IARN — We are seeing the strains on farmers over the past few years. Sure, it seems like we talk about it enough, but it is because we cannot ignore each other’s well-being. We are not here to rehash the stressors plaguing the agriculture industry over the past few years. We are here to talk about how these stresses can be dealt with. An Iowa psychologist and farmer talks about some of the signs we can be looking for in ourselves and each other. Read more
AMS & FSA Lay Out Details Of CFAP Program
IARN — Just a few weeks ago President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced the $19 billion dollar Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). Everybody has been wondering when the $16 billion in direct aid payments were coming to farmers. Yesterday the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and the Farm Service Agency (FSA) held a webinar explaining what farmers will need to do. Read more
VR Technology Used To Educate Customers Of U.S. Meat Products
IARN — We have been saying for years that the world continues to get smaller. Technology is letting us connect in different ways and allows us to get our message out to a wider audience. If it was not already being more widely adopted, the pandemic has forced us to find virtual ways to connect. The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) has been using this technology even before COVID-19 to educate our customers around the globe. Read more
New Seed Brand To Replace Mycogen
IARN — The world’s largest agriculture chemical and seed company is making big changes ahead of the 2021 crop season.
Corteva Agriscience on Tuesday announced plans to retire its Mycogen brand after this year’s crop season. The company’s decision stems from conversations with farmers and retailers.
The brand will be no more, and a new brand, Brevant, will take its place. “With Brevant, the company plans to expand retailer access to Corteva’s genetic traits and technology,” according to Mike Lozier, Brevant brand marketing leader. Read more
Farm Bankruptcies Rise For Fifth Consecutive Year
IARN — Economic hardships persist in rural America, and farm bankruptcies continue to increase year-over-year.
Newly released data from U.S. Courts indicates year-to-year farm bankruptcies increased 23-percent. John Newton, chief economist at the American Farm Bureau Federation, say the new figures rival “what we have seen in the past.”
“When we look at the last 12 months, we had nearly 630 Chapter 12 bankruptcy filings. That’s up 23-percent from the same 12-month period, ending in March 2019. This is prior to all of the damage related to the coronavirus,” Newton said. Read more
Proposed Stimulus Legislation Includes Provisions For Biofuels
IARN — Newly proposed legislation includes provisions for biofuels.
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday introduced a fourth stimulus package. The Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act, otherwise known as the HEROES Act, includes support for biofuels producers.
American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) Chief Executive Officer Brian Jennings is pleased to see support for biofuels. He notes biofuel producers were excluded from earlier stimulus measures. Read more