Precision Ag News 5/17/23

Cindy Zimmerman

  • The third annual Tech Hub LIVE Conference and Expo, powered by the CropLife Media Group™, the nation’s leading voice for the ag retail industry, in collaboration with the Global AgTech Initiative and AgriBusiness Global brands, is the must-attend event for those developing and deploying the latest ag technologies to advance agribusiness. Coming up soon, July 24-26 at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. Register today for early bird pricing through May 19.
  • Registration for the 2023 Golden Harvest Go for the Gold Challenge is open now through June 30, 2023. The contest recognizes farmers who achieve top yields with eligible Golden Harvest® soybeans during the 2023 growing season. The winning farmers will be awarded a trip to the 2024 Commodity Classic in Houston, Texas.
  • Vermeer announces the opening of a 312,000-ft2 state-of-the-art Global Parts Distribution Center to support the important work customers and dealers are performing around the world. Vermeer team members will package and ship parts worldwide from the facility, located on the grounds of the corporate headquarters. The Global Parts Distribution Center builds on a legacy of customer support, located at the end of the old runway where company founder Gary Vermeer once delivered parts to Vermeer customers by plane.
  • Syngenta Crop Protection and FMC Corporation announced an agreement to bring to market a breakthrough technology to control grass weeds in rice in Asia. The new active ingredient Tetflupyrolimet, discovered and developed by FMC with support from Syngenta for the development in rice, marks the first major herbicide with a novel mode of action in over three decades, promising relief to farmers challenged by weed resistance to existing herbicides.
  • Kubota Tractor Corporation and Crayola announced a renewed partnership building on the success of last year’s collaboration between the brands to show kids how teamwork can make a difference in their community. The new venture is inspired by Kubota’s NASCAR partners like Trackhouse Racing and ThorSport Racing and includes an immersive, interactive event touring Crayola’s family attractions; at-home crafts and coloring pages at CrayolaExperience.com/Kubota and Crayola.com; and classroom activities and educational content.
  • The American Farm Bureau Federation, in partnership with Farm Credit, has extended the deadline to May 26 for entrepreneurs to apply online for the 2024 Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge. Now in its 10th year, this national business competition showcases U.S. startup companies developing innovative solutions to challenges faced by America’s farmers, ranchers and rural communities.
  • NRCS is streamlining its Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) to better help agricultural producers and private landowners conserve wetlands, productive farmlands and at-risk grasslands. NRCS is rolling out several improvements to this important program in response to feedback from producers, landowners and conservation partners. Specifically, NRCS is updating its processes around appraisals, land surveys, as well as certifying eligible entities who help NRCS and producers enroll land into easements.
  • John Deere debuts its 2024 model-year upgrades on its lineup of 3R- and 4-Series compact utility tractors. In addition, John Deere unveiled its latest 4-Series model, the 4075R Compact Utility Tractor, equipped to tackle jobs for customers in the commercial snow removal and large-property owner markets.
AgWired Precision, Precision Agriculture

ZimmCast 711 – Water for Food Global Conference

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCastThis episode of the ZimmCast comes to you from the 2023 Water for Food Global Conference, which was held May 8-11 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This was the 10th Water for Food Conference but the first time it’s been held since 2019, thanks to COVID.

The Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute (DWFI) at the University of Nebraska works to address the global challenge of achieving food security with less stress on water resources through water management in agricultural and food systems and the conference brings together experts and thought leaders from around the world to help find solutions to water and food security challenges.

In this episode, you will hear from DWFI executive director Peter McCornick, DWFI board member Felicia Marcus, Colorado farmer and LRE Water consultant Dick Wolfe, Nebraska farmer Debbie Borg, and Louise Mabulo, founder of The Cacao Project.

