A New Look at Corn and Soybean Production

Carrie Muehling

Mark Seem, AgReliant Genetics; Emerson Nafzinger, Univ. of Ill.; Gary Ury, BASF

Those attending the 2019 American Seed Trade Association CSS & Seed Expo had the opportunity to learn more about modern corn and soybean production from a couple of industry experts.

Retired University of Illinois Extension Agronomist Emerson Nafziger provided some insight on managing today’s more efficient corn hybrids.

“My basic thesis is that hybrids have gotten so much better that it changes what we need to do to optimize the management for them,” said Nafziger.

BASF‘s Greg Ury talked about the critical factors that influence soybean production to help put growers in a position to succeed.

“Planting dates, variety selections, soil fertility – we have to maximize all of those components,” said Ury.

The session was moderated by Mark Seem of AgReliant Genetics.

Listen to Emerson Nafziger’s presentation here: ASTACSS19 Emerson Nafziger - University of Illinois (31:12)

Listen to Greg Ury’s presentation here: ASTACSS19 Greg Ury, BASF (31:12)

2019 ASTA CSS & Seed Expo Photo Album

Agronomy, AgWired Precision, ASTA, Audio, BASF, Corn, Soybean

FMC Announces CEO Change in 2020

Cindy Zimmerman

The Board of Directors for FMC Corporation has elected Mark Douglas as president and chief executive officer of FMC, effective June 1, 2020, replacing Pierre Brondeau who will continue to serve as chairman and CEO through May 31, 2020, at which time he will become executive chairman and remain a member of the Board of Directors.

“Mark has been elected following the Board’s careful and thorough assessment of the experience, track record and leadership qualities needed to lead FMC,” said Brondeau. “He has been a trusted partner during a period of significant change. During the last decade, Mark has been engaged on every major decision and strategic action we pursued to transform FMC into a high growth agricultural sciences company. His more than 30 years of global business and operational experience in the chemical industry, including most of the last 10 years leading FMC’s agricultural business, makes him ideally suited as our next CEO,” Brondeau added.

Douglas is now FMC president and CEO-elect, and he will work with Brondeau and the Board during the next five months on an orderly transition.

Brondeau presented the keynote address at the recent 2019 Ag Retailers Association Annual Conference and Expo in New Orleans. Listen to an interview with him from there.
ARA19 Interview with FMC CEO Pierre Brondeau (3:34)

Agribusiness, AgWired Precision, ARA, Audio, FMC

Pork Producers Set 2020 Priorities

Cindy Zimmerman

The president of the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) is celebrating progress made in 2019 despite the challenges and setting priorities for 2020.

On a call with reporters Wednesday, NPPC president David Herring of Lillington, NC pointed to both USMCA and the recent Japan agreement as successes in 2019 for pork producers, and getting the China phase one deal across the finish line as one of the 2020 priorities. Herring says NPPC is pleased with funding approved by Congress for more agricultural inspectors to prevent African swine fever (ASF) and other foreign animal diseases (FAD) from entering the United States. NPPC will also continue its legal challenge to California’s Proposition 12, which imposes animal housing standards that reach outside of California’s borders.

Joining Herring on a press call by NPPC CEO Neil Dierks, Vice President Global Government Affairs Nick Giordano, and Chief Veterinarian Dr. Liz Wagstrom. Listen here:
NPPC 2019/20 press call (24:50)

AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Audio, NPPC, Pork

Merry Christmas from NAFB

Chuck Zimmerman

NAFB ChristmasAll right. All right. All right.

The National Association of Farm Broadcasting gets the honor of first place as the first email in my inbox wishing me a Merry Christmas.

Our message crosses the airwaves loud and clear: may you enjoy a wonderful Christmas with those you love and a prosperous 2020!

You can see Santa sending his “message of Christmas cheer” in the e-card.

Media, NAFB

Precision Ag Bytes 12/18

Carrie Muehling

  • USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) seeks public comments on its interim rule for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), USDA’s flagship program that helps producers plan and implement 150-plus conservation practices on working lands. The rule – now available on the Federal Register – takes effect upon publication and includes changes to the program prescribed by the 2018 Farm Bill.
  • CLAAS of America Inc. recently received six 2020 AE50 New Product Awards from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE).
  • AgGateway has announced its 2020 leadership and meeting dates, and has also released its Annual Report, entitled “Driving Digital Solutions”.
  • Vinduino award-winning crop optimization products are now available for sale on Amazon.com.
  • FarmTrade.com, the first and only online exchange for crop protection products, announced the launch of their redesigned website landing page.
  • For the third time, David Hula of Charles City, Virginia, set a new world record in the National Corn Growers Association Corn Yield Contest with the Pioneer® brand P1197 family of products. Hula achieved an astounding yield of 616 bu/A with Pioneer® hybrid P1197YHR, crushing his previous world record of 542 bu/A, set in 2017 with Pioneer® P1197AM™ brand corn.
  • National Sorghum Producers is proud to announce the winners of the 2019 NSP Yield Contest. Producer yields are highlighted in five different categories from the eastern and western regions of the U.S. This year’s top yield and Bin Buster winner is Santino Santini of New Jersey with 212.5 bushels per acre.
  • The Ohio Soybean Council, in partnership with Persistence Data Mining, Inc., has won its eleventh R&D 100 Award for a revolutionary soil nutrient mapping and testing platform.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes

Thriving Amongst the Giants

Carrie Muehling

A general session at the 2019 American Seed Trade Association CSS & Seed Expo addressed needs of seed businesses who are employing key business strategies to ensure success in an environment of transition and consolidation. The panel, entitled “Thriving Amongst the Giants,” featured Scott Beck of Beck’s Hybrids, John Latham of Latham Hi-Tech Seeds, Myron Stine of Midwest Oilseeds, and John Wyffels of Wyffels Hybrids.

