Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has been on a five-state “Back to Our Roots” Tour to gather input on the 2018 Farm Bill, meeting with farmers, ranchers, foresters, producers, students, governors, USDA employees, and other stakeholders. This is the first of two RV tours the secretary will undertake this summer. This first RV Tour features stops in five states: Wisconsin, Minnesota, …
NAMA Fall Conference is a “Can’t Miss” Event for Agri-Marketers
(Milwaukee, WI) The National Agri-Marketing Association‘s Fall Conference event is rapidly becoming a “can’t miss” event for agri-marketers. Sessions will go beyond the “why” and get right to “here’s how” with experienced leaders prepared to talk strategy and get real about ROI. The 2017 NAMA Fall Conference will take place in Milwaukee, WI, September 19-21. Brian Carter will show you …
Seven Years of Finding CommonGround
CommonGround hosted its 7th annual National Conference in St. Louis, Missouri this week. Members of the organization, which focuses on providing an opportunity for conversations between consumers and farmers, are celebrating seven years of success and planning for the future of the program. Joan Ruskamp is a CommonGround volunteer from Nebraska who has been part of the effort for almost …
Ethanol Report on EPA Hearing and Court Decision
Last week’s court decision on what EPA can consider when setting volume obligations for biofuels under the Renewable Fuel Standard was still fresh in mind as the industry provided feedback on the agency’s most recent proposals for next year during a public hearing in Washington D.C. this week. In this edition of The Ethanol Report podcast, Renewable Fuels Association president …
Legendary Seedsman Don Funk re-launches Midwest Seed Genetics
Don Funk, founder of Channel Bio Corp, is leading a team of entrepreneurs to launch Midwest Seed Genetics across the Corn Belt for the 2017/2018 growing season. In 2001, Funk purchased Midwest, a small, sleepy seed company, and turned it into a regional powerhouse. He is re-acquiring the brand for the purpose of providing farmers meaningful choice in the dynamic …
EPA Hearing Draws Biofuels Supporters
Over 140 witnesses provided feedback to the Environmental Protection Agency Tuesday on the agency’s recent proposed volume obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), with the majority supporting renewable fuels. Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob Dinneen thanked EPA for proposing to maintain the 15 billion gallon requirement for conventional renewable fuels in its 2018 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) …
SMART Farmer Jeanette Merritt
Jeannette Merritt is our SMART Farmer for this episode – an Indiana farm girl and former agricultural journalist who is raising crops, hogs and kids with her husband and serving the industry in many capacities. Jeanette is a 4th generation farmer, a Purdue University graduate, Director of Checkoff Programs for Indiana Pork and serves on the Indiana Soybean Alliance board …
2017 InfoAg Conference in St. Louis
Welcome to the virtual newsroom for the 2017 InfoAg Conference held July 25-27 in St. Louis, sponsored by John Deere. Since 1994, the InfoAg Conference has been the premier event for discussion and advancement of precision agriculture. This event draws interest from domestic and international agriculture professionals and features a wide range of educational and networking opportunities for professionals interested …
MN Soy Teams with USFRA for Teacher Education
The Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council (MSR&PC) has partnered with U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) to start a program to help urban teachers learn more about agriculture so they can teach it to their students. To kick it off, educators in Minneapolis August 29 and Sacramento August 31 are invited to take a farm tour at the end …
19th Southern Peanut Growers Conference
The theme for the 19th annual Southern Peanut Growers Conference was Navigating the Marketplace and farmers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi once again met together on Florida’s Emerald Coast to learn and network. The three-day event provides farmers with information about peanut production, legislative issues, marketing and promotions and includes members of the Alabama Peanut Producers Association, the Florida …
SMART Farmer Carla Wardin
Our SMART Farmer in this episode comes from Michigan where she and her husband have a dairy operation that has been in her family for over a century. Carla Wardin is dedicated to telling the real story of dairy farming through her blog Truth or Dairy, and in 2014 was chosen to represent agriculture as one of the USFRA Faces …
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 …
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 …
High Octane 10% Ethanol for Sturgis, SD
Motorcycle riders – and all motorists – traveling around Sturgis, S.D., can now fuel up 24 hours a day with 93 octane, 10% ethanol thanks to the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), which has donated a permanent fueling station to the Buffalo Chip Campground. In this Ethanol Report interview, RFA VP of Industry Relations Robert White discusses their partnership with the …