New Registrations for BASF Products

Cindy Zimmerman

BASF Crop Protection recently received a couple of new registrations.

basfStamina® F3 HL fungicide seed treatment has received EPA registration for commercial seed treatment use on wheat and barley. Stamina F3 HL is applied at the rate of 1 oz. per 100 lbs. of seed and contains no color, allowing seed-treating companies the ability to add their own color. Available for sale this fall on winter wheat, Stamina F3 HL can be mixed with Axcess® insecticide seed treatment for protection against wire worms, aphids, Hessian flies, grasshoppers and other insects.

basfAlso, Kixor® powered Treevix™ herbicide, has received approval from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation for use in California, to control broadleaf weeds for tree nut, pome fruit and citrus growers.

Treevix offers a unique chemistry that complements glyphosate for fast, complete burndown of more than 60 of the toughest broadleaf weeds including difficult species, such as common groundsel, hairy fleabane, cheeseweed and pigweed.

BASF

The Fields Are Aglow With Fire

Melissa Sandfort

About a month ago, we were on our way to Lincoln when I looked out the car window to see the skies filled with smoke and the fields aglow with fire. It’s a farming practice I see every once-in-a-while…controlled burning.

Controlled burning is used in agriculture as a part of field preparation for planting or as a management practice used to improve native grasslands.

Often called field burning, this technique is used to clear the land of any existing crop residue as well as kill weeds and weed seeds. Field burning is less expensive than most other methods such as herbicides or tillage and, when done properly, control burning produces a “cool” fire that suppresses many undesirable plants through proper timing and intensity of the burn. It also suppresses certain undesirable plants, and improves the environment for the better plants.

While herbicides and tillage certainly play a role in proper field management, controlled burning is also a method used by farmers to “refresh” the land and prepare it for next year’s crop.

(Photo courtesy of USDA NRCS, Bob Dayton, Iowa)

Until we walk again…

Uncategorized

SFMid Brings Together Successful Farming and Farm Market iD

Chuck Zimmerman

SFMiD Data Solutions is a partnership between Successful Farming and Farm Market iD and was announced this morning. Between the two companies they are now offering the “most comprehensive agricultural and rural lifestyle database in the industry.”

The combined data solution will offer unsurpassed options for multi‐sourced farm and rural lifestyle data. In addition, SFMiDTM will offer customized solutions to help agrimarketers better understand owner/operator relationships, establish electronic communication data points, and know the farmer as an individual person.

“Farm Market iD has the most current data available – built from multiple federal, state, county and proprietary sources – combined with satellite imagery and common land unit data,” says John Montandon, President of Farm Market iD. “We are thrilled to expand on this offering to generate new data and insights for marketers through the trusted relationship Successful Farming has with farmers.”

For more than 108 years, Successful Farming has worked to forge a strong relationship with farmers and farm families. This relationship allows Successful Farming to collect exclusive data on brand and product use.

“The combined efforts of Farm Market iD and Successful Farming will offer a unique compilation of farm, farmer, and consumer data, enabling agrimarketers the opportunity to learn even more about their customers,” says Scott Mortimer, Publisher of Successful Farming. “This will add value to any marketing campaign.”

Media

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • The deadline for submitting your entries into the Best of NAMA competition is Friday, Oct. 8 by 5 p.m. Central time.
  • The U.S. Grains Council is pleased to announce Rebecca Bratter accepted the position of director of development. Bratter will aid the Council in developing strategies and managing programs to obtain market access and foster sales of U.S. grain and grain products in specific emerging international markets.
  • Mark your calendars for the 2010 AGMasters Conference on Dec. 2-3 at the University of Illinois I-Hotel and Conference Center. Speakers will focus on climate change and its impact on Illinois agriculture, with a special emphasis on weed management challenges.
  • Sept. 14-16, Monsanto, Husker Harvest Days and Heartland United Way are sponsoring a food drive to benefit local Nebraska food pantries. In addition, Monsanto will donate $1 per every pound of food collected, up to $20,000, to Heartland United Way and the local food pantries it is affiliated with.
Zimfo Bytes

And the Winner Is…Iowa

Joanna Schroeder

Ok. So it has come as no surprise to most people that Iowa has won the Grid Iron game…this year anyway. The final score was Iowa 35, Iowa State 7. Earlier today, I asked many of the Iowa corn growers who would win the game and I must admit, the majority picked Iowa.

