Wildfires and their related troubles in the US have typically been concentrated in Western states. This year, however, record wildfires in eastern Canada are impacting parts of the Northeast and Midwest. Smoke from the fires is blamed for New York City’s air quality recently ranking as among the worst in the world. The smoke has …

Smoke From Canadian Wildfires Poses Hazard to US Farmers…What You Need to Know Read More »

Chemical giant Dow has entered into a supply agreement with biomass refiner “New Energy Blue “to develop bioplastics from corn stover. Described as a ‘first-of-its-kind’ agreement in North America, New Energy Blue will create bio-based ethylene for Dow’s US Gulf Coast facilities to produce renewable plastics. Dow expects to use the bio-based ethylene in recyclable …

Dow Teams with New Energy Blue to Make Renewable Plastics from Corn Residue Read More »

There’s starting to be more talk of dry conditions creeping into some important soybean growing regions of the US. While soybeans are a resilient crop, prolonged dry conditions during both germination and the reproductive growth stages can be particularly detrimental, reducing stands and ultimately limiting yields. Below are some thoughts and information we have gathered …

How Drought Impacts Soybeans Throughout the Growing Season Read More »

The famous Velveeta Cheese we all grew up with wasn’t so much discovered as it was invented, and even stranger is the fact that it’s actually the second cheese invented by Swiss immigrant Emil Frey. Frey emigrated to the US with his father in the late 1800’s. His father was a farmer and cheese maker, …

Happy Birthday “Velveeta Cheese” Read More »

After nearly two decades of planning, the new, state-of-the-art National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) has finally opened in Manhattan, Kansas. The $1.25 billion facility, a level-four is the first of its kind in the United States and will allow scientists to study and diagnose critical animal diseases.  The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science …

Long-Awaited National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility Opens in Kansas Read More »

The US beef cow herd started the year with the smallest numbers since 1962 thanks to severe drought conditions that have plagued at least 40% of the country since September 2020. Drought conditions have dramatically improved but the US beef herd is still expected to shrink even further due to a combination of ongoing drought …

Tight US Beef Supplies to Keep Prices Higher for Both Producers and Consumers Read More »

On this day in 1897, Pearle Wait, a carpenter in LeRoy, NY was developing a cough remedy and laxative tea in his home. He experimented with gelatine and came up with a mixed fruit-flavored dessert that his wife, May, named JELL-O. Wait and his wife, May, created strawberry, raspberry, orange, and lemon flavoring to mix …

JELL-O Story… From Rags to Riches! Read More »

Scientists in Israel claim to have made a “world-first breakthrough” in plant gene modification that they believe could revolutionize how crop traits are improved. The researchers say their discovery makes it possible to reveal the role of genes and traits in plants previously hidden by functional redundancy. Meaning they are able to isolate and identify …

Gene Editing “Breakthrough” Could Revolutionize How Agricultural Crops are Developed Read More »

Corteva has announced a new plant breeding innovation that uses CRISPR gene-editing to increase multi-disease resistance in corn. The company says the technology packages multiple disease-resistant native traits into a single location in the gene to better address the most devastating North American corn diseases facing farmers today. As farmers are well aware, plant diseases …

Corteva Announces CRISPR Crop Breeding Innovation to Combat Corn Disease Read More »

I really like the Simplot family and the folks they have working inside their business. They have always treated me and my family very well. I’ve also always appreciated the background story on how the business was built by the founder J.R. Simplot… Good stuff!!! J.R. Simplot, who passed away on this day in 2008 …

J.R. Simplot… Great Rags-to-Riches Story! Read More »