Industry Ag News 5/14

Carrie Muehling Leave a Comment

  • The Seam, a leading provider of food and agribusiness software and commodity trading solutions, announced that Coastal Growers and Tifton Peanut Company have entered into multi-year agreements for its cloud-based, peanut management platform.
  • FarmOp Capital, LLC, a leading provider of innovative working capital solutions to American farmers, announced a core staff expansion resulting from increased demand for its operating loans and a new corporate office location. Following strong expansion in its business, the company is expanding its core team. During the previous six months, the company added several new positions across multiple areas including customer relationship management, credit administration, marketing, and accounting. With the addition of new team members FarmOp Capital will be better positioned to meet the increased demand for its crop-based financing solutions.
  • At its 12th Annual Executive Leadership Conference, Growth Energy unveiled a new consumer initiative to raise awareness of biofuels’ positive environmental benefits and encourage consumers to choose higher biofuel blends like E15 at the pump. Through a series of targeted digital content, advertising, and digital media, the Get Biofuel campaign aligns biofuel benefits to an empowerment message titled “Fuel Beyond”.
  • Leading nutrition expert Dr. Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted was announced as the 2021 World Food Prize Laureate for her achievements in pioneering fish-based food systems to improve nutrition, health and livelihoods for millions around the world.
  • The Georgia Peanut Commission is hosting a photo contest May 12-Oct. 1, 2021, to fill the pages of the 2022 Georgia Peanut Calendar. Photos will also be selected to be used in various promotional projects by GPC throughout the year. Peanut farmers from across Georgia are encouraged to submit their best high-resolution photo of peanut production on their farm. Visit www.gapeanuts.com for complete details.
  • Ag mentors come from all backgrounds. Some are more traditional, like our parents, grandparents, FFA leaders or ag teachers. Others are unconventional, like the random ag leader that showed up in your urban classroom. Regardless of who your mentor was, your story is special, and Syngenta wants to hear it, share it and celebrate you both through the#RootedinAg Contest. Now accepting entries, contest participants are asked to share the story of who inspired them to be #RootedinAg. In exchange, they have a chance to honor that person and win prizes. Go to syngentathrive.com/contest to review eligibility and fill out the brief #RootedinAg entry form.
  • Sean Cain, who joined Morton Buildings as a construction worker and has since advanced over a distinguished 25-year career, has been named president of the company.
  • Michael Torrey Associates, a leading Washington, D.C.-based firm that offers effective government relations, strategic communications and issue advocacy to the food, agriculture, and forestry sector announced the new addition of James Glueck as vice president to its policy team.
  • The board of directors for CoverCress Inc., a company aiming to commercialize the nation’s first “cash cover crop,” has named Mike DeCamp as its new president and CEO and a member of the board. DeCamp takes the helm after one year of serving as chief operating officer. CoverCress Inc. is converting field pennycress, a native winter annual, into a new winter oilseed crop for Midwest farmers under the CoverCress™ brand.



Zimfo Bytes

Daugherty Water for Food Podcast Episode 8

Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

This episode of the Daugherty Water for Food podcast features Qiao Hu, a Ph.D. student studying natural resource sciences at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, who discusses his research using drones (UAVs) and artificial intelligence (AI) for wetlands management.

Qiao’s faculty advisor and DWFI Faculty Fellow Zhenghong Tang is a professor in the Community and Regional Planning Program and Landscape Architecture Program at UNL, as well as a courtesy professor in the School of Natural Resources, also joins the conversation. Both discuss the importance of wetlands to our ecosystem and how we can improve our management of them.

Daugherty Water for Food Podcast Episode 8 23:09

How to subscribe:

Audio, Environment, Podcasts, Water, Water for Food

Meet the #NAMA21 Keynote Speakers

Chuck Zimmerman Leave a Comment

#NAMA21You can now meet the keynote speakers at this year’s Agri-Marketing Conference. Check them out online here.

The National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) has a wide range of options to help you get maximum exposure with agri-marketing leaders in 2021. To learn about sponsorship opportunities, contact Jenny Pickett at jennyp@nama.org. Find a list of current opportunities on the website.

And for more information on exhibiting at the Connection Point, email sherryp@nama.org. Don’t wait, secure your spot today! Visit the Connection Point website.

