Everybody’s heard about chestnuts roasting on an open fire, especially at this time of year, but how many of us have actually ever had any? Apparently, there’s a reason for that. According to the American Chestnut Foundation, the American chestnut tree once reigned over 200 million acres of eastern woodlands from Maine to Florida, and from the Piedmont west to …
WMBD Farm Broadcaster Raises Big Bucks for Food Bank
Lots of people in central Illinois will be having a heartier and happier holiday thanks to the efforts of our dear friend Meghan Grebner, agribusiness director for WMBD and WIRL in Peoria. Megs has been so excited about this promotion where she partnered up with eight county farm bureaus and their young leaders and asked farmers from Central Illinois to …
Obama Signs Bill Giving Death Tax Relief
President Obama held a public signing ceremony for the tax bill passed by Congress this week that delivers early Christmas presents for everyone, giving farmers and ranchers good reason to be thankful this holiday season. Securing meaningful estate tax reform for farm and ranch families has been a top priority for the American Farm Bureau Federation. “We commend President Obama …
Early Christmas on Capitol Hill
Christmas came more than a week early this year, as the House voted just before midnight Thursday to pass the tax package that includes presents for everyone. The final vote was 277-148 on the Middle Class Tax Relief Act of 2010 (H.R. 4853) which is expected to be signed into law immediately by President Obama. The bill includes another year …
Senate Passes Tax Package With Death Tax Relief
By a vote of 81 to 19, the Senate has passed the $858 billion tax compromise worked out between President Obama and Senate Republicans that includes a key provision keeping the estate tax at levels acceptable to agricultural interests. The measure reduces the top rate of the estate tax, more appropriately known as the “death tax,” to 35 percent, increases …
BRANDT to Sponsor NASCAR Driver
An Illinois-based crop technology company is getting on track with NASCAR. BRANDT is pleased to announce a partnership with Turner Motorsports and will serve as primary sponsor of the No. 31 Chevrolet Impala, driven by NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) championship contender, Justin Allgaier during the 2011 racing season. Allgaier, who finished the 2010 season fourth in the NNS championship points …
BASF News From ASTA Expo
At the same time Chuck was in Savannah covering the National Agricultural Aviation Association meeting on behalf of BASF Crop Protection last week, the company was making news at the 40th annual American Seed Trade Association’s (ASTA) 2010 Seed Expo in Chicago. In several updates provided to seed partners, BASF announced a label expansion for Stamina® F3 HL. The fungicide …
Change is Necessary to Fight PRRS
Since Porcine Respiratory and Reproductive Syndrome (PRRS) has been a problem in the U.S. hog industry for more than 20 years and is costing producers nearly $600 million per year, Boehringer Ingelheim (BIVI) is working with the industry to find and implement changes that will help control and even eliminate it. Dr. Dale Polson, a member of the BIVI Area …
Microsoft Cloud for USDA
The future forecast for USDA is cloudy. USDA announced last week that it is on the verge of going live with a commercial cloud service offering for its Enterprise Messaging Service (EMS) which includes email, web conferencing, document collaboration, and instant messaging. USDA is the first cabinet-level agency to move its e-mail and collaboration applications to the “cloud,” a rapidly …
New House Ag Committee Chair on GIPSA
The incoming Republican chairman of the House Agriculture Committee is very unhappy with the proposed Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) rule that he says will likely result in a “tremendously devastating” impact on the livestock sector. During the special live 200th episode of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen program last week, Congressman Frank Lucas (R-OK) …