Monsanto was one of the sponsors on the recent Conservation Technology Information Center tour in Livingston County, Ill., and Chuck caught up with the company’s Emilio Oyarzabal, who said the CTIC’s work is very important to Monsanto and its customers. “We need agriculture more than ever,” Emilio said, but he added that farmers are being accused of doing environmental damage. … Read More
SPADE Digs Into Precision Information
Having lots of data is good for precision farming, but that data has to meet certain standards for it to mean anything consistently for users on the other end. That’s why the 2013 InfoAg Conference on precision agriculture addressed the subject with Jim Wilson, Standards Director, for Ag Gateway, a non-profit organization that looks to promote, enable and expand e-business … Read More
Reaping the Rewards of Good Soil Investment
“The wealth of Illinois is in her soil, and her strength lies in its intelligent development.” That quote was from one of the first presidents of the University of Illinois almost 200 years, but attendees of the recent Conservation Technology Information Center tour in Livingston County, Ill., heard it reiterated by Jean Payne, President of the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical … Read More
Precision Adds Profitability to Peanut Farming
The theme of the 2013 Southern Peanut Growers Conference was “Making Sustainability Work” and one important aspect of sustainability is profitability. To that end, one of the greatest advancements in farming sustainability and profitability over the past decade or so has come from the use of precision technology. “One of the biggest things we can offer them is guidance,” said … Read More
Social Media Analytics
I was very surprised during yesterday’s Social Media session at the 2013 InfoAg Conference by how many session attendees are actively using social media for company use. I asked for a show of hands if they had a company Twitter account and almost everyone raised their hand, the same when I asked if they had a company Facebook page. That’s … Read More
Keeping Nitrogen in Fields Farmers’ Priority, Too
Contrary to what seems to be reported many times, farmers don’t want to see their field nutrients washed on down the river to contribute to some “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico. “Farmers don’t want nitrogen to leave their fields. They want it in their corn crop,” explained Tim Smith during the recent Conservation Technology Information Center tour in … Read More
CTIC Tour: Filter Strips Valuable for Soil Health
Healthy soils are products of good management practices. And topping the list of practices for Terry Bachtold (shown getting an appreciation present for all his hard work of hosting), one of the host farmers for last week’s Conservation Technology Information Center tour in Livingston County, Ill., is using filter strips. “I’m a big believer in filter strips,” he exclaimed. “Whether … Read More
Picking the Right Tool for Drainage Management
On the recent Conservation Technology Information Center tour in Livingston County, Ill., we’ve talked a lot about nutrients draining into the local watershed and how to prevent that. Part of that formula includes controlling any water drainage from the land, and Phil Algreen with Agri Drain, a company that specializes in drainage management, talked to the crowd about some of … Read More
Good Practices on Display on CTIC Tour
The latest Conservation Technology Information Center tour in Livingston County, Ill., has been a good way for the farmers of that region to showcase what they are doing to be good stewards of the environment, while making sure they maintain a good bottom line. Pauley Bradley with John Deere and a member of the CTIC is shown welcoming everyone to … Read More
Crowds on CTIC Tour Appreciated by Host Farmer
Good crowds from around the area and many parts of the country turned out for last week’s Conservation Technology Information Center tour in Livingston County, Ill., and that was appreciated by the local farmers. “Today we had a lot of people here. When you go to all that work, and you put these plots in, and you try to figure … Read More