Thanks to John Walter, Successful Farming, you can see the @AgriBlogger in action, doubling as the NAMA Blogger. Yes I can multitask. In fact, during the opening keynote presentation here I was also moderating today’s FuelChat session for the Renewable Fuels Association. I think I was only having to post via about 10 different social media channels. Piece of cake. …
The New Ag Community
Our opening keynote speaker at the NAMA Trends In Agriculture conference is David Kohl, Professor Emeritus, Agricultural Finanace and Small Business Management, Virginia Tech and President, AgriVisions, LLC. His topic is “Defining the New Ag Community.” David set up his session with a number of facts and figures including the fact that 70% of North American farm ground will change …
NAMA Reaching Out To Members
The NAMA Trends In Agriculture Conference is underway in KC, MO at the Hyatt. The first order of business was the board meeting. You can see NAMA President-Elect Susie Decker, Farm Progress Companies, leading the group. I got there just as they were wrapping things up. I actually interviewed Susie with my new SONY PCM-M10 but had a “whoops” and …
Corn Down and Soybeans Up in New Crop Report
USDA lowered its forecast for 2009 corn production and yields in the latest report out today, but increased the soybean estimate. Corn production is forecast at 12.9 billion bushels, down 1 percent from last month but 7 percent higher than 2008. Based on conditions as of November 1, yields are expected to average 162.9 bushels per acre, down 1.3 bushels …
National Pork Board Responds to Jonathan Safran Foer
Last week, I was watching the Ellen DeGeneres Show because I knew she would be interviewing Jonathan Safran Foer, the author of “Eating Animals,” a gruesome attack against animal agriculture and a strong testimony for a vegan lifestyle. Recently, the National Pork Board responded to Foer’s statements, especially when he falsely linked H1N1 to a hog farm in North Carolina. …
“Environmentally Friendly” Food Myths Debunked
Head into a grocery store these days and consumers are offered aisles upon aisles of food choices. It’s been said that annually, food producers raise enough food to feed 144 people. With this efficiency, consumers can enjoy their favorite foods in abundance. As a result of our food surplus, new food options have become available, and as a result, conventional …
One Pass Biomass From AGCO
AGCO is one of the companies working on a prototype biomass harvest/transport system. At POET’s Project LIBERTY Field Day they demonstrated a pulled behind baler system to harvest corn cobs and stover. Dean Morrell, Product Marketing Manager for Hay and Forage Harvesting, was on site and talked with me about their system. He says it’s a one pass system which …
R&D At Fluidigm
When it comes to research and development at Fluidigm Corporation, one of the key people involved is Andy May. In my interview with him he puts the high level technology Fluidigm develops into easy to understand terms. You’ll find out why this is necessary when we get into the whole DNA sequencing issue and how Fluidigm has pioneered some of …
Zimfo Bytes
Bayer CropScience officially opened its new Cotton Research and Development Laboratory in Lubbock, Texas. New Holland’s new WORKMASTER tractors bear a trusted name, and the same important qualities that made the original WORKMASTER tractors so popular in the 1960s. A team of researchers led by University of California, Riverside (UCR) Professor of Chemical Engineering Wilfred Chen has constructed for the …
BASF Headline Harvest Report – Purdy, MO
At least some farmers are finished with their harvest. BASF sent me to southwest Missouri last week to visit with a couple of farmers in Purdy about their harvest. I told you last week about world famous Kip Cullers’ harvest, today we hear from his neighbor, Curtis Schallert – who also uses Headline fungicide, by the way (no coincidence!). Curtis …