International marketing was the focus of a press conference held by the United Soybean Board at Commodity Classic. First up on the podium was Phil Bradshaw, USB Chairman and a soybean farmer from Griggsville, IL. He spoke about future efforts to increase soybean exports as conducted by the USB. A record 1.56 billion bushels of soybeans were exported in the …
Cadet and Authority Assist Big Sellers for FMC
I had a chance to spend some time with Gail Stratman, the Midwest Technical Sales Lead for FMC, during Commodity Classic and I learned two things. First that Cadet and Authority Assist are big sellers, selling out the past two years, and second, why both products work so well. Cadet is a post emergence herbicide that was introduced about two …
Vermeer Launches Corn Cob Collector
As Project Liberty gets closer every day to completion (The POET project is set to be online no later than 2012), farm equipment manufactures, such as Vermeer, are developing corn cob harvesting technology. During Commodity Classic, I caught up with Jay Van Roekel, the product manager for Vermeer’s Ag Division to learn more about their biomass technologies. Van Roekel explained …
LEGO Artist
Being a brick artist doesn’t sound like a high pressure job but when you’ve got to finish your LEGO creation by the close of the Commodity Classic trade show it can get a little tense. Nathan Sawaya got this art work done for BASF in their Commodity Classic booth just in time. I think he actually had a couple seconds …
Zimfo Bytes
The Pork Checkoff will honor Dale Miller, editor of National Hog Farmer, as the winner of its Distinguished Service Award. He will be recognized at the National Pork Industry Forum, March 4-6, 2010. The National Pork Board recognized the latest class of Environmental Steward Award winners at the National Pork Industry Forum. These winners exemplify excellence in environmental care and …
Ag Groups Defend Biotech Alfalfa
The Supreme Court will soon make a decision on whether or not farmers can grow biotech alfalfa – and it could ultimately impact other genetically modified crops. That’s why the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and several other agricultural organizations have filed an amicus curiae brief with the court in the case of “Monsanto Co. v. Geertson Seed Farms” regarding …
Syngenta Announces New Sustainaiblity Team
Syngenta made two announcements during Commodity Classic last week – a new sustainability team and that their water optimization technology is on track. I spoke with Terry Stone who is heading the new sustainability team as well as Tracy Mader, Project Marketing Head who is working with the team developing the water optimization technologies. I asked Stone to tell me …
ASA Celebrates 90th Anniversary by Highlighting Soybean Successes
The American Soybean Association (ASA) is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year and has a lot to celebrate. Last year, the organization received more than $12.8 million in export funding from the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service for the promotion of U.S. soybeans and soybean products. ASA President Rob Joslin noted in the organization’s press conference during Commodity Classic that this …
NCGA to Focus on Image and Activisim Campaign
This year, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) will launch an image and activism campaign to reinforce the importance of agriculture, according to NCGA President, Darrin Ihnen during a press conference at Commodity Classic. While many people are still confused about food versus fuel, an issue perpetuated by media around the world, and the debate continues around international indirect land …
Southeast AgNet Adds Two To Team
Southeast AgNet has added two new folks to their team. Marc Stockwell comes on board as a Senior Account Executive, bringing 20 years of advertising sales and management experience to the position. Stockwell was most recently employed with Meister Media Worldwide, where he sold advertising to citrus, vegetable, and ornamental horticulture industries. At Southeast AgNet, he will be involved in …