RFA Ethanol Podcast

Crowdsourcing Comes to Agriculture

Jamie Johansen

We are all familiar with crowdfunding campaigns, however in the past they have mainly been found in the techie world. That is no longer the case. Now projects related to livestock, irrigation system or anything on the farm might be made possible thanks to newly launched Harvest Funders. Crowdsourcing.org said the platform got its start when founder Jesse Lasater heard …

Ag Groups, Farming

Pope Francis Calls Farming a Vocation

Chuck Zimmerman

Pope Francis put agriculture in focus this weekend when he met with a group of managers from the National Confederation of Direct Cultivators. His comments reflected on two main areas, poverty and hunger and protection of the environment. BTW. I love this photo of him from the L’Osservatore Romano. Here are a few excerpts from his comments “There is no …

Farming, Food, International, politics

Reports Say Pope Will Open His Farm

Cindy Zimmerman

There’s a bunch of news stories on the web that Pope Francis will be opening up the papal farm at Castel Gandolfo to the public for tours next year, although I can’t seem to find any official word from the Vatican on its website or on the Catholic News Service. Since the original story is from the Associated Press, take …

Farming, International

GROWMARK Preparing for Next Season

Cindy Zimmerman

A farmer’s work is never done so now that the harvest is complete, it’s time to prepare for next season. “We’re getting done getting the ammonia on because of the cold weather,” said GROWMARK Regional Agronomy Business Director Nate Pierce during an interview at the NAFB convention last month. “We need to start making our plans and working with the …

Audio, Farming, Fertilizer, GROWMARK, NAFB

Meet the New USFRA Faces: Thomas Titus

John Davis

If you get a chance to talk to one of the newest representatives in the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance’s (USFRA) Faces of Farming and Ranching program, you’ll certainly be taken by more than just Thomas Titus’ impressive height (6’8″!). You’ll hear just how enthusiastic he is to talk about the world of agriculture. “Talking about agriculture was something instilled …

Ag Groups, Audio, Corn, Farming, Pork, Swine, USFRA

AgVoice4Choice Urges Growers to ACT Now

Cindy Zimmerman

Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a report on the “Benefits of Neonicotinoid Seed Treatments to Soybean Production” concluding that “these seed treatments provide little or no overall benefits to soybean production in most situations.” Upon release of the report, a 60-day comment period was opened which concludes on December 22. So far, the comment website reports just …

Agribusiness, Crop Protection, Farming, Insecticides, Soybean

FARMLAND On Demand

Cindy Zimmerman

If you’re looking for a great movie to watch with the family over Thanksgiving – here is just the ticket. The feature film Farmland is now available for rent and purchase via On Demand platforms – providing more people with the opportunity to view the film from their own homes and digital devices. The film’s move to digital platforms takes …

Farming, USFRA

Meet the New USFRA Faces

Cindy Zimmerman

At the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) convention on Wednesday, the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA®) announced the winners of its second class of the Faces of Farming and Ranching program. The new “Faces” are (pictured left to right) Thomas Titus of Illinois, Jay Hill of New Mexico, Erin Brenneman of Iowa, Carla Wardin of Michigan, and Darrell …

Audio, Farming, NAFB, USFRA

Support the Farmer Veteran Coalition

Cindy Zimmerman

Today is Veterans Day and one of the sad facts about the men and women who serve our nation is that they often return from active duty with few job opportunities. That’s where the Farmer Veteran Coalition is making a difference. The coalition is helping to mobilize veterans in the fight to feed America by cultivating a new generation of …

Farming