USFRA’s Communications Advisory Committee and Ketchum began their work together in March of 2011. Since that time they have worked together to create a movement that focuses on bringing the voice of farmers and ranchers to conversations centered on food and food production. Over the past fourteen months USFRA and Ketchum have implemented many successful events and tools to help farmers and ranchers have that conversation, and explain the importance of continually improving today’s agriculture. Today’s news remains filled with stories questioning the integrity of the entire food production chain, and USFRA, in response, has initiated recently the “Grow What You Know” Rapid Response System that allows farmers and ranchers to be alerted of topics in the media that lack a farmer and rancher voice. USFRA will also host two additional Food Dialogue events over the next six months to continue the conversation about how food is grown and raised.

Thousands have joined “The Truth About Agriculture” movement called “Farmers Paying it Forward with Pizza” and are planning to purchase pizza from Domino’s this weekend to say thanks! They have even created a custom thank you note for people to print out and deliver to Domino’s.

When you get your pizza this weekend, make sure to take photos and share them on the Pizza Party FB page and tweet using the hash tag #agpizzaparty with handle @dominos.

“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 the generations,” said the department in a press release. “Instead, the Departments of Labor and Agriculture will work with rural stakeholders — such as the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Farmers Union, the Future Farmers of America, and 4-H — to develop an educational program to reduce accidents to young workers and promote safer agricultural working practices.”

“This victory for farm families is due to the thousands of farmers and ranchers who sent comments to the Labor Department opposing the rules and continued to voice their concerns with members of Congress,” American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman. “This announcement shows the strength of American agriculture and grassroots action.”

The Labor Department said it received “thousands of comments” against the proposal rule regarding youth in agriculture and made it clear that the “regulation will not be pursued for the duration of the Obama administration.”

Please let us know if you have any questions about the poll.

“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 with a lot of the steps they do in their business. We’re like one of the family.”

Dale was among the first crop of crop specialists back in the late 1980′s when GROWMARK first developed the program. “When I became a salesman back in 1985, the general manager of Gateway, which was Randolph Service Center at the time, said he wanted to be the first company to have all certified crop specialists,” Dale said. “GROWMARK was a step ahead when they came out with the certified crop specialist to make sure that the people who were making recommendations were helping the farmer and not just putting money in their own pockets.”

Becoming a CCS requires testing in a number of different areas and frequent continuing education to keep up with the latest technological and crop protection advancements. “You have to keep that going with continued eds, on-farm discovery and contacts to make sure we’re doing it the right way,” said Dale. “I have to stay focused on what’s ahead.”

Dale says a lot has changed in farming since he first became a CCS, with less farmers and bigger operations, more focus on the environment and the advancement of precision technology. “The technology has really opened our eyes about drainage, backing away from the tree line,” he said. “Once you have a number off the yield monitor, it really gets farmers thinking about what he can do to better manage.”

Listen to my interview with Dale here: Dale Bermester Interview

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 “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico.

According to the environmental legal firm of Faegre Baker Daniels, the implications of the lawsuits are significant for the agriculture industry and farmers, noting that the cost of complying with the nitrogen and phosphorous standards sought by environmental groups could be as high as $600 million per year nationwide.

Industry groups are considering intervening in the actions. Industry intervention in the Gulf Restoration Network case appears particularly likely because that action addresses the question whether EPA acted reasonably in rejecting a nationwide nitrogen and phosphorous standard in favor of EPA’s existing cooperative, state-by-state approach to nutrient management.

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,” she says. “It concerns them that they’re being forced to do something that they’re not already doing.” But she adds that most farmers are being sustainable since they are multi-generations on the farm and they have to be sustainable for that to happen. To become more sustainable Nancy says they use cover crops and precision ag to make sure they can strip-till and they definitely use new technology and that includes seed technology to get the best yields. The use of these technologies reduces the amount of inputs they have to use.

