The drought tolerance trait in Monsanto’s Genuity® DroughtGard® hybrids recently received final import approval from China, a major market for U.S. corn grain and dried distillers grain solubles (DDGS). The approval was granted last week = as part of a broader series of approvals and represents a significant step forward for technology approvals in China, according to Monsanto officials. “The … Read More
Precision Dairy Show
Precision farming is not just for crops. This week, the first ever U.S. Precision Dairy Conference and Expo was held in Rochester, Minnesota featuring experts in the field of precision dairy management, as well as producer panels on the topics of robotic milking, automated calf feeders and sensor technology; and various latest precision dairy research abstracts from the US and … Read More
Conservation in Action Tour Coming Up
The 2013 Conservation in Action Tour will be held July 9-10 in Livingston, Illinois and for those who are interested there are still a few seats left. A pre-tour seminar on July 9 has also been added. Learn more about the tour in the video below. This tour will feature three stops focusing on soil health, nutrient management and drainage … Read More
GE Wheat in Oregon Could be Sabotage
Monsanto officials held a press call on Friday regarding “suspicious” evidence in the investigation of genetically engineered wheat plants found in an Oregon field last month that suggests it was possibly intentionally planted. “The evidence now collected, the fact patterns established and the original Roundup Ready CP-4 event appearing suddenly after 12 years, out of nowhere in a single field … Read More
House Rejects Five Year Farm Bill
Despite an impassioned plea by House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas to “move this bill forward” the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013 (FARRM) failed on a vote of 194 to 234, with 60 Republicans joining the majority of Democrats to defeat the House version of the farm bill. “If it fails today, I can’t guarantee you’ll … Read More
Insect Pressure is On
It’s been an interesting year for farmers this year with weather extremes and planting challenges, and bugs are getting in on the act as well. “We’re running into some interesting things likes true armyworms in wheat and in corn, and seed corn maggots, and all sorts of things,” said GROWMARK Insect/Plant Disease Technical Manager Kevin Black. Kevin’s number one recommendation … Read More
Full Senate Passes Farm Bill
By a vote of 66 to 27, the full Senate passed its version of a 2013 Farm Bill Monday evening that includes a strong conservation commitment. “The Senate has again passed a deficit-reducing, bipartisan bill that will help our farms, our families, our economy, our environment,” said Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) upon passage of the bill. “This bill saves more … Read More
Changes Coming to GROWMARK Spirit Magazine
With all the new communications technology changing the way people get information, GROWMARK Spirit magazine is implementing some exciting new multimedia capabilities for readers. “We’re looking at taking Spirit magazine to another platform,” said editor Cassie Becker, noting that it is currently available in an eReader format “where you turn the pages and that’s about it” but they are moving … Read More
Rural Interests Concerned About Losing Local TV
“Water, sunlight, and soil are essential ingredients to agricultural businesses and the communities that rely on them. So too is spectrum, and the free, local news and information broadcasted on it.” That’s the first line of a letter sent to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) this week from agricultural interests regarding concerns about television translator service and low power television … Read More
Fourth New GPS Satellite in Orbit
The fourth new GPS IIF satellite was deployed earlier this month, providing even greater navigational accuracy for all users, including farmers using the latest precision technology. The U.S. Air Force GPS satellite built by Boeing was successfully launched May 15, carried aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V Launch Vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. According to the … Read More