The annual “State of the Ethanol Industry” address by Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) president and CEO Bob Dinneen is coming up this morning at 8:15 am central time live from the 23rd National Ethanol Conference in San Antonio, Texas. The live feed will be on the AgWired Facebook page. We have been doing a live video stream of this address …
Ag Policy Update: Farm Bill, Budget Deals & Trade
The Missouri Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers & Ranchers Conference took place over the weekend. I was able to attend with my husband and had great intentions to not ‘work.’ But when I heard topics being discussed that are timely and others might learn from, I couldn’t help but pull out my recorder and gather some content. Missouri Farm Bureau’s Director …
The Crystalyx BioBarrel Focuses on Environment
The Crystalyx BioBarrel was on display in the Alltech booth during the 2018 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show. This unique barrel allows for optimal mineral intake and is environmentally friendly. “Crystalyx products are unique because they are a low moisture block. They are a dehydrated molasses product which is continuously looking for moisture to soften. Cattle consume by …
Nebraska Congressman Praises Water for Food Forum
Congressman Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) is very proud of the work that the Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska has been doing for the future of sustainable agriculture by encouraging the involvement of young people in the industry. “Agriculture has become cool! I never thought I would see that,” said Fortenberry at the recent Water for Food …
Manito Transit Acquires Lobdell Transportation
Manito Transit of Bloomington, Illinois has acquired the assets of Lobdell Transportation, Inc., a family-owned trucking company based in Lena, Illinois. The acquisition comes with 21 tractor units, 22 fuel tankers, and eight pressure vessels capable of hauling propane and anhydrous ammonia, as well as a two-bay maintenance shop. Manito Transit now operates 120 trucks, serving customers in 13 states. …
Alltech Research Leads to Changes in Mineral Management
Mineral management is changing, thanks to research in nutrition and genomics. Butch Whitman is an Alltech beef nutritionist who was at the 2018 Cattle Industry Convention and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Trade Show in Phoenix. Whitman said research at Alltech’s Center for Nutrigenomics and Applied Animal Nutrition looks at how nutrients impact the expression of genes. That includes what nutrients …
John Deere Dealers Develop Applications to Help Growers
Some of the John Deere dealers who attended this year’s Develop with Deere conference are also developers. Ryan Hutchison with South Country Equipment in Regina, Saskatchewan, has been working on the John Deere Field Connect application. The app takes data, applies agronomic knowledge from the grower and the agronomist, and incorporates weather information to develop what he calls “crop intelligence.” …
Senators Speak Out to Approve Northey Nomination
After nearly four months of having the nomination of Iowa’s Bill Northey to the U.S. Department of Agriculture held up by Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) brought it up on the floor Wednesday and called on other colleagues to back him up. Northey was nominated to be USDA Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation in September …
ZimmCast 573 – Cattle Convention and Classic
While at the Cattle Industry Convention last week in Phoenix, Jamie decided to hijack the ZimmCast and chat with her sister and business partner Joanna Wilkinson, who is also the creative director for ZimmComm. Jamie introduces us to Joanna and talks about the convention and the customized virtual newsroom that we built for that event. I proceeded to hijack the …
Third Class of CIRB Emerging Leaders
The third class of the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau’s (CIRB) Emerging Leaders Program is the biggest yet, bringing the total number of program alumni and participants now to 17. The program is designed for professionals in the crop insurance industry that seek to increase their knowledge and hands-on experience with key issues with the goal of building the next …