You can listen to an interview with Nancy from the Ag Issues Forum here: Interview with Nancy Kavazanjian

2012 Bayer CropScience Ag Issues Forum Photo Album

Dr. Below talked about his seven wonders of corn yield research at both the Iowa and Illinois Pursuit of Maximum Yields (POMY) events organized by FS Green Plan Solutions. He says of the seven factors, only one is really beyond the control of growers. “The largest factor affecting corn yield is obviously the weather,” he said, adding that his research has assigned a value of 70+ the impact of weather on bushels per acre.

On the other hand, Below says good fertilizer nitrogen management can have almost as much impact as weather and it’s the one that farmers have the most control over. “70 bushels is the current average for getting it just right,” he said.

For much of the Corn Belt, 2011 was one of those bad years for weather, but we still saw some good yields. “The weather worked against us in 2011 and we were geared up to grow 300 bushels right out of the ground. It looked pretty good,” he said. “If our management had not made yield by the third week of June, we were pretty well done.” Still, over at his research plots in Illinois, Below says they managed to get better yields with high tech management. “Even under those poor conditions, by managing from the very beginning and planning for high yields, we managed to eke out an extra 26 bushels in a bad year,” he said.

Dr. Below has been researching how to get higher corn yields for a couple of years now and even has a website about the “7 Wonders of Corn” and this coming year is will be doing some complementary research on soybeans. With no nitrogen component to soybeans, there will only be six wonders for soybean success.

Listen to my interview with Dr. Below here: Dr. Fred Below Interview

Phil is a crop and livestock producer from Teutopolis who got involved in pursuing maximum yields at the start of the program about three years ago. “Historically, we’ve tried different things as they come down the pike through the FS System, so we were more than glad to participate,” Phil said, noting that his interest was piqued when his crop specialist talked to him about multiple applications of nitrogen. “We were already applying nitrogen in the fall then we came back in the spring and applied with a little anhydrous,” he said. “We went with two more applications of nitrogen, one with our chemicals and then another time with urea with Agrotain in it. So we did four applications of nitrogen and I think that’s been key to feeding that plant as it grows.”

That has helped him get a 189.5 bushel five-year average yield, about 35 bushels an acre better than the county average. “We’re in livestock so 65-70% of the corn we raise goes to the hog operation and with the extra yield that gives me more to sell in the market,” Phil says. “I like to have that cash flow.”

Listen to my interview with Phil here: Phillip Hartke Interview

Steve Sondgeroth grows corn and soybeans in Vero County Illinois and 2011 was the first year he participated in the Pursuit of Maximum Yield program, specifically on his soybean crop. For him, it was all about removing stress. “Pursuit of maximum yield means just that and I just pulled out all the stops,” he said. “I think I hit the home run this year. My soybeans averaged 82.4 bushels an acre.”

Steve says some of the things he did were a little outside the box. “I have not inoculated soybeans since I was a little boy, but this year I did,” he said. “I wanted to make sure we had plenty of rhizobia bacteria to increase the nitrogen fixing.”

What really excites Steve about the POMY program is how it allows farmers to share practices that work with each other. “It’s most unusual in the sense that there is real openness and willingness to share ideas,” he said. “There’s not too many businesses that I know of where you actually share the information that is most vital to your operation.”

Listen to my interview with Steve here: Steve Sondgeroth Interview

Photos from Illinois Pursuit of Maximum Yields Event

Photos from Iowa Pursuit of Maximum Yields Event

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 South Africa) to U.S. agriculture. “You have an agriculture economy that is doing extremely well because they’re connected with the BRICS nations that are demanding food, fiber and fuel,” he said. “It’s important to keep an eye on those BRICS nations more than just the U.S. economy in developing your agricultural plans.”

Dr. Kohl says U.S. agriculture has been in a “super cycle” for nine years, which is unprecedented, and the two main reasons are exports and ethanol. He also talked about “black swans,” mega trends, top challenges, and the connectivity of agriculture.

My favorite quote from his talk is “The best crop you can raise is your children.”

