There were at least a few ways in which Woodie was ahead of the agricultural curve.
First, he was a no-till farmer from the late sixties on. He got in on no-till the first time it came along, and he stayed with it, even with his four crop rotation. At the same time, he switched to 20 inch corn and soybeans. So when Marion Calmer was building his 20 or 22 inch corn head in the late '90s, Woodie was using his 30 year-old 20 inch corn head manufactured by Gleaner.
Woodie also told me time and time again that he'd been saying for years that farmers needed to boost the corn seeding rates and cut their bean populations. The rest of the world has come around to his conclusion.
Always remember that being a farmer is more than owning land, animals and equipment. It’s a state of mind. Even when a farmer gets old and passes down his land or sells it at auction, he’s still a farmer. Woodie is clearly the real deal.
ReplyDeleteThere is no doubt about that. He was absolutely the real deal, and I am happy I got to know him. I would like to think he thought the same thing.
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