The first defense in the war against weeds is knowing the enemy, according to BASF Crop Protection. A recent BASF survey found that 76 percent of growers have made changes to their weed management programs to address weed resistance and proper weed identification is fundamental to any effective control program. “The first step in weed control is to know your …
Walmart Highlights Ag Sustainability Pledges
Kicking off a new Sustainable Product Expo this week, the CEOs from more than a dozen global companies gathered at Walmart headquarters in Arkansas Tuesday to pledge to increase sustainable food production. Eight of the largest food companies announced pledges to help ensure that tomorrow’s food supply is affordable and sustainable for the nine billion people projected to inhabit the …
Farm Bureau Urges Ditching of EPA Water Rule
The Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed “Waters of the US” rule was published in the Federal Register last week – all 111,000 words of it. The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) responded with just three words – “Ditch the Rule”. AFBF Public Policy Director Dale Moore says the “ditch” part comes from the fact that a reading of the rule indicates …
New Center Strengthens Bayer Bee Commitment
Bayer CropScience has a long history of commitment to pollinator health and honey bees in particular and the new North American Bee Care Center builds on that foundation. “There’s been so much interest in pollinators over the last few years,” says Dr. Ian Kelley, Bayer Bee Health Issues Manager, who says they came up with the idea for the center …
New Ethanol Jobs Report
A new industry report shows how the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is creating jobs and significant economic impact. The Fuels America coalition has released an economic impact study by John Dunham & Associates showing that the industry supports more than 850,000 American jobs and drives $184.5 billion of economic output. Renewable fuels now represent nearly 10% of America’s fuel supply …
Bayer Bee Care Center for Canada Too
The new Bayer Bee Care Center opened last week in North Carolina is for all of North America, and that includes Canada where Murray Belyk is manager of scientific affairs for Bayer CropScience. “We share a lot of similarities with our U.S. colleagues,” says Murray. “We have similar crops, similar pests, similar tools – the concerns of beekeepers as well …
Queen Bee of Germany Bayer Bee Care Center
We already met the queen bee of the new Bayer CropScience North American Bee Care Center, now meet her counterpart at the first Bayer Bee Care Center in Monheim, Germany – Annette Schürmann. The German center opened at the global headquarters for Bayer CropScience in 2012. “We built it upon the research work that had been over the last 30 …
Lilly to Acquire Novartis Animal Health
A $5.4 billion deal announced today will create world’s second-largest animal health company. Eli Lilly and Company intends to acquire Novartis Animal Health in an all-cash transaction “to strengthen and diversify Lilly’s own animal health business, Elanco.” The transaction will result in Elanco becoming the second-largest animal health company in the world in terms of global revenue, will solidify its …
Great Green Gadgets
What better way to celebrate Earth Day than with some new gadgets? Got an email this morning from an industrious PR person touting a book called “Fool’s Return” by Lynda Chervil, “a thought leader and green technology advocate.” Chervil, who studies the science behind green technology, says environmental awareness has ramped up production of affordable goods that can shrink individuals’ …
Queen Bee of Bayer Bee Care Center
Dr. Becky Langer is the manager and queen bee of the Bayer CropScience North American Bee Care Center that just opened last week in North Carolina. “It’s a dream to be able to share it with everyone,” said Becky on the big day last Tuesday. She explains that the center will serve as both a research and educational facility. “We’ll …