Listen to my interview with Dr. Kohl here: Dr. Dave Kohl Interview

Photos from Illinois Pursuit of Maximum Yields Event

“It’s all about MOM,” Brown said at the POMY event Thursday in Bettendorf, Iowa. “It’s about Maximizing yield, Optimizing nitrogen utilization and Minimizing environmental impact.”

This is the third year for the program and the second year that they have gotten growers together to share the knowledge the program is helping to generate. Last year they held one grower meeting in Peoria. This year there are two meetings – the Iowa meeting last week and another one coming up in Belleville, Illinois on Tuesday. Between the two, they expect to reach at least 500 farmers with an educational and entertaining program that includes great speakers like Dr. Fred Below with the University of Illinois and growers who have participated in the program.

Brown is pleased with how quickly the on-farm discovery program has caught on with growers. “It has grown very fast in a large area,” he said, noting that he just made presentations about the program in Ohio where farmers are anxious to participate. “A lot of them have already been doing it, they just never formalized that approach and we’re going to offer that to them.”

Listen to my interview with Howard Brown here: Dr. Howard Brown Interview

Photos from Iowa Pursuit of Maximum Yields Event

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) this week announced that a proposal which would have barred children from many on-farm tasks will be revised to allow broader exemptions for parents who own or run agricultural operations.

The proposed rules would have prevent children younger than 16 from using most power-driven equipment on farms and prohibit anyone under 19 from working in grain bins, stockyards and feedlots.

Agricultural organizations had unanimously opposed the concept which strikes at heart of the farm and ranch lifestyle and the Labor Department was inundated with thousands of comments from the countryside. “Your voices were heard,” said National Cattlemen’s Beef Association president Bill Donald, who announced the news at the annual Cattle Industry Convention in Nashville. “This goes right to the very fiber of who we are in this country.”

American Farm Bureau Federation president Bob Stallman says the decision to re-propose the ‘parental exemption’ in the child labor rule is a positive step, but much more work is needed. “Any final regulation must make sense, not infringe on the traditional rights of family farms and not unnecessarily restrict the ability of young people to work in agriculture,” said Stallman. “Laws and regulations need to be sensible and within reason, not prohibiting teenagers from performing simple everyday farm functions like operating a battery-powered screwdriver.”

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the decision shows the Labor Department listened to the nation’s farmers. “This announcement and the additional opportunity for comment represent a common-sense approach to strengthen our agricultural economy while keeping farm kids safe,” Vilsack said.

The House Small Business’ Subcommittee on Agriculture, Energy and Trade held a hearing on the issue Thursday to get additional input from agricultural interests.

“There was a time not that long ago, when to consider applying a fungicide post-emergence to corn or soybeans was almost unheard of,” said GROWMARK Insect/Plant Disease Technical Manager Kevin Black who notes that the strobilurin class of fungicides have been game changers. “Because they not only have activity against fungi but also seem to have some growth regulation effects, we’ve seen some remarkable results in the field.”

Speaking very generally, Black says they have found that about two-thirds of the benefit from fungicides comes from a VT application and about one-third from a V5 application. “The VT or R1 timing of application typically is much more consistent in providing returns,” he said.

Black says university research and on-farm discovery work continues to look at new ways to use fungicides in combination with insecticides and micro-nutrients in tank mixes, but he believes it’s important to be sure there is a solid benefit before doing so. “If we start to get to the point where we’re just mixing up these soups and saying ‘there’s got to be something in there that’s good’ then I have to part company,” said Black.

Listen to my conversation with Kevin Black here: Kevin Black Interview

“Strong and speedy Internet access is important to our growers, so NCGA supports the expansion of broadband in rural America,” said Ethan Mathews, manager of Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs for NCGA said. “However it must not come at the expense of high-precision GPS.”

Although LightSquared states that solutions to the interference problem have been developed by several independent companies, the company has yet to provide access to either the test results or the devices. Further, the FCC and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration are continuing their evaluation of theGPS interference issue. NCGA will look to the FCC and NTIA to ensure the issue has been resolved without loss to accuracy and performance.

