While the US election had a decisive winner, it’s still unclear how a second Donald Trump administration will impact the agriculture industry in the United States and abroad. Agriculture was not front and center in this election cycle, and of his cabinet level positions, Trump named his nominee for US agriculture secretary last. But Trump […]

What hurt farmers the most was lower crop-cash receipts—the amount of money generated from selling crops. U.S. Farm incomes are expected to fall again in 2024 and many farmers find themselves facing tighter budgets for next year. The underlying issue is that input costs—the expenses for things farmers need

Stuart Beckman, director of safety for Columbia Grain International shares insights on empowering employees through hands-on safety practices. In this episode of the Feed & Grain Podcast, host Steven Kilger speaks with Stuart Beckman, the director of safety at Columbia Grain International. Drawing from over two decades of experience, including military service and safety leadership, […]

There were at least 27 cases of grain entrapment in the U.S. last year. OSHA recently added Missouri to the list of states where it’s emphasizing grain handling safety. It happened 14 years ago, but Todd Underwood with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has vivid memories of being called out to investigate the […]

In this Feed & Grain Chat, Stuart Beckman, director of safety for Columbia Grain International (CGI), discusses CGI’s recent safety initiatives, including partnering with a North Dakota workforce safety initiative, revamping their fumigation program, conducting safety assessments across their facilities, and implementing thermographic imaging for electrical hazards. Beckman highlights ongoing efforts to improve incident reporting, […]

We have a conversation with Columbia Grain President and CEO Jeff Van Pevenage as we get an update on pulse crops, PNW logistics and more.

High in protein and fiber and relatively inexpensive compared to meat, pulses are gaining favor among global consumers. And because of their natural soil-enhancing and greenhouse gas-absorbing properties, pulses also rank high among crops from a sustainability standpoint. In a recent report, Rabobank identified pulses as a crop that “creates opportunities for new and existing […]

Automation already is used in several areas of plant management. Tools such as Docusign and automatic invoice generation through enterprise resource planning software have already saved time in accounting and logistics. Many facilities in Europe have already implemented some forms of automation, such as automatic bagging, storage, and retrieval of product done entirely by machines, […]

It’s that time of year when farmers start cleaning out their bins, hauling the old crop to the elevators and inspecting bins and dryers to prepare for harvest. Jesse Zak, GSI district manager in North Dakota, Montana, South Dakota and northern Minnesota, said cleaning and inspecting grain bins and dryers, as well as checking for […]