Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced the creation of the Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research (FFAR), authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill, and the appointment of a 15-member board of directors. The 15 voting members of the board include a former agriculture secretary, a number of university professors, a representative from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, an executive …
Busy Week in DC for Corn Growers
Members of the National Corn Growers Association had a busy week in the nation’s capital last week – hearing from and meeting with administration officials and lawmakers, saying goodbye to retiring industry leaders, and inspiring new young leaders. One of the highlights was an update from EPA Deputy Administrator Bob Perciasepe on the proposed Waters of the United States rule. …
Find the Iowa Corn Farmer at RAGBRAI
If I wasn’t getting on the agriblogging highway next week I’d like to be on RAGBRAI. Not going to happen this year. But we can enjoy the social media content that I’m sure will be coming. Iowa Corn has a unique promotion going on that’s tied in with the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa called Find the Farmer. …
American Ethanol Winning Races
Ever since I met Ryan Hunter Reay as the driver for the Indy Team Ethanol Car I’ve been following him as his racing gets better and better. He showed it this weekend when he roared to a dramatic finish and won the Iowa Corn Indy 300, presented by Dekalb. He’s pictured here with board members of Iowa Corn. With the …
Ag Groups Take Issue with Interpretive Rule
EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy’s promise that under the proposed rules defining Waters of the United States (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act (CWA) “all normal farming practices are exempt – period” may be falling on deaf ears in the agriculture community. McCarthy is visiting Missouri this week to explain the proposed rules but she faces an uphill battle from the …
Winning Seasons with BASF Headline AMP
Growers across the country have experienced the many ways BASF Headline AMP® fungicide has a positive impact on their corn crops during the season. In addition to managing disease pressures throughout corn fields, proactive use of Headline AMP fungicide provides Plant Health benefits including growth efficiency and stress tolerance which can help increase stalk strength and reduce lodging, leading to …
NCGA Climbs to New Membership Heights
National Corn Growers Association membership set yet another membership record at the end of June, with 41,185 active members. This membership record replaces the former record of 40,797, set in April. Notably, the April record concluded a three-month run of consistent record membership. “The membership records just keep coming in 2014, and we couldn’t be more excited,” said NCGA President …
Updates on BASF Headline AMP and Priaxor
In the last, but certainly not least, category – we have BASF Technical Marketing Specialist and Doctor of Plant Medicine Brianne Reeves. Brianne is my last post from the BASF 2014 Ag Media Summit, but she is never least! At the media event, Brianne talked about in-furrow and foliar applications of BASF fungicides, including Headline AMP on corn and Priaxor …
Illinois Corn Interns Summer Promotional Videos
Let’s put those interns to work. That’s what Illinois Corn is doing. Interns Tim Marten, a student at SIU-Edwardsville, and Elizabeth O’Reilly, a student at ISU, have been tasked with creating short videos that promote corn. The internships are funded by two communications scholarships from the Illinois Corn Marketing Board. Here’s an example of one of them below. You can …
USDA Acreage Report Released
More soybeans and less corn planted this year, according to the USDA planted acreage report released today. USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is estimating a record high 84.8 million acres of soybeans planted in the United States for 2014, up 11 percent from last year, while corn acreage planted is estimated at 91.6 million acres, down 4 percent from …