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 …
A Record-Setting Commodity Classic
The 2011 Commodity Classic is one for the record books. Attendance at the annual meeting of corn, soybean, wheat and sorghum growers shattered previous records. Total attendance was more than 4826, breaking the previous record at Nashville three years ago by almost 300. Total number of growers was over 1600, compared to the previous record of 1513 in 2009 in …
BASF Presents Kip Cullers Bobblehead
On behalf of a number of well-wishers in the agricultural world, BASF Crop Protection congratulated soybean yield world champion Kip Cullers during a special presentation at Commodity Classic in Tampa, Florida. Kip, a corn and soybean grower from Missouri, is a rock star in the ag world. He set yet another new world soybean production record in 2010 – for …
BASF Announces NCGA and ASA Scholarships
Along with the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA)and the American Soybean Association (ASA), BASF Crop Protection announced the winners of six scholarships during the 2011 Commodity Classic on Thursday in Tampa. This is the fourth year for both scholarship programs. “BASF is dedicated to providing the next generation of agricultural industry leaders with resources to further their education and advance …
Trade Top Issue for Corn and Soybean Leaders
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 …