In all of the seasons of farming, farmers know they can’t go it alone to produce a successful harvest come autumn. Farmers relish being their own bosses and not having to seek approval from the board of directors to make decisions, but they also know they need a friend or two to help them along the way. 

The song writer Carole King may not have been considering farmers when she penned her famous song, “You’ve Got a Friend,” but her words can offer comfort to growers who face a daunting task of producing crops from planning to planting to harvest. 

“You just call out my name and you know wherever I am, I’ll come runnin’, runnin’, yeah, yeah to see you again. Winter, spring, summer or fall, all you have to do is call, and I’ll be there, yes, I will. You’ve got a friend. Ain’t it good to know, you’ve got a friend.” 

That friend may be a crop consultant, an Extension agent, or even a trusted agronomist from a seed or chemical company. And by all means, Southeast Farm Press is a friend farmers can turn to every step of the way. It’s been the case since the publication’s very beginning in the 1970s with our first editor, Harris Barnes. And it is all the more the case today. 

Southeast Farm Press has always been committed to delivering “timely, reliable information” for farmers from Florida to Virgina. Our deepest hope is that the articles we write will make a difference to your bottom line. We sincerely hope that Southeast Farm Press is a true friend to you on your farming journey. 

In these winter months, farmers are planning for the new crop year to come. You have every hope that 2024 will be the year where weeds and pests won’t be a major issue, where the weather will cooperate, and where equipment breakdowns won’t bring major delays. Each farmer shares the same goal: a bountiful — and hopefully — record harvest. 

You know it won’t be easy. You will have to carefully direct your fertility, herbicide, and insecticide programs. You will have to manage expenses and inputs without harming yields. But you won’t go it alone. 

Your Extension agent will be there to help you manage the challenges. More farmers are turning to consultants to scout for insects, provide fertility prescriptions, and offer strategic planning.  And certainly, the pages, both print and digital, of Southeast Farm Press will be there as your true and trusted friend. 

Come harvest in autumn, your friends will be there as you celebrate a bountiful, profitable harvest. But if things don’t turn out according to plans, it will be all the more important to have their much-needed support. As Carole King would say, “Ain’t it good to know, you’ve got a friend.”