Keeping Farmers in the Sustainability Dialogue

Lizzy Schultz

At the latest Food Dialogue from the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) and the Farm and Food Alliance of Minnesota, a panel of experts kept the focus entirely on water sustainability, an issue that has continually placed significant blame on production agriculture. The lone producer on the panel was Nathan Collins, who raises Angus cattle and grows corn, soybeans, …

Ag Groups, Audio, Conservation, Environment, Farming, Sustainability, USFRA

The Corporate Commitment to Sustainability

Lizzy Schultz

The latest installment of the Food Dialogues, held this week in Minneapolis as part of a joint effort from the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) and the Farm and Food Alliance of Minnesota, kept the focus on water sustainability. The diverse panel of professionals highlighted the many ways that water conservation is present in their professions and the companies …

Ag Groups, Audio, Conservation, Environment, Sustainability

$2 M for Urban Ag Conservation from NACD, NRCS

Joanna Schroeder

Forty-two conservation districts in 25 states have been awarded $2 million for urban ag and conservation projects. The money was given through the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) in partnership with USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). The goal of the initiative is to help conservation districts and their partners provide technical assistance for ag conversation in areas where …

Agribusiness, Conservation

New Executive Director at @CTIC_Tweet

Cindy Zimmerman

The Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) has named Chad Watts as new Executive Director. Watts joined CTIC in 2012 as Project Director, leading a range of highly successful conservation programs including the Indian Creek Watershed Project, the Great Lakes Cover Crop Initiative and the influential National Cover Crop Survey, which has been cited in Congressional testimony. “Chad’s deep commitment to …

Conservation, CTIC

The Buzz About Sustainability at #CUTC16

Kelly Marshall

Fred Yoder is an Ohio corn farmer who believes sustainability is more than a buzz word. At the Corn Utilization and Technology Conference Yoder told AgWired about his involvement with Climate Smart Agriculture, a term coined to describe just what it is growers will have to do to feed 9 billion people while working with what we’ve got. Working with …

Agribusiness, Conservation, CUTC, Sustainability

FB Members Testify on EPA Concerns

Lizzy Schultz

Earlier this week, three Farm Bureau members testified before the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry regarding the involvement of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the ongoing Chesapeake Bay cleanup. Pennsylvania Farm Bureau President Richard Ebert, former Ohio Farm Bureau President Terry McClure, and Florida Farm Bureau member Kate English, all testified before the subcommittee that they believe …

Ag Groups, Conservation, EPA, politics

Celebrating The Bees Behind Craft Beer

Lizzy Schultz

Rogue Ales is celebrating all 7,140,289 of their honeybees with the release of two new products, Honey Kolsch and Marionberry Braggot. Both are made with honey foraged from Rogue Farms spring nectar sources including marionberry, cherry, jalapeño, cucumber, pumpkins and wildflower blossoms. This spring’s honey harvest brought its own unique flavor, and it is highlighted in both beer and braggot. …

Ag Groups, Bees, Conservation, Environment, Food, pollinators

CNH Releases 2015 Sustainability Report

Kelly Marshall

 CNH Industrial has proven time and again that they are a sustainable company.  For the fifth year in a row they have been named an Industry Leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability (DJSI) World and Europe Inducies.  They were the 2015 DJSI Capital Goods Industry Group Leader and were included on the CDP Climate A List.  Now the company is …

Agribusiness, Case IH, Conservation, New Holland

Illinois HerbFest Celebrates Earth Day

Lizzy Schultz

The Illinois Herb Association will celebrate this month’s Earth Day festivities during the 2016 HerbFest. The event will be held April 16 in Chillicothe, Illinois, at Chillicothe Public Library. “The annual HerbFest was previously held in June and September, but this year will be moving to April in order to celebrate Earth Day and build nature into the program,” said …

Ag Groups, Conservation, Environment, Planting, specialty crops, Sustainability

New Insights On Colony Collapse Disorder

Lizzy Schultz

Researchers from Arizona State University’s (ASU) School of Life Sciences recently discovered that the commonly accepted claim that blames nutritional deprivation for the increasing collapse of honey bee colonies is incorrect. The two studies published by ASU researchers found that the stress of short-term nutritional deprivation as larvae actually makes honey bees more resilient to starvation as adults. The findings …

Ag Groups, Bees, Conservation, Environment, pollinators, Research, Sustainability