One Nebraska farmer’s wife got a greater appreciation of the impact U.S. agricultural producers have on the global economy when she was able to be a part of America’s Heartland “Journey of the Corn.” During the spouses breakfast at the U.S. Grains Council delegates meeting on Monday, Lori Tiemann shared some of her journey to Taiwan and China with her …
GMOs in France
Genetically Modified Organisms or GMOs have become a topic of skepticism, especially in France, and the discussion was on tap Monday afternoon at the International Farm Management Congress. Anti-GMO activists, who view the harvests as highly unnatural, have destroyed fields of these experimental crops. Mourad Hannachi, a PhD student the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, has studied the difficulties …
IFMA President Welcomes Delegates
John Alliston welcomed the agricultural world Monday to the Bone Student Center on the campus of Illinois State University for the 17th annual International Farm Management Congress. Alliston, the President of the IFMA, stressed the importance of communication during this week-long seminar that includes a multitude of presentations dealing with world agriculture. “By the end of this week, we want …
Opening New Markets is Focus of USGC
Rick Fruth is a corn grower from Ohio who serves as vice chairman of the US Grains Council and he says the continuing development of international markets is the main focus of their organization. “We’ve seen markets back in the 70s that were very important to us – western Europe and the former Soviet Union – evaporate and we’ve had …
USGC Partnership with USDA FAS
The administrator of USDA’s Foreign Agriculture Service Michael Michener spoke to the US Grains Council delegates meeting this morning in San Diego about how the partnership between FAS and USGC helps to open markets for US agricultural products. “Over the years, FAS and the U.S Grains Council have formed a vital link between government and U.S. agriculture to maintain and …
US Grains Delegate Meeting Underway
The U.S. Grains Council 49th Annual Board of Delegates meeting got underway this morning with the issues session. Chairman Jim Broten of the North Dakota Barley Council welcomed the delegates to San Diego and the official start of business. The general session gets underway shortly, starting with USDA Foreign Agriculture Service administrator Michael Michener giving an update on “Increasing Trade …
The World Meets at Miller Park for IFMA 17 Picnic
-Delegates from over 26 countries met Sunday evening, July 19, at Miller Park for the International Farm Management Association Congress picnic. This is only the second time the Congress has been held in the U.S., and at the opening picnic, delegates from South Africa to Ireland were able to experience a Midwest American meal. Good food followed with good conversation. …
Grains Council Delegates Meeting
Greetings from San Diego! I have been from the white beaches of Panama City, to the Mile High City of Denver, to the beautiful bay in San Diego – all in one week! I am here to cover the U.S. Grains Council 49th Annual Board of Delegates meeting and to speak at a break out session on social media. Chuck …
Beef Checkoff Pays Off
The Beef Checkoff Program returns about $5.55 in value to beef producers for every dollar they invest, according to the latest economic study, which looked at the ROI for the program from 2003 to 2008. Dr. Ron Ward, professor emeritus for the Food and Resource Economics Department at the University of Florida, did the study, which measured the impact of …
MGEX is Tweeting
The Minneapolis Grain Exchange (MGEX) is the latest ag-related biz to go Twitter. According to a news release: With the creation of the MGEX site, anyone subscribing to view information on MGEX can receive up to date information in a timely manner. The page can be accessed at: http://twitter.com/MGEX1. MGEX will use Twitter to distribute press releases and share Exchange …