I couldn’t participate in today’s USDA webinar about their latest project but did get this information to share. Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan unveiled the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food (KYF) Compass, an interactive web-based document and map highlighting USDA support for local and regional food projects and successful producer, business and community …
BASF Looks Toward Weed Control Future
With glyphosate resistance continuing to grow nationwide as a threat to crop yields in fields throughout the country BASF Crop Protection kicked off the 2012 Commodity Classic with presentations on research, innovations and techniques to help prepare growers for the future of weed control at the sixth annual “Science Behind” media symposium. BASF Vice President U.S. Crop Protection Paul Rea …
BASF Science Behind the Future of Weed Control
For the 6th year BASF is holding a “Science Behind” event prior to Commodity Classic. This year the theme is The Science Behind the Future of Weed Control. A Grand Ole Opry studio is the perfect venue for this event where ag media are hearing from university researchers as well as product specialists from BASF. The event is providing a …
Challenged To Think Beyond Yield Growth
Challenging the ag journalists attending the Bayer CropScience Ag Issues Forum to think about global food security differently was Gawain Kripke, Director of Policy & Research, Oxfam America. He started his presentation by saying that he would bring up some provocative ideas and he did. For example, he says Oxfam wants an end to “excessive” speculation in commodity markets, for …
Zimfo Bytes
Ohio Brownfield Ag News radio network is pleased to announce it has partnerships with 47 radio stations that are carrying Brownfield programming. The Farm Journal Foundation announced its Farmers Feeding the World campaign’s largest single commitment to date, with a $1 million grant to Heifer International. The economic nuts and bolts of paying farmers, ranchers and other landowners for providing …
Entertainment By Josh Turner
As you might have expected, Josh Turner was a big hit as the evening entertainment for the Bayer CropScience Ag Issues Forum. We had a full afternoon of provocative speakers and lots of interviews were conducted. Then it was time for some good food and relaxation with our friends at Bayer and in the ag media. Then Josh Turner took …
We’ll Be Planting More This Year According To ZimmPoll
In our latest ZimmPoll we asked, “What will be planted this year?” It’s that time and everyone seems to have their own idea about what it will be. 45% of respondents said More of both, 32% said More corn less soybeans and 12% each said More soybeans less corn and Less of both. USDA is estimating corn acreage will be …
Commodity Classic Preview From NCGA President
Getting to the Commodity Classic in Nashville a day early to attend the Bayer CropScience Ag Issues Forum, I was happy to find National Corn Growers Association President Garry Niemeyer of Illinois available to do some pre-convention interviews. Garry is looking forward to a great, big Classic this year – with registration already at a record level. “We have 5,400 …
The Growing Problem of Food Waste
Food waste is a growing problem. That was the message from Kai Robertson, Director, Food, Beverage & Agriculture Practice, BSR, during the Bayer CropScience Ag Issues Forum. I visited with Kai right after her presentation. She startled many of us attending when she presented a statistic from EPA (estimate) that more than 67 billion pounds of food end up in …
Welcome From Bayer CropScience
One of our first speakers at the 2012 Ag Issues Forum is Dr. Mathias Kremer, Head of Global BioScience for Bayer CropScience. He says he wanted the takeaway message from his welcoming remarks to be an understanding of what Bayer CropScience stands for which is “an organization which sees itself as one of the solution providers to the global problems …