Ethanol will be in the spotlight this weekend as boat racing teams from more than twenty states will gather to compete at the National Boat Racing Association (NBRA) “Garnett Ethanol Hydroplane Nationals” this weekend, June 23-26 in Garnett, Kansas for a chance to break national straight away speed records using E10. The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) partnered with NBRA earlier …
G-20 Agricultural Ministers Make Action Plan
Agriculture Ministers from the G20 nations reached agreement this week on a plan to reduce world food price volatility. “The consensus reached today by the G-20 Agricultural Ministers marks an historic union of resolve in combating the pressing challenges of hunger and food price volatility confronting our world with greater regularity,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in a statement from …
Proposal Could Cost Farm GPS Users
A company that wants to create a new, integrated wireless broadband/satellite network is facing opposition from agricultural global positioning system (GPS) providers and users. As we reported on Precision Pays, Virginia-based company LightSquared has proposed to set up 40,000 wireless broad-band stations across the nation on a frequency that is right next to the one used by GPS. Opposition to …
Two Former Presidents Share World Food Prize
Winners of the 2011 World Food Prize announced today are two former presidents, but not of the United States. The World Food Prize Foundation is honoring John Agyekum Kufuor, former president of Ghana, and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, former president of Brazil, for creating and implementing government policies that alleviated hunger and poverty in their countries. They were commended …
Raven OmniSeed System Introduced
Raven Industries is already getting great response from growers with the new OmniSeed Advanced Air Seeder Control System they just introduced last week. Raven’s Ryan Molitor says the system provides growers with more reliability, efficiency and control. “OmniSeed allows for variable rate technology, it’s a very scalable system with a lot of unique features on it that we think are …
Interactive Website for American Century Farms
Celebrating our nation’s rich agricultural heritage and educating others about it are the goals of a new interactive website launched by the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture with the sponsorship of Bayer CropScience. Appropriately named “Agriculture’s Lasting Heritage,” this website tells the story of American farm and ranch families who have shaped the history of our nation. “Agriculture’s Lasting …
Senate Votes to End Ethanol Blenders Tax Credit
An amendment to end the ethanol blenders tax credit (VEETC) passed the Senate today by 73 to 27, a vote that some agricultural groups applaud while some denounce, while the ethanol industry says it is unlikely to matter. “Today the Senate voted against rural America and domestic, renewable energy, and in favor of more foreign oil,” said National Corn Growers …
GIPSA Funding Cut in Ag Appropriations Bill
The U.S. House of Representatives today voted 217-203 to pass the agricultural appropriations bill for fiscal 2012, cutting $2.7 billion in discretionary spending, including funds for USDA’s proposed Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) regulation. The National Cattlemens Beef Association (NCBA) and the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), both opposed to the proposed rule, are pleased that the appropriations …
Pam Johnson Elected National Corn Growers VP
An Iowa farm woman is on track to be the first female president of the National Corn Growers Association next year. The National Corn Growers Association Corn Board today elected Pam Johnson of Iowa to become the organization’s first vice president for the next fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. When she becomes NCGA president in October 2012, Johnson will …
GIPSA Heating Up
It’s been almost exactly a year since USDA’s Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) published a controversial proposed rule that would fundamentally change the way livestock is marketed in this country, and those opposed to it remain hopeful that the proposal itself will be fundamentally changed – or just eliminated. Colin Woodall with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) …