If there is one issue that impacts everyone on the planet, it is water. That’s why the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) in collaboration with the Farm and Food Alliance of Minnesota, will host a Food Dialogues next week in Minneapolis called “A Celebration of Minnesota’s Waters.” “We’re addressing this as a celebration of water but also working to …
#Ethanol Report on E15 at Fuel Terminals
Illinois-based HWRT Oil Company will soon be the first company in the United States to offer pre-blended 15% ethanol at the terminal level, something the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is calling a “game-changer” for increasing access to E15. RFA Vice President of Industry Relations Robert White talks about why this is such a big deal in this edition of the …
The 411 on CropTrak’s New Look, New Product
CropTrak is getting ready for the InfoAg Conference with a slightly new name and the introduction of a new product. Chuck Zimmerman spoke with Jonathan Sherrill, Central Business Lead at CropTrak / Cogent3D, Inc., to find out what the company has been up to lately. Sherrill told him we’re going to have to wait for the event to hear about …
Owen Roberts, New IFAJ President Featured in ZimmCast
The Urban Cowboy himself is the newly elected President of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists. He’s Owen Roberts, Director, Research Communications at University of Guelph and he is featured in this week’s ZimmCast. When asked what he hopes to accomplish as president he said, his job is to keep IFAJ going. Learn more about Owen’s plans and the IFAJ …
GROWMARK Endure Advocate Awards
This year GROWMARK recognized the efforts of five crop specialists who have excelled at engaging farmers in using sustainable, best-management practices with the GROWMARK Endure 4R Advocate award. The honor is given for working with farmers to increase their use of the 4R approach; applying fertilizers at the right source, right rate, right time and right place, and for encouraging …
Presser Calls for an End to Big Oil Subsidies
More than 40 groups have come together to call for an end to Big Oil subsidies that have been in place for more than 100 years. In an open letter to Congress from a diverse range or organizations from veterans, to renewable energy to environmental, and more, the groups are challenging Congress to repeal the nearly $4 billion a year …
Germany Hosts #IFAJ2016 Congress
The 60th annual International Federation of Agricultural Journalists Congress (IFAJ) is taking place in Bonn, Germany hosted by the Verband Deutscher Agrarjournalisten e. V. VDAJ, the German ag journalist guild. Chuck is attending the conference and sharing photos, audio and interviews you may want to make use of in your publications or broadcasts. More will be posted here when available. …
I Am @USFRA Features #Pork Producer Doug Wolf
This week’s episode of I AM USFRA features Former National Pork Producers Council president Doug Wolf of Wisconsin. He has been involved in the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) since it started five years ago. “It’s been exciting to see it start as a seedling and develop into what it is today,” says Wolf. “We just wanted to be …
ZimmCast Previews #AgChat Foundation Conference
Registration is now open for the 2016 AgChat Foundation Cultivate & Connect conference. This year it will be held December 8-9 in Kansas City, Missouri. Who better to talk to about it than one of the Bayer, 6 AgVocates to Follow, Jenny Schweigert, Executive Director, AgChat Foundation? Jenny speaks with Chuck Zimmerman in this week’s ZimmCast and gives us the …
Senate Passes #GMO Disclosure Bill
Late Thursday evening, the U.S. Senate voted 63-30 to pass the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard that preempts individual state laws to require labeling of foods containing genetically engineered ingredients. The bipartisan compromise legislation, which was worked out by Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), requires mandatory disclosure with several options, including text …
#Biobased2016 Helps Build Demand for #Soybeans
The United Soybean Board held its 2016 Biobased Stakeholders’ Dialogue July 7 at USDA headquarters in Washington DC. The event featured the debut of a new soy biobased video and an address by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, as well as displays of biobased products, speakers who shared their success stories and information on USDA’s BioPreferred® Program. Because of the potential …
Good Agronomy = 4R Approach
Rick Klevze is the location manager at the GROWMARK FS Bloomsbury, New Jersey location and was one of five crop specialists recently named as the first recipients of the new GROWMARK Endure 4R Advocate award. Klevze, who has over 35 years of experience and has been a Certified Crop Adviser since 1994, believes the 4R approach is a sensible way …
USDA Predicts Record #Soybean & More Corn Acres
USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) planted acreage report for this year estimates record soybean plantings and increased corn acres over last year. The report estimates U.S. soybean planted area at a record high 83.7 million acres, up 1 percent from last year, while corn growers increased their acreage from last year by 7 percent to 94.1 million acres, making …
NMPF’s Chris Galen Is ‘I AM USFRA’
The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) was one of the founding members of the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) five years ago to amplify the voice that dairy producers have in speaking about food production. “Ultimately, a lot of what USFRA is doing is built around communicating messages to people who influence the food marketing environment,” says NMPF Senior …
Ontario’s Chris Snip Says 4R Approach is Personal
For Chris Snip of Agris Co-operative in Ontario, Canada, the 4R approach to nutrient management is personal. Snip has been a Certified Crop Advisor for 16 years and was one of five crop specialists recently named as the first recipients of the new GROWMARK Endure 4R Advocate award. “My family and I spend a lot of time in Lake Erie, …