The votes have been cast and the winner of “Biofool of the Year” is ….. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack! While we are disappointed that we were not chosen by Friends of the Earth (FOE) for this award, as they say in the Academy, it was an honor just to be nominated! According to FOE, more than 6,000 votes were cast …
Effort Launched to Repeal Death Tax
A bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Congressmen Kevin Brady (R-TX) and Mike Ross (D-Ark) have reintroduced legislation to permanently repeal the “death” tax. “The Death Tax is still the #1 reason family farms and businesses in America aren’t passed down to the next generation,” Brady says. “It’s the wrong tax at the wrong time and hurts the wrong people.” …
Keep Potatoes in Schools!
According to the National Potato Council, “The time has come to stand up for potatoes in schools!” French fries and mashed potatoes have long been staples of the school lunch program, but that could change if a USDA proposal incorporating the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans is implemented. According to USDA, the revisions will “add more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, …
Farmers’ Share of Food Dollar
I have been meaning to do a post on the recent report from USDA’s Economic Research Service about the farmers’ share of the food dollar, but I just can’t top the simplicity of a post that NCGA’s Ken Colombini did on Corn Commentary, which he titled “The 88% Solution.” It just says it all. The USDA now tells us that …
Monsanto Responds to Organic Lawsuit
Monsanto is facing a legal challenge from organic farmers over genetically modified seed. The Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT) filed suit this week on behalf of 60 family farmers, seed businesses and organic agricultural organizations, against Monsanto Company as a preemptive measure “to protect themselves from being accused of patent infringement should they ever become contaminated by Monsanto’s genetically modified seed, …
BASF Weeds to Watch Reports on Brownfield
BASF has some new resources for farmers this growing season for weed resistance management. One is the Kixor Weed Resistance Management Guide that offers growers strategies for managing glyphosate resistant weeds as well as information about the benefits of using Kixor as a burndown and/or residual herbicide to fight resistance. In addition, growers can tune into their local Brownfield Network …
USDA Releases 2011 Prospective Plantings Report
USDA expects more corn, wheat and cotton to be planted this year, but slightly less soybeans, according to the Prospective Plantings report released this morning. Corn growers intend to plant 92.2 million acres of corn for all purposes this year, up 5 percent from last year and 7 percent higher than in 2009. If realized, this will be the second …
Corn Growers Challenge Nestle Exec Comments
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) has taken issue with comments made last week by Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, the billionaire chairman of Nestle, during a “CEO Speaker Series” moderated by Time editor Michael J. Elliott at the Council on Foreign Relations. It’s an interesting conversation in which Brabeck-Letmathe comes off as insufferably arrogant, discussing how he and a bunch of other …
Proud to be Biofools Nominees
Friends of the Earth (FOE) has paid us a great compliment. We – both me and Chuck – have been nominated for the prestigious “Biofool of the Year” award! The award was established by FOE “to recognize leaders that promote dirty biofuels” – especially corn ethanol – and was won last year by then House Agriculture Committee chairman Collin Peterson …
I Am Angus Features Range Magazine Editor
A recent segment of “I Am Angus” features C.J. Hadley, the editor and publisher of Range Magazine, which is dedicated to preserving and promoting the cowboy way of life. She talks about her journey from England to the western United States and how and why she became a tireless advocate for the nation’s food producers. Check it out!