Nufarm Cotton Plant Regulators

Chuck Zimmerman January 12, 2015

With a little help from Tony St. James, All Ag All Day, we get to learn more about some of the products that Nufarm is bringing to the cotton market. Tony sat down with Dr. Bob Bruss during the 2015 Beltwide Cotton Conferences.

Since they were talking cotton the subject of plant growth regulators was of primary importance. Bruss says Nufarm has quite a portfolio of cotton growth regulators which includes a number of harvest aids for the end of the season like Super Boll, CottonQuik, FreeFall, CutOut and a new product coming out this year called Terminate. You can hear about the differences and strengths of these products in Tony’s interview.

Listen to Tony’s interview with Dr. Bruss here: Interview with Dr. Bob Bruss

You can find photos from the opening day of the conferences here: 2015 Beltwide Cotton Conferences

Coverage of the Beltwide Cotton Conference is sponsored by

Agribusiness, Audio, Beltwide Cotton, Cotton, Nufarm

Agri-Pulse Names New Associate Editor

Jamie Johansen January 12, 2015

Agri-Pulse is pleased to announce the appointment of Whitney Forman-Cook as an associate editor, based in Washington, D.C., effective Jan. 5.

“We are very excited to have someone with Whitney’s education and diverse background join us full-time in Washington,” said Sara Wyant, Agri-Pulse Editor and Publisher. “Whitney’s work with farm bill implementation, conservation, environmental issues, sustainability, global affairs and community development provide a wealth of knowledge upon which she can draw in covering ag and rural policy issues on Capitol Hill.”

Forman-Cook most recently served as a conservation partnership intern with The Nature Conservancy. Previously, she researched the effects of timber harvesting regulations in New York State, and consulted as a writer for the United Nations and various international and domestic non-profits on topics related to agriculture, conservation and sustainable development.

A native of Michigan with a bachelor’s of arts from Michigan State University, Forman-Cook also earned a Master of Public Administration from Syracuse University and a Master of Science degree from The State University of New York (SUNY) College of Environmental Science and Forestry. She currently lives in Washington, D.C.

Agri-Pulse, Agribusiness

Navy Seal Thanks Farmers and Ranchers

Cindy Zimmerman January 12, 2015

Navy Seal Commander Rorke Denver, author of “Damn Few,” drew a connection between agricultural and military warriors in his keynote address before the 96th annual American Farm Bureau convention in San Diego.

“When people are hungry, they go to war,” said Denver. “So, here’s the deal, if you do your job, I don’t have to do my job.

Denver says another connection between farmers and the military is that “everybody tries to tell us how to do our job, very few of whom actually do the job.”

The Navy Seal gave an entertaining and somewhat sobering look at the training involved to become a Seal and concluded by saying that when he travels in uniform he is frequently thanked for his service to our country, so he took the opportunity to sincerely thank farmers and ranchers for what they do.

Navy Seal Rorke Denver at AFBF

2015 AFBF Convention photo album

AFBF, Audio

AFBF President Surprises Vilsack with Branding Iron

Cindy Zimmerman January 12, 2015

American Farm Bureau Federation president Bob Stallman presented Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack with a special gift Monday to recognize his support of farmers and ranchers.

Noting that a Texas cowboy phrase denoting loyalty to the ranch is “ride for the brand,” Stallman gave Vilsack a specially-made “US AG” branding iron. “Mr. Secretary, thank you for riding for the brand for US AG,” he said.

Visibly moved by the gift, Visack said the branding iron would have a special place in his office. “I had, until today, one acknowledgement that I always valued … a Patriot’s Award given to me by the National Guard when I left the governorship of Iowa,” he said. “This brand will go right next to that Patriot Award and be in my office for as long as I live.”

Listen to the secretary’s comments at the AFBF general session here: Vilsack at AFBF on stage

Vilsack held a wide-ranging press conference after his appearance at the general session, talking first about the sign-up progress for the Dairy Margin Protection Program announced today. He was asked about trade issues, COOL, farm bill implementation, food stamps, and much more. Vilsack press conference at AFBF

2015 AFBF Convention photo album

AFBF, Audio, USDA

USTR Ag Negotiator Visits AFBF Convention

Cindy Zimmerman January 12, 2015

Chief Agricultural Negotiator for the US Trade Representative Darci Vetter made an informal appearance at the American Farm Bureau annual meeting in San Diego Sunday and stopped to answer a few trade related questions from the media.

First, Ambassador Vetter was asked about the Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations and Japan’s desire to exempt a variety of agricultural products from the agreement. “We continue to work very hard with both with our Japanese partners and others to find a way forward that will bring real value to U.S. ag,” she said.

Vetter says she is hopeful that Congress will get trade promotion authority approved this year. “We’re very encouraged by statements made by both the new House and Senate leadership about moving TPA forward,” said Vetter.

She talked about what the next steps have to be for more normalized trade with Cuba. “Certain restrictions on the financing of products from Cuba have been lifted to make it easier for us to do business with them, but Congress of course has to fully lift the embargo to move forward.”

She also commented on moving U.S. beef into China and dealing with approval of biotech traits.