Listen to remarks from each panelist here:
ASTACSS19 Scott Beck, Beck's Hybrids (14:02)

ASTACSS19 John Latham, Latham Hi-Tech Seeds (8:34)

ASTACSS19 Myron Stine, Midwest Oilseeds (8:38)

ASTACSS19 John Wyffels, Wyffels Hybrids (10:43)

2019 ASTA CSS & Seed Expo Photo Album

Agribusiness, ASTA, Audio, Seed

Hula Sets Corn Yield Record of Over 616 Bushels

Cindy Zimmerman

David Hula of Charles City, Virginia has once again broken his own record in the National Corn Growers Association 2019 National Corn Yield Contest and set the bar pretty high for the future.

Hula produced the highest yield on record at 616.1953 bushels per acre, beating his previous record of 542-plus bushels in 2017, which broke his 2015 record of 532 bushels per acre. Hula set his record this year in the Strip, Min, Mulch, Ridge-Till Irrigated category.

The 27 winners in 9 production categories had verified yields averaging more than 383 bushels per acre, compared to the projected national average of 167 bushels per acre in 2019. While there is no overall contest winner, yields from first, second and third place farmers overall production categories topped out at 616.1953 bushels per acre.

Despite adverse growing conditions that impacted most farmers, improved seed varieties, advanced production techniques and innovative growing practices, allowed corn growers to achieve many impressive yields across all categories again this year. Heath Cutrell of Chesapeake, VA came in first for the Conventional Non-Irrigated category this year with over 381 bushels per acre, beating out his 2018 win in the same category of almost 361. See a list of all the winners.

The National Corn Yield Contest is now in its 55th year. The winners will be honored during Commodity Classic 2020 in San Antonio, Texas.

AgWired Precision, Corn, NCGA

Research Looks at Farmers of the Future

Carrie Muehling

Research presented at the 2019 American Seed Trade Association CSS & Seed Expo answered questions about who the farmers of the future will be and what they will need from the agriculture industry.

“The goal is to help the industry have some focus on what’s coming, think about their own plans, how they can disrupt themselves to become more competitive, and ultimately continue to strengthen the industry over time,” said Brett Sciotto, CEO of Aimpoint Research.

Sciotto said this initial research focused on American farmers in response to the realization that clients were not focused far enough into the future and weren’t preparing enough for the future dynamics that would ultimately impact their business. Future research will be more global, looking at the psychology of farmers in other countries.

Listen to Cindy’s interview with Brett here:ASTACSS19 Interview with Brett Sciotto - Aimpoint Research (7:07)

2019 ASTA CSS & Seed Expo Photo Album

Agribusiness, ASTA, Audio, Research

Animal Ag Bites 12/16

Carrie Muehling

  • World Dairy Expo® is accepting nominations for the 2020 Expo Recognition Awards now through February 1, 2020. New this year, WDE will be combining the former Dairyman and Dairy Woman of the Year Awards into one category, Dairy Producer(s) of the Year. Organizations, academic staff, producers and others involved in the dairy industry are encouraged to nominate individuals to recognize their outstanding work and dedication to the dairy industry.
  • The past year has been one of the most challenging years in recent memory for corn farmers across the Midwest due to excessive rainfall, which has resulted in delayed and/or prevented planting in many areas. Extreme weather conditions and moisture levels can reduce yields and induce plant stress, and they can also lead to future issues for the crop, including molds and mycotoxins. Increased moisture can allow Fusarium molds to flourish, producing a variety of mycotoxins that include deoxynivalenol (DON), fusaric acid, T-2, HT-2 and zearalenone. Alltech will host a United States Corn Silage Report webinar with Dr. Max Hawkins on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2019, at 2:30 p.m. EST. Register for the webinar via this link. For more information on mycotoxin management, visit knowmycotoxins.com.

    • To help support California food bank’s efforts to meet demand for protein during a difficult fire season, Cargill donated nearly 50,000 pounds of beef to local families in California.

  • National Cattlemen’s Beef Association CEO Colin Woodall issued a statement regarding the announcement that the U.S. and China have agreed to a phase one trade deal.
  • Ralco has launched its revitalized swine nursery nutrition program, Tactical Start™, built on driving early feed intake, providing ultra-complex, easily digestible diets, and focusing on digestive capacity. This approach concentrates on setting pigs up for success by achieving more uniform, consistent pigs resulting in improved performance throughout production.
AgWired Animal, Animal Bites

Hemp Farmers Need Good Seed

Cindy Zimmerman

The hemp industry is in dire need of good genetics and a weeding out of bad actors in the seed supply business, according to two hemp farmers who helped Arcadia Biosciences announce the launch of GoodHemp in Chicago last week.

Chris Adams (pictured left) of Adams Family Farm in North Dakota and Weston Walker (right) of Gold Dust Farm in Oregon shared their experiences growing hemp and the need for good genetics and reliable seed suppliers during a panel discussion. Both are excited about the future as pioneers in the “wild west” of this new agricultural commodity.

Walker is new to hemp farming and just planted his first crop this year, while Adams has been growing hemp for five years on his fourth generation family farm. You can listen to interviews with each of them and watch several of the questions/answers during their presentation at the launch event.

GoodHemp interview with North Dakota hemp farmer Chris Adams

GoodHemp interview with Oregon hemp farmer Weston Walker

Arcadia Biosciences GoodHemp Launch photos


ASTA, Audio, Cannabis, hemp, Seed, Video