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Author Archive
1 Apr
The Weekly Links
Dairy industry ready to surge Northern Colorado Business Report To supply the new Leprino Foods plant soon to open in Greeley, Tom Haren, owner of Longmont-based AGPROfessionals LLC, said the number of dairy cows in the state will need to almost double. New report shows even clean energy projects are dying in regulatory nightmares The [...]
31 Mar
Shawcroft Testifies Before Congress
CFB President Don Shawcroft testified before the House Natural Resources Committee today in Washington D.C. During the hearing titled “Harnessing American Resources to Create Jobs and Address Rising Gasoline Prices: Impacts on Businesses and Families,” Shawcroft told the assembled Representatives that Americans are experiencing sticker shock at the gas pump these days, but high fuel costs [...]
28 Mar
NCGA: Billionaire Food Profiteers Wrong to Call Farmers Immoral
Remarks made last week by the chairman of Nestle about the use of corn for biofuels production were not only wrong but dangerous, the president of the National Corn Growers Association said. “It is scandalous, ludicrous and highly irresponsible for the chairman of a global conglomerate that tripled its profits last year to talk about [...]
25 Mar
Colorado on Fire
Fires raged across Colorado this week, fueling concerns about a repeat of the devastating 2002 fire season. On Thursday alone 11,000 new acres were burned in three separate fires east of 1-25. A fire of more than 1,600 acres in Douglas County forced the evacuation of more than 8,500 people between Parker and Franktown. Farther [...]
25 Mar
High Vegetable Prices Expected to Drop
High vegetable prices are expected to ease in the coming weeks as farmers send more produce to the supermarket. Prices shot up nearly 50 percent in February due to cold weather that destroyed much of the vegetable supply. Lettuce in Arizona, tomatoes in Florida and other crops were impacted.
25 Mar
Governor Appoints 5 to Ag Commission
Six Colorado residents have been appointed by Gov. John Hickenlooper to the State Agricultural Commission. Thomas K. Cameron, Palisade, (Democrat), to serve from the Fourth agricultural district; Ernest D. Ford, Center, (Democrat), to serve from the Third agricultural district; Barbara L. Marty, Henderson, (Republican), to serve from the First agricultural district; John W. Singletary, Pueblo, [...]
22 Mar
Search Now Underway for 2011 America’s Farmers Mom of the Year
Behind every American farm family is the backbone of the operation: the farm mom. Monsanto is honoring her contributions to her family, farm, community and industry with the 2011 America’s Farmers Mom of the Year program. Farm moms make valuable contributions in the field, and often they are also bookkeepers, cooks, teachers, FFA advisers, 4-H [...]
21 Mar
Europeans Refuse to End Subsidies to Big Farms
EU agriculture ministers on Thursday rejected capping subsidies to Europe’s biggest farms but compromised on a fairer share-out of funds between farmers in eastern and Western Europe. Meeting to discuss an overhaul of Europe’s generously subsidized farms program, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), 19 of the 27 ministers present agreed to the general outlines of [...]
18 Mar
The Weekly Links
Bill Clinton: Drilling delays ‘ridiculous’ Politico Former President Bill Clinton said Friday that delays in offshore oil and gas drilling permits are “ridiculous” at a time when the economy is still rebuilding, according to attendees at the IHS CERAWeek conference. Last American WWI Veteran To Be Honored at Arlington ArmyLive U.S. Army Corporal Frank Buckles, [...]
17 Mar
Colorado Celebrates National Ag Day
CFB and other Colorado Ag groups celebrated National Ag Day on Wednesday at the state Capitol in Denver. The Colorado House also passed a resolution supporting and celebrating Colorado Agriculture. The Colorado Ag Council donated $65,000 in cash and in-kind donations of food the the Food Bank of the Rockies.
17 Mar
Farmers Prevail in Court Decision on EPA Livestock Rules
In a major court victory for AFBF and other farm organizations, a unanimous federal court of appeals has ruled that EPA cannot require livestock farmers to apply for Clean Water Act permits unless their farms actually discharge manure into U.S. waters. The ruling was welcomed by Farm Bureau, the National Pork Producers Council and several [...]
17 Mar
Ag Secretary, Governor Field Questions and Feedback in Greeley
Remove barriers to trade, foreign markets, red tape and get out of the way. That was the basis of most of the comments at Governor Hickenloopers’ Economic Development Summit this week in Greeley. As part of his bottom-up economic development strategy, the Governor hosted a day-long Summit on rural and economic development at UNC in [...]
16 Mar
An Activist EPA is Bad for Everyone
There is no shortage of news and comment when it comes to the EPA. Ag publications have been filled with stories of new EPA regulations and their effect on producers. But should the EPA have its way, it’s not just agriculture that will suffer for it. Nearly every American will in some way feel the [...]
15 Mar
5 Truths for Consumers
Mike Barnett of Texas Agriculure Talks, the Texas Farm Bureau blog, wrote today about some important aspects of the agriculture industry that consumers need to know. His comments are apropos of March 15, National Agriculture Day. Mike says that while there is no shortage of safe and wholesome food in this country, there are those [...]
