Emily Buck farms with her husband and daughter near Columbus, Ohio where they raise soybeans, corn and wheat and also have a small sheep operation. Her main role on the farm, beyond helping with crops, is to manage the 40 ewes. Off the farm, Emily is a university researcher and professor of agricultural communication at Ohio State University, which gives …
SMART Farmer Robb Fraley
Robb Fraley isn’t our typical SMART Farmer, but after growing up on a small Illinois farm, his work has helped farmers around the world produce food more sustainably with science and technology that has helped increase yields by decreasing threats to crops. That technology is genetic modification of plants, creating GMO crops that are resistance to insects and disease, able …
Mid-Missouri Energy Goes John Deere Green
Mid-Missouri Energy (MME) in Malta Bend, Missouri is home to a new piece of equipment that has helped make the grounds around the ethanol plant a little greener. MME General Manager Chris Wilson won the John Deere ZTrak Z925M Flex Fuel commercial mower during a raffle at the Renewable Fuels Association 2017 National Ethanol Conference. The E85 used in the …
SMART Farmer Phil Borgic
Meet the Illinois hog farmer whose family farm is the star of the 360 video the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance has been sharing around the country this year. You can watch the video without effects below – and if you have a VR viewer or headset take a look in 360. Phil Borgic has a family farm in Nokomis, …
Ethanol Report on EPA Hearing and Court Decision
Last week’s court decision on what EPA can consider when setting volume obligations for biofuels under the Renewable Fuel Standard was still fresh in mind as the industry provided feedback on the agency’s most recent proposals for next year during a public hearing in Washington D.C. this week. In this edition of The Ethanol Report podcast, Renewable Fuels Association president …
SMART Farmer Jeanette Merritt
Jeannette Merritt is our SMART Farmer for this episode – an Indiana farm girl and former agricultural journalist who is raising crops, hogs and kids with her husband and serving the industry in many capacities. Jeanette is a 4th generation farmer, a Purdue University graduate, Director of Checkoff Programs for Indiana Pork and serves on the Indiana Soybean Alliance board …
SMART Farmer Carla Wardin
Our SMART Farmer in this episode comes from Michigan where she and her husband have a dairy operation that has been in her family for over a century. Carla Wardin is dedicated to telling the real story of dairy farming through her blog Truth or Dairy, and in 2014 was chosen to represent agriculture as one of the USFRA Faces …
High Octane 10% Ethanol for Sturgis, SD
Motorcycle riders – and all motorists – traveling around Sturgis, S.D., can now fuel up 24 hours a day with 93 octane, 10% ethanol thanks to the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), which has donated a permanent fueling station to the Buffalo Chip Campground. In this Ethanol Report interview, RFA VP of Industry Relations Robert White discusses their partnership with the …
SMART Farmer Jennifer Houston
This edition of the SMART Farmer podcast features Tennessee native Jennifer Houston, a livestock market owner and beef cattle industry leader, who talks about how the business of producing and marketing beef cattle has become smarter in recent years. Houston is currently Vice President of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and serves on the board of the U.S. Farmers and …
SMART Farmer US Poultry
In this edition of the SMART Farmer podcast we head south to learn a little bit about poultry production and how it has gotten smarter, more efficient and more sustainable over the years. Monty Henderson started as a broiler service manager with Tyson Foods and later with Campbell Soup Company. He has served as president of Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation and …
Numbers Tell Story of RFS Success
Twelve years since the original Renewable Fuel Standard was passed in 2005 and 10 years after it was expanded in 2007, the numbers tell an objective story of how successful the legislation has been in a new analysis by the Renewable Fuels Association. “RFS Impacts: By the Numbers” compares data from 2005 and 2007 to 2016. RFA Senior Vice President …
SMART Farmer Brad Greenway
Brad Greenway of South Dakota was named 2016 Pig Farmer of the Year by the National Pork Board recognizing him as a pig farmer who excels at raising pigs using the industry’s We Care ethical principles that include not only raising pigs humanely and safely, but also promoting a safe workplace and contributing to the local community. Right after he …
Ethanol Price Reporting Contest
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is launching an “Ethanol Days of Summer Contest”, allowing both retailers and consumers to report the price posted for E85 and other ethanol blends. To enter, consumers must have a registered account on www.E85prices.com, where they can submit pricing for a chance to win, or on the mobile app. The website, acquired by RFA in …
IFAJ Presidents at #ONE17
The four most recent presidents of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ), representing four different countries, attended ONE: the Alltech Ideas Conference in Lexington, Kentucky this week. This podcast includes past presidents David Markey of Ireland, Markus Rediger of Switzerland, and Mike Wilson of the United States, and current IFAJ President Owen Roberts, Canada. Each of them reflects on …
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 …