Yesterday the American Soybean Association partnered with a coalition of major farm groups to issue a letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy pressing the EPA to withdraw its request to vacate the registration for Dow’s Enlist Duo herbicide, stressing the importance of and highlighting the urgent need for new modes of action to tackle resistant weeds on farms across the … Read More
Survey Collects Farmer Feedback on USDA Programs
The American Farm Bureau Federation has launched an online survey to collect feedback from farmers and ranchers about 10 programs being offered from the Agriculture Department. AFBF plans to use the results to create recommendations for the USDA to make its programs better serve growers. Any farmer or rancher is encouraged to take the survey. The process requires about 10 … Read More
EPA’s WOTUS Social Media Campaign Judged Illegal
In a legal opinion released this week, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) “violated publicity or propaganda and anti-lobbying provisions contained in appropriations acts with its use of certain social media platforms in association with its Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rulemaking.” According to the GAO: Specifically, EPA violated the publicity or propaganda … Read More
Ag Group Letter Targets Senators Supporting WOTUS
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and other farm groups sent a letter this week to members of the Senate who recently voted to oppose bipartisan legislation seeking to revise the EPA’s Waters of the US (WOTUS) rule urging them to support any new effort in the Senate “to direct the agencies not to implement this rule and initiate a … Read More
New Risks, New Rewards for Farmers and Big Data
Privacy concerns are still forefront in farmers minds even with the substantial benefits of new technology and the associated A”big data.” Missouri Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst explained farmer concerns to the House Agriculture Committee during a hearing this week. Hurst, a board member of the American Farm Bureau Federation, was asked to testify on innovation and its implications for … Read More
‘Bringing Biotechnology to Life’ Launched at WFPS
The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture and the International Food Information Council Foundation unveiled the launch of “Bringing Biotechnology to Life,” at World Food Prize 2015 Borlaug Dialogue international symposium. This curriculum is a free educational resource that aims to facilitate learning about agricultural biotechnology and its role in food production. Bringing Biotechnology to Life guides the learner through … Read More
Syngenta Acquires Ag Connections
Syngenta has announced they are making their 14-year partner a wholly-owned subsidiary. Ag Connections will help the company to accelerate the growth of digital solutions and provide growers with whole-farm management. The collaboration between the two companies will focus on providing farmers with decision-making tools, specifically with the farm management software AgriEdge Excelsior, which integrates products, services, risk management and … Read More
Tech Dominates AFBF Rural Entrepreneurship Challenge
The American Farm Bureau Federation recently announced the top 10 teams in the 2016 Farm Bureau Rural Entrepreneurship Challenge. Four finalists and six semi-finalists were selected from a number of high-quality teams (over 165) that entered the competition, and ultimately tech companies four of the top 10. The challenge, now in its second year, provides opportunities for individuals to showcase … Read More
Court Ruling Suspends WOTUS
A new ruling issued today by a federal appeals court places a nationwide stay on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Water Rule, better known as Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS). The court agreed with petitioners that the treatment in the rule of tributaries, “adjacent waters,” and waters having a “significant nexus” to navigable waters is at odds with a previous … Read More
New EPA Farm Worker Standards and Industry React
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Monday released updated farm worker standards to provide health protections under the law similar to those already afforded to workers in other industries. “We depend on farmworkers every day to help put the food we eat on America’s dinner tables—and they deserve fair, equitable working standards with strong health and safety protections,” said EPA Administrator … Read More