The Renewable Fuels Association 23rd National Ethanol Conference with the theme “Ethanol Strong” was held February 12-14 in San Antonio, Texas. The event featured the annual “State of the Industry” address by RFA president and CEO Bob Dinneen, as well as panels and speakers on a number of important topics, from electric vehicles to RINs to the expanding export market. …
#FarmBill18 Listening Session in Missouri
The Missouri Farm Bureau hosted a listening session on the 2018 Farm Bill at Lake Ozark, Missouri this week featuring: – Ranking Member House Ag Committee, Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN) – Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) – Chairman Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Chris Giancarlo – Former Congressman Kenny Hulshof – Retired Economist, American Farm Bureau Federation, Dr. Bob Young, – Senior …
2017 NAFB Convention
The National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) held its 74th annual convention November 8-10 in Kansas City. The fast-paced agenda included talks from biotech defender Dr. Kevin Folta and philanthropist Howard G. Buffett, an appearance by Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, and the annual Trade Talk featuring over 100 agribusiness companies and organizations. This virtual ag newsroom is courtesy of …
AFBF Endorses Farmers for Free Trade
American Farm Bureau Federation Zippy Duvall took part in a press conference this week to support Farmers for Free Trade, a bipartisan campaign to rebuild support for trade at the grassroots level. Farmers for Free Trade, led by former Senators Max Baucus and Richard Lugar, is a bipartisan, non-profit organization that informs, mobilizes and amplifies the voice of U.S. farmers …
2017 World Dairy Expo
“Discovering New Dairy Worlds” was the theme for World Dairy Expo 2017 in Madison, Wisconsin October 3-7. World Dairy Expo serves as a forum for dairy producers, companies, organizations and other dairy enthusiasts to come together to compete, and to exchange ideas, knowledge, technology, and commerce. This virtual ag newsroom is sponsored by Alltech and Hubbard Feeds and includes links …
Ag Export Coalition Urges More Funding for Programs
More than 120 members of the Coalition to Promote U.S. Agricultural Exports are urging leaders of the House Committee on Agriculture to increase funding for USDA export promotion programs in the new farm bill. The coalition ssent a letter asking them to increase funding for the Market Access Program (MAP) to $400 million annually and the Foreign Market Development (FMD) …
Agricultural Export Coalition Calls for Increased Federal Funding for Export Programs
More than 120 members of the Coalition to Promote U.S. Agricultural Exports are urging leaders of the House Committee on Agriculture to increase funding for USDA export programs in the new farm bill to generate additional demand for U.S. farm products in an increasingly competitive global market. In a Sept. 19, 2017 letter to Committee Chairman Michael Conaway (R-TX), and …
Statement by Agricultural Export Coalitions in Support of the Cultivating Revitalization by Expanding American Agricultural Trade and Exports (CREAATE) Act in the U.S. Senate
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Members of the Coalition to Promote U.S. Agricultural Exports and the Agribusiness Coalition for Foreign Market Development welcome and strongly support passage of S. 1839, the Cultivating Revitalization by Expanding American Agricultural Trade and Exports (CREAATE) Act, introduced Tuesday by Sen. Angus King (I-ME), Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-IN), and Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME). …
NFU Announces Biofuels Initiative
National Farmers Union (NFU) has announced an initiative “to advance federal policies that support homegrown and home-produced renewable energy sources.” The effort follows a special order of business that was passed by delegates to the NFU 115th Anniversary Convention in March supporting expanded markets for higher blends of ethanol, like E30, and advanced biofuels. NFU’s initiative is supported by all …
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 …
Trump Commits to Agriculture in Iowa
President Donald Trump stood among various models of John Deere and Case IH farm equipment as he pledged to boost agriculture exports, loosen federal regulations on the agriculture industry, and support ethanol and biofuels yesterday while speaking to a crowd of about 250 at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Listen to the full speech here: President Trump at …
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 …
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 …