A number of agricultural and conservation organizations are urging the Federal Communications Commission and Congress to research the impact that impending spectrum incentive auctions could have on television translator service and low power television service in rural areas. Last year Congress authorized the FCC to conduct voluntary spectrum incentive auctions allowing television broadcasters to sell their channels to wireless companies …
American Meat Institute Statement on COOL Decision
USDA has issued the final rule for mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL), including an amendment to the regulations for muscle cut covered commodities derived from animals slaughtered in the United States. “It is incomprehensible that USDA would finalize a controversial rule that stands to harm American agriculture, when comments on the proposal made clear how deeply and negatively it …
Dairy Farmers to REAP Benefits of Waste-to-Energy
The U.S. Department of Agriculture extends the deadline on a program that could see more farmers, especially those in the dairy industry, turning livestock waste into energy. The deadline to submit for funds under the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) and Dairy Industry Memorandum of Understanding has been extended to to May 31, 2013. During a teleconference moderated by …
Eco Agro Resources Launch
Eco Agro Resources is proud to announce its formation and launch on May 1, 2013. Eco Agro Resources is an Agriculture and Chemical Producer and marketer of the next generation of urease inhibitor and patent pending flagship product, N-YieldTM. David McKnight, CEO states “Eco Agro Resources is made up of 30 team members with over 100 years of agriculture and …
2013 Alltech International Symposium
The Alltech 29th Annual International Symposium picked up where the 2012 Symposium concluded. And that is with the pledge for continuous innovation meeting the agricultural challenge of feeding a growing global population. Chuck and our new summer intern Maggie Seiler were there to cover it. They took lots of pictures and did some great interviews. New audio will be uploaded …
Rep. Peterson Farm Bill Comments
House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Congressman Collin Peterson (D-MN) held a telephone press conference on Friday to discuss the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management (FARRM) Act of 2013, passed by the committee last week on a vote of 36 to 10. “At the end of the day, we got a very good vote,” said Peterson. “But we have challenges …
National Cotton Council Farm Bill Comments
The National Cotton Council (NCC) is pleased with the farm bills out of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees this week that make some pretty significant changes in the cotton program to hopefully provide final resolution of the longstanding Brazil WTO case. “The focus has been to try and come up with farm policy for cotton in the new farm …
Interview with National Corn Grower Chairman
Garry Niemeyer of Aurora, Illinois is chairman of the National Corn Growers Association. In this interview, he comments on Senate passage of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), the farm bills out of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees, and finally making some corn planting progress in the Midwest.
NAFB Washington Watch – Audio
The annual Washington Watch is for members of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. It’s a time to meet with agricultural organization representatives, USDA officials and members of Congress. We’ll share lots of audio and photos from the event here during this week as the program unfolds. Issues Forum Interviews Farm Bill Farm Bill, RFS, corn crop Farm Bill, USDA …
Syngenta Builds on Garst® Seed Legacy
Even as the Syngenta-owned Garst and Golden Harvest® brands are being launched under the revised Golden Harvest brand, Syngenta intends to uphold the quality, reliability and legacy that have become synonymous with the Garst brand and the Garst Seed Advisor. “Roswell Garst’s commitment to customers – to be a trusted advisor in addition to a seed dealer – is the …
Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit
Last week I attended the Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit in Arlington, Virginia. The event brought industry leaders together to discuss Activists at the Door: Protecting Animals, Farms, Food and Consumer Confidence. The two-day conference started thought provoking conversations throughout the agriculture community on animal rights, transparency, crisis management and much more. Here you can find audio from the event, …
Interview with Wells Fargo Agribusiness Head
Wells Fargo recently named Rob Yraceburu as head of its National Food & Agribusiness Division to lead the group’s expansion to untapped markets in the Midwest and East. A fourth-generation family farmer who holds both a bachelor’s in agricultural business and a master’s in agricultural economics from California State University Fresno, he has worked in finance for his entire 28-year …
Study Shows Ethanol Reducing Carbon Footprint
Ethanol Report with Comments from Study Co-author Steffen Mueller and RFA CEO Bob Dinneen A new study indicates that ethanol production is continuing to reduce its energy and environmental footprint. The study, entitled “2012 Corn Ethanol: Emerging Plant Energy and Environmental Technologies”, found that recent innovations in corn ethanol production have resulted in increased yield per bushel even as less …
USDA and EPA Release Report on Honey Bee Health
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released a comprehensive scientific report on honey bee health. The report states that there are multiple factors playing a role in honey bee colony declines, including parasites and disease, genetics, poor nutrition and pesticide exposure. Link to full report. A press conference featuring government officials and …
Concluding Press Conf for G8 Open Data for Ag
USDA held a concluding press conference to discuss results prior to the end of the G-8 International Conference on Open Data for Agriculture. USDA Chief Scientist Dr. Catherine Woteki outlined the federal government’s new Food, Agriculture and Rural data community, which offers a catalog of over 300 data sets as well as numerous apps, tools and statistical products. Listen to …