The Missouri Rice Council hosted their annual Rice Field Day August 24, at the Rice Research Farm in Campbell, Missouri. Research personnel from Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO) and the University of Missouri Fisher Delta Research Center were on hand to provide area farmers a chance to see and learn about recent developments in rice research and other agricultural related …
Nebraska Corn & Soy Grows Future Leaders
Lori Luebbe, Executive Director for the Nebraska Soybean Association, attended the 2017 U.S. Soy Global Trade Exchange with agriculture students participating in the Nebraska Corn & Soy Ambassador Program. The program is a co-sponsored partnership that reaches out to agriculture majors from the University of Nebraska to show them different aspects of the soy and corn checkoff organizations and teach …
NFU Announces Biofuels Initiative
National Farmers Union (NFU) has announced an initiative “to advance federal policies that support homegrown and home-produced renewable energy sources.” “American family farmers and ranchers are facing a rapidly changing climate, a severely depressed farm economy, and deteriorating rural infrastructure and services,” said NFU President Roger Johnson during a press call to announce the effort. “Expansion of homegrown, renewable energy …
USDA Making the Most of Tax and Checkoff Dollars
Michele Kennedy Kouadio works with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Services, specifically interacting with the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) and watching how the organization uses tax payer dollars to promote exports around the world. Kouadio also helps create a better understanding of U.S. soy for international customers and helps growers here diversify soybeans to meet demands, so …
GROWMARK CEO Reports at Annual Meeting
The CEO for GROWMARK is Jim Spradlin. Jim took the stage at the annual meeting here in Chicago to report on how GROWMARK is maintaining a focus on its core values while adapting to changing market conditions, leadership and the importance of engaged employees, implementing a strategic plan and being mindful of environmental concerns. He told me that GROWMARK has …
Baize Offers View of Soy Past and Future
When John Baize walked the halls speaking with attendees of the 2017 U.S. Soy Global Trade Exchange, it wasn’t just some nice thoughts. Baize comes from 38 years of working the global market on behalf of soybeans and other farm products. That experience gives him a great him not just a good view of the past, but also of the …
Preview of GROWMARK Annual Meeting
Just prior to the start of today’s GROWMARK Annual Meeting I spoke with John Reifsteck, Chairman/President to get a preview. I’m a first time attendee, so I needed it! The theme for this year’s meeting is Execute with Excellence. John says that for GROWMARK it is not something you say or do once but it’s a habit. “We think it’s …
Bayer at Work to Combat Citrus Greening
During the 2017 Citrus Expo I visited with Adrian Percy, Bayer, about the partnership announcement between Bayer and the Citrus Research and Development Foundation to combat citrus greening disease. Adrian says that Bayer is uniquely qualified to take on the disease because of its long history in disease control and a great range of fungicide products and also work in …
U.S. Grain Inspection – What to Expect
One of the breakout sessions during the 2017 U.S. Soy Global Trade Exchange provided an overview on how the soy and grain inspection system operated. This gave U.S. growers a better understanding of how their grain was managed once it left the farm and more importantly provided international buyers with the information needed to ensure they were getting a quality …
Shifting to High Octane Ethanol Future
The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) annual conference last week included a panel on shifting to high-octane fuel. First, Trey Binford, product manager of North America Dispensers at Wayne Fueling Systems, discussed the infrastructure component. He explained why Wayne differentiated itself as the first equipment manufacturer to exclusively offer fuel dispensers UL-listed for E25 to gasoline retailers in North America. …