Industrial Farming Gives Freedom of Choice for Farmers
From Mica: I discovered my colleague, Ed Umbaugh, through Twitter a few months ago. His Twitter bio intrigued me: “Ed Umbaugh lives on a very small farm where we raise grass fed lamb. I am a Tech at a Monsanto soybean seed plant.” I asked him if he’d be willing to share insight into his [...]
Research Is More Than Spending Time in a Lab
From the road, the Jerseyville research farm looks like any other Southwest Illinois farm: corn and soybeans dominate the landscape and a couple sheds rise above the green. Once I entered the center of the 240-acre site, I discovered how special the farm is—where nearly every row of plants receives special care. Jerseyville is one [...]
Ag Education: It’s More Than Learning Where Chocolate Milk Comes From
By Megan Although I may not wear my FFA jacket as often as I did four years ago, I still feel the power of the blue and gold and the importance of agriculture education programs. Four years ago I was serving as the Illinois FFA State Secretary where I traveled over 33,000 miles in one [...]
The Farming May Be Different, But the End Goal is the Same
By Jillian My favorite thing to do on a summer morning is to take a walk down my dirt road. Most summer days I sleep in but there are a few when I get up right after sunrise. The air is always moist with the sweet smell of earth, the birds are singing and the [...]
Learning from Farmers at the Learning Center
It’s quiet right now at Monsanto’s Monmouth, Ill., Learning Center, as least from a visitor perspective. During the late spring and summer months, a steady stream of farmers, seed dealers, investors, academics, international groups and youth organizations tour the facility to learn about the latest seed technologies being researched and tested in the field. “And [...]
