Iowa and national ag commodity leaders kicked off the first in a series of AgTalks virtual town hall meetings to discuss the future of agriculture, with a focus on trade and supply chains. Future meetings will be held over the next few weeks in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. The AgTalks initiative is sponsored by Farmers for Free Trade, the …
2020 Cattle Industry Summer Business Meeting
The Cattle Industry Summer Business Meeting features meetings of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion & Research Board, American National CattleWomen, Inc. and the National Cattlemen’s Foundation. The cattle industry comes together twice a year to discuss current issues as a group, to work on programs and initiatives, and to set the course we should take with our …
2020 Ag Relations Council Golden ARC Awards Announced
Zoom provided the platform for this year’s virtual presentation of the Agricultural Relations Council (ARC) Golden ARC Awards. The top award – Golden ARC de Excellence – went to Padilla, with its “A Recipe for Success: Fruits and Vegetables are Key Ingredients for Healthier, Happier Lives” entry. Padilla staff Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak and Michelle Kijek created this award-winning marketing communications …
Farm Groups Support Climate Solutions Act
The Senate Agriculture Committee held a hearing Wednesday on the Growing Climate Solutions Act, legislation designed to break down barriers for farmers and foresters interested in participating in carbon markets so they can be rewarded for climate-smart practices. The bill has the support of numerous agribusinesses and farm organizations, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, National Corn Growers Association, and …
Farm Groups Launch Free Stress Management Course
Farm Credit, American Farm Bureau and National Farmers Union have announced the launch of a farm stress management online training course available for the general public. Developed by Michigan State University Extension (MSU Extension) and University of Illinois Extension (Illinois Extension), the course will help farmers, their families and neighbors identify and cope with stress. It provides participants the skills …
President Trump Announces Direct Assistance to Farmers
President Donald Trump Tuesday announced details of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), which will provide up to $16 billion in direct payments to deliver relief to America’s farmers and ranchers impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. “These payments will compensate farmers for losses related to the global pandemic caused by China,” said President Trump, who was joined making the announcement …
ZimmCast 644 – COVID-19 Impacts on Ag Comm Groups Part 2
This week’s program is part two of a series featuring conversations with the leadership of agricultural media and marketing associations. This week I’m sharing conversations with Samantha Kilgore, AAEA, The Ag Communicators Network, Lindsay Graber Runft, Livestock Publications Council and Kristy Mach/John Blue, Agricultural Relations Council. Each of these organizations has had to cancel or postpone important annual events and …
Results from NAMA #COVID19 Survey
The National Agri-Marketing Association just completed a simple survey of members with questions about their plans/intentions for the coming quarters of the year as well as the rest of the year as a whole. There were 212 respondents. Here are a couple of the questions with tidbits from the results. You can see the full document online here. For the …
RFA Update on COVID-19 Impacts and Other Ethanol Issues
Through the middle of April, the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the effects of the Saudi-Russia oil price war, has had a devastating impact on the U.S. ethanol industry, slashing production by half and leading to the idling of dozens of plants across rural America. A new analysis estimates that U.S. ethanol sales in 2020 could fall by more than $10 …
Hog Farmers Face COVID-19 Financial Crisis
The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) held a press conference Tuesday to outline the impact COVID-19 is having on the industry, causing hog values to plummet, and the immediate relief they are requesting from the administration and Congress. The call featured NPPC President Howard “A.V.” Roth of Wisconsin, CEO Neil Dierks, Global Government Affairs VP Nick Giordano, and Michael Formica, …
Agriculture Groups Urge Action on Farm Labor
The Agriculture Workforce Coalition (AWC) called on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to recognize all H-2A as well as any other non-immigrant visa petition involving an agricultural worker visa consular processing functions as essential and direct U.S. Consulates to treat all agricultural worker appointments as emergency visa services. AWC is comprised of more than a dozen agricultural organizations, including American …
Farmers Join Forces for Sustainability and Responsible Climate Policy
Twenty-one farm and ranch groups representing millions of U.S. farmers and ranchers are launching Farmers for a Sustainable Future (FSF), a coalition committed to environmental and economic sustainability. This coalition will serve as a primary resource for lawmakers and policymakers as they consider climate policies. Representatives from five of the FSF founding organizations announced the new coalition in Washington, D.C. …
2020 CIRB Annual Meeting
The 56th Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau Annual Meeting takes place February 12-14 in Bonita Springs, Florida and will feature distinguished speakers and opportunities to interact with leaders in the industry. This virtual ag newsroom includes links to photos and audio content available free of charge for digital or print publication or broadcast. Photos 2020 CIRB Annual Meeting Photo Album …
2020 Cattle Industry Convention & Trade Show
Let’s go Deep in the Heart for the 2020 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show. Click here for the official convention virtual newsroom where all of our photos, interviews and audio are being archived. This will be the 3rd year in a row NCBA has a complete virtual ag newsroom. Content will posted throughout and after the convention. This …
Inaugural Heart of America Agricultural Hemp Classic
Building on the success of their sold-out 2019 Missouri Hemp Conference, the Missouri Hemp Association (MHA) has organized another grower conference. The “Heart of America – Agricultural Hemp Classic” was held at Stoney Creek Hotel & Conference Center in Independence, Missouri. The event, open to growers throughout the Midwest, included speakers on growing hemp indoors and outdoors, as well as …