In addition, NCGA will continue to work closely with John Deere, the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Association of Wheat Growers and the American Soybean Association to ensure the GPS technology remains available to our farmers.

The biggest issue they are dealing with right now is the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program, which National Agricultural Aviation Association executive director Andrew Moore told me just went into effect on Halloween. “It’s kind of a scary regulation,” said Andrew of the regulation which impacts pesticide application near water. “The problem is that it’s duplicative of everything that already exists to protect the environment in regard to pesticide regulation.”

Moore says the NPDES would require a great deal of paper work on the part of applicators. “FIFRA already regulates the safety of pesticides to water, so this is a completely unnecessary burdensome rule.” In addition, he says they are very considered about lawsuits under the new regulation.

So, NPDES was a big topic at the NAAA convention in Las Vegas last week, where workshops were held and applicators were educated about the current status of the federal rule and where it stands at the state level. Andrew says they are also urging aerial applicators – and really anyone in the agriculture industry – to contact their senators about the issue. “Because we’ve been successful in passing legislation that would exempt pesticide applications over water for FIFRA approved pesticides,” said Moore. The measure has been passed by the House and has gone through the Senate Agriculture Committee. “We believe we have the votes in the Senate but it’s not being brought to the floor for a vote,” he added.

Listen to my interview with Andrew Moore here: NAAA executive director Andrew Moore

2011 NAAA Convention Photo Album

Seed treatments have actually been around for decades and it’s reached the point that virtually all of the corn seed planted today is treated with some type of crop protection technology. However, GROWMARK product manager Dave Gentry says that while use of soybean seed treatment is growing, it is not yet as pervasive as corn. “Seed treatments on soybeans have not been quite as accepted until the last 4-5 years,” he said.

Gentry identifies four key reasons for a dramatic increase in the popularity of soybean seed treatments recently. “One is the improved active ingredients,” he said. “They are very effective at a much lower use rate.” The second reason is pushing the planting envelope. “As we’ve become more aggressive in our planting, soybeans are going into soils that are cooler and wetter, there’s more stresses early in the season and so seed treatments can reduce the impact of some of those stresses.”

Gentry says another reason is the value of the seed itself, which makes it worth investing in the treatment to protect it. And finally, the range of products to treat the seeds with has expanded, with additional offerings such as growth stimulants, inoculants, microbials and nematicides.

He notes that about 60% of soybean acres are currently being planted with treated seed, although percentages vary between regions with the east coast and the deep south lower and the eastern corn belt closer to 85%. As for the future, Gentry expects to see most soybean seed treated with products in the pipeline to control Sudden Death Syndrome and soybean cyst nematode. “I think the percentage of treatment will continue to grow and, like corn, start to approach 100%,” he says.

The big difference he sees between corn and soybean seed treatments is that soybeans are moving more to the local dealer level, “allowing them to respond to local situations and local disease and insect pressures.”

Listen to Dave’s thoughts on soybean seed treatment here: Dave Gentry Interview

Find out more about seed treatment options in your specific area at FSSeed.com.

In this month’s Precision Pays Podcast, sponsored by Ag Leader Technology, Jason explains the future of finding problems in our fields. 

You can subscribe to the Precision Pays Podcast here. The Precision Pays Podcast is sponsored by Ag Leader Technology.

Kreg, pictured here with University of Georgia Extension Peanut Agronomist John Beasley accepting his award as the statewide winner in the Georgia Achievement Club this year for the 100-300 acre category, credits a good part of his increase in profitability and yields to precision technology, as much as 500 pounds per acre. “We use GPS and auto steer tractors,” he told me. “What I got paid for the auto steer part of the tractor in one year.”

Kreg was also named as the Farm Press Publications Peanut Profitability Award winner for the Southeast during last week’s 2011 Southern Peanut Growers Conference. That award is based not only on yield, but production efficiency, honoring those growers who produce the highest yields at the lowest cost per acre.

