This week I get back on the agriblogging highway to the 2012 Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit. My coverage will be made possible again this year by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the United Soybean Board. The theme is Real Farmers Real Food: Celebrating Tradition and Technology and I’ll be conducting interviews to share with you. We have a …
How Are You Controlling Resistant Weeds?
Our first BASF Production Poll is in the can and it was no surprise to find that growers are overwhelmingly optimistic about the 2012 growing season. According to the poll: 65% of farmers think things are looking up this year. 29% say it’s about the same Just 6% think this year will be worse and that winter did their fields …
Zimfo Bytes
Wheat Growers grain and agronomy cooperative welcomes Brad Ruden as the Director for Technical Service and Todd Peterson as Business Manager – MZB Precision Farming System. Mitas opened its newest radial farm tire factory in Charles City, which coined the word “tractor.” Tiffany Obrecht has joined McCormick Company as an account executive. The Weed Science Society of America announced that …
Boyhood Chores
When I was growing up, my mom had a job working at the high school and every morning she’d leave me with my day’s “to do” list of chores. This included dusting (which was my absolute least favorite), vacuuming, organizing, taking trash out, sweeping, watering plants … you see the trend. They were pretty mindless jobs that kept a 12-year-old …
Chillin In My Corn Watch
While Cindy and Chuck are traveling around the country bringing you real agricultural news, I’m chillin on this beautiful day in my corn watch. Yes, you heard me right, I have an environmentally friendly watch that is partly made from corn. Sprout Watches manufactures a line of eco-friendly watches that contain corn resin and bamboo. The watches come in multiple …
How GROWMARK Uses Social Media to Recruit
GROWMARK’s gold-standard internship program is over 50 years old and it keeps growing because they are using all of the latest social media tools to reach students about the potential for career opportunities within the vast cooperative system. “Social media has allowed us to continue to enhance our traditional recruiting efforts,” says University Relations Manager Ashley McClintock. “We utilize Facebook, …
NCBA Praised for Youth Labor Rule Efforts
In deciding not to pursue controversial youth labor regulations for agriculture, the Obama administration said it would work with rural stakeholders for safety education, specifically mentioning organizations such as the Farm Bureau, the NFU, FFA, and 4-H. But the livestock industry has been just as involved in the issue, if not more so, according to Congressman Denny Rehberg (R-MT). “I …
Driving a New Holland Combine
My personal thrill at the New Holland Mega Media event this week was test driving a CR8080 combine. Never drove anything like it before and it was so easy! You may not realize it, but New Holland is kind of a big deal in combines. “New Holland was the first company to launch a rotary combine in the market,” Combine …
FFA Develops Online TV Channel
Following the successful live broadcast of its 2011 National FFA Convention, the National FFA Organization has decided to take up permanent residence on the iHigh.com platform with its own channel. Pictured here are Dwight Armstrong, CEO of the National FFA Organization, and Billy Frey, general manager of the Alltech Ag Network. The FFA Channel, which will be powered by Alltech …
Victory for Kids in Agriculture
Agricultural organizations are pleased that the U.S. Labor Department has officially withdrawn proposed rules that would have prevented many young people from working on farms and ranches. “The Obama administration is firmly committed to promoting family farmers and respecting the rural way of life, especially the role that parents and other family members play in passing those traditions down through …