Via Twitter alert from Robert Frye comes, “Iowa Corn Planting In High Definition.” Robert is obviously a drone pro judging by how he commanded his quad copter to take this gorgeous video. He published it on May 11, 2015. Here’s how he described it on YouTube: A “birds-eye-view” of Jim, Matt and Jay’s 2015 corn planting. Please watch on full …
New Board Members for American Farmland Trust
The American Farmland Trust (AFT) has elected a pair of nationally recognized leaders of agriculture to its board. This news release from the group says Jim Moseley and Greg Watson will join the board this fall. John Hardin, vice chair of the AFT board said, “Jim Moseley and Greg Watson bring a wealth of agriculture and conservation experience, expertise and …
Congress to Decide Fate of COOL
By a vote of 38 to 6, the House Agriculture Committee today approved legislation to effectively repeal country of origin labeling (COOL) requirements for beef, pork, and chicken. “This bill is a targeted response that will remove uncertainty and restore stability for the United States by bringing us back into compliance,” Committee Chairman Mike Conaway (R-TX) said. “We will continue …
Multi-National Ag Groups Unite for Fair TPP
As negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) are being held this week, agricultural and food organizations from four nations have come out united in calling for a “modern trade agreement that includes meaningful and comprehensive market access opportunities for agriculture and agri-food.” The organizations from Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand advocating for an ambitious, fair and comprehensive …
2015 Alltech Young Scientist Awards
During the Alltech REBELation the 2015 Alltech Young Scientist Awards were presented. Dr. Aoife Lyons, director of educational initiatives at Alltech, and Dr. Inge Russell, director of the AYS program, presented the awards. Two university students received awards in the 10th annual Alltech Young Scientist (AYS) program, the largest global contest of its kind that rewards scientific genius and experimental …
Zimfo Bytes
The U.S. Grains Council encourages farmers, members and other industry representatives to register soon for its 55th Annual Board of Delegates Meeting, scheduled for Montreal, Canada, from July 27 to 29, 2015. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service announced that approximately $11.9 million in organic certification assistance is available through state departments of agriculture to make organic certification …
Top Rated Ag Universities
We all have our favorite ag schools (Go Gators!) but if you want a non-biased source for the top rated universities in any subject, the definitive source is the QS World University Rankings. First compiled in 2004, the QS World University Rankings currently considers over 3,000 institutions, and ranks more than 800 under a methodology that includes academic reputation, employer …
#RealPigFarming Finalist in PR Awards
A program that features real pork producers telling their stories has been nominated for a top national public relations award. The National Pork Board’s #RealPigFarming campaign, developed by Des Moines, Iowa-based PR firm Lessing-Flynn, is a finalist in the Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA) Silver Anvil awards competition. “We’re incredibly proud of the #RealPigFarming campaign and the results we’ve …
Industry Pleased with White House Pollinator Plan
Last June, President Obama called for an interagency Task Force to create a Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators. Tuesday, the Task Force released its strategy, under the joint leadership of EPA and USDA. Industry reaction to the plan, which outlines actions to be taken by more than a dozen other federal agencies and departments, …
The Changing Face of Media
One of the primary seminar tracks here at the Alltech REBELation is titled, “Marketing for Business Growth.” In this track I was a panelist yesterday to talk about The Changing Face of Media. With me were moderator, Frank Mulrennan, Celtic Media Group; Peter Baniak, Lexington Herald-Leader; Matt Jones, Kentucky Sports Radio; Brian Hughes RFD-TV/Rural Media Group and Trent Loos, Loos …