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NCFC & NGFA Agree On New 199A Language
The 199A provision within the tax bill passed in December has been causing some strife within the retailer community due to a change in how taxes are handled when commodities are sold to a cooperative versus when sold to other entities.
This week, the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC) and the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) announced joint support for legislation to be added to the Omnibus Spending Bill later this month.
NCFC and NGFA worked with House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation to develop legislative language. The legislation is meant to replicate, to the extent possible, the old 199 Domestic Production Activities Deduction (DPAD), and the pre-December 2017 market conditions.
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TFI Board Elects
Brinkmeyer as Honorary Director
The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) Board of Directors elected Joel Brinkmeyer, Agribusiness Association of Iowa (AAI) CEO, as an Honorary Director. The non-voting role provides an opportunity for the TFI board to hear from state level organizations and from a key fertilizer use state in the Midwest.
The TFI board elected Brinkmeyer during their Annual Meeting on February 13, 2018. During his term on the board, Brinkmeyer will attend the institute's biannual Board of Director meetings. He is one of three honorary members
, and the only state executive elected to this position. The TFI Board is made up of 38 voting members representing the fertilizer industry in the US.
"I am looking forward to continuing the strong ties between AAI and The Fertilizer Institute as well as representing the state level interests on the board," said Brinkmeyer. "This is a great opportunity
for AAI, and I look forward to actively participate in this role."
Brinkmeyer will serve a three-year term running through February of 2021.
TFI is led by its president, Chris Jahn, who has been a strong supporter of the fertilizer industry in Iowa and of Iowa-based initiatives.
The Fertilizer Institute is the leading voice of the nation's fertilizer industry. Tracing its roots back to 1883, TFI's membership includes fertilizer producers, wholesalers, retailers and trading firms. TFI's full-time staff, based in Washington, D.C., serves its members through legislative, educational, technical, economic information and public communication programs.
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Wall Street Journal Supports Glyphosate Injunction
The editorial board of the Wall Street Journal recently condoned the decision of Judge Shubb to temporarily ban the forced labeling of glyphosate as cancerous.
"...
count this a victory for common sense and the rule of law," was the conclusion of the opinion piece that was published on March 14.
Last fall, the Agribusiness Association of Iowa joined as a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the State of California Office on Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. Despite widespread assessments by various regulatory entities, including the California OEHHA, that glyphosate is not likely to cause cancer, the state listed glyphosate as a carcinogen under Proposition 65 when the controversial International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) stated its belief that glyphosate does cause cancer. Out of 1067 reviews, IARC has only once deemed a substance to be probably not carcinogenic to humans.
AAI will continue to keep members updated on developments of this lawsuit.
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AAI Foundation Notice: Winton Etchen Scholarship Deadline Approaching
The AAI Foundation is accepting applications for the Winton Etchen Scholarship.
The goal of this scholarship is to identify and recognize outstanding students who plan careers in agriculture and/or a related field.
Postmark Deadline: Monday, April 23, 2018
Interested students must submit completed
application and all supporting documents to the AAI Foundation 900 Des Moines Street Des Moines, IA 50309.
Download here>>
Criteria For Eligible
- Attending Iowa State University
- Students who are legal residents of the State of Iowa
- Who are enrolled in agriculture related curriculum
- Applicants must be sponsored by a member of the Agribusiness Association of Iowa.
Each year's successful applicant is awarded $1,000 and is eligible to receive $250 for each of the next three years.
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Save these Dates! 2018 Summer Golf Tournaments Dates and Locations
Our golf tournaments are a great way to network and grow your connections in the agribusiness community.
We host four golf tournaments in the state of Iowa, two in July, one in August, and one in September. Save these dates!
- July 24 | Fox Ridge Golf Course - Dike
- July 25 | Emerald Hills Golf Course - Arnolds Park
- August 9 | The Legacy Golf Club - Des Moines
- September 13 | TBD
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Armstrong Named Iowa CCA of the Year
by: IowaCCA.org
The Iowa Certified Crop Advisers (CCA) announced the 2018 Iowa CCA of the year - Walter Armstrong from Ames, Iowa. Armstrong accepted this annual award during the Iowa CCA recognition luncheon at the Agribusiness Showcase & Conference on February 13, 2018.
During his recognition, Armstrong suggests "In 2018, to take some time to promote your [CCA] certification, you've earned it." A certified crop adviser utilizes their knowledge to assist their farmer customers. Farmers and employers prefer to work with CCAs because they have demonstrated commitment, education, expertise, and experience to make a difference in a client's business.
The Iowa Certified Crop Adviser of the Year Award is designed to recognize a CCA who delivers exceptional customer service, is highly innovative, has shown that they are a leader in their field, and has contributed substantially to the exchange of ideas and the transfer of agronomic knowledge within the agriculture industry.
