Winners of Conservation Legacy Awards ST. LOUIS, Mo. — The American Soybean Assoc. (ASA) has announced Steve Berger, Wellman, Iowa (Midwest Region); Mike Starkey, Brownsburg, Ind. (Northeast Region); and Jimmy Thomas, Timberlake, N.C. (South Region), as the regional winners of the 2015 Conservation Legacy Awards. Each winner will be recognized at the ASA Awards Banquet on Feb. 27 at Commodity Classic in Phoenix, Ariz., where one of them will be chosen as the national winner. Videos featuring each of the regional conservation winners can be viewed at http://soygrowers.com/ award-programs/conservation-legacy Along with ASA, the program is co-sponsored by BASF, Monsanto, Corn & Soybean Digest magazine and the United Soybean Board/Checkoff. Berger farms with his mom, dad and wife on their 2,000-acre soybean and corn operation with 20,000 head of swine. They’ve been heavily involved in soil conservation since the 1960s. The Bergers introduced no-till nearly 40 years ago and cover crops in the last 15. The sixth-generation Starkey family farm lies in an urban area just west of the metropolitan area of Indianapolis. In addition to a dramatic reduction of commercial fertilizer, Starkey has used no-till soybeans since 1989 and introduced cover crops in 2005. He also entered in a NRCS field grant study to monitor tile and stream water.
Applicants sought for beekeeping innovation
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — Bayer CropScience has announced it is seeking nominations for its third annual Bee Care Community Leadership Award, which recognizes an individual who uses their interest in and commitment to honeybees to benefit the community in which they live. The award, an initiative of Bayer’s North American Bee Care Program, provides a $5,000 grant to the winner to be used in support of a community beekeeping project. The winner will also receive an all-expense paid trip to a reception in Washington, D.C., during National Pollinator Week. The criteria to be considered by a panel of four judges for the award include: •Describing a project that leverages the power of a honeybee hive and beekeeping to benefit a community •Answering a set of essay questions on the application form •Submitting a letter of reference from an apiarist, community organization or member of a relevant organization, such as a beekeeping association Any beekeeper or individual with a focus on honeybees may apply. The deadline for submission is April 3. Obtain an application at www.pollinatorweek.bayer.com
Kentucky farm wins Beck 300 Challenge
ATLANTA, Ind. — Beck’s is proud to announce Williams Farms from Monticello, Ky., as the winner of the 2014 Beck 300 Challenge, achieving a yield of 303.9 Bu./A. with BECK 6626AM-R. The top five participants achieved an average yield of 289.9 Bu./A. with an average yield increase of 99.9 Bu./A. over the fields’ historical yield. A total of 52 farmers completed the challenge in 2014. Overall, participants saw an average yield of 249.9 Bu./A. with a 4.8 Bu./A. increase over last year’s average yield. Nearly 94 percent of the participants applied more than two nitrogen applications with 85 percent utilizing 28 percent or 32 percent UAN as part of their nitrogen program. Beck’s is now accepting applications for the 2015 Beck 300 Challenge. To learn more about the Beck 300 Challenge and how farmers can participate, visit www. beckshybrids.com/300-challenge |
