Leslie McCuiston, a pig farmer from Columbus, Nebraska, has been named the 2017 America’s Pig Farmer of the Year. According to the National Pork Board, the award recognizes a pig farmer who excels at raising pigs using the We Care ethical principles and who connects with today’s consumers about how pork is produced. McCuiston received the highest combined score from …
Help Finally on the Way for USDA
Over five months after he took office, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue finally has some help on the way. Yesterday, the Senate voted to formally approved the nominations of Stephen Censky as Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, and Ted McKinney as Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs. “I am pleased that the U.S. Senate was able to work …
Animal Ag Bites 10/2
Seven decades after its founding, Sanderson Farms is proud to still be providing jobs in the United States. They are currently the only Fortune 1000 company headquartered in Mississippi and have no plans to ever leave. Rachel Robinson from Kansas City, Missouri, has joined the American Angus Association as a senior communications specialist. The September Dairy Market Report is now …
GROWMARK Announces 2018 Essay Contest Theme
For the past 25 years, GROWMARK has challenged students to think creatively about the future of agriculture and how cooperatives can continue to thrive and contribute to the industry through an annual essay contest. This year’s 2018 GROWMARK Essay Contest asks students “How can cooperatives demonstrate their value to the next generation of agriculturists?” All high school FFA members in Illinois, Iowa, …
AFBF Marketbasket Survey Shows Food Price Increase
The American Farm Bureau Federation’s Fall Harvest Marketbasket Survey shows a three percent increase in the total cost of 16 food items over last year’s prices. Foods costing more include bacon, chicken breast, and sliced deli ham, as well as orange juice and flour. The cost of bacon rose the most, up 19 percent to $5.24 per pound. AFBF’s Director …
Alltech Talks Farm of the Future LIVE
Alltech hosted a live video event on the future of agriculture and technology with a panel of agribusiness experts discussing and debating their thoughts on the future of the agricultural industry, new consumer demographics and demands, ag technology, big data, nutrigenomics and precision nutrition. Continue to follow the discussion on Twitter with the hashtag #FarmingTheFuture. Great questions were posed, thought-provoking …
SMART Farmer Emily Buck
Emily Buck farms with her husband and daughter near Columbus, Ohio where they raise soybeans, corn and wheat and also have a small sheep operation. Her main role on the farm, beyond helping with crops, is to manage the 40 ewes. Off the farm, Emily is a university researcher and professor of agricultural communication at Ohio State University, which gives …
USDA Trade Mission Heading to Brazil
A USDA Foreign Agriculture Service trade mission to São Paulo and Recife, Brazil, is underway this week with leaders from 24 U.S. agribusinesses and trade organizations looking to expand their agricultural exports and further develop their business relationships in Brazil. “Brazil holds significant untapped market potential for U.S. exporters,” said Mark Slupek, deputy administrator of the Office of Trade Programs …
Animal Ag Bites 9/25
The 47th Annual American Gelbvieh Association National Convention will be held December 7-9, 2017, at the Hyatt Regency Wichita in Wichita, Kansas. Early registration ends October 31. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has released a safety communication concerning the use of Micotil 300 in cattle and sheep. If you haven’t registered for the 2017 Angus Convention November 4-6 in …
Senate Ag Committee Hears from USDA Nominees
Nine months into the Trump Administration and the Senate Agriculture Committee just held a hearing this week on the first two nominees to help out Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue at the USDA. The committee heard from Stephen Censky, long time CEO of the American Soybean Association nominated to be Deputy Secretary of Agriculture; and Indiana Director of Agriculture Ted McKinney, …