Farm Bureau Distinguished Service and Founders Awards

Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

The American Farm Bureau Federation presented its highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award, to Sen. Orrin Hatch, and the Farm Bureau Founders Award to Dick Newpher on Sunday during the opening general session of AFBF’s 100th Annual Convention.

Sen. Hatch, who was not present to receive the award in person, was a longtime advocate in Congress for farmers and ranchers. Before his retirement on Jan. 3, Hatch was the longest-serving sitting Republican senator in history. He sponsored more bills that have become law than any other living senator.

Dick Newpher, a Pennsylvania native, long served as a Farm Bureau leader at the state and national levels. Starting out at Pennsylvania Farm Bureau as a field representative for Clearfield, his home county, he went on to serve as AFBF executive director of public policy and then executive vice president and treasurer of the organization and its affiliated companies.

“I especially want to thank those people, both volunteers and staff, who spent the last 40 years trying to actually find something I could do,” said Newpher, accepting his award. “I kept having a job and finally I retired and I’m sure they breathed a sigh of relief.”

Listen to Newpher’s remarks here.
AFBF19 FB Founders Award Dick Newpher remarks

2019 AFBF Annual Convention photo album

AFBF, Audio

AFBF Celebrates Centennial

Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) President Zippy Duvall officially opened the organization’s 100th annual convention in New Orleans Sunday before approximately 7,000 farmers and ranchers from across the nation.

Duvall outlined a few of the organization’s many historic accomplishments since 1919, such as leading the way on the nation’s first farm bill in the 1930s and helping develop the Food for Peace Program in the 1950s. As AFBF heads toward a new century of service to America’s farm and ranch families, Duvall said the organization will continue to be guided by the honorable principle that “farmers want to feed people.”

“Farm Bureau members throughout our history, and still today, have always answered the call to feed, fuel and defend our nation. I am grateful for this wonderful organization,” Duvall said. “Its founding 100 years ago was truly a breakthrough in American history. The founding fathers and mothers of our nation and of Farm Bureau were guided by a divine hand, a hand that still guides us today.”

On Monday, President Donald Trump will address the Farm Bureau meeting for the second year in a row during the closing general session.

Listen to Duvall’s address here:
AFBF19 President Zippy Duvall address to members

Duvall also held a press conference to address questions from the media:
AFBF19 President Zippy Duvall press conference

2019 AFBF Annual Convention photo album

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AgWired a Top 25 Agriculture Blog 2019

Chuck Zimmerman Leave a Comment

Just got this message. Always nice to get recognition. “Congratulations! We are happy to announce that your blog has been included to the Top 25 Agriculture Blogs 2019 on our website. We are in constant search for the best blogs and we are glad to include you on the list.”

Agriculture is an incredibly important part of life that is often overlooked by the vast majority of people. It is how the world is fed and delicious food is put on the table, which makes it worth being recognized for the value that it provides. For those who are willing to actually look into this particular aspect of life, here are some agricultural blogs that can provide you with plenty of insight into what it is you need to know.

Spending some time looking through what these blogs have to say would be an incredible experience, as well, because of how they can open your eyes to the wonders of growing crops and animals that eventually make it to your table. This would then increase your appreciation of these facts, which can enrich you every time you consume something made by farmers.

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New Cotton Varieties for 2019 From BASF

Chuck Zimmerman Leave a Comment

The 2019 BASF APT Summit provided a great backdrop for the announcement of new varieties of cotton which have just been formally announced. Listen in below to hear more information.

BASF advanced five new FiberMax® and Stoneville® cottonseed varieties for the 2019 season, and for the first time, two of the new BASF varieties contain dicamba-tolerant traits. These come out of the BASF APT program.

Three new Stoneville varieties
ST 5600B2XF
Growers across a large part of the Cotton Belt have a new variety with great yield potential that is geared to their conditions and soil type. ST 5600B2XF is equipped with a good fiber package, root knot nematode resistance, two-gene worm protection and herbicide tolerance to Liberty® herbicide, Engenia herbicide and glyphosate

ST 5707B2XF
Engineered for West Texas and Eastern New Mexico dryland and limited irrigation production, ST 5707B2XF is a new variety that brings rugged early-season vigor and mid- to full-season maturity. It offers resistance to bacterial blight, two-gene worm protection and herbicide tolerance to Liberty herbicide, Engenia herbicide and glyphosate.

