Category: Ag News

Wed, 14 Sep 2022 09:56:25 CDT

National Cotton Council Chairman Ted Schneider said the U.S. cotton industry applauds USDA for promoting sustainable farming practices through its Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities – including the new Climate Smart Cotton Program led by the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol.

The Louisiana producer stated that, “The U.S. cotton industry is committed to sustainability and to protecting the environment. The $90 million of funding allocated to the U.S. Climate Smart Cotton Program is a historic investment that will further enhance our industry’s voluntary environmental stewardship efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, soil loss and water and energy use, while increasing land efficiency and soil carbon.”

He said this project announced today will provide technical and financial assistance to more than 1,000 U.S. cotton producers, including historically underserved cotton producers, to advance adoption of climate smart practices such as no-till, cover crops and nutrient management on more than a million acres, producing more than four million bales of Climate Smart Cotton over five years.

Schneider said the new project will be led by the industry’s three-year old sustainability initiative – the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol® – a voluntary program where its American cotton producer participants “commit to providing sustainably-grown cotton to not only meet the needs of brands and retailers in the fashion and textile industries but ultimately protect and preserve our planet.”

The Climate Smart Cotton Program is a collaborative effort with Cotton Incorporated and the NCC’s export promotion arm, Cotton Council International; the Soil Health Institute; the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund; Alabama A&M University; North Carolina A&T University; Texas A&M University’s AgriLife Research; and Agricenter International in Memphis. The NCC also is grateful for Target’s support of the project through cost-share funding.

“The U.S. cotton industry is honored to partner with USDA on this very important environmental enterprise,” Schneider said. “We look forward to working with Secretary Vilsack on future climate-smart programs not only to build and expand market opportunities for U.S. cotton but be global leaders in mitigating the impact of climate change through voluntary and innovative conservation practices.”

Wed, 14 Sep 2022 09:55:12 CDT

The Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance (FACA) commends USDA for its consideration and selection of pilot projects through its Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities.

The more than 80 member organizations of the Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance represent farmers, ranchers, agribusiness, forest owners, state departments of agriculture, and nongovernmental organizations that support voluntary, incentive-based climate solutions.

FACA appreciates USDA’s use of Alliance recommendations as a guidepost when developing Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities and commends Secretary Vilsack and Under Secretary Bonnie for their meaningful inclusion of early adopters and small and underserved producers in the program. The Alliance is pleased that the projects selected recognize differences between regions, farm size and forest type, and diversity of production in the United States.

FACA supports innovative and voluntary solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase carbon sequestration and storage, build climate resilience, and drive sustainability across the supply chain. The newly announced projects will help advance climate-smart production practices, measure and verify associated GHG benefits and increase demand for commodities produced using forward-thinking and sustainable methods.

The Alliance continually works to build on our recommendations and looks forward to engaging with USDA and Congress on future climate-smart programs.

Wed, 14 Sep 2022 09:51:09 CDT

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House Agriculture Committee Chairman David Scott delivered the following statement at today’s hearing “Soil Health Practices and Programs that Support Regenerative Agriculture.”

Good morning and welcome to today’s important hearing on soil health and the existing practices and programs that support producers as they protect and improve the health of the soil.    

For decades, USDA programs have provided producers with support to address their resource concerns. As a matter of fact, the Natural Resources Conservation Service began as the Soil Conservation Service, with an original focus primarily on soil health and erosion.

Today, farmers, ranchers, and foresters are able to use USDA’s technical and financial assistance to support a variety of ways to increase soil health. Addressing soil health helps improve their operations and has additional benefits such as increased water retention and carbon sequestration in the soil.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the work of the many advocates and innovators who have driven awareness among producers and the public, alike. For example, the excellent moving documentary Kiss the Ground directed by Mr. Finnian Makepeace who is here with us today that brought attention to soil health. I am thrilled to play a short clip here today created by individuals involved in that documentary that provides agricultural producers’ perspectives on practices and programs that support regenerative agriculture.

