House Agriculture Committee Chair Mike Conaway (R-TX) says they are moving forward with work on the 2018 Farm Bill. “Still on track for late for fourth quarter (this year) or early first quarter of next year,” said Conaway during a conference call with reporters Wednesday. “We’re going to be ready on the committee…when floor time opens up.” Rep. Conaway was …
Registration Open for ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference 2018
Like the song from “A Chorus Line” says, ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference is a singular sensation, a thrilling combination, and a one of a kind experience, and it’s scheduled to be held May 20–23, 2018 once again in Lexington, Kentucky. The annual Alltech symposium, which draws 5,000 people to Lexington each May, is the brain child of Irish entrepreneur …
SMART Farmer Rochelle Krusemark
Rochelle Krusemark is a Minnesota grain and soybean farmer, a state and national soybean board and USFRA board member, wife, mother and grandmother – all at the same time! Obviously a busy lady, Rochelle squeezed in time as she was watching her two toddler grandsons to tell us what being a SMART farmer means to her, and why she is …
Iowa Biofuels Leaders Fight for RFS
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds held a press conference with biofuels industry leaders in Pella, Iowa Wednesday to talk about the importance of maintaining growth in the Renewable Fuel Standard The Governor questioned recent EPA proposals that would cut volume levels under the RFS for biodiesel, cellulosic ethanol, and advanced biofuels, and possibly allow ethanol exports to generate RINs for RFS …
BASF Executives Discuss Bayer Acquisition
BASF Crop Protection business executives held a conference call with reporters Tuesday to discuss the agreement announced last Friday to purchase significant Bayer assets in the largest deal of its kind in history. The $7 billion deal includes Bayer’s global glufosinate-ammonium non-selective herbicide business, seed businesses for canola hybrids in North America under the InVigor® brand using the LibertyLink® trait …
GIPSA Rules Withdrawn by Administration
The Trump administration today announced it will withdraw controversial regulations under the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyard Administration (GIPSA) related to the buying and selling of livestock. The action includes an interim final rule that deals with harm to competition and one proposed related rule issued in the final days of the Obama administration. The interim final rule was scheduled …
Secretary Perdue in Europe
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has been on a whirlwind trip around Europe for the past several days, starting with meetings in London before taking part in the G-7 ministerial, taking part in World Food Day in Rome and meeting Pope Francis yesterday, and concluding his trip today in Madrid. “It’s been a very productive trip,” said Perdue during …
AEM Pulls Out of NFMS Venture
The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) has withdrawn from a proposed collaborative venture with the Kentucky State Fair Board (KSFB) for the National Farm Machinery Show, which was announced in February at the 2017 show. AEM and KSFB had signed a letter of intent and announced a verbal agreement under which AEM would assist with the management and co-production 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 …
FS FAST STOP Retailers Registered as TOP TIER™ Diesel Fuel Sites
FS FAST STOP locations are among the first to become registered TOP TIER™ Diesel Fuel sites under a program developed by leading diesel equipment manufacturers who recognized the benefits of additized diesel fuel in their engines. The TOP TIER program, originally launched in 2004, focused on gasoline standards before introducing a diesel fuel standard this September. FAST STOP locations featuring …
Senator Grassley Rallies for Biodiesel
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) visited the Renewable Energy Group (REG) biodiesel plant in Newton, Iowa Tuesday to rally the industry in opposition to proposed EPA actions that would cut volumes of biodiesel under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). In late September, EPA put out a “Notice of Data Availability” seeking input concerning potential reductions for biodiesel under the RFS, on …
Farmers Edge and Planet Partner to Change Global Agriculture Using Daily Satellite Imagery and Real-Time Big Data Insights
Landmark deal delivers Planet’s global daily imagery directly to Farmers Edge users, enabling growers to improve crop yields, quickly react to crop stress and boost profitability Farmers Edge™, a global leader in decision agriculture, announced today a strategic partnership to bring Planet’s best-in-class global monitoring data and platform capabilities to the Farmers Edge precision agriculture product suite. Planet is an …
Third Youth Ag Summit
The third Youth Ag-Summit, October 9-13, 2017 in Brussels, Belgium,offered 100 bright young talents from around the world the opportunity to tackle one of humanity’s biggest challenges: how to feed a growing population in a more sustainable manner. Organized by Bayer, together with the two Belgian young farmers associations Groene Kring (GK) and Fédération des Jeunes Agriculteurs (FJA), the summit …
SMART Farmer Katie Roth
Katie Roth and her husband TJ farm with their partners John and Luann Shea in the southwest corner of America’s Dairyland in Wisconsin where they milk Holsteins and grow all of their feedstuffs on the farm including corn, soybeans, alfalfa and wheat. In addition, she serves as one of the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance’s (USFRA) Faces of Farming & …
Two More USDA Nominees Get Their Hearing
The Senate Agriculture Committee yesterday heard from nominees Greg Ibach to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs and Bill Northey to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services. Earlier this week, the full Senate approved Stephen Censky as Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, and Ted McKinney as Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade …