Three commodity organization representatives attempted to answer the question on everyone’s mind right now regarding commodity trends - where are we headed?
Steve noted the importance of biotechnology in the soybean industry and the increase in global demand for soybeans. “Global demand since 1990 for soybeans has been rising at 2x that of corn and almost 4x that of wheat or rice,” Steve said. “That is because people around the world have been improving their diets, which means more oil in the diet and more meat, which is good for the soybean industry.”
Fred started off his presentation with a flawless report on closing futures prices - sounded as good or better than any farm broadcaster I know - making bad news sound good! His presentation focused on the increase in corn yields since 1944, which can allow them to meet the feed, food and fuel needs of the world. “Who would have imagined 60 years ago that today we could produce on the same number of acres, 85 million acres, nearly four fold the size of crop,” Fred noted. “We went from about 3 billion bushels to 13 billion bushels last year.”
There was a bit of good-natured competition between the three. Alan pointed out that wheat may be losing acres to corn and beans, but he likes to remind his two colleagues that “mine is the only product that is mentioned in the Lord’s Prayer.” He noted the increase in wheat production in the Black Sea area, such as Ukraine, and he showed a graph comparing the similarities in weather between that region and the Midwest, suggesting that we “teach the Russians to grow corn and soybeans.”
Lots of good stuff in their presentations, which you can listen to here:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 6 or above) is required to play this audio clip. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
I also interviewed Fred and Alan - listen to them here:
Fred Stemme
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 6 or above) is required to play this audio clip. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Alan Tracy
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 6 or above) is required to play this audio clip. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
One of the people bringing technology to farmers in the field here at the Farm Science Review is Agrow/Dekalb Field Advisor, Troy Putnam (pictured on the Monsanto Mobile Greenhouse).
Troy says that the exhibit is helping promote the Roundup Ready 2 Yield launch. He describes it as second generation technology that will be in the Asgrow line. Farmers, he says, have seen great yield increases in corn over the years and they have been looking for the same in soybeans. “Roundup Ready 2 Yield will raise that bar and you’ve heard the numbers 7-11% in some of our research trials. We’re so excited about it that we’ll have a couple million acres in the launch for 2009.” Troy says there’s a plan in place to distribute out different varieties to various regions based on maturity, soybean volume and demand of the current Roundup Ready line.
When it comes to advantages of the new technology he says it will mean more beans per plant. An example he sites is that if you plant 180,000 plants/acre and get just one more bean per plant then you’ll have one additional bushel of yield for that acre. So increasing the number of beans on the plant has a major impact on yield.
Troy also talks about their Mobile Greenhouse which he says takes farmers through the process of looking at conventional beans through Roundup beans.
You can listen to my interview with Troy here:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 6 or above) is required to play this audio clip. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Monsanto has their traveling mobile greenhouse on location here at the Farm Science Review. It’s filled with plants at various stages of growth and has been receiving a lot of traffic.
The unit is 28 feet long and showcases Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans. The mobile green house is a unique way to show the benefits of the new technology. Farmers also have a chance to get entered into a contest to win a family dream vacation worth $8,000. There’s also a short video illustrating the science behind the seed. I walked through the display yesterday and you can see it here.
Secretary of agriculture Ed Schafer recently announced 19 appointments to the United Soybean Board (USB). Twelve of these directors are returning to serve an additional term, with seven new members coming on board. Each of these appointees represents soybean farmers from their state or region.
Returning members will use their experience and knowledge of the checkoff to better position the industry for success while new members will bring forward fresh ideas to achieve maximum value for each soybean farmer’s checkoff dollar. The board members will work to better the soy industry from the ground up by using checkoff funding to research better seed varieties and production processes along with finding new markets and uses for their product.
The 12 returning board members are James D. Wilson, Alabama; H. Todd Allen, Arkansas; James L. Stillman, Iowa; Roy P. Bardole, Iowa; John W. Wray, Kansas; George H. Martin, Kentucky; Eugene L. Lowe, III, Maryland; R. Alan Moore, Michigan; Jason S. Bean, Missouri; Cecil B. Eaddy, South Carolina; Gerald G. Caldwell, Tennessee; and Thomas Rotello, Sr., Texas.
New board members include Dwain L. Ford, Illinois; Michael A. Beard, Indiana; Scott G. Singlestad, Minnesota; James D. Sneed, Mississippi; Mike G. Korth, Nebraska; Daniel J. Corcoran, Ohio; and Robert J. Metz, South Dakota. Two alternates were also appointed and they are Michael A. Dee, Alabama, and Henry V. Elliott, Jr., South Carolina.
