We’re coming up on National Farm Safety & Health Week. With the 2010 harvest upon us it’s a good time to think safe. The folks at the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety have a farm first aid kit you can purchase. To hear some reasons why you should think safe you might enjoy a video clip from Cattlemen to …
Pork and Beef Panels On GIPSA
Since the livestock industry is so important to our country as well as just about every other sector of agriculture you can’t get enough on a subject that has major implications for its future. That would be the proposed rule by the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA). You can follow back through our posts on this topic using …
United Soybean Board Update
The United Soybean Board was represented by Chairman, Phil Bradshaw, a soybean grower from Illinois, at the Farm Progress Show. I spent a few minutes with him to get an update on USB activities while he was visiting ag media. Phil just got back from a trip to Japan to promote U.S. soybeans. He says they’re our 3rd largest customer. …
GIPSA Proposed Rule Video Interviews
The most recent USDA/DOJ Public Workshop on competition in the livestock industry may be fading from people’s minds but we’re going to keep the issues discussed and presented alive, most importantly the proposed GIPSA rule that everyone seems to agree would have a profound impact on the industry. What kind of impact though is a source of significant disagreement. You …
American Soybean Association Update
Commodity group leaders always make time to visit with the media at Farm Progress Show. One of them I spoke with yesterday was Rob Joslin, President, American Soybean Association. Rob is a soybean grower from Ohio. In the photo he’s on the left and speaking with Stu Ellis. I asked him about the issues that ASA is working on and …
Corn Talking At Farm Progress Show
The leadership of the National Corn Growers Association is all over the Farm Progress Show helping promote Iowa corn and NCGA. Here’s Mark Lambert, known as @CornGuy on Twitter, driving them around now that the rain has stopped. I spoke with Bart Schott, NCGA 1st VP, sitting in the back behind Mark. Bart says they’ve been conducting media interviews and …
Opening Remarks At GIPSA Rule Forum
I’m betting that by the end of today’s USDA/DOJ public workshop (it is today) we’re going to know a lot more about the proposed GIPSA rule and what it means for everyone in the livestock industry. I’ve got quite a bit of information from the evening’s forums that I’ll post when time allows in coming days and weeks. To get …
Live Audio From R-Calf GIPSA Forum
Now I’m attending the R-Calf GIPSA forum. Got here a little late. They’ve got an overflow crowd. There are several speakers to go. The language being used in the presentations is very different. Lots of references to factory farms and corporate control. No definition given though. I tried to live stream the audio but I couldn’t get on the hotel …
Live Audio GIPSA Forum With NCBA/NPPC
I’ve been live streaming the audio from this evening’s forum and press conference on the proposed GIPSA rule. I’ll be posting selected audio and interviews at some later time since I have another forum to try to attend this evening and then an all day workshop tomorrow. I hope all you who listened got something out of it. It’s always …
Learning More About GIPSA
It’s time for some livestock industry forums in Ft. Collins, CO. I’m attending the first one which is the NCBA/NPPC GIPSA Rule Press Briefing. We’re in the Hilton for this session. I’ll be attending another one later this evening too. It looks like we’ve got people rolling in and the room is set up for a big crowd. Media are …