ST 4550GLTP
Growers in the Delta, Mid-Atlantic and Southeast also have a new cottonseed variety with great yield potential that is geared to their conditions and soil type. ST 4550GLTP is an early-mid maturing variety equipped with an excellent fiber package, high gin turnout and tolerance to Liberty herbicide and glyphosate. This variety includes BASF’s proprietary three-gene lepidopteran resistance, TwinLink® Plus, which decreases the likelihood that a worm application will be needed.

Interview with Dr. Scott Asher about new cotton varieties: Interview with Dr. Scott Asher, BASF, Eastern Region Agronomic Manager

Dr. Scott Asher provides information on new cotton varieties: Introduction of New Varieties, Dr. Scott Asher, BASF

Two new FiberMax varieties
FM 2398GLTP
Growers looking for excellent yield potential with medium maturity can look to FM 2398GLTP. This semi-smooth variety offers bacterial blight resistance, very good tolerance to Verticillium wilt and great fiber quality potential. It is targeted for use in the High Plains, Rolling Plains, Oklahoma and South and East Texas. This variety is from the same background as FM 2498GLT, but is slightly earlier and has the advantage of TwinLink Plus.

FM 1621GL
Designed for growers in the High Plains areas, FM 1621GL is an excellent yielding variety with high gin turnout. It is perfect for acres that require root knot nematode tolerance and resistance to bacterial blight and offers early maturity, a moderate growth habit and a boll type similar to FM 1888GL.

Dr. Kenny Melton provides information on new cotton varieties: Introduction of New Varieties, Dr. Kenny Melton, BASF

2019 BASF APT Summit Photo Album

Audio, BASF, Beltwide Cotton, Cotton

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Carrie Muehling Leave a Comment

  • NAMA has FOUR different award opportunities with upcoming deadlines. Winners of these prestigious awards will be honored at the 2019 Agri-Marketing Conference, April 10-12, in Kansas City, MO. Submission deadline is January 18, 2019. Contact Jenny Pickett at jennyp@nama.org for more information.
  • Agri-Pulse is pleased to announce that Philip Brasher will be promoted to Executive Editor, expanding his role in the company’s management and strategy.
  • Three Georgia Peanut Commission board members were renominated without opposition to the Georgia Peanut Commission board of directors at nomination meetings held on Dec. 10, 2018.
  • Aptimmune Biologics announces the addition of two members to the company’s management team to start the New Year. Heather Bessoff, DVM, has joined the company as chief executive officer. Perry Harms, DVM, has been named technical consultant for Aptimmune.
  • FarmlandFinder, a digital toolset for land sale research, has expanded to 12 states throughout the Midwest and launched a suite of tools to help land professionals with farmland acquisition, valuation and analysis.
  • Fifteen Iowa and Illinois FFA chapters will showcase their creativity in the Pioneer® brand A-Series soybeans Big A Challenge, with their masterpieces displayed at the 2019 Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Ill. A judging panel selected the top 15 chapters in the collaboration between Pioneer and FFA that focuses on the next generation of soybean varieties and the next generation of growers. Each chapter will bring a unique perspective to decorating a seven-foot-tall Big A statue, highlighting A-Series soybeans’ cutting-edge science and game-changing yield potential while celebrating local communities.
  • Now is a great time to download the NCGA app. From either the Apple App Store or the Google Play store, search for “NCGA Action” to download the free app. Alternatively, you can find download instructions at http://ncga.com/app.
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BASF APT Summit Participant Values Early Information

Carrie Muehling Leave a Comment

The inaugural BASF APT (Agronomic Performance Trials) Summit gave farmer participants an opportunity to get information earlier while collaborating with other growers who are in similar situations.

Walker McAnear, cotton grower from Clarendon, Texas, said he appreciates the timing.

“You get to see that experimental variety all year long, but you don’t know if they’re going to take that variety forward,” he said. “So we get to see this a little earlier this time and decide if we’re going to be able to use those in our operation this next year, so that’s good, too.”

McAnear has participated in a trial on his farm for the past several years. He likes the idea of a larger conference to share results.

