The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) booth at last week’s Commodity Classic was the hot place for growers to learn more about how propane pays on the farm. One way to make it pay is through PERC’s Propane Farm Incentive Program. “A farmer can actually get a rebate from us,” explained Mark Leitman, Director of Business Development and Marketing. … Read More
Six Secrets of Soybean Success
University of Illinois Crop Physiologist Dr. Fred Below of Seven Wonders of the Corn Yield World fame revealed his Six Secrets of Soybean Success to growers for the first time last week at the 2013 Commodity Classic, thanks to BASF Crop Protection products. Dr. Below was joined by BASF Technical Crop Production Specialist AJ Woodyard for the educational session that … Read More
Commodity Group Presidents Talk Sustainability
A highlight of the general session of Commodity Classic is moderator Mark Mayfield’s “visit with the Presidents.” Left to right are Mayfield, Terry Swanson, National Sorghum Producers; Erik Younggren, National Association of Wheat Growers; Pam Johnson, National Corn Growers Association and Danny Murphy, American Soybean Association. Mayfield kicked off the session by asking each of the presidents what “sustainability” means … Read More
The Sequester is Coming
Sequester is scheduled to take effect on March 1 and so far Congress has made no effort to prevent the across the board spending cuts from taking place. I talked with GROWMARK government affairs director Chuck Spencer to find out more about this monster called Sequester. Spencer explains that sequestration traces back to the Budget Control Act of 2011 requiring … Read More
See How Propane Pays on the Farm
The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) is revving up the 2013 Commodity Classic trade show in Orlando this week with powerful irrigation engines that can help producers save money, meet their emissions reduction goals, and become less dependent on imported oil. PERC will display new propane-fueled engines for irrigation and register producers for more than $4,000 in propane equipment … Read More
Mississippi River Back to Normal
At the beginning of this year, closing the Mississippi River to barge traffic as a result of low water levels was a very real possibility, but that crisis has been averted thanks to some Army Corps of Engineers work. “There was an emergency move by the Army Corps of Engineers to blast rocks out of the river floor at Thebes … Read More
Introducing FarmLogs
The minds behind the development of Farmlogs received word that they were getting a financial boost of seed money for the start-up company the week before the recent Iowa Power Farming Show, so they were enthusiastically getting folks to sign up for a one month free trial. We talked to Co-Founder & CEO Jesse Vollmar (left in photo) at the … Read More
Precision Farmer Profile – Mike Cox of Indiana
Mike Cox of Indiana was one of more than 250 innovative farmers from around the country who attended the recent BASF Crop Protection grower symposium in Fort Lauderdale highlihgting “Fields of Opportunity” for the future of agricultural productivity. Mike Cox is a corn and soybean farmer from Indiana who really enjoyed the symposium, interacting with fellow producers from around the … Read More
Precision Farmer Profile – Jay Drees of Iowa
More than 250 of the nation’s most innovative farmers recently were invited to attend the recent BASF Crop Protection grower symposium in Fort Lauderdale highlighting “Fields of Opportunity” for the future of agricultural productivity. Among them was Jay Drees of Iowa. “I’m a second generation farmer. We basically raise corn and soybeans,” Jay said. He also serves on BASF’s Grower … Read More