Most people first notice cabinets, light fixtures and paint colors when they walk into a home, but one of the most important remodeling or new home building decisions is what is hidden behind those features– insulation. And now soy foam insulation is becoming an accepted choice, like wind or solar energy says Tom Decker, owner of Chicago Green Insulation. Decker’s …
I AM USFRA Series
We’re starting a new series here on AgWired and we’re calling it “I AM USFRA.” Most of you have probably heard about the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance, which was started in 2010 with the goal of engaging in dialogue with consumers who have questions about how today’s food is grown and raised. USFRA consists of nearly 100 agricultural organizations …
USB Educates Growers on Global Markets
The United Soybean Board (USB) invites soybean farmers with a desire to take a look at their customers beyond the elevator and to learn more about the soy checkoff’s role in marketing U.S. soy, to take part in their See for Yourself program. Tina Holst, Chilston, Wisconsin soybean farmer, took advantage of this opportunity last year and I caught up …
Grassroots Movement Expanding through CommonGround
CommonGround volunteer farm women from across the country met in Washington D.C. at the National Museum of American History to learn how to share their story. Presentations from various ag groups, like the Center for Food Integrity, helped give the women tools to reach urban and suburban moms online, through public speaking, and in media interviews. Attendees talked about prevalent …
Common Ground Grows Food Dialogues
Before Storm Jonas rolled in over the weekend I had the opportunity to attend the national Common Ground conference in Washington D.C. The event, sponsored by the United Soybean Board and the National Corn Growers Association, was created to help farm women learn how to better communicate with urban women about the safety and security of their food. “The ideas …
United Soybean Board – New Strategic Plan
The United Soybean Board is holding it’s board meeting in St. Louis, MO and held a press conference call this morning. You can listen in below if you’d like. Kicking off the call was Jared Hagert, new Chairman of USB. He was joined by several other officers. They all answered questions posed by ag media representatives. The USB Strategic Plan …
Soybean Board Appoints 17 Farmer-Leaders
Tom Vilsack has appointed 17 farmers from across the country to serve as directors on the United Soybean Board (USB). The appointees will be sworn in at the upcoming annual meeting in St. Louis. Five of the directors are newly added, 12 are returning members. The USDA has also announced that the USB will be increasing their farmer-leaders from 70 to …
Soy-backed Mats Lighten Pentagon’s Environmental Footprint
Soybeans are making the Pentagon a greener place. The United Soybean Board (USB) says the building now greets its employees and 100,000 annual visitors with 108 entry mats that use an environmentally friendly soybean-based material on the backs of those mats. After [a] 2010 pilot [project], the Pentagon contracted with EcoPathTM in 2011 to replace 82 mats at various entrances …
Soy Based Paint Can Shrink Your Footprint
Two parking lots in New Jersey are being refreshed, with the first waterborne traffic paint made with soybean oil. The Medford Township school system continuously searches for sustainable initiatives, which lead the director of operations and technology, Joe Bilkuck, to BioStripe. This soy-biobased traffic paint is being tested on two of the district’s parking lots, because in addition to being …
Soy Checkoff Request for Referendum Results
USDA just announced the results of the request for referendum on the Soybean Research and Promotion Program. There were 355 request-for-referendum forms received, of which only 324 were valid, from Farm Service Agency offices. The 355 forms represent 0.06 percent of all eligible U.S. soybean farmers. That result falls short of the 10 percent needed to prompt a referendum. “These …