At the Ag Media Summit I visited with Russ Berndt, Becker Underwood. I asked him what’s new. Russ says one of the relatively new products he’d like to point to is their Vault HP product line. He says they had a phenomenal increase in sales last year. You’ll hear him explain why in our interview. He says that the ag …
BASF Offers Advice for Downed Corn, Uneven Crops
As I traveled though Illinois last week, the corn was looking pretty good – until I started heading west on I-88 and began seeing the aftermath of the straight line wind storm that traveled a path across eastern Iowa and through northern Illinois on July 11, leaving lots of downed corn in its wake. Growers who were hit are understandably …
Farm Foundation Reports on What’s Driving Food Prices
The agricultural policy organization Farm Foundation, NFP released a new report today on What’s Driving Food Prices for 2011. Foundation president Neil Conklin says the report is a follow up to similar studies they commissioned when prices were up in 2008 and 2009. “The purpose of the report this time is to provide both policy makers in the public sector …
Anthem From FMC
The Midwest Technical Lead for FMC Agricultural Products is Gail Stratman. He conducted one of our FMC Summer Plot Tour classes both inside and outside today. I sat down with him afterward to learn what’s new with FMC. Gail says Anthem is what’s new. Anthem is a new pre-plant, pre-emergence and early post herbicide currently being developed by the company. …
FMC Summer Plot Tour
Hello from York, NE and the first of a series of summer plot tours by FMC. Today we’ll be learning what’s new with product names like Capture, Cadet, Anthem and Authority. Our day starts inside with several presentations before departing for the fields. This is my first opportunity to work with FMC and I’m looking forward to learning more about …
In The Field
The past four years of my life has been dedicated to agriculture in Central Illinois. Every Tuesday during the planting, growing and harvest seasons we would catch up with agronomist from different parts of WMBD and WIRL’s listening area to see how things were looking as the growing season progressed. I was able to develop a great relationship with area …
Importance of Panama Canal Highlighted
With soybean exports doubling over the last ten years and the continued demand for US soy, the question arises can we handle it? Now, we know we can physically make that happen. We plant, grow and harvest more efficiently and effectively than any other country in the world, the concern arises if our ports and infrastructure will last the next …
Supporting The Iowa Food and Family Project
Soybeans came up on the program at the Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit in the form of Aaron Putze, Director External Relations, Iowa Soybean Association. He thinks it’s time to reflect on blessed we are in this country to have abundant food and thank the people who produce it. He gives a startling statistic that forty percent of the food …
USB Biobased Stakeholders’ Workshop
Hello from “I wish it was warm and sunny” Cleveland, OH. Today the United Soybean Board is holding a Biobased Stakeholders’ Workshop and I’m on the scene to capture it in photos and interviews. I’m primarily posting onto the USB Biobased Solutions Blog and will also post some items here. This morning we’ll have Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan with …
USDA Releases 2011 Prospective Plantings Report
USDA expects more corn, wheat and cotton to be planted this year, but slightly less soybeans, according to the Prospective Plantings report released this morning. Corn growers intend to plant 92.2 million acres of corn for all purposes this year, up 5 percent from last year and 7 percent higher than in 2009. If realized, this will be the second …