- Three sponsors will be honored with the Distinguished Service Citation during an onstage ceremony at this year’s National FFA Convention & Expo, held in Indianapolis Oct. 24-27. Culver Franchising System of Prairie Du Sac, Wis.; DFA – Dairy Farmers of America of Kansas City, Mo.; and Lincoln Electric/The James F. Lincoln Arc Welding Foundation of Cleveland, Ohio, will receive the citation for their outstanding contributions to FFA and agricultural education on the national level.
- If you’re thinking about how to pay for college next year — Think Rice — because the National Rice Month Scholarship video contest is here. Entries are due October 31. For more information and to submit an entry, visit the NRM scholarship page.
- Potatoes USA welcomes its newest team member, Kendra Keenan, as an Assistant Marketing Manager. Kendra brings a background in food marketing to her role at Potatoes USA including time at Sun World International, The Spice Way San Diego and at Fresh Origins Microgreens.
- The Iowa Biodiesel Speakers Bureau is now live on the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association website. It is a collection of biodiesel experts from across the state who share the goal of educating Iowans about the benefits of using biodiesel.
- Start making your plans for the 2018 NAFB Convention today. Join more than 650 agricultural industry leaders November 7-9 in Kansas City for three days of learning, newsmaker sessions, networking, and more.
- Hemp Geo Institute will host “Growing Hemp for Yield,” their seventh Industrial Hemp Symposium, on August 25 in Oklahoma City, OK.
- U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced further reorganization of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), intended to improve customer service, strengthen offices and programs, and save taxpayer dollars. The Economic Research Service (ERS), currently under USDA’s Research, Education, and Economics mission area, will realign once again with the Office of the Chief Economist (OCE) under the Office of the Secretary. Additionally, most employees of ERS and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) will be relocated outside of the National Capital Region. The movement of the employees outside of Washington, DC is expected to be completed by the end of 2019.
- Kris Folland, Pat Sullivan and Craig Bangasser are ready for their close-ups. The Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council directors (Bangasser’s term ended in 2017) will appear on the second of a pair of episodes of Discovery’s “Diesel Brothers” show. The second episode chronicling the build of “Indomitus” will air 9 p.m. CDT on Monday, Aug. 20.
