CHARLOTTESVILLE, Ind. — The Eastern Hancock Agricultural Sciences Department of Eastern Hancock High School in conjunction with Veterinary Care and Consultation will be conducting a bull breeding soundness examination day on Friday, March 16th at the Eastern Hancock Life Science Facility. Bulls should be at least 12 months of age.

The purpose of this exam will allow producers for a minimal fee of $30 to have their animals tested for fertility soundness before the upcoming breeding season. The testing will be completed on site.

Since there will be a tight schedule, producers are asked to call and reserve an appointment time for their bull test. Appointments will be scheduled for every thirty minutes beginning at 9 a.m. 

With this testing, producers should be able to have a more predictable breeding season. Appointments should be made by March 9. 

To reserve an appointment, contact Scott Jacobs, agriculture science and business teacher by calling 317-936-5595 or by e-mail at sjacobs@easternhancock.org

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — It’s no secret that networking is a pivotal step toward a bright career in any industry. With that in mind – and a chance to win some substantial prizes for their FFA chapter – FFA members in 12 states are producing new connections with local farmers at an incredible rate.

Just over a month after the 2012 FFA Chapter Challenge launched, 12,695 people have logged-in to www.FFAChapterChallenge.com to register a vote for one of 809 FFA chapters. The individual FFA chapters are competing for some considerable prizes totaling $300,000 – with the chapter receiving the most overall votes receiving an expenses-paid trip to October’s 85th National FFA Convention in Indianapolis. The competition is only expected to increase with FFA members going out in force during next week’s National FFA Week ahead of the program closing on Feb. 29.

Sponsored by Monsanto as a special project of the National FFA Foundation, the premise of the 2012 FFA Chapter Challenge is simple: members from local FFA chapters build relationships with local farmers. The opportunity gives FFA members a chance to learn about different aspects of agricultural careers while building community awareness of their FFA chapter. Afterward, the FFA members ask the farmer to vote for their chapter to increase their chance to win.

Stories about farmers who have voted in the 2012 FFA Chapter Challenge are available at www.FFAChapterChallenge.

com/featured_farmers/

Of the 12 states eligible for this expanded second-year program, Missouri (2,287 votes) and Tennessee (2,079) are neck-and-neck for the top state honors. Indiana, Iowa, and Texas round out the top-five, ahead of  Alabama, Mississippi, Illinois, Minnesota, Arkansas, Georgia and Louisiana. In the chapter contest, Boone A&M FFA in Iowa leads the pack with 460 total votes.

The top 200 FFA chapters who make the most connections and receive the most farmer votes by Feb. 29 will be awarded between $1,000 and $2,500 in FFA credit to be used for chapter supply purchases or registration fees for national FFA leadership conferences. As a sponsor of the program, Monsanto will provide more than $300,000 in incentives.

ARTHUR, Ill. — StollerUSA recently sponsored two test plots in Southern Illinois to help local FFA chapters experience the advancing technology available to the growing agriculture industry. The two test plots at Unity and Arthur High Schools, located in Tolono and Arthur, Il., demonstrated the importance of maintaining plant health throughout the entire growing season to produce higher yields and increased ROI.

Local agronomists and FFA educators worked closely with StollerUSA sales representative, Rick Gaffney, to develop a hands-on learning experience. At the Tolono trial soybeans were planted in mid May at a 150,000 plant population in a 40-acre plot. The trial included applications of Bio-Forge, Sugar Mover and Harvest More Urea Mate. 

FFA members witnessed the impact of adverse weather conditions as summer arrived and temperatures continued to rise. From field to field, crops dried out as drought like conditions continued well into fall. 

While many area soybean farmers reported crops had “shut down” due to the stress of hot temperatures and dry conditions, the FFA students monitoring the Stoller soybean test plots noted the plants continued to grow and maintain dark green foliage. Students digging up roots could visibly see larger root masses and nodulation when Stoller products were applied. 

Harvested in early October, both plots survived a challenging growing season and produced significant yield increases. 

Students worked with a local grower to harvest the Arthur plot which resulted in 57 bushels per acre – a 4.81 bushels per acre increase over the control plot. The Tolono 40-acre soybean field also produced high yields with 57 bushels per acre. 

“With the average age of today’s farmer at 57, we want to do everything in our power to help the future farmers gain the knowledge and experience they’ll need to succeed.” explains Dr. Wayne Smith, general manager at StollerUSA. “Today’s farmers need to be in tune with their plants to maximize crop yield.”