Increasing Yields, Helping Farmers

I also picked up some great information during a press conference at Commodity Classic. Geri Berdak with Monsanto Public Affairs welcomed the audience and introduced David Nothmann to talk about Roundup Ready 2 Yield. He turned the mic over to a couple RR2Y ambassadors to talk about their experiences growing the next generation soybeans this past season.

Alan Karkosh of Hudson, Iowa and David Sasse of Lincoln, Illinois were two of 150 farmers to participate in the field trials. Both men experienced increased yields averaging around 7 to 8 percent.

RR2Y beans were grown on a total of 13,000 acres and the complete results show a possible 7 to 11 percent increase.

To ensure the seed didn't impact surrounding crops, the farmers were required to clean planters and combines along with other procedures. Karkosh says it was interesting to follow the strict regulations, but he felt comfortable knowing Monsanto was very cautious with this meticulous process.

The genetic trait in RR2Y offers the same RR system, and Nothmann explains the increased yield answers farmer demands.

"Growers said they wanted higher yields and wanted us to invest 83 cents of every dollar to develop that technology," Nothmann says. "Through gene mapping, we focused on more beans per pod and more pods per plant."

Here's an excerpt from the press release provided at the media event:

"With the commecialization of Monsanto's second-generation soybean technology in 2009, Round Up Ready 2 Yield, American farmers will enjoy all the benefits of the original Round Up Ready soybean system plus top-end yield potential.

Round Up Ready 2 Yield soybeans will be introduced on 1-2 million acres for the 2009 season. Initially, this breakthrough technology will be available primarily in maturity groups 2 and 3, where more than 50 percent of U.S. soybeans are grown, according to David Nothmann, Monsanto's Soybean Agronomic Trait Lead."

Click here to listen to the entire press conference.

Local News

Even in Missouri, I'm still learning about Commodity Classic. During my morning shift at KBIA in Columbia, my news editors assigned me to cover the events from a local perspective. Here's the complete news story.

I called Becky Grisham, director of communications for the Missouri Corn Growers Association, to get her input on the past week's activities.

I found out a Missouri grower won a similar truck giveaway co-sponsored by the National Corn Growers Association and Syngenta Crop Protection. Congrats to Terry Hilgedick from Hartsburg, MO for winning the 2008 Flex Fuel truck. You can read more on the MCGA website. This contest was part of a membership recruitment drive.

As you can see, I've still got tons of info to share. I have a busy schedule, but I'll have more to come!

Home Sweet Home

After a short flight, we landed safely in Missouri. During our take-off, I saw some bright red, picturesque barns dotting the Tennessee countryside. It made me think about hard-working farmers across our nation. From seeing the opportunities this weekend, I know that Commodity Classic provides growers with excellent resources. Several of the producers I met said they come to the event to expand their knowledge of new technology, techniques, and products. With the outstanding programs, press conferences and trade show displays, I'd say...mission accomplished!

On another note, I was glad to feel 50-degree weather when we landed in St. Louis. Let's hope this is just a sign that March is headed for a warm-up! I giggled when I had a quick conversation with a stranger at the airport. She lives in L.A. and was quite concerned by how cold it is here in the Show-Me State...

Now it's time to get back to my usual pace. I say usual, like I have a routine. It's more of a hodge-podge, yet still less intense than a jam-packed conference. As I take some time to relax, I'll put together a few last thoughts from the show. Stay tuned!

Practically Famous

I've been working to stir up interest in my blog, so hopefully I'll pick up some new readers after today! I was pleased to see my blog linked from a fun post at John's World, written by John Phipps. Be sure to check that out.

I must say, I really appreciate all the help I've gotten from fellow bloggers. You can read more about John's advice in my recent post titled "Words From the Wise."

Today has been great. We're off to dinner and a reception hosted by Osborn & Barr. Steve Barr is a Mizzou Ag Journalism grad and has lots of advice for me as a fellow Tiger!

I hope to blog more later tonight. I know I've got several anxious readers waiting to see their names in my posts...so keep checking back!

Fun Friday Fact

I absolutely love random and interesting facts, so as I was talking to Gail Sasse and her husband, I learned a little about pumpkin production! I bet you didn't know that an average acre can yield approximately 1,000 pumpkins.

Gail has been growing pumpkins for the past three years, and says having a pumpkin patch is a great way to teach tourists about agriculture.

The Illinois couple farms 5,000 acres of row crops, but the pumpkins were a way for Gail to stay involved. She said their area was lacking a pumpkin patch, so she didn't have a problem with competition. As a part-time teacher, Gail got into the tourism side of the pumpkin industry starting with field trips.

