At last week’s Commodity Classic in San Antonio, American Soybean Association (ASA) president Ray Gaesser of Iowa said that after three long years of debate, it was great to see the Farm Bill become law. “It was a compromise bill, and the final product strengthens risk management, streamlines conservation programs, reinforces the safety net, and invests in key programs in … Read More
Ag Leader OptRx in Focus at Classic
If your crops could talk, what would they say? That was the title of a learning session at the 2014 Commodity Classic, sponsored by Ag Leader Technology, focused on using crop sensors to find out what your crops need – since they really can’t talk and tell you themselves. We heard from Greg Kneubuhler with G&K Concepts of Indiana, and … Read More
CTIC at Commodity Classic
This year at the Commodity Classic, the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) was present to talk with farmers about cover crops for conservation. CTIC has a grant to promote cover crops in seven states and they held a learning center session at Classic to educate farmers about their cover crop options, according to CTIC Project Director Chad Watts. “At this … Read More
Deere Shows How to Be Accurate Up to 10 MPH
Imagine getting your work done at twice the speed you normally do! Producers attending this year’s Commodity Classic in San Antonio got to see more of John Deere’s new ExactEmerge planting system, which allows planters to be accurate at speeds up to 10 MPH. Kelby Krueger, product specialist with Deere’s Seeding Group, explained to Leah on the trade show floor … Read More
BASF Spotlights Future of Farming
Over 7,000 people had the opportunity to visit the BASF Crop Protection USA booth at the Commodity Classic to learn more about the future of farming – by video and through the eyes of children. The newest video from BASF, featuring fun facts about how far the industry has progressed and how we must advance in order to meet the … Read More
Ag Leader AgFiniti Now Available
Ag Leader Technology’s new cloud-based platform AgFiniti® was a hit at last week’s Commodity Classic where growers were happy to learn that it is now available for them. “AgFiniti is an affordable and reliable solution for wireless connectivity in the field because it allows users the flexibility to choose the best wireless service carrier in their local area and hotspot … Read More
Clean Fields, High Yields: Acceptance & Planning
It seems like a pretty common sense idea in weed management: cleaner soybean fields will equal better yields when harvest time comes around. But Bryan Young, a professor of weed science from Purdue University who conducted the BASF-sponsored learning session, “Clean Fields, High Yields: The Keys to Solving Your Weed Problems in 2014,” at Commodity Classic told the farmers attending … Read More
Deere Brings Technology and Farming Together
They’ve been innovating ever since John Deere himself introduced the first steel plow nearly 180 years ago that transformed the American Great Plains into the world’s food basket it is today. Now the good folks at Deere have shown off their latest innovation at Commodity Classic in San Antonio: FarmSight. “Farmsight is our approach to how we think technology and … Read More
Secretary Vilsack Attends 5th Commodity Classic
He’s been a regular fixture at Commodity Classic, with this year his fifth appearance at the annual gathering of corn, wheat, soybean and sorghum growers. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack’s message to those gathered in San Antonio at this morning’s general session was how thankful he is for many things. “It is awfully nice to come here today to talk … Read More
Hick Chick Chat with Julie Borlaug
Julie Borlaug, Associate Director of External Relations at the Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture, was the keynote speaker at Bayer Crop Science’s Ag Issues Forum this week ahead of Commodity Classic. I had the chance to sit down with Norman Borlaug’s granddaughter and talk a little about the future of our food supply and the conversations happening in regards to … Read More