Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack spotlighted agricultural innovations during an appearance at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs Monday. Vilsack stressed the importance of global cooperation in biotechnology innovations. “It’s in our long term best interest as a global community that we encourage appropriate science, that we encourage biotechnology, ways to grow crops with less water, less pesticides, less chemicals,” he …
Magic Dirt Wins Award
The inaugural Bioproducts Innovation of the Year awards were announced this week at the Bioproducts World 2014 Showcase and Conference in Columbus, Ohio and a co-product of renewable energy was named the consumer Bioproduct Innovation of the Year award at this first annual competition. Cenergy USA of Little Rock, Arkansas won for the development of Magic Dirt, a recycled co-product …
Get to Know GMOs Month
If you wear pink for Breast Cancer Awareness this month, you might pair it with green for Get to Know GMOs Month. This month GMO Answers is inviting the public to “Get to Know GMOs”— to ask their toughest questions and join the conversation. “With the coming of October, we welcome a new fall season, a new harvest and a …
Vilsack Gaining on Glickman in Office
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is within two weeks of serving longer in that position than Dan Glickman under President Clinton. “In about 15 days he will beat my record, because I was in office about 5 years and 11 months,” said Glickman during his introduction of Vilsack at a Chicago Council on Global Affairs event on Monday. “He’s doing this …
CFWF 2014 Award Winners
No conference is complete without awards and the Canadian Farm Writers Federation was no exception. Pictured here from left to right are some of CFWF’s best of the best for 2014. Alice McFarlane, Fabmar Communications received the Gold level award in the Electronic Media-Audio category; Lisa Guenther, Farm Business Communications scored Silver in the Press Editorial category; Wayne Riley, Agriculture …
CFWF Discovers PEI Products
Cheese, mussels, potatoes and preserves were just a few of the many Prince Edward Island products that Canadian Farm Writers learned more about during the 2014 CFWF conference. Bruce MacNaughton and his wife operate the Prince Edward Island Preserve Company, located in an old butter factory, which uses local produce to make a variety of tasty preserves, marmalades, jellies, honeys, …
CASE IH Connects at CFWF 2014 Conference
Beautiful Prince Edward Island (PEI) was the spot for the Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation 2014 Annual Conference and CASE IH was a Russet sponsor of the event. The sponsor categories were aptly named this year in honor of PEI’s largest agricultural industry – potatoes – and Russet is the top. Two shiny red CASE IH tractors decorated the lawn of …
NCBA Concerns About Beef Checkoff
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack met earlier this week with the Beef Checkoff working group and reportedly told them he’s planning on implementing a new checkoff program for the industry by January, 2016. The action would be taken under the 1996 Commodity Promotion, Research and Information Act, also called the “generic checkoff act,” and would be separate from and in addition …
Everglades Ag Conservation in Action Preview
If you have ever wanted to see the Florida Everglades up close and personal – here is your chance. The Conservation Technology and Information Center’s 2014 Conservation in Action Tour is exploring the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) October 14-15 to hear the tale of farmers working with the entire ecosystem in mind. CTIC executive director Karen Scanlon says the tour …
Cooperatives Set Another Record
October is National Cooperative Month and once again the nation’s agricultural cooperatives set a new sales record for 2013. According to USDA, total business volume in 2013 surpassed $246 billion, exceeding the 2012 record by $8 billion or four percent. This is the third consecutive year of record sales by ag cooperatives, reflecting increased sales in the overall farm economy …