Americans Score IFAJ Awards

Cindy Zimmerman

ifaj13-yara-awardsAmerican ag journalists were honored for their work in the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) Star Prize contests, results of which were announced last week at IFAJ’s World Congress in Rosario, Argentina.

A Progressive Farmer team of American Agricultural Editors’ Association (AAEA) members Gregg Hillyer, Barb Baylor Anderson, Charles Johnson, and Howard G. Buffett – took home the IFAJ-Yara Award for Sustainable Agriculture Reporting for “Bursting at the Seams.” Charles, pictured on the right here, accepted the award for the team.

This was the first IFAJ Congress that Charles ever attended, so he was pleased that it coincided with his team receiving this prestigious award.Interview with Charles Johnson, Progressive Farmer

ifaj13-photo-pigsIn the IFAJ Star Prize for Photography competition, AAEA member Dean Houghton picked up a distinguished recognition in the Production category for “Loading pigs.” The overall winner in this year’s IFAJ Star Prize for photo excellence, sponsored by DeLaval, was Peter Risteviski of Australia for his photo “I won’t abandon you.”

Other American winners in the IFAJ contests were Steve Baragona of Voice of America, who received third place for Sustainable Agriculture Reporting with his online story “Blended organic-conventional farming could feed world” published in voanews.com. Baragona and Voice of America colleagues Kane Farabaugh and Michael Burke also scored a runner-up plaque in the IFAJ Star Prize for Broadcasting’s Video competition for “A Dry Season.” AAEA member Jennifer Latzke of High Plains Journal – who attended the Congress as an IFAJ-Alltech Young Leader – also won a runner-up nod in the Online category for “The 12 Days of Agriculture.”

Information on all the winners can be found on the IFAJ website.

2013 IFAJ Congress Photo Album

Coverage of the 2013 IFAJ Congress is sponsored by Novus International and Dupont Pioneer
Audio, IFAJ, Media

John Deere Applicator Makes Sidedressing Easier

Leah Guffey

_DSC2085On display at the Farm Progress Show in the John Deere exhibit was the new 2014 2510L Liquid Fertilizer Applicator, designed for more precise liquid fertilizer placement into the soil to make sidedressing easier.  

“The 2510L enables customers to maximize crop yields through more accurate and timely liquid fertilizer placement,” says Travis Harrison, product specialist from John Deere. This latest model is available in two different models with vertical folds that are 30- and 40-foot with a side fold widths up to 66 feet. There are 18 spacing and control options and Deere is offering one of the largest tank options, up to 2,400 gallons.

John Deere offered the media a look at all the new equipment a few weeks ago and farmers got their first look at the Farm Progress Show.  Orders have already started rolling into dealers all over the world as fertilizer application just got a bit easier with in sync sidedresser capabilities.

Listen to Travis explain more here: Interview with Travis Harrison

2013 Farm Progress Show Photo Album
 

Agribusiness, Audio, Equipment, Farm Progress Show, John Deere, Precision Agriculture

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  • A young Kenyan scientist who made major breakthroughs in combating the deadly aflatoxin mold contamination that occurs in stored grain was named the 2013 recipient of the prestigious “Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application, Endowed by the Rockefeller Foundation.”
  • Sony Pictures Television Ad Sales and Rural Media Group, Inc., have signed a national representation agreement for commercial advertising sales for the company’s rural and western lifestyle themed satellite/cable delivered networks, RFD-TV, RURAL TV, and RURAL RADIO on SiriusXM Channel 80.
  • Cargill’s pork business broke ground this week for construction of a new, $29-million, state-of-the-art, feed mill in Hedrick, Iowa.
  • The Nebraska Soybean Board is investing $3 million to create the first Presidential Chair in Soybean Breeding at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
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Argentinian Citrus Grove

Cindy Zimmerman

ifaj13-orangesWe told you earlier about our visit to La Campiña, owned by Cesar and Mónica Cahen D’Anvers, near Rosario, Argentina. The main crop grown on this farm is oranges – both a local variety and navels – and they are cultivated for export to mostly European markets as well as in the making of various juices, jams, jellies and candies that are sold on the farm.

In the video below, La Campiña farm operators explain the varieties and how they are maintained, as well as how they are working to keep the grove from becoming infested with citrus greening, which is a disease well known to Florida citrus growers and to Argentina’s neighbors in Brazil.


2013 IFAJ Congress Photo Album

Coverage of the 2013 IFAJ Congress is sponsored by Novus International and Dupont Pioneer
Citrus, Farming, IFAJ, International, Video

Teen Restores John Deere Tractor for Charity

Cindy Zimmerman

Image 3About seven years ago, 16-year-old Austin Rhoda of Chenoa, Illinois was a leukemia patient at St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Memphis, TN. After several years of successful treatment, he decided to give back to that organization that helped him and his family so much by doing something he loves – restoring old tractors, selling raffle tickets and donating the proceeds back to St. Jude’s.

Austin had his latest project on display at the Farm Progress Show in the John Deere exhibit – a restored 1951 John Deere A Tractor that is being raffled off this month with all proceeds going to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Interview with Austin Rhoda on restoring John Deere for charity

2013 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

Audio, Events, Farm Progress Show, John Deere, Tractor

BASF Expands RTP Faciity

Cindy Zimmerman

While we were in Argentina last week, BASF held a ribbon cutting to officially open its $33 million facility expansion in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.

basf-ribbon-cutting“This expansion demonstrates BASF’s strong commitment to Agricultural Solutions and strengthens our research and development capabilities”, said Peter Eckes, President BASF Plant Science. “This investment demonstrates our commitment to our employees, our neighbors and the state of North Carolina.”

