The 19th annual National Ethanol Conference, presented by the Renewable Fuels Association, was held February 17-19, 2014 at the J.W. Marriott in Orlando, Florida. With the theme of “Falling Walls, Rising Tides,” the conference had a big focus on the EPA proposal for 2014 volume obligations under the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS). Presentations addressed the state of the ethanol industry, …
2014 National Farm Machinery Show
The 2014 National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Kentucky is four days of exploring the latest farm trends, technology and tools, in addition to five great Championship Tractor Pulls. Dates for the 49th annual show and 46th annual tractor pull are Feb. 12-15, 2014. Eight interconnected exhibit halls totaling more than 1.2 million square feet of indoor exhibit space and …
MapShots 2014 Customer Conference
MapShots held its annual Customer Conference February 7-8 at the Georgia Tech Learning Center in Atlanta. This event brings in MapShots customers as well as third party partners for an intensive couple of days of training sessions and presentations. MapShots is a software development company that provides crop management applications for the agriculture industry, including AgStudio software for managing large …
MGEX Calls on US and Canada Crops
The Minneapolis Grain Exchange (MGEX) hosted two crop calls in the past week to discuss reports out of Stats Canada and USDA. The Stats Canada field crop report was released on February 4 and was analyzed by Wayne Palmer and Brian Voth of Agri-Trend. Jack Scoville of the Price Futures Group discussed the USDA World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimate …
Farm Bill Bio Benefits
Just as President Obama was preparing to sign the Agricultural Act of 2014 into law, the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) held a media conference call Friday to highlight expansion of the Farm Bill’s energy programs to renewable companies and discuss next steps for the industry to achieve parity with other renewable technologies. Participating in the call were: Matt Carr, BIO …
President Signs Farm Bill
President Obama traveled to Michigan State University to sign the Agricultural Act of 2014 at the alma mater of Senate Agriculture Committee chair Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). Stabenow was among those who joined the president as he signed the bill, along with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH) and others. Listen to or download the …
GMO Coalition Announced
American farmers and representatives from a diverse group of almost thirty industry and non-governmental organizations today announced the formation of the Coalition for Safe Affordable Food and urged Congress to quickly seek a federal solution that would establish standards for the safety and labeling of food and beverage products made with genetically modified ingredients (GMOs). Representatives of some of the …
Vilsack on Farm Bill Priorities
The U.S. Senate today passed the long-overdue 2012 Farm Bill by a vote of 68-32. According to Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow, the Agricultural Act of 2014 will “reform agriculture programs, reduce the deficit, and help farmers, ranchers and business owners grow the economy.” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says the bill includes “meaningful reform and billions of dollars in …
USDA Offers Drought Help for California
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced USDA is making $20 million available for agricultural water conservation efforts throughout California to combat the effects of drought. Interested landowners and managers have until March 3, 2014 to apply for available funds. Vilsack held a press conference today with Congressman Jim Costa (D-CA) and California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross.
GROWMARK Propane Interview
Freezing temperatures, a wetter than normal harvest, and more exports have all contributed to a “perfect storm” scenario for short supplies of propane right now, according to Scott Long, manager of propane marketing and business development for GROWMARK, Inc. GROWMARK is a farmer-owned cooperative based in Bloomington, Illinois that is a big supplier of propane in the Midwest.
Iowa Senator to Vote No on Farm Bill
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) announced last week that he intends to vote against the farm bill conference report passed by the House. In a floor speech on Thursday, January 30, Sen. Grassley explained why he opposed the Agricultural Act of 2014. “I strongly support the business of agriculture….But if I were to vote yes on this bill, it would be …
Climate Corp Tackles Data Privacy
The Climate Corporation today announced principles and commitments related to data use and privacy published on-line in a Guiding Principles on Data and Privacy statement. David Friedberg, CEO of The Climate Corporation, which was acquired by Monsanto in October 2013, held a call with reporters on Friday to talk about the announcement:
Cong. Emanuel Cleaver Interview
More Democrats than Republicans voted against the conference committee farm bill this week in the U.S. House, mostly because of the nutrition program reforms, but 89 did vote in favor despite that and one was Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO), former mayor of Kansas City. In this interview, Rep. Cleaver explains why he voted in favor of the farm bill …
2014 Iowa Power Farming Show
The 2014 Iowa Power Farming Show is in full swing this week in Des Moines, Iowa and according to Tom Junge, show director nearly 25,000 people are expected to attend the third largest farm show in the United States. The show expands 7 acres and features exhibitors from 29 states and 4 Canadian Provinces; represents 750 companies and more than …
International Production and Processing Expo
The combined International Poultry Expo, International Feed Expo, and International Meat Expo now knows as the International Production & Processing Expo was held January 27-30 in Atlanta, Georgia. Despite a paralyzing two-inch snowfall on Tuesday that snarled traffic and created logistical problems, the show went on. Links to audio files, stories, and photos from the event can be found below. …