Category: Agri News - Richards & Son Agri Supply

Richards & Son Agri Supply

Scientists create synthetic biopathway to turn agriculture waste into 'green' products

2/12/2016

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have engineered a new synthetic biopathway that can more efficiently and cost-effectively turn agricultural waste, like corn stover and orange peels, into a variety of useful products ranging from spandex to chicken feed......

We Want the Headquarters

1/12/2016

(Photo: Dupont/Special to the Register)

Donnelle Eller and Christopher Doering, Des Moines Register ~ Before the new company is formed, though, corporate executives plan to comb through operations to find synergies — or duplications — that can be cut. Dow and DuPont expect to slash $3 billion from ag, material sciences and specialty products spin-offs.The combined ag company.....

Iowa Ethanol Breaking Records

1/4/2016

(Pat Curtis, Radio Iowa, Des Moines) - Iowa Renewable Fuels Association executive director Monte Shaw says Iowa’s 43 ethanol plants churned out a record amount of the corn-based fuel additive this year.
“We’re excited that we exceeded our previous record and exceeded 4 billion gallons of ethanol production in 2015. That was up a bit over last year (3.9 billion gallons),” Shaw said.
Iowa produced about 27-percent of the nation’s ethanol...... read more

Vilsack Calls for GMO Debate

12/22/2015

WASHINGTON — The food industry, consumer groups and other stakeholders in the debate over how to label products containing genetically modified ingredients are expected to be summoned to the Agriculture Department early next month to try to resolve the contentious issue.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said there is growing urgency to reach a compromise with Vermont’s law that would require labels on foods that contain genetically modified organisms expected to take effect in July. If Vermont's initiative withstands a legal challenge, proponents say it could give momentum to similar measures being considered in more than a dozen other states.........

The Des Moines Register, Christopher Doering, cdoering@gannett.com4:19 p.m. CST December 19, 2015
(Photo: AFP/Getty Images)

Farming - The School of Hardknocks

12/21/2015

Brady Smith has farmed full time for five years near Emerson in Mills County. From patience to diversification to knowing what you don’t know, Smith and other farmers share what they’ve learned in their careers.

Story and Photo by Jeff DeYoung

Spooky GMO Myths Debunked

12/15/2015

Haunted houses, spooky costumes, and trick-or-treating are all scary delights of the Halloween season. But if you want to give yourself a good fright, you need to look no further than a Google image search for GMOs.
For the last post in this year’s Get to Know GMOs series, we invite you to come with us for an eerie stroll through some of the Internet’s most outrageous GMO myths and images.........
read more

Iowa is the Place for New Agri Business

12/14/2015

Rural entrepreneurs can find a supportive network of partners and resources here in Iowa to help successfully launch or grow their companies, said business owners last week.
Renew Rural Iowa, the Iowa Farm Bureau’s business development initiative, hosted a panel discussion on rural innovation during the Iowa Farm Bureau annual meeting in Des Moines.
Featured speakers included three Iowa business owners who have turned to Renew Rural Iowa........ read more

Weekly Outlook: Ethanol Production and Corn Consumption Prospects for 2016

12/8/2015

Good, D. farmdoc daily (5):226, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, December 7, 2015 ~ Estimates from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), indicate that U.S. production of fuel ethanol totaled 14.313 billion gallons during the 2014 calendar year. That is 1.02 billion gallons more than produced in 2013 and .............. read more

For the Birds

12/4/2015

Country Living News, Nov. 23, 2015 ~ As the nights draw in and we retreat indoors, spare a thought for our feathered friends outside. Much as we are inclined to do, birds must fatten up in winter to ensure a reserve toasty enough to survive the frostiest of nights. Now more than ever, your local and visiting birds will appreciate any food you can offer but as with all wildlife, it’s important to know the right things to provide and what to avoid............... Read more

Letting Go

12/3/2015

Teresa Opheim, The Des Moines Register ~ The United States will experience a monumental shift in farmland ownership. Thirty-one percent of U.S. agricultural land is owned by non-operator landlords. In Iowa, 35 percent of Iowa farmland is owned by people over 75 years of age. At the same time, there is a surge in those who are wanting to farm. Practical Farmers has 1,600 of these beginning farmers in its network alone.
What’s to be done? Well, if you own farmland, how about a little soul searching about the future of that land? What matters most for Iowa, for agriculture? Could you seek out and sell that land to the next generation of farmers?
Practical Farmers has just announced its Farmland Owner Award winner for 2015: Siblings Faith Sherman of Des Moines, Dale Nimrod of Decorah and Vance Nimrod of Mississippi. They sold the farmland they inherited, and sold their farmland to a local farm family at a below-market value price.
The Farmland Owner Award is given to non-operator landlords who use their land to advance stewardship and help get the next generation started on the land. With this award, Practical Farmers is calling attention to the huge role non-operator farmland owners play in the future success of sustainable agriculture.............