Corn rootworm control 

By: By Larry Stalcup

Bt corn has helped many growers worry less about critters like corn rootworms. But with the 20% non-Bt refuge requirement and many corn lines still without the bug-resistance gene, knowing when, what and how much to spray can prove profitable by preventing disastrous damage....

Monsanto Purchase Approved 

Monsanto is now able to complete its purchase of Delta and Pine Land Company. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) gave approval with special terms for the purchase to move ahead. Monsanto will be required to divest certain assets including its U.S. branded cotton seed business. ...

Corn Continues To Shift Placements  

By: Courtesy of BEEF Stocker Trends newsletter

It's no surprise that more cattle are going on feed in the Midwest and Corn Belt because of feed cost and access. What may surprise some is...

Fertilizer prices flatten 

By: By John Pocock

Growers should see more supplies of fertilizer and better prices this fall than this spring. Why? By the fall, fertilizer supplies will have adjusted...

USDA: largest corn planting in 63 years 

By: Elton Robinson, Delta Farm Press

U.S. corn producers are expected to plant 90.5 million acres of corn this spring -- the highest acreage planted in 63 years. According to USDA's March 30 Prospective Plantings report...

Return Roundup Ready Alfalfa Seed 

Alfalfa growers who bought Roundup Ready seed but can't plant it need to contact their seed dealers about replacing it with conventional varieties or getting refunds, says a Monsanto spokesman. It seems likely that full refunds will be offered to growers who don't want to switch to conventional alfalfa, but Andrew Burchett, Monsanto public relations representative, can only confirm that Monsanto's technology fee will be returned. ...

Injunction Jolts Roundup Ready Alfalfa 

A federal judge last week imposed a preliminary injunction against the sale and planting of Roundup Ready alfalfa, effectively removing the transgenic crop as a spring seeding option in much of the country. The March 12 injunction, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Northern California, states that growers who bought Roundup Ready before that date can go ahead and plant it. But the seed must be in the ground by March 30....

Soybean rust in Iowa 

In mid-March, Asian soybean rust was identified on soybeans from a bin located in Iowa. Iowa State University (ISU) says that soybean rust was “conclusively identified on soybean plant tissue” from soybeans produced in 2006. ISU reports that the rust fungus found on the plant tissue does not pose a risk for infection this year...

New pre-ethanol process cuts DDGS 

A new low-cost process for separating more oil from corn kernels before they are fermented could improve the efficiency of ethanol production, as well as increase the value of the co-products. Developed by Renessen LLC, a joint venture between Cargill and Monsanto, this new process could be added on the front end of most existing dry-grind ethanol plants to make them more efficient....

AutoFarm investment 

AutoFarm announces an investment in gps-Ag, a provider of precision agriculture products that can be moved from vehicle to vehicle. The Australian company’s current managers will continue to run gps-Ag as an independent company, and it will carry the same precision product lines. ...

Farmers with disabilities 

Equipment sales flat 

Agricultural equipment manufacturers report that they expect equipment sales in 2007 to be flat or slowing. The annual Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) report shows that sales of 2-wd tractors of 100 hp and lower will be essentially flat in the U.S. ...

New soybean premium 

Growers who buy at least 200 units of NK Brand Roundup Ready soybeans for the first time or increase their annual order of the brand by 200 units will receive at least a $0.09/bu. premium on the soybeans. ...

Soybean rust discovery  

Asian soybean rust has been found in southern Illinois but does not pose a threat to this year’s soybean crop, according to the Illinois Department of Agriculture. ...

EPA approves Agrisure RW corn trait  

The EPA has granted registration approval for Syngenta’s Agrisure RW, a new corn trait designed to control rootworms. Agrisure RW is a modified synthetic gene from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)...

Tractor sales drop 

By: Ag Industry Watch

Tractor manufacturers selling to farmers in the United States faced a tough first half of 2006....

Name change 

Nitragin has changed its corporate name to EMD Crop BioScience following its acquisition of Agribiotics, based in Cambridge, Ontario....

Monsanto purchases five seed companies  

Monsanto’s subsidiary American Seeds Inc. (ASI) just increased its family of regional seed companies by five. ...

Notes from a farm equipment fan 

By: By Daryl Bridenbaugh

A Team FIN member describes his first visit to the National Farm Machinery Show....

SEED TITANS TEAM UP 

By: Karen McMahon

Syngenta and Pioneer announce a joint venture to out-license genetics and traits...

5% Drop In U.S. Corn Acreage? 

By: By Corn E-Digest and John Pocock

USDA's Prospective Plantings report shows farmers across the nation plan to slash corn acreage by 3.74 million acres, or 5%, compared to 2005. ...

BROADBAND SPECIAL 

WildBlue offers free installation for high-speed Internet via satellite. ...

2006 to present more challenges to farmers, USDA says 

By: By Forrest Laws, Farm Press Editorial Staff

But it could be worse considering the problems faced by U.S. farmers and the U.S. economy as a whole in late 2005...

Budget More Money For Gas And Diesel In 2006 

By: eHay Weekly newsletter

Barring another major disruption, gasoline and diesel prices are expected to hold steady in 2006, according to a University of Nebraska-Lincoln ag economist. ...

Rx for medical costs 

By: Karen McMahon

Cargill offers to fund health plan for grain customers....