This is a guy who really loves fungi. Mycologist Dr. John-Bryan Speakman is a research scientist with BASF Fungicide Research and you wouldn’t believe how excited he can get talking about fungi. But some of them are really very pretty. I never knew there were so many different types of fungi with so many colors and shapes and sizes. We …
Prescreening Process for BASF
Making new compounds for crop protection is no overnight process and we got to learn a little bit about how it is done during our visit to the BASF research facility in Limburgerhof, Germany last week. Our first stop at the research facility was prescreening, where Dr. Franz Rohl explained some of the steps they take in looking at the …
BASF R&D
I am in Japan now with Chuck and will be spending much of this week posting interviews and pictures from last week’s BASF trip while Chuck is covering the IFAJ events. So, I am starting at the beginning of the trip and posting the interviews with BASF executives done after the global press conference September 12. Research and development of …
Competing Crop Solution Companies Monsanto and Dow Launch Joint SmartStax Innovation
The competition in crop protection is getting rather friendly. Two of the largest suppliers of technology-based agricultural solutions in the U.S., Monsanto and Dow AgroSciences, are teaming up in the unprecedented release of an eight-gene stacked corn combination. See the Zimfo Bites Melissa posted for media event information. Monsanto and Dow AgroSciences LLC, a subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, …
Pairing Propane and Power
Some of the latest propane technology pairs propane with solar power to offer hybrid electricity generation systems. Stuart Weidie, Chairman of the PERC Research and Development Advisory Committee, says experts are looking at coupling propane with more than just solar energy though. I spoke with Stuart about the various opportunities his panel has been researching in combined heat and power …
Texas Railroad Commission Highlights Propane Technology
The Railroad Commission of Texas is the organization hosting the 2007 Propane Technology Forum here in Austin, TX. Propane is a key interest of the commission’s Alternative Fuels Research and Education Division. I spoke to Director Dan Kelly about some of the highlights of today’s featured speakers. You can listen to my interview with Dan here: Kelly_Dan.mp3 Dan expanded on …
Roush F-150 Burns Propane Fuel
Chuck has already posted information on the innovative use of propane as motor fuel from Roush Manufacturing, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to interview Roush representative Tom Arnold myself. Not to mention the application of propane as motor fuel is certainly interesting enough to cover more than once. You can listen to my interview with Tom here: Roush_Tom.mp3
Putting the Heat on Cotton
Paul Funk is one of the experts at the 2007 Propane Technology Forum who has taken all the talk about innovative propane research a step further. Paul is a scientist with the USDA-Southwestern Cotton Ginning Research Laboratory. He is among the first to put heat defoliation of cotton with propane into practice. Paul and I discussed what he’s encountered out …
Propane Heat Remediation Ideal for Organic Farmers
Paul Funk’s heat defoliation of cotton isn’t the only way propane-generated heat is being used. Temp-Air scientist Raj Hulasare says propane heat remediation is an ideal solution for treating bins, silos, and other storage vessels for pests. He adds that propane heat remediation is a particularly viable option for certified organic farms, which are restricted from using many chemicals to …
Pest Control with Propane
Several experts in the propane industry mentioned the innovative use of propane as an insecticide at the 2007 Propane Technology Forum, but Robert McGee with Texas A&M Agriculture Research is the expert whose presentation focused solely on propane’s capability to eliminate pests. In a brief interview, Robert and I reviewed the main idea of his presentation. You can listen to …