But the real winners today are the football fans who have had the opportunity to learn more about how much their daily lives are impacted by corn and the farmers who grow it as part of the Iowa Corn Fed Game Day promotion.

From the moment you wake up until the moment you go to bed, you have been touched by corn. It’s in your toothpaste, your breakfast cereal and even the milk you pour on top. It’s in your fuel and in your tires and in the plastic containing your water. It’s also in your hair products and the carpet fibers in your office floor. Every day, Iowa corn farmers, and corn farmers around the world make the things you enjoy possible with their hard work and dedication. Each year they are meeting the country’s and the world’s demands by growing more corn per acre using less inputs and less land. Pretty amazing.

So let’s take a moment to thank our corn farmers and congratulate the University of Iowa for a game well played and give some props to ISU who played with a lot of heart.

We’ll see you next year and you’d better bring your game, Iowa, because the game is in Ames and ISU will be bringing it on!

You can see pictures from game day in the Iowa Corn Fed Game Day photo album.

Corn, Education, Ethanol, Farming, Food, Video

ICGA CEO Craig Floss Interviews Captain Cornelius

Joanna Schroeder

For us Iowa State fans, this has been a tough game to watch. But hey – we are playing the #9 ranked team in the country and this is an ISU re-building year with a new coach, Paul Rhoads. In case you are following the Iowa State versus Iowa football game via this site, the score is now Iowa 35, Iowa State 0 with 10 minutes left in the second half.

For you football fans, if ISU doesn’t score a touchdown in this game, this will be the third year in a row they’ve failed to visit the end zone. Even so, they have won in the past three years – on field goals.

While many Iowa corn growers were making predictions on the game, Captain Cornelius was also making a prediction, for both teams. He is impartial – or at least that what we think he mimed when Iowa Corn Growers CEO Craig Floss interviewed him in the member tent this morning before the game. I guess this means that Captain Cornelius’ predictions were right.

After his insightful interview, Captain Cornelius headed to the ICGA consumer tent where he met the football fans and encouraged them to learn more about all the products that are made with corn.

You can see pictures from game day in the Iowa Corn Fed Game Day photo album.

Corn, Ethanol, Events, Video

The Iowa Football Player Experience

Joanna Schroeder

Last night during the Iowa Corn Growers Association VIP reception at Kinnick Stadium, attendees had the special privilege to hear from former University of Iowa football player Lew Montgomery. Nearly 20 years ago, Waterloo, Iowa native Montgomery was on the 1991 Rose Bowl team, an experience he said he would never forget.

Montgomery is no stranger to farming. He grew up in Iowa and has always had much respect for farmers. “Being a native of Iowa, I can truly appreciate the value of each and every one of you as farmers and being part of this corn belt is tremendous.”

Attending Iowa as a student athlete was a great experience for Montgomery and he said that he chose Iowa for its quality education and long list of traditional values that they have. While he stressed that student athletes have always been challenged in the classroom, they are being even more so now because of the struggling economy. He also said that they are graduating from college and are having a hard time finding quality jobs. That is why is a strong proponent of getting people to come back to Iowa to work and live. He wants to, “grow our talent and keep our own talent.”

While most of us never had or never will have the opportunity to have the player experience, you can get some insight into what it is like in Montgomery’s remarks below.

You can see pictures from game day in the Iowa Corn Fed Game Day photo album.

Corn, Ethanol, Farming, Video

Kickoff!

Joanna Schroeder

I arrived in Iowa City last night to some wet and dreary conditions. But new Iowa Corn Growers President, Dean Taylor, promised that not only are Iowa corn farmers experts at growing our food, they are also experts at moving out the rain and bringing in blue skies when needed. Well, I’ll be, but Taylor was exactly right! It is a beautiful day in Iowa City for the Iowa State versus Iowa football game. The Iowa Corn Growers are a sponsor of the Cy-Hawk series and have been engaging in a fun promotion called Iowa Corn Fed Game Day, where fans are being educated on the very important role Iowa corn farmers play.

