The Honorable Nathan Guy, Minister of Primary Industries for New Zealand, is basically the counterpart of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in this country and he was delighted to welcome the 2015 International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) Congress to “little old New Zealand.” “This is a significant event for New Zealand,” said Guy of the 33 countries represented at the …
Greetings from IFAJ in New Zealand
We have seen the future and it is in New Zealand – 18 hours ahead of central time in the United States! The International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) 2015 Congress is being held in Hamilton, New Zealand where we are learning a lot about this small, two island, South Pacific nation that is home to 30 million sheep, seven …
Appeals Court Suspends WOTUS Implementation
A new ruling issued today by a federal appeals court places a nationwide stay on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Water Rule, better known as Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS). The court agreed with petitioners that the treatment in the rule of tributaries, “adjacent waters,” and waters having a “significant nexus” to navigable waters is at odds with a previous …
Ag Co-ops Set New Income Records
October is National Cooperative Month and USDA traditionally releases its annual report on cooperatives to coincide with the observance. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that the nation’s farmer, rancher and fishery cooperatives posted record income and revenue in 2014, previewing a USDA report to be released later this month that shows cooperatives earned $6.5 billion in net income and …
Brownfield’s Steever Interviews President Obama
Brownfield Ag News anchor and former NAFB president Tom Steever got a 20 minute interview with President Obama this week on the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal and what it means for agriculture. “So this is really a big deal,” the President told Brownfield Ag News Tuesday, “and the key to getting it passed is just making sure that people …
Push for TPP Approval is On
President Obama met with agriculture and business leaders on Tuesday as the push to get Congress to approve the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) begins. “History of free trade agreements with reference to agriculture will tell us that agriculture is a winner every time,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in a press conference about the agreement. “TPP is going to be …
Lots of Reaction to TPP
Seems like everyone has something to say about the Trans Pacific Partnership agreement reached by negotiators meeting in Atlanta for more than five days, even though few details have been released. U.S. Trade Ambassador Michael Froman does say that agriculture is a big winner under the agreement. “Tariffs will either be eliminated or greatly reduced or quotas will be significantly …
Keep an Eye on Ceva Animal Health
Ceva Animal Health is set on becoming a major player in the swine industry within the next five years. The global company was just created in 2000 in France, and the North American operations started in only 2005, but already Ceva has experienced a five fold growth increase. Craig Wallace, Ceva CEO and North American Zone Director, says growth in …
Foundation Helps @GROWMARK to Give Back
Investing in the future of agriculture and feeding the hungry are the main goals of the GROWMARK Foundation, which supports a variety of causes and organizations dedicated to those aims. Foundation manager Amy Bradford says they focus on five key areas. “Agriculture in general, education, leader development, supporting other cooperatives, and priority community needs,” said Bradford, who adds that the …
Global Crop Insurers Meet in KC
Agricultural leaders from more than 30 nations have been meeting in Kansas City this week to discuss the challenge of feeding a growing world population and how crop insurance can help farmers accomplish this goal. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack welcomed the International Association of Agricultural Production Insurers (AIAG) and provided his perspective on the importance of crop insurance for both …