New agriculture census data released by USDA shows the number of farms operating in the United States and the number of farm acres have both fallen significantly. The 2022 Census of Agriculture reports 141,733 fewer farms in 2022 than in 2017. The number of farm acres fell to 880,100,848, a loss of more than 20 million acres from just five years earlier. Read the full 2022 Census of Agriculture here.
Submissions are now open for the Top Agri-food Pioneers (TAP) List, a new initiative by the World Food Prize Foundation. The list will feature 38 leading innovators from across the world working to transform food systems, in honor of the organization’s 38th anniversary this year.
This month, FFA members across the country, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands will celebrate agriculture and FFA. It’s all part of National FFA Week. National FFA Week is a time for FFA members to raise awareness about the National FFA Organization‘s role in developing future leaders in agriculture and the importance of agricultural education.
It’s not too late to enter the IFAJ/Alltech Young Leaders program — the deadline has been extended to February 25, 2024. Click here for details on the program. Click here for a nomination form.
The National AgrAbility Project (NAP), headquartered at Purdue University, invites farmers, ranchers and agriculture professionals to the 2024 AgrAbility National Training Workshop in Atlanta, Georgia, to address issues of disability in agriculture. The conference will take place March 25-28 at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead. Early bird pricing ends Feb. 23, with conference registration ending March 18. The complete conference schedule, pricing details and hotel information are available online.
National Farmers Union (NFU) will host the organization’s 122nd Anniversary Convention in Scottsdale, Arizona, from March 10 through March 12. Review the full agenda at nfu.org/convention.
World Ag Expo and E.M. Tharp, Inc. have teamed up again for the 17th annual “We Believe in Growing” scholarship, supporting area high school students who will be attending four-year universities to major in an agricultural field. This year’s winners, Kendra Ward of Hanford, CA and Reed DeBoer of Porterville, CA, will each receive $2,500 scholarships to be renewed up to four years, totaling $10,000 per student.
Join the Livestock Publications Council for the February Coffee and Collaboration on Wednesday, February 28, 2024 at 10 a.m. CT! This session is titled “Being Prepared is for More Than Just Boy Scouts” with Cindy Cunningham and LeAnne Peters of Woodruff. Join us for a discussion on reputation management. This free monthly webinar is moderated by Jennifer Shike and Angie Stump Denton. No registration necessary! It’s open to members and non-members.
Holly Spangler, senior editor of Prairie Farmer magazine and executive editor for Farm Progress Publications, was presented the Service to Agriculture award by the Illinois Society of Professional Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers during the group’s annual meeting on February 8 in Champaign, IL. Presenting the honor was Michael Lauher, AFM, vice president of the organization. It is the Chapter’s highest honor to a non-member and has been awarded annually since 1940.
Brownfield welcomes Jared White to the team as Anchor/Reporter based in Clinton, Illinois.
Tracy Zink, who farms in Indianola, Nebraska, joins the Nebraska Ethanol Board (NEB) as the sorghum representative. She was appointed by Gov. Jim Pillen on Nov. 20, 2023, and confirmed by the State of Nebraska Legislature in early 2024.
Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) announced the construction of a pea protein isolate production plant dedicated to its Plant Proteins business, at the site of its existing industrial complex in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Canada.
The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) awarded Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA-15) with its 2023 Wheat Leader of the Year Award for his work as Chair of the House Agriculture Committee. NAWG President and Oregon wheat farmer, Brent Cheyne, presented the award to Chairman Thompson during a recent visit to Washington, D.C.
Elite Octane — a leader in the biofuel industry, producing 150 million gallons of bioethanol annually — joined the nation’s leading biofuel trade associations, the Renewable Fuels Association and Growth Energy.
