There are reports out this week that Pope Francis will be opening up the papal farm at Castel Gandolfo to the public for tours next year, although there is no official word from the Vatican on its website or on the Catholic News Service. The original story came from the Associated Press. It is true that the pope does have … Read More
Increase in Entries & Exhibitors at American Royal
As the American Royal closes the books on a very successful 2014 season, it is pleased with the growth of its Livestock Show. Now in its 115th year, the American Royal Livestock Show continues to draw exhibitors showing the best livestock from across the country. This year’s event saw an increase of 8% for the total livestock entered (3,977) and … Read More
Livestock Provisions in CRomnibus
The Senate passed the so-called “CRomnibus” Saturday evening by a vote of 56 to 40. The $1.1 trillion measure to keep the government funded through September 2015 includes several provisions important to agriculture. “This legislation contains important policy provisions that prevent the government from reaching into the lives of ordinary American citizens,” said Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK). “Provisions like those … Read More
Allflex Acquires SCR Engineers
Allflex announced its acquisition of SCR Engineers Ltd., a company headquartered in Netanya, Israel, that is known throughout the world for cutting-edge livestock-monitoring and intelligent milking solutions. SCR will operate independently, as part of the Allflex Group, helping producers use equipment and predictive analytics to improve productivity. Company leaders view the acquisition as an important step to facilitate the adoption … Read More
LEA to Host Livestock Exporting 4.0
The Livestock Exporters Association (LEA) will hold the fourth annual Livestock Exporting 4.0 seminar on Monday, February 16, at the Ameristar Casino Resort Spa in St. Louis, Missouri, in conjunction with the United States Livestock Genetics Export (USLGE) annual meeting. This seminar is designed for experienced exporters, LEA members and industry affiliates interested in marketing livestock abroad. “The exporting business … Read More
CAT Expands Presence in Agriculture Industry
A first time sponsor and exhibitor at last week’s Agricultural Retailers Association convention in New Orleans was Caterpillar (CAT). Dustin Johansen with CAT says they are working to make their products more well known in the agricultural market. “We’ve always have our construction products sold in agriculture, but as the agriculture industry continues to expand, we want to really put … Read More
Coalition Urges Congress to Reject COOL Changes
A coalition of 207 farm, faith, environmental, labor, rural and consumer organizations delivered a message this week to the Senate urging lawmakers to “reject any effort to repeal, rescind or weaken country of origin labeling (COOL) in any federal spending legislation.” “Congress needs to stay the course on COOL and leave it alone, especially now that the Obama administration has … Read More
NBB: Livestock Industry Sees Big Benefits from Biodiesel
While some have tried to pit the biofuels industry against livestock producers, the folks at the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) explain their green fuel is actually helping those producers. “The livestock industry is a strong stakeholder. That’s how we view animal agriculture in terms of biodiesel production,” said Alan Weber, economic consultant for the NBB, during a recent interview with … Read More
Disaster Aid for Bees, Livestock and Fish
Nearly 2,500 applicants will receive disaster assistance from USDA through the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) for losses suffered from Oct. 1, 2011, through Sept. 30, 2013. “As promised, we’re making sure that thousands of producers who suffered through two and a half difficult years without Farm Bill assistance, are getting some relief,” said Agriculture … Read More
Celebrating Exciting Times in American Sheep
The 2014 Trade Talk brought me to the American Sheep Industry Association booth during last week’s National Association of Farm Broadcasting’s annual meeting. Executive director for American Sheep, Peter Orwick, recapped the wool and lamb markets and shared some exciting news about the organization. “Very strong prices in 2014. Feeder lambs selling over $2 a pound. The attitude among the … Read More