Listen to the ZimmCast here:
ZimmCast 711 - Water for Food Conference (25:09)

Subscribe to the ZimmCast in:

Audio, International, Water, Water for Food, ZimmCast

Alltech and Agolin Partner for Cattle Production and Sustainability Goals

Cindy Zimmerman

Alltech Agolin PartnershipAlltech announced this week it has acquired a majority interest in Agolin, a Swiss company founded in 2006 to develop and produce plant-based nutrition solutions that improve herd performance, profitability and sustainability. Pictured L-R: Michael Roe, commercial director of Agolin; Kurt Schaller, managing director of Agolin; Beatrice Zweifel, technical director of Agolin; and Dr. Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech.

“Agolin’s essential oil blends are a complement to Alltech’s proven nutritional technologies, such as Yea-Sacc® and Optigen®,” said Dr. Mark Lyons, Alltech’s president and CEO. “Governments, consumer brands and retailers are making important commitments to reduce their environmental impact. These commitments rely upon farmers and ranchers, and we are dedicated to supporting them with the best available nutritional technologies to achieve more milk and meat while reducing their environmental footprint.”

Lyons says they will also be exploring opportunities to develop new technologies that bring together the best of Alltech’s proven nutrition and Agolin’s essential oil blends. Agolin has a presence in Europe, Asia and North America. Alltech’s majority interest in the company will expand the availability of Agolin to additional markets.

Interview with Mark Lyons to learn more about this partnership.

Interview with Dr. Mark Lyons (6:00)

AgWired Animal, Alltech, Animal Agriculture, Beef, Livestock, Nutrition, Sustainability

IRS Audits 1 In 4 Companies Over ACA Non-Compliance

Chuck Zimmerman

Trusaic Research Finds Agriculture Industry at Higher Risk, According to Study

TrusaicLos Angeles, Calif., May 11, 2023 – While most employers say they believe they are fully compliant with the Affordable Care Act (ACA), approximately one in four have been audited by the Internal Revenue Service, according to new research from HR technology company Trusaic. Among the industries most at risk of receiving an ACA IRS penalty letter? Agriculture, food services, educational services, and health care and social assistance.

IRS enforcement of the now 13-year-old healthcare law is ramping up, due in part to legislative changes including the Inflation Reduction Act and American Rescue Plan. Employers who fail to comply with ACA’s Employer Mandate can face annual penalties as high as $275,000 for every 100 employees. To add to the severity of the situation, the IRS may use its levy power to satisfy outstanding ACA penalties. In addition to six jurisdictions that have their own ACA regulations, several other states are considering adding regulations over and above what is required by the federal government.

“Industries with high turnover or a high percentage of hourly workers with varying schedules are particularly susceptible to getting penalized by the IRS,” says John Leathers, Executive Vice President of Product for Trusaic. “These situations present unique challenges to a reporting process that most organizations already find overly burdensome.”

Trusaic’s report, “The Challenge of ACA Compliance,” which was conducted in partnership with Creelman Research, examines employers’ attitudes and actions around managing ACA reporting requirements and offers insight on why compliance can be difficult and how to improve the process. This study drew on three sources of data: a set of focus groups, a survey of HR professionals involved in ACA compliance, and anonymized information from Trusaic’s internal database of penalty responses. Download the report here.

Among the report’s key findings:

● About one in four organizations say they have been audited by the IRS for potential ACA non-compliance

● Many organizations find compliance a challenging task: 73% of respondents find the reporting requirements somewhat or overly burdensome

● Nearly 70% spend more than 80 hours a year on ACA compliance

● Respondents cited a variety of challenges including a lack of clarity of the rules, complex tracking requirements, complicated situations, and tight deadlines

● The most commonly cited compliance problems are employee miscalculation, determining ACA affordability and additional state reporting requirements

● The industries most likely to receive an ACA penalty letter are agriculture/forestry/fishing and hunting, accommodation and food services, educational services and health care and social assistance

“The challenge of ACA compliance is only going to get worse,” says Leathers, who notes that the IRS good faith period has ended. “Leaders may not understand the nuances of compliance. It’s up to HR to educate them about the complexity and the risk.”

Employers can assess their ACA efforts by completing an eight-question quiz that evaluates an organization’s unique workforce and any complexities that may create compliance challenges. Organizations concerned about their ACA compliance and subsequent penalty assessment from the IRS can also download the ACA 101 Toolkit.

Trusaic has also made its recent webinar “Navigating ACA Compliance in Agriculture – Best Practices and Strategies” available on demand and at no cost at: https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/4192298/C2B7CABBED8BA9BA9B80024FE6527689?partnerref=ondemand

About Trusaic

At Trusaic, we believe the workplace should work for everyone. We are a workplace equity technology company committed to advancing social good by helping organizations achieve pay equity, foster a more diverse and inclusive workforce, assist economically disadvantaged individuals with finding work, and ensure employee access to affordable healthcare. With data-driven, people-centered solutions designed to solve HR’s most complex workforce challenges, our mission is to create a better working world.

For more information, contact:
Trusaic PR at (213) 814-5760
Or PR@Trusaic.com

Agribusiness

Animal Ag News 5/8/23

Cindy Zimmerman

  • The latest patent issued to EmGenisys, Inc., an animal health company that aims to improve success rates in embryo transfer (ET) and in vitro fertilization (IVF) for cattle producers, will be a game changer for the future of cattle reproduction. This patent will allow for the analyzation of embryo health and prediction of the sex of embryos with real-time video, allowing quick assessment from the microscope to transfer or freeze. This will reveal never-before-seen characteristics of embryo development.
  • The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) submitted to USDA its comprehensive proposal for modernizing the Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) system, the product of two years of examination and more than 150 meetings held to build consensus behind updates to a program that last saw significant changes in 2000
  • Nine universities recently participated in the 74th USPOULTRY Foundation Ted Cameron National Poultry Judging Contest, held at Louisiana State University. The University of Arkansas won the high team overall category, and Texas A&M University took second place. Additionally, Kylie Roesler won the high individual overall category, and Cayla Wilson finished second. Both are from the University of Arkansas.
  • As the 56th World Dairy Expo approaches, the search is on for college students who are passionate about the dairy industry to be part of the 2023 media team. Five students will be able to experience WDE as media interns, giving them an intimate look at the storied event. Qualified individuals are actively pursuing a bachelor’s or master’s degree in a dairy, agriculture, or communications-related field with excellent written and verbal communication skills. Students should visit World Dairy Expo’s website and select “Careers & Internships” under the “About Expo” tab for information.
  • The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) once again announced opposition to the Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption (PRIME) Act introduced by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Chellie Pingree (D-ME). The legislation would allow beef processed in a non-U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspected facility to be distributed interstate, posing a threat to food safety and consumer trust in beef.
    • AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture

    Industry Ag News 5/5/23

    Cindy Zimmerman

  • The upcoming ASTA Leadership Summit, June 10-14 in Sacramento is offering leadership development training and networking for those newer to the seed industry. The conference agenda features an entire track of leadership development sessions and a robust new student program, in a partnership between ASTA, Seed Central and UC Davis. New this year, companies can elect to send early-career professionals to have the opportunity to not only attend, but also serve as a speaker, round table facilitator and Career Fair table host for this student program. For students, a much larger delegation from several nearby universities is expected in 2023, offering them the chance for participation in this special track as well as present their posters. Early registration rates and hotel rooms in ASTA’s discounted group block are available until May 18.
  • The Agricultural Retailers Association has (ARA) two top legislators who have championed the issues of importance to agriculture and agriculture suppliers. Rep. John Garamendi of California and Rep. Dusty Johnson of South Dakota were both recognized this week with ARA’s Legislator of the Year Award.
  • Reagan Koester of Wadesville, Indiana, is the recipient of the 2023-24 Soy Scholarship award, sponsored by the American Soybean Association and BASF. The ASA/BASF Soy Scholarship is a $7,000 award presented to an exceptional high school senior who excels in both academics and leadership roles and who plans to pursue a degree in an agriculture-related field at an accredited college or university. The scholarship is open to children and grandchildren of ASA members.
  • The AgCareers.com Agriculture & Food HR Roundtable provides a unique industry-specific education and networking experience addressing emergent human resource themes. The event will be held in-person on August 2 & 3, 2023 in Denver, Colorado at the CSU Spur Campus.
  • The 2023 Farm Bureau Foundation Fellows have launched four free Applied Digital Skills lessons dedicated to helping students learn about food, fuel and fiber. The lessons were developed with support from Grow with Google to make digital skills and agricultural literacy more accessible to students across the country, with a focus on rural classrooms.
    • Ag Groups, Agribusiness, Zimfo Bytes

