Over 70 Wisconsin dairy operations are already feeling the blow from a protectionist Canadian trade policy that has slammed the door on American dairy exports, violated existing trade commitments, and left farmers across the state scrambling to find milk buyers. Grassland Dairy Products Inc. informed over 70 operations this week that their contracts with the company will end May 1st, …
Raising Protein for a Sustainable Future
Future Food-Tech took place in San Francisco last week and brought together over 300 food business technology leaders, investors and food-tech innovators. Brad Greenway, Chairman, U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) sat on a panel titled, “Creating Consumer Demand for Healthier and More Sustainable Ingredients.” As the sole panelist who represented the animal agriculture community, Brad was able to share …
Peanut and Cotton Growers Provide Farm Bill Input
Peanut and cotton growers provided their input into commodity programs in the next farm bill during a hearing this week before the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management. Georgia farmer Tim McMillan testified on behalf of the Southern Peanut Farmers Federation in support of maintaining the peanut provisions of the 2014 Farm Bill and the …
Farm Bureau Urges Senate Confirmation of Perdue
Yesterday we received news from the White House stating President Trump authorized emergency grazing on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas after those states were impacted by widespread wildfires. This was followed by news from USDA’s Acting Deputy Secretary Michael L. Young, who issued the memorandum. This news reminds us we are still without leadership at …
Senate Urged to Vote as USDA Remains in Limbo
With the Senate in the midst of contentious debate over Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch, agricultural interests are begging the Senate leadership to take a few minutes this week to confirm Sonny Perdue as Secretary of Agriculture before recessing for spring break. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Michael Conaway (R-TX) and Ranking Member Collin Peterson (D-MN) sent a letter to Senate …
FMC Command® 3ME is Tops for Rice Growers
Command® 3ME herbicide remains the South’s number one preemergence solution for protecting rice production from annual grasses despite recent entries into the market, according to FMC tech service rep Don Johnson in Mississippi. “We’ve been on the marketplace for rice growers in the Delta region for 16 years now,” said Johnson during an interview at the 2017 Farm and Gin …
Outstanding Young Farmers Recognized
As part of National Ag Day, John Deere welcomed four new inductees to the Outstanding Farmers of America (OFA) Fraternity as National Outstanding Young Farmers at the OYF Awards Congress. This year Jessica Niederer spoke on behalf of the inductees. Niederer is an organic grower who sells all of her 57 varieties at farmer’s markets in New Jersey. Selling at farmer’s markets offers her a …
More Beans and Cotton, Less Corn and Wheat
The first estimate for crop plantings this year by USDA is calling for less corn and wheat but more soybeans and cotton. The 2017 Prospective Plantings report based on farmer surveys estimates that corn planted area for all purposes in 2017 will be 90 million acres, down 4 percent or 4.0 million acres from last year. Soybeans planted area for …
Tebow Wins 2017 Charles Eastin Award on Ag Day
Sue Tebow was the recipient of this year’s Charles Eastin Award, presented on National Ag Day. The award honors advocates who communicate between rural and urban audiences; Tebow’s Facebook page, agri.CULTURE, certainly does that job. She credits her vantage point as an outsider to the industry with shaping the message that has allowed her to reach thousands of people. “I realized it is a …
FMC to Acquire Portion of Dupont Crop Protection
In an early morning call FMC and DuPont made a major announcement: FMC Corporation (NYSE: FMC) and DuPont (NYSE: DD) today announced the signing of a definitive agreement for FMC to acquire the portion of DuPont’s Crop Protection business it must divest to comply with the European Commission ruling related to its merger with The Dow Chemical Company. Additionally, DuPont …