The nation’s top experts in agricultural lending will gather in Indianapolis, Ind. for the American Bankers Association National Agricultural Bankers Conference Nov. 6-9. Two state-of-the-art bale-wrapping systems, designed to help producers turn silage bales into individually wrapped high-nutrition silage packages, were introduced by Vermeer. The Food and Drug Administration has every confidence in the safety of apple juice. Learn more …
Majority Favor Broadband Over GPS
Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “Which is more important to rural America: GPS Service or Broadband Internet?” A majority of 66% said Broadband Internet with 34% choosing GPS Service. So perhaps most of you place more importance on being able to use the internet for whatever reason than having the ability to use your GPS device, which would include …
Mohawk Racing IFAJ Style
Tonight the IFAJ attendees went horse racing at Mohawk Racetrack. We had some great Standardbred action for about seven races before departing back to the hotels. Here’s most of our group out on the track after the 6th race presenting an IFAJ Congress horse blanket to the winner. Now that’s cool. I’ve updated the photo album from this afternoon and …
GIPSA Likely Topic for Regulation Hearing
The title makes it sound more like a morality play than a government hearing but “How a Broken Process Leads to Flawed Regulations” is what the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is calling the hearing on Wednesday morning to look into government over-regulation. One of the scheduled witnesses is Colorado cattle producer Robbie LeValley and you can bet …
Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show Kicks Off
This morning Mike Wilson, President, International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) and editor, Farm Futures, kicked off the 2011 Canada Outdoor Farm Show. I’ve got video coming and will add as soon as it’s ready. We had a ribbon cutting of a different kind. Mike cut the ribbon on a batch of balloons which then floated over the show. Mike …
National Corn Growers Unveils Farm Bill Proposal
The National Corn Growers Association has officially unveiled its idea for a new disaster assistance title in the next farm bill. NCGA is proposing the Agriculture Disaster Assistance Program (ADAP) “that will modify and replace the existing Average Crop Revenue Election Program and provide a more effective and responsive safety net for growers.” “Responding to a charge by our voting …
Tweet the White House About US-Korea FTA
The US-Korea FTA Business Coalition is tweeting the White House for free trade this week. The coalition is sending out messages on Twitter this week during the “White House Office Hours on the American Jobs Act” to address the importance of the US-Korea FTA and other pending trade agreements in creating American jobs and they are urging other supporters to …
Canada Outdoor Farm Show
Welcome to the Canada Outdoor Farm Show. This is where I’ll be today with other IFAJ members before the 2011 IFAJ Congress officially kicks off tomorrow evening. I’m assuming I’ll be away from internet access all day but I’ll be taking photos and have stories to share after I get back. With helicopters landing and equipment arriving and animals getting …
IFAJ Master Class and Boot Camp Graduation
The IFAJ Master Class and Boot Camp is over for 2011. Here are the combined groups before we went to dinner together tonight in downtown Guelph. From what I’ve heard the participants were very happy with the program and feel like they got a lot out of the experience. I know I have and will alway remember it. There are …
Burton Eller Retires From NCBA
Burton Eller was fighting for the rights of cattle producers when Ronald Reagan was president, but now he plans to finally ride off into the sunset and spend more time on the ranch. Burton has served the cattle industry in many capacities, most recently as National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Senior Vice President of Member Services and Industry Affairs. He …