by Bill Kletecka, Cuba City, WI 

Beans are still really short, but haven’t had much in the way of stressors or insect pressure yet this year.  On June 7th we started out the first 2510L applicator that the Cuba City store had sold.  The 2510L was a 15 row with a mole knife for placing the nitrogen below the surface.  The customer was very impressed with the speed that it was able to run without having soil “blowouts” in his field, and also how accurate the rates were.  As with any nitrogen application, it is crucial to apply exactly the amount that you want to apply where you want to apply it and also at the correct time for the plant’s needs.  In addition, the applicator was very easy to set up and run due to the John Deere GS2 rate controller being ordered out of the factory.

On June 14th, Cuba City had their annual Home Town Fest which includes two nights of tractor and truck pulls, amusement rides and also a parade.  The parade has been a crowd favorite with hundreds of spectators every year.  This year Sloan’s had a five pieces of equipment to showcase, including a 550 S-4 gator, a new R4030 sprayer, a 6170R tractor with 946 discbine, a 9360R tractor with 2720 disk ripper, and a W235 self-propelled windrower with a 995 16’ head.  Parade goers enjoyed seeing the big new green equipment, even going as far as stopping me en-route and asking what a windrower does.  It just goes to show how disconnected from agriculture people have become even in a small rural community such as Cuba City.  Everyone in agriculture needs to go the extra mile and promote all the hard work we do, and just what kind of investment and commitment it takes to keep feeding the world.  Pictures from the parade can be on Sloan’s Facebook page by clicking here.