Students Create Products From Corn and Soybeans

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Teams of Purdue University students who created fiber insulation from soybeans and a fireworks casing from corn won the top prizes in the annual Student Soybean and Corn Innovation Contests. The awards were announced at a reception March 20th, 2013 in Indianapolis.

1The competitions, sponsored by the Indiana Soybean Alliance and Indiana Corn Marketing Council, teach students how to be innovative entrepreneurs with soybeans and corn. Both teams received a $20,000 prize for their work.

The winning soybean team produced Nature Loft, a soy protein fiber insulation that can be used in bedding, including sleeping bags; apparel such as hats, gloves and footwear; and other products such as headphones.

The winning corn team created Sky Maize, a biodegradable fireworks casing that is lighter and less expensive than what is now commercially available.2

Winning $10,000 the second-place soybean team developed water-soluble Double Eyelid Glue.

The second-place corn team also winning $10,000 created Fog-Away, an anti-fog glass and mirror cleansing solution.

Agribusiness, Corn, Soybean

Farmers Telling Personal Stories Important to Consumers

Chuck Zimmerman

Chris Galen USFRAThis week during Ag Day activities the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance held an educational session which was moderated by Chris Galen, Sr. VP of Communications for the National Milk Producers Federation. He also sits on the board of USFRA.

Chris says Ag Day provided a great opportunity to speak with Capitol Hill staffers and legislators about the latest research on how farmers need to communicate with consumers. He says we’re really moving away from messages like Safe, Affordable and Abundant food because today’s consumers assume that. So now it’s more about how farmers tell their story on a personal level and what they’re doing to improve their farming practices.

You can listen to interview with Chris here: Interview with Chris Galen

Katie Pratt USFRAParticipating in the USFRA program was Katie Pratt Katie who with her husband Andy (7th generation farmer) raise corn, soybeans and seed corn in Illinois. Katie is also one winners of the USFRA Faces of Farming & Ranching. Thanks to one of the many U.S. Custom Harvesters for taking our photo!

Katie says that as farmers “We have to start talking differently about what we do on our farms.” Katie says that seeing the research USFRA has conducted is a real learning experience because farmers often think they know what terms will resonate with consumers but the reality is very different. She says that as one of the Faces of Farming & Ranching program USFRA is helping put her and the others in front of audiences they wouldn’t normally be able to speak to.

You can listen to interview with Katie here: Interview with Katie Pratt

2013 National Ag Day Activities Photo Album

Coverage of the National AgDay Activities is sponsored by the BCS think tank and American Seed Trade Association
Ag Day, Ag Groups, Audio, USFRA

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BASF Shows How Priaxor Performs

Cindy Zimmerman

Spring is officially here, at least by the calendar, and Midwest farmers are preparing for a new year with the 2012 drought in the rearview mirror and a new BASF Crop Protection fungicide that combines two powerful active ingredients into the most advanced chemistry ever developed for a range of products, including soybeans.

basf-fellowsDuring the 2013 Commodity Classic, BASF was able to show farmers how Priaxor™ fungicide worked last year to control disease, improve Plant Health and drive yield, despite the record drought conditions.

Technical Market Manager for Plant Health Dr. Gary Fellows explained that they performed nearly 60 on-farm trials last year comparing Priaxor to BASF’s premier fungicide Headline. “Over those locations, Priaxor outyielded Headline by two bushels to the acre,” he said. “Not only that, it was much more consistent in its level of response.”

Priaxor is powered by Xemium® fungicide, a new active ingredient that continuously distributes its chemistry throughout the leaf to deliver more consistent disease protection, combined with F500®, the same active ingredient in Headline®. “The addition of Xemium to Headline does increase the disease control and the spectrum is better with Priaxor,” said Fellows. “On the growth efficiency side, we can show that Priaxor actually has a better plant health effect than Headline by itself.” Perhaps most importantly, Priaxor has shown to outperform Headline in stress situations, like drought.

Listen to my interview with Gary here: Interview with Dr. Gary Fellows

You can find out even more about Priaxor in lots of previous posts, including several from Classic – from Jennifer Holland – from Caren Schmidt – from Brianne Reeves – and from some growers.

Check out more photos from BASF at Commodity Classic here

Audio, BASF, Commodity Classic, Farming, Soybean

Ag Relations Council New President

Chuck Zimmerman

Ag Relations CouncilThe Agricultural Relations Council annual meeting is taking place in Oklahoma City. Wish I could be there but . . .

Thanks to Janice Person, Monsanto, for sharing a picture of the passing of the gavel. Pictured are now past ARC President Mace Thornton, AFBF, (left) and Mike Opperman, Charleston Orwig, now new President.

I will plan to share more information from this year’s conference when I get it.

Ag Groups, ARC

National Ag Day Contest Winners

Chuck Zimmerman

Whitney Bowman at Ag DayAt the National Ag Day banquet in Washington, DC, the winner of the written essay contest read her essay to us. She’s Whitney Bowman, Mount Jackson, VA. Here’s where you can find her essay titled “American Agriculture: Nourishing Opportunities.”

