The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is urging Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to consider changes to the Market Facilitation Program (MFP) ahead of the second round of payments. In a letter to Perdue, NCGA president Lynn Chrisp said that many farmers are “disappointed in USDA’s approach to calculating the first round of MFP payments because it was too narrow in …
Ethanol Report from 2018 NAFB Convention
The new president and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) met with farm broadcasters from around the country recently at the annual National Association of Farm Broadcasting Trade Talk. While Geoff Cooper has been with RFA since 2008, it was the first time he had the opportunity to talk with the ag media as CEO. Among the topics he …
New NCGA CEO Talks Corn Issues at #NAFB18
Jon Doggett participated in his first NAFB Trade Talk this year as CEO of the National Corn Growers Association. Doggett is no stranger to farm broadcasters, having served as head of NCGA’s policy efforts in Washington D.C. since 2002 and becoming executive vice president in 2014. But he was just officially named CEO in September. “I thought I was traveling …
Driving Ethanol Series on 10 Years of Growth Energy
Growth Energy was created in November 2008 and so is celebrating ten years of advocating for ethanol this month. This edition of the Driving Ethanol podcast is the first in a series of three focusing on a decade of accomplishments for the organization. This podcast includes historical comments from the early years with industry leaders, including Greg Krissek, who was …
USDA and FDA to Jointly Regulate Cell-Cultured Meat
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have announced plans to jointly oversee the production of cell-cultured food products derived from livestock and poultry, better known by meat producers as “fake meat.” The joint regulatory framework would include FDA overseeing cell collection, cell banks, and cell growth and differentiation. A transition from FDA to USDA …
Farm Bureau Thanksgiving Dinner Survey
For the 33rd year in a row the American Farm Bureau Federation has released its survey of prices for food items on the traditional Thanksgiving Day dinner table, and the average cost of this year’s feast for 10 is $48.90, or less than $5.00 per person. That is down 22 cents from last year’s average of $49.12 and the least …
Corn Growers Partner With Environmental Defense Fund
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is joining forces with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) to address one of the most pressing challenges for farmers, rural communities and natural resources – how to improve environmental outcomes while optimizing productivity and profitability. The partnership will work on gathering data for tracking of water quality, soil health and greenhouse gas emissions, and …
Growth Energy Celebrates 10th Anniversary
Growth Energy was first announced this month in 2008 so they are now officially 10 years old. At the NAFB Convention Trade Talk last week, Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor shared some of the many accomplishments the organization has made over the last decade, from promoting the performance value of ethanol through NASCAR, to growing international and domestic markets and …
Introducing USFRA 2.0
In Kansas City last week, the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) introduced its refined focus, the new Farmer Ambassador network, and 2019 projects that connect food and agriculture stakeholders to enable better decision making. Speaking to affiliate members and media attending the NAFB Convention were USFRA chairman Brad Greenway of South Dakota, USFRA Chief Executive Officer Erin Fitzgerald, and …
ASTA Talks Seed and Trade at #NAFB18
The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) team attended the NAFB Trade Talk last week and discussed what their name is all about – seed and trade. ASTA CEO Andy LaVigne says trade is critical for the seed industry and acceptance of new plant breeding methods is important on a global scale, so the recent signing of the International Statement on …