The Illinois Corn Growers tent was the location for a press announcement for the “Keep it for the Crop by 2025” program. Illinois agriculture organizations announced today a new, collaborative program to promote, implement and track the rate of adoption of enhanced nutrient stewardship practices by Illinois agricultural producers. “Keep it for the Crop by 2025” will focus on the …
FFA Update At Farm Progress Show
I ran into DeLoss Jahnke, FFA Marketing/Communication Specialist (center), at the Farm Progress Show. I had not seen DeLoss since shortly after I left the Brownfield Network once upon a time. At that time he was our Indiana reporter. With him was Geoffrey Miller who works with him in communications at FFA. The guys were out at the show to …
Blackberries as Alternative Midwest Crop
During the Farm Progress Show I sat down and visited with Richard Barnes, Trellis Growing Systems, to talk about how and why he got started growing blackberries and a whole system now for other farmers. He says he started growing blackberries about eleven years ago on the family farm. Like a lot of growers, he had problems with his trellis …
Liking Ag Leader Technology On Facebook
If you want more friends on Facebook all you’ve got to do is ask. That’s what Ag Leader Technology (Precision Pays sponsor) was doing in their new permanent Farm Progress Show building this week. Here’s Lori Costello (left) and Katie Beeler with the t-shirts that are part of the I like Ag Leader Technology promotion. I talked with Katie about …
Farm Progress Show Progress
I have to confess that working in air conditioning beats the 102 degrees in the media tent around noon yesterday! It may have been a cooker out there but this year’s Farm Progress Show was great in a lot of ways. Attendance seems fantastic and with the great weather all of the demonstrations were able to run as scheduled. This …
Corn and Ethanol Catch up at FPS
The media tent is always a great place for people in the industry to catch up with each other – like Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen and National Corn Growers Association incoming president Garry Niemeyer of Auburn, Illinois. I talked with both of them about challenges in Washington, ethanol policies, and the ability of corn growers to …
Farm Progress Show Field Demo Hosts
I was out watching the field demos in the hot sun yesterday and was pleased to meet the hosts of the demo plots Dawn and David Brix. “We take care of about 225 acres that we use for combine and tillage tune up and then Tuesday and Wednesday during the shows we have demos out there,” David told me. They …
Noonish With Plenish
Yesterday Cindy and I got to have a great noon lunch courtesy of Chef Charlie Baggs and Pioneer Hi-Bred. Chef Charlie was doing cooking demonstrations using Plenish, high oleic soybean oil which has “0g trans fat, less saturated fat and the highest amount of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat available in soy.” He cooked us some excellents brats with carmelized onions, peppers …
Final Day of Farm Progress Show Heating Up
Welcome to day three, the final day, of the 2011 Farm Progress Show. The sun is up and it’s going to be a hot one with a high forecast at 103 degrees. Drink plenty of water and get your sunscreen on. This photo is from high on top of the Brock grain bin next to the New Holland Media Tent. …
Politics at Farm Progress
Farm Progress Show is always a great venue for policy makers to meet with farmers and talk about issues important to them, like a new farm bill and government regulations. National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) First Vice President Garry Niemeyer brought his own U.S. Representative Bobby Schilling (R-IL) in for a press conference on Tuesday to share some of perspectives …