The Sorghum Checkoff, Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission and Kansas State University (KSU) have entered into a cooperative agreement to increase grain sorghum productivity and expand markets by 2025. Coordinated efforts for the Collaborative Sorghum Investment Program will begin April 1st, 2016, and operate through the Center for Sorghum Improvement at KSU. Results will impact sorghum producers throughout the country. “After …
Phytobiomes Roadmap Released
A collaboration has released a new Phytobiomes Roadmap that presents a new vision for agriculture to increase health, productivity, and sustainability of current cropping and forest systems. Led by the Phytobiomes organization, the Roadmap, according to the group, outlines a strategic plan for acquiring critical knowledge of how all of the components on a farm interact and affect each other. …
New Sustainability Initiative by @GROWMARK
One of the definitions of sustainable is “able to endure or continue for a long time” and that is the main characteristic that GROWMARK has chosen to focus on with a new system sustainability initiative. GROWMARK Executive Director of Agronomy Marketing Ron Milby says the initiative fits in with the cooperative’s overall goals. “Our mission statement is ‘To improve the …
International Year of the Pulses in 2016
2016 has been declared as the International Year of Pulses (IYP) by the United Nations. Pulses are edible grain legumes – think pinto, kidney, garbanzo, lentils, and peas. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization wants the public to recognize pulses “as a primary source of protein, fiber, and other essential nutrients.” “We want to increase awareness of the importance of …
UAS Registration Required By FAA Starting Dec 21
Today the FAA announced new regulations requiring drone (UAS) registration for recreational and hobby users of UAS. The registration process is for owners of small unmanned aircraft weighing more than 0.55 pounds and less than 55 pounds, including payloads such as on-board cameras or sensors. Those 13 and older who have purchased a drone prior to December 21, 2015, must …
Panel On Taking Cover Crops Mainstream at #ASTACSS
During a session on Taking Cover Crops Mainstream at the ASTA CSS/Seed Expo this week, a panel of representatives from across the industry spoke about their experiences with cover crops, the work they’ve done on either their farm or in their business, and the impact cover crops can have on soil health. Two growers who integrate cover crops on their …
Iteris and BASF Join in Precision Ag Weather Agreement
Iteris and BASF have entered into an agreement to leverage Iteris’ ClearAg high-resolution field level weather information. Under this agreement, Iteris’ ClearAg™ high-resolution, precision hail information will be integrated into BASF’s suite of precision agronomy sales and customer support tools. BASF sales and customer support staff will have access to Iteris’ field-level hail information, including descriptions of hail events by …
GROWMARK Highlights 2014 Achievements
A new report from GROWMARK highlights the company’s achievements in the fields of agronomy and energy production during the past year. This company news release says Fiscal Year 2014 was in the top five income years in company history, with volume records in agronomy and energy products coupled with significant investments in information management technology and infrastructure improvements leading to …
Crop Health Laboratories Presents Sap Analysis Seminar
Available for the first time in North America, Plant Sap Analysis is transforming the landscape of American agriculture. With proven success in Europe for over 10 years, this technology reveals nutrient deficiency four to six weeks before standard tissue analysis. Crop Health Laboratories is hosting a Power Growers Seminar, November 7-8, 2014 in Santa Clara, inviting growers, researchers, and consultants …
Analysis of Soil Samples Using LIBS
Science is fun. Let me explain. During the Vedesian Life Sciences Los Alamos Media Tour we learned about a cool soil sampling technology coined Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LBIS). In an attempt to not use to much technical jargon, LBIS is a focused pulse laser beam that generates a microplasma (think spec or dot). From here, the emission from the plasma …