I don’t know how many of these little oil wells I’ve seen driving around the countryside. Coming back from Kentucky this week I got up close and personal with one at a highway rest stop in southern Indiana. It was very windy out but you can get a good sense of what it’s like being close to one. Does anybody …
USDA Staff Appointments
Sec. of Ag Tom Vilsack has made a number of staff appointments including: OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY John Berge-White House Liaison to USDA. Lindsay Daschle-Confidential Assistant to the Secretary. Max Holtzman-Senior Advisor to the Secretary. Grant Leslie-Senior Advisor to the Secretary. David Lazarus-Senior Advisor to the Secretary. Sam Liebert-Staff Assistant to the Secretary. Rohan Patel-Director of Advance for the Secretary. …
Monsanto Announces Beachell-Borlaug Scholars Program
For Norman Borlaug’s 95th birthday today, Monsanto has created a $10 million grant to establish the Beachell-Borlaug International Scholars Program, which will “help identify and support young scientists interested in improving research and production in rice and wheat, two of the world’s most important staple crops, through plant breeding techniques.” Monsanto is funding the program, which will be administered by …
Corn Wipes Out Competition
Some students at Purdue University came up with a whole new way to look at corn and, umm . . . toilet paper. Glad they’re using the (Nature’s) silk. Better than the cob methinks. Three teams of Purdue University students that created new uses for corn and soybeans – melt-away cupcake liners, biodegradable cork and toilet paper – took top …
FMC Launches New Tools for Growers
FMC Corporation has launched several new products for the upcoming growing season including Capture® LFR™ a liquid insecticide that mixes with a starter fertilizer. “This year is shaping up to be rather challenging with fertilizer prices and we have a product, Capture LFR, that mixes very well with a starter fertilizer, said Brent Neuberger, Technical Specialist with FMC. “This product …
A Special Cause: Vote for ACMA Entertainer of the Year
I need your help. The Humane Society of the United States is working to vote Carrie Underwood in as ACMA Entertainer of the Year to launch her as a better spokesperson for their agenda to abolish animal agriculture. I’m challenging everyone to head over to the ACMA website and vote. Read the following excerpt, and tell me you don’t want …
Cloudy Afternoon
I drove through a pretty impressive storm coming home this afternoon. The skies mostly cleared up and the sun came back out. It made for some interesting cloud formations like this one. I was mostly off the grid except for my iPhone yesterday and today. That’s the way it goes sometimes when the hotel internet is out, there’s a weak …
Zimfo Bytes
Syngenta Seed Care was notified that the Arkansas State Plant Board issued a Section 18 Crisis Exemption for the use of Cruiser 5FS seed treatment insecticide for protection against grape colaspis in rice. The Pork Checkoff is offering the 2009 Pork Management Conference, Your Pork Industry Investment, May 6-8, in Fort Myers, Fla. New Holland’s 40-50 hp Boomer compact cab …
Green Field Work
I saw about 8 farm machines working in the field during a 400+ mile drive today through Missouri/Illinois/Indiana and Kentucky. Of those, 6 were green. Just in case you were wondering. I’d say that when it comes to being green (I just got another email release from another company proclaiming their green-ness) farmers and companies like John Deere have been …
Farm Foundation Facilitates Transition to a Bioeconomy Conversation
AgWired.com will be there as the Farm Foundation hosts the next in its series of meetings to talk about what needs to be done for this country… and the world, for that matter… transition to a bioeconomy. In the fourth in the series of “Transition to a Bioeconomy” conferences, our friends at Farm Foundation will facilitate conversation focusing on global …