Listen to my interview with Kreg from the SPGC here: Kreg Freeman Interview

A recent report from the National Research Council Committee on Twenty-First Century Systems Agriculture has proposed a new direction for farm policy that would “incorporate innovative agricultural systems such as organic farming, grass-fed and other alternative livestock production systems, mixed crop and livestock systems, and perennial grains…. it would require significant changes in market structures, policy incentives and public funding for agricultural science.”

Increasing use of precision farming techniques is one of the recommendations made by the team, which included agricultural academics as well as farmers, suggesting “both incremental and transformative changes. Incremental changes include adopting two-year crop rotations and employing precision agriculture practices using geospatial technologies that track field variation, classically bred or genetically engineered crops and reduced- or no-tillage practices.”

The Senate agriculture committee started hearings on the 2012 Farm Bill last week. While USDA is not planning to propose a version of the Farm Bill as it has in the past, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recognized the obvious fact that agriculture policy will be affected by budget cuts. “I have no doubts that the next Farm Bill will be smaller than the one agreed to in 2008. In acknowledging that reality, I hope that this Committee will give serious thought to your priorities for American agriculture – your priorities for USDA – and to the values of the American people,” he told the committee.

Today, the first field hearing is being held in the home state of chairwoman Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, featuring agricultural representatives of all sectors, from corn and soybeans to cherries and apples.

The Kentucky-based animal health and nutrition company has announced the first ever “Farming Film Festival,” offering a $2,000 grand prize. Following the theme of the Alltech 27th Annual International Animal Health and Nutrition Symposium, The Game Changers, video submissions should focus on an idea or technology that helps farmers meet the tough challenges in their career.

“Emerging new media such as YouTube and other social media outlets have been game changers for many in the agriculture industry,” said Dr. Pearse Lyons, president and founder of Alltech. “Sharing these game changing stories with others ignites a new wave of hope and innovation, and that’s what we hope to do with the Farming Film Festival.”

The rules are pretty simple. The video may be up to 2 minutes in length (including credits), it must tell the story of a farmer’s game changer and it must include footage of the farmer on the farm. That’s all there is to it. First prize is $2000, second is $500 and third is $250. First and Second Place Winners will be chosen by an independent panel of science and agriculture journalists. Third Place Winner will be the finalist with the largest number of online votes.

Participants in the Farming Film Festival may enter by uploading their video to YouTube and emailing the link to contest@alltech.com. Winners will be chosen by a panel of science and agriculture journalists based on creativity, quality of video, story interest and number of views and will be awarded up to $2,000 cash. The deadline for submission is May 13.

For official rules and how to participate, visit www.alltech.com/farmingfilmfestival.

The Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT) filed suit this week on behalf of 60 family farmers, seed businesses and organic agricultural organizations, against Monsanto Company as a preemptive measure “to protect themselves from being accused of patent infringement should they ever become contaminated by Monsanto’s genetically modified seed, something Monsanto has done to others in the past.”

“This case asks whether Monsanto has the right to sue organic farmers for patent infringement if Monsanto’s transgenic seed should land on their property,” said Dan Ravicher, PUBPAT’s Executive Director and Lecturer of Law at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York. “It seems quite perverse that an organic farmer contaminated by transgenic seed could be accused of patent infringement, but Monsanto has made such accusations before and is notorious for having sued hundreds of farmers for patent infringement, so we had to act to protect the interests of our clients.”

Monsanto calls the organization’s allegations “false, misleading and deceptive.”

The plaintiffs’ approach is a publicity stunt designed to confuse the facts about American agriculture. These efforts seek to reduce private and public investment in the development of new higher-yielding seed technologies. This attack comes at a time when the world needs every agricultural tool available to meet the needs of a growing population, expected to reach 9 billion people by 2050. While we respect the opinion of organic farmers as it relates to the products they choose to grow, we don’t believe that American agriculture faces an all-or-nothing approach. Rather we believe that farmers should have the ability to choose the best agricultural tools to farm their own land and serve their own end-market customers. We are confident that these multiple approaches can coexist side-by-side and sustainably meet the world’s food needs over next 40 years.

