The Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute this week kicked off its “Water for Food Global Forum,” a virtual series of events convening international experts, growers, and organizations to focus on achieving global water and food security. The event features both on-demand and live virtual events. Water and Food Systems Panel and Discussion Dr. Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted – Global Lead …
House Ag Committee Hearing on State of the Livestock Industry
The House Agriculture Committee held a hearing Thursday to address the current state of the livestock industry, meat processing, production and supply. Among the witnesses testifying were Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Vice President Todd Wilkinson of South Dakota, and François Léger of FPL Food, on behalf of the North American Meat …
SD Senator Speaks Out on Policy Impacting Agriculture
Sen. John Thune (R-SD) spoke out on the Senate floor this week about Democrat policies that he says are harmful to farmers and ranchers. “For starters, I’m worried that Democrats’ bill could mean the end of some family farms thanks to the bill’s expansion of the death tax,” said Thune. “Death should not be a taxable event.” Sen. Thune also …
New NCGA President Meets the Media
Chris Edgington of St. Ansgar, Iowa, became president of the Corn Board of the National Corn Growers Association as of October 1. Edgington raises corn and soybeans along with his dad, brother and son. Chris and his wife, Vanessa, have two children, Alex and Elizabeth. In addition to his row crop operation, he gains insight into livestock through a small …
Administration Plans to Press China on Trade Agreement
United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai delivered remarks Monday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) “outlining the Biden-Harris Administration’s new approach to the U.S.-China bilateral trade relationship.” Ambassador Tai said they will begin by having discussions with China about its performance under the Phase One Agreement and commitments made “that benefit certain American industries, including agriculture, that …
ZimmCast 678 – Preview of the 2021 ARC Annual Meeting
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. It is #InternationalPodcastDay today. A lovely day to publish a podcast. This will be the second podcast we’ve published an episode of today! In this program we’re going to get a preview of the 2021 Agricultural Relations Council Annual Meeting. Providing the details is Kristy Mach, Corner Window Communications and Executive Director of ARC. …
USDA Secretary Makes Multiple Announcements at Colorado State University
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced a comprehensive set of investments by USDA during a speech at Colorado State University’s Salazar Center’s Virtual International Symposium for Conservation Impact. Secretary Vilsack announced that USDA is preparing $3 billion in investments that will support drought resilience and response, animal disease prevention, market disruption relief, and purchase of food for school nutrition programs. …
Daugherty Water for Food podcast – Episode 10
This episode of the Daugherty Water for Food podcast features Amy Wu, an award-winning journalist, filmmaker and the creator of From Farms to Incubators. From Farms to Incubators is a multimedia platform that uses documentary, video, photography and the written word to tell the stories of women leaders and innovators in agtech. It has a mission of highlighting women in food, farming, and …
USDA Invests in Using Climate Smart Ag for Low Carbon Fuel
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will invest nearly $75 million for 15 partner-led projects to address natural resource concerns on private lands. The projects include a $7.5 million investment in the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE)-led Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) project to secure farmers premier access to low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) markets based on their adoption of …
Senator Grassley Voices Concerns About RVO Proposal
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is concerned about proposed Renewable Volume Obligations the Biden administration is reportedly set to release on Friday. “You know what happens if something is unpopular it always happens at five o’clock on Friday,” said Grassley during his weekly press call with farm reporters Tuesday. “If we get a bad RVO out of EPA, the farmers aren’t …
Nebraska Senator Promotes Precision Ag Loan Bill
U.S. Senators Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) have introduced bipartisan legislation to create a program within USDA to provide loan financing to farmers and ranchers interested in purchasing precision agriculture equipment. Sen. Fischer spoke on the Senate floor Monday about the Precision Agriculture Loan (PAL) Act, highlighting the importance of increasing the adoption of precision agriculture technologies for …
2021 NASDA Annual Meeting
The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) Hybrid Annual Meeting – Louisville, KY – Sept. 19-22 – hosted by NASDA president and Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles with the theme “Redefining Agriculture” U.S. EPA Administrator Michael Regan, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, provide perspective on administration priorities and issues important to …
Ethanol Report RFA 40th Anniversary – Randy Doyal
The Renewable Fuels Association was born in 1981 and RFA is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year by spotlighting some of the pioneers in the ethanol industry who were there at the beginning, like Randy Doyal. Doyal is CEO of Al-Corn Clean Fuel in Claremont, Minnesota and has been an RFA board member since 1995, serving as board chairman in …
White House Press Briefing on Meat Prices
September 8 White House press briefing with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and National Economic Council Director Brian Deese on meat prices. Deese discusses how beef, pork, and poultry are the real drivers of increased grocery store bills, and that there’s an underlying corporate consolidation problem with meat-processing giants that needs to be addressed. Secretary Vilsack discusses actions the administration …
ZimmCast 677 – Preview of the 2021 NAMA Fall Conference
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. In this program we’re going to learn all about the 2021 NAMA Fall Conference from the head of the conference committee, Michele Tibodeau, CHS, Inc. Michele walks us through a preview of the program which includes the presentation of the annual Professional Development Awards of Excellence, network opportunities like on and off-site receptions and …