FOCUS on Agriculture

Julie Borlaug is vice president of external affairs for Inari.  She is also president of the Norman Borlaug Foundation which continues Dr. Borlaug's work with a mission of fighting global hunger and extreme poverty through international agricultural development.  Dr. Borlaug was known as the father of the Green Revolution which was credited with saving a billion lives.  He received...

Chad Leman is a third-generation farmer from central Illinois. He owns Leman Farms Inc. which comprises a 3,200 head sow farm that markets approximately 90,000 pigs annually. In addition, they raise corn & soybeans, and have operated a seed dealership since 1991. Chad also serves on the board of the Illinois Pork Producers Association .  In this episode we discuss pork production and the...

Gregg Sauder has a long history of innovation in agriculture.  Beginning as a farmer simply looking for ways to improve yield, he founded Precision Planting and revolutionized planting technology.   He is currently president of 360 Yield Center.  His latest innovation, 360 Rain, has the same game-changing potential to radically improve farmer's operations by allowing them to ad...

Jack Marck is managing director of the Illinois Agtech Accelerator.  Located at the University of Illinois Research Park, this program provides mentoring, funding, and office space for Agtech startups.  In today's conversation, we discuss the opportunities for new technologies to improve farmers' operations and strengthen the food supply chain.  You can contact Jack through email at...

Tom Jury is head of the North America Field Testing Organization at Bayer Crop Science.  His organization is responsible for growing and collecting data on millions of research plots spread across the United States and Canada.  Listen as Tom describes how the latest biological and technological innovations are used to develop hundreds of new varieties and hybrids each year.  To lear...

Weaver Popcorn Company was founded by Reverend Ira Weaver in 1928.  Dr. Brad Thada is a commercial popcorn breeder and sales director for the company.  In this episode, we discuss the origins of popcorn and how new hybrids are produced and grown.  Listen for some tips for home gardeners and a little trivia thrown in for fun.  Check out popcorn.org for popcorn facts, recipes, an...

Dr. Romulo Lollato is an extension educator and researcher at Kansas State University, where he studies wheat and forage production.  In this episode, we learn about wheat production, shed light on some myths regarding gluten, and discuss how farmers and consumers can distinguish between good and bad data.  To learn more about his work, follow Dr. Lollato on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube under th...

Farmers and many others are well aware that legumes such as soybeans are able to provide some of their own nitrogen through an association with symbiotic bacteria.  Corn production requires the application of nitrogen fertilizers, which are costly in several ways.  Listen to UC-Davis professor Dr. Allen Bennet describe his team's discovery of corn that is able to fix nitrogen from the at...

Humans have been battling weeds for as long as crops have been cultivated.  In this episode, we discuss the history and future of weed control with Zach Lancaster, field agronomist with Bayer Crop Science.  You can learn more about the latest biotech innovation for combatting tough-to-control weeds in soybeans at www.roundupreadyxtend.com .  

Charlie Thompson is a sweet corn breeder and Vice President of Illinois Foundation Seeds.  In this episode, we explore the history and development of modern sweet corn, while investigating some common misconceptions regarding this crop.  To learn more about Illinois Foundation Seeds, visit their website, www.ifsi.com or follow them on Instagram: @IFSISweetCorn .  We also encourage l...

In this episode, Preston and Jason discuss the fascinating history of yellow dent corn, beginning with the cultivation of teosinte by Native Americans in what is now southern Mexico.  For those interested in more trivia surrounding the history of corn, follow Jason on Twitter and check out #HistoryOfCorn .  To learn more about plant breeding, check out our 3 part series published early i...

Megan Baskerville is Illinois ag program director for The Nature Conservancy ,  the largest conservation organization in the world.  In this episode, we discuss their mission, and how they partner with farmers to protect natural resources.  You can follow TNC on Twitter @nature_org .  Growers interested in improving sustainability in their operations should check out the Illino...

