The administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency discussed the new White House climate change report out yesterday with members of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting meeting in Washington DC this week. “It’s a really good document in terms of focusing on the United States,” she said. “In particular, it looks at the agriculture sector. It talks about the droughts …
Vilsack and Farm Workers Want Immigration Reform
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack joined United Farm Workers president Arturo Rodriguez and Nisei Farmers League President Manuel Cunha on a conference call Monday to discuss the importance of commonsense immigration reform for California’s agriculture economy and rural communities. “There’s no more important state to agriculture than the state of California,” said Vilsack. “It is a farm economy that is very …
USDA Releases 2012 Ag Census Results
The 2012 Census of Agriculture released today by the USDA reveals less farms and new trends. The census reveals there are now 3.28 million farmers operating 2.1 million farms on 914.5 million acres of farmland across the United States. Those numbers are all lower than 2007 when the census reported 3.18 million farmers, 2.2 million farms and 922 million acres. …
RoboFlight Offers Affordable Ag UAVs
RoboFlight is a global company that deals in data acquisition including UAV platforms as well as full scale aircraft and satellite systems. Beyond the agricultural industry, RoboFlight also works in security, search and rescue, utilities, mining and insurance. Chuck interviewed Phil Ellerbroek, Global Director of Sales for RoboFlight, and he shared more about the company. RoboFlight acquired Aerial Precision Ag, …
REPREVE Launches New Biomass Crop System
A North Carolina-based biomass company has launched a brand new system for the production of high-yielding energy crops that can be used for renewable, bio-based products. REPREVE® RENEWABLES LLC is collaborating with farmers and landowners across the country to use the innovative biomass crop system grow giant miscanthus grass on marginal and underutilized land. REPREVE developed a comprehensive solution to …
More on IFAJ and the FAO Agreement
As announced earlier this week, the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists has signed an agreement with the FAO. Signing for IFAJ was current President, Marcus Rediger. This morning I spoke with Marcus via Skype and we talked about the agreement and what it means to IFAJ members (AAEA members here in the U.S.). Information from the FAO will be featured …
Walmart Highlights Ag Sustainability Pledges
Kicking off a new Sustainable Product Expo this week, the CEOs from more than a dozen global companies gathered at Walmart headquarters in Arkansas Tuesday to pledge to increase sustainable food production. Eight of the largest food companies announced pledges to help ensure that tomorrow’s food supply is affordable and sustainable for the nine billion people projected to inhabit the …
Farm Bureau Urges Ditching of EPA Water Rule
The Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed “Waters of the US” rule was published in the Federal Register last week – all 111,000 words of it. The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) responded with just three words – “Ditch the Rule”. AFBF Public Policy Director Dale Moore says the “ditch” part comes from the fact that a reading of the rule indicates …
New Center Strengthens Bayer Bee Commitment
Bayer CropScience has a long history of commitment to pollinator health and honey bees in particular and the new North American Bee Care Center builds on that foundation. “There’s been so much interest in pollinators over the last few years,” says Dr. Ian Kelley, Bayer Bee Health Issues Manager, who says they came up with the idea for the center …
New Ethanol Jobs Report
A new industry report shows how the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is creating jobs and significant economic impact. The Fuels America coalition has released an economic impact study by John Dunham & Associates showing that the industry supports more than 850,000 American jobs and drives $184.5 billion of economic output. Renewable fuels now represent nearly 10% of America’s fuel supply …