Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue topped off the ARA Conference and Expo on Thursday in Phoenix, covering a broad range of topics in his comments including tax reform, de-regulation, trade, food security, infrastructure, school lunches and the farm bill. Perdue, who noted his past experience in the fertilizer business and with ARA’s predecessor organization, the National Fertilizer Solutions Association, talked …
Get Ready for the Census of Agriculture
It’s that time farmers. The 2017 Census of Agriculture is coming in December. The survey is conducted by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. It has been conducted since 1840 and is a complete count of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them. It takes place every five years. During the NAFB Trade Talk session I visited …
Corn Crop Increase Surprises
USDA surprised many with the crop production forecast out this month estimating a two percent increase from last month for corn. Based on conditions as of November 1, yields are expected to average 175.4 bushels per acre, up 3.6 bushels from the October forecast and up 0.8 bushel from 2016. If realized, this will be the highest yield on record …
Secretary Sonny’s First Visit to NAFB
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue made his first visit to the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) annual convention, where he made a stop in at Trade Talk and then spent nearly an hour talking with broadcasters. The secretary’s first topic was the launch of USDA’s new resources to support veterans who might wish to pursue opportunities in agriculture, agribusiness, …
Clovis Declines USDA Post as Northey Nomination Still Stuck
Controversial USDA nominee Sam Clovis of Iowa has withdrawn his name for consideration as Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics. Clovis has been controversial from the start, since the position is also called chief scientist, and the talk show host/economics professor has no scientific background. But grand jury testimony on Russian campaign involvement put Clovis in the spotlight last …
New and Expanded ZimmCast
After 12 years, the ZimmCast is getting a bit of a makeover. The new and expanded ZimmCast is here. After informally polling our audience and looking at new podcast research, we clearly heard that you want more. So the length of the ZimmCast will increase with more interviews and audio from the travels of the ZimmComm Golden Mic. The mission of …
Ibach Sworn in, Northey Still on Hold for USDA
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue traveled to Omaha yesterday to swear-in new Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Greg Ibach in his home state. “Greg Ibach will bring experience and integrity to his new role at USDA, and carries with him the knowledge he’s gained in the dozen years he has served as Nebraska’s Director of Agriculture,” said Secretary Perdue. …
Secretary Sonny Attends First FFA Convention
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue attended his first National FFA Convention this week and held a press conference to take questions about various topics, prior to addressing the group’s opening general session. Perdue appeared at the press conference with six members of the FFA policy committee. “I’m looking at our House and Senate Congress behind me here,” Perdue joked. The secretary …
GIPSA Rules Withdrawn by Administration
The Trump administration today announced it will withdraw controversial regulations under the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyard Administration (GIPSA) related to the buying and selling of livestock. The action includes an interim final rule that deals with harm to competition and one proposed related rule issued in the final days of the Obama administration. The interim final rule was scheduled …
Secretary Perdue in Europe
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has been on a whirlwind trip around Europe for the past several days, starting with meetings in London before participating in the G-7 ministerial, taking part in World Food Day in Rome and meeting Pope Francis yesterday, and concluding his trip today in Madrid. “It’s been a very productive trip,” said Perdue during a …