The second annual Spud Nation Throwdown cooking contest was held at the 2017 Potato Expo this week, featuring international chefs preparing dishes made with potatoes from the United States. The winner of the $2500 Top Spud prize was Ian Kittichai of Thailand who prepared Beef Massaman Curry. “It’s our first dish in Thailand that we used potatoes,” said Kittichai of …
New Senate Ag Committee Members Include AG Nominee
One of the new members of the Senate Agriculture Committee may be a short-timer. “I welcome Senators Steve Daines from Montana and Jeff Sessions from Alabama to the Agriculture Committee,” said Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS) who was selected to continue as chairman of the committee. “Their home states represent an important share of agriculture production in the United States and …
Monsanto Increases Earnings and R&D
The first quarter of fiscal year 2017 has been a good one for Monsanto as the company continues working with Bayer to finalize the acquisition deal by then end of this calendar year. On Thursday, Monsanto announced net sales for the first quarter totaled $2.7 billion compared to $2.2 billion a year ago and gross profit increased to $1.3 billion. …
USFRA Introduces SMART Farm at CES
The U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance® (USFRA) this week attended CES, the largest consumer electronics show in the world, to introduce the SMART Farm concept to connect technology and innovation with farmers and ranchers. “Science and technology are embraced by consumers in all aspects of their lives,” said Brad Greenway, USFRA Chairman and South Dakota crop and pig farmer. “We …
Welcome to #PotatoExpo from @NufarmUS
The 2017 Potato Expo is underway in San Francisco with more than 180 exhibitors at the trade show with the latest products and technology for the potato industry. Nufarm seed treatment specialist Evan Carlisle says they are showcasing four products at the show this year. “We have three fungicides and one insecticide for seed treatments for potatoes,” said Carlisle. “I …
Alltech and O+B Partner for ONE
Alltech is teaming up with Osborn Barr (O+B) to make ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference even bigger. O+B will be working with Alltech to increase participation by U.S. livestock producers and farmers in the conference which invites agriculture professionals from across the globe to discuss new ways to make a long-term positive impact on the food production industry. “We are …
Ag Interests Voice Support for Pruitt
Agricultural interests are voicing support for Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, who has been chosen by President-Elect Donald Trump to be his administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as the pre-confirmation process begins with members of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works meeting privately with the nominee. Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE), who has challenged the EPA’s authority …
IFAJ Debuts New Logo and Website
The International Federation of Agriculture Journalists (IFAJ) has officially launched a new logo and updated website at ifaj.org. The new logo has a sleeker, single color look while the new website has enhanced navigation and can be used on any mobile device. The structure of the content on the website has also been improved and the site now contains integrated …
Purple Plow Promotes STEM Learning
I’ve never seen a purple plow, but the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture has just launched the Purple Plow Challenge site for middle-school students to research scenarios related to food, hunger and sustainability. “The Purple Plow Challenge is a great fit for individuals, groups and classes in grades 6, 7 and 8. It’s perfect for makerspaces, after-school programs, in-school …
Land O’Lakes Scores with Farmer Feeds Us Video
Land O’ Lakes scored big with a commercial that aired during bowl games over the weekend to remind everyone that the farmer feeds us all. I can’t believe I never heard the lovely poem by author Amelia E. Barr that was used for the video – truer words were never written! Here’s the full version of the video: