Under a court settlement with the oil industry, the Environmental Protection Agency will now release the 2015 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) renewable volume obligations (RVOs) for biofuels by June 1, 2015, and issue the final 2014 and 2015 RFS blending targets by November 30, 2015. In addition, EPA will also release and finalize 2016 numbers this year. The agency failed …
Coolbean the Soybean Teaches Science
A new e-book is teaching kids to think likes scientists. Coolbean the Soybean, now available as an interactive book for grades 3-5, helps children learn about agronomic, crop and soil sciences. Author Shawn Conley is an agronomy professor and the Soybean and Wheat Extension Specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “I wanted to develop a fun, yet educational, tool to …
USDA Releases Prospective Plantings Report
The much-anticipated 2015 Prospective Plantings released by USDA today shows declines expected in corn, wheat and cotton acres this year, with only a modest increase in soybean acreage. Corn planted area for all purposes in 2015 is estimated at 89.2 million acres, down 2 percent from last year. If realized, this will be the third consecutive year of an acreage …
Doane Releases Planting Intentions Survey Results
Doane’s 2015 Planting Intentions Survey was released to subscribers and clients Friday, March 20th. Results from this year’s survey show a continuation of recent trends toward more soybeans and less corn acreage. Last year’s corn acreage declined significantly in 2014, down 4.8 million acres from the 2013 level, just a bit more than the 4.5 million acre decline implied by …
ASA Awards at #Classic15
The American Soybean Association (ASA) presented several awards during the annual banquet at Commodity Classic last week. Steve Berger from Wellman, Iowa received the 2015 National Conservation Legacy Award, designed Along with ASA, the program is co-sponsored by BASF Crop Protection, Monsanto, Corn & Soybean Digest magazine and the United Soybean Board/Checkoff. ASA presented Dr. Jim Specht, emeritus professor of …
#Classic15 Pocket Knife Ribbon Cutting
Normally we video the opening ceremonies for the Commodity Classic trade show, but we were a little shorthanded this year so it was just photos. Fortunately, our gold star intern Taylor Truckey recorded enough of a sequence to enjoy the moment as the ribbon cutters were having a hard time with some dull scissors and it came down to a …
#Classic15 Session on Farming Like a Champ
Two yield rocking champions played to a standing room only crowd at the 2015 Commodity Classic in a session sponsored by BASF Crop Protection on how to get the most out of your acres. Always a crowd pleaser, world champion soybean grower Kip Cullers of Missouri hammered home the importance of happy plants and packing starch. “You keep that plant …
#Classic15 Presidents
The tradition of Commodity Classic emcee Mark Mayfield interviewing the presidents of each organization continued this year. Left to right are Mayfield, National Sorghum Producers chairman JB Stewart of Oklahoma, National Association of Wheat Growers president Paul Penner of Kansas, American Soybean Association president Wade Cowan of Texas, and National Corn Growers Association president Chip Bowling of Maryland. Listen to …
Sec. Vilsack Addresses 2015 Commodity Classic
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack spoke to over 7000 agricultural producers and industry members during his 6th appearance at Commodity Classic on Friday. Sec. Vilsack began by stating that he “was in the presence of greatness” and went on to thank farmers for all that they do on a daily basis. He also thanked farmers for their work on the …
Commodity Classic Groups Meet the Press
Trade, taxes, biotechnology, farm policy and government regulations are the main issues of concern to the commodity organizations who make up the Commodity Classic. Leadership of the American Soybean Association (ASA), National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG), and National Sorghum Producers (NSP) all held press conferences Thursday to talk about their top priorities. Under the …