In response to President Biden’s Executive Order 14081, “Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe, and Secure American Bioeconomy,” the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have developed a plan to update, streamline, and clarify their regulations and oversight mechanisms for products of biotechnology. U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis M. Taylor will lead an agribusiness trade mission to Bogot ..read more

More than 15,000 people visited the National Mall this past week for the second Celebration of Modern Agriculture spotlighting the Future of Food and Farming. The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) partnered with member companies and ag organizations to hold the three-day event which featured combine harvesters, milking equipment, sprayers and planters, irrigation equipment, tractors big and small, as well as dozens of interactive and hands-on exhibits. “In 2022 we really had the proof of concept when we had 15 equipment manufacturers and 21 ag groups,” said Nick Tindall, AEM senior ..read more

Soil health company MyLand has added two new Directors of Grower Relations to enhance support for an increasing number of growers across Texas, California, and Washington State. Landon Gheer will partner with MyLand’s valued growers throughout Texas, and Gilbert (Gil) Rodriguez will join the California team for growers across the state and the Pacific Northwest. Both report to Dave Booher, MyLand’s Senior Vice President, Sales. “Landon and Gil will be valuable additions to our team and for our growers across Texas and California,” said Booher. “With more growers turning to MyLand to support th ..read more

AEM’s Kip Eideberg with Reps. David Rouzer (R-NC) and Dusty Johnson (R-SD) “All Crop Rows Lead to Washington” was the title of a Wednesday panel discussion on the National Mall led by Kip Eideberg of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) with Reps. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) and David Rouzer (R-NC). The topic was the farm bill and its importance to rural America and the nation as a whole. The panel was part of this week’s Celebration of Modern Ag on the National Mall sponsored by AEM. “It’s not just food security, it’s also national security,” said Rep. Rouzer of North Carolina. “I woul ..read more

The United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) announces the recognition of three scientists as finalists for the 2024 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals. Research Leader Yan Ping (Judy) Chen and Research Entomologist Jay Evans, both of the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center Bee Research Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland, are recognized for their transformative efforts in revolutionizing bee disease diagnosis and treatment. Tara McHugh, Pacific West Area Director in Albany, California, is also recognized for her visionary leadership and p ..read more

AEM president Megan Tanel does media interviews on the Mall The Celebration of Modern Ag on the National Mall this week is the second time the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) has coordinated this kind of event to showcase farming equipment and technology and AEM president Megan Tanel says it’s much bigger than in 2022. “I think we made a bit of an impact the first year,” said Tanel. “People … really enjoyed being able to come out, have some conversations, climb on some equipment and learn something new.” In addition to agricultural equipment and exhibits from ag organizations, t ..read more

Ag on the Mall panel on sustainable water use The Association of Equipment Manufacturing (AEM) is celebrating Modern Ag on the National Mall this week with a showcase of equipment, technology, information and education about the Future of Food and Farming. In addition to displays from over 25 equipment manufacturers and 30 organizations, there are panels each day on the main stage devoted to important topics related to agricultural production, such as autonomous equipment, precision crop protection use, and sustainability through technology. The first panel on Monday tackled the topic of sus ..read more

At 1 p.m. EDT on May 8, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will host a free, public Agricultural Data Webinar to spotlight available data for recently discontinued programs. Speakers at the event include Lance Honig, Agricultural Statistics Board (ASB) chair, and Troy Joshua, ASB executive director and director of NASS’s Statistics Division. Data from other NASS products as well as from USDA’s Farm Service Agency and Risk Management Agency will be discussed. Attendees will have the opportunity to submit questions during the Q&A section. Register to attend at www.nass ..read more

The Future of Food and Farming on the National Mall kicked off today on the National Mall to showcase America’s equipment manufacturers, farmers, ranchers, and innovators, working together to drive the tradition of producing more with less environmental impact. The event is coordinated by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) and is held the National Mall to allow the public, lawmakers, and federal employees to interact with the equipment and get an up-close look at the machines that are often only seen on America’s farm fields. “The real intent of this event is to bring the message ..read more

Rabobank subsidiary Rabo AgriFinance has named John Steeves as its new Head of Rural Business Economics, North America, effective May 1, 2024. Steeves, a financial services veteran with more than thirty years of experience, will relocate from Edmonton, Canada, to Rabo AgriFinance’s headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri. He succeeds the current Head of Rural Banking, Shawn Smeins, who retires on May 15 after 31 years with Rabobank in several North American roles. Most recently, Steeves served as the Executive Vice-President of Banking at Canadian Western Bank following his role as Senior Vice-Pre ..read more