The Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council is conducting a first ever event today in Mankato, MN. The event, “Biodiesel 2015 & Beyond: A Biodiesel/Bioheat Forum,” brings together biodiesel industry market developers, researchers and a number of representatives of east coast oil heat and fuel companies. The open forum is providing an educational look at what’s going on in the …
Kasich Supports #Ag But Rubio Stays Silent
During the question portion of Ohio Governor John Kasich‘s time on the soapbox during the Iowa State Fair he stressed that he supports agriculture. Due to rain, Florida Senator Marco Rubio cut his remarks short and did not directly address the topic. Ohio Governor John Kasich shared his “bootstrap” story and shared other antidotes rather than really hitting hard on …
#Ag Not on Republican Soapbox Agenda
Apparently agriculture is not a main agenda item during the Iowa State Fair for many Republicans. During the Des Moines Register’s Soapbox series speeches, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina and Senator from South Carolina Lindsey Graham failed to discuss any ag issues in detail and only Walker and Fiorina made comments but only when answering crowd questions. I …
Debt was Focus for Carson and Pataki in Iowa
Republican presidential hopefuls Dr. Ben Carson and former New York Governor George Pataki took the Des Moines Register Soapbox during the Iowa State Fair Sunday with a common message of reducing America’s debt. Dr. Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, focused much of his remarks on personal stories yet engaged the crowd with lessons learned. For example, he said, “The person who …
No #GetYourAgOn From These Candidates
There are a lot of candidates vying to be the next president of the United States floating around the Iowa State Fair, but for being in Iowa, many are missing the boat on two very important issues to the state – energy and agriculture. This weekend, presidential candidates Rick Santorum, former U.S. Senator of Pennsylvania (Republican); Lincoln Chafee, former Governor …
Jeb Bush Touts #Ag Support at Iowa State Fair
Republican Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida and presidential hopeful, kicked off his time on the Presidential Soapbox promoting his support of agriculture and renewable energy. Florida has a huge agriculture community. In fact, the state ranks second in value of vegetable production, just behind California, is the first in production value for oranges, grapefruit, watermelons, and more and is …
Democrats Webb, O’Malley Tout Support for Ag, Energy
Democratic hopeful presidential candidates Jim Webb and Martin O’Malley touted their support for ag and energy yesterday during their speeches from the Des Moines Register’s Presidential Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair. They have some fundamental issues in common, including the need for better education and to bring the American dream back to Americans through a stronger economy and better wages. …
Viewpoints from @USFRA Food Dialogues
On Tuesday night, the Mill City Museum in downtown Minneapolis was filled with conversation about agriculture at the fifth annual Food Dialogue, hosted by the US Farmers and Rachers Alliance(USFRA). The event featured seven very diverse panelists, highlighting the diverse ranges of expertise that exist within food production. Bill Gordon, fourth generation soybean farmer; Jen Haugen, a registered dietician formerly …
Huckabee Gets His #Pork On at Iowa State Fair
Iowa Ag Secretary Bill Northey is encouraging everyone, including presidential candidates, to #GetYourAgOn at the Iowa State Fair. Well Presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas and 2008 winner of the Iowa Republican Caucuses, is definitely getting his #GetYourAgOn with his love of pork. He kicked off his Des Moines Register Presidential Soapbox speech saying, “Porkchop on a stick. …
Big Crowd for @USFRA Food Dialogues in Minnesota
It was a packed house last night at the USFRA Food Dialogues in Minneapolis entitled “Farm to Consumer: Bridging the Gap between Consumer Concerns and Food Production and Sourcing Decisions.” Chuck was supposed to be there but had his flight cancelled and at the last minute our amazing summer intern Lizzy Shultz drove from Madison to fill in. The event, …