The 2016 Prospective Plantings report out today from USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) shows farmers expect to plant more corn and less soybeans this year. U.S. corn growers expect to plant 93.6 million acres to corn this year, the first increase in corn planted acreage since 2012 and, if realized, will be the third largest corn acreage since 1944. …
Agronomist Authors Children’s Book on Soybeans
In honor of Soy Foods Month this April, an agronomy professor has created an interactive book to help spread the message of Coolbean the Soybean and teach youngsters in grades 3-5 how to think like scientists about the important field of agriculture. “I wanted to develop a fun, yet educational, tool to help teach today’s youth about where food comes …
#LibertyLink Seed Still Available
Spring has sprung and planting has already begun in some areas, but there’s still time to include Bayer Liberty® and LibertyLink® soybeans this crop year. At the recent Bayer AgVocacy Forum, we talked with Al Luke, Bayer U.S. strategic business lead for row crops, about the LibertyLink system. “We’ve had great uptake this year, we think our sales will be …
Renewable Soy Warms Houses
Most people first notice cabinets, light fixtures and paint colors when they walk into a home, but one of the most important remodeling or new home building decisions is what is hidden behind those features– insulation. And now soy foam insulation is becoming an accepted choice, like wind or solar energy says Tom Decker, owner of Chicago Green Insulation. Decker’s …
Research Confirms Yield Advantage for LibertyLink
For the second year in a row, field tests show LibertyLink soybeans yield better than Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans. A collaboration between multiple university researchers and cooperators planted side-by-side field trials across various soil types. The trials were designed to measure a yield comparison of both herbicide systems. “We wanted growers to be able to look at the two …
#RealYield Game Was a Winner
There were lots of winners in the Bayer LibertyLink® Real Yield Game that you might recall us promoting at the end of last year. Among them were five farmers who were instant winners, receiving 500 acres of LibertyLink soybean seed and Liberty herbicide, and one grand prize winner who gets a year’s lease on a John Deere 8320R tractor. Even …
#LibertyLink #RealYield Grand Prize Winner
The grand prize winner in the Bayer LibertyLink Real Yield Game was revealed last week at the Commodity Classic to be Rick Juchems of Iowa, who received a year’s lease on a John Deere 8320R tractor. Juchems is a corn and soybean farmer who also custom feeds hogs. He learned about the game from the Iowa FFA Alumni Association and …
#Classic16 Celebrates Decade of Scholarships
BASF Crop Protection, the American Soybean Association (ASA), National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), and the National Wheat Foundation (NWF) celebrated ten years of rewarding future agriculture industry leaders with scholarships during the 2016 Commodity Classic last week. A past scholarship winner who now works for BASF as a tech service rep had the honor of presenting the awards this year. …
Vilsack Makes 7th Appearance at #Classic16
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has appeared at every Commodity Classic since he was confirmed, making this year the seventh time he has addressed corn, soybean, sorghum and wheat farmers. “Farmers are the linchpin of this country. They are the heart and soul,” said Vilsack, who concentrated much of his remarks on the importance of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) for …
ASA and NCGA Talk Grower Issues at #Classic16
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) and the American Soybean Association (ASA) held press conferences during the 2016 Commodity Classic to discuss several key issues facing the industry and highlight the efforts currently in place to create solutions to the challenges that have been facing growers. Representatives from NCGA focused their press conference around the current state of the farm …