Noble Foundation Acts as Catalyst to Move Ag Research Ahead

One of the prime characteristics of agriculture research is to look to the future. Bill Buckner, president and CEO of the Noble Foundation in Ardmore, Oklahoma, says that is precisely what his staff endeavors to do.

"I always kid with the guys in our ag division that if we're going to be consultants, we have to be two steps ahead of everybody in order to earn the right to be called 'consultant.' And I think we do do that, but agriculture is changing very rapidly and if we're not looking at these new technologies further downstream and starting to incorporate those into a lot of the applied research that we do, then we're missing the boat."

He greeted cattle producers who were participating in the Texoma Cattlemen's Conference in Ardmore on Thursday. After those greetings, Buckner talked with us and discussed their ongoing research projects seek to make the most of technological innovations that will be at the core of farming and ranching in the near future, like their Smart Ranch program and Forage 365.

"Those are some areas that I think as we continue to experience climatic change in whatever variable we want to consider it, we are going to have to figure out in the future how we are going to do more with less. And how we can get the most out of our forage gain on a 365-day base period is really going to be the trick in this region to figure out how we can continue to provide some value.

"So, we're taking advantage of the resources we have at the Noble Foundation to link our plant biology and our forage-improvement group, which are basic forage plant breeders, and our agricultural group to really garner the strength of what we have there, to really produce some purposeful outcomes and provide alternatives to different grazing systems for the region." 

Click here and you can catch my audio interview with Bill Buckner and read more of this story on our website.

Michele Payn-Knoper: Invest 15 Minutes a Day in Telling Ag's Story 

One theme that those in agriculture constantly hear nowadays is that they have to work harder and smarter to get their message out to the consumer. Michele Payn-Knoper is a farmer from Indiana who has made it her business to help her fellow farmers do just that. We talked with her at the 2014 Bayer Crop Science Ag Issues Forum- as she was taking in some of the cutting edge conversation at that event.

"What I advise people to do is to decide what you're really passionate about, what you feel ready to take on and have a conversation about. Because the reality is that if you are going to enter into the forum and talk about biotechnology, there are a lot of very emotionally-driven sensationalized people out there that have been fed a lot of misinformation. So, as a result, you're going to get burned. And I don't discourage people from talking about issues like biotechnology, but just know what kind of waters you're wading into, if you will, because there certainly are some sharks."

What she really encourages, Payn-Knoper says, is for those in agriculture to be proactive and tell their own stories about their lives and their experiences on their farms. She says farmers and ag producers don't have to wait until the next wave of disinformation hits the internet before communicating, but that they should be getting their story out there all the time. She recommends to her listeners and readers that they invest just 15 minutes a day telling agriculture's story.

Click here and you can read the rest of this story and hear our full conversation.  

American Farmers & Ranchers/Oklahoma Farmers Union recently recognized the organization's outstanding young leaders at the AFR/OFU 109th State Convention Feb. 22. Recipients of the 2014 AFR/OFU Star Youth Award are Trent Boles, Asher; Chance Imhoff, Prague; Lindsey Underwood, Tecumseh; and Whitney Wilkinson, Cement.

The AFR/OFU Star Youth Award is the highest honor a youth can receive from the AFR/OFU Youth Program. Students statewide are eligible for the honor. Recipients must have been active in the AFR/OFU Youth Program for a minimum of five years leading to high school graduation.

"Our Youth Program is overflowing with tomorrow's young leaders," said AFR/OFU President Terry Detrick. "We are confident in our award recipients' desire and ability to lead their generation as they rise to the challenges of the ever-changing agricultural industry."  Click here to read more of this story.

AFR/OFU also named the winners of its annual poster contest at the convention.  The contest consists of two age divisions-Division I for students in grades 1-2 and Division II for students in grades 3-4. The top five posters in each division received cash awards.  This year, more than 2,000 students statewide competed in the contest. Click here for a complete list of the winners.  

DuPont Leader Outlines Growth Strategy for Agriculture and Nutrition & Health Segments

DuPont Executive Vice President James C. Borel outlined growth drivers across the seed, crop protection and nutrition and health businesses today at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch 2014 Global Agriculture Conference - highlighting the launch of a next generation decision services platform for U.S. farmers.

