A Roadmap to Better Decision Making

With the short holiday week, I wanted to keep it light and easy. I've always enjoyed Paul Harvey's reading of this piece, as the true author is "unknown". There's something about Paul Harvey's voice that makes it very hard to imagine hearing it recited any other way. I have included the actual words below, along with a link where you ...
Read More

Among the pests that farmers deal with every year, cute little “Bambi” is a particularly difficult menace to manage. Estimated annual losses to U.S. farmers from damaged caused by deer reaches into the millions. Researchers at University of Tennessee hope to cut the losses for soybean farmers with a new variety that literally gives deer a stomach ache.A study published ...
Read More

Rabobank is out with the sixth edition of its “Grains and Oilseeds World Map,” which shows that trade has continued to grow despite global upheaval. Trade volumes have increased by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of +3.2% for grains and +2.4% for oilseeds, based on data analyzed from 2018/19 to 2023/24. Rabobank does note that this is a slower ...
Read More

The USDA recently released an interesting analysis, “The Rise and Fall of Bulk Commodities (As a Share of Total U.S. Agricultural Exports).” The report finds that major bulk commodities, as a share of total U.S. agricultural exports, have risen and fallen dramatically since 2020. Beyond short-term price volatilities that have largely driven these developments, changes to the largest overseas market ...
Read More

Farm-ng is a California-based agricultural technology startup founded in 2020 with the mission, for now, to empower small and mid-sized farmers through accessible robotics and artificial intelligence. The company was established by Ethan Rublee, who, inspired by the challenges faced by farmers, including persistent labor shortages and operational inefficiencies, saw an opportunity to blend robotics with practical agricultural needs.Guided by AI expert Gary Bradski, ...
Read More

Feral swine—also known as wild pigs, wild boars, wild hogs, and razorbacks— cause major damage to crops, rangeland, waterways, and a slew of other resources and property every year. The latest research estimates that feral hogs caused some $1.6 billion in agricultural losses across 13 states in a single year. The good news is that eradication and control programs coordinated ...
Read More

We have reached that time of year when it’s important to be scouting soybean fields for an array of yield-sapping pests and diseases. Catching problems early gives crops the best chance of minimizing yield loss, something that has become even more important amid razor-thin margins for many farmers. Just as important to identifying trouble in the field is understanding the ...
Read More

It was this week back in 1867 that Lucien B. Smith of Kent, Ohio was issued patent #66,182 for "barbed wire". Smith's design called for spools of four short, sharp metal spikes at right angles. The spools would revolve loosely and be set every 2 to 3 feet along the fence wire. Soon thereafter, several other patents were issued for ...
Read More

Most grocery stores have an entire aisle dedicated to infants and young children. Packaging of many food brands is designed specifically to appeal to younger generations, while flavors and potential health benefits of food products cater to the 18-34 age group that’s been deemed the “most important” by advertisers and marketers the world over. In other words, the food business ...
Read More

The use of drones in agriculture is gaining ground as more farmers become interested in the cost and time-saving potential of aerial applications. While the U.S. already has comprehensive regulations for drone-based agricultural chemical spraying, enforced by both federal and state agencies, emerging guidelines from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) aim to refine that oversight. Additionally, the widest-used drone brand, ...
Read More