GROWMARK FS Green Plan Solutions helps farmers do just that. I recently spoke with Jim Spradlin, vice president of agronomy for FS Green Plan, about how they help their farmers.

“The FS system works very hard to differentiate ourselves by providing good, strong agronomic advice to our growers,” Jim told me during the “Pursuit of Maximum Yield” conference earlier this year. FS Green Plan Solutions also offers On-Farm Discovery, a scientific-method based trial program, helping farmers answer their questions on their farm with their data. The Pursuit of Maximum Yield is an On-Farm Discovery program specifically geared toward increasing yield per acre in light of a booming world population and rapidly increasing demand.

“We had some 200 On-Farm Discovery plots out last year, over 100 of them were Pursuit of Maximum Yield specific,” Jim said. “We’re doing trials on other things so that we’re extracting good information and accurate results so we can present back some of the findings from the trials.”

Jim notes that because every field, every operation and every farmer is different, everyone needs to develop their own “recipe” based on what they learn works best for them.

Listen to my interview with Jim here: Jim Spradlin Interview

FS Green Plan Solutions, an integrated, solutions-based approach designed to help producers enhance farm profitability by providing complete agronomic recommendations from a trusted team of FS specialists.

Attendance at the annual meeting of corn, soybean, wheat and sorghum growers shattered previous records. Total attendance was more than 4826, breaking the previous record at Nashville three years ago by almost 300. Total number of growers was over 1600, compared to the previous record of 1513 in 2009 in Grapevine. The number of media was down a bit, but still a pretty substantial 126. Next year, Classic is back in Nashville, maybe to set yet another record!

In a show of unity, the leadership of the National Corn Growers Association, the National Association of Wheat Growers, the American Soybean Association and the National Sorghum Producers issued a joint statement on the federal deficit and debt reduction following the conclusion of the Classic business sessions.

“We note that agriculture made a down payment in cutting spending when the Department of Agriculture directed $4 billion in savings under the Standard Reinsurance Agreement for federal crop insurance toward deficit reduction. We believe any further reduction in discretionary spending should recognize and reflect this contribution. We would also note that agriculture-related programs represent less than one-half of one percent of the federal budget.

“Looking forward, we believe any meaningful approach to deficit and debt reduction in the FY2012 budget must encompass all entitlement programs and all discretionary spending. We look forward to working with Congress and the Administration to develop a budget that successfully addresses the need for federal deficit and debt reduction balanced with the need of ensuring a successful agricultural economy.”

Special thanks to John Deere for helping to sponsor our coverage of the 2011 Commodity Classic!

2011 Commodity Classic Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2011 Commodity Classic

At the recent “Pursuit of Maximum Yields” (POMY) seminar in East Peoria, I talked with Justin Green of Arthur, Illinois who participated with his father and brother in the program last season. “We kinda threw every thing at the corn crop that we could, trying to see what the yield potential of the corn crop is and what pieces add to the yield,” he said. “We had a fantastic corn yield and that plot actually won the Illinois Corn Growers yield contest.”

When I asked Justin what maximizing yields means to him, he said, “Maximizing yields means enhancing our management practices, doing the same thing that we’ve always done is not going to meet the yield goal of 300 bushels per acre, so we’re going to have to change things.” He added that he would recommend the FS Green Plan POMY program for any grower. “Absolutely, so that they can determine what their yield potential is and what they need to do to take their farm to the next level.”

Listen to my interview with Justin here: Justin Green Interview

FS Green Plan Solutions, an integrated, solutions-based approach designed to help producers enhance farm profitability by providing complete agronomic recommendations from a trusted team of FS specialists.

“Today, farmers are looking for advances in seed technologies and precision planting practices that will enable them to produce more, conserve more and remain profitable,” said Julie LaBonte, Monsanto Prescriptive Ag Business Manager. “These tools are Monsanto’s next steps toward providing increased confidence in seed choice, placement and plant population for field-specific recommendations.”

