We hear a lot about weed resistance but don’t forget about insect resistance. That’s why I visited with Adam Prestegord (not pictured), product manager for FMC’s insecticide business. We talked about Capture LFR. This product protects a seed or young seedling, even a biotech variety, before an insect can do some damage! Farmers can use liquid Capture LFR as an …
New Holland Excavators Handy on the Farm
New Holland is integrating its construction business more closely with agriculture and that was on display here at the National Farm Machinery Show. One of those items on display is a mini excavator. I learned about it by visiting with Barry Newton, seen here talking with a customer. Barry says an excavator is a great machine for moving dirt and …
Sequester Could Cause FSIS Inspector Furlough
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has shaken up the meat and poultry industry with his comments about how sequestration might impact agriculture during a speech to the National Ethanol Conference last week. Answering a question about funding for a farm bill, Vilsack talked more broadly about what might happen after March 1 if Congress fails to act and sequester creates automatic …
NCBA’s Work In Washington
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association is hard at work advocating for beef producers year-round, but during the Cattle Industry Convention they get to hear with cattlemen and women from across the country. During this year’s event I talked with Colin Woodall, Vice President of Government Affairs for NCBA. To start off our chat I asked him about some of the …
Giving Neighbors
I have a neighbor up the road who has a giving heart. When we first moved in and got a stand of grass established, she’s the one who added color by bringing down about 15 5-gallon buckets full of a variety of flowers she’d dug up and transplanted from around their farm. When we added the landscaping around the front …
Soybean Growers See Fruits of Labor in BioVegas
Ever wondered about the fruits of your labor? Soybean growers from around the country had the opportunity to see all the different products made from soybeans during the Farmers Las Vegas Tour (or should we say BioVegas tour) where they visited the Rebel Oil Fuel Terminal, the Biodiesel of Las Vegas plant, and the SYNLawn showroom, where where soybeans are …
Opening Day of National Farm Machinery Show
The first day of the National Farm Machinery Show has been a busy one. The large crowd was treated to some light snow which has now melted and it seemed to have no effect on attendance that I can tell. I visited with Corinne Fetter, Director of Expositions, once again to get her outlook on this year’s show. She says …
Grade Vilsack’s First Term
Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “What did you think of Ram Trucks Super Bowl ad?” Our poll results: The majority at forty-eight percent said All of the Above; twenty-eight percent said Great Exposure for Ag; twelve percent said Very Well Done; six percent were Not Impressed; four percent Hope to See More Like It; and two percent said Other. …
Zimfo Bytes
John A. Burch was elected the 2013 president of Cotton Council International. The Harvard Law School Food Law Society is hosting its second food policy conference, and the first law school-hosted conference dedicated to examining the issue of food labeling from a legal perspective in Cambridge, Mass. on March 8-9, 2013. National Association of Wheat Growers Chief Executive Officer Dana …
Corn Yield Contest Sets New Record
Farmers participating in the National Corn Growers Association 2012 National Corn Yield Contest set a new record by submitting 75 entries that surpassed the 300 bushels-per-acre mark. Bucking trends and overcoming severe drought conditions, these entrants showed the incredible achievements that are possible in farming using advanced practices and state-of-the-art technology. Despite higher average yields nationally among all farmers in …