The 2010 Farm Progress is hours away from kickoff and Matt Jungmann, the National Events Manager for the show, is expecting huge crowds. This year, more than 550 exhibitors will be on hand; this is slightly up from 2008 when the Farm Progress was last in Boone, Iowa. But maybe more impressive is the fact that the exhibitors that are …
USDA/DOJ Public Workshop Panels
Friday’s joint USDA/DOJ public workshop was a marathon with potentially over 2,000 people participating. You can follow some of what happened in my archived CoverItLive stream and the press conference featuring Sec. Vilsack and AG Eric Holder. For those of you who couldn’t attend, couldn’t listen to the live stream or need the audio for your reports or broadcasts I’m …
Live Audio USDA/DOJ Public Workshop
I was streaming live audio from today’s workshop all day. We had about 800 different people tune in and many stayed with it all day. It was a fascinating event in many ways, especially hearing so many different opinions in such a short period of time! I’ve got most of the conference recorded and will be sharing out tidbits in …
USDA/DOJ Public Workshop Press Conference
Sec. of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Attorney General Eric Holder held a press conference this morning during a break in the USDA/DOJ public workshop in Ft. Collins, CO. I’m posting the full audio from it here for you. I’ve got lots of audio and story ideas for after today. I think getting photos, audio and live streaming to the over …
Opening Remarks At GIPSA Rule Forum
I’m betting that by the end of today’s USDA/DOJ public workshop (it is today) we’re going to know a lot more about the proposed GIPSA rule and what it means for everyone in the livestock industry. I’ve got quite a bit of information from the evening’s forums that I’ll post when time allows in coming days and weeks. To get …
Live Audio From R-Calf GIPSA Forum
Now I’m attending the R-Calf GIPSA forum. Got here a little late. They’ve got an overflow crowd. There are several speakers to go. The language being used in the presentations is very different. Lots of references to factory farms and corporate control. No definition given though. I tried to live stream the audio but I couldn’t get on the hotel …
Live Audio GIPSA Forum With NCBA/NPPC
I’ve been live streaming the audio from this evening’s forum and press conference on the proposed GIPSA rule. I’ll be posting selected audio and interviews at some later time since I have another forum to try to attend this evening and then an all day workshop tomorrow. I hope all you who listened got something out of it. It’s always …
Iowa Farmers Participate in Biomass Harvest
Eighty-five farmers in and around Emmetsburg, Iowa have become early adopters by participating in the world’s largest biomass harvest for cellulosic ethanol ever. Over the next year, nearly 60,000 tons of bone-dry light corn stover and corn cobs will be delivered to Project Liberty in an effort to refine biomass harvesting, storage and transportation techniques in time for the production …
Some Groups Support GIPSA Rule
We’ve been hearing a lot from producers and organizations with concerns about the proposed Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) rule, but there are some groups in favor of the rule. The most vocal is R-CALF USA, led by CEO Bill Bullard, who calls the proposed rule “critical” to help “an industry in crisis.” Bullard contends that the rule …
NCBA President Urges Piecemeal Approach To GIPSA Rule
He’s a western Illinois cattle and hog producer and also has a feed yard. He’s Steve Foglesong, President of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. I spoke with Steve today for our series on the proposed GIPSA rule making. The picture is Steve during a press conference at this summer’s Cattle Industry Conference. He says that when you read the proposed …