Mobilizing new data gathering capabilities to improve global water and food security is the subject of the sixth annual Water for Food Global Conference, hosted by the Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Institute at the University of Nebraska in association with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Oct. 19-22 in Seattle, Wash. This year’s conference theme, “Harnessing the Data … Read More
See Everglades Ag Conservation in Action
If you have ever wanted to see the Florida Everglades up close and personal – here is your chance. The Conservation Technology and Information Center’s 2014 Conservation in Action Tour is exploring the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) October 14-15 to hear the tale of farmers working with the entire ecosystem in mind. CTIC executive director Karen Scanlon says the tour … Read More
Be Part of Nutrient Management Solution
This is the third of a four part series on Nutrient Management sponsored by FS/GROWMARK There are lots of good reasons to be proactive about nutrient management in agriculture, not the least of which is the threat of government regulation and litigation. “If we aren’t part of the solution, regulations and legislation will define agriculture and how we farm,” says … Read More
Farm Bill Risk Managment Programs Unveiled
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Thursday unveiled the new programs included in the 2014 Farm Bill to help farmers better manage risk. The new programs, Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC), represent the end of direct payments by offering farmers protection when market forces cause substantial drops in crop prices and/or revenues. Producers will have through early spring … Read More
Hick Chick Chat: Unilever, ADM, and Sustainability
Last month at the 2014 Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa I attended the ADM press conference regarding their involvement with Unilever’s movement to become more sustainable by the year 2020. The common theme was working together to showcase and highlight agriculture and tell the story of the farmer who works the ground to make the best product. ADM sources … Read More
N-Watch Program Growing
This is the second of a four part series on Nutrient Management sponsored by FS/GROWMARK Two years ago, GROWMARK started a pilot program in the state of Illinois called N-Watch to help farmers determine the concentration, form and location of plant-available nitrogen. It started with about 45 sites in Illinois and it has grown quite a bit since then. “Right … Read More
Hick Chick Chat talks Budweiser Clydesdales
I’ve always been infatuated with draft horses and honestly, do they get any better than the Budweiser Clydesdales? Several years ago when I worked for a local radio station they were at our state fair and I was lucky enough to be able to hold the reins of one during morning exercise. I was in awe. They are beautiful creatures … Read More
Ag Commissioners Oppose WOTUS
State commissioners of agriculture have added their voices to the critics of the proposed “Waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) rule. At their annual meeting last week, members of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) unanimously called on EPA and US Army Corps of Engineers to withdraw the proposed rule. The action item, submitted by North Dakota Commissioner … Read More
Conservation Grants Announced
At a farm in Moline, Illinois Monday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the award of $15.7 million in Conservation Innovation Grants (CIGs) to 47 organizations in 36 states, funded through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Among the grant recipients, the National Corn Growers Association will receive almost $1 million to promote soil management practices aimed at improving productivity, profitability … Read More
What’s New with Bayer Stratego YLD
Bayer CropScience’s Thorsten Schwindt and Randy Myers both work in the company’s fungicide department. They shared with us during the Farm Progress Show what was going on with Stratego YLD, how growers can utilize it to get greater return on investment and what we can see coming out of Bayer’s research and development labs when it comes to fungicides. “Stratego … Read More