Farm sector profitability is forecast to decline for the second straight year, according to the latest report from USDA. Net cash income is forecast at $100.3 billion, down about 21 percent from 2014 levels. Lower crop and livestock receipts are the main drivers of the change in 2015 net cash farm income from 2014, while cash production expenses are projected …
BIVI Seminar Highlights FAD Preparedness
Pork industry preparedness for FAD was the first topic on the schedule at the Boehringer Ingelheim North Carolina swine seminar this year – and no, FAD does not mean the latest social trend. “FADs are foreign animal diseases,” said Dr. Lisa Becton with the National Pork Board. “Those are diseases that currently don’t exist in the United States and diseases …
GROWMARK FS Ready for 2015 Farm Progress Show
GROWMARK and the FS System always go all out when the Farm Progress Show is held in their home state of Illinois and this year will be no exception. I talked with GROWMARK Marketing and Communications Manager Beverly Long recently on a visit to the cooperative’s Bloomington headquarters about what they have planned for the show, which starts next week. …
Busy Year for America’s Renewable Future
It was only eight months ago that America’s Renewable Future (ARF) was launched in Iowa with the goal of educating presidential candidates about agriculture and biofuels in general and the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) in particular. But what the coalition has accomplished in that short time has been so impressive that the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) recognized them with …
MO Farm Bureau Takes WOTUS to the Fair Again
You might remember that Missouri Farm Bureau held a “Ditch the Rule” press conference last year at the State Fair featuring three members of the state’s Congressional delegation. With the controversial rule now finalized and scheduled to be implemented August 28, MOFB held another press conference at the fair last week – this time with four members of Congress. Representatives …
America’s Renewable Future Talks to Trump
America’s Renewable Future (ARF) is less than one year old, but has already made an impact when it comes to educating presidential candidates about the importance of agriculture and renewable fuels. Eric Branstad, son of Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, was one of the main organizers of the coalition which just launched in January of this year. “Since then we’ve been …
Grains Council Chair Stresses Excellence in Exports
Nebraska farmer Alan Tiemann was recently elected chairman of the U.S. Grains Council and he is excited about the work they are doing to expand exports of ethanol and the co-product Distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) used for livestock feed. “For this coming year, my theme is ‘Excellence in Exports,’” said Tiemann during an interview after his address to …
Science Moms Challenge Celeb Moms on GMOs
The granddaughter of the father of the Green Revolution has a bone to pick with the mother of Apple. Julie Borlaug, granddaughter of Nobel Laureate Norman Borlaug, joined eleven other “science and advocate” moms across the country in co-signing a letter to celebrity moms, including Gwyneth Paltrow and Sarah Michelle Gellar, regarding their opposition to agricultural biotechnology. Paltrow and her …
More Internet on the Farm
A new USDA-NASS report shows that internet access on the farm continues to grow. According to the Computer Usage and Ownership report, 70 percent of U.S. farms and ranches now have access to internet, up three percent from 2013. DSL remains the most popular method for accessing internet, accounting for 30 percent of all farms and ranches with internet access. …
Agri-Pulse Open Mic with POET’s Jeff Broin
Agri-Pulse Open Mic this week features Jeff Broin, Executive Chairman of POET. At 22, Jeff Broin managed a small South Dakota ethanol plant. Today POET is the world’s largest producer of renewable fuels. In this interview, Jeff Broin shares the direct and indirect benefits of the Renewable Fuels Standard and warns of the domestic and global implications if Washington steps …