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Report demonstrates value of farms on local economies

July 23rd, 2010 by Karlie Justus

Hoard’s Dairyman’s blog HD Notebook featured an interesting post last month on the impact farming has on local economies. It looked at the USDA’s recent Economic Research Service report, which was summarized in the June issue of the organization’s “Amber Waves” magazine.

The study found that half of all farm expenditures are spent locally. That goes to show in areas where agriculture is a top industry, the local economy greatly benefits from the many expenses that go into running a successful farming operation.

Throughout the Corn Belt, NutriDense works with grain mills to deliver contract premiums that allow growers to lock in more profit versus conventional yellow dent corn. We call these locations “Local-Use Networks” and work very closely with the feed mill managers at each one. In these locations, we see firsthand the impact grain producers have on the local economy and population.

It’s great to know that as agriculture feeds the world, it still has a positive impact on local economies.

Podcast: Jerry Weigel talks feed efficiency and poultry, part one

July 16th, 2010 by Karlie Justus

Last month, I sat down with Jerry Weigel, manager of nutrition and technical service, to talk about feed efficiency and dairy cows, and learn about how NutriDense can help producers improve their bottom lines when it comes to corn silage.

This month, we’re back with two more interviews with Jerry on what feed efficiency means for poultry producers. Listen in to part one below, and check back in two weeks to hear the second installment of our chat.

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Corn in the Classroom

May 25th, 2010 by Karlie Justus

Back in April, we learned that young farmers plan on careers in agriculture because they want to be their own bosses, stay close to home and carry on family traditions.

The Missouri Corn Growers Association’s Corn in the Classroom program hopes future generations will feel the same way.

Corn in the Classroom

The program materials help educate students on the importance of corn and the role it plays in each of their lives:

“Informing students on Missouri agriculture allows the next generation to better understand how today’s food, fiber and fuel is produced.  It also allows our youth to explore one of the most important sectors of our economy.

Lessons include the “Basics of Corn,” “Many Uses of Corn” and “Corn in the Environment.”  While entertaining, these educational plans target grade level requirements for Missouri third graders in science, math, social studies and health.”

All “Corn in the Classroom” educational materials are available online at www.mocorn.org or by calling (800) 827-4181.

USDA reports on 2009 grain and silage production

April 7th, 2010 by Karlie Justus

Last week on the blog, we looked forward to forecasts on 2010 corn planting acreage. Today, we look back to 2009 numbers to see how last year’s planting and harvesting may affect 2010 and beyond. When the USDA released its final 2009 crop report, we were very interested in the results for the grain and corn silage industries.

The DairyBusiness blog summarized the USDA’s findings:

  • U.S. corn for grain production is estimated at a record 13.2 billion bushels, up 2% from the Nov. 1 forecast, and 1% more than the previous record of 13.0 billion bushels set in 2007. U.S. average yield is also estimated at a record level for 2009, at 165.2 bushels per acre. This is up 2.3 bushels from the November forecast and 4.9 bushels more than the previous record of 160.3 bushels per acre set in 2004.
  • Corn silage production is estimated at 108 million tons in 2009, down 3% from 2008. The U.S. silage yield is estimated at a record high 19.3 tons per acre, up 0.6 ton from the previous record set in 2008. Acreage harvested for silage is estimated at 5.61 million acres, down 6% from a year ago.

On March 10, the report was updated to report corn acreage in Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin that hadn’t been harvested in time for the report. Farmers were contacted in early February. Here are the results:

  • Crop harvested area declined 10,000 acres in Michigan
  • Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin harvested acreage remain unchanged
  • Yields in Illinois and Minnesota decreased 1 bushel per acre
  • Michigan and Wisconsin yields did not change

BASF Plant Science L.P. Announces New NutriDense Program Manager

March 23rd, 2010 by Karlie Justus

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC, March 23, 2010 – BASF Plant Science L.P. today announced Nick Weihs has joined the company as a NutriDense program manager. In this position, he will play a critical role in developing and managing the NutriDense Grain market in Iowa, eastern Nebraska and southern Minnesota.

“Nick brings a wealth of swine production knowledge and relationship-building expertise to our NutriDense team,” said Kyle McMillan, NutriDense sales manager. “He has a passion for animal agriculture and for helping producers increase their profitability.”

Weihs joins BASF Plant Science with extensive experience managing all aspects of hog production, including feed supply, budget management and customer relations. Prior to joining the NutriDense team, he served as a manager for AMVC Management Services and a career agent at Farm Bureau Financial Services. Weihs graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Animal Science.

NutriDense is a nutritionally enhanced corn that contains a stacked set of output traits designed to enhance animal feed performance. Seed companies market the product through licensing agreements.

For swine and poultry producers, corn hybrids containing NutriDense Grain traits elevate ration energy content without adding fat, increase essential amino acid content and improve phosphorus availability. At the same time, NutriDense Grain reduces the amount of soybean meal in the ration, which increases digestibility. NutriDense Grain provides better animal nutrition that leads to greater profitability for producers. To learn more about NutriDense, visit www.nutridense.com or follow on Twitter at Twitter.com/NutriDense.

