With 45 countries in attendance, the International Conference on Precision Agriculture truly had an international feel to it. And many are hoping to take what they learn back home to apply to their agricultural operations. “We’re trying to promote farmers to work as scientists to help themselves,” said Rachel Nwakwasi, a poster presenter from the Federal University of Technology Owerri …
Understanding Beef Board Committee Structure
Polly Ruhland, CEO of the Beef Board, is making a point in answer to a question during the first Beef Board business session in this photo. I spoke with Polly to get a better understanding of the new committee structure that was approved during that session. Polly explains the process that led to the proposal for restructuring that was presented …
Cattle Industry Summer Conference Going Well
The President of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association is J.D. Alexander. I talked to him about how the Cattle Industry Summer Conference is going. He says it’s going well in spite of challenges like the drought. There are over 700 people registered which is about normal for this meeting. When it comes to the weather related issues affecting the industry …
National Beef Quality Audit Updated
During the Cattle Industry Summer Conference the results of the 2011 Beef Checkoff funded National Beef Quality Audio were released. It shows that progress has been made but that there is still room for improvement. To learn more about it I spoke with Tom Field, Director of the Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program at the University of Nebraska. He’s a fifth …
Getting to Know Raven Industries
The Raven Innovation Summit this week was a great chance to get to learn more about this dynamic and diverse company that manufacturers precision agriculture solutions. This year was the 10th Innovation Summit and the first time that the company invited media to attend the event that brings Raven partners from around the world to company headquarters in Sioux Falls, …
Precision Ag More than Just Tools and Technology
With the introduction of conservation and horticulture, precision ag is branching out. “This is an indication that precision agriculture goes beyond just tools and technology. It’s really a mindset,” said Steve Phillips with the International Plant Nutrition Institute and moderator of a session entitled, Precision A to Z for Practitioners III, at the recent International Conference on Precision Agriculture in …
Raven Offers Solutions for Farmers Worldwide
Raven Industries is helping farmers all over the world be more productive and efficient with precision agriculture solutions. At this week’s Raven Innovation Summit, I talked with Karl Erichsen of Effective Farming Solutions in Middleburg, South Africa who has been a distributor for 12 years. Karl says precision farming is very important in South Africa because of the wide variety …
MAPPing… Mobile App’ing… MapShots’ Software
Conferences are always great for seeing the latest and greatest in equipment and software, and the International Conference on Precision Agriculture in Indianapolis, IN was certainly no exception. Making the rounds through the vendors’ displays, Chuck caught up with Tim Taylor from MapShots, who told him about the latest apps his company has to work with their precision agronomy software …
Raven Makes Connections with Slingshot
Slingshot® was officially introduced by Raven at AG CONNECT Expo in January 2010. Just two and a half years later, this innovative use of wireless connectivity over cell phone networks is helping farmers all over the world get cost effective secure access to critical operating data. “It allows data to move from the tractor to the farm or to the …
Wyffels: Hybrids Are Better than 1988
A lot of talk about this year’s drought has drawn comparisons to the devastation of the 1988 drought. But during the the Wyffels Hybrids Corn Strategies event at the Harmon Farm in Vincent, Iowa, Wyffels’ Rick Buresh explained that corn is better able to stand dry conditions these days. “Drought tolerance of hybrids is so much better than what is …