National Pork Board Study Assesses China Market

Cindy Zimmerman

A new report from the National Pork Board defines China’s growing need for protein and details ways U.S. pork can fill the immediate protein gap. The new report, Pork 2040: China Market Assessment, also reveals the impact that African swine fever (ASF) is having on both China’s short- and long-term protein needs and how the Chinese pork industry and supply …

Exports, Meat, Pork, Pork Checkoff

Hemp Industry Pleased with USDA Rule as First Step

Cindy Zimmerman

With the release just last week of USDA’s interim rule for the U.S. Domestic Hemp Production Program, it was a big topic of discussion at the inaugural Florida Industrial Hemp Conference & Exposition this week in Orlando. National Hemp Association chairman Geoff Whaling says the rule is a good first step. “This was a herculean lift for them (USDA) because …

Audio, Cannabis, hemp

BASF Announces Collaboration with WinField United

Cindy Zimmerman

BASF and WinField® United, the crop inputs and insights business of Land O’Lakes, Inc., have announced a new digital farming collaboration. The two companies will establish a single sign-on connection from WinField United’s ATLAS® platform to the BASF xarvio™ digital platforms, starting with xarvio SCOUTING, a mobile application that can quickly identify weeds and diseases with a click of a …

AgWired Precision, BASF, Precision Agriculture

New National FFA Officers are Elected

Cindy Zimmerman

The 2019-20 National FFA Officer team was announced Saturday at the conclusion of the 92nd National FFA Convention in Indianapolis. Each year at the National FFA Convention & Expo, six students are elected by delegates to represent the organization as national officers. Kolesen McCoy, an agribusiness and applied economics major at Ohio State, was elected national president. Kourtney Lehman, an …

FFA

Biofuels Groups Express Concerns at EPA Hearing

Cindy Zimmerman

Representatives from multiple ethanol and biodiesel stakeholder organizations and companies delivered basically the same message to the Environmental Protection Agency during a hearing Wednesday on the proposal to make up for volumes lost under the Renewable Fuel Standard due to small refinery waivers – nice try, but you still need to follow the law. Here is what some had to …

Audio, Biodiesel, Biofuels, EPA, Ethanol

USDA Deputy Secretary on Trade Mission in West Africa

Cindy Zimmerman

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Steve Censky is on a trade mission to West Africa this week to help United States exporters unlock new opportunities in a region where strong economic growth is driving demand for imported food and farm products. He is joined by representatives of more than 40 companies and organizations seeking to increase exports of U.S. agricultural …

Audio, Exports, Trade, USDA

USDA Unveils Domestic Hemp Production Program

Cindy Zimmerman

On Tuesday, USDA officials announced the establishment of the U.S. Domestic Hemp Production Program to create a consistent regulatory framework around hemp production throughout the United States. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue made the announcement in a pre-recorded video. “At USDA, we are always excited when there are new economic opportunities for our farmers, and we hope the ability to …

Audio, Cannabis, hemp, USDA

BASF and NRGene Collaborate for Accelerated Crop Breeding

Cindy Zimmerman

BASF and NRGene have announced a new collaboration that includes the adoption of NRGene’s cloud-based artificial intelligence (AI) GenoMAGIC™ technology into BASF soybean research projects to allow for more comprehensive evaluations to accelerate trait discovery and breeding across diverse crops. “This collaboration will explore the power of digitalization to improve and accelerate agricultural research, and aligns with our soybean crop …

BASF

Precision Ag Reviews Launches Web Resource for Farmers

Cindy Zimmerman

Precision Ag Reviews has launched a new website as a resource for farmers on precision ag equipment. The program was started by the Ohio Soybean Council and soybean checkoff in 2017 and is a public site that strives to create a “farmers helping farmers” community by collecting reviews for all brands and models of precision ag equipment so farmers can …

Precision Agriculture

China Reportedly Willing to Buy $20 Billion in US Ag Products

Cindy Zimmerman

News reports today say China is willing to buy at least $20 billion of agricultural products in a year, and possibly twice as much or more in the future. President Donald Trump talked about China buying agricultural products during a cabinet meeting on Monday. “If we could get $20 billion a year from China — that China purchases $20 billion …

Audio, Exports, Trade