Last year’s toxic algae bloom in Lake Erie at Toledo, Ohio, that left half a million people without clean water, underscored the delicate balance that exists between farming and drinking supplies. So it’s no wonder the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) chose Toldeo as the site for the next Food Dialogues on Thursday, May 28, starting at 9 a.m. …
Congress to Decide Fate of COOL
By a vote of 38 to 6, the House Agriculture Committee today approved legislation to effectively repeal country of origin labeling (COOL) requirements for beef, pork, and chicken. “This bill is a targeted response that will remove uncertainty and restore stability for the United States by bringing us back into compliance,” Committee Chairman Mike Conaway (R-TX) said. “We will continue …
Multi-National Ag Groups Unite for Fair TPP
As negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) are being held this week, agricultural and food organizations from four nations have come out united in calling for a “modern trade agreement that includes meaningful and comprehensive market access opportunities for agriculture and agri-food.” The organizations from Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand advocating for an ambitious, fair and comprehensive …
Top Rated Ag Universities
We all have our favorite ag schools (Go Gators!) but if you want a non-biased source for the top rated universities in any subject, the definitive source is the QS World University Rankings. First compiled in 2004, the QS World University Rankings currently considers over 3,000 institutions, and ranks more than 800 under a methodology that includes academic reputation, employer …
Industry Pleased with White House Pollinator Plan
Last June, President Obama called for an interagency Task Force to create a Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators. Tuesday, the Task Force released its strategy, under the joint leadership of EPA and USDA. Industry reaction to the plan, which outlines actions to be taken by more than a dozen other federal agencies and departments, …
Jeanne Bernick joins K•Coe Isom
Our congratulations to former Top Producer Editor Jeanne Bernick who has joined K•Coe Isom as Ag Consultant. In this newly created position, Bernick matches the needs of large commercial producers with K•Coe Isom’s resources in farm financial management, wealth management, sustainability, and food and ag policy. She also spearheads K•Coe Isom events that bring business tools and resources to commercial …
Final WTO COOL Ruling Goes Against U.S.
As expected, the World Trade Organization today issued a final ruling against the United States over Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) for livestock and meat products. The final ruling maintained previous conclusions that “the amended COOL measure increases the record-keeping burden for imported livestock entailed by the original COOL measure.” The Appellate Body agreed with the panel that the recordkeeping …
USFRA Sponsors Brownfield Cab Convos
The U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) is sponsoring a second season of Cab Conversations with Brownfield Ag News. Each week, three U.S. farmers meet on Google+ Hangout from the cab of their tractors to share insights, challenges and tips relating to the planting season with host Meghan Grebner, Anchor/Reporter for Brownfield Ag News. “Brownfield’s Cab Conversations utilizes an innovative …
Ag Urges Senate to Pass TPA
Senate Republicans and agriculture industry leaders held a press conference in Washington today to discuss the ways new trade deals could benefit the agriculture community and urge passage of the bipartisan Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation. Senators speaking on behalf of TPA included Republican Conference Chairman John Thune (R-SD), Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS), Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) …
First USDA Crop Estimates
USDA’s May World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimate report released today includes the first estimates for crop production this year. Overall, the report is projecting wheat production to be higher and corn and soybeans lower this season. All wheat production is projected at 2,087 million bushels, up 3 percent. Corn production is projected at 13.6 billion bushels, down 586 million …