American Seed Trade Association Chairman, Mike Gumina, Pioneer Hi-Bred, welcomed everyone to this morning’s general session at the ASTA convention. I visited with him to find out to learn more about ASTA and what to expect at this year’s meeting. Mike says ASTA is a broad based organization representing over 700 companies. “We like to say everything from alfalfa to …
Ag Secretary Addresses ASTA
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, addressed the American Seed Trade Association this morning during their 129th Annual Convention. I’ll have audio of his remarks posted here shortly. The theme of the start of Sec. Vilsack’s comments is “you can’t have it without seed,” which ties right in with the theme of the convention, First-the Seed. He used this line …
ASTA Members Hear from House Ag Leaders
Members of the American Seed Trade Association were on Capitol Hill today getting updates on farm legislation from Congressional leaders, including House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK) and Ranking Member Collin Peterson (D-MN). Chuck was there with them today during a busy day for progress on the 2012 Farm Bill, with the Senate whipping through amendments at lightning speed. …
New Mississippi River Basin Conservation Projects
Today Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that $8.4 million in financial assistance is available to support 23 new partnership projects in several Mississippi River Basin states under USDA’s Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative (MRBI). On the phone with reporters to talk about it this morning was NRCS Chief David White, seen here talking with participants in the recent Conservation …
BASF Plant Health Alive and Well in Canada
There were a good number of agricultural journalists from Canada at the recent BASF Agricultural Solutions Media Summit in Chicago, which highlighted both the differences and the similarities in the crop protection market compared to the U.S. One of the breakout panels for Canadian agriculture journalists at the event featured Canadian farmer Wayne Black, director of the Ontario Federation of …
Bailey Ballou 2012 LMA Champion Auctioneer
The 2012 Livestock Marketing Association’s (LMA) World Livestock Auctioneer Champion is Bailey Ballou of Elgin, OK. Bailey participated in a press conference call just now which I thought I’d share with you in case you couldn’t be on it or are interested in what Bailey had to say. The competition was held last Saturday in Turlock, CA. If you listen …
Southeast AgNet Announces AgNet West
Southeast AgNet introduces a new venture, AgNet West Media, LLC. The company has just announced the newly formed joint venture with California farm media personality Patrick Cavanaugh, Farm Director, and Laurie Greene, West Coast operations (pictured below). The company will operate AgNet West Radio Network, local farm radio network for stations and listeners in California and the western region. I …
BASF Stresses Doing More With Less
Sustainability is an overused term, according to Nevin McDougall, Senior VP for BASF Crop Protection, North America. “Getting more productivity, more efficiency, with less impact on our resources and our environment – that’s what it’s all about,” Nevin told me at the conclusion of the 2012 BASF Agricultural Solutions Media Summit in Chicago last week. Nevin was very pleased with …
Looking at the Future of Farmers
How the world’s farmers will handle feeding the projected 9 billion people the earth is expected to have by 2050 … and where those farmers to feed that hoard will come from … was the subject of a presentation to the BASF Agricultural Solutions Media Summit in Chicago last week. Christophe Pelletier, futurist and president of Happy Future Group, told …
World Faces Economic, Not Caloric, Famine
Farmers of the world are producing enough food to meet the demands of wiping out all hunger in the world. But hunger still exists. Why? Dr. Chris Mallett, Corporate VP of Research and Development for Cargill explains it’s a case of economic, not caloric, famine. “[It’s] not the lack of ability to feed people, but it’s the lack of willingness …