BASF was hoping that Farm Progress Show 2009 would be the big kick off for Kixor, but registration by EPA remains “imminent.” Still, Kixor is the new star of the BASF exhibit at the FPS09, complementing the company’s powerhorse fungicide Headline. Kixor product manager Mike Hofer says they are getting to really talk with growers in the Midwest to show …
Regulatory Czar Nominee Could be Nightmare for Ag
Americans for Limited Government (ALG) has mounted a campaign against the nomination of Cass Sunstein to be the White House’s “Regulatory Czar” in order to prevent a “litigation nightmare.” ALG President Bill Wilson sent letters last week to farm organizations urging them to actively oppose the nomination. “What concerns me and I am sure will concern you is Mr. Sunstein’s …
PIC Helps Hog Producers Improve Performance
There are still hog producers in business in Iowa and they are more dedicated than ever to producing a quality product for consumers at the best price possible. That was my take away from a meeting I attended this week in Washington, IA to gather some audio, photos and video for our friends at PIC International to use for some …
TIME for Yellow Journalism
If you look up the definition of “yellow journalism” you should find a picture of last week’s TIME Magazine cover story – which was renamed “Getting Real about the High Cost of Cheap Food” – after first being headlined “America’s Food Crisis and How to Fix it.” Wikipedia gives several characteristics of yellow journalism that fit this attack on modern …
Proud to be an Omnivore
While in North Carolina for the Boehringer Ingelheim Swine Health Seminar over the weekend, I had some of the best pork I have ever eaten. The hotel served up a fresh whole hog with a tasty vinegar sauce that was fabulous. The best thing about the airport in Charlotte (which I spent an inordinate amount of time in on Sunday) …
Barley Bin Builder Winner
Osage Bio Energy, along with co-sponsors Perdue AgriBusiness, the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation and General Motors, recently announced the overall grand prize winner of the 2009 Barley Bin Builder Yield Contest. Bobby Hutchison of Hutchison Brothers Farms in Cordova, MD, won the grand prize of a brand new GM Flex Fuel pickup truck with his yield of 130 bushels per …
Football Great to Keynote Farm Bureau Meeting
Quadruple Super Bowl champion quarterback and Pro Football Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw is the keynoter for the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 91st annual meeting in Seattle on January 11, 2010. “Terry Bradshaw is an All-American icon, recognized for his accomplishments both on and off the field,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman. Bradshaw is renowned for his professional accomplishments in …
Swine Seminar Synopsis
We have had a couple of comments asking if the Boehringer Ingelheim Swine Health Seminar presentations will be available for those who were not able to attend, and the answer is yes. Ned Arthur (pictured here at work) with Truffle Media Networks was at the event taking photos and video and doing interviews, all of which will be posted along …
Precision Ag for Swine Production
Livestock producers could take a cue from their crop brethren and adopt some precision technology to be more efficient. That advice comes from ag economist and swine industry specialist Dennis DiPietre, who spoke at the Boehringer Ingelheim swine health seminar in North Carolina on Friday. “It’s a really interesting road map what has been going on with precision agriculture techniques,” …
Oral Fluid Testing for Hogs
Testing saliva for human diseases has been around for as long as a century, but it was only about a decade ago that someone thought it might work for livestock as well. The swine industry is getting very close to being able to detect the presence of disease in a herd using a rope that pigs can chew on and …