Agriculture | NutriDense®

The Conservation Conversation

December 13th, 2011 by Anna Agnew

The world’s population will triple between 1970 and 2050, yet the amount of farmland will remain about the same during that time. BASF took to the streets to ask consumers about the growing demand for food and how they feel current farmland will suffice. Then we visited growers all over the United States so consumers can hear directly from the source how agriculture has evolved to protect farmland and natural resources while meeting the increasing demand for food and fiber production.

Click below to view this new video and begin your conservation conversation.

Tags: agriculture, BASF Plant Science, conservation, farmland
Posted in BASF Plant Science, Biotechnology, General | No Comments »

Rise of Biotechnology Improves Food Safety and Cost Effectiveness

May 5th, 2011 by Courtney Beck

Creating technologies that improve both crop yields and food safety, agricultural biotechnology is quickly becoming a leading industry with a global reach. CNBC recently published an article discussing the relationship between considerably increasing crop yields and a more involved supply chain.

With a rapidly growing world population, the demand for improved crop yields is higher than ever. On average, farmers in 1960 fed 26 people per year, while today the average is 155. And it’s not just about a growing population that will need more food. Many of today’s crops are grown to withstand various diseases and pests.

“On average, about 35 percent of the global crop production is reduced by diseases and pests,” says Sharon Bomer Lauritsen, executive vice president, food and agriculture, at the Biotechnology Industry Organization. “Through the adoption of insect resistance, you reduce that damage caused to the crops. Through herbicide tolerance being incorporated into the plant, farmers can kill weeds more easily and still have a healthy crop.”

Building a safer and smarter supply chain is also a chief concern of the agricultural biotechnology industry. End-to-end traceability solutions involve using barcodes, RFID tags and condition sensors, and can monitor everything from the temperature of a product as it moves throughout the supply chain to the location of contaminated product – making recalls of products swifter and more efficient.

To read more about the various improvements biotechnology is making to the agricultural industry, click here. And, to learn more about BASF’s role, click here.

Tags: agriculture, Biotechnology, Biotechnology Industry Organization, crop yields, food safety
Posted in BASF Plant Science, Biotechnology | No Comments »

Recovery in Japan and its Effect on U.S. Exports

April 12th, 2011 by Courtney Beck

When tragedy struck Japan in mid-March, the agricultural impact was at first hard to calculate.

Now, as debris is cleared, the agricultural community is beginning to assess the damages and speculate on whether U.S. exports to Japan will change.

According to a recent Zimm poll on AgWired, 61 percent of respondents believe that U.S. exports to Japan will increase, 23 percent believe exports will decrease, and the rest think there will be no impact.

AgWeb recently covered remarks by Dr. Parr Rosson, AgriLife Extension Agricultural Economist specializing in international trade and marketing, who stated that long-term economic impacts will be different than the near-term economic impacts.

“Near-term impacts will disrupt trade flows to and from Japan, resulting in lower U.S. exports of grains and oilseeds,” Rosson said. “Intermediate to long-term impacts will likely result in more U.S. exports as Japan rebuilds critical infrastructure and resumes food production.”

In addition to being the number one buyer of U.S. corn, Japan is also a heavy importer of U.S. grain and wheat. Additionally, cumulative Japanese imports of U.S. beef have recently risen 286 percent compared to the average from 2007-2010 as the Japanese deal with fears their beef may contain traces of radioactivity.

To read the full article, click here.

Tags: agriculture, AgWeb, Japan
Posted in BASF Plant Science, General | No Comments »

The importance of agricultural research

March 21st, 2011 by Courtney Beck

A recent article by Rick Jordahl in Pork Magazine looked to the importance of research in agriculture and the threat of its decline in the coming years. In the introduction of “U.S. Ag Research In Decline,” the article discusses why research is vital to the industry:

To remain competitive in the long term, every business must embrace the latest technology, apply the most productive strategies and employ the latest tools. For U.S. agriculture, that means robust research needs to continue at a brisk pace.

The United States has a rich history of support for agricultural research. In 1862, the Morrill Act provided grants of land and money to state colleges, whose main objective was to advance the science and understanding of agriculture and associated disciplines. About 25 years later, the Hatch Act established agricultural experiment stations. In 1914, the Smith-Lever Act started agricultural extension services so vital today in making the latest information available to farmers.

Here at NutriDense, research is also very important. Our e-Newsletter stays on top of the latest NutriDense and industry research. Additionally, you’ll find results from recent NutriDense Silage research studies on our Dairy page.

Additionally, listen in to our most recent podcast with NutriDense Silage product manager Greg Jones to hear more about upcoming research projects in 2011.

¹ Chase, L.E. (2010). Milk production and feed efficiency in dairy cows fed corn silage hybrids varying in fiber digestibility. 2010 JAM, Denver CO; July 11-15, 2010. Abstract #813.

² Sampson JD, Spain JN. Use of NutriDense Corn Variety for Corn and Corn Silage in Diets Fed to High Producing Dairy Cows. Reference information available upon request from BASF Plant Science Nutrition.

³ Akay V, Jackson JK Jr. Effects of NutriDense and Waxy Corn Hybrids on the Rumen Fermentation, Digestibility and Lactational Performance of Dairy Cows. J Dairy Sci 2001;84:1698-1706.

Tags: agricultural research, agriculture, Pork Magazine
Posted in Research | No Comments »

Q&A with Web Moo.0 Contest winner Ashley Messing

August 25th, 2010 by Karlie Justus

Back in June, we launched the NutriDense Silage Web Moo.0 Contest in celebration of National Dairy Month. The competition was a fun contest that aimed to spotlight those in the dairy industry who are doing their part to tell the industry’s story through social media tools such as blogs, Twitter and Facebook.

Our grand-prize winner, fifth-generation Michigan dairy producer Ashley Messing, won the contest with a blog post that described her work on and off the farm as an industry “agvocate.” After Ashley received word that she won paid registration and travel expenses to the first AgChat Foundation’s Agvocacy 2.0 Conference next week in Chicago, we caught up with her to ask a few questions about her work with the dairy industry.

Q: Tell us more about you and your family’s connections to the dairy industry.

A: I am the third generation on my family’s current farm, but we have many more generations of dairy farmers behind us. My grandfather started this farm in the sixties and we have been here since then. We have about 200 cows in the operation, including Holsteins and Jerseys. When my parents decide to retire from the cows, I plan to take over the farm.

I went to Michigan State University, and I graduated with my dairy management degree from the Institute of Agricultural Technology, and then two years later with my bachelor’s degree in animal science. Through internships, I’ve worked on Fernjo Farms in Tulare, Calif., Michigan DHI and Alta Genetics.

Q: What is your favorite thing about working in the dairy industry?

A: Wow, this is always a tough question. I would have to say my favorite things are the people, the passion and the cows. The people are some of the best I have met anywhere. The passion we have for our jobs and heritage is invigorating. The cows are something I cannot live without.

Q: When and why did you first start using social media to promote dairy?

A: I began using social media to promote the dairy industry when I was in college. I decided to start a blog to share my year as the Michigan Dairy Ambassador. That blog led to Twitter, and discovering a huge passion I have for communication as well.

Q: What do you hope to get out of the AgChat Foundation’s Agvocacy 2.0 Conference?

A: At the Agvocacy 2.0 Conference, I hope to be able to fine-tune the skills I already have. I want to learn how to put my messages out in a more concise way. I also want to learn about making videos. That is the next venture I’ve been wanting to take in my social media journey. Networking with other social media and communications users like me is also going to be a huge part of my trip.

Thanks Ashley!

Look back at the contest – and our winners – in these previous NutriDense blog posts: