The Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City will honor the late Cliff Becker and Dr. Scott Brown with the group’s prestigious Jay B. Dillingham Award for Agricultural Leadership and Excellence at a luncheon on May 16 in Kansas City’s historic Union Station.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Center for Risk Management Education and Research at Kansas State University announced the agenda for the third Agricultural Commodity Futures Conference. The conference is scheduled for April 11-12 in Overland Park, Kansas. Register for AgCon2024.
The American Farm Bureau Federation and Louisiana Farm Bureau presented Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA) with AFBF’s Golden Plow award. The Golden Plow is the highest honor the organization gives to sitting members of Congress.
USA Rice filed a petition with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) to cancel the trademark registration for “RightRice” from Planting Hope Brands on the grounds that it was deceptively misdescriptive and deceptive. In late November, the TTAB granted USA Rice’s petition, canceling the trademark registration. Among other things, that means that RightRice can no longer can use the “R” in a circle symbol. Planting Hope Brands will have to change its packaging and marketing accordingly.
Cargill awarded a three-year grant of $3.15 million to the National FFA Organization in support of its commitment to shape future agriculture leaders. The grant supports a variety of National FFA Organization programs and events during the three-year period (from 2023 to 2025), including the organization’s sustainability platform; the equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) pathway; and the Living to Serve program. During the National FFA Convention & Expo, the grant supports a booth, the rodeo and travel grants for career development event (CDE) participants. In addition, the funding supports the American FFA Degree and the American Star Awards.
In response to recent devastating wildfire outbreaks impacting much of the Texas Panhandle and parts of Oklahoma, several Farm Credit System organizations, including AgTrust Farm Credit, have joined forces to contribute funds to support extensive recovery and relief efforts. Pledges will benefit the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association Disaster Relief Fund and county-level efforts recommended by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.
COMMON GROUND traveled to Austin for this year’s South By Southwest conference where Filmmakers Josh and Rebecca Tickell were joined by Adrian Grenier. This special event was in partnership with @kisstheground and @makersmark. Star Hill Farm, where Maker’s Mark bourbon is crafted, is the world’s first distillery to achieve Regenified Tier 2 certification and has pledged its grain to be sourced from Regenified certified farms by 2025.
According to the 2023 Cotton Incorporated Lifestyle MonitorTM Survey, the majority of consumers (82 percent) say they plan to purchase the same (62 percent) or more (20 percent) pairs of denim in the next 12 months compared to last year. Cotton Incorporated created the Blue Jeans Go Green denim recycling program in 2006 as a call to action to recycle old denim and give it purpose by transforming it into something new.
The 2024 U.S. Agricultural Market Outlook is now available. Prices for many farm commodities have fallen sharply from their 2022 peaks, contributing to lower farm income and slower food price inflation. While market uncertainty persists, projected prices decline further for crops harvested in 2024, and net farm income falls to the lowest level since 2020.
At the opening banquet of the 122nd Anniversary Convention, National Farmers Union (NFU) presented Rodney Allebach of Minnesota, Linda Jones Borton of Ohio and Dennis Rosen of Wisconsin with Awards for Meritorious Service to Farmers Union and to American Agriculture, the highest honor presented by Farmers Union.
