With record snowfall for this early in the winter season, State Resolutions Committee was a small meeting this year. With just under 20 members present in addition to the Board of Directors, the attendance was not what it usually is. However districts were well represented as there were representatives from as far away as La [...]
Archive for October, 2009
30 Oct
Reminder, Turn Your Clocks Back on Sunday
On November 1 at 2 AM local time, clocks should be set back one hour (to 1 AM local time) to switch from DST to Standard Time. (This does not apply to parts of the United States not observing DST.) Before 2007, older rules had DST beginning later in the spring, and ending earlier in [...]
29 Oct
Whole New (Search) World
Twitter’s deal with Google opens up the web to Ag’s message Much has been written about the recent deal inked between Twitter and Google that will allow the search giant to include tweets in search results. Obviously the public nature of tweets lends itself to search and imbedded social media results within each Google search – much [...]
29 Oct
China Reopens Market to U.S. Pork, Live Swine
U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that China intends to reopen its market to U.S. pork and live swine, consistent with science-based international standards. The announcement was made at the conclusion of meetings with Chinese officials at the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade in Hangzhou, China. “Two-way [...]
29 Oct
Gas Prices Will Climb 77 Cents Under Boxer/Kerry
Bill Klesse, president and CEO of Valero Energy Corp., said the Boxer-Kerry climate change bill could increase the price of a gallon of gasoline by 77 cents. In testimony Wednesday before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on behalf of the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association, Klesse said the bill would be “devastating” for [...]
29 Oct
AFBF Discussion Meet Video
As YF&R Members plan for the Discussion Meet competition at State Annual Meeting in November, Thr Pulse would like to provide this great resource to help them in their preparations. The below video is the final round of the AFBF Discussion Meet competition at the 2009 AFBF annual Meeting in San Antonio. Mark Arnusch’s second [...]
29 Oct
Mule-Headed Bunch of Farmers…
Morgan Freeman says Mississippi is “starving” for the right leadership, so the actor is using his celebrity status to help his friend run for governor in 2011. Freeman has written a fundraising letter and is one of the hosts for a cocktail party in Los Angeles next week for Bill Luckett, an attorney seeking the [...]
29 Oct
120 Ag Groups Oppose Waxman/Markey
A large coalition of agricultural groups has come forward to oppose the Waxman-Markey bill restricting carbon dioxide emissions. Among the groups are the American Farm Bureau, Pork Producers Council, USA Rice Federation, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Chicken Council, Council of Farmer Cooperatives, American Meat Institute, National Association of Wheat Growers, and North American Millers’ [...]
28 Oct
Statement by Alan Foutz, President of Colorado Farm Bureau Regarding Appointment of Sen. Mary Hodge to Senate Ag Committee
“Colorado Farm Bureau would like to congratulate Senator Mary Hodge (D-Brighton) as the newly named chair of the Senate Agriculture, Livestock, and Natural Resources Committee. A true friend to the Ag community, Senator Hodge has been a leader on water legislation, property rights, and many other issues. Born and raised on a farm in Idalia, [...]
28 Oct
Baucus Won’t Support Boxer/Kerry
As the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee begins hearings on the Boxer-Kerry global warming bill, Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), a member of the committee who also chairs the Senate Finance Committee, said he could not support the measure in its current form. Baucus is the first Democrat on the committee to object to the [...]
28 Oct
Meat Industry Must Reintroduce Itself
The red meat industry must reintroduce itself to consumers to prove itself a source of innovation and technology that requires a change in approach, said Charlie Arnot, the head of the Center for Food Integrity (CFI). Arnot spoke at the opening session of the Meat Industry Research Conference in Chicago on Tuesday. He unveiled the [...]
28 Oct
Farm Bureau Pushes Estate Tax Reform
Farm Bureau is urging support for a broad exemption to the estate tax bill introduced by Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.). The bill would increase the exemption under the estate tax while lowering the tax rate. “There aren’t 60 votes in the Senate for permanent repeal, so we are shifting from repeal to get the best [...]
28 Oct
Two WTO Dispute Panel Requests Blocked
Two World Trade Organization dispute panel requests were blocked last Friday. The United States blocked a request by Canada and Mexico requesting that a WTO dispute panel look into U.S. country-of-origin labeling rules. The two countries contend COOL has made U.S. processors reluctant to buy Canadian and Mexican livestock and meat. Also on Friday, the [...]
28 Oct
Survey Finds Strong Support for Corn
A nationwide survey conducted for the National Corn Growers Association found broad public respect and trust for family farmers and support for corn as food, feed and fuel. Ninety-five percent of those polled find farmers to be trusted messengers on issues such as agriculture, corn products and ethanol – and ethanol itself was supported or [...]
28 Oct
State Resolutions Committee STILL ON!
Members, The State Resolutions Committee meeting is still scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, October 29th. The meeting has NOT been canceled. After several discussions, President Foutz and Vice President Shawcroft felt that despite the weather, SRC will still go on as planned because changing the date at such a late hour would not help in increasing [...]
27 Oct
EPA to Step Up Enforcement of CWA
This move could have either a beneficial or detrimental effect on the negotiations surrounding the Clean Water restoration Act currently before Congress. A new Clean Water Action Enforcement Plan unveiled by Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson last week in a committee hearing in Washington places emphasis on concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), according to [...]
