Protesters nearly shut down the city of Auckland, New Zealand yesterday, but the ceremonial signing of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) went on as scheduled. Trade ministers representing Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, United States, and Vietnam gathered for the signing of the historic agreement concluded four months ago in Atlanta. The ministers …
China Company to Buy Syngenta
*UPDATED with audio* Here’s some big news of the day. Syngenta announced today that ChemChina has offered to acquire the company for $43 billion. The Board of Directors of Syngenta considers that the proposed transaction respects the interests of all stakeholders and is unanimously recommending the offer to shareholders. There is committed financing for the deal and a strong commitment …
Policy Priorities for Ag Retailers
The Agricultural Retailers Association is holding its winter board meeting in Washington, DC after a day of visits on Capitol Hill. Before the meeting started I visited with ARA Chairman, Harold Cooper, Premier Ag. We talked about the policy priorities for ARA this year. The first and foremost one he says is the retail exemption to OSHA’s Process Safety Management …
Trump a Future Farmer?
Donald Trump was “honored” that he placed second in the Monday caucuses in Iowa and expressed his love for the state during his speech to supporters last night, with a parting note that he could become a farmer. “Iowa, we love you, we thank you, you’re special,” said Trump. “We will be back many, many times – in fact, I …
New Holland’s Commitment to Cattlemen
The New Holland booth at the 2016 Cattle Industry Convention features plenty of new equipment for cattle producers, and the New Holland team is on hand to talk quality forage production with attendees. Seth Doman, Hay and Forage Marketing Manager, sat down during the event to discuss the company’s new series of round balers, as well as New Holland’s long-standing …
Innovation Feeds the World
Monsanto‘s GMO crop technology is arguably one of the most influential innovations of the past century; while it remains incredibly controversial among members of the public, the science has led to unprecedented advancements throughout the realm of biotechnology, and has held a key role in the process of creating a food secure world. This year marks the 20th anniversary of …
Ag Retailers Hold Winter Board Meeting
The agriblogger is on the highway again this week, moving to Washington, DC for a few days to work with the Agricultural Retailers Association at their Winter Board Meeting. ARA planned this right since the snow was a week ago and has been pretty well cleared up on the streets. I talked with Daren Coppock, President/CEO, ARA, to have him …
Beck Ag Acquires Adayana Agribusiness Group
Beck Ag has just announced the acquisition of Adayana Agribusiness Group and I spoke with Stephanie Liska, President/CEO of Beck Ag to learn more about it. The acquisition of Adayana brings its focus on strategy and management consulting, and learning solutions delivery to strengthen the total customer offering from Beck Ag according to Stephanie. It also diversifies the customer base …
ZimmCast from #NBB16
The 13th National Biodiesel Conference and Expo was held last week in Tampa and it was the 11th year that ZimmComm has done the Biodiesel Conference Blog. Way back in 2006, the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) was one of the first industry organizations to see the value in new media like blogs and they continue to stay on the cutting …
Farmers Love #LibertyLink #RealYield
It’s the first of February, which means planting season is getting closer. Farmers who might still be thinking about what varieties to plant this year should take a listen to what growers who use Bayer’s LibertyLink system have to say about their real yields last season. I talked with Ross Aigner of Wilkin County, Minnesota about his 2015 season with …