Now they have a tour, complete with pumpkin and face painting. She says the majority of their customer base is found by word of mouth. Gail's Pumpkin Patch even has a cute business card...bright orange and in the shape of a pumpkin, of course!

Just another example of an opportunity for midwest growers!

Mmmm, Mmmm Good!

Well the Campbell's Soup slogan definitely comes to my mind when mealtime rolls around at Commodity Classic! We're definitely in the food business in agriculture, so it's only appropriate that we have some good grub.

The members of the National Association of Wheat Growers are making sure we get our fill of homemade baked goods. Here you can see the happy growers in the wheat industry serving hot cinnamon rolls and fresh bread to visitors in the trade show.

The warm sweet smell lingers in the air, so it's worth stopping by to enjoy a sample! They are definitely pros at making these tasty treats!

Doesn't Everyone Want to be a Country Star?

Along with the award presentations, last night's visit to the Ryman was complete with a country concert.

It sure is a good thing I grew up listening to classic country. My dad taught me to like those all-time favorites like George Jones, Johnny Cash, and Conway Twitty. He even convinced me to put most of their songs on my iPod in case I want to listen to some oldies!

So I felt right at home when "Asleep at the Wheel" took the stage. Their country sound has a little bit of a swing to it, which I think the crowd enjoyed.

The friendly folks at the Ryman advertised the chance to record a song during the night's festivities. I never heard who won that contest, but it brought back memories of my first trip to Nashville.

I was five, and in love with the song "She's In Love With A Boy," by Trisha Yearwood. At a fun, "tourist" recording studio, I got to sing my heart out to my favorite song. Now I learned to read with the rest of my classmates in the 1st grade...when I was six. So, even though I had the sheet music right in front of me, I couldn't read the words!

To tell you the truth, the only words of the song I sang correctly came in the chorus. This being said, I mumbled around during the verses and came up with some pretty creative words for what I thought the lyrics were! When it would get to the chorus though, I'd belt it out like I owned Nashville. It's a really cute tape, and I definitely think I was a better vocalist back then!

Luckily, my dreams of being a country music star have faded away. I may be able to read now, but the hard part is carrying a tune...

Legend in the Making

Each year, the National Corn Growers Association hosts a producer contest to determine the leading corn yields throughout the U.S.

I got the chance to join the winning producers for a night at the legendary Ryman Auditorium, which is the original theater for the Grand Ole Opry. Country music legends like Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, George Jones all performed at the Ryman.

So last night, the DEKALB Yield winners got the chance to stand on the very same stage. I'd say that's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! These winners are well-deserving because they represent the best of the best, and they've certainly put in the hard work to get here!

To give you an idea of the scope here are a few stats:

• Growers from 32/50 states won with yields from DEKALB seed
• Seven DEKALB growers were national winners
• The total national awards increased by five from last year
  

One of these winners is William Travis Duncan of Salisbury, MO. He represented Missouri by winning first place in the state contest. He's been farming on his own for 12 years, but says this award is a real accomplishment. He hopes to continue increasing his yields and applying for the contest.

On a side note, let me give a "shout out" to Megan Cooper for being the seed sales rep in the Salisbury area. She's a product of Mizzou Ag Journalism and also an alum of Sigma Alpha, professional agriculture sorority. Not that I'm bias or anything...

Farmer to Farmer

I’ve recently met up with several producers attending Commodity Classic. They’re here to talk to fellow farmers about their successes with next generation seeds, including Round Up Ready 2 Yield and Vistive.

This means they’ll be at the trade show throughout the conference to provide their experience with the products. Basically it’s a pretty good idea…having farmers talk to farmers!

On the right is Jim Berg, of Wapakoneta, Ohio. He farms with his brother and says he wants to tell other farmers about his successes with Vistive beans.

Jim is an Ohio native, but he told me about the opportunities he's had within agriculture. Very impressive if I may say so myself! He's traveled internationally with the U.S. Grains Council and the National Corn Growers Association.

Now, along with farming, he owns a commodity brokerage. He's kept busy with activities, which has proven another point for the day: agriculture doesn't sleep!

Round Two

Well after a great first day, I'm excited to give you more details about what's going on here in Nashville on Friday. The schedule has just as many activities to keep me busy, so I'll have plenty of info to blog about!

Here's a preview of one of my many fun tasks tomorrow: drive the race car simulator. As you can see, the trade show is well-equipped with interactive displays to grasp the attention of all conference attendees!