Marketing, NAMA

Precision Ag News 5/12

Carrie Muehling Leave a Comment

  • Several challenges prevent farmers from collecting and sharing data on their production practices, but there is ample opportunity to empower farmer’s digital transition, according to new research from Farm Journal’s initiative, Trust In Food, and The Sustainability Consortium. View the full report here.
  • Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc. announced that BIOSt Nematicide seed treatment product, achieved an outstanding climate impact score of 9.8 out of 10. The Climate Impact Study showed that BIOSt Nematicide reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 85 percent in soybeans and 87 percent in corn compared with conventional pesticides. The independent study, conducted by Boundless Impact Research & Analytics, assessed GHG emissions, human and environmental safety, and product performance against similar conventional and biological pesticides used in seed treatment.
  • For model year 2022, John Deere has redefined its lineup of 5M Series Tractors by adding new technology and transmission options, and more top-end horsepower by welcoming a new 125-horsepower tractor to the lineup.
  • AZterknot™ fungicide from Vive Crop Protection received approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently. AZterknot fungicide is the world’s first three-way fungicide combination that harnesses the benefits of biologicals, the performance of chemistry and the ease of Allosperse®. Allosperse is proprietary nano-polymer technology developed by Vive Crop Protection that allows previously incompatible products to be mixed and applied in one application, reducing fuel, time and water usage.
  • Yara announced the commercial launch of Agoro Carbon Alliance, a global business created for farmers to earn additional revenue through positive climate action. By adopting climate-positive practices, farmers can produce Farm Carbon Credits or climate-smart certified crops while helping to decarbonize food supply chains. Agoro Carbon puts farmers at the center of the solution by incentivizing and enabling them to change practices and connecting them to the growing number of businesses looking for ways to achieve their climate pledges.
  • Raven Industries, Inc. announced the launch of its new product brand and autonomous growth platform, OMNi. This new product brand highlights Raven’s advancements in autonomous solutions for agriculture with a strategic offering of two integrated products: OMNiDRIVE™ and OMNiPOWER™.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

Yara Launches Agoro Carbon Alliance

Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

Crop nutrition solutions provider Yara today announced the commercial launch of Agoro Carbon Alliance, created for farmers to earn additional revenue through positive climate action.

By adopting climate-positive practices, farmers can produce Farm Carbon Credits or climate-smart certified crops while helping to decarbonize food supply chains. Agoro Carbon puts farmers at the center of the solution by incentivizing and enabling them to change practices and connecting them to the growing number of businesses looking for ways to achieve their climate pledges.

Agoro Carbon will provide agronomical support for farmers to help them successfully sequester carbon in the soil and reduce emissions from the field, in turn, generating high-quality, third-party certified carbon credits. Farmers who join Agoro Carbon can therefore generate an additional sustainability income from carbon cropping while maintaining or increasing crop yields.

Agoro Carbon Alliance has registered farmers across Iowa, Nebraska, and Washington to participate in the first Agoro Carbon projects which will deliver Farm Based Carbon Credits in 2021. Anastasia Pavlovic, Managing Director, Agoro Carbon Alliance US, says, “This is an amazing opportunity to support growers across the US as stewards of their land to build resilient farms for future generations. We know these changes aren’t easy for our growers and we are excited to bring additional income, practical support and help them mitigate risk as partners every step of the way.” Farmer enrollment for the 2022 growing season will begin this June.

Yara invites farmers, retailers and distributors, cooperatives, technology providers, lenders, insurers and the food industry to join the Agoro Carbon Alliance. Yara will host a virtual introduction event on June 8 to formally unveil details of Agoro Carbon, with additional information on how to get involved. Those interested can learn more by registering for the event at www.yara.com/agoro/.

carbon, Precision Agriculture, Soil

Animal Ag News 5/10

Carrie Muehling Leave a Comment

  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) announced that an African Swine Fever Virus vaccine candidate has been adapted to grow in a cell line, which means that those involved in vaccine production will no longer have to rely on live pigs and their fresh cells for vaccine production.
  • The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) announced promotions for six staff who have gone above and beyond in serving AFIA’s members and making the association’s programs and processes more efficient and impactful. For more information, see AFIA’s staff directory.
  • The Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER) announced the addition of Lara Moody as its new executive director, effective April 30.
  • During this challenging year, Wisconsin dairy farmers were deemed essential workers, committed to their communities by working every day to provide nutritious dairy products to help feed Americans, and this June is the time to honor them during National Dairy Month. Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin invites consumers to observe National Dairy Month by buying local dairy products to support the farmers who make Wisconsin America’s Dairyland and take pride in caring for their animals while preserving family farmland for future generations.
  • Professionals in the pork industry will be the first to have access to the latest production and management strategies at this year’s World Pork Expo. This year’s line-up of PORK Academy and Business Seminars gives producers the opportunity to learn more about topics such as sustainability, data, industry collaborations, nutrition and more. Visitors can find these seminars, networking opportunities, the world’s largest pork trade show and more at the 2021 World Pork Expo, presented by the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), taking place June 9-11 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa.
  • More than 70 U.S. lawmakers sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai seeking her support for enhanced Vietnamese market access for U.S. pork. Vietnam represents a tremendous opportunity for U.S. pork exports, and the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) appreciates the tremendous support for one of its top trade priorities.
  • Leaders of the National Beef Checkoff Petition Committee sent a letter to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board (Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB)) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) seeking their assistance in offering more U.S. cattle producers the opportunity to sign the petition for a referendum of the beef checkoff program. There has not been a referendum of the mandatory National Beef Checkoff Program in 35 years. Addressed to CBB chair Hugh Sanburg, and the USDA official that oversees the government-controlled national beef checkoff program, Kahl Sesker, the letter asks the two officials to share their electronic databases of persons whose contact information the CBB and USDA have captured through their Web-based platforms as well as the database the CBB and USDA uses to conduct their annual producer attitude survey.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

Industry Ag News 5/7

Carrie Muehling Leave a Comment

  • A new soy-based dust suppressant is now available for roads, construction sites, wind farms, and more, offering a sustainable and budget-savvy choice for rural and urban communities as well as businesses to improve air quality for people, pets, livestock, and crops. BioBlend’s EPIC EL Dust Suppressant is the latest industrial use product entering the market after having received research funding from the United Soybean Board and North Dakota Soybean Council.
  • Lani Jordan, communication consultant and former CHS corporate communication director, will share insights on how her work as an international development volunteer has been both personally satisfying and provided meaningful career development. Jordan will talk about her assignments in Africa and Eastern Europe on behalf of the USAID Farmer-2-Farmer program through Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA), an international agricultural development organization, and other similar organizations. Register here.
  • At Growth Energy’s 12th Annual Executive Leadership Conference, CEO Emily Skor announced that Michael Lorenz will join the company as Senior Vice President of Market Development, overseeing the global and domestic expansion of higher ethanol blended fuels.
  • The 2nd Annual Florida Industrial Hemp Conference & Exhibition will be May 19-21, 2021, at the Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, Florida. Registration is now open.
  • American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented on the Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful report, also known as 30×30: “AFBF appreciates that the report acknowledges concerns we have raised and recognizes the oversized contributions of farmers and ranchers to conservation while feeding the world. That recognition must carry through implementation. The report is a philosophical document that emphasizes important principles such as incentive-based voluntary conservation, protecting personal and property rights and continued ranching on public lands, but it lacks specifics. I had several positive conversations with Secretary Vilsack about 30×30 and we will work with him and his colleagues to ensure the details live up to promises made to protect American agriculture.”
  • Commodity Classic was recently honored in four different categories in Trade Show Executive Magazine where the trade show took home three “Fastest 50” awards and one Gold award for trade show growth.
  • Access to start-up capital is a big challenge for farmers. A small grant program through the Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC) is helping. More than 100 farmer veterans received word that they are being awarded equipment thanks to the Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund. The grant supports veterans in their early years of farming and ranching. You can view the full list of 2021 awardees here.
  • GROWMARK and Castlen Enterprises announced significant progress on a project that will bring a new large-scale warehouse distribution center in Owensboro, Ky. The new state of the art facility is currently under construction and scheduled to be operational in Fall 2021.
  • FFA awarded more than $1.5 million in scholarships to 974 recipients, thanks to the generosity of 309 sponsors and donors. A list of recipients is available on the FFA scholarship webpage at FFA.org/Scholarships. Recipients are listed first by the states where their high schools are located and then alphabetically by student first name.
Zimfo Bytes

Farm Content Creator Mobile Kit by Sennheiser

Chuck Zimmerman Leave a Comment

Sennheiser MKE 400 Mobile KitThe is for the AgNerd among us. How about some newness from Sennheiser? This kit can be useful for journalists who don’t want to haul around a lot of gear.

Designed for vloggers and content creators on the move, the MKE 400 Mobile Kit includes Sennheiser’s compact MKE 400 compact shotgun microphone and Smartphone Clamp, as well as the Manfrotto PIXI Mini Tripod.

I have not tried this microphone, but confirmed you can use it with a new iPhone using the small lightning adapter. Here is more information.

The MKE 400 is a compact shotgun microphone that provides focus and detail for your recordings. An integrated windscreen and internal shock mount help to prevent handling and wind noise while the provided 3.5 mm TRS and TRRS cables allow for compatibility with DSLR/M cameras and mobile devices.

The Smartphone Clamp is made from solid aluminum and features soft rubber grips that provide a secure fit for nearly all mobile phones. A 180-degree locking dial allows for portrait or landscape positioning so you can switch from one aspect ratio to another with ease.

