Sad to hear the news that legendary farm broadcaster and U.S. Senator Conrad Burns has passed away at the age of 81. Conrad founded the Northern Ag Network and was inducted into the National Association of Farm Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2011. Burns was born in Northwest Missouri, attended the University of Missouri, served in the US Marine Corps, …
I AM USFRA – Poultry and Egg Industry
Perhaps more than much of agriculture, the poultry industry has been the target of animal rights advocates and others who have tried to damage the image of their products in the eyes of consumers. That’s why the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association (USPOULTRY) was one of the founding organizations for the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA), to join with …
BASF Launches #GrowSmart University
BASF Crop Protection is all about helping farmers grow smarter and to that end has announced the launch of a new online educational resource – Grow Smart™ University. Grow Smart University is designed to connect growers and industry professionals with agronomic and agribusiness content and offers an extensive library of farm management information, according to Paul Leeland, Product Manager, BASF. …
New Group is Growing Global Solutions
We’ve been in the agricultural communications business for a very, very long time and we are very blessed that so many of the people we started in the business with are still involved, so it’s always nice to touch base with good friends we have known from the beginning who are starting new ventures. We were happy to hear from …
Youth Programs Help @GROWMARK Grow
When it comes to sustainability in agriculture, the most precious natural resource for the industry to preserve is our young people, and the GROWMARK System and FS member cooperatives are all about that. GROWMARK has a long history of making a significant investment in youth, from helping to fund Ag in the Classroom, to supporting FFA and 4-H, to a …
Everyday is #EarthDay for Farmers and Ranchers
It was 1970 when the first Earth Day celebrations were held in thousands of schools, colleges and communities across the United States. It now is observed in 192 countries, and coordinated by the nonprofit Earth Day Network, chaired by the first Earth Day 1970 organizer Denis Hayes, who calls it “the largest secular holiday in the world, celebrated by more …
Growing Global Solutions to Grow Better Agriculture
A new non-profit organization, Growing Global Solutions, has been formed to help agricultural organizations improve their efficiency. Industry veterans Janice Dahl and Jim Butler have founded the organization together with the goal of working with top-tier organizations that want to evaluate progress and reach peak efficiency. With expertise specifically in agriculture, the pair decided the industry would benefit from an …
New @USFRA Board Members
The U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance® (USFRA®) has elected three new board members, representing the American Farm Bureau Federation, Cattlemen’s Beef Board and Indiana Soybean Alliance. Scott VanderWal, a third generation family farmer from Volga, SD, is vice president of AFBF and president of the South Dakota Farm Bureau. His family operation includes corn, soybeans, beef cattle feeding and custom …
Senators Pleased EPA IG to Investigate Anti-Ag Billboards
Senators Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Jim Inhofe (R-OK) are pleased that Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking action regarding a taxpayer funded, anti-farmer campaign in Washington state. The chairmen of the Senate agriculture and environment committees sent a letter to EPA’s inspector general earlier this month requesting an audit and investigation of an EPA grant to the Northwest Indian Fisheries …
Passing of Farm Broadcaster Rex Messersmith
Members of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting are sad to hear that former member Rex Messersmith, age 84, of Lincoln, Nebraska passed away April 15. Rex joined NAFB in 1956 and enjoyed a career in radio broadcasting for 55 years. He started as a Nebraska Co-op Extension Service specialist, was farm director and manager of WNAX radio in Yankton, …