sources now. The Soil & Water Conservation departments are now offering a nutrient management plan and offering to pay the grower. These programs are offered in just a few areas each year. I find it quite interesting that the people holding a CCA can not approve this plan. A person holding a CCA can write the plan but not approve it. In some cases, the people approving this plan do not have to have a CCA. One person who was in the position of approving nutrient management programs could not approve a plan with the test in pounds per acre. He required the test to be in ppm(parts per million). Come on give me a break! A person holding a CPAg (Certified Professional Agronomist), a CCA (Certified Crop Advisor), is a college graduate with advanced degrees and this person is still not qualified to approve a nutrient management program.

Why are we expected to be certified as a CCA? Why are we expected to earn 40 CEU units every 2 years? I would like to assume that we are being trained to make good nutrient management programs. If this is so, why do CCA's have to have their nutrient management programs approved? Maybe if we earned 100 CEU's instead of just 40 in 2 years, maybe then we could approve our own nutrient management programs? Maybe 200 CEU's is the point? I have a good feeling that the number of CEU's doesn't make any difference.

Maybe I have the purpose wrong. Maybe CCA's are not being trained to make nutrient management programs solely? Maybe the CCA's are being trained to make nutrient management programs so certain agencies can earn money from them?

I long for the good old days when a fertilizer dealer or consultant was the good guy. Today the dealers and consultants are heading for the time when they are guilty until proven innocent.

I vote for the time when a CCA can write any nutrient management program without having to be approved plan by plan. Let the "authorities" tells us what they want to achieve and let us do it. How do you feel about this?

Send your response by e-mail to Kent E. Durbin or FAX your response to 1-800-626-3807