In its third year, the AgChat Foundation’s Agvocacy 2.0 event is poised to be its most dynamic social media training opportunity yet. The conference will be held Aug. 23-24 in Kansas City, Missouri, where farmers and ranchers from across the nation will convene to learn how to better support agriculture and engage with non-farm consumers.

Advocacy 2.0 is hosted by the AgChat Foundation, a primarily volunteer organization that aims to empower farmers and ranchers to “agvocate” by connecting consumers with accurate information about farming and food production using social media.

Houston-based Mahindra USA, the No. 1 selling tractor in the world based on volume, recently announced the Mahindra dealers that have achieved the level of “Red Carpet” as part of the tractor giant’s first ever Dealer Excellence Program.

Agricultural equipment manufacturer KUHN Krause, Inc., announced the construction of expanded manufacturing facilities at its location in Hutchinson, Kansas, where the company currently employs more than 300 people.

Construction ground breaking for a high-bay, 70,000-square-foot building expansion is expected to begin sometime in April. The project is scheduled for completion by calendar year-end.

Governor Andrew Cuomo recently announced that an additional $1 million in recovery aid will be provided to New York farms that were affected by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. These funds are Round 2 of the Farm Operation Match Component of the Agriculture and Community Recovery Fund (ACRF). Grants will go to 97 farms in 18 counties to help replace feed and crops that were damaged by Irene or Lee. The first round of grants awarded $1.3 million to 143 farms in 21 counties.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its denial of the 2008 petition by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) seeking to cancel 2,4-D herbicide registrations and revoke all the tolerances for use.

“The impact of this decision should not be understated,” said Jim Gray, executive director of the Industry Task Force II on 2,4-D Research Data. “EPA’s comprehensive review of one of the most extensive scientific data bases of a pesticide confirmed the Agency’s previous finding that the 2,4-D tolerances are acceptable.”

The American Bankers Association’s (ABA) annual Farm Bank Performance Report showed that farm lending posted solid growth during 2011. The nation’s 2,185 farm banks increased farm and ranch lending $3.8 billion or 5.6 percent in 2011, for a total outstanding balance of $72.3 billion. "The growth in farm loans shows banks continue to meet the credit needs of both large and small farms and remain the most important supplier of agricultural credit," said John Blanchfield, senior vice president and director of ABA’s Center for Agricultural & Rural Banking.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Farm Safety 4 Just Kids (FS4JK). The organization has promoted farm safety to more than 6 million people through local programs and education since 1987. Over the past 25 years, FS4JK has established a network of more than 120 chapters across the U.S. and Canada that offer farm safety presentations on a local level. In that time, 35,600 volunteers donated 280,000 hours of their time to help promote safety on the farm. 

For years, the rising cost of energy and feed, along with tightening credit, have forced droves of dairy farmers in southeastern Georgia to scale back or close shop entirely. From 1997 to 2007, the industry shed an average of 1,820 cows and 47 operations per year, according to USDA statistics. There is a bright spot, however: pasture-based dairies.

The dairy industry in a five-state region – Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas – has seen a tremendous growth in the past decade, a growth that provides both concerns and opportunities, according to Texas AgriLife Extension Service specialists. Joining other experts at the High Plains Dairy Conference held recently in Amarillo, Dr. Ellen Jordan, a Texas AgriLife Extension Service dairy specialist, said the five-state area is home to about 450,000 cows, which provide approximately $4.3 billion in annual economic impact. However, water use by these dairies and in the industry has been questioned, especially after the drought of last year.

The University of Wisconsin's Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program announced the launch of the IPM Toolkit Version 1.0, available for free in the iTunes app store. The first generation app makes mobile many of the great tools available through the Integrated Pest and Crop Management website, which was updated recently.

Recognizing the need to access data at different times and from any location, the IPM Toolkit was developed to run on mobile devices, enabling users to stay up-to-date as items get posted on the Internet throughout the growing season.