- Crop insurance is not acting as a barrier to the adoption of conservation practices and has a role in helping farmers maintain healthy soil. That’s according to a new peer-reviewed study in the renowned Journal of Environmental Management. During the study, researchers from Purdue University, Arizona State University, and the Nature Conservancy used interviews and a multi-state survey to determine if crop insurance requirements limited cover crops and conservation tillage for corn producers in the Midwest.
- For many growers, elite corn hybrids with the most current trait packages are the pivotal factor behind strong yield and profit potential. To give growers highly informed choices, Syngenta increased genetic trialling by more than 30%, offering a deeper, more extensive understanding of how hybrids perform in different environments and soil types. The Trait Conversion Accelerator, a $30 million corn breeding facility in Nampa, Idaho, is home to the Syngenta R&D and seed production site where a majority of Syngenta North American corn trait conversion work takes place.
- The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) administered oaths of office to its incoming leadership members. Michael Crowder of West Richland, Wash., was sworn in as president of the association. Kim LaFleur of Plympton, Mass., was elected as First Vice President, and Ian Cunningham of Pipestone, Minn., was elected as Second Vice President. NACD’s Southeast Region Executive Board Member Gary Blair of Starkville, Miss., was elected to serve as the association’s Secretary-Treasurer.
- Farm tractor and self-propelled combine unit sales start the year continuing growth in both the U.S. and Canada according to the latest data from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. U.S. total farm tractor sales rose 24.7 percent in January compared to 2020 while U.S. self-propelled combine sales grew a significant 76.8 percent. U.S. unit sales grew across all segments, with the biggest gains continuing in the small sub-40hp segment (gaining 32.9 percent). 100+hp continued to grow in January, up 1.2 percent, building on a 3.2 percent total gain throughout 2020. Four-wheel-drive units also delivered solid gains, up 33.7 percent for the month.
- BASF launched the e3® Sustainable Cotton Grower Fund, a unique and unprecedented effort to provide additional economic support for cotton farmers in the e3 Sustainable Cotton program who commit to growing sustainable cotton.
- The 2Blades Foundation recently entered into a new research collaboration with Bayer, building on earlier work and complementing ongoing efforts to identify new disease resistance genes to combat the growing challenge of Asian soybean rust, a devastating airborne disease of soybean.
- American soybean growers will now have a tough new EPA-registered seed treatment option for guarding crops from sudden death syndrome (SDS) and improving their yields. It will be made available in the U.S. for the first time through Direct Enterprises, Inc. (DEI), the Indiana-based seed treatment experts.