15 Mar
Today is National Ag Day
Today is National Ag Day. Ag Day is about recognizing and celebrating the abundance provided by agriculture. Every year, producers, agricultural associations, corporations, universities, government agencies and others across America join to recognize the contributions of agriculture. National Ag Day falls during National Ag Week that runs through Saturday. The Agriculture Council of America hosts [...]
15 Mar
Japan Earthquake May Impact Grain Trade
The U.S. Grains Council received initial reports that Friday’s earthquake and the subsequent tsunami may have caused significant damage to many of Japan’s agricultural facilities and production areas. While the extent of the damage is not yet known, it will likely impact grain trade. “Some ports in northern Japan, Kushiro, Hachinohe, Ishinomaki and Kashima, were [...]
11 Mar
The Weekly Links
Mexico outlines details of cross-border trucking pact CNN Mexican officials are revealing details of a recently-announced agreement that ends a 16-year trucking dispute between Mexico and the United States. Vilsack: ‘I took it as a slam on rural America’ Washington Post Ag Sec. Tom Vilsack give a very peculiar interview about rural America. New report [...]
11 Mar
CFB Leadership Meets with New Zealand Envoy
Yesterday, Don Shawcroft and Troy Bredenkamp met with Alistair Polson, New Zealand’s Special Agricultural Trade Envoy and Terry Meikle, the New Zealand Embassy’s Secretary for Trade and Agriculture. The meeting was an informal way to share about agriculture issues from two countries across the Pacific Ocean from each other. Mr. Shawcroft and Mr. Bredenkamp provided [...]
11 Mar
House Panel Passes Bill Stripping EPA of GHG Authority
The House Energy and Power Subcommittee approved a bill Thursday that would strip EPA of its power to regulate greenhouse gases and House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) has promised the bill will come before the House floor within weeks. AFBF supports H.R. 919, the Energy Tax Prevention Act of 2011, introduced by Energy and [...]
9 Mar
House Ag Committee Considering FIFRA Permitting Bill
The House Agriculture Committee passed, the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2011, Wednesday. The bill, introduced by Reps. Bob Gibbs (R-Ohio), Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio), and Joe Baca (D-Calif.), reduces the regulatory burdens imposed by the National Cotton Council v. EPA case. The American Farm Bureau Federation is urging Congress to pass H.R. 872. The measure [...]
8 Mar
Resolution Near on U.S.-Mexico Trucking Agreement
President Barack Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderon on Thursday reached an agreement to resolve the long-running dispute over cross-border trucking between the two countries. The agreement may be finalized as soon as June. “This agreement has been a long time coming and, with half of the $2.4 billion in Mexican retaliatory tariffs to be [...]
8 Mar
Food Price Spikes Increase Fear
The world is consuming grains faster than farmers are growing them, draining reserves and pushing prices to the levels that fueled food riots in poor countries three years ago. A big U.S. crop will be needed to meet the demand, according to the Wall Street Journal. “The stage is set for very serious disruptions, should [...]
8 Mar
EPA GHG Regulations Could Put U.S. Refineries Out of Business
EPA regulation of greenhouse gas emissions by U.S. oil refineries could drive many of the refineries out of business by placing them at a significant disadvantage to foreign gasoline, according to Charles Drevna, president of the National Petrochemical & Refiners Association. “Our nation’s petroleum refineries remain one of the last internationally competitive segments of the [...]
8 Mar
AFBF Urges House Members to Co-Sponsor NPDES Permit Bill
American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman wrote to members of the House today urging them to support passage of H.R. 872, the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2011, and sign on as co-sponsors. “In addition to agricultural producers, a significant number of stakeholders will be impacted by a new federal requirement under which the [...]
7 Mar
All it takes is a Lawsuit
While inhaling carbon dioxide is essential to plant life, and exhaling it is essential to human life, this same carbon dioxide is now considered a threat to public health, if it comes from a factory or power plant. This according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) who’s made it their mission to protect citizens from [...]
7 Mar
Governor Hickenlooper Launches Colorado’s Bottom-Up Economic Development
Join the conversation! The Governor’s Office and the Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade has partnered with Colorado State University’s Office of Engagement and Extension to engage Coloradoans in a statewide conversation about Economic Development. Governor Hickenlooper is asking for residents across the State, county by county, to share their stories, challenges, and [...]
4 Mar
The Weekly Links
Is U.S. Manufacturing Dead? Wall Street Journal Is American manufacturing dead? You might think so reading most of the nation’s editorial pages, yet the empirical evidence tells a different story. McDonald’s backing Iowa research on hen housing DesMoines Register Laying hen housing systems are about to become the subject of a study backed by the [...]
3 Mar
AFBF Backs Bill to Preempt EPA GHG Regulations
AFBF supports the Energy Tax Prevention Act of 2011 that House Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) plans to introduce today. Upton’s bill would preempt regulation of greenhouse gases by the Environmental Protection Agency based on climate change considerations. “The regulation of GHG does not fit within the current framework of the Clean Air [...]
3 Mar
New Market for Seed Potato Producers
Colorado is one of 10 new states that can now ship seed potatoes to Thailand, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Tuesday. The newly eligible states are Colorado, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming. In 2009, Thailand announced it would accept seed potatoes from California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. “This [...]
Shawn Martini
Chad Vorthmann
Rachel Vermillion
Garin Vorthmann
Crystal Korrey
Troy B
El Sagehorn
Brent Boydston