    Farm Broadcaster Howard Hale Passes

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Howard HaleSad to hear of the passing of broadcasting legend Howard Hale, 87, a 38-year member of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. This photo from our files is Howard at the 2017 NAFB Convention.

    According to NAFB:

    Farm broadcasting was a second career for Howard Hale, after spending his “first career” selling life insurance, raising livestock and horses, and working on the farm.

    Hale became a broadcaster at the age of 50, starting at KOLT Radio in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, and continued his broadcast career with stops at KEYR Radio, KNEB Radio, KNFB Radio, and KSTB-TV. He was quoted several times to “not let anybody tell you you can’t start something at 50.” His membership in NAFB was longest at KSIR Radio in Fort Morgan, Colorado, which he called “home” since 1994.

    His mark on broadcasting came through several syndicated programs — Harvest USA Report, Cattlemen’s Corner, and Horseman’s Corner. It is estimated he voiced and produced more than 35,000 programs throughout his career. Through these pieces, he connected with thousands of listeners and was recognized multiple times with awards for highlighting agriculture. In 2013, the U.S. Custom Harvesters inducted Hale into their Hall of Fame.

    A Celebration of Life will be held at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, May 6, 2023, at 10:30 am at Harvest Valley Church in Scottsbluff, with Pastor Joel Hergert officiating. The family requests in lieu of flowers, memorial gifts be made to Harvest Valley Church or the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Online condolences may be made by viewing Howard’s memorial page at www.bridgmanfuneralhome.com. Bridgman Family Funeral Home & Cremation Service is entrusted with arrangements.

    Hale is survived by his wife, Pat; children Becky Arndt (Chris Armacost) of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Brian (Andrea) Hale of Wichita Falls, Texas, and Shannon Marshall of Minatare; sister Marilee (Larry) Hubbard of Scottsbluff; grandchildren Katherine Arndt, Maggie Arndt, Jon Arndt, Bill (Ciara) Arndt, Antonia Hale, Brayden Hale, Arianna Hale, Alexandrea Bauer, Alleni McLaughlin, Samantha Marshall, Tricia Marshall, and Melanie Marshall. He was preceded in death by his parents and his infant brother, Lawrence.

    NAFB

    Azotic Technologies Boosts Envita with U.S. Sales Team

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Azotic™ Technologies, Ltd. is pleased to announce the addition of a new U.S. sales and service team to address demand for its flagship product Envita®.

    Aaron Eddy, U.S. Sales Manager, assumed his role in leading the U.S. sales team in October 2022. Since accepting the role, Eddy has put his more than 15 years of sales and leadership experience to work for the U.S. Envita team to establish new distribution accounts that expand Envita’s market base. He currently manages a team of three U.S. sales representatives: Troy Dean, Scott Bishop and John Squire.

    With more than 30 years of experience in the crop protection industry, Dean serves as a seasoned sales representative, managing relationships from Maine to Florida while working to grow additional partnership opportunities.

    Bishop serves as Midwest sales representative providing support for corn, wheat, soybean, potato, sugar beet, carrot, onion and tomato growers and notes that Envita was the first biological product that was able to show him the proof of working inside the plant.

