The members of Cooperatives Working Together voted to fund the self-help program for two full years, from Jan. 2009 through Dec. 2010, to help bring the dairy supply into balance with shrinking demand. The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA) released the ISAAA annual report “Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops 2008.” U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) invites …

Charlie O’Brien of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) has been named to the Farm Foundation’s Round Table, which is an invitational discussion forum of leaders from agribusiness, government, academic and agricultural-related interest groups. O’Brien is AEM’s vice president of agricultural services. Agri-Inject, Inc. now offers Mister Mist’r Ultra, a new generation of their injection check valve for injection systems. …

The Camelina Company announces that camelina meal will be available for use as broiler chicken feed. The FDA approved camelina in rations for broiler chickens and with this action the FDA allows Great Plains to state that camelina has GRAS (“generally recognized as safe”) status. According to new research conducted by the National Veterinary Institute in Uppsala, Sweden, hens housed …

Michael Oleykowski has joined United Phosphorus, Inc., as northern account manager responsible for Turf-Ornamental-PCO markets in the Midwest, Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic regions. Iowa Corn launches the Iowa Corn Fed Sweepstakes, including the giveaway of a souped-up 2009 black Chevy FFV Silverado. The truck will be on tour from January 15 to May 22 throughout Iowa. Consumers can enter the drawing …

The American Soybean Association and BASF Corporation are inviting U.S. soybean producers to sign up for the 2009 Secure Optimal Yield (SOY) Challenge. The SOY program provides an opportunity for growers to use enhanced crop-management technology and techniques to maximize yield and profitability in soybeans. The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) has presented the Independence County Conservation District in Batesville, …

The American Soybean Association welcomes the USDA announcement to continue the Asian Soybean Rust Pest Information Platform for Education and Extension (PIPE). AgriLabs has been named the exclusive marketer of EstroPLAN (cloprostenol sodium) by Parnell Laboratories of Sydney, Australia, the manufacturer of this time-tested prostaglandin. STIHL Inc. announced it will be the title sponsor of this year’s Tour des Trees. …

Future Beef Partners Inc. is launching two game-changing products developed for leaders in Finance, Risk Management, Procurement, or Sales in the beef industry. BeefScout uses proprietary technology to provide market driven prices through a web-based tool to benchmark forward prices on cuts and trims of beef. Their second product, BasisGuard, writes forward contracts using the BeefScout benchmark prices. Gary Vermeer, …

The Hondo Group announced their green partnership with the Joint US-China Cooperation on Clean Energy. The Hondo Group will deliver a variety of creative services including green branding and development and Web site re-design. Monsanto announces the launch of the Cotton Community, a new online Web site designed to encourage farmer-to-farmer exchanges on topics such as variety performance and agronomic …

International Institute for Ecological Agriculture announced that its executive director, permaculture and biofuels expert David Blume, received the American Corn Growers Association’s prestigious Truth in Agricultural Journalism award. The Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture has authorized Dow AgroSciences to sell its first corn hybrids with HERCULEX I Insect Protection technology. CHS Inc., has completed its acquisition of Winona River & Rail, …

Electronic futures trading of Hard Red Spring Wheat coupled with trades of Hard Red Winter Wheat Index Futures hit a new daily record high on Friday, Jan. 23, of 7,494 contracts at MGEX (Minneapolis Grain Exchange or Exchange). The volume topped the former electronic volume record of 7,363 contracts traded set on December 10, 2008. BASF and Cibus announced that …