The emcee for the North Carolina Swine Health Seminar is David Gocken, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica North America National Sales Manager for the Swine Group. I spoke with him before we got started to get an overview of the program here. David says this is the 10th annual seminar that BIVI has conducted and although it has been in different places, …
No-till Cotton Provides Conservation Opportunity
During the Conservation in Action Tour one of our farm stops was the Carter Farm where we met Jon Black (pictured left). He gave us a presentation on no-till cotton which he is standing in. I caught up to him on the phone afterward since we didn’t have time for an interview there. Jon says continuous no-till farming is the …
There Is Truth In Food
When it comes to food we all need a little bit of truth. Well, maybe a lot of truth. So TruthInFood.com sounds like a good idea. To learn more about this intriguing project I spoke with Mike Smith, Food Chain Communications. Mike and I had a great conversation about understanding why people from both production agriculture and the urban consuming …
Novus in the Beef Market
While there is no big trade show at the Cattle Industry summer conference, the major animal health partners in the beef and dairy industry still have a presence, and one of the newer players there was Novus International. Novus introduced itself to the beef industry during the Cattle Industry Conference in January, with the help of a mechanical steer named …
Wyffels Brings Producers, Developers Together with Corn Strategies
Hello from Texas, where the family and I have been spending the last few days trying to get roots set down. Just getting caught up after the last couple of weeks of packing up the moving truck and searching for a home in this region. It’s been quite a process (picture the Clampetts, loaded down vehicles, but using a 26′ …
Conservation In Action Tour Wrap-up
Conservation Technology Information Center Chairman Tim Healey, AGROTAIN, gave us a preview of the Conservation in Action Tour. Now you get to hear his wrap-up following the CTIC board meeting. Tim says the tour was a real success and I echo that. We learned a lot about what farmers are doing in this Chesapeake Bay area and especially in the …
Corn Farming While Protecting The Environment
Not all the farmers I met during the Conservation in Action Tour were making presentations. One of them was Wayne Kirby, Virginia corn farmer and Chairman of the Virginia Corn Board. Wayne says a lot of people are interested in agriculture in their area and especially what’s happening with the Chesapeake Bay restoration effort. Wayne says he’s glad to be …
Representing Diverse Farm Interests In Chesapeake Bay Area
One of our Conservation in Action Tour bus speakers was Katie Kyger Frazier, V.P. Public Affairs, Virginia Agribusiness Council. Her group represents agriculture and forestry interests on the state level with over 40 different commodity organizations as members. She says that farmers unify around what’s best for the industry and the Chesapeake Bay area restoration project has really brought diverse …
Precision Ag Evangelist
Harold Reetz is one of the board members for the Conservation Technology Information Center and has formed Reetz Agronomics. I spoke to him following the CTIC board meeting. He says he just retired after 28 years with the International Plant Nutrition Institute. But he’s not retired from working. In my interview you’ll hear about some other things he’s involved in. …
The 4R Nutrient Stewardship System
Representing The Fertilizer Institute on the Conservation in Action Tour was Kathy Mathers, V.P. of Public Affairs. I spoke to Kathy during the Conservation Technology Information Center board meeting that followed the tour to Nutrient stewardship is on the top of the list for TFI according to Kathy. She says they’re promoting the 4R Nutrient Stewardship System which means using …