USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is forecasting a record corn crop this year, up 13% from last year, forecast at 16.7 billion bushels. Meanwhile, soybean growers are expected to decrease their production by two percent from 2024 to 4.29 billion bushels. Average corn yield is forecast at a record high 188.8 bushels per acre, up 9.5 bushels from last …
IFAJ Alltech Young Leaders 2025 Announced
Ten ‘agricultural journalists of the future’ have been selected by the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) to participate in the 2025 Alltech Young Leaders program. Now entering its 20th year, the joint initiative seeks to develop and support new and recent entrants to the profession through expert training, feedback and mentoring, delivered during a unique ‘Boot Camp’ at this …
Ethanol Report on the RFS at Twenty
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 was signed by President George W. Bush on August 8 of that year at Sandia National Laboratory in Albuquerque, New Mexico – symbolizing a new approach to energy economics and security, diversifying our transportation fuel supply by incentivizing ethanol and biodiesel by initiating the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). This month marks the 20th anniversary …
VANE Agricultural Insurance Solutions Appoints CEO
VANE Agricultural Insurance Solutions, a leading provider of custom agricultural insurance, has appointed Clayton Becker as Chief Operating Officer, responsible for overseeing the company’s day-to-day operations, driving business development, and accelerating sales growth while ensuring operational excellence. Becker brings a wealth of experience in agriculture, with over two decades at Syngenta, and most recently, as President of Farmers National, a …
U.S. Grains Council Adds BioProducts to Name
The U.S. Grains Council is officially changing its name to the U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council (USGBC). “The Council stands on the precipice, and there is the opportunity for exponential growth with becoming the U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council,” said Ryan LeGrand, U.S. Grains and BioProducts Council CEO and President. “The U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council encompasses both the organization’s …
Traction Ag Launches Accounting Integration with Keystone Cooperative
Traction Ag Inc., a leading provider of farm accounting and operations software, has just launched its latest billing integration with Keystone Cooperative. This new workflow enables Keystone Cooperative bills to sync directly into Traction Ag’s cloud-based platform, reducing manual data entry and ensuring accounting entries remain accurate and up to date. The integration addresses a major need for farmers by …
Alltech Honors Young Leaders at Ag Media Summit
At last week’s 2025 Ag Media Summit (AMS) in Rogers, Arkansas, four agricultural communications students were honored for their excellence, professionalism and leadership. These awards are made possible by the Livestock Publications Council (LPC) Student Award Program, sponsored by Alltech, which provides travel scholarships for four students to attend AMS. “Alltech is proud to support the next generation of agricultural …
ZimmCast 749 – Tech Hub LIVE 2025
In five short years, Tech Hub LIVE has already become the go-to meeting of the year for agricultural retailers and ag tech companies. In this edition of the ZimmCast, we hear from a couple of the CropLife Ag Tech Awards of Excellence winners this year – Aman Anand with Nutrien Ag Solutions and Iowa farmer April Hemmes, and we learn …
DWFI Podcast 44 – The Vadose Zone
The vadose zone is the area between crop roots and the water table, and is a critically important region for storage, transport and transformation of chemicals that can impact groundwater quality. In this episode of the Water for Food Podcast, host Frances Hayes talks with Arindam Malakar, a researcher with the Nebraska Water Center (NWC, a part of DWFI) who …
Ag Retailers Face Challenges on Federal Level
One of the Fireside Chats at last week’s Tech Hub LIVE focused on what’s happening inside the Beltway with Daren Coppock, president and CEO of the Agricultural Retailers Association. Coppock says one of the bigger issues is the impact the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) report released in May could have on the agricultural industry as a whole. “We’re all …