During the 2013 Cattle Industry Convention today NCBA held a press conference to announce the preliminary results of the Beef Industry Sustainability Assessment. Dr. Kim Stackhouse, NCBA Director of Sustainability, shared how the beef checkoff-funded assessment is a holistic look at the entire beef value chain. This is the first time any food value chain has ever documented the economic, …
Farm Policy Facts Relaunches Education Campaign
A diverse coalition of agricultural organizations that came together during the 2008 Farm Bill debate under the name Farm Policy Facts announced that they are stepping up education activities during the 113th Congress. Farm Policy Facts will communicate with the media and members of Congress via regular email alerts that will include a mix of farm policy news, detailed analysis …
Zimfo Bytes
The American Soybean Association announced the regional winners of the 2013 Conservation Legacy Awards program. The American Farm Bureau Federation announced that Dale Moore will lead the organization’s public policy department. USDA reports U.S. commercial red meat production for December was down five percent on the year at 3.997 billion pounds. After seeing the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates …
Producers — Complete 2012 Census!
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack continues to remind producers to complete forms for the Census of Agriculture – the only source of uniform, comprehensive and impartial agricultural data for every county in the nation. The 2012 Census of Agriculture will provide the USDA with current information to help ensure an abundant, safe, and accessible food supply for all of America. The …
Should We Sit Down with HSUS in Common Cause
Many eyebrows were raised during Sec. of Agriculture Tom Vilsack’s speech at the AFBF convention yesterday. It was really a stand out moment in an otherwise pretty good speech and I wonder what you think about it. The photo is from his press conference following the closing session. Sec. Vilsack was talking about creating strategic alliances and reaching out to …
Ag Sec. Vilsack Addresses AFBF Annual Meeting
After it was announced today that Tom Vilsack has agreed to serve a second term as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture he addressed the American Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting. He started out talking about the challenges in rural America and “urged farmers and producers take advantage of innovation, job creation partnerships and to share their story of a modern, innovative, …
Agri-Pulse Hires New Senior Editor
Agri-Pulse Communications, Inc. announced that Derrick Cain has joined the company to serve as Senior Editor. Cain brings more than eight years of experience, reporting about news from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and agriculture-related legislation in the U.S. Congress, including detailed coverage of the 2002 and 2008 farm bills. As a congressional reporter for more than 12 years who …
EPA Adminstrator Latest Cabinet Member Resignation
In addition to Secretary of State, President Obama now has another cabinet member to replace. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Lisa Jackson announced today that she will be leaving her post with the president’s new term. “I will leave the EPA confident the ship is sailing in the right direction, and ready in my own life for new challenges, time …
Vilsack to Host #AskUSDA Twitter Chat
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will host a live Virtual Office Hours session next week on Twitter to answer questions on the important role of rural America to the national and global economy, increasing agricultural opportunities in U.S. communities, and the importance of passing a five-year Farm Bill. According to USDA, Secretary Vilsack will answer Twitter queries such as: • What …
Census of Agriculture Forms to Go Out Soon
The USDA wants to get a better idea of what’s happening on America’s farms. That’s why the 2012 Census of Agriculture forms will be hitting producers’ mailboxes very soon. “The Census of Agriculture will be dropped in the mail December 14th, so farmers should expect it in their mailboxes by the end of the year,” says Renee Picanso, Director of …