The 2012 Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour garnered unprecedented coverage, with all eyes on the impact of the historic drought.
On CNBC’s “Squawk Box” this morning, Pro Farmer Editor Chip Flory was interviewed on how Hurricane Isaac might further impact the already battered crop. CNBC newscaster Becky Quick asked whether predicted Midwest rains could improve the production outlook. Flory commented, "[It’s] way too late for a lot of the crops. The drought has done all of the damage it’s going to do.” He added, “Rain and wind are actually the worst possible thing [...] a little bit of wind is going to blow it [corn] over.” The full “Squawk Box” interview is posted on CNBC’s website.
The Wall Street Journal covered the 2012 Crop Tour online and also four times in print. Other
national media that followed the Crop Tour included Bloomberg, Fox Business, Dow Jones, the
Chicago Tribune, Reuters and the Drudge Report.
Across radio, television, online and newspapers, more than 55 news organizations carried Crop Tour news. Farm Journal’s own AgDay Television reported daily from both the Eastern and Western legs of the Tour. U.S. Farm Report crews covered the finale event at a Ritchie Brothers auction site near Minneapolis, Minn., with a live roundtable discussion on Crop Tour findings.
Farm Journal’s web portal, AgWeb.com, saw near-record traffic on its dedicated section of news, field reports and video reports.
The Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour included more than 100 scouts traveling approximately 20 routes daily across a seven-state area of the Midwest last week. The volunteer scouts represented all sectors of agriculture—including farmers, grain buyers, business, media, government, and financial firms—and included people from four continents.
This year’s Crop Tour attracted a record 2,600 attendees. Supporting sponsors included DuPont Pioneer, SFP, RCIS, Farm Credit Services of America, Chevy Truck and Gavilon.
