From “Darling to Devil” in the blink of an eye – that’s what happened to the biofuels industry in the past year or so – but better communications on the part of the industry could have helped with the damage control and could still help repair some of the damage done. What’s more, the damage done to biofuels could also …
Food Price Drivers Unchanged
Farm Foundation has issued an update of a report last year on “What’s Driving Food Prices?” and found the same factors affecting commodities. “In July 2008, crude oil prices were at record levels, as were most agricultural commodity prices. Low supplies generated fears of food shortages. The rhetoric of the food-versus-fuel debate rose along with food prices. Today, despite remarkable …
PCV Vaccine Studies
There are a number of vaccines currently on the market for hog producers to control PCV2 and associated diseases. The question for producers is, which one is best for them, especially given today’s challenging market for the hog industry. Some of the vaccines are single dose, some require more than one injection – and most are designed for healthy pigs …
Q and A on PCV2 Vaccination
Porcine circovirus type 2 – better known in the swine world as PCV2 – has become increasingly important for hog producers to control through the use of vaccines. One of the world’s leading researchers on the topic gave a comprehensive presentation to swine vet practitioners on Friday at the Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica swine health seminar in Dallas. Dr. Tanja Opriessnig …
BIVI Flies High
Who would have thought that an aviation museum would be a good venue for a party? But the Frontiers of Flight museum near Love Field was really a great place for Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica to wrap up its Swine Health Seminar in Dallas on Friday. The theme was “Take Flight with Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica” and like all BIVI events, it …
BIVI President Opens Swine Health Seminar
The president and COO of Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica opened BIVI’s 2009 Swine Health Seminar in Dallas on Friday before a group of nearly 300 swine veterinary professionals. George Heidgerken says events like these are important for BIVI to deliver answers to questions their customers have. “This is a wonderful forum to deliver those answers,” George told me. The seminar included …
BIVI Swine Health Seminar in Dallas
The Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica swine health seminar is about to get underway here in Dallas. The event is being held just prior to the start of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians annual meeting, which is here along with Pork Forum. Our friends at BCS Communications are coordinating the event and are busy right now registering people and getting ready …
Peanut Day at the Speedway
The Atlanta Motor Speedway is declaring Sunday, March 8, as “Georgia Peanut Farmer Appreciation Day” during the Kobalt Tools 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup race in recognition of Georgia’s official state crop. It’s a show of support to Georgia-based peanut farmers who have been suffering due to the recent difficulties facing the industry, with the whole salmonella in peanut products problem. …
Big Planter Topic at Classic
This monster planter was too big for the John Deere booth at Commodity Classic this year, but it was still the talk of the town. The DB120, as the name implies, is a 120 foot planter – the biggest ever. It was introduced at the National Farm Machinery Show last month (see previous post), but it was still too big …
A Classic Event
Everyone at Commodity Classic this year seemed to be impressed that attendance was as good or better than ever, despite the economy. “As I understand it, we are either right at the record or over it, so that is phenomenal,” said National Corn Growers Association CEO Rick Tolman. Unofficial numbers I heard were about 4500 total registration with 1500 of …