Listen to it here: Media gaggle with USTR Darci Vetter

2015 AFBF Convention photo album

AFBF, Audio, Trade

Farm Bureau Town Hall with Secretary Vilsack

Cindy Zimmerman January 12, 2015

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack held an informal town hall-style meeting with members of the American Farm Bureau on the floor of the IDEAg trade show Sunday in San Diego.

On a circular stage with AFBF president Bob Stallman, Vilsack took questions from members on a variety of topics, including the proposed Waters of the US rule, transportation, trade, and biofuels.

The biggest laugh of the event came when a South Dakota farmer, referring to WOTUS, asked the secretary “What can USDA do to instill some commonsense in the regulatory process?”

“This is a really important question, one that I grapple with all the time,” said Vilsack. “There’s an expectation that USDA can impose commonsense on other agencies, and that’s just not the way it works.” The best they can do is educate “sister agencies” about the impact of regulations on agriculture.

Listen to the town hall here: Secretary Vilsack at AFBF Town Hall meeting
2015 AFBF Convention photo album

AFBF, Audio, USDA

Rea Named Senior VP of BASF Crop Protection

Jamie Johansen January 12, 2015

BASF announces that Paul Rea has been appointed Senior Vice President, Crop Protection, North America.

Rea joined BASF Australia in 2001, moving to the U.S. in 2004. Rea has held a number of positions with BASF in the U.S., including Director of the professional and specialty solutions division, and Vice President, U.S. Crop Operations. Most recently, Rea was Senior Vice President, Crop Protection, Asia-Pacific.

Born and raised in New Zealand, Rea received a post-graduate business degree from the University of Sydney in Australia.

Agribusiness, BASF, Crop Protection

Farm Bureau Distinguished Service Awards

Cindy Zimmerman January 11, 2015

The American Farm Bureau Federation recognized Don Borgman and Dr. Temple Grandin for their distinguished service to agriculture during the organization’s 96th annual convention Sunday in San Diego.

Both farmer and industry executive, Don Borgman has been a strong advocate for agriculture for over 40 years. A third-generation corn and soybean farmer from Missouri, Borgman continued to manage his farm while working full-time for John Deere. He retired last year as director of ag industry relations, where he played an integral role in the company’s efforts to support and promote renewable energy sources. Borgman was recognized early last year for his work by the National Biodiesel Board with a lifetime achievement award. AFBF distinguished service award winner Don Borgman comments

Dr. Temple Grandin has dedicated her life to improving animal welfare and handling. One of the most successful people in the world with autism, Grandin is the leading authority on farm animal behavior. Her unique ability to visualize from the animal’s perspective led her to design livestock processing systems which are more humane and efficient. Her systems for reducing animal stress in processing plants are being used throughout the country—and around the world. Grandin also developed an objective scoring system for assessing and handling cattle and pigs at meat plants. A number of major corporations now use this scorecard to help improve animal welfare. AFBF distinguished service award winner Temple Grandin comments
2015 AFBF Convention photo album

AFBF, Audio

Farm Bureau Proud and Optimistic

Cindy Zimmerman January 11, 2015

The 96th annual convention of the American Farm Bureau Federation is underway in San Diego, kicked off by president Bob Stallman Sunday morning telling the membership that agriculture must push harder for important policy reforms in 2015.

“We cannot ignore the extremes of the left and right, but we must speak to the center: the legislators in both parties who go to Washington because they want to make policy and get things done,” Stallman said. “It’s time for Congress to get back to work – to do their job so you can do yours.”

Acknowledging that preparing for the 2016 elections will shorten time for Congress this year, Stallman detailed a number of important issues the need to be tackled, including immigration reform, food labeling, taxes and energy policy.

Listen to Stallman’s speech here: AFBF president Bob Stallman, 2015 convention

Stallman opening press conference: AFBF president Bob Stallman, press conference
2015 AFBF Convention photo album

AFBF, Audio

Contamination Prevention at Beltwide Cotton

Chuck Zimmerman January 9, 2015

Earlier this week the 2015 Beltwide Cotton Consultants Conference took place in San Antonio, TX. One of the hot topics discussed during the event was contamination prevention. Dale W. Thompson, National Cotton Council, spoke to the group in attendance about the potentially growing problem.

Dale said this is no new problem for cotton growers and has a huge impact on the bottom line for growers. The problem is seen when the product has moved down the line to the textile mills and then ultimately the consumer in the marketplace. Dale shared images of what the mills see when harvesting is done improperly. “Once contamination is hit, it is really difficult recapture those markets.”

Dale goes on to share technology used to filter contamination and the publications out there to education growers on ways to implement prevention on their own operations.

“We are trending in the right direction. Contamination on the 2013 survey was less then in pervious years for U.S. cotton. The bad news is we still have a lot of plastics getting into our cotton found in textile mills around the world. That is why we have made an effort to get the word out to growers, ginners, warehouses and the transportation industry that contamination is a serious issue and we look for help from consultants that have good relationships throughout the industry.”

Listen to more about this critical subject here: Dale Thompson Presentation

You can find photos from the opening day of the conferences here: 2015 Beltwide Cotton Conferences

Coverage of the Beltwide Cotton Conference is sponsored by

Ag Groups, Audio, Beltwide Cotton, Cotton

Page 829 of 2,374
←
1
...
828
829
830
...
2374
→