ASA President on Policy Issues

American Soybean Association president Danny Murphy, a farmer from Mississippi, attended the annual Ag Media Summit this week in Buffalo, NY and talked about some of the policy issues on ASA’s plate at the moment, which start with the ongoing farm bill saga. Murphy also talked about the hold up on the transportation bill, export and trade opportunities, and biotechnology. …

New Holland Ag Hay & Forage Media Event

Earlier this week New Holland Ag hosted a First in the Field event where ag media got an up close and personal view of their new hay and forage products in the 2014 lineup. Seven new product launches were featured, along with a ride and drive opportunity. Earlier this summer New Holland dealers also had the opportunity to become educated …

Quad County Corn Processors “ACE” Groundbreaking

The Quad County Corn Processors, located in Galva, IA, is a forward-thinking ethanol plant. On July 29, 2013, the biorefinery broke ground on its “bolt-on” cellulosic facility. When the technology goes online in spring 2014, Quad County Corn Processors will be the first plant in the country to produce corn-based ethanol, fiber-based cellulosic ethanol, distillers grains and corn oil all …

Interview on Monsanto DroughtGard

Monsanto officials are pleased with the recent import approval from China for the drought tolerance trait in Monsanto’s Genuity® DroughtGard® hybrids. In this interview, Monsanto row crop launch lead Sarah Pierce talks about what the approval means for U.S. farmers.

Agriculture Secretary at IA Farm Bureau Summit

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack addressed the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation 2013 Economic Summit on Monday, July 22, in Ames, Iowa. The secretary touched on a number of topics including climate change, conservation, the Renewable Fuel Standard, and the need for a long term food, farm and jobs bill. Afterward, Vilsack held a press conference where he answered questions …

New Fuels America Ad Campaign

Fuels America coalition members today announced the launch of a new ad campaign with the theme of choice when it comes to our energy future. The campaign is targeted to policy makers in Washington DC and focused on supporting the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) which is under continued attack by the oil and food industries. Listen to or download Fuels …

2013 Southern Peanut Growers Conference

The 15th Annual Southern Peanut Growers Conference was held July 18-20, 2013 in Panama City Beach. The theme was Making Sustainability Work and we have links here to photos, posts and audio files from the conference, which included peanut industry representatives from Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi. 2013 SPGC Photo Album Southern Peanut Growers Team – Texas Congressman at Peanut …

InfoAg Conference on Precision Agriculture

The 2013 InfoAg Conference took place in Springfield, IL. This technical education conference is all about precision agriculture and is becoming an annual conference with the next one scheduled in 2014 in St. Louis, MO. This three day conference is coordinated by the International Plant Nutrition Institute, IPNI. Story interviews will be posted here as they become available in coming …

Corn Growers in Washington

Members of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) are in Washington this week to discuss policy issues and visit with lawmakers during another crucial point in the quest for a five year farm bill. In addition to farm policy, corn growers are talking with members of Congress about the Renewable Fuel Standard, the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) and the …

Senate Ag Chair Pushes House on Farm Bill

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) held a conference call with reporters on Monday urging the House to take that action before time runs out. “We’ve got only six legislative weeks before the current farm bill expires,” she said, noting that adds up to only 24 legislative days. “I’m willing to take whatever the House gives us and work …

From Middle East to Midwest

Summer driving season is nearing its peak and as events continue to unfold in Egypt, gas prices are again expected to spike. To learn more about the reasons behind rising fuel prices, Fuels America hosted a media briefing with several energy experts to provide a panoramic view of the real drivers behind volatile gas prices. Speakers discussed how renewable fuel …

Surmountable Blend Wall

Fuels America hosted a briefing on the Hill (Washington, D.C.) to give an update on the so-called “blend wall,” on July 11, 2013. Energy experts and biofuel industry representatives discussed the need to provide consumer choice at the pump. Other topics discussed during the event included: benefits of renewable fuel; penetration of new fuels like E15 and cellulosic ethanol into …

John Deere Flex Fuel Commercial Mower

John Deere has introduced a brand new riding mower that can run on up to 85% percent ethanol blended fuel. The mower is a new Flex Fuel model of John Deere’s popular line of ZTrak mowers. The new, industry exclusive, Z925M Flex Fuel gives landscape contractors and customers with large acreage to mow a new alternative fuel option for their …

Rep. Vicky Hartzler on Farm Bill and Budget

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) is a member of both the House Agriculture Committee and the House Committee on the Budget, plus she’s a farmer, so her perspective on what’s happening right now to try and get a farm bill passed is important to hear. In this interview, Hartzler discusses her frustration at seeing the House vote down the farm bill, …

Senate Hearing on Smithfield Acquisition

The Senate Agriculture Committee on Wednesday, July 10, took a look at the proposed acquisition of Smithfield Foods by Chinese company Shuanghui International. Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) says the sale raises many questions about issues such as food safety, protection of intellectual property, and increased foreign ownership of the U.S. food supply. Smithfield Foods President and CEO C. Larry …