"Increasing global demand for more nutritious, safe and affordable food is driving growth at DuPont," said Borel. "We are focused on increasing our return on research and development through innovation; expanding our global reach; and strong execution in our Agriculture and Nutrition & Health segments."

One of DuPont's three strategic priorities in its plan to build a higher growth, higher value company is to extend its leadership in the science-driven segments of the agriculture-to-food value chains, and to leverage the linkages across these segments. In 2013, DuPont's Agriculture and Nutrition & Health segments comprised more than 40 percent of company sales and segment operating earnings.

Click here for more. 

Canola College 2014- Brian Arnall Says Paying Attention to Basic Fertility Yields Best Results

Raising a successful canola crop is not a mysterious undertaking according to Oklahoma State University Extension Soil Fertility Specialist Brian Arnall. Speaking at the latest Canola College event, he told us that it all boils down to paying attention to detail and getting things right from the very beginning.

"We're finding out more and more every day that fertility is having a bigger impact as far as any other crop. I'm seeing specifically in winter survivability, soil fertility is really playing a key role in how these plants are making it through the winter and through some of our harsh falls and into the winters, especially this year.

"Soil pH and soil test phosphorous has been a key element on whether or not that plant is making it through. Areas that have low pH are not surviving. Areas that have low soil test phosphorous and have not had any phosphorous applied are not surviving. It is just not making it through the winter."

Arnall says producers need to be aware that canola is a little different in its fertility requirements than are other crops and it is a particularly heavy feeder when it comes to sulfur. The plant's demand for sulfur, however, is lower in Oklahoma than it is in Kansas due to soil nutrient profiles. However, Arnall says, "as we bring canola into more of a rotation, I expect in the years to come we'll see more of a response and that's something we need to keep track of via soil tests and just really watching closely in the field."

Click here to read the rest of this story or to listen to my interview with Brian. 

Preventing PEDv: Take Another Look At Biosecurity And Nutrition

Quality control and stringent biosecurity measures were once again reaffirmed as the only precautions swine producers can truly take against PEDv (Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus). After another recent outbreak of the virus, many industry members are now reassessing their feed ingredient sources and tightening the reins on the traceability of their overall management and nutrition programs.

"The overall goal of the swine industry is to eliminate and prevent the dissemination of PEDv. This will largely be achieved by using proven, controlled disease challenge (feedback) strategies and adherence to strict biosecurity programs that prevent the spread of the virus through direct exposure and environmental contamination," said Dr. Karl Dawson, chief scientific officer at Alltech.

PEDv, caused by a member of the family Coronaviridae, is a fast spreading virus, with a short incubation period (two to four days). It can affect pigs of all ages, but is strongest in sows, gilts, nursing and recently weaned pigs. PEDv is mainly transmitted via indirect or direct contact through fecal/oral means. It can also spread by fomites, aerosol emissions and most recently through transmission of feed ingredients.

You'll find the rest of this story on our webpage by clicking here. 

March Calendar Already Loaded- Check It Out!  

March arrives on Saturday- and we have a multitude of events for you to check out on our agricultural calendar that is on our website at OklahomaFarmReport.Com.

One of the big events that stretches out several days over the month of March is the 2014 Oklahoma Youth Expo.  This year on our calendar- we have broken their schedule down on a day by day basis- that should help you sort out when each species is showing this year at the 2014 OYE.   

There are several national events on the calendar that we have listed- including the National Pork Forum next week in Kansas City- as well as the upcoming National Farmers Union Convention in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

And- there's a lot more- we invite you to jump over there by clicking here.  AND- if you don't see your event- feel free to email me by clicking here and give me some details- write a paragraph or two about what the event is and the highlights that will be going on- and then give us a link where people can get more information if that is available- or send us a PDF of a brochure or flyer that you have made up with further details. 

We appreciate your help in making sure we get as full of a listing as we can about the events and meetings going on that will be of interest to farmers, ranchers and those involved in agriculture.