Rebecca Nelson and John Pade have an aquaponic greenhouse in Montello, Wisconsin. They feed tilapia fish in tanks, the fish waste goes through a bacteria tank and then to plants suspended in the water. The plants take the nutrients out of the water which then cycles back to the fish tanks. There are no pesticides or chemicals used in the operation, the produce, mostly lettuce is sold to schools, grocery stores and customers within a fifteen-mile radius and so are the fish. More information is available on their website here:
Let’s talk aquaponics
May 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The battle of the bugs
May 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment
There’s a good and bad side to just about everything. Many farmers took advantage of the unseasonably warm spring this year and planted corn early with hopes of maximizing their yield potential. Terry Semmel, Technology Development Rep says that same warm, dry weather could open the door for some pest problems this year.
A potential for a pretty good crop
May 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The old adage is “knee-high by the fourth of July”. For some farmers that planted corn in March – it’s already knee high. I visited Illinois corn grower Garry Niemeyer’s farm in Auburn, Ill. and he says a year that starts this – has him feeling pretty good about the potential of the 2012 corn crop. And that could be pretty good for farmers.
Trade talks not dead but ‘stalemated’
May 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment
With the new millennium, a new round of World Trade Organization talks held promise for dropping trade barriers around the globe. The talks, referred to by the city in which they began, the Doha Round, are now all but stalled nowhere near a resolution. However, Rebecca Bratter, with the U.S. Grains Council, refuses to refer to the aging talks as “dead.” She’s not giving up, because there’s too much progress that’s been made and too much at stake that the talks address. Regardless, the outcome has a bearing on producers’ bottom lines. Here’s how they stand.
Analyst sees strong cattle price recovery in second half
May 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The flaps over lean finely textured beef and BSE have contributed to weaker cattle prices in the second quarter.
But an analyst for Rabobank’s Food & Agribusiness group—Don Close—believes the damage done by the negative publicity should abate by mid-summer. Close says by mid-to-late June, the market should be poised for “a very solid recovery” in the second half of the year.
What should dairy producers do?
May 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment
These have been some interesting days in the dairy markets, cash cheese has been holding steady, cash butter has been nudging higher, Class III futures are fluctuating, meanwhile the Global Dairy Products auction set new lows this week. While the latest outlook numbers from USDA call for increasing milk production and lower prices, Dave Kurzawski with F.C. Stone thinks the cheese market may have bottomed-out.
Getting more out of your manure
May 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment
With input prices on the rise – many farmers are looking for options available to provide the maximum return on investment. A formulation of products released earlier this year allows farmers to decrease the potential loss of nutrients from manure used as a fertilizer. Tony Donoho with SFP says their More Than Manure (MTM) protects both the phosphorus and nitrogen – ultimately giving the crop more nutrients which can lead to higher yields.
The replanting checklist
May 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Peter Thomison, Extension corn specialist at the Ohio State University says replanting is probably one of the most difficult decisions a farmer is faced with, but he says there are some things to consider. Thomison’s checklist before replanting includes everything from plant population, to considering the original planting date to the replanting date.
Audio: Peter Thomison, Extension corn specialist, Ohio State University (3:00 mp3)
Farmland rental rates still on the rise
May 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment
As farm profitability and land prices have increased, so have farmland rental rates.
For example, farmland rental rates in Iowa rose by 18 percent from 2011 to 2012.
That’s based on the latest rental rate survey by Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach. It shows the average cash rent for farmland is up 38 dollars this year to an average of 252 dollars per acre—and that’s on top of a 30 dollar per acre increase in 2011.
ISU Extension Economist William Edwards says it’s important to remember that those numbers are “averages”.
AUDIO: William Edwards (3:00 MP3)
French election is making the markets nervous
May 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The election in France last weekend sent a clear message that austerity efforts in Europe are not very popular. The vote and its implications have been reverberating through financial and commodity markets all week. Mark Ludtke with Stewart-Peterson says if the Europeans don’t follow-through on spending cuts they will need to borrow more money and that would have ramifications on financial and commodity markets around the globe.
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