The corn harvest nationwide is running behind average for this time of year and just a bit ahead of last year, but the crop continues to look good. According to USDA, the condition of the corn crop remains 74% good to excellent, 60% of the crop is mature, and 12% was harvested as of Sunday. All states are behind normal …
NCGA Busy at FPS
National Corn Growers Association officers were out in force at the 2014 Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa this week. Right out of the gate on the first day I met up with NCGA chairwoman Pam Johnson of Iowa, First VP Chip Bowling of Maryland, and President Martin Barbre of Illinois. It was a soggy start to the show on …
Marketing Magic
Yesterday, the Center for Consumer Freedom ran a story highlighting Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap’s verbal sleight of hand in promoting consumer information while clearly providing slightly deceptive details on its own products. Reflecting upon the specifics of the situation, I got to thinking. The comments about Dr. Bronner’s could be applied to so many situations involving the marketing of both …
A Sign of the Times
Personal experience provides the lens through which we view the world. Looking out at the road while driving by, every person tends to make analogies. Maybe a house looks like the one in which he grew up. Maybe a certain tree reminds her of a great day in grade school. The visual evokes a mental image and thus creates feelings …
It’s Time to Speak Up!
Today, Corn Commentary shares a post from CommonGround Wisconsin volunteer Kim Bremmer. To find more posts on a wide variety of subjects authored by CommonGround volunteers, click here. It’s Time to Speak Up! One of my favorite ways to start the day is at the counter of my favorite coffee place, ordering a grande triple shot caramel macchiato and a …
In the Drone Debate, Watch What You Wish For
Grist published another gripping piece today on the important role drones can play in the “fight against Big Ag.” The post, based on a blaring inaccuracy at its core, posited that “If you were privy to everything that went on inside a factory farm, you might never want to eat again.” Then, it proposed drones were the answer to getting …
Save the Corn Farmers?
Google “save the rainforest” and watch all the organizations that pop up; everything from the World Rainforest Fund to Kids Saving the Rainforest. I don’t have a problem with that because rainforests are a critical cog in the blue planet’s eco-system. Rainforests provide incredible biodiversity and through the process of photosynthesis they also provide the duel function of removing carbon …
Corn Acres are Lower but Weather is Key
USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is now estimating corn acreage planted is at 91.6 million acres, down 4 percent from last year, which represents the lowest planted acreage in the United States since 2010, but still the fifth-largest acreage planted since 1944. USDA chief economist Joe Glauber says with the numbers in, the attention shifts from acres to weather …
The More You Know
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 …
Corn is Coming Along
There are a few states that are still struggling, but overall the corn crop is off to a great start. Lots of farmers were in the fields over the Memorial Day holiday, planting over one fourth of the nation’s crop last week to tie the five year average at 88 percent, according to USDA. Emergence is catching up with 60 …