Farmers in the pilot program are also receiving IntelliSeed custom planting recommendations that enhance the crop management decisions for the current year, as well as provide insight for future crop decisions.

Find out more here.

It is a subtle, yet vital, shift in the way food producers, manufacturers, retailers and groups outside the traditional food fence, such as WWF, are addressing a new paradigm in feeding the world’s rapidly increasing population: how food is produced, not just how much.

In practice the two issues are inseparable. The difference is that while feeding a projected 9 billion people by 2050 from less farmland has long concerned governments, and global aid and food bodies, doing so in a way that satisfies escalating environmental and animal welfare scrutiny, state and national regulations and changing consumer attitudes is considerably more complex.

Behind the farm gate it means that practices in the largest and most advanced agricultural nations, including Australia, will be in the spotlight as the new food production ground rules take shape.

Enter WWF as the unexpected and uninvited powerbroker in this high-stakes scenario. The world’s largest independent conservation organisation is targeting 100 key companies that globally trade commodities including beef, sugar, cotton, palm oil, soybeans and coffee to participate in ”round table” forums about how extra food can be produced with fewer, but more precise, inputs.

WWF’s Australian program leader for water, Nick Heath, says three times more food and fibre will be needed in the next 40 years than is produced now. ”The answer lies in precision agriculture – more crop per drop.”

And Rob Cairns, the organisation’s Australian program manager for sustainable agriculture, who has a background in the cotton and sugar industries, assures the food chain that WWF is ”just one player” in the quest for a lower food environmental footprint, ”not the policeman”.

”It’s about sustaining food production without impacting on eco-systems,” he says. ”At the moment, it’s confusing for consumers. By default, organics have been seen as the answer. But organics can’t clothe and feed the world, so we have to work with those who can make a difference. And it has to involve a number of commodities.”

Beef is at the top of that list.

In this regard, the Australian cattle industry may be ahead of the game. Meat & Livestock Australia is developing a voluntary environmental module that will enable beef producers to demonstrate the ”environmental responsible nature” of their production systems.

But it remains unclear whether farmers’ ability to merely demonstrate environmental responsibility, rather than prove it, will be enough.

To this end, a group of cattle producers in Gippsland, Victoria, is marketing beef sourced from properties with independently audited environmental management systems that comply with the international ISO 14001 standard. Their ”enviromeat beef”, sourced from 15 suppliers, is thought to be the first labelled food product backed by an environmental management system in Australia.

Read on to learn more…

Bruce Crapo, a grower of 6,000 acres of commercial potatoes and 2,000 acres of seed potatoes in Idaho, is a good example of how the average potato farmer looks at precision agriculture – he uses technology to reduce costs, increase output and improve profits.

Crapo isn’t thrilled at the cost of high-tech equipment such as GPS-guided tractors, but he knows it’s saving him money and there’s no way he can turn back now.

“There is a substantial initial cost involved,” Crapo said. “But I also know it is saving me money. What do you do? Go back to what you were doing before? That’s not an option.”

Crapo, who uses Global Positioning System (GPS) technology on all his planters and harvesters, said the latest precision ag technology has taken farming to a different level.

“It’s light years ahead of what it was when we were doing it by hand,” he said. “We’re not going to go back to not using it, but we are wincing a little at the cost.”

Precision agriculture can loosely be defined as using new technologies such as GPS, sensors, variable rate application equipment and aerial or satellite images to make farming easier and more profitable.

Simply put, precision agriculture can help farmers improve their margins by decreasing their operating costs.

Idaho farmer Robert Blair, owner of PineCreek Precision, says the biggest benefit of precision farming is that it gives producers the ability to manage their farm on a production zone basis rather than a whole field basis. This shift, he said, allows farmers to save time and money and helps them offset the rising cost of chemicals, nutrients, fuel and fertilizer.

Blair uses a wide array of precision agriculture techniques on his 1,500-acre farm and said the technology is saving him tens of thousands of dollars every year.

