This fine looking group of students from the University of Illinois are the ones responsible for most of the content on the AGMasters Conference blog this week. This group worked as a team to cover every one of the speakers at the event, including doing audio interviews. I was extremely impressed with their work! The bloggers are (standing) Crop Science …
On The Road In Morocco
While we get back on the road in Morocco today to the capital city of Rabat and visits with the Ministry of Agriculture I thought you might like to see what the country looked like from the road. Here’s a short video clip in which you can hear U.S. Grains Council Consultant Mustapha El Youssoufi, doing the play by play. …
The Movement to Mechanized Sugarcane Harvesting in Brazil
I recently had the opportunity to go to Brazil to learn more about the sugarcane ethanol industry. While there, I also learned about several agricultural initiatives, including the country’s move to mechanized sugarcane harvesting. In the past, the sugarcane was harvested through what is widely known as slash and burn. Not only is this harmful to the environment, but not …
International News About Soybeans
John Baize, Baize & Associates is a regular columnist for the United Soybean Board’s Expert Advice. His company specializes in international agricultural trading and policy consulting on oilseeds and soybeans and including biotechnology policy, trade policy, agriculture policy and market development activities. In his most recent column you’ll find information about China. A lot has been said about the impact …
New Vs. Old Style Moroccan Feedlot
The Ammar Beef Feedlot is owned by Ammar Abd El Fettah, picture on the right. He’s standing next to local U.S. Grains Council Consultant Mustapha El Youssoufi. The feedlot was our first stop on our Corn Mission tour of Morocco this morning. Ammar has been in the beef business through his family which goes back generations. I interviewed them after …
Growth of Grain Imports In Morocco
The Director for the Mediterranean and Africa for the U.S. Grains Council is Kurt Shultz. He’s been our main guide and font of information so far. I spoke with Kurt this morning to get an overview of agriculture in Morocco and the potential it holds for U.S. grain producers. He says that the USGC became involved in Morocco about 15 …
Diverse Transportation in Morocco
One of our guides here in Morocco says the country is very diverse. One of the examples he used was that you might see a BMW stopped at a traffic light side by side with one of these. He was right. We saw a lot of carts being pulled by donkeys, mules and horses today even in downtown Casablanca. They …
Moroccan Shepherds
Besides the rocks I think I saw more shepherds today than almost anything else as we drove around Morocco. The fields and hills are covered with them. There were children watching a flock, women, men, groups of people. You name it. Sheep are pretty much everywhere. When we drove into Casablanca this afternoon, a town of over 4 million, I …
Happy Anniversary Alimet
Novus International is celebrating 25 years of ALIMET feed supplement production with long-standing partner Ascend Performance Materials. Over the last 25 years, Novus and Ascend, including its predecessors Solutia Inc. and Monsanto, have grown the ALIMET production facility in Chocolate Bayou, Texas to the largest liquid methionine manufacturing plant in the world. More than 600 Novus and Ascend employees and …
Farm Broadcaster of the Year Unemployed
Just a couple of weeks ago, former NAFB president Ken Root was grinning from ear to ear as he accepted the coveted Farm Broadcaster of the Year award from the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. This week, he was unceremoniously let go by a company that has a reputation for not appreciating the work of talented and respected farm broadcasters. …