Most recent updates regarding Smithfield Foods purchasing agreement
At least one shareholder says Smithfield Foods could be worth more than the $4.7 billion being offered by China’s Shuanghui company. An investment fund called Starboard Value LP which owns 5.7 percent of Smithfield says the hog producer/processor would get a lot more if it were split-up into three parts and sold separately.

A friendly reminder that the Nobles County Corn & Soybean Growers and the Rock/Nobles County Cattlemen's Association Annual Golf Open is just around the corner for June 25, 2013 with a 2 p.m. shotgun start at the Adrian Country Club. A steak supper is scheduled for 5 p.m.

Cost is free to members of either the Rock/Nobles Cattlemen or the Nobles County Corn and Soybean Growers! If you're not a member, don't worry - if you join either organization on the 25th, your meal and golf come FREE.

On Monday, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton officially launched a new agricultural water quality pilot program designed to enhance water quality in the state. The Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification program is the first of its kind in the nation and is the product of a state-federal Memorandum of Understanding signed by Governor Dayton, Secretary Vilsack and former EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson in January 2012.

Yesterday, U.S. Senator Al Franken sent a letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack requesting assistance in alleviating the feed and forage shortage facing livestock producers in southern Minnesota. In his letter, Franken expresses an urgen request for waiving USDA rules against harvesting emergency forage crops before the November 1st date.

Find the full letter below, as dictated by the Al Franken official website.

The Honorable Tom Vilsack Secretary
United States Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, D.C. 20250

The Minnesota State Fair and Minnesota Farm Bureau congratulate the Minnesota farms that have been recognized as 2013 Century Farms. Qualifying farms are those that have been in a continuous family ownership for a minimum of 100 years and are 50+ acres.

Congratulations to the area 2013 Century Farms!

Blue Earth County
Good Thunder: Charles H. & Marilyn E. Barnard, 1912
Mankato: Ronald & Elaine Marzinske, 1913
Vernon Center: Will & Paula Purvis, 1913

With the cold, wet spring causing delays across the board here in the Midwest, we are almost to June and hearing farmers are just wrapping up planting or are still waiting for conditions to dry to complete their corn and/or beans planting.

The USDA has confirmed that porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) has been identified in the United States for the first time through testing at the National Veterinary Services Laboratory. It has been rumored to have appeared in Iowa and Minnesota but sources can only confirm it in the Iowa hog population.

This year's finalists for the title of Princess Kay of the Milky Way have been named. The 12 young women from dairy farm backgrounds were selected at the conclusion of a three-day event for county dairy princesses held in St. Joseph. The finalists include:

After a late-night session Wednesday, the House Agriculture Committee voted to approve a $940 billion farm bill, a day after the Senate passed its version. The vote was 36 to 10, with mostly Democrats voting against the bill after nine hours of debate.

In a unanimous ruling delivered today, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed its support for protecting U.S. innovations that are a critical part of supporting the world's growing needs. The case, Bowman v. Monsanto, centered on the protection of intellectual property and its outcome was crucial for innovations that deliver benefits to millions of Americans.