Thanks to the efforts of the Pork Checkoff, pork producers now have a tool that will allow them to calculate their carbon footprint. The “Live Swine Carbon Footprint Calculator” was unveiled today at World Pork Expo by the National Pork Board. Pork producers Randy Spronk of Minnesota (pictured) and Roy Henry of Kansas did the introduction, as well as Rick …
AgChat Discusses EPA Over Regulation of Farming
Over regulation by the EPA was the topic of last night’s AgChat which I had the pleasure to moderate once again. It was an interesting conversation as always and we had some very different points of view expressed. And that’s what it’s all about. How often do you participate in a conversation where everyone agrees? Nothing wrong with that. Here’s …
His Royal Highness, Prince of Sustainability
In addition to meeting with President Obama, His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales gave the keynote address at “The Future of Food” conference at Georgetown University, sponsored by the Washington Post. Since the prince has “tried to farm as sustainably as possible for some twenty-six years” he was about the closest to an actual farmer that the conference had …
How Do uShip Ag Equipment or Livestock
If you’re shipping heavy ag equipment or livestock then uShip has some ideas they asked us to pass along. A big one is what to do with an empty truck or trailer after it makes a drop off. How about putting something in it for the return trip? It can not only save you money but helps the environment at …
Proud to be Biofools Nominees
Friends of the Earth (FOE) has paid us a great compliment. We – both me and Chuck – have been nominated for the prestigious “Biofool of the Year” award! The award was established by FOE “to recognize leaders that promote dirty biofuels” – especially corn ethanol – and was won last year by then House Agriculture Committee chairman Collin Peterson …
Agriculture’s Incredible Shrinking Footprint
American agriculture has a great story to tell of increasing productivity while at the same time decreasing its environmental footprint. The first of the Town Hall Forums held Saturday at AG CONNECT Expo in the Successful Farming Innovations Theater was “The Shrinking Environmental Footprint of Agriculture” which was moderated by former National Resources Conservation Service chief Bruce Knight, a third-generation …
I Farm to Feed the World
During the Farm Progress Show, Bayer CropScience kicked off a new initiative called, “I Farm to Feed the World,” in an effort to raise awareness about the need to decrease global hunger amidst a growing population. I spoke with Mark Wrucke about the program and he said, “We’re a global organization and we realize ag has some real challenges coming. …
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 …
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. …
More Organic Matter Good For Soil
Making a sponge out of dust. That was pretty much the theme of remarks and a demonstration we saw on the Conservation in Action Tour at the Davis Family Farm. Conducting the demo was Chris Lawrence, cropland agronomist with Virginia NRCS. The point of his message was how no-till farmers are working to create more organic matter in their sandy …