USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has launched a redesigned website (www.ams.usda.gov) to make it more user-friendly for stakeholders. “Whether you are looking for information about our services, want to comment on proposed regulations, or are interested in selling food to USDA, our new website makes it easier to find the right information and tools,” said AMS Administrator Anne L. Alonzo. …
Big Crowd for @USFRA Food Dialogues in Minnesota
It was a packed house last night at the USFRA Food Dialogues in Minneapolis entitled “Farm to Consumer: Bridging the Gap between Consumer Concerns and Food Production and Sourcing Decisions.” Chuck was supposed to be there but had his flight cancelled and at the last minute our amazing summer intern Lizzy Shultz drove from Madison to fill in. The event, …
Planted Acreage Update From USDA
USDA is forecasting the third largest corn crop and the second largest soybean crop on record in a new planted acreage update released today. U.S. growers are forecast to produce 13.7 billion bushels of corn this year, according to the report from USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). That is actually a four percent decrease from last year’s production, but …
West Central New to #AgMedia Expo
New to the Ag Media Summit (AMS) Info Expo this year was West Central Distribution of Willmar, Minnesota. “We’re a wholesale distributor of farm inputs,” said Jesse Cler, Focus Product Marketing Manager for the company. “So we stock the shelves for retailer and create a business partnership with them and help to grow their business.” Cler says they came to …
Candidates at Iowa State Fair
The Republican candidates may not have addressed any agricultural issues during the debates last week, but they might during appearances at the Iowa State Fair which begins this week. A majority of the presidential candidates from both parties have confirmed they will speak at The Des Moines Register’s Soapbox during the fair. A total of 14 Republicans and four Democrats …
“Ahead of the Curve” Theme for @GROWMARK Annual
As one of the nation’s largest, oldest, most profitable and most respected farmer cooperatives, GROWMARK has always been ahead of the curve, so it is an appropriate theme for this year’s annual meeting, coming up August 27-28 at the Hilton Chicago. “We do think that GROWMARK and the FS System are ahead of the curve,” says GROWMARK Corporate Relations Manager …
Cheminova Products Add to FMC Portfolio
FMC Corporation just completed its acquisition of Cheminova earlier this year and at the Ag Media Summit we talked with FMC business solutions manager David Wheeler about what new crop protection solutions that adds to the FMC portfolio for growers. “The Cheminova acquisition has really rounded out our portfolio,” said Wheeler. “For instance, we were lacking in fungicides in our …
FMC Talks Anthem Maxx at #AgMedia
Anthem® Maxx herbicide due out this fall from FMC is a new, concentrated version of Anthem herbicide that offers growers a dramatically lower use-rate. “We like taking Anthem to corn,” said Matt Hancock, FMC Corn Segment Manager, during an interview at last week’s Ag Media Summit. “This is a four ounce per acre use rate to get pre- and post-emergent …
Passing of the AAEA Gavel
It was out with the old and in with the new president for the American Agricultural Editors’ Association at the Ag Media Summit last week. Kurt Lawton, Corn and Soybean Digest editor, retired his gavel and Elaine Shein, Associate managing editor for DTN/The Progressive Farmer, picked it up. “It’s been an amazing year,” said Lawton. “We set out to really …
News From Custom Harvesters at #AgMedia
Mark Anderson and Dan Misner with U.S. Custom Harvesters (USCHI) had some news to share at the Ag Media Summit last week. First, Anderson says they just announced a new partnership with Ag in the Classroom to develop two curriculums using footage leftover from “The Great American Wheat Harvest” documentary. “These curriculums will focus on agribusiness, leadership and job opportunities …