During the G-7 summit in France Sunday, President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shook hands on a deal “in principle” that involves agricultural products. “(We) have excess corn in various parts of our country, with our farmers, because China did not do what they said they were going to do,” said President Trump. “And Prime Minister Abe, …
GROWMARK Foundation to Provide FFA Jackets
After the unexpected passing of GROWMARK vice president and long-time employee Mike Builta in April 2019, the GROWMARK Foundation is helping his family to honor his memory by providing FFA jackets to FFA members in Illinois. “In the weeks and the days after his passing, his wife approached us and asked if the GROWMARK Foundation could become a place to …
Managing Costs During Tight Margins
Margins are tight in the ethanol industry, and for a number of reasons from political to regulatory to economic. John Christianson, Principal, Christianson PLLP, told those attending the 2019 American Coalition for Ethanol Conference that successful plants have to be strategic and focused. “It really comes down to leadership and it comes down to a laser focus,” said Christianson. “The …
FMC Working on New Herbicide Modes of Action
It’s been a long time since the industry has seen a new mode of action in herbicides, so FMC is excited to be working on some they hope to launch in five to ten years. “We haven’t had a new mode of action in herbicides in 30 years,” said FMC Field Development Representative Scott Swanson at the recent Ag Media …
Ethanol Industry Has What It Takes
It was a somber yet determined group of ethanol industry representatives that met last week in Omaha for the American Coalition for Ethanol 32nd annual conference, in the wake of the EPA granting another 1.43 billion gallons of refinery waivers. ACE CEO Brian Jennings says they had a tough and honest board meeting prior to the start of the conference. …
Ethanol is Number One Priority for Grains Council
Ethanol is the number one priority for the U.S. Grains Council today, according to USGC CEO Ryan LeGrand, who spoke at the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) conference last week in Omaha. “There’s nothing more important to us right now than ethanol,” said LeGrand. The council has seven priority markets, with Mexico being one of the most significant. While the …
Nebraska Governor Thanks Ethanol Industry
Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts welcomed members of the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) meeting in Omaha this week by thanking them for what they do. “Ethanol is a very important industry, on a national and on a state level,” said Gov. Ricketts, noting that Nebraska is the second largest ethanol producing state in the nation with 25 plants employing 1400 …
FMC Offers Fall Residual Herbicide Program Advice
FMC is recommending growers aim for a zero tolerance policy when it comes to weeds, according to Brandon Schrage, technical service manager. Schrage said preventing weed growth in the seedbank is particularly important. “What we want to see is that fall residual being applied once soil temperatures are 50 degrees and falling. That’s going to ensure that our product is …
Coming Soon from Farm Market iD
With a database of over 2.4 million active operations, Farm Market iD is already the leading provider of farm and grower data to inform and improve agribusiness strategy, marketing and sales efforts. But the company is aiming to launch a new product soon for even more specialized data. “What we’re essentially doing is monitoring fields on behalf of our clients,” …
Syngenta Strengthens Digital Tools for Growers
Syngenta is focused on building practical tools for growers and advisors when it comes to technology and data, according to Marcos Castro, business development manager for digital agriculture. Castro shared a number of those tools with those attending the 2019 Ag Media Summit in Minneapolis, including a partnership with Sony on the company’s Smart Agriculture platform, the Seed Selector tool, …