Tailgate Talk: The Search for the Farm Mom of the Year

America’s Farmers, a campaign by Monsanto Company, is looking to honor the contributions that farm moms make to their family, farm, community and industry, with the 2012 America’s Farmers Mom of the Year award. If you know a farm mom who amazes you every day, you can nominate her for the chance to win $10,000. To enter, submit an essay of 300 words or less about how your farm mom contributes to her family, farm, community and agriculture.

• Supporting her family: What makes this mom special to her family?
• Supporting her farm: Whether it’s keeping the books or driving a combine, how does she play an important role in the success of the family farm?
• Supporting her community: How does she contribute to her community through involvement in organizations and activities?
• Supporting agriculture: How does she share her passion for agriculture with others, and how does she help educate consumers about ag?
   

Online nominations will be accepted until April 23. Five regional winners will be announced on April 27. Voting for the national winner starts May 1 and ends May 12. Regional winners receive $5,000; the national winner receives an additional $5,000. For more, go to americasfarmers.com/farmmom.

Welcome Ben Potter

As the Technology and Special Projects Editor for Farm Journal, Ben Potter will cover the newest advances in ag technology, and contribute articles to Top Producer, the Farm Journal Legacy Project and AgWeb. An excellent writer, Ben produced award-winning content for several regional and national agribusinesses in the past seven years at an advertising agency. Now, he returns to the editorial side with a solid knowledge of corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, rice, peanuts and several specialty crops. He will work in the Mexico, Mo., office but also enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters. If you have something you’d like Ben to write about in future issues, contact him at bpotter@farmjournal.com.

Stat Rack

An overview of Brazil’s production and economy:
 

195 million
Total population, 87%
of which is urban

2 billion
Acres of land area

151 million
Acres in arable land

19 million
Acres in permanent crops

484 million
Acres in pasture

5.4%
Agriculture as percentage of gross domestic product

$55 million
Value of agricultural exports

28%
Share of exports that are agricultural