USDA released the majority of data collected for the 2012 Census of Agriculture on Friday. The data was released at noon via webcast. There are now 3.2 million farmers operating 2.1 million farms on 914.5 million acres of farmland across the United States, according to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The agriculture …
Walmart Sustainability Expo
Kicking off a new Sustainable Product Expo this week, the CEOs from more than a dozen global companies gathered at Walmart headquarters in Arkansas this week to pledge to increase sustainability, starting with the food and agriculture sector. The first CEOs to take the stage were Greg Page of Cargill, Rick Smith with Dairy Farmers of America and Monsanto’s Hugh …
Saudi Oil Money Behind Ethanol Smear Campaign
Americans United for Change and VoteVets.org held a press call today to reveal IRS documents showing how Saudi Oil money is helping to finance the multi-million dollar campaign being waged against ethanol and the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) by the American Petroleum Institute (API). In response to the continued attacks on biofuels, Americans United for Change is launching a Sunday …
Monsanto Makes Sustainability Commitments
Kicking off a new Sustainable Product Expo this week, the CEOs from more than a dozen global companies gathered at Walmart headquarters in Arkansas Tuesday to pledge to increase sustainable food production. Monsanto chairman and CEO Hugh Grant announced two commitments at the event to help address challenges in the areas of water and nutrient efficiency. First, the company will …
Farm Bureau Ditch the Rule Initiative
The Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed “Waters of the US” rule was published in the Federal Register last week – all 111,000 words of it. The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) responded with just three words – “Ditch the Rule”. Farm Bureau is calling on its members to bring the rule to the attention of local, state and federal lawmakers.
President Obama Comments on TPP in Japan
President Barack Obama met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo this week and commented Wednesday on talks regarding the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement. Obama said he believes the two sides can come together on an agreement but when asked by a Japanese reporter about specific agricultural commodities, such as rice and beef, provided few details.
New Report on Economic Impact of Renewable Fuels
The Fuels America coalition released an economic impact study by John Dunham & Associates showing that the industry supports more than 850,000 American jobs and drives $184.5 billion of economic output. Fuels America held a telephone press conference introducing the report results featuring comments from Jon Doggett, National Corn Growers Association public policy; Adam Monroe, Novozymes; Larry Ward, POET; and …
Fuels America Announces “Oil Rigged” Campaign
Members of Fuels America today unveiled the details of its new “Oil Rigged” television and digital ad campaign and OilRigged.com designed to “expose the many ways the oil industry is rigging the system to protect their profits and block the transition to clean, American renewable fuels.” The announcement was made by Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis, Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) …
Elanco to be #2 Global Animal Health Company
Eli Lilly and Company intends to acquire Novartis Animal Health in a $5.4 billion all-cash transaction that will make Lilly’s own animal health business, Elanco the world’s second-largest animal health company. Jeff Simmons, senior vice president of Eli Lilly and Company and president of Elanco Animal Health, joined Lilly’s chairman, president and chief executive officer John Lechleiter in making the …
New Holland Announces MyNewHolland.com
This morning New Holland launched MyNewHolland.com. This new virtual community is set up to provide a meeting place to share information, contribute to farming related discussions and access premium contents and services. It is very simple to create an account by visiting MyNewHolland.com. Full news release can be downloaded here (.doc). Community members will have access to the features currently …
Farmland Film at NYC Film Fest
Farmland the movie was screened April 17 at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. Before the screening, director James Moll and the six famers and ranchers involved in the film held a press conference with ag media. You can listen to the entire press conference here:
AEM White Paper Interview
The Association of Equipment Manufacturers has just released a new in-depth analysis of of the impact of the agricultural equipment industry on the American economy. The white paper quantifies the many economic impacts of the manufacturing, distribution, and use of agriculture equipment and machinery from 2011 and figured the total economic footprint of the agricultural industry – including upstream and downstream …
Bayer CropScience Bee Care Center Open
Bayer CropScience celebrated the grand opening of its North American Bee Care Center on April 15, 2014 at its North American headquarters in Research Triangle Park. The $2.4 million center brings together significant technological, scientific and academic resources, with goals of promoting improved honey bee health, product stewardship and sustainable agriculture. Bayer CropScience Bee Care Center Grand Opening Photo Album …
ResponsibleAg Board Member Interview
The Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) and The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) recently announced the selection of nine individuals to serve on the newly formed ResponsibleAg Board of Directors. The nine representatives include: – Alicia Duke, Director, Health and Safety, Simplot – Justin Gough, Director, Agricultural Products, LSB/El Dorado Chemical Company – Dave Ito, Manager, Human Resources & Regulatory Affairs, Lyman/Tremont Group …
Interview with NASS Census Official
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) announced it will publish the 2012 Census of Agriculture full report on May 2. The announcement was made this week as NASS Census and Survey Division Director Renee Picanso was attending the National Agri-Marketing Association conference in Jacksonville, Florida.