Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “Which group should restaurants consider experts on animal care?” Recently many folks in agriculture participated in an online thank you campaign for Domino’s Pizza. Why? Because the restaurant chain made a decision based on good humane animal practices and did not give in to the demands of the animal activist group HSUS. According to …
Locust Trace AgriScience Farm
Locust Trace AgriScience Farm is the newest career and technical high school in Lexington, Kentucky with energy and environmental being key factors in the facility design and agriculture being the educational focus. Locust Trace features spacious classrooms with adjoining labs, 6.5 acres for gardening, a state-of-the-art greenhouse with an aquaculture area for raising native fish, a soaring auditorium with a …
Iowa Great Grower Pleased with Progress
Another of our 2012 BASF Great Growers is Steve Miller of West Union, Iowa in the northeast part of the state. He farms with his dad Henry and is pictured here with his adorable son Cam – the picture of a true family farm! I was actually supposed to interview Steve and his dad back in the freezing December of …
Farm Families Return to DC This Summer
The nation’s top crop and the farm families who grow it will return to the U.S. capital this summer for the fourth year in a row as part of the Corn Farmers Coalition educational program that debuts June 1, at Union Station, an important venue for reaching policymakers inside “The Beltway.” Corn farmers from 14 states and the National Corn …
USDA Invests in Mississippi River Basin Water Quality
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and its partners will invest nearly $32 million this year in financial and technical assistance for five water quality and wetlands improvement projects in seven Mississippi River Basin states. When fully implemented, the projects will prevent sediment and nutrients from entering waterways, decrease flooding and improve bird and …
Thank Domino’s Ag Pizza Party Weekend
We know what’s for dinner tonight – Domino’s Pizza! This weekend has officially been declared “Thank Domino’s Ag Pizza Party Weekend” by the agriculture social media community. It is our way of saying thanks to the pizza corporation for not caving into the demands of HSUS (Humane Society of the U.S.) Last month, Domino’s Pizza shareholders voted against a resolution …
SojaBook Social Network For Farmers
Have you considered how farmers are communicating socially outside of our United States? Of course, many are doing so through Facebook, Twitter, etc. just like farmers here. But there are also a number of social networks being developed. Here’s one that came to my attention via Twitter last night. It’s SojaBook. SojaBook is the social network that connects you with …
Mixed Corn Planting Intentions
Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “With all of the discussion on projected corn acres this year, how many acres of corn do you expect to plant this year?” A full third of respondents said More than 2,000 acres. That was followed by less than 200 acres at 27%; 200-500 acres at 23%; 1,501-2,000 at 7%; 1,001-1,500 at 7% and …
Driving a New Holland Combine
My personal thrill at the New Holland Mega Media event this week was test driving a CR8080 combine. Never drove anything like it before and it was so easy! You may not realize it, but New Holland is kind of a big deal in combines. “New Holland was the first company to launch a rotary combine in the market,” Combine …
Victory for Kids in Agriculture
Agricultural organizations are pleased that the U.S. Labor Department has officially withdrawn proposed rules that would have prevented many young people from working on farms and ranches. “The Obama administration is firmly committed to promoting family farmers and respecting the rural way of life, especially the role that parents and other family members play in passing those traditions down through …