The National Grain & Feed Association hosts its 114th annual convention March 3-5 in Maui, Hawaii. The convention will host more than 450 grain industry professionals and top policy makers and foster discussions about some of the most important industry issues for the coming year.
We certainly wish we were on the islands for the convention – will you be there?
The long, wet harvest has led to plenty of concerns over silage quality and mycotoxins.
Additionally, according to Cattle Network, dairy producers should be aware that silage could spoil very quickly once the freezing temperatures are gone. They recommend a faster feed-out (one foot per day) to avoid losing silage to spoilage.
Rick Van Genderen, director of global value chain management feed and agronomics for BASF, was at the BASF Innovation Into Action Symposium in Grapevine, Texas, this week. He spoke with Cyndi Young from Brownfield ag news (which you can follow on Twitter @brownfield) on Tuesday about BASF Plant Science, the company’s plant biotechnology arm, and its commitment to trait technology. This commitment to animal feed led to the creation of NutriDense, and in the future will lead to additional trait technologies for better crops.
Watch the clip below to hear Rick talk about BASF Plant Science, and read the entire BASF Pipeline article by Brownfield.
To learn more about BASF Plant Science’s commitment to plant biotechnology, check out the About Us section of the NutriDense Web site.
Our friend Dave Lidy, a nutrionist from Greenvillie, Ill., is featured in the Feb. 9th edition of Progressive Dairyman. You can also find his article ‘Their worst feed is better than average TMR’ on the Progressive Dairyman Web site.
The article profiles the work Dave has done with Thole Ag Inc. in Aviston, Ill. According to Dave, cow comfort and high-quality forages are two fundamental prerequisites he suggests of his clients, and this dairy does a great job at both.
We’ve known Dave for awhile, and spoke with him a couple years back about his experience in the field. Hear more from Dave here:
http://www.nutridense.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/DaveLidy.flvEastern DairyBusiness just featured our own Jerry Weigel in a guest column. The article provides some food for thought to help producers decipher the results of their corn silage tests and best determine what comprises “high quality” silage.
Check out Conversations: Questions to ask your nutritionist about corn silage on the Eastern DairyBusiness blog.
For more information from Jerry on quality corn silage, listen to his podcasts on Silage Sampling Best Practices and Silage Sampling Misconceptions.
The NutriDense blog was recently honored by the Carolinas-Virginia National Agri-Marketing Association. The blog won chapter and regional first place in the Interactive Marketing Tools division and will go on for further consideration at the national awards competition. Read the full story here, and thanks to all our supporters and readers for making this happen!
The 2010 USDA Agriculture Outlook Forum kicks off this Thursday and Friday, Feb. 18 and 19. The event, hosted in Arlington, Va., will feature traditional supply and demand sessions, along with featured topics such as global trade, health and food safety issues, organics, renewable energy, conservation, food prices and more.
The theme of the forum is “Sustainable Agriculture: The Key to Health & Prosperity,” and speakers include Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Whole Foods CPO Walter Robb, recently retired Sysco CEO Richard Schnieders and Joseph Glauber, chief economist with the USDA.
If you won’t be able to make the forum, plenary speeches will be webcast after 3:30 p.m. EST on Feb. 18, and speech and PowerPoint presentations will be posted online after 6 p.m. on Feb. 19.
Valentine’s Day (or Singles Awareness Day, depending on which side you’re on) is Sunday, and many couples are scrambling to pull together a special day.
If roses and chocolate have become your norm, shake things up for your Valentine with this Sweetheart Smoothie recipe from DairySpot.com’s Dairy Lover’s Kitchen.
And to all of the farmers out there – we wish you a very happy Valentine’s Day. Thank you for everything you do to get us food (and Valentine’s Day flowers) on our tables.
A poll released earlier this year had many people talking about what makes a farmer tick.
On its Web site, Successful Farming asked respondents a seemingly simple question: “What do you like most about farming?”
Their answers:
Independence……….55%
Growing things………21%
Machinery & Tools…..9%
Nature……………………5%
Other……………………..4%
Livestock………………..3%
Financial rewards…….3%
From our work and relationships with grain growers and dairy, swine and poultry producers across the country, it’s no surprise to us that farmers value the satisfaction that comes from being your own boss.
If you’re in the industry, why do you farm? If you’re not a farmer, do any of the answers from this poll surprise you?
The 2010 World Ag Expo, the world’s largest annual agricultural exposition, kicks off today at the International Agri-Center in Tulare, Calif., and continues through Thursday.
More than 1,600 exhibitors will be on hand, with free seminars on a variety of topics important to dairy producers, farmers, ranchers and agribusiness professionals.
If you can’t make it out, you can also keep up with the 43rd World Ag Expo using social media: