Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today unveiled the new programs included in the 2014 Farm Bill to help farmers better manage risk. The new programs, Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC), represent the end of direct payments by offering farmers protection when market forces cause substantial drops in crop prices and/or revenues. Producers will have through early spring …
Iteris Launches ClearPath Ag™ Select
Iteris, Inc. (NYSE MKT: ITI), a leader in providing intelligent traffic management and weather information solutions, has released ClearPath Ag™ Select, an expanded Application Programming Interface (API) for iOS, Android and other computing platforms that provides access to high-resolution weather information and mapping visualization for real-time decision support. ClearPath Ag Select™ is based on Iteris’ ClearPath Ag cloud platform, which …
RFA CEO Comments on Ethanol Issues
In this interview, Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) president and CEO Bob Dinneen discusses the recent Quad County Corn Processors cellulosic ethanol production grand opening, the record corn crop and ethanol production this year, new Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) ad campaigns and whether EPA will change the 2014 Renewable Volume Obligations that are under Office of Management and Budget (OMB) review.
GOP Ag Commissioners on Federal Overreach
Members of the Republican Agriculture Commissioners Committee hosted a conference call Monday to discuss the impact of federal overreach on agriculture in the United States and back the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) in calling for the proposed “Waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) rule to be withdrawn. Speaking on behalf of RACC were Iowa Secretary of Agriculture …
USDA Conservation Grants Announced
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the award of $15.7 million in Conservation Innovation Grants (CIGs) to 47 organizations that will help develop and demonstrate cutting-edge ideas to accelerate innovation in private lands conservation. The Secretary made the announcement while visiting a farm in Moline, Illinois. The grants are funded through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Those receiving the grants …
USDA Crop Report Comments
USDA has increased its estimate of both the corn and soybean crops this month, building on already forecast record highs. Corn production is forecast at 14.4 billion bushels, up 3 percent from both the August forecast and from 2013 and yields are expected to average 171.7 bushels per acre, almost 13 bushels an acre higher than last year. Soybean production …
Conservation Easement Program Investments
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Monday that $328 million in conservation funding is being invested to help landowners protect and restore key farmlands, grasslands and wetlands across the nation. The funding is provided through the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), which was created in the 2014 Farm Bill to protect critical wetlands and encourage producers to keep lands in farming …
Hereford Genetic Summit
Missouri State University’s Darr Agricultural Center served as home for the American Hereford Association’s Hereford Genetic Summit. Hereford breeders from across the country gathered to talk about what tomorrow’s consumers want, how the economic drivers of the beef industry come into play for breeders, what genetics commercial producers are seeking and responsibilities of seedstock producers. Hereford Summit Photo Album. Using …
iCropTrak 5: Farming App with On-Board Analytics
Cogent3D has released iCropTrak 5 – an “on-board” processing for mobile analytics farming application that is based on technology originally developed for the military. This technology is a bit different than many that are based in the “cloud” or on your desktop. iCropTrak version 5 performs all the processing needed on your iPad and in the field or wherever you …
Eco Agro Resources Introduces PENXCEL Technology Platform
U.S.-based Eco Agro Resources has expanded its portfolio with a delivery system for active ingredients in the agricultural fertilizer market, announced today at The Fertilizer Institute annual meeting in San Francisco, California. PENXCEL™ Technology is a unique formulation system developed to deliver fertilizer additives for dry and liquid fertilizer. The delivery system drives active ingredients to penetrate deeper into the …
2014 IFAJ Congress
The British Guild of Agricultural Journalists hosts the 2014 IFAJ World Congress in Scotland September 4-7 with the theme Innovations from a Small Island showcasing British food and farming to the global media. 2014 IFAJ Congress Photo Album Welcome to 2014 IFAJ Congress in Scotland – 2014 IFAJ Congress Wrap – Farming in Scotland –
Bayer CropScience Opens New Facility
Bayer CropScience has opened a new center for biologics and vegetable seed research and development in West Sacramento, California. On September 3, Bayer CropScience executives joined with community leaders for grand opening ceremonies at the new facility. Among those taking part were global Bayer CropScience CEO Liam Condon, North American president and CEO Jim Blome, West Sacramento site manager Mike …
GROWMARK Changing CEO’s
A changing of the guard at GROWMARK, Inc. is happening this month and both incoming and retiring CEOs took the stage at the cooperative’s annual meeting in Chicago last week. Jeff Solberg is retiring from GROWMARK after 38 years in a variety of leadership positions, including Senior Vice President, Finance, Vice President, Finance, and Treasurer. He was named CEO in …
2014 Alltech Global Dairy and Beef Conference
Alltech’s Global Dairy and Beef event is taking place at the Centre International de Deauville (CID) in Normandy, France, August 30 – September 2, 2014. The Normandy region is the heart of the French ruminant industry – there are more than 580,000 dairy cows on 12,500 dairy farms and more than a quarter of a million beef cattle in Normandy …
2014 Farm Progress Show
2014 Farm Progress Show held in Boone, Iowa August 26-28, 2014. The third day of the show was cancelled due to rain, but there was still enough happening in two days to keep the ZimmComm team busy. More audio from FPS sponsors and exhibitors can be found here. 2014 Farm Progress Show Photo Album 2014 New Holland Farm Progress Show …