- For every dollar Americans spend on their Thanksgiving dinner this year, farmers and ranchers will earn approximately 11.9 cents, according to National Farmers Union. This marks a slight decline from 2019, when farmers claimed 12.15 cents of the Thanksgiving food dollar.
- For the first time in show history, the 2021 World Ag Expo® will be an online event February 9-11. Officials at the International Agri-Center® announced the cancellation of the live event on September 14, and spent the next month carefully weighing the implications of a digital show.
- The United Fresh Start Foundation has launched the Season of Giving Back, a month-long celebration recognizing the charitable efforts of the produce industry and their partners this year in support the Foundation’s mission to increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables for children and their families.
- The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) announced its 2021 officers and directors elected to the AEM Board of Directors and Agriculture and Construction Equipment Sector Boards at its annual meeting.
- Following a steep rise in COVID-19 cases throughout the Upper Midwest, both the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association and Minnesota Corn Growers Association have decided their respective annual meetings, originally set to take place in-person in Mankato, will now move to an all-virtual format.
- Agricultural students in post-secondary education are eligible to compete for up to $15,000 in total scholarship awards through the Accelerating a Generation Syngenta Scholarship Program. Syngenta invites eligible university students to apply for six regional awards of $2,500 each, now offered in partnership with the National FFA Organization. Students can apply by visiting the FFA Scholarship Portal.
- America’s leading agriculture commodity groups and trade associations sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer asking that he and the Trump administration work to “deepen trade discussions” in order to bring about WTO compliance and removal of EU retaliatory tariffs targeting U.S. food and ag exports.
- U.S. potato imports for the first quarter of the July 2020 – June 2021 marketing year were up 19% in total. This increase was led by a 28% increase in fresh potatoes from Canada, a 20% increase in frozen potatoes, also mainly from Canada and increasing imports from the EU.
- The National Corn Growers Association is partnering with Chemical & Engineering News to underscore the many uses of corn, including opportunities in plant-based packaging, chemicals, and nutraceuticals. The Market Development Action Team funded this effort.
- The Livestock Publications Council Forrest Bassford Student Award, sponsored by Alltech, honors excellence, professionalism and leadership among students. Katelyn Harbert, a senior in agricultural communications and journalism and global food systems leadership at Kansas State University, was announced as the recipient of the 2020 LPC Forrest Bassford Student Award during the LPC Annual Membership Meeting, held virtually on Nov. 9, 2020.
- Lyle E. Orwig, announces his retirement as chairman of C.O.nxt, Hartland, Wisconsin. In 1992, Orwig joined with business partner John Charleston to co-found the communications agency Charleston|Orwig, which recently rebranded as C.O.nxt.
- A majority of U.S. adults have a positive view of farmers’ sustainability practices, and an overwhelming majority trust farmers, according to a new national public opinion poll from the American Farm Bureau Federation.
- The World Food Prize Foundation announced a brand refresh to the Foundation’s 33-year identity, reflecting the organization’s evolution. The new logo was developed through a collaborative process by the entire Foundation staff, and reflects the organization’s passion and mission for improving the quality, quantity and availability of food for all. The rebranding includes a top-to-bottom redesign of the Foundation website, logo, graphics, communications and correspondence.
