Pivotal Issues Blog

By: Farm Progress, Western Farmer-Stockman The life of a plant is more complicated than many originally thought, as researchers delve into a range of factors that can influence growth and development. Scientists at the Weed Science Society of America notes that plants can sense and communicate in ways that may surprise you. Originally, it was […]

By: John Hart Very few Georgia farmers use advanced irrigation scheduling techniques to manage irrigation on their farms because they often find it overwhelming or too costly to implement. “The people that use advanced irrigation techniques are usually consultants in Georgia. There is a lot of data and you have to interpret that data and […]

By: Kylie Kinley Today, a business promotion might involve a video or a hashtag. In the 1940s and ’50s, Behlen Manufacturing suspended tractors from its plant’s ceiling and tested its buildings with an atomic bomb. Behlen Manufacturing, whose headquarters is in Columbus, celebrated its 80th anniversary in June. The company’s huge contributions to the agriculture industry, […]

By: PJ Griekspoor More than 200 people turned out for an Aug. 2 demonstration at T&O Farms LLC, that focused on irrigating effectively from a depleting water source. T&O Farms is the Water Technology Farm in Kansas. The Water Technolgy Farm concept was developed as an action item within the Kansas Water Vision which Gov. Sam […]

By: Brad Robb Nestled next to County Road 397, northwest of Tillar, Ark., a multi-generational row crop operation continues the family farming tradition started in 1941. “My grandfather, who worked as a mule master for R.A. Pickins, bought the initial 60 acres of this farm after he moved out of an area called The Gourd,” says […]

By: Ron Smith Agriculture is on the cusp of another revolution as farmers and their key suppliers of goods and services tap the potential of rapidly changing technology. At the recent Winfield US Answer Tech Summit in Dallas, leaders from across a wide spectrum of industries that interact with agriculture offered short-and long-term analyses of […]

By: Farm Progress, Dakota Farmer The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have jointly finalized standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles that will improve fuel efficiency and cut carbon pollution, while bolstering energy security and spurring manufacturing innovation. The final phase two standards were […]

By: Alex Lessard, Kansas Wheat Alliance Joe, the newest hard white winter wheat variety from Kansas Wheat Alliance, was named after T. Joe Martin, retired wheat breeder at K-State’s Agricultural Research Center in Hays, Kansas. Joe Martin began his wheat breeding career in 1974, after graduating from Michigan State, when he started in the plant disease […]

By: Dan Miller Kawasaki — now with 50 years of manufacturing history in the U.S. — has added a new MULE to its off-road line. Built to replace the venerable MULE 610 4×4, the 2017 MULE SX (the S for small, the X from strong) fits into the “value” end of the side-by-side market with […]

By: Dan Miller Joe Nichols’ shop, outside Cadiz, Kentucky, “was-is” an amazing sight. At the time it was built in 2008, the half-million-dollar project yielded 14,500 square feet of work and administrative space. The maintenance area alone measured 8,000 square feet. Even so, the floor space was all but consumed by a John Deere DB60 […]