It’s the passing of the gavel. This time at the American Seed Trade Association convention. Here is new ASTA Chairman, Blake Curtis, Curtis & Curtis, Inc. (left) with past Chairman Mike Gumina, Pioneer Hi-Bred. I spoke with Blake at the end of the convention to find out things went in his opinion and what the future priorities are for the …
John Deere Announces MyJohnDeere.com
Today John Deere announced MyJohnDeere.com and to learn a little about it I spoke with David Everitt, President, Agriculture and Turf Division. Dave has just announced his retirement from John Deere after a long career with the company. The announcements are being made at the John Deere FarmSight Tech Summit. David says this is the most exciting time to be …
It Will Be Dupont Pioneer
Beginning this weekend you’ll see a new name for Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business. As of July 1 it will be known as DuPont Pioneer. According to information I received the change is a part of the company extending DuPont’s efforts in the agricultural and food industries. The change in the name is to reflect a joint mission to find …
Ready For John Deere Technology Summit
Hello from the John Deere Technology Summit in Des Moines, IA. This is the welcoming committee for ag media. Starting this evening and continuing out on the farm tomorrow we’ll be learning about what’s new from John Deere. I don’t have any of that information to share with you yet but you can be sure I will. For those of …
ASTA Represents Vegetable and Flower Seed
During the American Seed Trade Association convention the organization’s divisions conduct business and report on activities. One of those is the Vegetable and Flower Seed Division, chaired by Kent Croon, Monsanto. I visited with Kent after his report was given. Kent works in technology development within Monsanto Vegetable Seeds. Kent says that many people think corn and soybeans when they …
Alltech Symposium iBook
Have you wondered what to do with all those photos from your event? Not ready to print a book? Then take Alltech’s lead and publish an iBook. The Alltech 28th Annual International Symposium, held May 20 – 23, 2012, in Lexington, Ky., was a venue for close to 3,000 delegates from around the world to discuss the future of agriculture …
NAMA Executive Committee Meets
Here’s the Executive Committee of the National Agri-Marketing Association after an afternoon of meeting on the business of the organization. Things are going very well for NAMA and we’re going to have some exciting announcements soon about the new fall meeting. Which by the way needs to be on your calendar – September 25 – 26, Minneapolis, Minnesota – Graves …
ASTA Assists With Seed Phytosanitary Issues
During the American Seed Trade Association annual convention committees meet to set policies for the organization for the coming year. One of those is the phytosanitary committee. I visited with Darrell Maddox, Endless Sky Partners, about the work of this committee that he used to chair. Darrell says the committee works with USDA-APHIS to facilitate trade. They work with seed …
Deadline For IFAJ-Yara Award
The deadline for the IFAJ-Yara Award for Sustainable Agriculture Reporting is coming up fast – July 1, 2012. Don’t know what it is? Here’s some information. The IFAJ-Yara Award for Sustainable Agriculture Reporting is open to articles, Internet productions or radio/TV broadcasts on the broad themes of hunger, feeding the world sustainably and meeting the challenge of providing nutrition to …
Educating for Ag Choice
During the 2012 American Seed Trade Association annual convention I met Chuck Larson, Executive Director, Americans for Choice and Competition in Agriculture. Although I had heard of this newly formed organization I didn’t know much about it until we had a chance to sit down and chat. It appears that the main focus of the group is to influence an …