The Manfrotto PIXI is a durably constructed lightweight, mini tripod. The PIXI features a ball head with a push-button locking mechanism that enables you to position and lock the ball head in one fluid, intuitive motion. Rubber feet ensure a slip-free grip on most surfaces and collapsible legs allow for convenient handheld vlogging that adds stability to your videos.

Audio, Media, Technology

ZimmCast 670 – Alltech ONE in 2021

Chuck Zimmerman Leave a Comment

Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast.

In this week’s episode we’re going to hear about the upcoming Alltech ONE Ideas Conference which will be virtual again in 2021. Dr. Mark Lyons, President/CEO of Alltech, says the company has developed its own platform to run the event and all its activities, including a trade show. We’ll get a preview of the trade show portion on May 19, prior to the start of the event itself, which is scheduled for May 25-27. Mark says they have created the Lexington Convention Center into the virtual experience. That ought to be interesting! He also says there will be new opportunities to interact with other participants.

Alltech ONE 2021Alltech was the first major agricultural business to hold a virtual conference in 2020 and set the bar for how to manage a large and diverse array of topics, speakers and sessions. The event continued throughout the year with new virtual content on different topic areas being published monthly.

Registration is open with two levels. Essential: $95 per year and Premium: $195 per year.

Listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 670 - Alltech ONE in 2021 (17:06)

That’s the ZimmCast for this week. In case you didn’t know it you can find more podcasts we produce in all your favorite podcast apps. That includes the Golden ZimmComm Mic Podcast, The Ethanol Report, Field Notes from Koch Agronomic Services and the Daugherty Water for Food Podcast. We hope you enjoy listening to them.

If you would like to advertise in the ZimmCast or become an on-going sponsor please let me know and we’ll work out a plan just for you.

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Agribusiness, Animal Agriculture, Animal Health, Audio, ZimmCast

Precision Ag News 5/5

Carrie Muehling Leave a Comment

  • Amanda Carson has been promoted to Sales Manager for the eastern region sales team for Nichino America, Inc. In her new role, Carson will be responsible for the direction and implementation of the sales plans for the east team. Effective May 1, 2021, Brent Byers will assume the position of Senior Manager of Strategic Planning and Business Development. He will manage the strategic planning process and will be responsible for the licensing businesses for Nichino America. This role supports efforts throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
  • Better Life Farming, Bayer’s multi-stakeholder global partnership model, received a commendation honor at the fifth edition of the United Nations Economic Cooperation and Integration International Public Private Partnerships Forum as part of its 2021 Build Back Better Infrastructure Awards.
  • The Corn Utilization and Technology Conference is taking advantage of the virtual circumstances presented during COVID-19 by bringing a special session on “Funding for Research, Development and Commercialization.” This is a FREE event on Thursday, May 13, starting at 10 a.m. CDT.
  • Scientists are developing soybean plants using technologies like CRISPR that could be more resistant to soybean cyst nematode (SCN) and southern root-knot nematode (SRKN) in the future, says University of Georgia Nematologist Melissa Mitchum. As part of The SCN Coalition’s “Let’s Talk Todes” video series, their new “Research Collection” series features scientists discussing the latest technology being used to combat parasitic nematodes.
  • Lesaffre announces the acquisition of ABM, a company based in Van Wert, Ohio, specializing in seed treatment with bionutrition products. ABM’s teams will join those of Agrauxine by Lesaffre, Lesaffre’s business unit dedicated to crop protection. Agrauxine by Lesaffre has been developing biosourced solutions for plant nutrition and health for more than 15 years.
  • AgBiome, a leader in developing innovative products from the Earth’s microbial communities, announced Krysta Harden and Alison Lawton have joined AgBiome’s Board of Directors. These appointments strengthen the company’s mission to feed the world responsibly. The appointments will be effective immediately.
  • UPL, a leader in global food systems, announced the launch of a new podcast, “The Root of the Matter.” The series invites the brightest minds in agriculture to an open conversation about topics that affect a North American grower’s operation, livelihood and future. Hosted by Ken Root, a veteran farm broadcaster and agriculture expert, “The Root of the Matter” discusses some of the most pressing topics and features engaging experts in agriculture.
  • Waters Agricultural Laboratories Inc. announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Biome Makers Inc. to market the Biome Makers´ soil biology test BeCrop®. The agreement includes a license to operate a wet lab analytical platform to process soil microbiome samples in Waters Ag Lab´ facilities under BeCrop®, the Operational Standard for biological analysis.
  • With entry for the National Corn Growers Association’s National Corn Yield Contest now open, farmers across the country are joining the friendly competition, giving it their best and hoping to top their personal best. For the 2021 Entry & Harvest Rule Book, along with information on changes this year and other resources, click here.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture