DANG !
FANTASTIC !
OK I may not do the best Peter Johnson imitation, but my thoughts when I learned that Wildman Pete, @WheatPete to the Twitter crowd is hanging up his OMAFRA hat went from Dang to Fantastic in rapid fire.
Listen here:
[audio mp3="http://blackburnnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/COMMENT-Thurs-Dec-18.mp3"][/audio]
Dang because the ministry will lack probably it's most recognizable enthusiastic voice for agriculture, and fantastic, because Peter assures me agriculture won't see that voice fade to silence.
Ontario Cereal Crop Specialist Peter Johnson is retiring from OMAFRA, but not, from agriculture.
Peter Johnson, has been conducting field trials, test plots and following the results of his own and other people's studies for years. It's been his job perhaps but it has been his vocation and his joy. As told me, he's an ag guy.
This is where we switch from Peter Johnson is retiring to Peter Johnson will be around for a long time. He tells me he plans to attend a lot of farm meetings, contribute to discussions of crop science and how to get better yields and take care of the soil because that's what he loves to do.
He doesn't have all the answers and he's the first to admit that. He just wants to follow the science, and consider what the people out on the ground, growing the crops get from the science.
As a radio guy I love Peter Johnson. He's dynamic, he's lively, and he's prepared to back his recommendations with data, and if he ever says 'why don't you try this and see what happens,' he's clear too, that it's an experiment.
So I don't know what the future holds for Wildman Pete any more than I know what the future holds for anyone else.
I hope he will indeed in some way be part Ontario Agriculture for a long time to come. I hope too he will continue to have a role to play with us at Blackburnnews.com both on the noon farm show and regular news when cropping issues dictate.
There have been few more loyal, regular and dedicated contributors to the noon farm show than Wildman Pete.
Before we get too Maudlin he's not retired yet.
We expect a couple more Friday Radio Reports in the weeks to come.