Seed treatments are applied to the vast majority of seeds that farmers plant each growing season.  These treatments help protect the vulnerable seeds from the army of pests waiting in the soil to attack them.  Typically the treatments protect against fungi, insects, and nematodes, but modern treatments often also include beneficial microbes that help get the plants off to a strong start....

Each year, farmers across the US compete in the National Corn Grower's Association National Corn Yield Contest .  Jeff Brown is a central Illinois grower who regularly competes and is the Illinois state record holder at 350 bushels/acre.  In this conversation, we discuss the things that growers do to increase yield and profitability.  You can also follow Jeff on Twitter at @JeffMBro...

Eric Ifft is a customer business advisor for Bayer Crop Science.  He has been involved in agriculture his entire life, having grown up on a central Illinois farm.  In this episode, we discuss the reasons behind the use of crop protection products in agriculture and how fungicides help to protect the food supply.  You can follow Eric on Twitter @eric_ifft or email him directly: eric....

In this episode, we visited with Dr. Jamie Ellis about the role of honey bees in agriculture and the challenges that are facing beekeepers.  Dr. Ellis is the head of the University of Florida Honey Bee Research and Extension Lab , where in addition to extensive research they produce instructional materials in a variety of formats.  Traditional classes offered are available not only to Un...

You probably know that soybeans are used for animal and human consumption, but did you know that they are used for many other things, including asphalt and running shoes?  In this episode Polly Ruhland, CEO of the United Soybean Board, joined us to discuss exciting new uses that are being explored for this renewable commodity.    You can also learn more about the uses of soybea...

Today we chatted with legendary broadcaster Max Armstrong, who has been called "The Voice of American Agriculture."  Max began his career with Illinois Farm Bureau before moving to WGN in Chicago, where he has been heard for decades.  Currently, Max co-hosts ' This Week in Agribusiness ' on RFD-TV and ' The Morning Show with Orion and Max ' on Saturday mornings on WGN radio.  Follow...

Happy 1st year anniversary to the Focus on Agriculture Podcast. We took a break from interviewing amazing guests to take some time and give you updates on our lives, work and focus.  Follow us on twitter @prestoschrader and @NWILTDR and be sure to tweet at us with ideas for future podcast guests!

Dr. Joshua Vonk is a central Illinois farmer who recently completed his PhD research on Irrigation and Nitrogen Management of Soybean in Highly Productive Soils at the University of Illinois.  In this episode, we discuss his research and its relevance to growers.  You can access research results from the University of Illinois at ideals.illinois.edu .

This episode is the second part of our interview with Rob Saik about his latest book, Food 5.0 - How We Feed the Future .  It it he explains how bioengineering, precision agriculture, automation, and big data are converging to make farmers more effective at producing food than ever before.  Rob has forty years of experience as a professional Agrologist and an international consultant who...

In this episode, we chat with Rob Saik about his latest book, Food 5.0 - How We Feed the Future , in which he describes the history and future of agriculture.  Rob has forty years of experience as a professional Agrologist and an international consultant who's worked with everyone from Nigeria's Minister of Agriculture to Bill Gates.  He has been hailed as an agriculture futurist with un...

In this episode we explore digital agriculture, and how its adoption benefits farmers and the environment.  Our guest is Tom Eickhoff, a Nebraska farm boy who is now director of implementation for the Climate Corporation.  You can find additional information on digital ag and the Climate Corporation at Climate.com

This episode was a discussion with David Zaruk. David is a professor at Odisee University and is most widely known as the “Risk-Monger.” He has been an EU risk and science communications specialist since 2000, active in EU policy events from REACH and SCALE to the Pesticides Directive, from Science in Society questions to the use of Precautionary Principle. You can find his Risk Monger blog at: ht...

This is the third episode in our exploration of the history of plant breeding.  Here we discuss the current state of corn breeding, including how technologies such as Genome Editing (CRISPR) and Genome Wide Selection are being utilized to bring better products to the marketplace.  Devin Nichols is a University of Illinois graduate and corn breeder with Bayer Crop Science.  Devin use...