I would like to thank our witnesses here today, as well as their supporters. I would also like to thank those who are not able to be here today but have made significant contributions as advocates for innovation in agriculture.

Additionally, I would be remiss if I did not use this opportunity to mention the exciting work being funded by the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Program at USDA. Just this morning Secretary Vilsack announced funding of $25 million for the Rodale Institute working with the University of Georgia and Emory University to help producers expand markets for their produce, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, educating consumers, and developing technology that will improve scalability of their model. This is so important and I am so very supportive of what Secretary Vilsack is doing with this program. This project is just one of 70 receiving funding, but with it being in Georgia, I am sure it will be the most successful.

Watch a clip from the producers of Kiss the Ground below:

With that, I’d now like to welcome the distinguished Ranking Member, the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mr. Thompson, for any opening remarks he would like to give.

Wed, 14 Sep 2022 09:41:51 CDT

Mark Johnson, Oklahoma State University Extension Beef Cattle Breeding Specialist, offers herd health advice as part of the weekly series known as the "Cow Calf Corner" published electronically by …

Wed, 14 Sep 2022 09:08:12 CDT

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on USDA’s selection of pilot projects through its Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities.

“AFBF congratulates the org…

Wed, 14 Sep 2022 08:59:55 CDT

AmplifiedAg, Inc.®, a leading agricultural technology company focused on the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) category, announced today the release of its first Sustainability Impact Update, outlining the company’s operations and impact evaluation.

The release of the report coincides with AmplifiedAg’s participation in the USDA Food Loss and Waste Innovation Fair held today, September 14, 2022. In 2021, AmplifiedAg committed to be a USDA and EPA Food Loss and Waste 2030 Champion and set a goal to reduce food loss and waste by 50%.

“Our job as innovators, engineers, and farmers is to always be improving our results and solving for the complicated food supply issues we’re facing today,” said Don Taylor, CEO of AmplifiedAg. “This ethos and ambition drives everything we do, and is a perfect match for the challenge of sustainability because there is no single milestone for success in this realm. Success in terms of sustainability is a progressive and never-ending endeavor.

In the spirit of transparency, accountability, and industry collaboration, I am happy to share this AmplifiedAg Sustainability Impact Update that highlights our numerous initiatives and advancements. I am extremely proud of our team for all their commitment and efforts, and I am proud to be a member of the CEA business, technology, and farming community as we collectively pursue the most important and ambitious challenges of our time.”

The report shares the company’s evaluation of its business practices aligned with the global frameworks provided by GRI, SASB Standards, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The areas of focus include Scope 1 and 2 emissions, resource consumption, waste reduction, and other social and environmental impacts that our company has on team members and the planet. The report outlines the progress made in these areas, as well as AmplifiedAg’s commitment to publish science-based targets for annual ESG reporting beginning in 2023.

To download the AmplifiedAg Sustainability Impact Update and learn more about the company’s sustainable business initiatives, visit https://amplifiedaginc.com/sustainability/.

Wed, 14 Sep 2022 08:53:38 CDT

The Caddo Research Station in Fort Cobb, Oklahoma, will host a peanut and cotton field day tomorrow, Sept. 15.

Oklahoma State University and U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers will share crop info…

Wed, 25 Jan 2023 07:39:47 CST

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RON’s Dave Lanning has a pre-opening look at today’s agricultural Markets.

Click the audio tab below for today’s report.

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Wed, 14 Sep 2022 04:12:07 CDT

American Farmers & Ranchers (AFR) Cooperative delegates had a full and successful first full day of the 2022 National Farmers Union (NFU) Fall Legislative Fly-In Sept. 12.

USDA Administration Briefing
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Tue, 13 Sep 2022 14:57:21 CDT

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture are now putting the Daily Cash Grain Report into a PDF format – we are saving that PDF and archiving them for today’s specific report. To see today’s update, click on the PDF report link at the bottom of this story.

In addition to the PDF of the daily report, you can also listen to the Cash Grain Report by calling 405-621-5533. Push 2 for the grain report.

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