National Sorghum Checkoff Program opened Commodity Classic with a big announcement– their partnership with DuPont Pioneer has yielded results. “Today I’m pleased to share with you that, as a result of that partnership, we’ve made a discovery that is the first step, the first hurdle cleared in accelerating the sorghum breeding process,” said Cleve Franks, sorghum research scientist at DuPont Pioneer. …
Funding the Next Ag Food Revolution
There is no question that the world is entering a new agricultural food revolution, with new technological innovations remaining necessary in order to solve the many current and future problems facing global food security and sustainability. Several panelists were brought in during the 2017 Bayer #AgVocacy Forum to discuss how the industry is going to be able to fund the …
House Ag Committee Chair to Speak at Classic
U.S. Congressman Mike Conaway, chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, will give an address at Commodity Classic on Friday, March 3 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Conaway represents 29 counties in the 11th congressional district of Texas– his native state. He also serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the Premanent Select Committee on Intelligence. “We are …
Ag Groups & Ethanol Discuss Common Ground
At the National Ethanol Conference, Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) president and CEO Bob Dinneen sat down with representatives from the corn and livestock industries to talk about the current state of the farm economy, the policy impact of historic surpluses, and moving past food versus fuel. Dinneen discussed common ground with National Corn Growers Association CEO Chris Novak and National …
Terry Branstad Addresses Ag Outlook Forum
The distinguished speaker at this year’s USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum was former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, who was recently nominated as ambassador to China. Branstad took time during his speech to praise incoming Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and share his thoughts on the future of agriculture and economic development in rural America. “Simply put, American agriculture is tied to …
Farm Bureau President Speaks at USDA Ag Outlook Forum
The American Farm Bureau Federation’s public policy agenda shares much in common with the Trump administration on issues like regulatory reform and tax reform. But even harder issues such as farm labor and trade should present opportunities to engage with Congress and the White House, alike, AFBF President Zippy Duvall told participants at the USDA’s Agricultural Outlook Forum. Duvall said …
#RebuildRural Encourages Trump to Prioritize Infrastructure
Two hundred some #RebuildRural organizations representing U.S. agriculture, rural businesses, communities and families sent a letter to the President, asking him to make infrastructure in rural America a priority. The letter highlights the needs in rural communicates where a lack of population density creates challenges. “American agriculture truly feeds the world and creates millions of jobs for U.S. workers. Our …
NFU Announces Speakers, Panelists for Convention
The National Farmers Union will be celebrating 115 years at their annual convention in San Diego next month. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from industry professionals, policy makers and reporters during the four-day event. The speaker schedule is as follows: Conservation Panel (March 6, 2017) ~ Jason Weller, former chief, U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service …
Celebrating National #FFAweek
Tomorrow kicks off National FFA Week, running from Saturday to Saturday around George Washington’s birthday. More than 649,000 FFA members will share the message of agriculture by hosting activities that highlight the importance of raising food and fiber. The tradition began in 1948 in recognition of Washington’s legacy as a farmer. Today National FFA Week encourages chapters to be involved in …
“Seeding Innovation” Website Unveiled by ASTA
The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) has announced a new, educational website, seedinginnovation.org. The organization hopes to provide answers to consumer questions like: What is plant breeding innovation? What do plant breeders do? And what could the latest breeding techniques like gene editing mean for the future of agriculture and our society? The new site offers informational videos, blog posts, …