The Agricultural Retailers Association will be hosting their annual conference and expo in Orlando, Florida- a place known for magic. The keynote speaker will be conjuring up a little of that enchantment as he presents his message on leadership and world-class customer service. Lee Cockerell is a retired Disney executive, a man in charge of 73,000 team members who daily created …
USDA Announces Grants for Veteran Farmers
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced $8.4 million in grants that will be used to provide training, outreach and technical assistance for the nation’s socially disadvantaged, tribal and veteran farmers and ranchers. “USDA was created to be ‘The People’s Department,’ and in the past eight years we have made tremendous progress in correcting past mistakes and creating a more inclusive …
Egg, Dairy & Chicken Prices Down, Beef Too
The American Farm Bureau Federation’s (AFBF) Fall Harvest Marketbasket Survey indicates lower retail prices for several foods, including eggs, whole milk, cheddar cheese, chicken breast, sirloin tip roast and ground chuck. The informal survey shows the total cost of 16 food items that can be used to prepare one or more meals was $49.70, down $4.40 or 8 percent compared …
Monsanto Invests $1.6 Million in Carbon Smart Research
Monsanto has announced they will be supporting the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) and its Soil Health Partnership (SHP)‘s efforts with a $1.6 million investment. NCGA was recently awarded $1 million dollars from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) to help farmers find better solutions for reducing climate change. Monsanto’s contribution will provide expertise, tools and resources …
#Ag Groups Express Concerns About Consolidation
Representatives from the American Farm Bureau Federation, National Corn Growers Association, and National Farmers Union testified Tuesday at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on consolidation in the agribusiness industry, which is poised to cut the number of major companies in the seeds, chemicals and crop nutrients market in half. AFBF Chief Economist Dr. Bob Young told the committee that farmers …
Senate Committee Hearing on Ag Consolidation
Some of the biggest names in agribusiness are on Capitol Hill this morning at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on “Consolidation and Competition in the U.S. Seed and Agrochemical Industry.” The committee chaired by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) will hear from head executives of DuPont, Dow AgroSciences, Syngenta, Bayer and Monsanto, as well as representatives from agricultural organizations such as …
MaxEmerge 5e Rolling Out in 2017
John Deere is offering growers more consistent population control than ever before with the release of the MaxEmerge 5e set for the 2017 planting season. Ryan Hough, Product Marketing Manager, Planting and Seeding Operations, sat down with Chuck during the John Deere Product Reveal for Ag Media to discuss how the MaxEmerge offers growers precision technology that can help increase …
Cuba – Oh the Possibilities
Throughout my life I have viewed Cuba as a piece of history, a far off distant land. Today, the country is being discussed in every agricultural circle I come across. The possibilities of future trade with our neighbor creates great opportunities for American farmers and ranchers. The House Agriculture Committee held a hearing earlier this week exploring the benefits of …
The Global Value of US Soy
Our 300 international attendees were present for the 2016 U.S. Soy Global Trade Exchange held earlier this month in Indianapolis, offering soy growers from across the country the opportunity to engage with an international audience about the value of U.S. Soy. One attendee who utilized the opportunity to communicate with the international audience was Kevin Scott, a diversified corn and …
#USSoy – A People to People Business
A fifth generation farmer from North Dakota, Bob Metz, is proud to say all four of his children are all involved in production agriculture. Bob’s a soybean grower, current United Soybean Board Director and former U.S. Soybean Export Council member, who is truly passing on his passion and commitment to agriculture for generations to come. I met him at the …