WV Farm Bureau Magazine November 2013 | Page 11

leveling, and I had some leftover cash. That is the good news, but the best news is the abundance of the crop helped feed several hundred homeless and needy people. Many friends, neighbors, and people I didn’t know took advantage of the abundance of the crop also. Thanks to Bill Aiken and his knowledge and willingness to share, a lot of people benefitted. Brett Jarrell (a local Nationwide agent) brought Steve Uhlman (Sponsor Relations Sales Manager for Nationwide Insurance) to our Wood County Farm Bureau Annual Meeting at the Wood County 4-H Camp. Uhlman gave a short talk on the advantages Nationwide offers. Brett also shared that he posted information on his Facebook page about saving pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald House, and he is collecting them for us. Thanks Brett and Steve, for sharing with us. Farm Bureau folks, please remember to thank your Nationwide agents. They can supply safety information for your meetings and are obtaining memberships for your Farm Bureau. Sharing Dave Lawson I can only imagine the knowledge that 20- some thousand agricultural specialists in West Virginia must have. Much of this knowledge has been self taught, passed down from generation to generation or learned by trial and error until the best, most efficient way was found. How much of this information is shared? A relevant question is – “How can this information be shared?” Sharing this expertise and knowledge with our own farming communities could help all of us become even more productive. Let me give you some examples. This spring at a regional Farm Bureau meeting, I asked WVFB Field Services Representative Bill Aiken about a product he grew on his farm. Bill shared the information with me, and I tried my hand at growing it. The crop I raised was way beyond my expectations! The original reason for this project was to level a field with a crop and return the field to hay. A little better marketing plan on my part would have made the financial side of the project better. However, the crop covered all the cost of the project, including the field Farm Credit provided the speaker for our Annual Dinner – Steve Cavender. Steve shared information on tractor and farm safety. We learned about the hazards of tractors, machinery, chemicals and confinement suffocation. You can never learn too much about these topics. Thanks to Steve, our safety speaker; and Dave Wise, our local Farm Credit representative who helps many farm organizations; and especially Farm Bureau. They support us – please support them. I would like to share one more safety topic - yellow jackets, bees and other stinging insects. Be especially vigilant in the fall during farm clean-up and mowing. Many people are extremely allergic to insect stings. Oftentimes when tractors are in precarious places and drivers are unaware, yellow jackets attack. Please keep this in mind. Thanks Joan Harman and West Virginia Farm Bureau for letting Wood County Farm Bureau share this information with all our farming and rural friends. Sharing by everyone makes a better farming experience. West Virginia Farm Bureau News 11