Home gardeners needing some quick, expert advice about their tomato plants will find it right in their pockets with Purdue Extension’s Tomato Doctor mobile app. The app will help gardeners diagnose problems and offer solutions to get their plants back to a healthy condition, said Janna Beckerman, a Purdue Extension plant disease specialist and content specialist for the app. “Even …
AgriLife Extension’s Recipes, Videos & Cooking Schools
The idea of a family sitting down together for a meal may seem passé in today’s fast-paced, drive-through society, but a statewide initiative by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is helping families eat healthier — and together –at mealtime. “The percentage of the food budget spent on away-from-home food has increased steadily since the 1970s and so has the …
USFRA Communications Committee Work
The live streamed Food Dialogues events get all the publicity when they take place with high profile moderators and panelists. However, there’s a lot of work going on “behind the scenes.” In Chicago recently that work included a regular meeting of the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance Communications Committee. I visited with two members of the committee. First up is …
Zimfo Bytes
Through the National Agriscience Teacher Ambassador Academy, DuPont has invited 49 of the nation’s finest agricultural science teachers to the company’s Chesapeake Farms in Chestertown, Md., to enhance their teaching techniques in order to heighten their students’ agriscience educational experience in classrooms across the country. The U.S. Grains Council is pleased to announce the hire of Melissa George Kessler as …
Students Honored for Research at ASTA
College students from across the country had the opportunity to enter American Seed Trade Research Foundation’s Operation Student Exchange. The winning student was announced during a Future Seed Executives 10th Anniversary Reception at ASTA’s recent annual meeting. Leah Ruff’s poster presentation and research was selected this year’s winner and she received the Roger Kruegar Scholarship. The scholarship honors the late …
Educator Training Adds New Resources for Teachers
Summer is here and that means the 2014 Educators Training Event is right around the corner. August 5-7 Ag Leader will be holding the 5th annual training event tailored towards educators at the high school, community college and university level. This year we have some exciting news to share regarding the Educational Solutions Package. We are placing the final touches …
United Fresh Awards Highlight Innovation, Creativity
Attendees to the United Fresh Produce Association’s annual convention and expo in Chicago cast their votes throughout the show for fresh produce innovation and recognized this year’s New Product Awards in five categories. More than 40 fresh fruit and vegetable innovations competed in the categories of Best New Food Safety Solution, Best New Fruit Product, Best New Packaging, Best New …
World Food Prize Honors Wheat Breeder
The selection of wheat breeder Dr. Sanjaya Rajaram as the 2014 World Food Prize Laureate was announced this week during a ceremony at the State Department where Secretary Kerry gave keynote remarks. “This is the time for a second green revolution,” Kerry said. “That’s why Dr. Sanjaya Rajaram is being honored with the World Food Prize. We are grateful for …
Millennial Views of Biobased and Sustainability
The hostess for the the USB Biobased Products Stakeholders’ Dialogue at George Washington (GW) University this week was the moderator for an important discussion about what the “millennial generation” thinks about biobased and sustainability. University sustainability director Kathleen Merrigan, who is also former deputy ag secretary, invited some current students and recent graduates to be on the panel. “What I …
BASF Announces Summer Training Series
BASF Ag Products is planning what is expected to be the largest training effort in the company’s history for this summer, reaching 24 states and focusing on weed management, application best practices and overall stewardship of BASF herbicides. “We are committed to ensuring growers’ success with new technologies,” said Luke Bozeman, Technical Market Manager, Herbicides, BASF. “The more knowledgeable growers …