Kent's Korner for May 1999

TSM Logo May 1999

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Kent's Korner

By Kent Durbin, President
TSM Services, Inc.

Anyone need some rain? Here we sit ready to plant and can't because it rains everyday.

I am spending some time now in converting all of your accounts to the "6 TSM^® grades" and adding "Headstart grades". You should be receiving a special mailing from me soon explaining the use of these additions. The TSM2000 program is coming along fine. Once we get past the basics, there will be more rapid development.

This past month, I have been trying to get Pit-Boss going. As I started registering the product through the Departments of Agriculture, I found that it did not need to be registered as either a soil amendment or a fertilizer material. I thought that everything was going smoothly when it was suggested that Pit-Boss may have to be registered as a pesticide. So I started inquiring to see. Some said "yes" and some said "no". Next I asked for their decision in writing and received nothing. Now, I am wondering who I am dealing with here and if I can get a straight answer from anyone in the Department of Environmental Sciences or pesticides. It wasn't long before someone suggested that this product may be a "restricted pesticide". WOW! What next? As we were working our way through this, someone suggested that the real answer lies with the EPA. If the EPA says that this product does not need an EPA number, then it does not need to be registered as a pesticide. When the National office for EPA was contacted, they said it does not need to be registered as a pesticide; however, we can't get this in writing for several weeks. Isn't it wonderful how knowledgeable our state organizations are about their job?

Let me ask you a trivia question. If the soil is balanced, what won't it grow? A balanced soil has the potential to grow anything. Many times, I get asked what we do special for a certain crop. Our answer is the same for all questions. We balance the soil and replace crop removal. Some feel this answer is too simple. Yet it is the truth.

My wife retired from the company this past week. She & I have been together in the company for many years. It will be different from now on, I hope that I like it this way.