The appointees will begin their three-year terms in December.
At the American Soybean Association tent, BASF is providing lunch for members of state soybean associations as well as ASA. Here’s a couple of the folks from BASF, serving their customers.
I visited the tent and spoke with ASA VP, Rob Joslin. He’s national membership chairman and really enjoys the relationship that has developed with BASF. For example, he likes a program called Secure Optimum Yield. This program is in its second year. He says, “It’s an opportunity for members of the ASA to try some Headline and take it to yield, send those results in and BASF will pick up the cost of an ASA membership.”
Another program with BASF that Rob likes is the Scholarship program. ASA is funding a $5,000 scholarship for the children and grandchildren of ASA members.
If you’re out here at the Farm Progress Show, then you can stop by the ASA or BASF tents to learn more or just visit the ASA website.
The American Soybean Association (ASA) is pleased to announce the 2008-09 Secure Optimal Yield (SOY) Scholarship. The SOY Scholarship is a one-time $5,000 award to an eligible High School senior who plans to declare agriculture as a degree area of study at the University of their choice. The award is
to be used directly for tuition, fees, and/or books, not to exceed $2,500 per semester, and not to exceed tuition amount with other fee dedicated aid. The scholarship is managed by ASA and sponsored by BASF Corporation.
You can listen to my interview with Rob here:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 6 or above) is required to play this audio clip. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
One of the newcomers to Kruger Seeds is Walter Mayhew. He’s their new brand lead and was on hand at the Technology Showcase field day in Iowa. I asked him why they are conducting these events. Walter says that since business is changing so fast, growers need this kind of opportunity to to see new technology options first hand. You can see him here, welcoming growers to the event.
We spoke about the new Roundup Ready 2 Yield Soybeans which will become available next season. Walter says that they asked growers what they need and the answer was “more yield.” So, without adding more inputs, RR2 Yield is expected to give growers from seven to eleven percent more yield potential per acre. That’s what all the trial data is showing. Essentially, the new traits provide more seeds per plant.
When it comes to supply, Walter says that there will be a limited amount for the 2009 growing season but that they’ll be producing more supply as fast as they can for 2010. He adds that, “All growers remember when we launched Roundup Ready 1. There was a big difference there. You could drive down the road and see the difference out in a field. With Roundup Ready 2, it’s going to be different. You won’t see it driving down the road. You’ll see it with your combine.”
You can listen to my interview with Walter here:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 6 or above) is required to play this audio clip. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
After a hearty lunch at the Monsanto Technology Showcase tour stop in Elkhart, IA, last week, growers got to hear from Palle Pederson, Iowa State University Soybean Extension Agronomist. Palle’s work focuses on soybean yields and profitability for growers.
Palle says the field day concept is a nice opportunity for growers to see new technology on display before they need to use it. I spoke with him before his presentation in which he decided to focus on what happened early in the season and what’s going on right now. He also intended to tell growers what they can expect for the rest of the season.
I asked him what he thought about crop conditions across Iowa. He said, “I don’t believe we have that good of crops as people are talking about. I don’t see it in either soybeans or corn.” He says the best crop conditions are in the northwest part of the state. Palle says the current cool weather isn’t helping growing conditions since they’re already 110 to 140 growing units behind a normal year. So part of his message to growers is, “We can’t increase yields right now but we can protect what we have.”
He recommends that growers get out and scout their fields since aphids are showing up in many areas. He believes that at this point, scouting is what it’s all about.
You can listen to my interview with Palle here:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 6 or above) is required to play this audio clip. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
The chance to visit a tiny town in southern Missouri where the biggest soybean yields in the world have been achieved was a great opportunity for Markus Heldt, BASF Group Vice President responsible for the ag chemical business in North America.
Markus was really interested to see BASF products in the field and he was very impressed with the turnout at the first ever Kip Cullers Record Breaking Field Day. “It’s the first time we participated in such a large grower event,” said Markus. “More important than the number of growers is the quality of those growers who are looking for innovation and new solutions to improve their productivity.”
Markus says Kip is a great example for other growers. “Not everybody will grow their crop according to Kip’s recipe but his own experience in the field can help every farmer.”
