The controversy over GMO labeling occupies a central place in the discussion around food systems and farming. This was evident at the recent N.C. Agriculture & Biotechnology summit during a panel moderated by Tamar Haspel, a journalist at the Washington Post. Another panel at the conference raised the issue of a society caught in a…
DetailsAt the North Carolina Agriculture & Biotechnology Summit on November 18-19, thought-provoking speakers explored the intersection of science, politics and economic development in the biotechnology industry. There was a healthy component of farmer participation on the podium, but unfortunately not enough farmers were able to attend to push the coffee break discussions towards addressing the…
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Early emergence in soy is the exciting and mostly untested assumption that farmers can realize more yield by getting the young plants to emerge (1) as early as possible, (2) as quickly as possible and (3) as uniformly as possible. Dr. Ron Heiniger and Dr. Jim Dunphy at North Carolina State University think that early…
DetailsDo fungicides pay for themselves in North Carolina soybean production? The soybean board asked a consortium of private agronomists to explore this question. The group includes Tidewater Agronomics, Fowler Crop Consulting, McLawhorn Crop Services, Protech Advisory Services, and IMPACT Agronomics. The research was funded by the soybean board and conducted on private research farms across…
DetailsRead more about new laws, including the use of drones, that came into effect the week of Dec. 1 in North Carolina. Click on the link below to the News & Observer article: http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/11/29/4364017_from-drones-to-bb-guns-new-laws.html?sp=/99/102/110/&rh=1
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With consideration given to the value of numerous seed treatments being applied to soybeans, it is important to know what seed treatments have merit and why seed treatments should be used. The soybean board asked a consortium of private agronomists to run field trials on common seed treatments. Traditionally molybdenum and bacterium to aide rhizobium…
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Dow’s Insect Resistant Soybean Trait Conkesta will be the brand name for Dow AgroSciences’ novel insect-resistant trait that, when commercialized, will provide soybean farmers with the broadest spectrum for insect control against lepidopteran pests. Upon regulatory approvals, Conkesta will be offered as a stack with the company’s Enlist soybean traits in elite and high-yielding varieties.…
DetailsThe U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced its decision to deregulate Monsanto’s dicamba-tolerant trait technologies ― Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans and Bollgard II XtendFlex cotton. “This announcement marks an important milestone for farmers around the world,” says Robb Fraley, Monsanto’s chief technology officer. “Weeds represent a key pest to agriculture operations around the world…
DetailsNorth Carolina farmers planted more acres to soybean in 2014 and harvested beans on 1.75 million acres, or 280,000 more acres than farmers harvested in 2013. The large acreage by itself was not unusual. When combined with the advantageous weather throughout the 2014 growing season, the soy acreage produced a North Carolina record 69.2…
DetailsThe state soybean board welcomed new leaders at its annual meeting on January 16th. Jeff Peed of Aurora was elected president of the board. Jeff is a seasoned veteran of the soybean board and arrives well-prepared to lead the association through what should be interesting times in the marketplace and in North Carolina’s culture and…
DetailsThe North Carolina Soybean Producers Association elected seven new members to serve a three-year term on its board of directors at its 48th annual meeting in Durham, N.C. on Jan. 16, 2015. Four members currently serving on the board of directors were elected to serve a second term. Directors on the state soybean board are…
DetailsAs farmers in the South continue to battle increasing weed pressure, Bayer released 12 new Credenz soybean varieties designed specifically for farmers in the Mid-South, Mid-Atlantic and Southern U.S. regions. The Credenz varieties contain the LibertyLink trait. “Soybeans are a priority crop for Bayer CropScience,” says Allen Gent, the company’s U.S. soybean product manager. “We’re…
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