Whatever

Huh? combine grain loss?

 

Yes grain that is lost out the back end of the combine. Do they count how many seed in so many square feet of ground. Because every combine has loss. What I’m getting at does the same combine pick all this corn where you do your bird counting? Because I’ve run some machines that probably lost a bushel per acre. Then I’ve ran some that wouldn’t lose a peck. The birds would be more apt to gather in the field where the food is plentiful.

 

I think they do two things:
1. Count the successfully harvested tons/acre(farmers)
2. go out like you said and count the loss per square foot or meter than extrapolate (conservationist/researchers .. my client)

 

@Tractorman

This is my clients program

http://birdreturns.org/home-page/about/about/

hit the menu key to press all the topics

 

Ok, just wondering because if you had high loss on either the GMO or the non GMO it would possibly screw up the outcome of witch one the birds preferred. They might take quantity over quality.

 

Valid point. This is why we are looking at alot of fields and I would hope they used the same equipment for harvest. We are mainly looking at these alternative monitoring methods, but because were science geeks were seeing how they work for hypothesis testing too (gmo vs nongmo). However, we have the regular surveys as the control (complete counts) versus the camera counts (incomplete counts).

 

I’ll have to read more of that later. Do they raise a lot of rice in California?

 

Yes, alot in the central valley. USFWS subsidizes them too, to leave the fields flooded longer than they would typically to provide waterfowl and hunting habitat.

 

Understood, not like you are running a power plant or anything. That could lead to some seriously GMO corn!

 

I did not realize that! If we have too many years like this one Has been I might start some here!

 

If you get serious let me know I will get you some resources to read up on. Mainly US Farm Bill Conservation Programs.

 

Well basically I babysit others running a power plant.

 

Well I’m right on the Missouri River and it’s been above flood stage since the last week of February and still is. It got up to 32.12 feet a record on March 22. It was within 6” of overtopping the levee. I farm 48 acres on the river side of the levee I’ve only seen it once for about a week since then. There is water still on it, and when/if the water goes down we will have to push 3-4’ of sand off of it to be able to farm it again. We pushed all the sand off in 2012 also.

 

The river is a corridor and big landmark for migrating birds. Probably one of the main routes for the flyway over there, meaning you potentially have a place that would be valuable to USFWS or conservationist organizations that supplement farmers to change their practices a bit to benefit wildlife.

 

I tried one year to get into a Wetland program with about 50 acres. They run out of money before they got to me. But the program was ran at the state level though.

 

There are alot of possibilities. If you find endangered species on your property you would be rich. Sell expensive ass Conservation Easements per acre. Say a utility company out there rips up all this endangered species habitat, well they have to mitigate. They would buy the CE and you just need to not develop that propery. Look up Conservation Easements and mitigation banking.

I know of some landowners that became millionaires buy selling easements. They didnt want to develop their ranch anyway, they get rich by agreeing to keep it as is and not develop it. They still luve their and hunt it. Just the land gets preserved for the species depending on it and Walmart can suck a dick.

 

Night Homer aka @Tractorman

My tedious counts are done. Now the real work starts, but not till I get some sleep. Wifey is already sleeping so I am going to my favorite XXX site, rubbing one out, smoking a cigarette, brushing my teeth, and calling it.

Goodnight.

 

My buddies got 365 acres with some rare endangered plant on it.

It’s made him a lot of money. Can’t build on it. But it’s all his own private hunting land

 

When skeeters, ticks and toad frogs become endangered I’m setting on a damn gold mine!

 

Only thing I’m sitting on is ants.