Saturday, August 29, 2015

Agriculture: Yesterday and Tomorrow


Last Tuesday I spoke at Farm Technology Days, an annual outdoor agriculture event that moves each year to a different county in the state.  It’s major sponsor is the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, UW-Madison.  This year it  was on the 6,000 acre Statz Brothers’ farm near Sun Prairie in Dane County

The event drew some 45,000 people over the three-day run.  The weather was cool and dry, perfect for an outdoor event where people could see the present day and the future for agriculture.  From buzzing drones, to the biggest tractors I’ve ever seen, from demonstrations on harvesting alfalfa to viewing the most up-to-date technology for milking cows.  It was all there.

I spoke on Tuesday morning, and talked about the past, when we farmed 160 acres without electricity, milked a small herd of cows by hand, cut hay with horses, and communicated with a party-line telephone.  And a drone was a male honey bee.

I reminded the estimated 150 people in my audience, that to know where we are going, whether it is in farming, or in life, we must know where we’ve been.  I emphasized the importance of knowing our histories.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS:  When we forget our histories, we forget who we are.
            .
Purchase Jerry’s DVDS and his Books from the Patterson Memorial Library in Wild Rose, Wisconsin (a fund raiser for them):

The library now has available signed copies of Jerry’s DVDs, Emmy Winner, A Farm Winter with Jerry Apps and Jerry Apps a Farm Story.
Also available are several of Jerry’s signed books including The Quiet Season (on which the DVD A Farm Winter is based), as well as Rural Wit and Wisdom and Old Farm, (which are related to the DVD Jerry Apps a Farm Story). Also available is Jerry’s new novel, The Great Sand Fracas of Ames County.
Contact the library for prices and special package deals.
Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division Street
Wild Rose, WI 54984
barnard@wildroselibrary.org
www.wildroselibrary.org
920-622-3835

UPCOMING EVENTS:

August 30, 1-4 p.m., Book World, West Bend.  Book signing.

September 3, Noon.  Old World Wisconsin, Wisconsin Agriculture: A History .

September 3, 7 p.m. Books and Company bookstore, Oconomowoc. Wisconsin Agriculture: A History.

September 12, 2-4 p.m. Remarks at 3:00 p.m. West Madison Agriculture Research Station, Wisconsin Agriculture: A History.  Call 888-748-7479 for reservations.

September 16, 11:00-11:45.  Larry Meiller Show, Wisconsin Public Radio.  Wisconsin agricultural history.

September 17, 11:-a.m.  St. Luke’s Church, Middleton, WI   Stories  From the Land

September 19 , Stonefield Village, Cassville.  Whispers and Shadows.

September 23, 6:00 p.m. Patterson Memorial Library, Wild Rose. Wisconsin Agriculture: A History.

September 26, 10:30 -2:00, Dregni’s, Westby, Book signing.

October 4, 1-3 p.m.  Readers Realm bookstore, Montello. Ag. History

October 7, 6:30 p.m. Reedsburg Library, Whispers and Shadows

October 11, 10-12:00 a,m.  Heartland Forum, Chicago.

October 11, 3:00 p.m. Old World Wisconsin-Wisconsin Ag. History

October 12, 6:00 p.m. Coloma Historical Society.  Limping Through Life

October 15, Prairie du Sac Library, Whispers and Shadows

October 17, 9-4 Teaching writing workshop at The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI

October 17, 4:30-6:00 p.m. The Clearing.  Book signing, Whispers and Shadows, Wisconsin Agriculture: A History.

October 23, 10-11:00 a.m. Wisconsin Historical Society Museum (on the square). Whispers and Shadows.  Wisconsin Book Festival.

October 23, 3:30 p.m. Wisconsin Historical Society Auditorium (On UW Campus) Wisconsin Agriculture: A History.  Wisconsin Book Festival.

October 25, 2:00 p.m. Schlitz Nature Center, Milwaukee with Boswell Books.  Whispers and Shadows.

October 29, Brown County Library.  Premier of TV Documentary,” The Land With Jerry Apps. “ Book signing, Whispers and Shadows.

November 1, 2:00 p.m. Gard Theater, Spring Green. Ag History and Wisconsin Place Names.

November 5, 7:00 p.m. Baraboo Library, Whispers and Shadows.

November 7, Edgerton Book Festival, The Land (TV documentary) and Whispers and Shadows

November 10, 6:00 p.m. Wausau Public Library, Wisconsin Agriculture: A History.

November 12, 7:00 p.m. Bellville High School Auditorium with Bellville Public Library.  Wisconsin Agriculture: A History

November 14, 9:30 -11:30 a.m. Sheboygan County Historical Research Center.  Wisconsin Agriculture: A History.

November 15, 9:15 Midvale Lutheran Church, The Land (TV documentary)  plus discussion of Whispers and Shadows.

November 17, 7:00 p.m. Hotel Red (1501 Monroe Street- corner of Regent and Monroe, Madison.)  Discussion of Wisconsin Agriculture: A History with Doug Moe. Sponsored by Mystery to me Bookstore.  Book signing to follow.

November 18, Preview of TV Documentary, “The Land With Jerry Apps” Wild Rose High School Auditorium.  Whispers and Shadows book signing. (Time to be announced)





1 comment:

Don R said...


Hello Jerry!

My neighbor John and I were discussing signs of the end of Summer this afternoon. Among them were the sight of the school bus (it still gives us the willies after nearly 50 years) and the fact that the swallows were now gone. I was pleasantly surprised tonight when walking into the old barn I was scolded by a pair of barn swallows. They still have a nest of young swallows to feed. Summer isn't over quite yet!