AgFanatics Dish on USDA Report
The AgFanatics were in their element last week talking about the USDA Supply & Demand report. Episode #11 on Tuesday last week caught them in pre-report speculation mode, and Episode #12 was recap and reaction to the report for the market. The AgriVisor AgFanatics podcast is updated twice weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays. AgFanatics can be found on Itunes or …
Sequester Could Cause FSIS Inspector Furlough
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has shaken up the meat and poultry industry with his comments about how sequestration might impact agriculture during a speech to the National Ethanol Conference last week. Answering a question about funding for a farm bill, Vilsack talked more broadly about what might happen after March 1 if Congress fails to act and sequester creates automatic …
Vilsack Visits Ethanol and Biodiesel Meetings
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack hit two meetings in one city last week, appearing at both the National Ethanol Conference and the National Biodiesel Conference within a few hours of each other, since they were both being held in Las Vegas a mile apart. Vilsack told both groups that the renewable fuels industry is worth fighting for. “Your country’s future depends …
USDA Extends Census Deadline
Farmers and ranchers across the country are heeding the call to have their voices heard and their farms represented in the 2012 Census of Agriculture. With 1.4 million Census forms returned, the USDA is thanking everyone for speaking up for their communities, their industry and their future by sending in their Census form. For those who missed the deadline, USDA …
NCBA Sustainability Press Conference
During the 2013 Cattle Industry Convention today NCBA held a press conference to announce the preliminary results of the Beef Industry Sustainability Assessment. Dr. Kim Stackhouse, NCBA Director of Sustainability, shared how the beef checkoff-funded assessment is a holistic look at the entire beef value chain. This is the first time any food value chain has ever documented the economic, …
Farm Policy Facts Relaunches Education Campaign
A diverse coalition of agricultural organizations that came together during the 2008 Farm Bill debate under the name Farm Policy Facts announced that they are stepping up education activities during the 113th Congress. Farm Policy Facts will communicate with the media and members of Congress via regular email alerts that will include a mix of farm policy news, detailed analysis …
Zimfo Bytes
The American Soybean Association announced the regional winners of the 2013 Conservation Legacy Awards program. The American Farm Bureau Federation announced that Dale Moore will lead the organization’s public policy department. USDA reports U.S. commercial red meat production for December was down five percent on the year at 3.997 billion pounds. After seeing the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates …
Producers — Complete 2012 Census!
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack continues to remind producers to complete forms for the Census of Agriculture – the only source of uniform, comprehensive and impartial agricultural data for every county in the nation. The 2012 Census of Agriculture will provide the USDA with current information to help ensure an abundant, safe, and accessible food supply for all of America. The …
Should We Sit Down with HSUS in Common Cause
Many eyebrows were raised during Sec. of Agriculture Tom Vilsack’s speech at the AFBF convention yesterday. It was really a stand out moment in an otherwise pretty good speech and I wonder what you think about it. The photo is from his press conference following the closing session. Sec. Vilsack was talking about creating strategic alliances and reaching out to …