Read on to learn more…

At the recent GROWMARK FS Green Plan Solutions “In Pursuit of Maximum Yields” conference in East Peoria, growers and consultants heard from two University of Illinois experts on how to maximize corn and soybean yields.

Dr. Fred Below gave his “Seven Wonders of the Corn Yield World” presentation to the audience. “The seven wonders concept was designed for us to put a value and ranking behind those factors that every year impact corn yields,” said Dr. Below. “Number one is the weather, number two is my favorite – nitrogen, three is the most important decision farmers make each year – hybrid selection, number four has to do with crop the year before, number five is plant population, number six is tillage or no tillage and number seven is a new broad category called growth regulators. And these factors together can combine and maximize to produce up to 260 bushels.”

Listen to my interview with Dr. Fred Below here: Fred Below Interview

Dr. Vince Davis discussed how it takes a total management approach to increase soybean yields. “In soybeans, increasing yields is a really tough game to get into,” Vince told me. “About 10 bushels, 9 and a half bushels an acre is about what we were able to obtain in our large plots, and that’s about what I’ve seen as a maximum level that we can increase. If you can put up 10 extra bushels at $13 beans, that’s a lot of extra money.”

Vince urges farmers to get as much information as they can and experiment to find out what works on their own operations and he had praise for GROWMARK and FS Green Plan Solutions agronomists working with producers. “We worked with one of our local agronomists at the Illini FS location and they are doing a great job getting on the farms, finding out what growers are interested in doing, what does and doesn’t work on the farm, and do it all from the standpoint of economics,” he said.

Listen to my interview with Dr. Vince Davis here: Vince Davis Interview

FS Green Plan Solutions, an integrated, solutions-based approach designed to help producers enhance farm profitability by providing complete agronomic recommendations from a trusted team of FS specialists.

That’s what GROWMARK Agronomy Services Manager Dr. Howard Brown told over 300 farmers and farm consultants meeting in Peoria on Friday for a FS Green Plan Solutions conference focused on pursuing maximum yields for corn and soybeans.

“We came up with this concept of pursuit of maximum yield so that we can maximum return, optimize inputs, while minimizing environmental impact and there’s no better message to get out right now, not only to the farmer but also to the general public,” Howard told me in an interview.

“We’re doing great at raising 160 bushel corn and 50 bushel soybeans but as we move to higher yields, we’re finding that it may not be one product, it may be a multiple set of products that make us get to the next level,” he said, referring to Liebig’s Law of the Minimum, where if one thing is limiting nothing else will work until the limiting factor is fixed.

Howard was really excited about the turnout for the event on Friday and the enthusiasm of those who attended.

Listen to my interview with Dr. Howard Brown here: Howard Brown Interview

See photos from the event here.

FS Green Plan Solutions, an integrated, solutions-based approach designed to help producers enhance farm profitability by providing complete agronomic recommendations from a trusted team of FS specialists.

The event started off with a dynamic presentation by Purdue University economist Dr. Mike Boehlji, who discussed the good news of demand for exports and biofuels, as well as the challenges for meeting that demand.

One of Dr. Boehlji’s main points is that American agriculture is facing increasing competition from other countries, so farmers need to become increasingly efficient by thinking in terms of biological manufacturing. “We’re increasingly thinking about farming the way you think about a manufacturing process,” he said. “We’re using GPS technology to not only monitor what the yield is across the field, but we’re actually using it now to change the rate of application in fertilizer and chemicals. We’re using that technology to find out where the wet spots are. We’re using a lot of information technology, we’re using sensing technology more, we’re using a better nutritional technology.” Process control technologies, like irrigation control, as well as auto steer tractors, and of course improved hybrids all contribute to running agricultural operations more like manufacturing operations.

Hear more in my interview with Dr. Boehlji here: Mike Boehlji Interview

FS Green Plan Solutions, an integrated, solutions-based approach designed to help producers enhance farm profitability by providing complete agronomic recommendations from a trusted team of FS specialists.