Winners of the 2020 Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Awards were announced this week during the 2020 Cattle Industry Convention in San Antonio, Texas. The awards recognize outstanding beef and dairy producers and marketers who demonstrate high-quality animal care and handling principles and express a strong desire to improve their operations through BQA. 2020 BQA Cow-Calf Award – IX Ranch in …
USDA Announces Hemp Crop Insurance Details
USDA has announced the availability of two programs that protect hemp producers’ crops from natural disasters. A pilot hemp insurance program through Multi-Peril Crop Insurance (MPCI) provides coverage against loss of yield because of insurable causes of loss for hemp grown for fiber, grain or Cannabidiol (CBD) oil and the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) coverage protects against losses …
USDA Secretary Chats with NCBA President
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue sat down with National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Jennifer Houston on Wednesday to talk about issues important to the thousands of cattle industry representatives attending the 2020 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show, in San Antonio, TX. The new trade deal with China and the signing of USMCA were big topics of discussion, …
NCBA Unveils Top Policy Priorities For 2020
Top policy priorities for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) in 2020 are focused on implementing and protecting regulatory and trade gains made in 2019, while further advancing progress into new territory. This year’s priorities include an emphasis on climate policy and policy such as the proposed Green New Deal. NCBA plans to “Continue to push back against misguided climate …
#CattleCon20 Kicking Off
Meetings have been underway for two days already in San Antonio as cattle industry representatives have been gathering for the 2020 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show this week. But today is the day it officially gets underway with the opening general session and trade show welcome reception this afternoon. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association president Jennifer Houston of Tennessee …
USDA Trains Dogs to Hunt Citrus Greening
Dogs specially trained by Agriculture Research Service (ARS) scientists have proven to be the most efficient way to detect huanglongbing, better known as citrus greening. Currently, the only solid hope of curtailing the spread of citrus greening is to eliminate trees with the disease as quickly as possible to prevent further spread. Early detection of the citrus greening pathogen is …
Trump, Ethanol and Cows
President Donald Trump rallied his base in Iowa last night, as many of his rivals for the presidency remain stuck in Washington D.C. on the impeachment trial in the Senate only days before the Iowa caucus. The president touted his recent trade accomplishments and how they will help farmers, and he repeated his frequent refrain about getting “the ethanol” for …
Ethanol and Corn Back on Crappie Masters Tournament Trail
The Renewable Fuels Association and the National Corn Growers Association have signed on for the fourth year as co-title sponsors of the Crappie Masters Tournament Trail. The first tournament begins Friday, Jan. 31 at St. Johns River in Deland, Fla. This year, the competition is bigger than ever and includes state-level tournament trails in Oklahoma, Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Florida, …
President Trump Signs USMCA
President Donald J. Trump today signed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), replacing the outdated North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), with improved access to both markets for U.S. farmers and ranchers. “This agreement is a tremendous breakthrough for American agriculture,” said President Trump in remarks before signing the agreement. “Poultry exports to Canada are expected to rise 50 percent and …
AgWorks + FieldReveal Delivers Decision Support Software
The recently announced partnership between AgWorks and FieldReveal is focused on delivering world-class zone-based variable rate and decision support software to retailers throughout North America. AgWorks has invested decades developing a decision support system that creates real value for both the grower and retailer through their award-winning HighQ® product. This product has been utilized on over 5 million acres and …