    As the most senior member of the Envita sales team, Squire joined Azotic Technologies in the fall of 2020, bringing with him 30 years of agronomic experience to serve the western U.S. and Pacific Northwest

    First introduced to the U.S. market in 2019, Envita is a naturally occurring, food-grade bacteria that provides a sustainable solution to meeting the nitrogen demands for a vast array of crops. The symbiotic relationship formed between Envita and its host forms nitrogen cells throughout the plant. The formation of these nitrogen cells, both above and below the soil’s surface, creates a systemic supply of nitrogen when and where a plant needs it throughout the growing season.

    Agronomy, AgWired Precision, Nutrient Management, Precision Agriculture

    Precision Ag News 5/3/12

    Cindy Zimmerman

    • The 2023 National Corn Yield Contest (NCYC) is open and entrants will contribute their expertise and innovation to create a pool of agronomic knowledge that has been almost six decades in the making. This year, the contest has added a Nitrogen Management class. This new pilot class is open to the first 100 entries from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio or Wisconsin. Get more information.
    • Syngenta Crop Protection, a global leader in agricultural innovation, today announced its acquisition of Macspred Australia, a specialist in weed management for the forestry, roads, rail, utilities and infrastructure sectors. The acquisition marks Syngenta’s entry – through its Professional Solutions business – into the forestry products and vegetation markets. It also secures Syngenta’s ability to service both large-scale commercial plantation customers, as well as a growing farm forestry clientele focused on improving financial sustainability and environmental biodiversity on the farm.
    • Growers are now spending an average of $500,000 a year on automation in response to the persistent ag labor shortage, according to the second Specialty Crop Automation Report commissioned by Western Growers. The report, which tracks and measures industry progress in harvest automation across the fresh produce industry, is part of WG’s Global Harvest Automation Initiative, which aims to accelerate ag automation by 50 percent in 10 years.
    • John Deere has entered into an allied agreement with PCT Agcloud to enable grain and cotton farmers to take John Deere Operations Center™ data and seamlessly share it with PCT Agcloud. The allied agreement enables small grains, corn and soybean growers that use HarvestLab™ 3000 Grain Sensing to generate insights and action through Protein Pro powered by PCT Agcloud. Protein Pro delivers automated cleaning, editing, multiple machine corrections, intersecting zone creation, and nitrogen removal and product replacement data to Operations Center.
    • Farmers across Illinois now have access to a new Crop Report tool developed by the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) Agronomy team and the ILSoyAdvisor online platform. The resource enables growers to better manage their soybean, corn and wheat crops. From field conditions to crop progress, disease alerts, and pest sightings, the Online Crop Report provides farmers with facts and strategic analysis of relevant information that impacts their farms.
    • The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) announced its newly elected leaders for the next office term, beginning January 2024. President-Elect Samira Daroub, director for the Everglades Research and Education Center (EREC) and department distance education coordinator for the Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences (SWES) department at the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
    • The Crop Science Society of America (CSSA) announced its newly elected leaders for the next office term, beginning January 2024. President-Elect is Mark E. Sorrells, who earned his Ph.D. in Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and is a professor in the Department of Plant Breeding & Genetics at Cornell University.
    AgWired Precision, Precision Agriculture

    2023 Water for Food Conference Preview

    Cindy Zimmerman

    For the first time since 2019, global water management and food security experts will gather in person May 8-10 in Lincoln, Nebraska for the 2023 Water for Food Global Conference.

    The Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute will host this 10th conference with the theme “Cultivating Innovation: Solutions for a Changing World,” according to executive director Peter McCornick, who says events over the past four years have highlighted the importance of their mission. “The interest in water and food security is much higher than I have seen in a long time,” said McCornick.

    The conference, which will feature a virtual component along with the live event, will focus on innovative ways to improve water and food security by increasing farmers’ resiliency to a changing landscape. The challenges of climate change, soil degradation, water access and management, economic disparity and conflict bring about extreme competition for urban and rural water.

    Learn more in this interview with McCornick.
    Water for Food Conference interview - Peter McCornick, DWFI Executive Director (8:51)

    Audio, Food, International, Irrigation, Water, Water for Food