Join me again for more action from the 2008 Commodity Classic!

Meet and Greet

Growing up, I was all too familiar with farm broadcasters. For instance, every morning before dropping me off at school my dad would say, "Have a profitable marketing day!"

I think it all started when I was a little girl. Basically, I loved to watch Orion Samuelson and Max Armstrong host t.v. broadcasts. In my world, they're the most famous of ag's broadcasting industry. I've met Orion twice now, and both times I've gotten goosebumps like I was meeting some A-list movie star in Hollywood! To me, Orion and Max ARE the A-listers!

So now you can see why I was so excited when Max Armstrong stopped by the Monsanto booth. He was there to interview Brett Begemann, executive vice president of global commercial. Lucky for me, we got to slip in and introduce ourselves before they began taping.

By the way, I'm hoping to sit down and talk to Brett before the weekend is over. Yet again, I'm reminded about the importance of networking by the many people I'm getting to rub elbows with down here!

And the Winner is...

When it came time for the truck drawing, the Monsanto booth was standing room only. I was definitely cheering for my fellow farmers from Clinton, but I guess I didn't share enough luck with Bryan & Melinda Dehn to help bring that truck back to our hometown.

After choosing a case containing keys to the brand new Duramax, the four finalists pushed the keyless-entry to see which of them would be driving a new truck back home.

Mr. and Mrs. Paul Brown got the lucky case. The Iowa couple own a family farm, partnering with their son and grandson to run the operation. Mr. Brown wasn't sure who would end up driving the truck, but he did say the family would enjoy it.

Mrs. Brown said the new vehicle would be great for future shopping trips. I admit, the amount of cab space is ideal for a trip to the mall! I estimate you could probably fit 200 pairs of cowboy boots in that thing. That doesn't even count the number of shopping bags you could put in the bed!

Editor's Note: Please, don't take my rough estimate seriously, I'm terrible with approximations. Good thing I'm focusing my future career on my love for communication!

The couple said they even color-coordinated their clothing to give them a lucky edge on the competition. Mrs. Brown said their daughter made the suggestion since red is her favorite color. Looks like superstitions may have led to a winning contest for this Iowa farm family! Congrats!

Neighbors in Nashville

One of today's trade show highlights was the Asgrow truck giveaway. Here the shiny, red Chevy Duramax that was bound to make the lucky winner a very happy farmer.

Four finalists had a shot at winning the truck, along with a laptop, Blackberry, and a list of other items. The names of the lucky four farmers were drawn after they signed up for the promotion at their local seed supplier.

I was certainly surprised to find out one of the four finalists is from my hometown! Later tonight, I'll have some audio from Clinton, Missouri's very own Bryan Dehn! Again...it's a small world!

Words From the Wise...

While walking around the trade show to meet people and chat about agriculture, I stopped to talk to the friendly folks at Farm Journal. They'll be taping U.S. Farm Report live from the conference tomorrow morning, so I wanted to learn more.

After meeting Farm Journal's John Phipps, I got some great advice for my blogging career. John told me to talk to young farmers here at Commodity Classic, because he says there's an increase in the number at this year's conference.

John has been blogging for three years, and he says this new media is great for communicating about agriculture.

Here we are talking at the trade show booth. I'm hoping to put John's advice to good use and make my posts even more helpful. Head on over to John's World to see the product of an experienced ag blogger!

Hello Music City!

After waking up to 20-degree weather in Missouri, I had high hopes of warmer temps down south. I was in for a surprise when I looked out the airplane window to find snow on the ground. Fortunately, my disappointment faded with the sunny Nashville sky and the warm southern hospitality of course!

I really can't complain about the weather. We're staying at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel, which is practically a tropical getaway with the amount of vegetation and landscaping they've got! The hotel itself is practically a little village and the layout is quite tricky. Luckily, I haven't gotten lost yet...knock on wood!

Just look at these gorgeous pics and you'll wish you were here!

So far, the schedule has been non-stop and I can't wait to share all of my stories with you. First of all, let me just say we're lucky to be working in such a great industry. Events like Commodity Classic are great reminders of the opportunities available to us, especially when it comes to networking!

While waiting to register, Ashley (the other student blogger) and I met some nice farmers in the lobby area. Turns out, they're from Lockwood, MO, which is just about an hour south of my hometown. What a small world?

By the way, you can check out Ashley's blog too! With all of our events, there's plenty of new information. Be sure to check back, I'll have pics and audio up soon!