The opening session of the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) CSS and Seed Expo was highlighted by keynote speaker J.R. Simplot president and CEO Bill Whitacre. Since inventing the first viable frozen french fry the J.R. Simplot Company, has become one of North America’s largest, privately held food and agribusiness companies, with over $4.5 billion in annual sales. Simplot has … Read More
ASTA CSS 2014 and Seed Expo Underway
The American Seed Trade Association CSS 2014 and Seed Expo kicked off Tuesday in Chicago and possibly may be a record crowd this year. “We have a great participation this year,” said ASTA president and CEO Andy LaVigne. “Beginning of this week, we had over 2700 registrants and that’s almost 100 more than we finished with last year and we … Read More
Farm Foundation Group Celebrates Int’l Year of Soils
The United Nations has designated 2015 as the International Year of Soils (IYS) to increase awareness and understanding of the importance of healthy soil for food security and essential ecosystem functions. Soil Renaissance, a group led by our friends at Farm Foundation, is celebrating IYS and its first year in existence as a movement to make soil health the cornerstone … Read More
Cotton LEADS Cotton Receives Biobased Certification
Cotton grown in Australia and the U.S. under the Cotton LEADS program, which promotes the responsible production practices, has received the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 100 percent biobased designation. This news release from Cotton LEADS says that puts the textile in USDA’s online BioPreferred Catalog. Cotton LEADS™ cotton easily met the BioPreferred program’s new stipulation for innovation, due to … Read More
NCGA Offers Online Seminar on Bt Corn Resistance
Bt corn is still one of the most important technologies for controlling insect pests, but the western corn rootworm’s increasing resistance to Bt corn has caused some alarm. That’s why the folks at the National Corn Growers Association are sponsoring a five webcast seminar focusing on the many new and changing aspects of western corn rootworm management in the transgenic … Read More
U2U Tool Helps Farmers with Nitrogen Application
The Purdue University-led Useful to Usable climate initiative is offering a new online tool to help farmers and farm advisers better manage the application of nitrogen fertilizer for maximum crop yields and minimum environmental damage. The free tool, called Corn Split N, combines historical weather data and fieldwork conditions with economic considerations to determine the feasibility and profitability of completing … Read More
2015 International Year of Soils
The Global Soil Partnership (GSP) at the Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has declared 2015 the International Year of Soils. In celebration, the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) is coordinating a series of activities throughout 2015 to educate the public about the importance of this precious natural resource. “When GSP recognized the urgent need to … Read More
NCGA Calls for Pollinator Health Dialogue
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is calling on agriculture industry stakeholders to facilitate partnership and dialogue for improving pollinator health. “Although corn does not rely on bees or other pollinators, we recognize their importance to agriculture,” said Don Glenn, chairman of NCGA’s Production and Stewardship Action Team, who spoke at the recent Pollinator Health Task Force’s public listening session. … Read More
Partnership for Sustainable Ag Standardizing
Two sustainable agriculture groups are joining forces to make sure measuring and reporting of information is better standardized. Field to Market and The Sustainability Consortium (TSC) say their new partnership will ensure there’s harmonized science-based approach to measure and communicate sustainability in agriculture. In a memorandum of understanding signed last week, TSC and Field to Market have agreed to work … Read More
Issues on the Plate of NCGA President
Biotechnology and GMO labeling, Waters of the U.S., and soil health were just a few of the issues on the mind of National Corn Growers Association president Chip Bowling at the National Association of Farm Broadcasting convention last week. Bowling says corn growers are very concerned about the growing number of initiatives nationwide called for labeling of GMO products, and … Read More