Most people who are active on social media know what an emoji is – those cute little images used in text messages, Twitter and Facebook posts. They started many years ago with the simple smiley or sad face made from the combination of colons and parentheses like this – 🙂 Now emojis are everywhere, and they’ve evolved well beyond facial …
Congress Ratifies Treaty Tied to Global Food Security
Congress made history last night by finally passing a broadly-supported international treaty to strengthen American agriculture and enhance global food security, an action endorsed by the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA). First signed by President George W. Bush, and pending for nearly 15 years, the now ratified International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (“The Treaty”) will …
Bayer Allows Belt Decision to Stand
The Crop Science division of Bayer today announced its final decision on whether to contest EPA’s cancellation of the insecticide flubendiamide, marketed under the trade name Belt. Charlotte Sanson, director of registrations for the company, says they “will not engage in further legal dispute” over the matter. “Nevertheless we will continue to stand up for our growers’ access to safe, …
Hail to the New #Soybean King
Randy Dowdy of Georgia already broke corn yield records with nearly 504 bushels per acre in 2014. Now he has claimed the world record soybean yield title with 171 bushels per acre, topping Kip Cullers’ previous soybean yield record of 160 set back in 2010. “As growers, sometimes we make high yields and sometimes we don’t,” said Dowdy at a …
Bill Would Help Grow Urban Farming
Senate Agriculture Committee ranking member Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) this week introduced the Urban Agriculture Act of 2016 to “addresses the unique needs of urban farmers by investing new resources and increasing flexibility through existing programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).” Senator Stabenow announced her legislation Monday during a press conference at D-Town Farm in Detroit. “Urban agriculture …
Candidates Give Views on #Ag Issues
While the candidates may weigh in during tonight’s debate on issues such as immigration and trade, which are important to agriculture, it’s not likely they will address topics such as the farm bill and biotechnology. So, the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) went to both nominees and asked them the same questions on a number of issues that concern farmers …
Ag Voices Urge TPP Passage
The National Corn Growers Association this week started delivering letters from over 6300 corn farmers from across the country to members of Congress urging them to take up and pass the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement before the end of the year. “America’s farmers and ranchers need Congress to step up and pass TPP now,” said Chip Bowling, president of the National …
Ag Women Star in RFD-TV FarmHer Series
RFD-TV’s FarmHer series started airing this month on the rural television network, spotlighting women in agriculture around the country. RFD-TV and FarmHer formed a partnership earlier this year to bring a positive image of farm woman to television and the first program in the series aired on September 9. This week’s episode, which premieres at 8:30 central time tomorrow (September …
Farm Bureau Invests in My Fit Foods
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), with and existing majority investor Marlin Equity Partners, has announced an investment in My Fit Foods™, a leading producer and retailer of prepared meals. The investment will support My Fit Foods’ growth strategy to pursue partnerships with the nation’s premier grocery retailers. “The American Farm Bureau Federation is an ideal investment partner for My …
#Ag Groups Express Concerns About Consolidation
Representatives from the American Farm Bureau Federation, National Corn Growers Association, and National Farmers Union testified Tuesday at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on consolidation in the agribusiness industry, which is poised to cut the number of major companies in the seeds, chemicals and crop nutrients market in half. AFBF Chief Economist Dr. Bob Young told the committee that farmers …