At the same time Chuck was in Savannah covering the National Agricultural Aviation Association meeting on behalf of BASF Crop Protection last week, the company was making news at the 40th annual American Seed Trade Association’s (ASTA) 2010 Seed Expo in Chicago. In several updates provided to seed partners, BASF announced a label expansion for Stamina® F3 HL. The fungicide …
Change is Necessary to Fight PRRS
Since Porcine Respiratory and Reproductive Syndrome (PRRS) has been a problem in the U.S. hog industry for more than 20 years and is costing producers nearly $600 million per year, Boehringer Ingelheim (BIVI) is working with the industry to find and implement changes that will help control and even eliminate it. Dr. Dale Polson, a member of the BIVI Area …
Microsoft Cloud for USDA
The future forecast for USDA is cloudy. USDA announced last week that it is on the verge of going live with a commercial cloud service offering for its Enterprise Messaging Service (EMS) which includes email, web conferencing, document collaboration, and instant messaging. USDA is the first cabinet-level agency to move its e-mail and collaboration applications to the “cloud,” a rapidly …
New House Ag Committee Chair on GIPSA
The incoming Republican chairman of the House Agriculture Committee is very unhappy with the proposed Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) rule that he says will likely result in a “tremendously devastating” impact on the livestock sector. During the special live 200th episode of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen program last week, Congressman Frank Lucas (R-OK) …
PRRS Area Regional Control Updates
The number of PRRS Area Regional Control and Elimination (ARC&E) projects continues to grow in hog producing areas of North America. “It actually grows like every month,” says Dr. Laura Batista, a member of the Boehringer Ingelheim (BIVI) PRRS Area Solutions Team, who organized the recent ARC&E workshop and update in Chicago. “Last year I think we were supporting five …
Andy Vance Joins Feedstuffs
Andy Vance, formally with ABN Radio, has officially announced his new gig will be with Feedstuffs. “I’m very excited to announce that I’m joining Feedstuffs and Feedstuffs Foodlink as a featured contributor, writing for Feedstuffs’ weekly print and online editions, and providing exclusive online audio and video content,” Andy says on his blog “The Angle.” According to Feedstuffs, Andy starts …
ABN Radio Ceases Operations
It is always sad to report a death – in this case, the death of a very well-respected agricultural radio operation. The ABN (Agri Broadcast Network) was founded in 1972 by the late Ed Johnson and has a rich history of service to Ohio’s agricultural community. In 2007, the network was taken over by Lindsay Hill and Andy Vance, who …
Farm Bureau Celebrates 50 Years of Membership Growth
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) has more members than ever before. According to new AFBF membership figures, there are now 6,279,813 member families that belong to the nation’s largest general farm organization, marking 50 consecutive years of membership growth. State Farm Bureaus overall reported a total 2,149 more member families this year than in 2009. American Farm Bureau President …
Lucas to Chair House Ag Committee
Congressman Frank Lucas (R-OK) has been selected to chair the House Agriculture Committee in the 112th Congress. “It is an honor to continue in this leadership role of the Agriculture Committee where I have served since I was first elected to Congress,” Lucas said. “As a lifelong farmer from a diverse, agricultural state, I have lived the real world challenges …
Sweet Holiday Greetings from Pioneer
Pioneer made my day a little sweeter yesterday when a package of holiday cookies arrived on our doorstep in a cute Pioneer Plenish coffee mug. Can’t show you a photo of the cookies because daughter Chelsea and I gobbled them up. We didn’t even save any for Chuck, they were just so AMAZING! Chocolate chip and cranberry and I presume …