USDA lowered its forecast for 2009 corn production and yields in the latest report out today, but increased the soybean estimate. Corn production is forecast at 12.9 billion bushels, down 1 percent from last month but 7 percent higher than 2008. Based on conditions as of November 1, yields are expected to average 162.9 bushels per acre, down 1.3 bushels …
BASF Headline Harvest Report – Purdy, MO
At least some farmers are finished with their harvest. BASF sent me to southwest Missouri last week to visit with a couple of farmers in Purdy about their harvest. I told you last week about world famous Kip Cullers’ harvest, today we hear from his neighbor, Curtis Schallert – who also uses Headline fungicide, by the way (no coincidence!). Curtis …
Agriculture Evolves Under Ag Leader Technology
Precision farming took a step forward this week as Ag Leader Technology of Ames, Iowa and AutoFarm of Fremont, California joined forces to provide auto steering and assisted steering solutions to the marketplace. “We think the combination of the two companies’ products is going to provide some great efficiencies to the end user,” says Dave King, Ag Leader Marketing Communications …
Obama Signs HR 2997 Into Law
David Bennett with the Western Farm Press just posted this news alert about President Barack Obama signing HR 2997, a emergency stimulus package that could benefit farmers. Here is the most recent news on the topic… President Obama has signed legislation providing fiscal 2010 appropriations — $121 billion — for the USDA, the Department of Health and Human Services, and …
Husker Farmer Tweets Harvest Video
The Husker Farmer is harvesting some corn in south central Nebraska. “Finally” as he puts it. He is Ryan Weeks and you can find him active on Twitter as @huskerfarm. He’s another farmer using new media tools himself to tell his story and let the public know what farming like in America today. (Still amazes me that while so many …
We Really Do Love Farmers
According to a new poll, we really do love farmers. A nationwide survey conducted for the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) found broad public respect and trust for family farmers and support for corn as food, feed and fuel. Ninety-five percent of those polled find farmers to be trusted messengers on issues such as agriculture, corn products and ethanol – …
Farming for Generations
Yes, Virginia, there really are family farmers in the United States. The National Corn Growers Association wants the public to know that family farmers not only exist, but are the critical factor that make the nation’s number one industry the world leaders in production of safe and wholesome products. Polling shows that many Americans no longer understand agriculture in their …
Truth About Trade and Technology Honors Irish Farmer
Farmers from around the globe gathered in Des Moines this week to participate in the 2009 Global Farmer-to-Farmer Roundtable, which is held in conjunction with the World Food Prize and hosted by Truth About Trade and Technology. The group honored one of their own today with the 2009 Kleckner Trade & Technology Advancement Award which recognizes a farmer for “exemplary …
Climate Change is BAD Topic
Thursday is Blog Action Day (BAD) and the topic this year is Climate Change. Food production is top on the list of suggested ideas for bloggers to write about in an alert sent out by organizers. “Agricultural production around the world is responsible for nearly as much greenhouse gas emissions as all forms of transportation put together, so it shouldn’t …
Syngenta Seeds Striving for Control of Broad Leps
Syngenta Seeds calls them “broad leps” – farmers call them expensive – most people would just call them icky. They are a bunch of nasty wormy creatures – technically lepidopteran corn pests – that make up what Syngenta calls the “multi-pest complex” which costs growers over $1 billion each year in lost yield and grain quality. They include corn earworm, …