Who should speak up for farmers?
As farmers look at the way the world works, its easy to think things need to change. Tennessee farmer Johnny Dodson says farmers need to speak up & be involved.
Farmers Learning from Each Other
I happened to be in one of the fields Johnny Dodson farms near Four Points, Tennessee with soybean farmers from the Midwest who came down south to see the issues on weed resistance that Johnny and his neighbors are facing.
What’s a Farmer to Do When Weed Resistance Threatens the Farm?
In a previous post, we learned a bit about Johnny Dodson and his Halls, Tennessee farm. In that post, things at the farm may have seemed idyllic. As he talked, the birds chirped and all seemed right with the world. But reality is, Johnny is in the epicenter of weed resistance. Having grown 30 crops [...]
On the Farm with Tennessee Farmer Johnny Dodson
This trip was long overdue. I’ve been lucky enough to talk to Halls, Tennessee farmer Johnny Dodson several times before – I vividly remember some Midwestern soybean farmers borrowing a cotton boll to show Johnny he wasn’t the only cotton person in Kansas City for a meeting and other chances to talk with him about [...]
An Update on Roundup Ready Patent Expiration
Recent articles (see here, here and here) have discussed patent expiration for Roundup Ready® soybeans. In light of these articles and ongoing interest in the subject, the timing seems right to remind readers of our post-patent plans. The last Monsanto-owned patent for Roundup Ready soybeans will expire in 2014, and the last applicable third-party patent [...]
What Does a Family Farmer Know?
The following blog post was submitted to us by Glen Groth, a family farmer in Ridgeway, Minnesota who has dairy cows and raises corn & soybeans. Glen has become active on social media (@GrothFarms on Twitter) and has seen various conversations that make him want to speak up about the things he knows to be [...]
“We have to grow a good crop this year”
AgriNews, which covers agriculture in both Illinois and Indiana, had a story Monday about a Community Bank Ag Conference in Mendota, Ill. Normally, I don’t closely follow agricultural banking news, but the headline caught my attention: “Hybrids play major role in meeting world food needs.” One of the speakers at the conference was Steve Freed, [...]
Where’s the sales pitch? It’s in the yield, it’s in the field!
By Katie If you would have asked me 10 years ago what I wanted to be when I grow up, sales probably would have been one of the last things to come to mind. In fact, when I tell people now that I am involved in sales I feel like I need to explain exactly [...]
Sudden Death Syndrome Making its Mark in Soybeans
I couldn’t cut it as a farmer—for a multitude of reasons—but primarily, I couldn’t stomach the business risks involved. There are risks such as weather and disease that are completely out of your hands no matter how much forethought and planning you do. It appears that U.S. soybean farmers are facing one such risk this [...]
Video: Planting Drags Out, Moisture Issues at Every Turn
It seems like forever since we had an update on what was happening on Bob Walker’s cotton, corn and soybean farm. Planting that started back in mid-April faced torrential rains in early May. Planting started so long ago and the blog about it was written so long ago, that people have likely forgotten about it. [...]
The Race Against Mother Nature
By Tyne It’s a race against Mother Nature every spring and fall for farmers across the U.S. This season, some may argue Mother Nature has pulled ahead over the past month. What started out to be a great year for planting with above normal temperatures in many areas across the country, has turned into a [...]
What’s for dinner in 2050? Monsanto Talks Ag & Food at Fortune Brainstorm Green
This week in Southern California, a diverse group of political, not-for-profit organizations and business leaders are sitting down at Fortune Brainstorm Green to brainstorm ideas and approaches on how to work together to feed, clothe and fuel human activity and to do so in a sustainable way.
An Official Update at the Unofficial Start of 2010 Planting
Co-authored by Janice Person and Nick Weber The unofficial start of planting season got under way today, as the U.S. Department of Agriculture released its 2010 Prospective Plantings report. It’s an annual report that the agency issues each March 31 as its best estimates on what farmers may plant for corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton and [...]
What RR1 Patent Expiration Means for Farmers
The patent for the original Roundup Ready (RR1) soybean trait is set to expire in 2014. That fact has raised all kinds of interest and questions, starting first with what it means for farmers. Late last year, Monsanto worked to explain our intentions. Lately, several groups, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, have asked about [...]
Social Media Coverage of Commodity Classic 2010
California Dreamin’ with Corn, Soybean, Wheat and Sorghum Growers The 2010 Commodity Classic Show kicks off today in Anaheim, California. Classic (as its known to hip ag-sters) is the annual meeting of the nation’s corn, soybean, wheat and sorghum growers, hosted by the National Corn Growers Association, American Soybean Association, National Association of Wheat Growers, [...]
Video: Farmers Giving the Consumers What They Want – A Healthy Heart
In 2009 there was a lot of buzz around trans-fat free foods when places like New York City passed regulations that pushed the use of healthier oils. It may be hard to imagine, but that decision affected farmers like John Buck, who farms in Ohio in the small town of New Bloomington. Although trans-fat foods [...]
Farmers Produce Record Corn, Soybean Crops
Big notes of “Thanks” and “Congrats” are in order for U.S. farmers. On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service released its “Crop Production 2009 Summary.” This report highlights the USDA’s best estimates of what farmers produced during the 2009 crop year across several crops, including Monsanto’s core crops of corn, soybeans [...]
My Ag Education Continues – A Visit to the Grain Elevator
I’ve visited a handful of row-crop farms, talked with dozens of farmers, stood on top of a lock and dam and been to a few farm shows during my short career in agriculture. There’s a lot I still need to do, but I was able to check “visit a grain elevator” off my list. After [...]
Monsanto Plans for Roundup Ready® Soybeans Post Patent
The world’s most widely adopted biotech trait, Roundup Ready® soybeans, is set to go off patent soon in the U.S. – the last applicable Monsanto-owned patent is expected to expire in 2014. Although it’s still several years off, we’ve been discussing our thoughts about a post-patent environment for the past several years. These discussions culminated [...]
Monsanto Named Winner of Angry Mermaid Award
I’ve discovered that Monsanto is the recipient of something called the “Angry Mermaid Award.“ The award was handed out Tuesday evening in Copenhagen, the host city for of the United Nations climate talks. I guess someone forgot to send the invitation to the awards ceremony.
Keeping Farming in the Family
I called Dave Morris to learn about his farm and dealer operations. He returned my phone call from his tractor. This season, the weather won’t wait. If you get a few good days, you grab them and hit the fields – a story that’s still being repeated all over the Midwest and central plains in [...]