When Kip Cullers told me two weeks ago that they were expecting 2000-3000 people for the first ever Kip Cullers Record Breaking Field Day, I really couldn’t believe it. But I wouldn’t be surprised if there were more than that by the time this event ends on Thursday because there had to be at least 500 out there today in the time I was there and that was just half of the first day!
“I’m just honored that everybody drove all the way down here,” Kip told me. “We got Canadians here!”
Kip’s main message to the growers is the mantra he has been repeating continuously since becoming the celebrity all-star of the soybean world. “I preach about plant health over and over and over, I sound like a broken record,” Kip says. “A happy plant is a healthy plant.”
His secrets to high yields are simple - plant the best genetics for your farm and protect your crop with a good insecticide and fungicide program. He is especially strong on BASF Headline fungicide, so much so that he did double applications for both his corn and soybean crops this year since he had some 52 inches of rain early in the season. For growers who might be hesitant about spending the money to buy that protection for their crop, Kip says it’s a no-brainer as far as he’s concerned. “If you’re not using fungicide, you obviously can’t stand prosperity,” he says.
A record breaking field day on a record breaking farm kicked off Monday night in Purdy, Missouri at the home of Kip and Michelle Cullers.
Kip is the man who put this tiny town in southwest Missouri on the map by being the world champion soybean yield grower two years in a row, not to mention numerous National Corn Yield Contest wins. This week he is giving over 2,000 growers a first hand look at how yields that were previously thought impossible are within reach for them.
BASF’s Headline fungicide is an important part of Kip’s management strategy for his crops and his wife Michelle had the clever idea of using some of their leftover containers as table centerpieces for the kickoff BBQ at their lovely home Monday evening. Pretty nifty, if you ask me.
The record breaking field day is co-sponsored by Pioneer and BASF, two companies that have been instrumental in helping Kip achieve his phenomenal yields. His world record soybean yield last year was 154.7 bushels per acre. Even more impressive was his average yield across the whole farm - at 74 bushels per acre it was almost double the Missouri state average. But, he is hoping to break both those records this year!
It’s not surprising that a crop that promises to boost yields through unprecedented technology has dealers excited. Jeremy Kelly, a sales manager at Stewart Seeds says he’s excited to offer Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans to growers and farmers for the 2009 growing season. And, just like the farmers, it’s the yield potential of 2nd gereration soybean line that’s caught Jeremy’s attention. He adds that Monsanto’s Mobile Greenhouse is a great tool to showcase the potential of Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans.
I spoke with Jeremy at the 2008 Michigan Ag Expo. You can listen to my interview with Jeremy here:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 6 or above) is required to play this audio clip. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Farmers and growers who visited to Monsanto’s Mobile Greenhouse at the 2008 Michigan Ag Expo say they’re impressed to see the proof is in the soybeans, so to speak. Now, most say, they only thing left to do is see how the Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans perform during their first year in live farming field production.
I caught up with a couple growers at the Mobile Greenhouse to see what they think about Monsanto’s “next generation” soybeans.
You can listen to my interview with Matt Breithaupt here. Matt owns a 400 acre farm in Buckley, MI. He says 75 of those acres are used for his soybean crop.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 6 or above) is required to play this audio clip. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
You can listen to my interview with John Schultz here. John works at Crop Production Services in Cass City, MI and owns a farm in Unionville Michigan where he plants 1,000 acres of soybeans.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 6 or above) is required to play this audio clip. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
That is… soybean profits. Monsanto’s Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans weren’t only a hit with the adults. The ag company’s mobile greenhouse unit seemed to intrigue the kids at the 2008 Michigan Ag Expo just as much, if not more. I mean, what spells out curiosity more than ear-to-ear grins and hands splayed on the glass and noses just centimeters from being smashed up against it?
You can’t help but wonder if these little kids are getting some big ideas on the “potential profits” Monsanto says its Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans will offer farmers and growers. While parents are thinking soybeans might offer some cushion in the pocketbook, I have a hunch the kiddies are thinking “not so fast!”
Monsanto’s “Summer of Soy” tour is all about one thing: Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans. Representatives say the “next generation” crop boasts unsurpassed weed control, produces more “power in the pod” with more beans per pod and offers farmers and growers more than $45 per acre profit potential. Monsanto says its “advanced science” technology uses extensive gene mapping to identify specific DNA regions in soybeans that are found to have a positive impact on yield.
Steve Flanders is the AM Area Manager for Monsanto. He says the Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans are producing 7 to 11 percent more yields than the first generation of Roundup Ready soybeans. This, he says, translates into 3 to 6 more bushels per acre - something Steve considers to be revolutionary.
