Got soil? Go outside and dig your fingers in it. It’s World Soil Day! Here’s a message from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service on how important healthy soil is and how using conservation practices like no-till can help farmers take better care of their land. When soil is heavily tilled, the stalks from the previous crop are chopped, and the …
FedEx Delivers Early Christmas Present for Troops
FedEx Corp. is spreading holiday cheer to America’s service members and their families this season with a special delivery of more than 17,000 live Christmas trees. For the past nine years, Trees for Troops has brought together FedEx, the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation and tree farmers from across the country to ship real Christmas trees to service members overseas and to …
Discussing Future of Fed Conservation Programs
The Farm Bill is still up in the air on Capitol Hill, and that’s why the folks at Farm Foundation have set up another of their free forums not too far from where Congress will be discussing the legislation’s future. In this next forum on Wednesday, Dec. 4, at the National Press Club in downtown Washington, D.C., the group has …
What is Conservation Agriculture Worth?
The Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) Dialogues are right around the corner. The panel discussion will focus on the economic and ecological benefits of agricultural conservation systems. Conservation tools, measurements for economic and ecological benefits, long-term economic returns and their effects on producers’ decision-making processes and conservation trends that will affect agriculture in the next five years are all topics …
Jason Weller Appointed Chief of NRCS
Congratulations to Jason Weller on his appointment as Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service where he has served as acting chief the last eight months. Jason is pictured at the recent CTIC Conservation in Action Tour. Here are some notes from the notice about his appointment. As Acting Chief, Jason has moved swiftly to transform NRCS’s Administrative Functions; support …
Monsanto Part of CTIC Conservation Efforts
Monsanto was one of the sponsors on the recent Conservation Technology Information Center tour in Livingston County, Ill., and Chuck caught up with the company’s Emilio Oyarzabal, who said the CTIC’s work is very important to Monsanto and its customers. “We need agriculture more than ever,” Emilio said, but he added that farmers are being accused of doing environmental damage. …
Investing in Illinois Soil’s Wealth
“The wealth of Illinois is in her soil, and her strength lies in its intelligent development.” That quote was from one of the first presidents of the University of Illinois almost 200 years, but attendees of the recent Conservation Technology Information Center tour in Livingston County, Ill., heard it reiterated by Jean Payne, President of the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical …
Corn Growers Adopting New Conservation Practices
The National Corn Growers Association is very supportive of the work of the Conservation Technology Information Council. That certainly makes sense as corn farmers have a strong desire to better manage their land in a sustainable way. During the 2013 Conservation in Action Tour, Dan Cole, corn grower (left in photo) and member of the NCGA Production & Stewardship Action …
Stabilizing Nitrogen Important for Conservation Tillage
I want to say a big thanks to Koch Agronomic Services for being the sponsor of our coverage of the 2013 Conservation in Action Tour again this year. During the tour I visited with Greg Schwab, Director of Agronomy. He says that some of the products they make help farmers do conservation tillage. One of the challenges is maintaining the …
Case IH’s Long History with CTIC
Case IH has a long history with the Conservation Technology Information Center, so it just makes sense that they were an overall sponsor and sponsored dinner one evening during the tour in Livingston County, Ill., at Rooster Heaven, a hunting club near the Vermilion River. Chuck caught up with Alan Forbes with Case IH, who serves on the CTIC board …