It was obvious Syngenta was excited to talk about all the new and innovative things they have going on in the soybean and corn labs at the recent National Association of Farm Broadcasting’s annual Trade Talk. I spoke with Scott Erickson, Soybean Genetics Portfolio Manager for Syngenta. He shared how they are tackling all the things that can rob yields …
Deeper Roots, Strong Yield With Drought-Tolerant Corn
A root comparison study conducted this season at Monsanto’s Gothenburg Water Utilization Learning Center in Gothenburg, Neb., provided a dramatic demonstration of just how important a deep, strong root structure is to help corn plants withstand drought conditions. The research program evaluated the performance of a DEKALB® drought-tolerant corn product versus two competitor products – a Pioneer® Optimum® AQUAmax™ hybrid …
Optimum AQUAmax For Water-Limited Environments
Drought hasn’t yet been moved to the back burner as companies like Dupont Pioneer make it a priority to engineer products to help farmers in times of uncontrollable circumstances. National Association of Farm Broadcasting’s Trade Talk gave agri-businesses a voice to share their latest products. I sat down with Janelle Buxton, Marketing Communication Manager in Corn for Dupont Pioneer. She …
EPA Denies Ethanol Waiver Request
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has denied a petition by the governors of poultry producing states that would have waived the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and its requirement for ethanol in the nation’s fuel supply. In its decision to deny the request, EPA said Friday that the RFS itself is not causing economic harm and that suspending the standard would …
Corn Farmers Have Anthem Option
After years of planning, research and development, FMC has finally received EPA registration on the new herbicide, Anthem for broad spectrum weed control. “What we’re really excited about is that it brings excellent control to the table of resistant weeds, whether it be trazine or glyphosate resistant,” said Roger Webster with FMC Corporation. “We’re seeing longer lasting control with this …
Ag Group Leaders Trade Talk on Policy
Having the National Association of Farm Broadcasting annual meeting start the day after a presidential election gives leaders of agricultural organizations plenty to talk about at Trade Talk. In this edition of the ZimmCast, we hear from farmer leaders, lobbyists and staff members with eight different agricultural and renewable energy organizations commenting on the election, farm bill, fiscal cliff and …
New NCGA President Meets Press at NAFB
Pam Johnson of Floyd, Iowa has been president of the National Corn Growers Association for just over a month now and Thursday she had her first real opportunity in that position to “meet the press” at the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB). Pam is the first woman president of NCGA but she takes exception to the idea that she …
Generational Differences Among Farmers
New research shows how the management style of younger dairy producers and corn growers compares and contrasts with that of their older counterparts. The survey, commissioned by McCormick Company, considered management practices, ownership structures, decision-making processes, business and transition planning, and the role of information — including digital media — in running respondents’ operations. What the study found was that …
Soybeans Up, Corn Crop Down a Bit
The October USDA crop production report out this morning took a little bit more off the corn crop but increased the soybean crop by nine percent. Corn production is forecast at 10.7 billion bushels, down slightly from the September forecast and down 13 percent from 2011. This represents the lowest production in the United States since 2006. Based on conditions …
Corn Harvest More than Double Time Ahead
Farmers are more than double-timing it on the corn harvest this season. As of this past weekend, USDA reports that 69 percent of the crop was harvested, compared to 28 average for this time of year. Several corn belt states are running way, way ahead of normal, like Minnesota and Iowa, which normally have around 11-17% of the corn harvest …