I spoke with Steve about Monsanto’s Mobile Greenhouse and “Summer of Soy” tour. You can listen to my interview with Steve here:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 6 or above) is required to play this audio clip. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
One of Monsanto’s Mobile Greenhouse “Street Team” representatives is a student from Purdue. Daniel Stauffer is a Field Sales Intern for Monsanto and is one of the experts farmers and growers at the Michigan Ag Expo can grill about Monsanto’s new Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans. Daniel says one of the most exciting attributes of Monsanto’s “next generation” soybeans is the “drastic” increase in crop yields. Soybean crops, Daniel says, have maintained flat yields for more than ten years. That is, until now.
Daniel isn’t an expert only in Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans though. He’s also contributing to Monsanto’s stress mitigation research on corn and soybean crops, testing traits such as drought-resistance. Daniel says he’s also involved in research with Vistive soybeans and silage corn among a handful of other projects.
I spoke with Daniel at this week’s Michigan Ag Expo. You can listen to my interview with Daniel here:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 6 or above) is required to play this audio clip. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Monsanto’s industry-exclusive Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans showcased in the ag company’s new Mobile Greenhouse is proving to be quite the curiosity for many farmers and growers at the 2008 Michigan Ag Expo.
Farmers and growers took the unique opportunity to get a sneak peek at what Monsanto calls its “next generation” soybeans, peering through the glass of a climate controlled greenhouse on wheels to see an up close demonstration of Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans at various growth stages. Representatives from Monsanto’s Mobile Greenhouse “Street Team” greeted visitors and educated them on the live examples of what the company claims to be “monumentally” higher yielding soybeans. Visitors could also enter to win one of five Family Dream Vacations valued at $8,000 a piece. The Mobile Greenhouse also featured an informative video on Monsanto’s new Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans. Monsanto representatives says the a limited supply of Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybean seeds will be available for the 2009 growing season. The seeds will be commercially available in 2010.
Michigan’s largest agricultural equipment exposition has more to boast than just equipment. The 29th annual Michigan Ag Expo is underway this week at Michigan State University in Lansing and there’s more to the show than machinery… or even fencing, canopies, turkey legs, honey and free cake batter ice cream from MSU students.
Farmers and growers will also find a 28-foot Mobile Greenhouse on the grounds of the exposition. The greenhouse on wheels is part of Monsanto’s “Summer of Soy” tour. The tour is showcasing one of the ag company’s newest and most innovative crops: its Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybean line. Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans are Monsanto’s second-generation of genetically modified soybean crop. Farmers can visit the Mobile Greenhouse to get a first-hand look at Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans at various growth stages.
I attended the Michigan Ag Expo yesterday to find out more about Monsanto’s new exhibit and soybean tour and will be posting lots of info from the event here.
This week I attended a portion of the AAEA/LPC Regional Design & Writing Workshop in Johnston, IA. Some of you are probably thinking, “Why didn’t he stay since he so obviously needs help?” Yeah, but I had other places to be too.
So in this week’s program you’ll hear from LPC Executive Director Diane Johnson who talks about the workshop and the fun and games we did last night. The Workshop was held at Pioneer Hi-Bred’s Carver Center and I also spoke with Jerry Harrington about how he got involved in providing us with the auditorium where the Workshop was held. You can see pictures in the Workshop photo album.
After I left the Workshop I visited the Iowa Soybean Association office to conduct some precision ag interviews for Precision Pays. While I was there I got to meet Linda Funk, Executive Director of The Soyfoods Council. We talked about the Soyfoods Podcast project we’ve been working an and you can learn more about why they decided to use podcasting in the program.
This week’s program ends with music from the Podsafe Music Network. It’s called “Writings on a Page” by Jonathon Dewveall. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
You can download and listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 166 (16 min MP3)
Or listen to this week’s ZimmCast right now:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 6 or above) is required to play this audio clip. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired which you can subscribe to using the link in our sidebar. You can also subscribe in iTunes
The Soyfoods Council has a new podcast series started which you can find a link to on their website. We’ve worked with Executive Director, Linda Funk, to create this new series which you can subscribe to with this feed link. Remember that you can use your browser to subscribe now or my favorite, iTunes.
The Soyfoods Council website www.thesoyfoodscouncil.com has been an important resource for information about soyfoods for three years, including information on the latest nutrition research as well as details on new products, foodservice usage and consumer information.
