The use of fungicides for overall plant health has been a new growth area for agriculture in recent years. As that occurs, farmers and crop consultants continue to find out more about best times to apply and best ways to use them during the season. “There was a time not that long ago, when to consider applying a fungicide post-emergence … Read More
Ag Aviators Facing Unnecessary Regulations
Like all of agriculture, aerial applicators are facing potentially onerous regulations that could ground them if they are allowed to continue. The biggest issue they are dealing with right now is the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program, which National Agricultural Aviation Association executive director Andrew Moore told me just went into effect on Halloween. “It’s kind of … Read More
2012 Ag Events Calendar
ZimmComm New Media is proud to announce the very first (that we know of) Ag Events Calendar. This slick 10×15 wall calendar includes dates for all the major ag-related events in 2012, along with photos each month from the 2011 events that we covered. There’s photos from the Iowa Power Farming Show, National Farm Machinery Show, Commodity Classic, Farm Progress … Read More
Soybean Seed Treatment Growing
Seed treatment can be classified as a precision application for growers because it allows crop protection to be used more precisely right at planting within the seed itself. Seed treatments have actually been around for decades and it’s reached the point that virtually all of the corn seed planted today is treated with some type of crop protection technology. However, … Read More
Central Illinois Pursuit of Maximum Yields Update
We already got an update on the Pursuit of Maximum Yields (POMY) project in Ontario – now we hear from Central Illinois. Jerry Harbour, an agronomist and certified crop specialist with Lincoln Land FS in Illiopolis, says the objective of POMY is to get consistent 300 bushel yields on corn and 100 bushel beans. “We do a lot of corn … Read More
Ontario Pursuit of Maximum Yields Update
Harvest is just about complete in Ontario and so is the second year in the FS Green Plan Solutions Pursuit of Maximum Yields (POMY) project for that region. I spoke with Don McLean, agronomist for FS PARTNERS and North Wellington Cooperative, about how the trials went this year. “Last year and this year both we had yield increases,” Don said. … Read More
Agritechnica Attendance Smashes Previous Record
More than 415,000 visitors are reported to have attended Agritechnica 2011 last week in Hanover, Germany, the huge international agricultural show held every two years and organized by DLG – the German Agricultural Society. That’s a giant leap from the 350,000 visitors who attended the previous show in 2009. “Agritechnica 2011 has impressively demonstrated the global importance of agriculture and … Read More
John Deere Wins Swedish Steel Prize
John Deere has become the first U.S. company in seven years to win the Swedish International Steel Prize. Instituted in 1999 by steel supplier SSAB Americas’ parent company in Sweden, the award is often referred to as the “Nobel Prize” of the steel industry. The award includes a statuette and a cash prize of $15,000 for the winner. John Deere’s … Read More
John Deere Combine Can Sculpture Complete
On Thursday John Deere finished and revealed the sculpture for Project “Can Do” – which is being considered now for inclusion in the Guinness Book of World Records. This farm scene with an S-Series combine harvesting a field of corn required approximately 323,000 cans of food to complete. The finalized sculpture is now on display at the John Deere Pavilion. … Read More
USDA to Conduct Chesapeake Bay Conservation Survey
USDA is conducting a survey for the 2011 National Resources Inventory (NRI) – Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) to collect information from producers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed about farming and conservation practices on cultivated cropland. The information gathered from the survey will help USDA improve and strengthen technical and financial programs that help private landowners plan and adopt on-farm … Read More