- Graduate and undergraduate students are invited to participate in the third annual “Better Seed, Better Life” student video contest sponsored by the American Seed Trade Association, the National Association of Plant Breeders, and the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America and Soil Science Society of America. The 2019 contest theme is: “Our Planet, Our Health, Our Food – It all starts with the seed.” Video submissions are due by August 31, 2019.
- As farmers, ranchers and rural communities grapple with a devastatingly weak farm economy, nearly 200 organizations, including the American Farm Bureau Federation and several state Farm Bureaus, are urging congressional budget writers to reject calls for additional cuts to farm bill programs.
- National Farmers Union joined the Carbon Capture Coalition in submitting a letter to leaders in Congress to highlight the importance of “carbon capture research, development, and commercial deployment as an essential component of a broader strategy to decarbonize power generation and key industry sectors by midcentury” to meet climate goals.
- Fifty FFA chapters have received Microsoft FarmBeats Student Kits as part of a collaboration between the National FFA Organization and Microsoft Corp.
- The National Pork Board named Norman Bessac as its new Vice President of International Marketing. Bessac is currently director of international sales for Tyson Fresh Meats, a position he has held since 2016.
- Swanson Russell welcomes Dave Garretson, Leen Glenn, Jodi Hoatson, Dustin Smith, Kelli Sweeney and Mollie Wilken.
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service will host a listening session Friday, March 22, to solicit input from stakeholders with an interest in FAS programs authorized under the Trade Title of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018.
- The Farm Foundation will host a conference on Agricultural Trade in a Time of Uncertainty on April 30, 2019 at the Doubletree Hotel Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia.
- Ducks Unlimited announced the hiring of Adam H. Putnam as their new CEO effective April 1.
- Every five years, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) conducts a program review following the completion of the Census of Agriculture. Based on the latest review, a number of changes have been made and can be found at www.nass.usda.gov/Surveys/Program_Review.
- U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the initial down-select list of 136 Expressions of Interest received from parties in 35 states vying to become the new homes of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service (ERS) and National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).
- Galileo Wheel, cutting-edge developers of next generation farming and construction equipment, are due to launch their new Galileo AgriCup tire this spring.
- On National Ag Day, AgGrad announced winners of the first ever AgGrad 30 Under 30 Awards, a program created to celebrate the young professionals shaping the future of agriculture. Winners will be featured on AgGrad’s social media channels and in a special print and online publication.