North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory, Commissioner Steve Troxler, U.S. Representative David Price, Mayor of Durham William Bell and other guests from government, business and academia were invited to join BASF employees at the event.

“A significant share of BASF’s insecticide research is conducted in RTP. These larger facilities will enable us to evaluate our promising insecticide candidates faster,” said Nevin McDougall, Senior Vice President, BASF Crop Protection North America.

The facilities include a climate-controlled greenhouse and laboratories for plant biotechnology research and a new environmentally-controlled insect production facility to expand insect control research.

Photo courtesy of BASF. Pictured left to right: Congressman G.K. Butterfield, Congressman David Price, President of BASF Plant Science Peter Eckes, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory, Senior Vice President of BASF Crop Protection Nevin McDougall and City of Durham Mayor William Dell.

Agribusiness, BASF, Biotech, Crop Protection

Telling #MyFarmBill Story on Social Media

Chuck Zimmerman

USDA LogoUSDA and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack are urging you to tell your “MyFarmBill” story via social media. In support of the effort they’ve crated an Instagram account, USDAGov. Here’s the message:

At USDA, we remain committed to sharing with all Americans the need for a comprehensive Food, Farm and Jobs Bill to keep up momentum in American agriculture, grow the rural economy and create jobs. And today, we launched Instagram, @USDAgov, to highlight photos and videos from around the country that bring into your home the dynamic beauty of rural America and the hard work of people who live there.

But that’s not all – we want to hear from you!

Secretary Vilsack kicked us off by asking you to share your stories on what the Food, Farm and Jobs Bill means to YOU and your communities. Using your Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or blog, we are inviting you to help us tell this important story and to highlight the impacts that these programs have on our nation’s rural and urban communities alike. Use the hashtag #MyFarmBill and we’ll share some of our favorites.

We can’t wait to hear from you.

Message from Sec. Vilsack

So start tweeting, blogging, podcasting and let your voice be heard.

Audio, Farm Bill, Social Networking, USDA

Gauchos Herding Livestock Across River

Chuck Zimmerman

Gauchos herding cattleAfter a dusty day on the trail during our IFAJ Congress livestock farm tour in Argentina’s Entre Ríos province we got a welcome change of pace with a boat trip on the Paraná River. Our boats all took us to where we got a front row seat as gauchos herded horses and cattle across the river. It turned into a beautiful afternoon with the sun shining. As we got to the crossing we could hear the gauchos in the distance through the brush as they brought the herds to the river. Then they kept them going and swam on their horses along with the livestock to the other side where they turned back around and did it again. It was fascinating to watch.


2013 IFAJ Congress Photo Album

Coverage of the 2013 IFAJ Congress is sponsored by Novus International and Dupont Pioneer
Farming, IFAJ, International, Livestock, Video

Argentina Farm Tour

Chuck Zimmerman

Dust on the TrailDuring the 2013 IFAJ Congress many of us participated in a livestock tour that focused on one farm in the Entre Ríos province. Throughout the major portion of the day we were taken from location to location on dirt roads in trailers pulled by tractors and trucks. Let’s just say we got down and dirty, or rather dusty. From the looks of things a little rain was needed on this farm. Check out the video to see what I mean.


2013 IFAJ Congress Photo Album

Coverage of the 2013 IFAJ Congress is sponsored by Novus International and Dupont Pioneer
IFAJ, International, Livestock, Video

A Global Epidemic

Jamie Johansen

fps-13-344-editedWeed resistance just might have been the hottest topic of discussion at the Bayer CropScience tent during the 2013 Farm Progress Show. They hosted a panel on Weed Resistance in the Americas, to highlight the global epidemic. The commonality each of these panelist seemed to bring to the table was diversity and how it needs to be implemented across each farming operation.

Bayer’s Senior Product Development Manager, Ariene Cotie, served as the moderator and panelists included:
– Dr. Steven Powles, Director of the Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative, University of Western Australia.
– Dr. Aaron Hagar, Associate Professor of Weed Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
– Pedro J. Christoffoleti, Associate Professor of Weed Science, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
– Harry Strek, Head of Profiling & Market Support Weed Control Research Biology, Bayer CropScience, Germany.

After the panel, Dr. Powles spoke with me on how Australia is managing their resistance problem with methods not yet tried here in the United States

“Our weeds are really a big threat because they have developed moldable herbicide resistance, so we really have a problem. We’re getting on top of it, but it’s not easy. We have learned that we can’t depend of chemicals”

Listen to my interview with Dr. Powles here: Interview with Dr. Steven Powles

I also had the chance to talk with Pedro Christoffoleti about what Brazil is doing locally that differs from what we are doing in the United States and how education is the key.

“I came to the US to see how the problem of herbicide resistance is and how the US is dealing with the problem, since we also have the same problem there but with different weeds. It’s a great opportunity to visit farmers, retailers and universities here and exchange ideas to see if we can deal with this big problem. In my opinion it is the biggest problem in sustainable agriculture today.”

Listen to my interview with Pedro here: Interview with Pedro Christoffoleti

Check out photos from the event here: 2013 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

Coverage of the 2013 Farm Progress show is sponsored by Bayer CropScience, Growmark and New Holland
Audio, Bayer, Farm Progress Show, weed management