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I am a Radio TV communications major. I lived on a farm in North Dakota for 8 years. Three years in Golva, North Dakota and about 5 in Delamere, North Dakota. I love to travel. We have a big garden every year. I still make soap and can about anything.

Senior Policy Advisor at Olsson Frank Weeda Terman Bode Matz PC, John Block has dedicated his professional career to the fields of agriculture, food, and health. His accomplishments in agriculture began with the building of a large and successful hog operation in his home state of Illinois where he also served as the Director of Agriculture from 1977-1981. He was tapped by President Reagan to serve as the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 1981-1985, where he played a key role in the development of the 1985 Farm Bill. He was President and Chief Executive Officer of Food Distributors International (formerly National American Wholesale Grocers Association) from 1986-January 2003. Mr. Block serves on the Board of Directors of The Farm Foundation, Hormel Foods Corporation, and Digital Angel Corp. He is Chair of the Citizens Network for Foreign Affairs Agribusiness Alliance and a member of the Board for the Friends of the World Food Program. He is a Non-resident Senior Fellow with the National Center for Food and Agriculture Policy. John Block is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy.

Doug Hensley is President of Gorsuch-Hensley Real Estate & Auction, Inc., based in Canton, IL. Doug grew up on a cash-grain and livestock farm in western-Illinois, and worked for a well-known Midwestern farmland brokerage and auction firm prior to Gorsuch-Hensley. Doug can be contacted by phone at 217-898-0972 or by email to doug@gorsuch-hensley.com.

Gail Martell, Senior Agriculture Analyst, was one of the first meteorologists on Wall Street with more than 20 years of experience in the commodities markets, focusing on corn, soybeans and wheat.

Agroconsult is a consulting firm specialized in agricultural market analysis and projects for agribusiness companies. It was founded in 2000 by the agriculture economist André Pessôa, and has a reputation of excellence in Brazil and overseas. Today, Agroconsult has clients of various segments in the agribusiness chain. Agroconsult’s clients consist of, cooperatives, input related businesses (crop defense, fertilizers, and seeds) machinery and infrastructure businesses (storage, tractors and implements), hedging and trading businesses, commodity exchanges and financial institutions (banks). On a yearly basis, Agroconsult organizes the main private sector “Crop Tour” in Brazil across the main grain-producing regions, with the purpose of evaluating harvest conditions and yields. It is known as “Rally da Safra” www.rallydasafra.com.br

The Monthly Crop Tour Insert from Pro Farmer is available throughout the growing season leading up to Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour. This year’s Midwest Crop Tour, sponsored by Pioneer Hi-Bred and John Deere Risk Protection (JDRP) will be Aug. 17 – 21 with up to 70 scouts traveling different routes on Eastern and Western Legs through Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and Nebraska. The Crop Tour Insert, made available on AgWeb.com and ProFarmer.com by Pioneer and JDRP, discusses corn and soybean production issues across the Midwest, including detailed crop reports from the top four corn producing states.

Satya Banerji is an Internet publisher with a focus on the safe and judicious use of pesticides in India. His qualifications and professional experiences are in the Life Sciences. He would like to build bridges between farmers from the U.S. and India through his blog.

Jason Gehler is the Vice President and Senior market Advisor for Hedge Plus, a small farm marketing firm located in Jackson, Wiscosin. Jason is the author of the company’s weekly report, which provides analysis about what’s happening in the corn, soybean and wheat markets. Hedge Plus works with hundreds of farmers throughout the Midwest, helping them make better cash sales while also using all of the hedging tools available to help them improve their bottom line. Jason graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 2005 with a degree in agricultural business management and has been working with Patrick Hayes, President of Hedge Plus, for close to three years. For any questions or comments or to find out about how Hedge Plus can help you, call us at 1-866-677-0306.

Chris Galen is the Senior Vice President of Communications for the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) in Arlington, VA. Since 1997, Galen has helped develop and disseminate NMPF’s communications on issues as diverse as economic policy, environmental, food safety and animal health regulations, and international trade. He edits NMPF’s publications, oversees the content of its website, and serves as spokesman for the group with the news media and the public. Prior to working at NMPF, Galen worked for two members of Congress, the White House, and another food industry trade association. He also worked as a television anchor and reporter in his native Midwest. Chris attended college at the University of Nebraska, where he majored in journalism. He has a wife and kids. The opinions in this blog, On the Udder Hand, are Galen’s alone.

Have your agronomic questions answered by a Farm Journal agronomist. E-mail us directly at corncollege@farmjournal.com, and we’ll respond on this blog to provide an interactive dialogue.