Other winners include Lebo Molefe, Naperville, IL – Video Essay Contest – see below and April Fox, Wayne State University – Poster Contest.

You can listen to Whitney’s essay here: Whitney Bowman Ag Day Essay

2013 National Ag Day Activities Photo Album

Coverage of the National AgDay Activities is sponsored by the BCS think tank and American Seed Trade Association
Ag Day, Ag Groups, Audio, Video

BCS Communications Celebrating Ten Years

Chuck Zimmerman

Leigh Ann Cleaver and Kelly SchwalbeHere are a couple of farm kids doing good in the big city. Leigh Ann Cleaver and Kelly Schwalbe of BCS Communications (our sponsor) attended National Ag Day Activities and we visited about what’s new with the agency.

BCS Communications supports National Ag Day because it’s “second nature to us” says Kelly. Additionally, most of their clients are involved in agriculture and that includes companies like John Deere and Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica. The big news though comes from Leigh Ann who says they’re celebrating their 10 year anniversary! Happy anniversary.

You can listen to my interview with Leigh Ann and Kelly here: What's New With BCS Communications

2013 National Ag Day Activities Photo Album

Coverage of the National AgDay Activities is sponsored by the BCS think tank and American Seed Trade Association
Ag Day, Ag Groups, Agencies

Soybean Registration for BASF Zidua Herbicide

Cindy Zimmerman

There’s a new class of chemistry available now for soybean growers to help fight resistant weeds, including Palmer amaranth and waterhemp.

basf-arnelBASF’s Crop Protection division is pleased to announce federal registration of Zidua® herbicide in soybeans.

According to 10 years of research and field trials, the residual weed control provided by Zidua herbicide lasts up to two weeks longer than other herbicides currently on the market, which helps protect growers’ yield potential.1 Research also shows Zidua herbicide provides up to 10 percent better performance than other residual herbicides in controlling Palmer amaranth and waterhemp.2

“Zidua herbicide provides growers with a new class of chemistry and is an excellent product on its own, but can also be used effectively with Kixor® herbicide technology,” said Greg Armel, Ph.D., Technical Market Manager, BASF. “Soybean growers can now combine the fast, effective burndown and enhanced residual control benefits of Kixor with the residual control of Zidua herbicide for long-lasting weed control.”

Zidua herbicide can be tank-mixed with Kixor herbicide technology products to form a preplant and preemerge combination that combats tough, resistant weeds with up to three different sites of action. Zidua herbicide can also be applied with a range of use rates, allowing soybean growers to select the best rate for their specific needs, based on soil textures in their fields.

Greg did a presentation on Zidua during one of the WIN Sessions at the 2013 Commodity Classic, when they had just heard the soybean residue tolerances had been established. “We’re very excited that Zidua is finally coming along and with its extended residual weed control on Palmer amaranth and waterhemp, it couldn’t have come at a better time,” Greg said. BASF received registration for Zidua in corn last June.

Listen to my interview with Greg here where he talks about Zidua and the importance of different sites of action to control resistant weeds: Interview with Greg Armel

Audio, BASF, Commodity Classic, Crop Protection, Farming, Soybean

Senate Spending Bill Saves Meat Inspectors

Cindy Zimmerman

The U.S. Senate yesterday passed a continuing budget resolution that would keep the federal government operating through the end of the fiscal year on September 30th and keep meat inspectors off the chopping block.

blunt-pryorThe Senate unanimously passed an amendment introduced by Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Mark Pryor (D-AR) to the Continuing Resolution (CR) solves a funding gap for the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) that threatened to furlough meat inspectors under the sequester.

The Pryor/Blunt amendment will protect Americans’ jobs at meat, poultry, and egg production facilities nationwide. It’s estimated that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) projected food inspector furloughs would have closed nearly 6,300 food inspection facilities across America. As a result, over 500,000 industry workers would have lost nearly $400 million in wages.

The amendment transfers $55 million in existing agriculture funds to FSIS in order to ensure food inspectors are not furloughed. These facilities are required by law to have federal inspectors on the production line in order to operate. It adds no additional cost to the bill. Instead, it moves one-time funding for school equipment grants and deferred maintenance on buildings and facilities at USDA.

The Senate spending bill was approved 73-26 and now goes to the House.

USDA

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  • Jim Spradlin, GROWMARK Vice President, Agronomy, announced organizational changes in the Agronomy Division, effective March 16, 2013.
  • United Fresh congratulates Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan for her many years of service to USDA and American agriculture.
  • DuPont Pioneer announced plans to increase capacity at its Hermiston, Ore., IMPACT Research location.
  • Zoetis, formerly Pfizer Animal Health, announces the return of the Cattle Call grant program and is accepting research proposals for improving cattle reproduction or developing models for managing cattle pain.
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