Last year at the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau (CIRB) annual meeting, there were still lots of candidates for president and Informa Economics Senior VP Jim Wiesemeyer talked about what they might mean to the future of agriculture. This year, he only had to focus on the one who actually made it to the White House. “It’s a great time … Read More
Meet Emerging Leaders in Crop Insurance
Last year at the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau annual meeting, we heard about the first class of the organization’s Emerging Leaders Program. The program was so popular that the second class has almost twice the members and we had a chance to talk with two of those emerging leaders at the meeting last week. Chock Hefner started his crop … Read More
Challenges and Opportunities for #CIRB2017
The 53rd annual meeting of the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau is officially underway with the theme of Change-Challenge-Opportunity and record attendance, according to Executive Vice President Michael Torrey. “I think it reflects the theme,” said Torrey. “Obviously a transition is going on, there’s going to be a lot of new people, and we’re going to have a lot of … Read More
Soil Health Partnership Adds New Leadership
Jack Cornell, a plant scientist recently from Monsanto, will be moving into a new position at the Soil Health Partnership. Cornell’s new role in the organization is to lead the ambitious on-farm data collection efforts as operations manager. He and his team will manage the collected data, provide strategic direction for SHP and act as a conduit of information to … Read More
Van Dyke Assumes Head of NACD
Brent Van Dyke was sworn into the position of president of the National Association of Conservation Districts at their recent annual meeting. Van Dyke was elected to serve one year as president-elect in 2016 and now begins his two year term as president. “Brent knows conservation – he comes from the farm and understands how important sustainable agriculture is to … Read More
Competitive Advantage of #USsoy
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, AgWired’s Jamie Johansen spent a day at the Panama Canal getting a full glimpse of the important role infrastructure plays … Read More
Iowa Pest Resistance Management Plan Unveiled
The Iowa Pest Resistance Management Plan has been released at www.ProtectIowaCrops.org, thanks to the collaboration of a broad cross-section of the Iowa agriculture industry. The plan offers farmers information about technology and tools like pesticides, seed treatments and biotech products and native traits to provide holistic, integrated management solutions for insects, weeds and disease. “This plan brought together a broad … Read More
New Research to Help Honey Bees
The National Agricultural Genotyping Center (NAGC) has conducted research and developed a testing panel that will offer beekeepers more effective methods to identify and address disease in bee colonies. “Bee Care” launches next month, thanks in part to the support of the National Corn Growers Association and the North Dakota Department of Agriculture. “American agriculture relies upon healthy pollinators. Recent … Read More
Fields-of-Corn Photo Contest Winners Announced
Twenty-two winners of the National Corn Growers Association‘s 2016 Fields of Corn Photo Contest have visually communicated the message of hard work and beauty that are the hallmark of our nation’s agriculture. “For the third year in a row, we opened up this photo contest to the general public, and we are again impressed with the high quality of the … Read More
Stronger Demand Leads to Brisk Export Says USGC
A report published by the U.S. Grains Council has good news for the grain industry. Exports of U.S. feed grains were promising in the first quarter of the 2016/2017 market year, rising 32 percent over the same quarter last year. Many are hopeful that this strong first quarter, combined with the USDA’s latest full-year forecast, could foretell a higher marketing … Read More