The Council has added a series of monthly podcasts to the site. The initial podcast features an interview with soyfoods expert Dr. Mark Messina, professor of nutrition at Loma Linda University and former researcher with the National Cancer Institute.
In this podcast Messina focuses on soy and breast cancer and emphasizes the value of even a single serving daily of soyfoods for girls. He summarizes a study from the National Cancer Institute showing that girls who regularly consumed soy had a 58% less chance of getting breast cancer as adults. “Even a single serving of soyfoods a day can make a difference,” Messina reports. One serving of soyfoods is 1 cup of soymilk, 4 ounces of tofu, ½ cup edamame or ¼ cup roasted soybeans.
Future podcasts will focus on new nutrition research results from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Institute in Seattle, on how chefs use soyfoods in a variety of foodservice operations, and how registered dietitians recommend adding soyfoods to special and every day diets.
A sample from Kip Cullers’ world record soybean yield was on display in a trophy case at Pioneer’s Commodity Classic trade show booth and it certainly received a lot of well-deserved attention. Kip’s record in 2007, you may recall, was an astonishing 154 bushels per acre.
Pioneer and BASF are two of the companies Kip credits with helping him break his own world record last year. Another is EMD Crop BioScience.
I talked with Matt Hays of EMD at the trade show and he told me how their product Optimize helps Kip and other growers optimize their yields.
“It’s a seed treatment that is LCO promoter technology that just turns on the vital growth processes in the plant,” Hays says. “Basically, it enhances your emergence, improves your plant health and handles environmental stresses better.”
Listen to my interview with Matt here:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 6 or above) is required to play this audio clip. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Cindy attended the AEM AgExecutive Forum in St. Louis and captured it in photos.
Dairy Expo Talk
This week's program features a couple of interviews from World Dairy Expo.
First up is Stephanie Gable, who talks about her new job with Novus International, then it's Lindsay Hill, who talks about the new website and brand decisions at ABN Radio.
Steve Censky of the American Soybean Association, Fred Stemme with the National Corn Growers Association and Alan Tracy of US Wheat Associates all made presentations and took questions from the audience at the Association of Equipment Manufacturers AgExecutive Forum last week in St. Louis. 
One of the people bringing technology to farmers in the field here at the Farm Science Review is Agrow/Dekalb Field Advisor, Troy Putnam (pictured on the Monsanto Mobile Greenhouse).
Monsanto has their traveling mobile greenhouse on location here at the Farm Science Review. It’s filled with plants at various stages of growth and has been receiving a lot of traffic.
At the American Soybean Association tent, BASF is providing lunch for members of state soybean associations as well as ASA. Here’s a couple of the folks from BASF, serving their customers.
Another program with BASF that Rob likes is the Scholarship program. ASA is funding a $5,000 scholarship for the children and grandchildren of ASA members.
and 
One of the newcomers to 
After a hearty lunch at the Monsanto Technology Showcase tour stop in Elkhart, IA, last week, growers got to hear from Palle Pederson, 
The chance to visit a tiny town in southern Missouri where the biggest soybean yields in the world have been achieved was a great opportunity for Markus Heldt, 
When Kip Cullers told me two weeks ago that they were expecting 2000-3000 people for the first ever Kip Cullers Record Breaking Field Day, I really couldn’t believe it. But I wouldn’t be surprised if there were more than that by the time this event ends on Thursday because there had to be at least 500 out there today in the time I was there and that was just half of the first day!
“I’m just honored that everybody drove all the way down here,” Kip told me. “We got Canadians here!” 
A record breaking field day on a record breaking farm kicked off Monday night in Purdy, Missouri at the home of Kip and Michelle Cullers.
Michigan’s largest agricultural equipment exposition has more to boast than just equipment. The 29th annual 
This week I attended a portion of the AAEA/LPC Regional Design & Writing Workshop in Johnston, IA. Some of you are probably thinking, “Why didn’t he stay since he so obviously needs help?” Yeah, but I had other places to be too.
After I left the Workshop I visited the Iowa Soybean Association office to conduct some precision ag interviews for Precision Pays. While I was there I got to meet Linda Funk, Executive Director of 
A sample from Kip Cullers’ world record soybean yield was on display in a trophy case at Pioneer’s Commodity Classic trade show booth and it certainly received a lot of well-deserved attention. Kip’s record in 2007, you may recall, was an astonishing 154 bushels per acre. 
This week's program features a couple of interviews from World Dairy Expo.
