The 2014 American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Annual Convention is right around the corner in San Antonio, TX. January 12-15 marks the organizations 95th convention and the event is expected to attract 6,000 farmers and ranchers from across the country. Cindy caught up with AFBF’s Mace Thornton, Director of Communications, during the National Association of Farm Broadcasting’s Convention where he …
ASTA Takes Seed Theft Seriously
As the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) was concluding its annual seed research conference and trade show in Chicago last week, word came that arrests had been made in two separate conspiracies to steal seed and trade secrets of U.S. companies. ASTA president and CEO Andy LaVigne says they were pleased that the U.S. government took swift action on a …
BASF Advanced Seed Enhancement is Global
At the ASTA CSS 2013 and Seed Expo last week, we heard about the BASF portfolio of Advanced Seed Enhancements including inoculants, colorants, and biological and chemical seed treatments. Much of this new portfolio comes from the BASF acquisition of Becker Underwood in late 2012, according to Alyson Emanuel, Vice President of Global Business Management for BASF Functional Crop Care. …
Nufarm Tackles Weeds
Nufarm’s recent event allowed farm media to see first hand their facilities, ask the questions growers from across the land are asking and learn a little bit more about the ever-changing industry. Meghan Grebner with Brownfield caught up with Bob Bruss, Technical Services Manager for Nufarm during the event and talked with him about the company and where they are …
International Seed Federation Update
Illinois Foundation Seeds president Tim Johnson is currently serving as the elected president of the International Seed Federation (ISF), which represents seed industry interests on a global level. Tim gave an ISF update during the first general session of the ASTA 2013 CSS last week, first pointing out to attendees that as members of the American Seed Trade Association they …
AgAccord is Complete
The big topic at last year’s ASTA CSS 2013 and Seed Expo was The Accord, which is an industry agreement developed to provide a mechanism to transition from proprietary biotech events to off-patent or generic biotech events. Just prior to the expo this year, the second part of what is now called the AgAccord was opened up for signature. That …
ASTA Chair Looks Ahead to Annual Meeting
Finally caught up with American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) chairman Craig Newman as I was heading out of the hotel to go home Friday morning so I caught a quick interview. Craig says the expo this year was great with a record number of exhibitors. “In fact, it’s just bulging,” he said. “Sometimes we think that the industry’s consolidating when …
What’s Next for ARC?
Boehringer Ingelheim’s, Dr. Dale Polson, wrapped up their PRRS Seminar with answering the question of, “What’s Next for ARC?” Dr. Polson works to development strategies for services and products at Boehringer Ingelheim. His talk at the seminar was themed on the “Playing the PRRS Behavior Game.” He shared that PRRS honors no boundaries and that it’s also about many other …
Utilizing Vaccinations for PRRS Virus
Boehringer Ingelheim provided the opportunity for the big questions to be asked about the PRRS virus during their recent PRRS Seminar in Chicago. Swine Vet Center’s, Dr. Tim Loula, shared his insight into effective PRRS protocols and how to better utilize ARC programs. Dr. Loula said that the current vaccination for PRRS could be better, but right now it’s all …
ASTA CSS Session Focuses on Seed Treatment
The second general session of ASTA CSS and Seed Expo focused on seed treatments and pollinator health. Dr. Iain Kelly with Bayer CropScience focused on seed treatment and pollinator health. Declining pollinator health is currently attracting considerable scientific and media interest. A recent report summarizing the conclusions of USDA’s National Stakeholders Conference on Honey Bee Health outlined the various factors …