One of the members of Congress who met with leaders of the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) last week in Washington DC was Rep. Gwen Graham (D-FL), the daughter of former Florida governor and senator Bob Graham. She is pictured here (left) with Mary Hartney, president of the Florida Fertilizer & Agrichemical Association. Rep. Graham recently completed her first North Florida …
Vilsack Discusses 2017 Budget for USDA
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack hosted a national media Tuesday call to discuss the Obama administration’s 2017 budget request for USDA programs. “Over the past seven years, USDA has made strides in improving the health of our nation’s children, enrolled a record number of privately-owned acres in conservation programs, bolstered the economies and infrastructure of small rural towns, and more,” said …
GROWMARK with Ag Retailers in DC
Joining the Agricultural Retailers Association last week in Washington DC was GROWMARK Executive Director for Corporate and Government Relations Chuck Spencer, who joined in legislative visits to discuss key issues for the cooperative and the industry. Spencer says top legislative priorities for GROWMARK include the labeling issue for genetically modified products. “We need to have a federal standard on genetically …
Alltech ONE Set To Inspire Industry
Last year, Alltech’s Rebelation symposium offered the industry an unprecedented opportunity for global collaboration by hosting programs, discussions, and information sessions with some of the worlds greatest innovators. This year’s symposium is called ONE, and it promises to be even more unforgettable. ONE is a forum, hosted by Alltech, for industry professionals to discuss world-changing ideas with other industry leaders …
Who Will FarmNext and How
Who will be farming next? What are their thoughts and concerns? These questions and more are dealt with in a new white paper published by YI Advisors. The paper was presented during last week’s FarmNext Summit in Washington, DC. I spoke with Tom Allison, Associate Director of Research for YI Advisors to learn more about the FarmNext Initiative and the …
Sustainability Expert Defends Big Business
Terms like local, organic, natural and sustainable dominate the marketplace, but what does it all mean? One of the most tangible examples of sustainability is the use of drastically fewer resources over time, something many areas of agriculture, especially the dairy industry, can say is true of their production methods. Regardless of this fact, many large-scale production operations face a …
#TPP Signed Amid Protests in New Zealand
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 …