The man who had the honor of handing out the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA) 2013 Student Competition awards is a great advocate of agricultural careers – AgCareers.com president Eric Spell. “We’ve been four out of the last five years to the event,” Eric told me. “One of the hot words that we hear with employers is ‘supply …
Monsanto Calls GE Wheat Find “Suspicious”
Monsanto officials held a press call on Friday regarding “suspicious” evidence in the investigation of genetically engineered wheat plants found in an Oregon field last month that suggests it was possibly intentionally planted. “The evidence now collected, the fact patterns established and the original Roundup Ready CP-4 event appearing suddenly after 12 years, out of nowhere in a single field …
Immigration Policy Forum in Kansas City
With the Senate poised to vote on comprehensive immigration reform this week, USDA held a forum on the issue Friday in Kansas City, featuring Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, former Kansas City mayor and current Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, and representatives of the nation’s dairy industry. “We are blessed by the most productive, most innovative and most hard-working farmers and ranchers,” Vilsack …
Danforth Receives IFAMA Award
Dr. William H. Danforth was honored by the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA) with the organization’s inaugural Distinguished Service Award for his significant contributions to education, plant and life sciences, and advancements in agriculture. “Dr. Danforth’s positive influence on agricultural sciences is immeasurable,” said Thad Simons, president and CEO of Novus International, and incoming president of IFAMA. “From …
Farm Bill Blame Game
The shock over the defeat of the farm bill in the U.S. House of Representatives had barely sunk in Thursday when the blame game began. It started on the floor of the House when Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) was giving an update on next week’s schedule and Minority Whip Steney Hoyer (D-VA) asked whether the student loan program would …
Ag Disappointed in House Farm Bill Vote
The defeat of a five year farm bill in the House of Representatives was unexpected and disappointing to agricultural organizations looking forward to getting some certainty for the future after last year’s drawn out battle that ultimately ended in a one year extension of the 2008 bill. “The American Farm Bureau Federation is highly disappointed the House did not complete …
House Farm Bill Goes Down in Defeat
Despite an impassioned plea by House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas to “move this bill forward” the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013 (FARRM) failed on a vote of 194 to 234, with 60 Republicans joining the majority of Democrats to defeat the House version of the farm bill. “If it fails today, I can’t guarantee you’ll …
IFAMA Student Competition Winners
A team of MBA students from Santa Clara University won first place in the IFAMA Student Case Competition Wednesday at the World Forum in Atlanta. The competition consists of teams representing universities worldwide who simulate a fast turnaround analysis and presentation which they make to a panel of senior management judges on a corporate hot topic. This year there were …
DuPont Exec Talks Food Security at IFAMA
Food security was the topic for an address Wednesday to the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA) World Forum by DuPont Executive Vice President Jim Borel. “We need a new generation of food visionaries who can see the tremendous opportunity made possible by the simple fact that people have to eat,” Borel said. The DuPont executive talked about the …
Georgia Ag Commissioner Welcomes IFAMA
Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Gary Black was very pleased to have the International Food & Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA) host its 23rd annual World Forum in the Peach State. “Thank you for choosing our capitol city to be the host for this wonderful meeting,” Black said in welcoming the group on Tuesday. “It’s a great opportunity to celebrate what we …