The U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) has received national recognition for its ground-breaking campaign to help improve the dialogue with consumers about how their food is grown and raised. USFRA, along with its agency partner Ketchum Public Relations, won the prestigious Gold SABRE Award for Excellence in the Associations category. The entry, titled “Since When Did Agriculture Become a … Read More
Farmers Paying it Forward to Domino’s
This weekend has officially been declared “Thank Domino’s Ag Pizza Party Weekend” by the agriculture social media community. It is our way of saying thanks to the pizza corporation for not caving into the demands of HSUS (Humane Society of the U.S.) Last month, Domino’s Pizza shareholders voted against a resolution that would have required pork suppliers to stop housing … Read More
Obama Adminstration Withdraws Child Farm Labor Rules
Agricultural organizations are pleased that the U.S. Labor Department has officially withdrawn proposed rules that would have prevented many young people from working on farms and ranches. “The Obama administration is firmly committed to promoting family farmers and respecting the rural way of life, especially the role that parents and other family members play in passing those traditions down through … Read More
Introducing BASF Production Poll
With the 2012 crop year now underway, we’re introducing the BASF Production Poll. This new poll will be conducted twice each month during the season with timely questions that we think both farmers and non-farmers alike will find interesting. We’d love to hear from you. So let’s get started with our first one. How do you think the 2012 growing … Read More
Why Certified Crop Specialists are So Special
Dale Bermester with Gateway FS in Red Bud, Illinois has been an FS Certified Crop Specialist (CCS) for nearly a quarter of a century and nothing makes him happier every day than helping farmers be more profitable. “It’s really an on-going process, especially with your customers that you’ve been doing business with for 25 years,” Dale says. “We’re in tune … Read More
Environmental Groups Sue over Nutrients
A coalition of environmental groups has filed lawsuits in New York and Louisiana to require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Clean Water Act to address nitrogen and phosphorous runoff in the Mississippi River basin. The lawsuits allege that nitrogen and phosphorous fertilizer run-off from farm fields adversely affects water quality in the Mississippi River basin and creates a … Read More
Precision Farming Increases Sustainability
A grower sustainability panel took place during the recent Bayer CropScience 2012 Ag Issues Forum with the theme of “Hands in the Dirt: First-Hand Grower Experiences.” Panel member Nancy Kavazanjian, a farmer from Wisconsin who grows corn, soybeans and wheat, talked about what the word “sustainability” meant to her. “When a farmer hears the word sustainable they kind of cringe,” … Read More
Weather is Tops for Determining Corn Yield
University of Illinois Professor of Plant Physiology Dr. Fred Below is always excited to point out to growers how seven factors work together for high yield corn – weather, nitrogen, hybrid, previous crop, plant population, tillage and growth regulators. Dr. Below talked about his seven wonders of corn yield research at both the Iowa and Illinois Pursuit of Maximum Yields … Read More
Growers Relate Pursuit of Max Yields Experience
Growers want to hear what other growers have to say, so the grower panel was most popular at the two FS Green Plan Solutions Pursuit of Maximum Yields (POMY) events in Iowa and Illinois over the last two weeks. The growers on the panel were Phillip Hartke (left) and Steve Sondgeroth, both from Illinois. Phil is a crop and livestock … Read More
Importance of Global Macroeconomics to US Farmers
“You may not be interested in global macroeconomics, but it’s interested in you.” That is one of the main messages that Virginia Tech economist Dr. David Kohl had for growers attending the FS Green Plan Solutions Pursuit of Maximum Yields event in Collinsville, Illinois today. Dr. Kohl talked about the importance of the BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and … Read More