History was made this week when an agreement permitting US rice exports to China was signed during bi-lateral trade meetings held in Washington DC. An inspection of US rice mills and packaging facilities by the Chinese phytosanitary authorities is the next step to take place. The first exports to China will take several months but will provide a boost to …
Cattle Producers Fight Buzzard Predators
Cattle producers are seeking a depredation order from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife service allowing producers to control the Black Headed Vulture, an invasive vulture species stalking and killing livestock. Adam McClung, Executive Vice President, Arkansas Cattlemen’s Association (ACA), said, “The Black Headed Vultures and the depredation loss cattlemen are seeing has been an ongoing discussion inside the ACA with …
Bayer Showcase Plot Tour 2017 – Illinois
Farmers and retailers gathered near Dekalb, Illinois on Tuesday for the Bayer Innovation Plus Tour. The event focused on corn and soybeans and included presentations on disease observations, selective corn herbicide trials, Balance GT demonstration, ILeVO Seed treatment & PPO Herbicides, Liberty weed control, new Credenz products and more. Below are one on one interviews with the presenters. You can …
Monsanto Call Provides Perspective on Dicamba Developments
Monsanto held a media briefing today to provide perspective on recent Dicamba developments. Monsanto spent years developing XtendiMax® with VaporGrip® Technology to minimize the potential for off-site movement. We are committed to remaining actively engaged in this conversation, doing our part to help farmers use the Roundup Ready® Xtend® Crop System successfully and ensure farmers have access to this important …
House Ag Hearing on Specialty Crop Innovations
The House Agriculture Committee heard testimony Wednesday on technology and innovation in specialty crops as input toward the making of the 2018 farm bill. Among those who testified was American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) President & CEO Andy LaVigne, who stressed that Farm Bill research programs and policies based on sound science are critical to the development of new technologies …
Building Numbers and Demand for Bison
Increased demand for sustainable meat has the bison industry poised to grow significantly this year, and the industry has announced the “Bison One Million” campaign, which sets sights on helping the North American bison population grow to one million strong this year. National Bison Association executive director Dave Carter says the industry is also working to increase consumer demand for …
Bayer Showcase Plot Tour – North Dakota
A special Bayer Showcase Plot Tour was held Monday just west of Minot, ND with a focus on cereal crops as well as products for soybeans, canola and corn. This virtual newsroom includes links to photos, audio, and video from this event. All content posted here is available free of charge for digital or print publication or broadcast. Bayer Showcase …
Dicamba Concerns Prompt State Actions
On the heels of Arkansas, Missouri has issued a pause on sale, use, and removal of all products labeled for agricultural use that contain dicamba. As of July 10th, the Missouri Department of Agriculture has had 145 pesticide drift complaints. *POST UPDATE* 7/14/17 Missouri Department of Agriculture releases Stop Sale, Use or Removal Order for ENGENIA, XTENDIMAX and FEXAPAN herbicides …
Industry Reacts to Proposed Biofuels Levels
New proposed levels for biofuels under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) were released Wednesday by the Environmental Protection Agency. The 2018 RFS level for conventional biofuels, including corn ethanol, was maintained at 15 billion gallons, the maximum under current law, which Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen says will benefit both producers and consumers. In this interview, Dinneen …
SMART Farmer Jennifer Houston
This edition of the SMART Farmer podcast features Tennessee native Jennifer Houston, a livestock market owner and beef cattle industry leader, who talks about how the business of producing and marketing beef cattle has become smarter in recent years. Houston is currently Vice President of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and serves on the board of the U.S. Farmers and …
USDA Reports Record High Soybean Acreage, Corn Acres Down
The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is estimating a record high 89.5 million acres of soybeans planted in the U.S. for 2017. That’s up seven percent from last year. Corn acres are looking to be down about three percent. All cotton acreage for 2017 is estimated at 12.1 million acres, 20 percent above last year, while all wheat planted …
Biodiesel Industry Considering Options Against Argentina
The U.S. biodiesel industry is considering legal options as imports of subsidized biodiesel have continued to increase since the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) Fair Trade Coalition filed an antidumping petition in March alleging that dumped biodiesel imports from Argentina and Indonesia have injured U.S. producers. In this interview, NBB vice president of federal affairs Anne Steckel talks about the increase …
Quarterly Hogs & Pigs Report
The Pork Checkoff hosted the USDA’s Quarterly Hogs and Pigs Report on Thursday, June 29, 2017. This quarterly teleconference featured three agricultural economists and their reactions to the report. Panelists included: Dr. Lee Schulz, Extension Livestock Economist, Iowa State University Dr. Scott Brown, Assistant Extension Professor, University of Missouri-Columbia Joe Kerns, President, Kerns & Associates, Ames, IA Reports seemed to …
Ag Groups Provide NAFTA Input
A number of agricultural organizations provided their input to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) this week regarding the upcoming negotiations to update the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). “NAFTA has been overwhelmingly beneficial for the vast majority of farmers and ranchers across the U.S. for decades,” said Colorado Farm Bureau President Don Shawcroft in comments on …
American Ethanol E15 250 by Enogen Syngenta
The NASCAR Xfinity American Ethanol E15 250 presented by Enogen took place June 24 at the Iowa Speedway, where race fans and farmers came to watch their favorite drivers run on clean burning ethanol. Syngenta and Growth Energy use this race to demonstrate the value of E15, a low-cost, high-octane fuel powering NASCAR for 10 million miles of competitive racing. …