The bell had barely begun to ring in the new school year when complaints starting coming in about USDA’s “healthier” school lunch menu guidelines and the chorus is getting louder. The new guidelines feature lots more healthy fresh fruits and veggies, which is great, but they also cut the portion sizes and the amount of protein served to students, which …
New Products from Monsanto
During the recent Farm Progress Show Monsanto’s Crop Protection Marketing Lead, Steve Knodle (left), sat down with me to talk about what is new with Monsanto. Steve says there are a number of new announcements from Monsanto this fall. One of them is Warrant Herbicide for pre-emerge use in soybeans and cotton for residual weed control. He says that it …
E-marketplace Connecting Farmers
A new website recently launched, www.Sproutrade.com, is a U.S.-based niche e-marketplace to connect farmers, growers and agriculture companies in a similar way as they might through broad e-commerce platforms, such as Amazon. Essentially, it is a way for farmers, growers and agriculture companies to market their products directly to consumers and other companies, via an online platform. One of the …
Raven Introduces Envizio Pro XL
The Envizio Pro XL is what was new with Raven at the Farm Progress Show. In the tent to show it off was Ryan Molitor, Marketing Manager. Ryan says the new display is larger and easier to use according to customers. The product can be used for all seasons of field work. The Envizio Pro XL will enhance a user’s …
Pork Slogan Target of HSUS Lawsuit
One of the most successful advertising slogans in the world of food is the target of a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture filed on Monday by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). The lawsuit charges that the National Pork Board “struck an unlawful backroom deal with a D.C. lobbying organization for the purchase of the iconic …
Passing of Two NAFB Veterans
The National Association of Farm Broadcasting has lost two industry veterans who were long time members of the organizations – Gene Ragan of WTVY in Dothan, Alabama and Mike Carter of KMZU in Carrolton, Missouri. Farmers lost a devoted friend September 21, 2012, when Gene Ragan, at age 88, left this world. He was called “Mr. Agriculture” by the many, …
AFBF Gets Candidate Answers on Ag Issues
The American Farm Bureau Federation got answers from President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney in a questionnaire asking the candidates about their positions on energy, environmental regulations, farm labor and more. On farm policy, Obama said he understands the need for a strong farm safety net. “That’s why I increased the availability of crop insurance and emergency disaster …
iPhone 5 New Agriblogging Tool 1st Impressions
Hey Apple fans. Here are some first impressions of the new iPhone 5. This is not a review. Just a quick post of some thoughts after working with the newest coolness from Apple. When I got home yesterday I found that my iPhone 5 had landed a week earlier than AT&T thought it would! So I set it up immediately …
Zimfo Bytes
The Channel seed brand will introduce at least fourteen new Genuity VT Triple PRO RIB Complete blended seed corn products in the 85- to 118-day maturity range for 2013 planting. Kinze Manufacturing, Inc. has continued its progress on Kinze Autonomy, refining the capabilities of its groundbreaking autonomous row-crop solution and undertaking release previews on three large Illinois farms this harvest …
House Says No to Farm Bill Now
No farm bill for now. Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) told reporters last week before Congress called it quits that they would deal with a farm bill after the election because he did not believe there were 218 votes to pass either an extension or new legislation. “The current situation that we face is that we’ve got people …