A brand new crop of young people received scholarships at the 2016 Commodity Classic from three organizations and BASF. The American Soybean Association (ASA), National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), and the National Wheat Foundation (NWF) all joined in the presentation of scholarships to assist promising individuals with their future agriculture academic endeavors. For the 10th year in a row, BASF …
Ethos XB Offers Convenience and Protection
While FMC has always been close to Southern growers, offering exceptional base brands like Mustang Maxx, Hero, and Command 3ME, the company’s portfolio has recently evolved to even better suit Southern corn and soybean growers. One of the company’s latest additions is Ethos XB, a fertilizer-ready insecticide and fungicide that aims to protect young seedlings in a complete crop protection …
Supreme Court Declines Chesapeake Bay Review
There will be no Supreme Court review of the Environmental Protection Agency’s total maximum daily load (TMDL) restrictions in the Chesapeake Bay region, referred to as EPA’s “blueprint” for restoring the bay. The American Farm Bureau Federation and a coalition of agricultural and builder groups asked the Supreme Court last November to review a lower court ruling that “allows the …
Senate Ag to Consider Labeling Bill
The Senate Agriculture Committee will meet this week to consider a draft bill proposed by Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) to address labeling for genetically modified foods. Roberts calls the Biotechnology Labeling Solutions legislation draft “a framework to find a solution for a patchwork of laws.” With a labeling law in Vermont set to be implement in July, Roberts says they …
USDA Secretary at #Ethanol Conference
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visited the National Ethanol Conference this week for the last time in the position he has held under President Obama for both terms. During his appearance, Vilsack announced some good news for the ethanol industry – new research showing significant improvement in ethanol production efficiency. According to the study, between 1991 and 2010, direct energy use …
2015 NCGA Yield Winner Speaks At #NFMS16
Attendees at the National Farm Machinery Show had the chance to hear from Randy Dowdy, a 2015 NCGA Yield Contest Winner. Dowdy farms in southern Georgia and claimed the first place prize in the irrigated category with a high yield of 486.1594 bushels/acre. During his presentation, Dowdy explained that a near 500 bu yield doesn’t happen overnight. For years, he …
Ethanol, Farmers and Politics in Iowa
With the Iowa caucuses coming up on Monday, agriculture and renewable fuels finally got some attention in the Republican debate last night, as Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas was asked about his position on the Renewable Fuel Standard. “We should be developing oil and gas and coal and nuclear and wind and solar and ethanol and biofuels but I don’t …
Family is Emphasis of Corn Growers Photo Contest Winner
The grand prize winner in the National Corn Growers Association’s (NCGA) 2015 Fields of Corn Photo Contest struck a special chord with the judges as it highlighted the joys of family farming and sharing a love of agriculture with future generations. This news release from the NCGA says the photo of a father and young daughter playing in a corn …
The Nature Conservancy Supports Soil Health
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) provides technical support for the Soil Health Partnership (SHP), and it’s something that fits in well with the organization’s mission “to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends.” “The Nature Conservancy has been working in agriculture for several decades,” says Larry Clemens, TNC North American Agriculture Program Director. “We’ve been wanted to scale …
Soil Health From the Ground Up #SHPsummit16
The Soil Health Partnership (SHP) is not even two years old yet, but already the group has made some great strides in learning more about soil health to share with farmers. Hans Kok is a field manager for SHP in Indiana, where the second Soil Health Summit is being held this week. “We’re setting up a network of demonstration farms …