26 Oct
‘Don’t CAP Our Future’ is on Facebook
Farm Bureau’s “Don’t CAP Our Future” grassroots campaign on cap-and-trade climate legislation features social media components. This includes a Facebook page with resources, links and photos. Several state Farm Bureaus already have posted updates and photos of how members are mobilizing in support of “Don’t CAP Our Future.” If you’re on Facebook, become a fan [...]
23 Oct
Early Season Snowstorm, A Mess Out East
The Wednesday evening snowstorm moved east and dropped heavy snow on Colorado’s Eastern Plains Thursday. More than a dozen school districts were either closed or delayed, and Interstate 70 was shut down from Airport road to Burlington because of treacherous conditions. Many locations on the Plains reported 6-8 inches of snow with a few reports [...]
23 Oct
AFBF: Fuel Costs Skyrocket Under House Warming Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C., October 21, 2009—A crop and livestock producer from Texas today said cap-and-trade climate change legislation could hike the cost of fuel used for farming to the point that it will have a devastating economic impact on his and similar family-owned businesses. Speaking at a Capitol Hill news conference, Texas farmer and cattle producer [...]
23 Oct
Administration to Press Ahead on Cap and Trade
The Obama administration will continue to press ahead on Cap and Trade legislation, with an address by the president tomorrow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology seen as a key impetus for the effort. Energy Secretary Steven Chu told the Reuters Washington Summit that he believes there is “a reasonably good possibility” Congress could deliver [...]
23 Oct
Corn, Soy Make Big Price Gains
Corn prices made their biggest gain for the year this week, while soybean prices reached a two-month high as rains and snow delay harvests in the U.S. with optimism that higher oil prices will boost demand for biofuels. In the meantime, speakers at Farm Bureau’s second annual commodity outlook conference held in Albuquerque, N.M., painted [...]
21 Oct
Australia Raises Issues with COOL
Australia‘s Minister for Trade, Simon Crean, used a meeting in Washington, D.C. with his counterpart in the Obama Administration, United States Trade Representative (USTR) Ron Kirk, to raise his government’s complaints about a range of agricultural trade issues. “During the talks I raised Australia’s ongoing concerns about the 2008 US Farm Bill, emphasizing Australia’s continuing interest in gaining better market [...]
21 Oct
New Discount Program Helps Farm Bureau Members Cut Costs
Colorado Farm Bureau has introduced a new discount program that offers its members an average savings of 30 percent on prescription drugs. The Prescription Discount Program card is free and is a benefit of membership in the Colorado Farm Bureau. Farm Bureau members and their families without insurance, as well as those who find themselves [...]
19 Oct
Fairgoer Gives Show Hog H1N1
Preliminary tests show three hogs in Minnesota may have contracted the H1N1 virus, making them the first potential U.S. cases in swine. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Friday that USDA’s Veterinary Services Laboratories will be conducting confirmatory testing on swine samples collected at the 2009 Minnesota State Fair between Aug. 26 and Sept. 1. Vilsack [...]
16 Oct
Cal Poly Alum Protests Pollan Solo Lecture
A solo lecture by food activist Michael Pollan scheduled for 11 a.m. Pacific time today on the campus of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo was hastily converted to a panel discussion after alumni, including the chairman of Harris Beef Ranch Co., protested. Pollan will participate in a panel discussion that includes Gary Smith, a Colorado [...]
16 Oct
National FFA Convention Kicks Off Next Week
Next week, the National FFA Organization will host its 82nd National FFA Convention in Indianapolis. More than 55,000 high school students from across the United States will gather to compete, perform and learn through competitions, workshops, sessions and more. Highlights of the convention include addresses by Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant, Mike Rowe from the Discovery [...]
16 Oct
Gates Chides Critics, Defends Biotech Crops
Bill Gates, the Microsoft chairman who is pouring part of his fortune into alleviating global poverty, defended the use of genetically engineered crops to help poor farmers increase food production. In what was billed as his first major speech on agriculture, Gates chided critics who he said are “instantly hostile to any emphasis on productivity. [...]
15 Oct
The Ag Agenda
Don’t CAP Our Future! Farm Bureau recently kicked off a climate change grassroots campaign appropriately titled “Don’t Cap Our Future.” Farm Bureau members are getting out the word on Capitol Hill that cap-and-trade legislation would impose higher energy and food costs on consumers, raise fuel, fertilizer and energy costs for farmers and ranchers, and shrink [...]
14 Oct
House Committee Hearing to Focus on Clean Water Act
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will hold a hearing on Thursday, Oct. 15 on the lack of progress by the Environmental Protection Agency and state agencies in meeting the goals of “fishable and swimmable waters” called for in the Clean Water Act. A central issue of the hearing is expected to be allegations by [...]
13 Oct
Cowboy Cited When Horse Walks Away from Bar
WORLAND, Wyo. (AP) — A northwestern Wyoming man received a citation for letting his horse wander in Worland, but not before he complained to town law enforcement officials about the absence of a hitching post in front of the local saloon. William Schellinger was cited by Washakie County law enforcement officers for allowing his horse [...]
Shawn Martini
Chad Vorthmann
Rachel Vermillion
Garin Vorthmann
Crystal Korrey
Troy B
El Sagehorn
Brent Boydston
