The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) announced the winners of the Consider Corn Challenge II this week at the BIO World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and AgTech in Des Moines, Iowa. Three winners were chosen, each with a unique technology to improve a product or process using field corn to produce biobased materials. ExoPolymer, Inc. intends to create a new …
Precision Ag Bytes 7/3
Farm Market iD released its annual farmer, crop and farmland database update on June 28, 2019, providing powerful insights from the 2018 crop year. Insights gathered from the 2018 crop year data include: 2,867,449 active farmers (includes both owners and operators); 323,552,517 planted acres; average age is 63.1 years old; average Gross Farm Income is $168,368; 64.3 percent have a …
Hemp Farming is Getting Real
The seeds planted in the 2018 farm bill legalizing the production of hemp as an agricultural commodity are starting to grow. Florida has officially entered the field with the governor just signing a measure allowing an agricultural hemp program to be developed. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried believes hemp could be the boost the state’s farm sector and rural areas …
USDA Corn Acreage Report Surprises
With all the weather-related planting delays we’ve had, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Acreage report out Friday was a big surprise to the trade with corn acres estimated to be three percent higher than last year. At the same time, soybean acres are estimated to be the lowest in six years. Corn planted area for all purposes in 2019 …
BASF Receives EPA Registration for Revysol Fungicide
BASF has received Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registration for Revysol® fungicide. The new active ingredient (AI) is the first and only isopropanol azole of its kind in the market for a broad range of crops and disease combinations. Revysol, and its related product brands, will be available to growers for the 2020 planting season. Revysol fungicide has a unique isopropanol …
FMC Announces $50 Million Global R&D Investment
This morning I spoke with Kathy Shelton, FMC Chief Technology Officer, about a major R&D announcement from the company. Over the next three years FMC will be investing more than $50 million in capital improvement projects, including a state-of-the-art reconfiguration of a greenhouse and research facility at the company’s Global Research and Development headquarters in Newark, Delaware known as the …
Precision Ag Bytes 6/26
JCB set a new British speed record for tractors with a modified version of its JCB 8000-series Fastrac. The tractor achieved an average maximum speed of 103.6 mph over two runs at Elvington Airfield in the United Kingdom. Television and motorsports personality Guy Martin was behind the wheel. The ARA Invitational Golf Tournament will again be part of the 2019 …
Congrats to 2019 Golden ARC Awards Winners
The Ag Relations Council (ARC) had a great annual meeting last week in Kansas City where they announced the winners for the 2019 Golden ARC Awards contest. The Golden ARC de Excellence award is given to the best all-around entry in the campaigns division and this year that honor was 2019 Golden ARC Award Winners bestowed upon a campaign produced …
USDA Feral Swine Eradication Program is Good News
The meat of feral hogs is pretty good but we would rather have more deer, thanks very much. Since 2013 I have hunted on a piece of land we affectionately call the Crystal Pig Hunt Club in central Georgia with my brother Paul and Gary Cooper of AgNet Media. The hogs started moving in about 2016 and have since made …
Deere Offers New Compact Utility and Specialty Tractors
John Deere has announced a new compact utility tractor line up and a new specialty tractor, along with some updates. The new John Deere 3D Series compact utility tractors, including the 3025D, 3035D and 3043D models, offer a powerful, affordable and easy to use solution for a wide range of jobs. Equipped with a gear-drive transmission and available in three …