A giant in the plant breeding and genetics world was honored by the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) and the National Council of Commercial Plant Breeders (NCCPB) during the CSS 2015 and Seed Expo last week in Chicago. Donn Cummings retired from Monsanto after 30 years as a corn plant breeder, spending the last eight years of his career developing …
John Deere Visits Ag Retailers
Here’s the John Deere team at the Agriculture Retailers Association conference. Pictured on the right is Chad Brusveen, Corporate business manager. I spoke with him about the ag economy and the future of precision ag. John Deere is a sponsor of ARA and Brusveen highlighted his companies commitment to the application business, to technology and equipment. And it is a …
#ASTACSS is Major League for @BASFAgProducts
BASF hit a home run at the ASTA CSS 2015 and Seed Expo last week by featuring “The Big Hurt” at their hospitality suite with the theme “Champions of Innovation and Collaboration.” Chicago White Sox designated hitter Frank Thomas, who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame last year, is the only player in major league history to have …
Communications Key Focus at #ASTACSS
Communications was a key focus at the ASTA CSS 2015 and Seed Expo last week, from within the industry to key stakeholders to lawmakers to the general public. American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) First Vice Chair Mark Herrmann of Monsanto says communications will continue to be a priority for the organization moving into 2016. “Some of the key focus is …
New Officer Team for American Soybean Association
Soybean growers have some new leadership. This news release from the American Soybean Association (ASA) says the group at its annual winter meeting in St. Louis installed Richard Wilkins, a farmer from Greenwood, Delaware, as president of the ASA, along with outgoing president Wade Cowan from Brownfield, Texas, moving to the position of chairman of the ASA board, and Ron …
Ag Secretary Comments on Climate Accord
As the announcement came over the weekend that negotiators from nearly 200 countries had approved a landmark climate accord, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack commented on what the deal means for our nation’s farmers and ranchers. “The historic COP21 deal supports a better-nourished, stable, secure future for the United States and every nation,” Vilsack said in a statement. “The benchmarks outlined …
Supreme Court Urged to Review EPA Clean Water Overreach
A group including members of Congress, state government members, businesses, and ag interests, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review what they see as an overreach by the federal government. This news release from Farm Bureau says the issue is the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) plan to micromanage state land-use and development decisions …
#ASTACSS Features Wheat Improvement Panel
During the ASTA CSS & Seed Expo this week, attendees were invited to a panel titled, “Value Chain Engagement in Wheat Improvement” that brought together representatives from across the wheat value chain to discuss needed innovation in the wheat industry. Justin Gilpin, CEO of the Kansas Wheat Commission, focused on the benefit of public/private partnerships as well as work the …
Combating Emerging PRRS Strains
Researchers are constantly learning more about the the evolution of PRRS. During the recent Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. (BIVI) PRRS session at the North American PRRS Symposium, Dr. Mike Murtaugh, University of Minnesota, shared characterizations of new emerging strains of the PRRS virus. “We found from looking at a large amount of data from farms and systems sequencing viruses and …
2016 National Ag Day Poster Contest Winner Selected
Congratulations to Emily Eibs from the University of Wisconsin-Stout for her first place National Ag Day poster. Her work was chosen from among many young artists who participated in the competition. The contest is held by the Agriculture Council of America and Meredith Agrimedia. This year’s theme was Agriculture: Stewards of a Healthy Planet. In addition, her artwork and a profile …