At the GROWMARK annual meeting in Chicago today, CEO Jim Spradlin reported the estimated year-end financial results for the cooperative to stakeholders in attendance. For fiscal year 2015, the unaudited, estimated sales for GROWMARK are reported to be $8.8 billion with pretax income is estimated at $140 million. An estimated $61 million in patronage refunds will be returned to GROWMARK …
Champion Corn Grower at @BASFAgProducts Event
He’s only been farming for less than ten years, but already Randy Dowdy of Valdosta, Georgia has made quite a name for himself by making history last year with a yield of nearly 504 bushels per acre in the National Corn Yield Contest. During a BASF media event in Tennessee this week, Dowdy talked about his philosophy when it comes …
Farm Broadcaster Wins Ethanol Media Award
Tom Riter of WNAX in Yankton, SD was awarded this year’s American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) Excellence in Media award at last week’s annual meeting in Omaha. Riter is pictured here receiving the award from ACE Director of Communications Chuck Beck. Riter is a veteran farm broadcaster and a native of Rock Rapids, Iowa. He is a regular contributor to …
Judge Blocks WOTUS
The day before the controversial rule formally known as the Waters of the US (WOTUS) was to be implemented, a federal judge in North Dakota has blocked it from taking effect. U.S. District Judge Ralph Erickson of North Dakota on Thursday issued a preliminary injunction against implementation of the Clean Water regulation, saying a group of 13 states was likely …
Clinton Unveils Ag Plan, Gets Vilsack Support
With a John Deere tractor as a backdrop, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton went where no candidate has gone yet – into a detailed discussion on agricultural issues. Introduced by former Iowa governor and current Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Clinton discussed her plan to support rural America and agriculture during a visit to Ankeny, Iowa Wednesday. Clinton’s plan includes …
Farm Income Forecast Lower
Farm sector profitability is forecast to decline for the second straight year, according to the latest report from USDA. Net cash income is forecast at $100.3 billion, down about 21 percent from 2014 levels. Lower crop and livestock receipts are the main drivers of the change in 2015 net cash farm income from 2014, while cash production expenses are projected …
BIVI Seminar Highlights FAD Preparedness
Pork industry preparedness for FAD was the first topic on the schedule at the Boehringer Ingelheim North Carolina swine seminar this year – and no, FAD does not mean the latest social trend. “FADs are foreign animal diseases,” said Dr. Lisa Becton with the National Pork Board. “Those are diseases that currently don’t exist in the United States and diseases …
GROWMARK FS Ready for 2015 Farm Progress Show
GROWMARK and the FS System always go all out when the Farm Progress Show is held in their home state of Illinois and this year will be no exception. I talked with GROWMARK Marketing and Communications Manager Beverly Long recently on a visit to the cooperative’s Bloomington headquarters about what they have planned for the show, which starts next week. …
Busy Year for America’s Renewable Future
It was only eight months ago that America’s Renewable Future (ARF) was launched in Iowa with the goal of educating presidential candidates about agriculture and biofuels in general and the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) in particular. But what the coalition has accomplished in that short time has been so impressive that the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) recognized them with …
MO Farm Bureau Takes WOTUS to the Fair Again
You might remember that Missouri Farm Bureau held a “Ditch the Rule” press conference last year at the State Fair featuring three members of the state’s Congressional delegation. With the controversial rule now finalized and scheduled to be implemented August 28, MOFB held another press conference at the fair last week – this time with four members of Congress. Representatives …