2013 marks the 15th year for the Southern Peanut Growers Conference and the agenda this year is once again chock full of opportunities to learn more about the latest products and equipment, what’s going on in Washington, and how marketing and research is making the peanut industry better, more sustainable and more profitable than ever. It all starts today so …
Whaley Joins Wheat Growers
It’s now official. Our good friend and ag industry veteran Hugh Whaley has joined the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) and the National Wheat Foundation (NWF) as director of corporate relations. Though we have known Hugh for nearly 30 years now, this is the best fairly recent photo I could find. And Chuck just saw him a month ago! …
Corn Growers in Washington
Corn farmers from across the country are in Washington this week to discuss policy issues and visit with lawmakers during another crucial point in the quest for a five year farm bill. “We’re getting very close to deadlines again, so there’s 21 days left to act” before the current bill expires, said National Corn Growers Association president Pam Johnson of …
2013 InfoAg Conference Sets Record Attendance
It’s all good at the 2013 InfoAg Conference on precision agriculture. Attendance is at a record above 1,100 at current count. Two years ago it was at 700! And now the conference is moving to every year and will be in St. Louis, MO in 2014, Union Station Hilton, July 1-3. Steve Phillips, Southeast Region Director for the North American …
Case IH’s Long History with CTIC
Case IH has a long history with the Conservation Technology Information Center, so it just makes sense that they were an overall sponsor and sponsored dinner one evening during the tour in Livingston County, Ill., at Rooster Heaven, a hunting club near the Vermilion River. Chuck caught up with Alan Forbes with Case IH, who serves on the CTIC board …
InfoAg Conference Underway
The 2013 InfoAg Conference is underway in Springfield, IL. It’s time to learn what’s new in the precision ag realm and I’ll be doing that for the next couple days courtesy of our sponsor, Ag Leader Technology. This three day conference is brought to us by the International Plant Nutrition Institute. It has grown so much that it will be …
Farmers Want to Save Nitrogen, Too!
Contrary to what seems to be reported many times, farmers don’t want to see their field nutrients washed on down the river to contribute to some “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico. “Farmers don’t want nitrogen to leave their fields. They want it in their corn crop,” explained Tim Smith during the recent Conservation Technology Information Center tour in …
Cover Crops Improving Soil Health
When I attended the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Tour last year it was in the middle of the drought and the ground was so dry that Roger Windhorn, USDA-NRCS, couldn’t even find moisture when he dug a soil pit. Different situation this year since he found water about 30 inches down on the Bachtold farm. Roger was giving a presentation …
CTIC Tour Host Big Believer in Filter Strips
Healthy soils are products of good management practices. And topping the list of practices for Terry Bachtold (shown getting an appreciation present for all his hard work of hosting), one of the host farmers for last week’s Conservation Technology Information Center tour in Livingston County, Ill., is using filter strips. “I’m a big believer in filter strips,” he exclaimed. “Whether …
Good Drainage Key to Managing Watershed Runoff
On the recent Conservation Technology Information Center tour in Livingston County, Ill., we’ve talked a lot about nutrients draining into the local watershed and how to prevent that. Part of that formula includes controlling any water drainage from the land, and Phil Algreen with Agri Drain, a company that specializes in drainage management, talked to the crowd about some of …