Senate Ag Committee Announces Farm Bill Hearing

Kelly Marshall

Pat Roberts, (R-KS) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chairman and Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, have announced the first hearing the next Farm Bill reauthorization. The hearing will take place on February 23, 2017 at the McCain Auditorium at Kansas State University.

“It’s time to get to work on another Farm Bill, and we’re heading straight to the heartland to talk directly to producers,” said Chairman Roberts. “I can’t think of a more appropriate venue to hold this hearing than Manhattan, Kan., the home of Kansas State University, the Kansas Department of Agriculture, and Kansas Farm Bureau.

“As we begin to have discussions about the next Farm Bill, we will need input from farmers and families all across the country,” said Ranking Member Stabenow. “I am looking forward to this first field hearing in Chairman Roberts’ home state to hear directly from producers and others who care about rural America so we can craft a bill that continues to strengthen American agriculture as well as small towns and rural communities.”

The hearing will be webcast live on ag.senate.gov.

Uncategorized

Alltech Launches “My Farm My Future” Contest

Kelly Marshall

Alltech knows producers have a rich story to tell, which is why they’re calling on farmers and ranchers to submit a one-to-two minute video describing how they protect their farm’s future for the “My Farm, My Future” contest.

Winners will earn a trip to ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference in Lexington, Kentucky from May 21-24, 2017.

Videos are due online by April 3, 2017 at 9:00 a.m.EST. Full contest rules and detailed are available at http://one.alltech.com/my-farm-my-future. Finalists will be selected by Alltech and winners will be selected on the Alltech Facebook page using “likes” starting April 3, 2017 at 3:00 p.m. till April 10 at 12:00 p.m.

Registration is open now for ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference, held in Lexington, Kentucky, USA, from May 21–24. The annual international conference draws more than 3,000 attendees from more than 70 countries to network and discuss world-changing ideas. For more information or to register, visit one.alltech.com. Join the conversation online with #ONEBigIdea17.

Alltech

Fishing Tournament Co-Sponsored by #Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

The 2017 Crappie Masters Tournament Trail gets underway today in Florida with a new addition this year – ethanol as a co-title sponsor with Bass Pro Shops.

Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) Vice President of Industry Relations Robert White says the purpose of the sponsorship is to help spread the word about ethanol to boaters. “It was an excellent opportunity to get ethanol back around the marine world and help explain the benefits and the realities of ethanol use in marine applications,” said White.

“All boating manufacturers warranty their equipment up to ten percent ethanol,” White said, noting that boaters around the Midwest “have been using nothing but E10 for decades now.”

The sponsorship, which was announced in October, includes print and TV advertising, as well as a presentation on an episode of Crappie Masters TV, a strong visual presence at the tournaments and through social media. Support for the sponsorship also comes from the National Corn Growers Association and a number of state corn grower groups.

Learn more about it in this interview: Interview with Robert White, RFA, on Crappie Masters Sponsorship

Audio, Corn, Ethanol, NCGA, RFA

The #USsoy Competitive Advantage

Jamie Johansen

Iowa no-till corn and soybean farmer, Rolland Schnell, was one of the many farmers from states throughout the Midwest who trekked south to Panama for the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) and Soy Aquaculture Alliance (SAA) Aquaculture Educational Opportunity. During the event we spent a day at the Panama Canal getting a full glimpse of the important role infrastructure plays in our export market.

As a soybean farmer, Rolland understands how vital the expansion of the Canal is and the type of competitive advantage it provides. He said, “We have a very open free-trade program. Our infrastructure allows us to be timely, which is very important to our customers. We need to support every effort to keep our infrastructure efficient.”

When it comes to aquaculture, U.S. soy also has a competitive advantage with USSEC’s Soybean Sustainability Assurance Protocol (SSAP) which global customers are very interested in. “Aquaculture is a fast growing industry and we have an opportunity to be in at the ground floor showing preference, dependability and advantages in sustainability. They get efficiency with the use of U.S. soy.”

Listen to my complete interview with Rolland here: Rolland Schnell, Iowa Farmer

View and download photos from the event here: 2017 USSEC Aquaculture Educational Opportunity Photos

Ag Groups, Aquaculture, Audio, Exports, Soybean, USSEC

Advocacy is in Season

Kelly Marshall

Sharing the story of agriculture just got a little easier, thanks to Illinois corn farmer, Justin Durdan.  He spent 2016 filming 360 degree, panoramic, season-long action shots of his family’s corn and soybean farm in Lasalle County, and now the four-video series is ready for sharing on your social media feeds.

You can link to these videos at www.watchusgrow.org/home-grown-corn to help your off-farm friends understand what happens to their food.  The videos feature a Chicago-area radio personality and a self-proclaimed “city girl” who ask questions for Durdan to answer.

