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 …
New Website for USDA AMS
USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has launched a redesigned website (www.ams.usda.gov) to make it more user-friendly for stakeholders. “Whether you are looking for information about our services, want to comment on proposed regulations, or are interested in selling food to USDA, our new website makes it easier to find the right information and tools,” said AMS Administrator Anne L. Alonzo. …
Big Crowd for @USFRA Food Dialogues in Minnesota
It was a packed house last night at the USFRA Food Dialogues in Minneapolis entitled “Farm to Consumer: Bridging the Gap between Consumer Concerns and Food Production and Sourcing Decisions.” Chuck was supposed to be there but had his flight cancelled and at the last minute our amazing summer intern Lizzy Shultz drove from Madison to fill in. The event, …
Planted Acreage Update From USDA
USDA is forecasting the third largest corn crop and the second largest soybean crop on record in a new planted acreage update released today. U.S. growers are forecast to produce 13.7 billion bushels of corn this year, according to the report from USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). That is actually a four percent decrease from last year’s production, but …
West Central New to #AgMedia Expo
New to the Ag Media Summit (AMS) Info Expo this year was West Central Distribution of Willmar, Minnesota. “We’re a wholesale distributor of farm inputs,” said Jesse Cler, Focus Product Marketing Manager for the company. “So we stock the shelves for retailer and create a business partnership with them and help to grow their business.” Cler says they came to …
Candidates at Iowa State Fair
The Republican candidates may not have addressed any agricultural issues during the debates last week, but they might during appearances at the Iowa State Fair which begins this week. A majority of the presidential candidates from both parties have confirmed they will speak at The Des Moines Register’s Soapbox during the fair. A total of 14 Republicans and four Democrats …
“Ahead of the Curve” Theme for @GROWMARK Annual
As one of the nation’s largest, oldest, most profitable and most respected farmer cooperatives, GROWMARK has always been ahead of the curve, so it is an appropriate theme for this year’s annual meeting, coming up August 27-28 at the Hilton Chicago. “We do think that GROWMARK and the FS System are ahead of the curve,” says GROWMARK Corporate Relations Manager …
Cheminova Products Add to FMC Portfolio
FMC Corporation just completed its acquisition of Cheminova earlier this year and at the Ag Media Summit we talked with FMC business solutions manager David Wheeler about what new crop protection solutions that adds to the FMC portfolio for growers. “The Cheminova acquisition has really rounded out our portfolio,” said Wheeler. “For instance, we were lacking in fungicides in our …