If there were an award for crop disease of the year, it would be a tie between two types of leaf spot this year, according to FMC Technical Service Rep Nick Hustedde. “In corn, we’ve had a tremendous amount of grey leaf spot…in soybeans, it seems like frogeye leaf spot’s the clear winner,” said Hustedde, adding that both are caused …
Meet Cargill’s Cowboy Robot
Cargill has developed the first ever robotic cattle driver to improve both animal welfare and employee safety. The robots are designed to move cattle from pens to the harvest area, reducing stress to the animals by minimizing their proximity to human activity. Employees operate the robots from a catwalk located above the pens, reducing safety risks by keeping those who …
On-Farm Audits Improve Dairy Profitability
When Alltech On-Farm Specialist Jeff Johnson evaluates a dairy farm, he concentrates on three specific areas – the people, the cows and the milking equipment. Johnson said all three factors have to be integrated together for the farm to work efficiently and effectively. He said there are some challenges to maintaining equipment and the milking environment, including weather that can’t …
Hubbard’s TRTM Program Having Positive Impact
Hubbard shared information about its Total Replacement Trace Minerals (TRTM) program with dairy producers at the 2018 World Dairy Expo. The program will enable animals to increase their genetic potential, resulting in improvements in production, health, reproduction and growth, according to dairy nutritionist Angie Manthey. “It takes into consideration not only the form, but also the amount of the trace …
New America’s Pig Farmer of the Year Named
The National Pork Board has named Patrick Bane, a pig farmer from Arrowsmith, Illinois, as America’s Pig Farmer of the Year for 2018. The award recognizes a pig farmer who excels at raising pigs using the We Care ethical principles and who connects with today’s consumers about how pork is produced. Raising pigs has been a life-long passion for Bane, …
Balanced Dairy Rations Improve Herd Nutrition
Each dairy farmer has different nutrition goals, based in part on what forages are available on farm. Hubbard dairy nutritionists like John Pretz help farmers with regular nutrient analysis so they can optimize the forages that are available and identify supplements that might further improve herd production, reproduction, and overall animal health. “I think we’ve absolutely evolved over the last …
Busting Myths About Mycotoxins
Misconceptions about mycotoxins can cause problems for cattle producers. One of the biggest myths out there is that most mycotoxin challenges are caused by weather. And while weather can play a role, it’s more often field agronomic practice and insect damage that are the larger culprits when it comes to mycotoxin development, according to Pat Crowley, on-farm specialist with Alltech. …
BASF Arkansas Field Day
BASF held a field day last week in Marion, Arkansas to meet with groups of retailer staff and talk about the what the new BASF portfolio has to offer, particularly for soybeans (Credenz) and cotton (Stoneville). There was limited in-field opportunities for the day due to rain, but there was still a lot to share. BASF Cottonseed Marketing Manager Rachel …
Plant Biotech Pioneer Retires from Syngenta
Syngenta recently celebrated the remarkable career of Mary-Dell Chilton during a recognition event on her retirement at age 79 after a 35-year career with the company. Chilton is widely recognized as a founder of modern plant biotechnology, after she and her research teams demonstrated that Agrobacterium is an effective vehicle for DNA transfer and produced the first transgenic plant. Her …
BASF Celebrates Cotton with Texas Tech
The annual Celebrate Cotton Texas Tech football game provided the perfect opportunity for BASF to show off its branded BASF Seed Innovation Center. Attendees were provided with tours that included both the Trait Development Building and the BASF Crop Analytics laboratory. After the tours media were able to meet with BASF leadership for one on one interviews. Then it was …