About BASF Plant Science

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics and performance products to agricultural products, fine chemicals as well as oil and gas. BASF Plant Science – a BASF group company – is one of the world’s leading companies providing innovative plant biotechnology solutions for agriculture. Today, more than 750 employees are helping farmers meet the growing demand for improved agricultural productivity and healthier nutrition for humans and animals. BASF Plant Science has developed an unparalleled gene discovery platform focusing on yield and quality traits in crops such as corn, soybean and rice. Jointly with leading partners in the seed industry BASF Plant Science is commercializing its products. Current projects include higher yielding row crops, nutritionally-enhanced corn for animal feed or higher content of Omega-3’s in oil crops for preventing cardiovascular diseases. To find out more about BASF Plant Science, please visit www.basf.com/plantscience.

About BASF

BASF – The Chemical Company.
BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has approximately 16,000 employees in North America, and had sales of $13 billion in 2009. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, or to sign up to receive news releases by e-mail, visit www.basf.com/usa.

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics and performance products to agricultural products, fine chemicals and oil and gas. As a reliable partner, BASF creates chemistry to help its customers in virtually all industries to be more successful. With its high-value products and intelligent solutions, BASF plays an important role in finding answers to global challenges, such as climate protection, energy efficiency, nutrition and mobility. BASF posted sales of more than €50 billion in 2009 and had approximately 105,000 employees as of the end of the year. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.

NutriDense is a registered trademark of BASF Plant Science L.P.

BASF Plant Science L.P. Announces New NutriDense Communications Manager

March 15th, 2010 by Karlie Justus

Heather Goode

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC, March 15, 2010 – BASF Plant Science L.P. today announced Heather Goode has joined the company as the NutriDense marketing communications manager. In this position, she will support the NutriDense sales and marketing team through the development of marketing communication plans and tools that align with NutriDense business strategies and objectives.

“Heather has worked on many agricultural accounts in an agency setting and is well-suited to lead our NutriDense marketing communications efforts,” said Fran Castle, BASF North American group communications manager. “We are excited to have her on board, and we are confident that she will be a strong addition to our BASF Plant Science company and NutriDense.”

Goode has eight years experience in agricultural communications. Prior to joining BASF Plant Science, she was a client service advisor at Quarry Integrated Communications Inc. in Durham, N.C., where she worked on the swine business for Novartis Animal Health. Goode began her career on the crop chemical side, working on the Syngenta Crop Protection horticulture business at Gibbs & Soell, Inc. in Raleigh, N.C.

Goode graduated from the University of Buffalo with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre Performing Arts.

NutriDense® is a nutritionally enhanced corn that contains a stacked set of output traits designed to enhance animal feed performance. Seed companies market the product through licensing agreements.

NutriDense silage hybrids can increase silage tonnage, milk production and per acre profitability for dairy producers. NutriDense silage hybrids can deliver high yields and increase milk production by up to 2.9 lbs./head/day.

For swine producers, hybrids containing NutriDense can improve profits by up to $4 per marketed hog by reducing feed costs and or improving feed efficiency. NutriDense is also higher in protein and all essential amino acids than many conventional corn hybrids.

To learn more about NutriDense, visit www.nutridense.com or follow on Twitter @NutriDense.

About BASF Plant Science
BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics and performance products to agricultural products, fine chemicals as well as oil and gas. BASF Plant Science – a BASF group company – is one of the world’s leading companies providing innovative plant biotechnology solutions for agriculture. Today, more than 750 employees are helping farmers meet the growing demand for improved agricultural productivity and healthier nutrition for humans and animals. BASF Plant Science has developed an unparalleled gene discovery platform focusing on yield and quality traits in crops such as corn, soybean and rice. Jointly with leading partners in the seed industry BASF Plant Science is commercializing its products. Current projects include higher yielding row crops, nutritionally-enhanced corn for animal feed or higher content of Omega-3’s in oil crops for preventing cardiovascular diseases. To find out more about BASF Plant Science, please visit www.basf.com/plantscience.

About BASF
BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has approximately 16,000 employees in North America, and had sales of $13 billion in 2009. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, or to sign up to receive news releases by e-mail, visit www.basf.com/usa.

About BASF – The Chemical Company.
BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics and performance products to agricultural products, fine chemicals and oil and gas. As a reliable partner, BASF creates chemistry to help its customers in virtually all industries to be more successful. With its high-value products and intelligent solutions, BASF plays an important role in finding answers to global challenges, such as climate protection, energy efficiency, nutrition and mobility. BASF posted sales of more than €50 billion in 2009 and had approximately 105,000 employees as of the end of the year. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.

NutriDense is a registered trademark of BASF Plant Science L.P.

Heads up: Midwest Poultry Convention runs March 16-18

March 12th, 2010 by Karlie Justus

Exhibitors and attendees will gather together in St. Paul, Minn., next Tuesday for the 39th annual Midwest Poultry Federation Convention.

midwest poultry convention

The convention, the largest regional poultry show in the country, runs March 16-18. It will feature all segments of the poultry industry, including egg layer, broiler, turkey and organic/specialty production.

We won’t be at the convention, but check out our own nutritionist and tech services manager Jerry Weigel’s podcast on nutritionally enhanced grain and its benefits for poultry producers.

Are you attending? What are you looking forward to?