John Deere was one of the first companies to become a member of the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) Premier Partner Advisory Group (PPAG) back in 2011 and they continue to provide strong support for the organization. Deere Director of Industry Relations Chuck Studer serves on the board of USFRA. “Deere’s been a long time sponsor … of USFRA,” …
Historic Agreements for Ag Trade with Cuba
Agriculture could play a key role in normalizing trade relations with Cuba, according to President Obama on his historic visit to that nation this week. “If we build on what we’re doing in agriculture and we see more U.S. farmers interacting with Cuban farmers, and there’s more exports and imports, the possibility of ending the embargo increases,” Obama said to …
Top Issues for @Better_Seed Annual Meeting
Registration is now open for the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) 133rd annual convention, to be held June 18-22 in Portland, Oregon. At the recent Commodity Classic, we got a preview of some issues that will be top of mind for seed trade executives at the meeting from ASTA CEO Andy LaVigne. For one, ASTA is currently working with the …
Disappointment Over Senate GMO Labeling Vote
Despite the best efforts of Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS), the Senate failed to invoke cloture on the Biotechnology Labeling Solutions Bill in a 48-49 vote today, blocking advancement of the legislation that would create a voluntary federal standard for labeling foods with genetically modified ingredients. Roberts expressed his disappointment at the inability to come to agreement on …
#Propane Power from @GROWMARK
Propane power is on a roll these days, going far beyond it’s traditional uses of home heating and grain drying, moving into areas such as fleet vehicles and irrigation engines. For this edition of the ZimmCast, I talked with Becky Hornblower, GROWMARK’s propane marketing and technical services manager, about everything that’s new about propane – from supplies and prices, to …
#FarmCredit100 Fresh Perspectives Top Leaders
As part of the National Ag Day festivities in Washington DC Tuesday, Farm Credit announced the top honorees of the Farm Credit 100 Fresh Perspectives program, a nationwide search to identify and honor 100 leaders who are changing rural communities and agriculture for the better. The Farm Credit 100 Fresh Perspectives program is the cornerstone of Farm Credit’s 100th anniversary …
I AM USFRA Series
We’re starting a new series here on AgWired and we’re calling it “I AM USFRA.” Most of you have probably heard about the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance, which was started in 2010 with the goal of engaging in dialogue with consumers who have questions about how today’s food is grown and raised. USFRA consists of nearly 100 agricultural organizations …
Bayer Partnerships Invest in New Tech
Searching for the latest in agricultural innovation, Bayer has formed strategic innovation partnerships with two leading venture capital firms in the past year. “Bayer is 150 years old and has a long and rich history of product development for agricultural uses,” said Geoff Kneen, Bayer R&D Licensing and New Ventures Manager for North America. “But we recognize there are technology …
#RealYield Game Was a Winner
There were lots of winners in the Bayer LibertyLink® Real Yield Game that you might recall us promoting at the end of last year. Among them were five farmers who were instant winners, receiving 500 acres of LibertyLink soybean seed and Liberty herbicide, and one grand prize winner who gets a year’s lease on a John Deere 8320R tractor. Even …
Farm Credit Celebrates Centennial at #Classic16
Farm Credit was celebrating 100 years of serving farmers and ranchers across the nation at Commodity Classic last week by serving up personalized tee shirts. “We wanted to celebrate the resiliency of the farm family,” said Sarah Cortese, Director of Communications at Capital Farm Credit in Lubbock, Texas. She added that the t-shirt idea was very popular and they were …