“The fabric of our lives” will be the subject of a symposium scheduled for November. In the U.S., cotton is a $25 billion dollar industry. Because of the importance of fiber crops to the United States, there will be an “Exploring Genetic Diversity for Fiber Improvement” symposium at the Synergy in Science ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting in Minneapolis, … Read More
Corn Growers Comment on Blocking of WOTUS
Thursday afternoon, the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota issued a preliminary injunction against the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, postponing implementation of the “Waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) rule. Chip Bowling, president of the National Corn Growers Association and a farmer from Newburg, Maryland, issued the following statement: “We support the … Read More
Senate Yet to Deal with WOTUS & GMO Labeling
Two hot button issues Senate has yet to tackle include GMO labeling bill and the final ruling on Water of the United States (WOTUS). At the Missouri State Fair’s legislator day policy makers spoke on these issues that have a huge impact on agriculture across the country. Missouri Senator Roy Blunt says we really need to look at science enhancement … Read More
Corn Growers, Monsanto Award Grant for Bt Corn Study
The National Corn Growers Association and the Monsanto Insect Management Knowledge Program are funding a study into Bt corn. This NCGA news release says Dr. Felicia Wu from Michigan State University received a grant for the proposal titled “An Agent Based Model of Insect Adaptation to Transgenic Insecticidal Corn.” NCGA believes farmers should have as many options as possible to … Read More
MO Farm Bureau Speaks Out Against WOTUS
The Missouri Farm Bureau has put together interactive maps to give a feel of how the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule that goes into effect this weekend will impact the state. Well over 95% of the state of Missouri will qualify as a water of the U.S. under this rule. I spoke with Blake Hurst, president of the … Read More
Strong Interest in Soil Health Field Days
Soil Health Partnership is hosting field days to promote soil health in Iowa, Illinois and Indiana. A dozen more of these events are scheduled for Ohio and Nebraska as well, with demonstrations of how practices like cover crops benefits farmers and the environment. Don Elsbern recently hosted a tour of his farm near Postsville, Iowa. He shared with growers the … Read More
New Holland Looks to Take Manual Out of Data Transfer
For years, there’s been no problem with generating data with farm equipment. The issue came with the extra chore too many farmers had to perform at the end of the day and manually transfer information from a USB stick to their computer back in their home office. During the recent InfoAg Conference, Chuck caught up with Chris Carrier from New … Read More
John Deere Ops Center Like Grand Central for Data
Just like Grand Central Station serves as a hub for trains and people coming in and out of a city, the John Deere Operations Center serves as a hub for data coming in and out of a producer’s operation. “That’s where all of our data is feeding in, being processed in a way to be consumed and help [farmers] with … Read More
Farm Bureau Maps Show EPA Increasing Authority
New maps released by Farm Bureau shows the federal government is massively increasing its authority at the cost of American producers. This news release from the group says the Environmental Protection Agency will radically expand its jurisdiction over land use if its controversial Waters of the United States rule takes effect as expected Aug. 28. That expansion comes even as … Read More
Critical! Slam the Breaks on WOTUS
The date for the EPA’s “Waters of the US” ruling is fast approaching. The National Corn Growers Association is demanding the rule be postponed and that Congress act to end it all together. The situation becomes more critical in light of a recent memo from the Army Corps of Engineers. “In July, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy came to our meeting … Read More