“We know consumers have questions about farming,” Durdan says. “The goal with these videos is to answer those questions and let consumers see for themselves what we do on our farm.”

Corn

Letter to Trump Highlights NAFTA Successes

Kelly Marshall

The recent words of Donald Trump concerning the U.S.’s withdrawal from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) prompted more than 130 food and agriculture industry organizations to send a letter to the President.  Members of the food and agriculture community wanted to highlight the importance of the trade agreement and to urge him to continue to build upon that success.

“With the productivity of U.S. agriculture growing faster than domestic demand, the U.S. food and agriculture industry – and the rural communities that depend on it – relies heavily on export markets to sustain prices and revenues,” the letter states.

Companies and organizations from the American Farm Bureau Federation, to the Wine Institute, including Campbell Soup Company, Cargill, Deere & Co., and nearly every conceivable commodity group have signed the letter.

Read it for yourself here.

Ag Groups, Trade

#NBB17 Spotlight on Washington Session

Cindy Zimmerman

The room was packed for the annual Spotlight on Washington session at the 2017 National Biodiesel Conference last week, which was more popular than ever this year with the advent of a new presidential administration.

Reprising their roles for the session were former Sen. Byron Dorgan and former Cong. Kenny Hulshof, and they were joined by other DC insiders Jim Massie, Timothy Urban, and Tom Hance. All offered their opinions and insights into what to expect from President Trump, generally along the lines of Dorgan’s first comments. “I don’t know,” he said when asked by NBB’s Anne Steckel about the election and where we go from here. “My head’s still kind of exploding.”

Listen to the whole conversation here: #NBB17 Washington Spotlight session

2017 National Biodiesel Conference photo album

Audio, Biodiesel, National Biodiesel Conference, politics

Buds and Pods Part Two

Chuck Zimmerman

Part One in this series focused on buds. Now it’s time to talk pods, as in Apple AirPods ($159.00).

When the @AgriBlogger is on the highway he needs good sound, hands freedom, reliability, good battery life, simple to use. I get that with these. My trial trip was the week of the Potato Expo. I wore my AirPods off and on while flying, in the airport, talking to people in the trade show, making phone calls, listening to music while walking around and in the gym getting some exercise.

So here’s what I know.

Do they fall out? I admit that having these fall out of my ear was my main concern after fit/comfort. So far, I have had one side fall out two times. Once I knocked it out and the second time I did not have it fully inserted into my ear. In both cases, I caught it before it fell on the floor. So, they can fall out but I became much less worried about this. BTW, you can use just one side if you want, just like a single side device like my Jabra Eclipse ($129.99).
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Gadgets

U.S. Soy Meets Demand of Growing Aquaculture Industry

Jamie Johansen

As the fastest growing animal protein, aquaculture is the center of conversations beyond the circle of animal agriculture. And the most common circle these days discussing aquaculture is soybean. The U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) and Soy Aquaculture Alliance (SAA) joined forces to host the 2017 Aquaculture Educational Opportunity in Panama City, Panama. U.S. soybean growers, researchers and aquaculture experts gathered to take in the latest and visit the Panama Canal to witness the center of global trade and the import role U.S. soy plays in the international economy.

SAA Executive Director, Bridget Owen, has spent her career devoted to the soybean community working at various levels of the supply chain. Now on the receiving end of the protein, Bridget shares the role of SAA and what this growth in aquaculture means to U.S. soybean growers.

“We have incredible resources that allow us to be competitive. Number one is our U.S. soybean growers who produce a very high quality, consistent and cost effective product. U.S. is a fantastic resource for the aquaculture industry in the U.S. and overseas. We also have incredible transportation resources and access through the Panama Canal to overseas markets lets us compete. The ability to move our soy products overseas quickly and in a cost efficient, secure way is important to our customers. There are some many ways U.S. soy delivers to our customers domestically and internationally and our infrastructure is a part of that.”

Listen to my complete interview with Bridget here: Bridget Owen, Soy Aquaculture Alliance

View and download photos from the event here: 2017 USSEC Aquaculture Educational Opportunity Photos

Ag Groups, Animal Agriculture, Aquaculture, Audio, Exports, Nutrition, Soybean, USSEC

Best of NAMA Winners From Region V

Chuck Zimmerman

The regional awards in the Best of NAMA competition are being announced this month. The National Agri-Marketing Association chapters: Carolinas/Virginia, Midsouth, Florida and Southeastern had events.

Out of the 214 entries submitted in this region, attendees at each event learned who would be eligible to compete in the National Best of NAMA Competition.

Download a list of the winners and tell them congratulations.

NAMA