This year’s winner of the Borlaug CAST Communication Award was Dr. Channapatna Prakash, who gave a keynote presentation during the award ceremony entitled, “Everything I Know about GMOs, I Learned on Social Media”. Currently the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Tuskegee University, Prakash was instrumental in establishing the prestigious plant biotechnology research and training program at …
Role Model for Women in Agriculture
Krista Lottinsville is the grand prize winner of Syngenta’s Drive to Thrive contest. The contest asked growers to describe how agriculture drives their communities to thrive. Lottinville won the challenge with her essay and video submission describing how agriculture nurtures the talents of young women with leadership skills and how it helped her grow professionally. “I love agriculture, and I …
Young Ag Journalists Develop Leadership in New Zealand
Ten young ag leaders representing ten countries are gathered in New Zealand to continue to develop their leadership skills and further their professional development in ag journalism. The International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) boot camp is sponsored by Alltech and provides the journalists with opportunities for presentations, interactive group sessions, and even a visit to a local dairy. Matthew …
Total Factor Productivity Can Increase with Precision Ag
Total Factor Productivity (TFP) is a way to measure outputs versus inputs and the key tool of the annual GAP Report produced by the Global Harvest Initiative. This year’s report, “Global Agricultural Productivity Report: Building Sustainable Breadbaskets,” was released during World Food Prize and John Deere’s Kelly Winquist provided a preview of how countries are doing with TFP. “So its …
White House Announces Companies’ Climate Pledges
The White House has announced additional commitments from companies across the U.S. who are joining the American Business Act on Climate Pledge to reduce their environmental footprint and use of natural resources. Eighty-one companies have signed on the dotted lines including many in the agricultural arena including Cargill, Campos Brothers Farms, Coca Cola, General Mills, Hershey’s and more. The companies …
USFRA Chooses New Director of Communications
Kevin Aandahl has been announced as the new Communications Director of the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA). The Alliance, an organization that fosters dialogue on food issues to build trust in America’s agriculture is excited to welcome Aandahl on board. “I’m very pleased that Kevin is on our team since he brings more than 25 years of diverse expertise …
John Deere Int’l Mobile Training Unit Sees Success
During the during the World Food Prize I had the opportunity to learn about a new mobile training unit pilot program from Geoff Andersen, director, Global Citizenship and Strategic Planning with John Deere. The unit was first used in Ghana and Kenya to help more than 60,000 farmers learn how to increase productivity. Andersen was in country to work with …
Don’t Forget- AgGateway Early Bird Ends Soon
Don’t miss your opportunity to receive the early bird discount for the AgGateway Annual Conference! Register by Friday for the best rates for your team and trading partners. You’ll also be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a free hotel upgrade. This year’s AgGateway Conference is November 9-12 in San Antonio, Texas. The theme is “Business Agility …
Play Real Yield Game – Bayer Contributes to Local FFA
Did you know that for every Real Yield Game you play Bayer will make a donation to your local FFA on your behalf? Yep. Here’s how you play: Visit www.realyieldgame.com and click on the promotion link. 1. Complete all fields in the registration or log-in process. 2. Select five fields in the game area to spray Liberty® to reveal incremental …
New Zealand’s Minister of Primary Industries
The Honorable Nathan Guy, Minister of Primary Industries for New Zealand, is basically the counterpart of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in this country and he was delighted to welcome the 2015 International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) Congress to “little old New Zealand.” “This is a significant event for New Zealand,” said Guy of the 33 countries represented at the …