At the National Ethanol Conference, Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) president and CEO Bob Dinneen sat down with representatives from the corn and livestock industries to talk about the current state of the farm economy, the policy impact of historic surpluses, and moving past food versus fuel. Dinneen discussed common ground with National Corn Growers Association CEO Chris Novak and National …
Terry Branstad Addresses Ag Outlook Forum
The distinguished speaker at this year’s USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum was former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, who was recently nominated as ambassador to China. Branstad took time during his speech to praise incoming Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and share his thoughts on the future of agriculture and economic development in rural America. “Simply put, American agriculture is tied to …
Farm Bureau President Speaks at USDA Ag Outlook Forum
The American Farm Bureau Federation’s public policy agenda shares much in common with the Trump administration on issues like regulatory reform and tax reform. But even harder issues such as farm labor and trade should present opportunities to engage with Congress and the White House, alike, AFBF President Zippy Duvall told participants at the USDA’s Agricultural Outlook Forum. Duvall said …
Deere Debutes Sprayer Improvements at #NFMS17
Attendees of the National Farm Machinery Show got the first view of John Deere‘s new CommandView III cab on their 4-Series Sprayers and the 4600 CommandCenter that comes with it. Customers are always looking for ways to be more efficient– to spend less time setting up and more time spraying, says Jason Beuligmann, which is why John Deere has made …
Weather Outlook at #NFMS17
Weather is always the main topic of discussion whenever farmers get together, so the weather outlook from Bryce Anderson, Senior Ag Meteorologist at DTN/The Progressive Farmer, is always a big draw at the National Farm Machinery Show. Anderson says the outlook for the corn belt is good this year as the Pacific Ocean has moved from a weak La Nina …
Bayer Building on Feed a Bee Buzz
The Feed a Bee program has planted more than 2 billion wildflowers with the help of 900,000 individuals and 117 partner organizations in the past three years, but Bayer says it’s not stopping there. The company recently requested proposals to establish pollinator forage in all 50 states by 2018, hoping to build upon their success and move the needle forward. …
#RebuildRural Encourages Trump to Prioritize Infrastructure
Two hundred some #RebuildRural organizations representing U.S. agriculture, rural businesses, communities and families sent a letter to the President, asking him to make infrastructure in rural America a priority. The letter highlights the needs in rural communicates where a lack of population density creates challenges. “American agriculture truly feeds the world and creates millions of jobs for U.S. workers. Our …
FMC Promotes Cover Crops for Weed Control
Growers will do about anything to control resistant palmer amaranth in the MidSouth region where Matt Wiggins works as a tech service manager for FMC. And while cover crops have been traditionally considered a method of erosion control, FMC has done a lot of work on understanding how they prevent weeds as well. They’re effective because they create a layer …
Deere Showcases 5R Series Tractors at #NFMS17
Chris Lammie is pretty excited about his job with John Deere small tractors– especially the brand new 5R Series being shown at the National Farm Machinery Show. The 5R series features incredible maneuverability with a 12.1 foot turning radius, a comfortable cab, brand new loader, improved visibility and a fully electronic clutch. It also comes with a fantastic lighting package, …
Ag Groups Support Farm Bill Funding
The 2014 Farm Bill helped reduce the nation’s deficit with budget cuts, but further cutbacks in 2018 could cause a serious threat, says a letter from 502 agriculture groups, nutrition organizations, conservation departments and local governments. The letter was spearheaded by the American Farm Bureau Federation, Bread for the World, Feeding America, the Food Research & Action Center, the National …