Read More
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Cover Crops, Buffers Help Save Soil Nutrients, Protect Against Erosion
by: DTN
John Weber, a corn/soybean and hog producer from Dysart, Iowa, is passionate about improving water quality. The past president of the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) and member of the NPPC environmental committee thinks every farmer should be doing something to reduce the amount of nutrients in water leaving the farm.
Weber -- who farms in partnership with his son Brian at Valley Lane Farms Inc. -- has been doing his part. He manages manure and nitrogen use, has been using cover crops for five years in seedcorn fields and, last year, installed a saturated buffer along a stream to remove nitrates from tile water before it enters a creek that runs through the farm.
The Tama County operation grows about 2,400 acres of corn and soybeans, and finishes market hogs at three sites on several farms. "About a third of the corn acres are seedcorn," Weber said. "I've grown seedcorn every year I've farmed and, on this particular farm, since 1987."
Read More
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On-farm Research Quantifies Value of Grazing Cattle On Cover Crops
by: High Plains Journal
A three-year on-farm research project by Practical Farmers of Iowa is putting a price tag on the forage produced by cover crops. Two years of data from an on-going study show that the practice of grazing cover crops, combined with cost-share funding, provides positive returns within the same year cover crops are planted.
This finding is significant because some of the benefits of cover crops may take a few years to manifest-and the costs can be hard for farmers to justify in the short-term, when profit margins are shrinking.
The PFI data, however, shows that with proper management, grazing cover crops is a prime means by which farmers can realize sizeable profits within the first year.
Three cow-calf producers in the North Raccoon Watershed-Wesley Degner, of Lytton; Bill Frederick, of Jefferson; and Mark Schleisman, of Lake City-are participating in the project, which started in 2015 and will run through May 2018. The project is supported by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.
Key findings from the research include... Read More
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Biofuels Supporters Ramp Up Efforts to Protect RFS
Biofuels supporters have ramped up their efforts to protect the Renewable Fuels Standard from changes being pursued by Texas Senator Ted Cruz and oil refiners.
At a rally near Nevada, Iowa on Saturday, Bill Howell, who manages the POET ethanol plant at Coon Rapids, said Cruz's plan to cap RIN prices would hurt ethanol producers and farmers.
"Senator Cruz says it's a win-win," Howell said. "How can he honestly say this is a win for farmers when it will cripple the corn market and the price of corn will immediately drop 25 cents."
Iowa Corn Growers Association president Mark Recker said the biofuels industry has faced many challenges. But he said the latest attack on the RFS, "is maybe the largest threat we've seen".
Read More
RELATED ARTICLES
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Bird Flu Found in Missouri Turkey Farm
by: Iowa Public Radio
An outbreak of a bird flu has hit southwestern Missouri. While less contagious than the strain of avian flu that devastated the Midwest chicken and turkey industry last spring, the infection is still potent enough to call for the destruction of birds.
On Wednesday, when the outbreak was confirmed by the Missouri Department of Agriculture, the commercial turkey farm in Jaspar County, near Joplin, was still quarantined. Some 39,000 bi
rds were destroyed last week as a precaution.
The Missouri outbreak is low pathogenic H5N1 avian flu, which has a very low (or no) mortality rate, said Kyoung-Jin Yoon, a professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University. It was discovered by a U.S. Department of Agriculture surveillance program, he said.
Read More
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Stay Connected
Stay Informed
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Strategic Partners Bring Service and Savings to AAI Members
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Dicamba/auxin training sessions can be found at:
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Upcoming Events
& Meeting
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Agribusiness Showcase & Conference Committee Meeting
10:00 AM
March 20
AAI Board Room
Office Closures
March 30
Good Friday - Office Closed
April 3
Early Closure at 3:00 PM
AAI Executive Committee Meeting
10:00 AM
April 10
AAI Board Room
AAI Board Meeting
10:00 AM
April 17
AAI Board Room
Office Closures
May 28
Memorial Day Monday
Summer Hours Begin
(M-Th 8-4:30 PM; F 8-12 PM)
July 4
Independence
Day
AAI Golf Tournament #1
Co-host: AGP
TBD
July 24
Fox Ridge Golf Course
Dike, IA
AAI Golf Tournament #2
Co-host: AGP
TBD
July 25
Emerald Hills Golf Course
Arnolds Park, IA
AAI Golf Tournament #3
Co-host: USA
Shotgun Start: 10AM
August 9
Des Moines, IA
Agribusiness Showcase & Conference Summer Workshop
TBD
August, 2018
Office Closures
September 3
Labor Day Monday
Summer Hours End
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