It’s like my sister says, you just keep throwing the cheese up there until you get one to stick. So here’s the idea: You’re dropped into the middle of a jungle with only three items (smaller than a breadbox) you can take with you for survival (not counting a satellite phone).
What items do you choose? Machete and Xanax? Sure, sure. Pistol, maybe. Then again, maybe a fishhook would be more useful. Duct tape? (Come on, you thought about it, right?) But I’m thinking WD-40 might be a better choice – that’s my good idea.
WD-40 stands for water displacement perfected on the 40th try, and its merits are many. In addition to its rust prevention and degreasing qualities, it reportedly protects silver from tarnishing, keeps flies off cows, restores chalkboards, lubricates inner tubes for sledding, cleans guitar strings, gives floors that just-waxed shine without making it slippery, removes lipstick stains, keeps bathroom mirrors from fogging, protects the Statue of Liberty from the elements, removes food debris from stoves, cleans scum from canoes, takes sting away from fire-ant bites, removes bug guts from car bumpers, cleans old coins, removes gum from shoes and keeps pigeons off balconies.
WD-40 reportedly was once used to remove a python from the undercarriage of a bus. A policeman once used it to remove a burglar from an air-conditioning vent. It also lubricates prosthetic limbs. Before I get out of the jungle, it’s possible I’d have a prosthetic limb – so it’s important to be prepared for contingencies.
In the jungle, I wouldn’t expect to confront guitar strings, lipstick, pigeon-riddled balconies or vent-stuck burglars, but the flexibility and adaptability of WD-40 makes me think I could find at least another 50 ways to use it. Heck, if 100 uses have already been found, I’ll bet I could come up with double that number. It’s not the intended uses I’m banking on; it’s the possibilities.
We’ve been assessing possibilities lately regarding our magazine – kicking ideas around and asking “what if” and “why not?” We discussed, questioned, surveyed, researched and analyzed.
We threw several ideas into the furnace of investigation, and one idea not only survived but became stronger and clearer through the process – sending Progressive Forage Grower free to qualified Canadian subscribers (who produce 100 acres of hay, silage or pasture, and other industry professionals), just like we do in the U.S.
Canadian growers are major players in forage production and global marketing as leading suppliers of hay and forage products. There are approximately 36 million hectares (33,957,936 acres) used for livestock grazing and forage crop production. Of those acres, native range equals 72 percent, 11 percent is cultivated pasture and 17 percent is used for forage crops.
Since our focus is to promote and strengthen the forage industry, and forage knows no boundaries, widening our reach with growers in Canada just makes sense. So beginning with this issue, we will share Progressive Forage Grower with Canadian subscribers. In fact, it seems like such a natural extension, we’re wondering why we didn’t do it sooner.
And that’s not just a good idea, it’s a great idea. Welcome, Canadian subscribers. FG
A word of caution to all readers: Moving forward, due to various government regulations within the U.S. and Canada, products or services mentioned within articles and advertisements may not be legal to use or commercially available in all regions.
- Lynn Jaynes
- Editor
- Progressive Forage Grower
