GROWMARK is pleased to announce the Illinois and Wisconsin state winners of the 2016 essay contest for FFA members. Austin Schorfheide of Hoyleton, Illinois and Jessica Jurcek from Jefferson, Wisconsin won in their respective states by answering “What can young people do to ensure the sustainability of agriculture?” Schorfheide wrote in his response: “Sustainability in agriculture ultimately comes down to …
Seeking Future Giant of the Seed Industry
Seed World and the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) Future Seed Executives are looking for those poised to make an impact on the seed industry. The Future Giant is an award given to an early-career individual who is passionate about the seed industry. The award will be given at ASTA’s Annual Convention, June 18-22 in Portland, Oregon. The winner will …
New Version of AgWired App Available
Hey AgWired Fans. We hope you already have our AgWired App on your mobile device but if you don’t now is the time to get the new version which is also compatible with iPad as well as iPhone. If you already have it just run your updates to get the latest version. The new version has been built on a …
Chromatin Provides Relief to Growers Hit by Fire
The Anderson Creek Fire destroyed more than 400,000 and now Chromatin, Inc. is moving in to help farmers and ranchers. The company will be providing producers with seed that will rapidly feed livestock or cover the ground to prevent soil erosion. “We are saddened to hear of the tragic damage caused by this fire to crops, pastures and livestock in …
USDA Offers Grants for Value-Added Products
The Value-Added Producer Grant program is gaining $44 million to help farmers, ranchers and businesses develop bio-based products and expand existing markets. The USDA made the announcement just last week, and hope to help with grants to veterans, members of socially disadvantaged groups, beginning farmers and ranchers, and operators of small and medium sized family farms and ranches. “America’s farmers, …
Do Americans Trust Their Food?
Producers today face challenges of water shortages, urban sprawl, weed and antibiotic resistance, and the never ending battle with Mother Nature, but possibly the biggest hurdle to agriculture is consumer trust. More than ever consumers are asking questions and requesting transparency in the food process. How is the industry doing? Research provided by FoodThink offers new insights into Americans’ understanding of …
Remembering Merle
Back in the early years of the biodiesel industry, Merle Haggard was one of the stars who came out in support of the American-made biofuel. The country music legend who died last week at the age of 79 made a legendary appearance at the 2007 National Biodiesel Conference, holding a press conference and performing for those in attendance. During the …
Zimfo Bytes
The American Farm Bureau Federation is accepting applications for its tenth Women’s Communications Boot Camp class, July 12 – 15 in Washington, D.C. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) is accepting applications for fiscal year 2017 funding for five export market development programs. In honor of Dr. Norman Borlaug’s 102nd birthday anniversary and International Women’s Day …
What Do You Do About Statistics?
Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “Do you have a degree in agriculture?” Our latest poll solidifies what we already knew – there are plenty of careers for those interested in agriculture. We had an overwhelming response to this question and an overwhelming majority were proud to say they have a degree in agriculture and honored to work in the …
NRGene Selects St. Louis for U.S. Headquarters
GlobalSTL, the initiative of BioSTL focused on attracting high-growth international companies to St. Louis, announced that Israeli genomics company NRGene has selected St. Louis as the location of its U.S. headquarters. NRGene is the fourth company to move to St. Louis through the GlobalSTL initiative. NRGene develops advanced computational tools leveraging big data to identify genetic traits to improve yield, …