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

In the presence of U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield and U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small, the UN General Assembly declared 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer. The resolution, and the U.S. government’s efforts to generate support for it, were spearheaded by USDA and garnered more than 100 co-sponsors, underscoring the global importance of uplifting women throughout the agriculture sector. Agriculture Future of America announces new board leadership. For the past two years, the board has been led by Gwyn Schramm ..read more

The latest crop of talented IFAJ/Alltech Young Leaders in Agricultural Journalism Award recipients have been announced and will be attending the 2024 IFAJ Congress in Interlaken, Switzerland this August. The 10 scholarship winners will also participate in a unique three-day professional development workshop immediately prior to the IFAJ Congress. The workshop emphasizes reporting skills and leadership training and includes agriculture tours. Since 2006, the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) and Alltech, a global leader in agriculture and animal nutrition, have partner ..read more

The 40B tax credit guidance and modified GREET model released April 30 by U.S. Treasury lays the groundwork for U.S. ethanol producers and farmers to participate in the emerging market for sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). But since 40B expires at the end of this year, all the attention will now turn to implementing the 45Z credit to start next year, and the Renewable Fuels Association is already working on the next steps. In this edition of the Ethanol Report podcast we get some of the details from US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, RFA Senior VP, Government &a ..read more

The Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) President & CEO Daren Coppock released a statement applauding the Biden Administration’s announcement updating the Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Technology (GREET) model and including regenerative agricultural practices in the sustainable aviation fuel emissions calculation. For more than 15-years, the CropLife Ag Tech Awards of Excellence, sponsored by the Global Ag Tech Alliance, has honored individuals who demonstrate exceptional work in the use and adoption of precision and digital agriculture technologies and pr ..read more

USDA photo – Vilsack speaks to NAFB members Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack spent the majority of his time meeting with members of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting Tuesday talking about the 40B sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) tax credit guidance and modified GREET model released that day by the Biden Administration. “You need to understand this because you’re the folks who have to explain that it’s a point system,” Vilsack told the farm broadcasters. “And if you get enough points, you qualify for an enormously beneficial tax credit, which is how you start industries.” Vilsack ..read more

Mitchell Hora, Continuum Ag, on panel at 2024 National Ethanol Conference Iowa farmer and consultant Mitchell Hora, Continuum Ag, spent some time Wednesday morning breaking down the 40B sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) tax credit guidance released this week for farmers hoping to be eligible. To qualify under the guidance, corn farmers have to do cover crop, no-till, and enhanced efficiency fertilizer, while soybean farmers are required to cover crop and no-till. However, Hora says it’s unlikely anyone will qualify this year under 40B. “The crop you grew last year probably didn’t qualify for a ..read more

DPH Bio VP of Strategy and Marketing Brad Holzworth (left) and President and CEO Mick Messman with award at BioAgTech World Congress DPH Biologicals’ RegenAphex® received the first runner-up BioAgTech Innovator Award at the recent BioAgTech World Congress. RegenAphex is a plant-based liquid humus extract that fosters biological product innovation to improve soil and crop health by providing a superfood base of readily available organic carbon. “RegenAphex is the culmination of DPH Biological’s unwavering commitment to unlocking the potential of the biological industry for improving crop prod ..read more