“It’s valuable. You know, in the past it’s been just a coffee shop type of meeting with a local rep and getting to see my data. This is nice to see data from the whole country, and good to meet other growers who have been doing these things, too. It’s always good to meet with other people and see their experiences,” said McAnear.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Walker here: Interview with Walker McAnear, Texas cotton grower

2019 BASF APT Summit Photo Album

Audio, BASF, Cotton

Trump to Visit 100th Farm Bureau Convention

Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

Despite ongoing negotiations to end the government shutdown, President Donald J. Trump is keeping his promise to members of the American Farm Bureau Federation and will address the organization’s 100th annual convention next week in New Orleans

“This is your 99th year, so I was very disappointed to hear that,” Trump said in his remarks to a record crowd at the annual convention in Nashville last year. “A hundred is so much cooler, I have to be honest. So I’ll be back, I think. Next year, I’ll come back.”

The president is expected to address the group on Monday and will likely bring his case for a border wall to the rural supporters who helped elect him.

AFBF

BASF Breeding Goals and Trial Varieties for 2019

Carrie Muehling Leave a Comment

BASF Global Cotton Breeding Manager Dr. Margaret Shields took the opportunity to thank producers attending the inaugural BASF APT (Agronomic Performance Trials) Summit for their work and how important it is to ongoing research.

Shields shared the company’s mission of being the leading, innovated and trusted seeds and traits organization providing superior, differentiated solutions to customers. With regard to cotton, she told growers that includes a focus on yield protection, yield stability and potential, fiber quality and seed quality, and agronomics. Research on native traits is helping to boost yield protection, especially when it comes to diseases like bacterial blight. The company is also implementing predictive tools to bolster yield stability and potential.

Shields said BASF has a presence in all major areas of the Cotton Belt from North Carolina to Texas to Arizona and even Costa Rica.

Listen to the entire presentation here: Remarks from Dr. Margaret Shields, BASF

2019 BASF APT Summit Photo Album

Audio, BASF, Cotton, Seed

Bayer Expands The Climate Corporation Digital Pipeline

Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

Bayer subsidiary The Climate Corporation (Climate) has announced strong harvest results for farmers using Seed Advisor, its new predictive seed selection and placement technology for corn. In addition, Climate accelerated 25 innovation advancements in 2018 through its global, digital farming pipeline to provide farmers more data-driven insights.

Seed Advisor, which was just announced in August 2018, provides seed dealers with a predictive model to help determine the best performing hybrids for each of a farmer’s fields. The tool was field tested by a group of farmers and their dealers through the company’s FieldView™ Innovators program across 100,000 U.S. corn acres in Iowa, Illinois and Minnesota during the 2018 growing season. Harvest results demonstrated an average yield advantage of 9.1 bushels per acre versus what the farmer would have planted without Seed Advisor recommendations.

In addition to expanding the pre-commercial test of Seed Advisor in 2019 to more farmers in Iowa, Illinois and Minnesota, Climate is also growing its seed selection and placement research to include Wisconsin, Indiana and Missouri. Predictive seed research is also underway in soybeans. An official launch of Seed Advisor is targeted for fall 2019 in the U.S., pending harvest results.

AgWired Precision, Bayer, Precision Agriculture

Precision Ag Bytes 1/9

Carrie Muehling Leave a Comment

  • Syngenta has joined the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research’s (FFAR) Crops of the Future Collaborative as an executive committee participant.
  • Legion Bio Chem recently announced the launch of its newest product, EnduraSeed™, adding to the robust EnduraGro™ biologicals product line. Legion’s GroWell™ Solutions include FasGro™ starter fertilizers, ZenaGro™ micronutrients, FortiGro™ foliar nutrients, and EnduraGro microorganisms and bio-stimulants.
  • 2019 U.S. EPA regulations require all applicators of dicamba herbicide products to complete dicamba-specific training even if you took it last year. Register now to complete the training requirement while at the Farm Futures Summit or Boot Camp. Participants completing this training will receive a certificate following the session. Farmers can get free dicamba training January 23 or 24 as part of their Farm Futures Ag finance Boot Camp and Farm Futures Business Summit registrations. The Farm Futures Boot Camp held January 23, and the Summit, held January 24 -25 at the Coralville Marriott Conference Center in Iowa City, Iowa.
  • South Dakota State University (SDSU) Extension will host 2019 No-Till event, titled Integrating Livestock, Building Soil January 17, 2019 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Wall at the Wall Community Center, Grand Hall (501 Main St.). The event is free. However, pre-registration is requested because a lunch will be served. Certified Crop Advisor credits will be available. To register, contact Ruth Beck, SDSU Extension Agronomy Field Specialist at ruth.beck@sdstate.edu or 605-773-8120.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes