The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) annual conference is in full swing in Minneapolis, MN with both Cindy and Kelly on the ground to bring you all the news. To kick off our coverage of the event Cindy spoke with President and CEO Andy LaVigne about the past year’s work and what ASTA hopes to accomplish at the conference for the …
Joe Swedberg to Lead Farm Foundation Board
Joe C. Swedberg of Longmont, CO., was elected to serve as chairman of the Board of Directors of Farm Foundation on June 9th at the Board’s annual meeting in Charlottesville, VA, succedding Mark Scholl from Owensboro, KY. Larkin Martin, Courtland, AL, was elected to serve as Vice Chair. In addition to the election, the Farm Foundation Trust Agreement name has …
2017 World Pork Expo: The Highlights
More than 20,000 pork producers and ag professionals from throughout the world attended the 29th World Pork Expo, June 7-9, in Des Moines. Presented by the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), the 2017 Expo hosted more than 1,000 international guests from nearly 40 countries. We spent the days mainly in the media room covering the latest from the pork community. …
NCGA Moves Forward with Farmer Success
It should be noted that the efforts of growers to create healthier soils and cleaner water are having an impact, which is why the National Corn Growers Association is taking that momentum forward. Last week the staff of the NCGA in Illinois, Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and Ohio met to learn more about the balance between …
NCGA Urging Innovators To Consider Corn
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) and innovation facilitator NineSigma recently announced the launch of The Consider Corn Challenge, a global competition to identify new and innovative uses for field corn as a renewable feedstock for making sustainable chemicals with significant market demand. Corn production in the United States has increased from 105.5 million metric tons in 1970 to 345.5 …
Dairy & Poultry Groups Say Modernize NAFTA
Leading animal agricultural groups representing the dairy and poultry sectors spoke out this week highlighting what a NAFTA modernization would mean for each of their prospective industries. The U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) sent comments to the U.S. Trade Representative describing the existing North American dairy landscape as one in which U.S. dairy …
Pork Pleased with Pruitt and EPA Reform
The Trump administration has certainly shaken things up, and nowhere is that more evident than in regards to environmental issues. Kraig Westerbeek, National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) Board & VP of Environment and Support Operations for Murphy Brown spoke about top environmental priorities at the recent World Pork Expo, outlining the steps recently taken toward regulatory reform. The Waters of …
Secure Pork Plan Creates Excitement at WPX
The World Pork Expo was buzzing with the news of the soon-to-be-launched Secure Pork Supply plan. “The Pork Board is taking a leadership role in preparedness,” said Terry O’Neel, vice president of the National Pork Board said at a combined press conference. “This is another collaborative effort between the National Pork Producers Council, National Pork Board, the American Association of …
U.S. Beef Access to China Takes Another Step Forward
The Trump Administration has taken steps toward commercial shipment of U.S. beef and beef products to China for the first time since 2003. The USDA has reached agreement with Chinese officials on final details of a protocol to allow the U.S. to begin the beef exports to China. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue issued the following statement: “Today is a …
NPPC Gives Voice to Producer Concerns
Deputy Director of Economics and Domestic Production Issues for the National Pork Producers Council, Dustin Baker, was at the World Pork Expo last week talking with producers about their concerns for the future of the industry. Trade is always at the top of that list, Baker says, since pork is a global market, but already NPPC is looking forward to …