The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced plans to purchase millions of pounds of surplus cheese to aid both hungry families and dairy producers. The purchase of approximately 11 million pounds of cheese, valued at $20 million, will assist food banks and pantries across the nation, while reducing a cheese surplus that is at its highest level in 30 years. …
VP Candidates at the Iowa State Fair
Both presidential candidates skipped the Iowa State Fair this year, but their running mates were there. Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Tim Kaine strolled the grounds first with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack – former governor of the state who was on the short list of finalists to be Hillary Clinton’s running mate. The Republican VP candidate, Indiana Governor Mike Pence, …
Bayer Reviewing Options in Belt® Insecticide Decision
Earlier this month, an appeals board for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) upheld the agency’s decision to cancel registration for Bayer’s insecticide flubendiamide, marketed in the U.S. as Belt®, while still existing stocks to be sold by retailers or used by growers, but Bayer is continuing to evaluate its options going forward. “We’re currently going through due diligence and vetting …
USDA Invests in New #Farmers
During a visit to Iowa State University this week, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced some new initiatives to help new and beginning farmers. First, Vilsack announced a new investment of $17.8 million for 37 projects to help educate, mentor, and enhance the sustainability of the next generation of farmers through the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP). In addition, …
Trump Names Ag Advisory Committee
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has announced an impressive list of more than 65 agricultural supporters to make up his new Agricultural Advisory Committee. The list includes Congressional agriculture committee leadership, state agriculture secretaries, governors and former governors of key agriculture states, and industry leaders of all stripes. According to the Trump campaign, “the committee will provide pioneering new ideas …
I AM @USFRA – Todd Frazier @DuPontPioneer
The U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) is made up of nearly 100 industry affiliates and partners. The majority of the alliance is agricultural organizations who make up the affiliates, while a handful of agribusiness companies are industry partners who help USFRA with its goals to communication with and educate consumers about agriculture. One of those industry partners is DuPont …
ZimmCast with RFA at Sturgis
We’ve been going to the famous Sturgis Motorcycle Rally to help the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) promote ethanol to bikers for six of the last eight years. This year was the 76th rally and the 35th anniversary of the Legendary Buffalo Chip Campground, which is home to many of the half million bikers who attend each year. This year, two …
GIS Tech is @Esri Specialty
At the recent 2016 InfoAg Conference we had the chance to learn about Esri, a software company that allows growers to integrate high-resolution imagery, field observations, and real-time data feeds to help growers manage their land more efficiently with GIS technology. Charlie Magruder, Agriculture Lead for Esri, explained some of the unique benefits that technology is offering growers. “What we …
Record #Corn and #Soybean Crop Forecast
USDA’s first crop production forecast based on actual field data is predicting some bin-busting crops this year. Corn production is forecast at 15.2 billion bushels, up 11 percent from last year. Based on conditions as of August 1, yields are expected to average 175.1 bushels per acre, up 6.7 bushels from 2015. If realized, this will be the highest yield …
IL Congressman Visits @CNHIndustrial Facility
CNH Industrial’s Goodfield, Illinois facility welcomed Rep. Darin LaHood (R-IL) for a visit this week. The congressman took part in a roundtable discussion Tuesday with employees and took a tour of the facility, seeing firsthand what goes into making agricultural implements such as disk harrows and crumblers that are used for soil management operations such as field tillage and cultivation. …