Members from Cook, Marshall-Putnam and Randolph counties are among 24 County Activities of Excellence (CAE) Program winners chosen from 123 national entries. This is the second straight year for Illinois Farm Bureau to have three CAE winners.The CAE program acknowledges and shares successful county Farm Bureau programs and activities focusing on education and ag promotion, member services, public relations and …
Lowering Biofuels Targets Could Hurt Farmers
Representatives from state government, the agriculture community, and the ethanol industry all say the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) biofuels requirements would have a negative impact on agriculture and rural economies. During a telephone press discussion today about the proposal Iowa Governor Terry Branstad said he was proud of his state’s leadership in biofuels production and …
Biotech Crops Alliance Names Secretariat
An alliance of organizations supporting biotech crops has named a leader to help “spearhead collaborative efforts to improve the environment for technology innovation and the market for U.S. crops produced through modern biotechnology.” Dr. Michael J. Phillips has been selected as the first secretariat for the U.S. Biotech Crops Alliance (USBCA), which was established by several organizations under a memorandum …
Giving Thanks for Affordable Food
When we sit down this week to tables heaping with delicious food, we should all take a moment to reflect upon how blessed we are to live in a land of abundant and affordable food. We have seen stories this year about food costs being higher, often blaming last year’s drought and ethanol production, but in fact our Thanksgiving meal …
Farm Bill Top Topic at NAFB Trade Talk
For the third year in a row now, the main topic of discussion at the NAFB Trade Talk was farm bill, or lack thereof. Despite reports that high hopes are fading for a farm bill yet this year, the ag group representatives we talked to were still cautiously optimistic. “I think progress is being made and I’m still confident that …
McChrystal to Keynote AFBF Annual Convention
Gen. Stan McChrystal, a retired four-star general and former commander of U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan, will deliver the keynote address at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 2014 Annual Convention, Jan. 12-15, 2014, in San Antonio, Texas. More than 7,000 Farm Bureau members from across the nation are expected to gather in San Antonio for the 95th Annual Convention …
Farm Bureau Discusses Cygnus Acquisition
Since we are in a busy agriblogging month, you get a double dose of the ZimmCast this week, with a second podcast about an important recent announcement in the agribusiness world. Last week during the Ag Media Summit, we got the news that American Farm Bureau Federation had acquired Cygnus Business Media’s agricultural events and publications, including five IDEAg branded …
Farm Bureau Buys Farm Shows/Publications
I don’t know about you but this caught me by surprise. What do you think about what Farm Bureau’s big announcement today? The American Farm Bureau Federation announced today the acquisition of Cygnus Business Media’s agricultural events and publications. The purchase includes five IDEAg branded farm shows – Minnesota Farmfest, Dakotafest, Amarillo Farm and Ranch Show, Northern Illinois Farm Show …
Honoring Marsha Purcell
A big thank you to our good friend Gene Hemphill for sharing a photo of Marsha Purcell who has just retired from a career of service to agriculture. He went further though in also providing us with these fantastic comments: Email Dateline: Friday, Aug. 2, 2013 – “Wow! The day has finally come and I can’t believe it – it’s …
Farm Bill Split Could Happen
Momentum seems to be building for a vote in the House on a farm only farm bill – but only if the votes are there. During a town hall meeting in Oklahoma over the July 4th recess, House Ag Committee Chairman Frank Lucas indicated that he expected leadership to split the bill but he would rather not see that happen. …