Farm and Ranch Living recently asked their readers to submit and vote for their favorite tractor of all time. This really hit home for me since my dad still has the first tractor he over bought – a Massey-Harris 101 Junior. He also has the first car he ever bought, but that’s a different story. Old tractors are still used …
Water Availability is Growing Concern
A growing population, increasing environmental demands and climate change are combining to pose long-term questions for water availability, especially in the western part of the United States, and California in particular. “I’m not an engineer, I don’t have a PhD, I’m just a farmer,” said California Farm Bureau president Paul Wenger during a workshop on water availability at the American …
NBB’s Joe Jobe Says “Take the RFS Back in 2015”
Talking about how much the truth matters and calling for cooperation from the petroleum industry Joe Jobe, CEO, National Biodiesel Board, got attendees fired up this morning during his opening general session speech. He received a standing ovation at the end of the speech when he loudly proclaimed: 2015 is the year we get back to the future of this …
Consumer Electronics Offer Glimpse into Ag Tech
This ZimmCast is going to be another focus on the AgNerd Cloud. It’s just been working that way lately. I did not attend the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas but via Twitter I met John Shutske, Associate Dean for Extension and Outreach Programs in the University of Wisconsin’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences who was attending. John …
Farm Bureau Supports Military Veteran Farmers
The American Farm Bureau annual meeting in San Diego featured a workshop for convention attendees on why creating effective mentorship relations for veteran farmers is so important. “Dedicated, Disciplined and Determined” highlighted some of the work of the Farmer Veteran Coalition. According to Michael O’Gorman, executive director of the Farmer Veteran Coalition, a few years ago there were more than …
Next AFBF Convention in Orlando
As the 96th annual American Farm Bureau Federation Convention wrapped up this week, Florida Farm Bureau president John Hoblick was welcoming members to head for the 97th in the Sunshine State. “We’re really excited about convention coming to Florida, it’s been about 12 years since we’ve been to Florida,” Hoblick said about next year’s convention in Orlando. During the business …
AFBF Young Farmer Chair is 1st Generation
Jon Hegeman of White Plains, Alabama was elected as the new chairman of the American Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers committee at the convention in San Diego. He will take over as chairman in February and serve for one year, also serving a one-year term on the AFBF board of directors. Hegeman and his wife Amy are first generation …
San Diego Sun Sets on AFBF Convention
The sun was just going down over the bay in San Diego when we walked out of the convention center at the conclusion of the business meeting of the 96th annual American Farm Bureau convention Tuesday after voting delegates approved resolutions for the coming year. AFBF president Bob Stallman held his traditional end of the meeting press conference with the …
FDA Official Provides Update at AFBF
Food and Drug Administration Deputy Commissioner Mike Taylor provided an update on the implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) at the American Farm Bureau convention this week in San Diego. Taylor says his agency is focusing on three broad themes in implementing the 2011 law: the farm-to-table approach, practical common standards, and holding imports to the same standards …
Ag is Target for Guest Worker Audits
Agriculture has a target on its back when it comes to compliance with guest worker regulations, according to Eileen Scofield an immigration law attorney who held a workshop at the American Farm Bureau annual meeting this week. “Currently there’s three agencies that focus on employers but for ag in particular there’s about five or six other separate laws which are …