The issue at the top of the list for the farmer leaders of the American Soybean Association (ASA) and the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is trade. “In the last marketing year, over 60% of the soybeans in the U.S. were exported, compared to 55% just a year ago,” said ASA president Alan Kemper of Indiana during a press conference …
Food Check-Out Week Focuses on Healthy, Nutrition Food
Farmer and rancher members of many local Farm Bureaus are reaching out to consumers in their communities during Food Check-Out Week (Feb. 20-26) by offering information and cost-saving tips on putting nutritious meals on the table. “Stretching Your Grocery Dollar With Healthy, Nutritious Food,” the official theme of Farm Bureau’s Food Check-Out Week, reflects the fact that Americans from all …
AsgrowMobile.com
With mobile apps on my mind, my attention was caught by a billboard in the Monsanto/Asgrow booth at the National Farm Machinery Show for AsgrowMobile.com. It’s not an app but a smartphone friendly website for growers to find the latest soybean information that includes a Rep/Dealer Locator, Seed Resource Guide, Yield Information and more. I spoke with Kirby Bacon, Asgrow, …
NFocus Forums for Agribusiness in August
Major corn and soybean producers and agribusiness suppliers will convene this August for the NFocus Forums for Agribusiness. “We are providing the opportunity for 30 to 40 large-acreage corn and soybean producers to meet in one-on-one private sessions with key suppliers,” says Kim Nicholson, managing partner of NFocus Partners, LLC. “With the number of producers farming 5,000 acres or more …
BASF Research Shows Products Increase Yields
At a recent grower seminar in Chicago, BASF Crop Protection announced the results of a comprehensive 2010 crop protection study that shows how using a portfolio of BASF products can help increase corn and soybean yields. Small-scale replicated field studies in soybeans and corn conducted at university and BASF research sites throughout the Midwest found “an average 9.1 bu/acre increase …
Helping Soybean Growers Understand Their Top Customer
This morning Dave Russell, Brownfield Network (right), moderated a United Soybean Board teleconference at the International Poultry Expo. Participating was Dwain Ford (center), USB Director and a soybean farmer from Kinmundy, IL and Mousa Wakileh, General Manager, National Poultry Co., Jordan. On a side note, I met Mousa on a U.S. Grains Council trip to his country a little over …
Gundersen Named Soybean Research Lab Director
Associate Professor Craig Gundersen has been selected as the Director of the National Soybean Research Laboratory (NSRL) at the University of Illinois in Urbana – Champaign. Gundersen is an accomplished scholar, educator, author, and one of the nation’s foremost experts in the areas of food insecurity research and the evaluation of food assistance programs. He is Associate Professor in the …
Big US-Chinese Soybean Deal Signed
As the president of China was flying in for a quick visit to the Windy City on Thursday, representatives from China’s 10 largest soybean crushers were signing agreements to purchase 110 million bushels of U.S. soybeans during a ceremony held in Chicago. The purchase is worth $1.8 billion and more bushels are expected to be committed tomorrow. A similar purchase …
Classic Comments From ASA VP
Smooth Sailing at Commodity Classic in Tampa, FL sounds really good right now. I spoke with American Soybean Association VP, Bob Worth, about the upcoming annual event. He farms in Minnesota and was in between a rain storm and a blizzard so I know he’s looking forward to heading south at the beginning of March. Bob says we’re going to …
Novozymes Acquires EMD/Merck Crop BioScience
Novozymes had acquired EMD/Merck Crop BioScience from Merck KGaA for US $275 and marks the company’s third major purchase in the agricultural biologicals sector in the past three years. EMD/Merck Crop BioScience is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and the majority of the company’s activities take place in North and South America. Novozymes has spent the past few years building up …