Priority Issues for GROWMARK

GROWMARK Executive Director for Corporate and Government Relations Chuck Spencer is keeping an eye on many legislative and regulatory issues on both the state and national level that could impact grower members of the cooperative. In this interview, Spencer comments on EPA’s Waters of the United States regulation and proposed volume obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard, food labeling, and …

Interview with New Holland’s Bret Lieberman

Last week Bret Lieberman, was appointed Vice President of North America, New Holland. I just completed an exclusive interview with him which is available to all ag media. We started our conversation talking about his background which is extensive and diversified. In fact, today he’s celebrating being with the company for 25 years. Bret joined the company in 1990 with …

Corn Growers on Cuba Trade Mission

Nine farmer leaders and staff members from the National Corn Growers Association, the U.S. Grains Council and the North Dakota Barley Council traveled to Cuba last month to see first-hand opportunities for expanding U.S. coarse grain exports if trade is fully normalized with the island nation. The mission was part of an ongoing effort by the grains industry to assess …

Ethanol Report on RFS Hearing and Rally

Hundreds of ethanol supporters turned out for a rally and public hearing in Kansas City, Kansas last week on the EPA’s proposed volume obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). In this edition of the Ethanol Report, we hear from some of those who attended. The report includes comments and testimony from Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, …

iCropTrak Prepares for InfoAg Conference

The InfoAg Conference is only four weeks away and companies like iCropTrak are getting excited to showcase their products to a record setting crowd in St. Louis, July 28-30. In this interview, Aaron Hutchinson of iCropTrak talks about what’s new and what we can expect to see when visiting the company during InfoAg. iCropTrak Getting Ready for InfoAg Conference –

International Drone Conference Preview

The International Drone Conference & Expo, taking place in Las Vegas, September 9-11. Registration for InterDrone for trade and commercial drone builders, buyers and flyers and business owners is now open. One of the interesting components of the show is a drone flying area inside for vendors to show off their products. A number of ag focused companies are on …

2015 Bioenergy Conference

On June 23–24, the U.S. Department of Energy hosted the eighth annual Bioenergy Conference: Opportunities in a Changing Energy Landscape. Co-hosted with the Clean Energy Research and Education Foundation (CEREF), this year’s conference focused on opportunities and challenges in our current highly dynamic energy ecosystem. View the 2015 BioEnergy 2015 photo album Sen Klobuchar: Time to Govern by Opportunity – …

Magnesium Chloride-based Organic Fertilizer

North America’s farmers have a new option that will strengthen their crops and help meet the demand for organic produce by today’s consumer. Innovative Surface Solutions announced the availability of AgMag™, the first magnesium chloride-based fertilizer approved for organic farming in North America. “The demand for organic foods continues to grow and farmers are looking for cost-effective solutions,” said Greg …

Crop Health Labs’ Plant Sap Analysis Increases Profits

Growers looking to reduce crop inputs and increase profits now have access to a program to achieve both – Plant Sap Analysis. The technology is offered by Crop Health Labs, in partnership with NovaCropControl Laboratories. Plant Sap Analysis offers a different approach to a very common nutrient management problem. Unlike traditional tissue sampling, Plant Sap Analysis provides immediate indicators of …

#RFSWorks Hearing and Rally

Hundreds of ethanol supporters showed up in Kansas City, Kansas on June 25, 2015 for a public hearing on the EPA’s proposed volume obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and a Rally for Rural America. The hearing heard testimony from over 200 stakeholders, including corn farmers, ethanol and biodiesel producers. The rally featured comments from the governors and agriculture …

American Ethanol 200 Presented by Enogen

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series American Ethanol 200 presented by Syngenta Enogen was held at the Iowa Speedway on Friday, June 19. Chris Soules, star of Season 19 of ABC’s “The Bachelor” and Season 20 of “Dancing With The Stars,” served as the grand marshal and Erik Jones was the winner of the race, scoring his fifth victory in …

Agren Introduces New Sustainability Solution

Agren, Inc., the leading provider of sustainability technology to agriculture, unveiled their three-tiered Sustainability Solution for ag retailers today. Agren’s Sustainability Solution provides agribusiness an immediate way to add sustainability to their current precision offering. The platform allows advisors to easily assist growers in their pursuit of more sustainable farming systems through a multi-tiered path from lead generation to full …

RFA Encourages Big Turnout for EPA Hearing

Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) president and CEO Bob Dinneen is hoping for a huge turnout at next week’s EPA hearing in Kansas City, Kansas on the agency’s proposed volume obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard. The hearing will begin at 9:00 am CT and will be held at Jack Reardon Center, 520 Minnesota Avenue, Kansas City, Kansas. More information is …

GROWMARK Testifies for Food Labeling Bill

The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health held a hearing Thursday that demonstrated an urgent need to pass the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act this year to create a uniform national food labeling standard for products made with genetically modified organisms. Among those testifying at the hearing in support of the bill for agriculture was GROWMARK president …

2015 ASTA Annual Meeting

The 132nd annual meeting of the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) was held June 17-20, 2015 in Washington DC. With a focus on advocacy, seed industry representatives met with their elected officials in Congress to talk about important issues such as trade, pollinator health and labeling. Participants heard from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, elected new officers for the coming year, …