The National Pork Producers Council, (NPPC) hosts the annual event which features the world’s largest pork-specific trade show, educational seminars, youth and open swine shows, market outlook sessions and lots of pork. NPPC expects about 20,000 producers and pork professionals, including more than 1,000 international guests. Nearly 450 companies from North America, Asia and Europe will display the latest products, …
Heartland Institute on Climate Accord and Agriculture
The decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Accord has generated strong reactions – both positive and negative – but overall agricultural interests have been pretty quiet on the matter. The Heartland Institute, a free-market think tank based in Illinois, has opposed the Paris Climate Agreement from the beginning and so considers the U.S. withdrawal a victory. …
Redfield Energy Celebrates Ten Years
Redfield Energy in South Dakota is celebrating ten years of ethanol production this week. According to Chief Administrative Officer Dana Siefkes-Lewis, over the past decade Redfield Energy has purchased over 194 million bushels of local corn and produced 545 million gallons of ethanol, 1.5 million tons of distillers grains and 63 million pounds of corn oil. The 10 year celebration …
SMART Farmer Brad Greenway
Brad Greenway of South Dakota was named 2016 Pig Farmer of the Year by the National Pork Board recognizing him as a pig farmer who excels at raising pigs using the industry’s We Care ethical principles that include not only raising pigs humanely and safely, but also promoting a safe workplace and contributing to the local community. Right after he …
2017 John Deere Reveal
John Deere hosted an agricultural media event at the company’s Harvest Works headquarters in Moline, Illinois – an appropriate place to unveil a smarter line of grain harvesting technology in the combines and headers John Deere is introducing for model year 2018 production. Deere also showcased the new Frontier VT17 Series Vertical Tillage Tool, new John Deere 4640 Universal Display, …
Iowa Gov and Ag Groups Announce China Trip
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds will lead an all-Iowa agriculture trade mission to China July 19-28 with representatives from the state’s corn, pork, soy, beef, egg, poultry, dairy and turkey industries. The trip marks the first time all of Iowa’s farm groups have come together for a trade mission which will be jointly funded by the participating organizations. Reynolds made the …
Ethanol Price Reporting Contest
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is launching an “Ethanol Days of Summer Contest”, allowing both retailers and consumers to report the price posted for E85 and other ethanol blends. To enter, consumers must have a registered account on www.E85prices.com, where they can submit pricing for a chance to win, or on the mobile app. The website, acquired by RFA in …
IFAJ Presidents at #ONE17
The four most recent presidents of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ), representing four different countries, attended ONE: the Alltech Ideas Conference in Lexington, Kentucky this week. This podcast includes past presidents David Markey of Ireland, Markus Rediger of Switzerland, and Mike Wilson of the United States, and current IFAJ President Owen Roberts, Canada. Each of them reflects on …
USDA Cuts in Trump Budget
Farmers and ranchers are concerned about President Trump’s “Taxpayer First” budget released this week but Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue defended significant cuts to USDA in the name of balancing the budget on a press call with reporters Tuesday. The budget cuts USDA staff, crop insurance, conservation programs, and food assistance and eliminates funding for some programs including the Market Access …
Alltech #ONE17
ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference challenges you to seek out that one-in-a-million idea that will revolutionize the way you do business. A record crowd of 4,000 attended this year’s conference held May 21–24 in Lexington, KY. This virtual newsroom includes links to photos, audio, and video from the conference. All content posted here is available free of charge for digital …
SMART Farmer Scott VanderWal
In this episode of the SMART Farmer podcast we meet Scott VanderWal, a third-generation corn and soybean farmer and cattle feeder from Volga, South Dakota. Scott serves as vice president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, president of the South Dakota Farm Bureau, and is a board member of the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance. In this podcast, Scott talks …
AEM Holds Rural Broadband Access Panel
The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) hosted Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey and representatives from equipment manufacturers John Deere and HammerHead Trenchless for a panel discussion on Capitol Hill on May 18th focused on the expansion of rural broadband access as part of lawmakers’ work this year on infrastructure. The event was in conjunction with Infrastructure Week 2017 and …
Soil Health Institute Announces Action Plan
The Soil Health Institute (SHI) today unveiled the “Enriching Soil, Enhancing Life” Soil Health Action Plan during a National Press Club event. Former USDA-NRCS chief Bruce Knight moderated the unveiling of the plan which was developed from four years of stakeholder input, beginning with the Soil Renaissance in 2013. Agricultural industry thought leaders, farmers, ranchers, scientists, government agency leaders, and …
Interview with Lynn Henderson on NAMA
The National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) is celebrating 60 years as a professional organization dedicated to the business of agricultural marketing. Lynn Henderson with AgriMarketing Magazine has been involved with NAMA for the last 41 of those 60 years so we sat down with him at the recent annual conference to hear some of the history of the organization and how …
Secretary Perdue Testifies at First Hearing
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue testified at his first hearing as the new head of USDA. The House Agriculture Committee welcomed Perdue to Capitol Hill Wednesday to testify on the “State of the Rural Economy.” The new secretary submitted seven pages of written testimony which focused on his proposed “realignment” of USDA. “My goal is to make it the most …