I’ve had a blast hanging out with over 900 of Iowa’s corn farmers and maybe what has been most fun, was being on the field for kickoff. Iowa won the coin toss and so Iowa State kicked off the game. So far, Iowa has dominated – the score is 28 to 0 after the first half.

Prior to the game, I spent time at the Krause Family Plaza and took pictures of the thousands of fans who signed up to for a chance to win $5,000 in food or $2,500 in free fuel. They also played a ginormous game of corn hole (see Iowa Corn Fed Game Day photo album.”), as well as a grocery store game. Players had the chance to win t-shirts, koozies and key chains and by the time the game started, thousands of people were sporting their new Iowa Corn Fed Game Day t-shirts.

During the pre-game festivities, the Iowa Corn executive board members were invited on to the field as a thank you for their support of Iowa and Iowa State athletics. They were also thanked for all they do to feed and fuel our country. Earlier in the day, Dick Gallager, Chairman of the Iowa Corn Promotion Board, noted both Iowa State’s and Iowa’s tie to agriculture. Iowa State has one of the top ag programs in the country, while Iowa’s helmets say anf, which stands for America needs farmers.

Well, let’s hope the second half goes better for ISU….

You can see pictures from game day in the Iowa Corn Fed Game Day photo album.

Corn, Ethanol, Events

It’s Game Day in Iowa!

Joanna Schroeder

It’s game day! The Iowa State versus Iowa football game is on for this afternoon and thousands will be watching as Iowa State tries to defeat #9 ranked Iowa.

Last night, the Iowa Corn Growers were treated to an inside look at football. As part of that experience, the University of Iowa cheerleaders stormed into the room leading cheers to pep everyone up. Herky was also there, dressed for game day and hammin’ it up once again for Iowa football and Iowa grown corn.

Throughout the day today you can follow Iowa corn growers as they educate consumers about what they do – grow our food and fuel at their consumer tent in Krause Family Plaza. Fans will get a chance to learn about the products that contain corn and register to win $5,000 in free food or $2,500 in fuel.

Tailgate safely and enjoy eating your food and drinking your beverages, made possible, in part by Iowa’s corn growers.

I’ll see you after kickoff.

You can see pictures from the event in the Iowa Corn Fed Game Day photo album.

Corn, Education, Ethanol, Video

Iowa Corn Growers Excited for Game Day

Joanna Schroeder

The rain couldn’t dampen spirits as nearly 100 VIP Iowa Corn growers had the opportunity of a lifetime to experience football weekend from the inside of University of Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium. The Iowa Corn Growers Association and the Iowa Corn Promotion Board held a VIP reception on the media floor of University of Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium where they learned about what goes into making a college football game happen. In this case, the big game tomorrow is Iowa State versus Iowa.

They also had the opportunity to hear from former University of Iowa player, Lew Montgomery, part of the 1991 Rose Bowl team.

Iowa Corn Fed Game Day, a promotion designed to educate consumers about the role Iowa corn farmers play in producing our food and fuel, is actually a sponsorship of the Iowa versus Iowa State football game, basketball game and wrestling matches. Iowa Corn has been traveling around the state holding events and telling consumers about the more than 4,000 products that contain corn. My favorite product so far – hairspray.

Although there were more red Iowa State shirts in the building then the Iowa athletic staff anticipated, they took it all in good cheer as they personally thanked the corn growers for their support of Iowa athletics, but more importantly, their dedication to growing America’s food.

Following the brief presentation, new ICGA President Dean Taylor, a grower from Prairie City Iowa, said a few words. He thanked the University of Iowa for their hospitality and making the reception possible. He also mentioned that the Iowa Corn Fed Game Day sponsorship reflects what a great relationship ICGA, Iowa State and University of Iowa have and what an important role the partnership plays in helping educate consumers about food and fuel.

You can see pictures from the event in the Iowa Corn Fed Game Day photo album.

Corn, Ethanol, Events, Video