“Super Farmers Grow Super Peanuts” is the theme for the 21st Annual Southern Peanut Growers Conference (SPGC) in Panama City Beach, Florida this week. The three-day event provides farmers with information about peanut production, legislative issues, marketing and promotions. The event includes the Alabama Peanut Producers Association, the Florida Peanut Producers Association, the Mississippi Peanut Growers Association and the Georgia …
Deere Announces Registered Apprenticeship Program
In an effort to address the nationwide shortage of service technician labor, John Deere has received approval from the U.S. Department of Labor for its new Registered Apprenticeship Program and is making it available to its Agriculture & Turf and Construction & Forestry dealers. The program will provide dealers with a formalized, on-the-job and technical training plan to help them …
Corn Growers Continue Call for #NoMoreWaivers
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is continuing to call on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to follow President Trump’s commitment to farmers and stop giving Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) waivers to big oil companies. NCGA is re-running a television ad that first aired last month after President Trump visited an Iowa ethanol plant and heard from NCGA first vice …
Consider Corn Challenge Winners Announced
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) announced the winners of the Consider Corn Challenge II this week at the BIO World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and AgTech in Des Moines, Iowa. Three winners were chosen, each with a unique technology to improve a product or process using field corn to produce biobased materials. ExoPolymer, Inc. intends to create a new …
Biofuels Groups Blast EPA for RFS Proposed Volumes
The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday (EPA) issued proposed volume requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard program for calendar year 2020, leaving them basically unchanged and not reallocating gallons lost due to small refinery exemptions. Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) president and CEO Geoff Cooper says the proposal “completely betrays President Trump’s commitment” to uphold the integrity of the RFS by …
Veteran Farm Broadcaster Going Part Time
Tom Steever has won pretty much every award a farm broadcaster can win, he’s been a member of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) for 45 years and served as president more than once, and he has been anchor/reporter for the biggest farm network in the country for over 15 years – so it’s time to slow it down …
Global Ethanol Summit Announced
Three global ethanol export organizations are teaming up this year to host the first-ever Global Ethanol Summit (GES), scheduled for Oct. 13-15, 2019, in Washington, D.C. The U.S. Grains Council (USGC), Growth Energy and the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) are working together with the goal of engaging a broad array of global ethanol leaders about the benefits of expanding global …
Hemp Farming is Getting Real
The seeds planted in the 2018 farm bill legalizing the production of hemp as an agricultural commodity are starting to grow. Florida has officially entered the field with the governor just signing a measure allowing an agricultural hemp program to be developed. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried believes hemp could be the boost the state’s farm sector and rural areas …
USDA Corn Acreage Report Surprises
With all the weather-related planting delays we’ve had, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Acreage report out Friday was a big surprise to the trade with corn acres estimated to be three percent higher than last year. At the same time, soybean acres are estimated to be the lowest in six years. Corn planted area for all purposes in 2019 …
Cattlemen Launch Campaign to Pass USMCA
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) has launched a media campaign urging Congress to pass the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The campaign features personal stories from cattle and beef producers across the country who want Congress to ratify the USMCA as quickly as possible. “The USMCA keeps the highly successful framework for U.S. beef trade in place and preserves access to …