People, Plants Both Suffering from Cold, Wet Feet

In Corny News, General, Production by Cathryn

Feeling a little bit damp and cool? Is there a chill running through your bones? Young corn plants trying to grow in many parts of the Corn Belt feel the same way right now. Delving more deeply into why the first crop condition report issued by USDA shows only 74 percent of the crop in good or excellent condition, one …

The More You Know

In Biotechnology, Environmental, Farming, Food, Food Prices, Media, Production by Cathryn

Remember the PSA’s that used to run with a tagline of “The More You Know?” They provided a helpful little piece of info on a broad array of subject? Today, Real Clear Science writer Ross Pomeroy offered up a succinct PSA of his own correcting misconceptions about organic and conventional agriculture with scientific information. So what is the 15-second sound …

Long Winter Takes a Hard Toll

In Farming, Production by Cathryn

From the Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic, the long, cold winter has taken a toll on the spirits of people from all walks of life. From commuters sick of slugging away in traffic during snowy commutes to parents worn down by a barrage of weather-related school cancelations, winter’s death grip on much of the country seems to be firmly clenched as …

While Farmers Excel, Journalism Falls Another Rung Down the Ladder

In Activism, Biotechnology, Farming, Media, Production by Cathryn

The Washington Examiner needs to examine their facts before publishing pure poppycock. In an article which ran on December 20, the paper claimed that National Corn Growers Association National Corn Yield Contest record holder David Hula grew his record-breaking bounty using organic production practices. Contest records clearly show this is completely untrue. Hula, a perennial winner, deserves both recognition and …

Is Corn Boom Ending?

In Production by Cindy

That’s a question asked recently by University of Illinois ag economists Darrel Good and Scott Irwin. In a FarmDocDaily article, Good and Irwin noted that the U.S. corn industry experienced a significant “growth spurt” beginning in the 2007-08 marketing year that continued through the 2011-12 marketing year. That 5-year boom period was characterized by larger consumption, larger production, and higher …

What to Expect When You’re Expecting (Next Year’s Crop)

In Corny News, Farming, feed, Food, Food Prices, Food vs Fuel, General, Media, Outlook, Production by Cathryn

Corn farmers might be wise to take a cue from a certain sector of their counterparts in traditional business sectors and learn the value of expectations management. In 2012, farmers felt the brunt of their own success as, after years of continually pushing the boundaries of how much they could grow using fewer resources, a massive drought hit the Corn …

Olympic Gold Medalist Promotes Corn

In Ethanol, Farming, Production, State Groups by Cindy

While the Summer Olympics were going on in London, a gold medalist from the Winter Olympics was talking corn in Omaha at the American Coalition for Ethanol conference, thanks to the Nebraska Corn Board. Curt Tomasevicz, a member of the 2010 U.S. Olympic 4-man bobsled team, grew up in a small Nebraska farming community and now helps promote corn in …

Hot? Irritable? Cranky? Imagine Watching Your Paycheck Burn Up Too

In Farm Bill, Farming, feed, Food, Food Prices, General, government, Production, weather by Cathryn

Can you imagine the feeling of waking up in the morning and realizing that it would be 13 months before you got another paycheck? The drought has farm families across the Midwest pondering just that as relentlessly hot, dry conditions turn the nation’s heartland from a breadbasket into an oven. In a recent story from Voice of America, DuBois, Ill. …

Global Warming: Could Media-Generated Hot Air Be a Cause?

In Farming, Food, Food Prices, Food vs Fuel, General, Media, Production, weather by Cathryn

As temperatures across the Midwest soar into the triple digits with little chance for rain or relief in sight, talking heads have started to blabber on again about how the drought will hit consumer’s wallets.  Adding further pain to the heat-induced misery, these armchair economists stoke the fires of already burning financial concerns. Yelling “fire” in a crowded theater may …

Optimism for the Corn Crop

In Farming, Production, USDA by Cindy

The first U.S. Department of Agriculture outlook for this year’s corn crop is calling for record yields and record production. The May 10 World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report projects U.S. feed grain supplies for 2012/13 at a record 416.3 million tons, up 16 percent from 2011/12 at a record 416.3 million tons, with corn production called at a …