Ten years ago this month, just days before Christmas, President George W. Bush signed into law the Energy Independence and Security Act which greatly expanded the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) to include up to 36 billion gallons of biofuels by 2022. The expansion became known as RFS2, like the sequel to a big movie that had just been released two …
Last Minute Gift Ideas from USFRA
If you are looking for last minute gift ideas, the U.S. Farming and Ranching Foundation may have the answer. The foundation is a nonprofit organization associated with the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) with the mission of supporting sustainability and consumer education in American culture. And it is the way that individuals can donate to support that cause by …
Ag Responds to Tax Reform Passage
Our House of Representatives again passed the GOP Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, H.R. 1 (115) today after a re-vote. And agriculture is beginning to chime in. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway (TX-11) praised House passage and said, “Today, Congress has delivered the fairer, simpler tax code that American families and small businesses deserve. This historic tax relief package …
Soybean Growers Lose $1.6 Billion Annually to SCN and SDS
Diseases like Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) and Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN) continue to plague soybean growers to the tune of $1.6 billion per year, based on USDA 2016–2017 marketing year projection for average soybean price of $9.10 per bushel. Those two diseases contribute to the largest number of bushels lost for soybean farmers, who sometimes don’t even realize disease is …
Soil Health Partnership Grows Program
The Soil Health Partnership (SHP) is expanding its program thanks to a large investment made by the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) and matched by other donors. The FFAR, a nonprofit established in the 2014 Farm Bill, awarded a $9.4 million grant to SHP, the Soil Health Institute, and The Nature Conservancy. The grant is being matched by …
Iowa Corn Looks to Increase Corn Use in Plastics
The Iowa Corn Promotion Board is one step closer to expanding the corn market after receiving a new patent application on a proprietary production method using corn in the industrial manufacturing of monoethylene glycol (MEG). Most MEG is produced from fossil fuels, with the exception of some bio-MEG made from sugarcane ethanol and sourced from Brazil. Consumers are driving a …
SMART Farmer Jerry Flint
Jerry Flint may not technically be a farmer, but he did grow up on a farm in Ohio and his entire career has been focused on delivering new innovations to smart farmers. In addition to being vice president of regulatory affairs for Dow DuPont Agriculture Division, Flint is also first vice chair for the American Seed Trade Association, and his …
What Secretary Sonny Needs From Santa
It’s been a long and busy year for Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, but here at the end he is still short-staffed at USDA and could use some help from Santa to get the job done. “I had no idea we would be delayed like this and it’s unfortunate,” said Sec. Perdue in a recent interview with Iowa Agribusiness Network‘s …
Chromatin Growing Sorghum Improvements
The first S in the CSS 2017 and Seed Expo is for Sorghum, which was one of the first two crops that started the annual conference back in 1945 as the Corn & Sorghum Conference. Sorghum has come a very long way since then and improvements being made in the crop could make a major difference in developing countries, according …
New Bayer Seed Treatment Offers Promising Yield Benefit
Bayer is helping growers bring more value without increasing inputs with Poncho/VOTiVO 2.0. The seed treatment is designed to bring a healthier soil environment around the plant root, yielding an additional average 3.8 bushels per acre. “With Poncho/VOTiVO 2.0, you don’t have to change what you’re doing today – especially in the cost effective environment that we’re in today – …