- Are you planning on entering the 2020 IFAJ awards? The application deadline is Feb. 21, 2020.
- While 2019 was a challenging year for many farmers, photographers shared their stories in the sixth National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) Fields-of-Corn Photo Contest. This year, NCGA awarded two Grand Prizes. One selected by a panel of judges, submitted by Harlen Persinger from Wisconsin with the photo titled “Solid Foundation.” A grand prize was also awarded for the single most popular photo, taken by Tricia Braid of Illinois, “Reflecting on 2019” which gained 1,272 likes on Facebook.
- Anne Thompson recently joined the NCGA Washington, D.C. office as the new Director of Political Strategy. Thompson will also serve as director of NCGA’s CornPAC.
- The Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Center for Risk Management Education and Research at Kansas State University today announced that registration is open for the third annual Agricultural Commodity Futures Conference (AgCon2020). First held in 2017, the conference is scheduled for April 1-2 in Overland Park, Kansas. Register for AgCon2020 HERE.
- The 2020 Industrial Hemp Summit has added to its speaker line-up Bill Richmond, Chief of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Domestic Hemp Production Program. Richmond leads the team responsible for the establishment and implementation of U.S. domestic hemp production as mandated under the 2018 Farm Bill.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue announced USDA will begin taking applications for the second round of $550 million in ReConnect Program loan and grant funding on January 31. These funds will enable the federal government to continue to partner with the private sector and rural communities to build modern broadband infrastructure in areas with insufficient internet service. Insufficient service is defined as connection speeds of less than 10 megabits per second download and 1 megabit per second upload. Beginning Friday, ReConnect funding applications can be submitted at www.usda.gov/reconnect.
- The Alabama Peanut Producers Association will hold their Annual Meeting in conjunction with the Alabama-Florida Peanut Trade Show on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020 at the National Peanut Festival fairgrounds in Dothan, Ala.
- Annie’s Project Education for Farm Women (APEFW) names joint Chief Executive Officers for the APEFW leadership team, Dr. Karisha Devlin and Doris Mold. This new partnership approach brings together the strengths of two recognized leaders to expand the reach of APEFW, which has educated more than 14,000 women in agriculture since 2003.
- Arcadia Biosciences, Inc. announced in a letter to shareholders that the company has secured in excess of $3 million in initial seed purchase commitments in just 50 days post launch of its newest product line: GoodHemp.
- The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture has recognized the outstanding agricultural literacy efforts of educators and communities across the country with a total of $25,000 in scholarships and grants to build on their work to connect students with how their food is grown. A list of project descriptions for each county grant recipient is available online.
- California farmers, food companies and other parts of the farm to fork supply chain face several vexing environmental challenges but many have developed innovative new solutions. The Agri-Pulse Food & Ag Policy Summit West will explore new ideas for combatting climate change, dealing with food waste, and implementing sustainability programs. To register, click here: www.agri-pulse.com/events/408-agri-pulse-food-ag-policy-summit-west.
- The American Soybean Association (ASA) and Valent are now accepting applications for Ag Voices of the Future, a program for students, held in conjunction with the summer ASA Board meeting and Soy Issues Forum from July 6-9, 2020, in Washington, D.C. To apply for the ASA and Valent Ag Voices of the Future program, and be considered for a scholarship to the AFA Leaders Conference, students should visit the scholarships page on the AFA website, click on the green “Apply Now” button, and submit their online application by March 11.
