National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) brought veterinarians from around the country to Washington D.C. last week to educate members of Congress on the importance of pork industry issues. The team of 17 visited 34 representatives in two days, focusing on the 2018 Farm Bill and the establishment of a vaccine bank in the event of an outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth Disease. …
Blue Ridge Biofuels Proud to Supply Local
Blue Ridge Biofuels (BRB) started as a way for one business to make its own sustainable diesel fuel – now they provide clean burning biodiesel for customers all over Western North Carolina. The Asheville, N.C.-based company collects over 700,000 gallons of used cooking oil annually from nearly 1,500 restaurants in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia to produce renewable …
SMART Farmer Carla Wardin
Our SMART Farmer in this episode comes from Michigan where she and her husband have a dairy operation that has been in her family for over a century. Carla Wardin is dedicated to telling the real story of dairy farming through her blog Truth or Dairy, and in 2014 was chosen to represent agriculture as one of the USFRA Faces …
ASTA Shares Story of Plant Breeding
The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) has released a new animated video as the latest installment in ASTA’s Better Seed, Better Life initiative. The video, produced in conjunction with CropLife International, explores the history, and future, of plant breeding-from the ancient domestication of wild crops, to gene editing and beyond. Check out the video below, and share it using the …
AdFarm Founder Receives High Canadian Honor
Kim McConnell C.M., a founder of the agricultural communications firm AdFarm, was recently appointed to the Order of Canada for his leadership in promoting Canada’s agricultural industry and his support of youth, entrepreneurship and rural communities. The Order of Canada is one of the highest civilian honors, recognizing outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation. Raised …
Zimfo Bytes 7/14
MGEX continues to break open interest records. Another daily record of 105,832 contracts set after Thursday’s activity, with records set almost every day this week. USDA announced that a proposed amendment to the federal marketing order for cranberries allowing the Cranberry Marketing Committee to receive and expend voluntary contributions from domestic sources failed to receive a majority of processor volume, …
Beef’s Environmental Stewardship Award Finalists
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s (NCBA) announced the six finalists in the Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP). The award recognizes the operation’s outstanding stewardship and conservation efforts. This year’s regional winners will compete for the national award, which will be announced during the Annual Cattle Industry Convention in Phoenix, Ariz., in February 2018. Regional Winners: – Flying Diamond Ranch in …
Monsanto Call Provides Perspective on Dicamba Developments
Monsanto held a media briefing Thursday to provide perspective on recent developments with dicamba herbicides. Monsanto chief technology officer Dr. Robb Fraley and Lisa Safarian, vice president of Monsanto North America, both participated in the call and answered questions from reporters. “Monsanto spent years developing XtendiMax® with VaporGrip® Technology to minimize the potential for off-site movement,” said Safarian. “Like many …
Censky Nominated as Deputy Ag Secretary
Over two months since he took office, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue is finally getting some nominations to fill USDA positions. Late Thursday, Perdue announced that President Trump has nominated American Soybean Association CEO Stephen Censky to be Deputy Secretary of Agriculture. “Our work has only just begun in delivering results for the people of American agriculture, and the experience and …
Bayer Cereals Portfolio on Display in North Dakota
The Cereals portfolio for Bayer was on display during the Showcase Plot Tour near Minot, ND. Our presenter, Kevin Thorsness, Technical Services Representative, Bayer Cereals portfolio, gave a very good overview of products for this segment. Specific products we could see being used in the plots included Varro, Huskie Complete, Olympus and Wolverine Advanced. These products target different type of …