Argentina’s Export Tariffs

Cindy Zimmerman

ifaj13-rbotDuring the IFAJ Congress, I was very surprised to learn that Argentina has export tariffs on a number of agricultural commodities, including corn and soybeans. I understand import tariffs, but export tariffs would seem to do nothing but hurt a country’s agricultural industry.

“Argentina has export taxes on almost every product that we export, but in the case of grain the taxes are really high,” said Patricia Bergero, who is an economist with the Rosario Board of Trade (Bolsa de Comercio de Rosario). By really high, she means REALLY high, especially for soybeans, which have a 35% tariff while soybean meal and oil exports are taxed at 53%. Corn and wheat are taxed at 23 to 35%. “This kind of tax is really a burden for farmers when we are facing lower prices,” she said. No kidding!

Despite the high taxes, Patricia says Argentina exports continue to boom. “In the case of corn, depending on the market year, Argentina has 20% of the market share of the world,” she said. “In the case of soybean meal and soybean oil, definitely Argentina is a leader because they have a share of 55% of the world trade.” For soybeans as a raw product, Argentina’s market share is about 15-25%.

Patricia says the export taxes have not always been so high, just since the early 2000s and farmers would definitely like to see them lowered. Early this summer, farmers actually went on strike to protest the high taxes.

Patricia was really a wealth of information about Argentina’s agricultural industry – from exports and GMOs to the nation’s policies on renewable fuels. Listen to my conversation with her here: Interview with Patricia Bergero, Rosario Board of Trade

2013 IFAJ Congress Photo Album

Coverage of the 2013 IFAJ Congress is sponsored by Novus International and Dupont Pioneer
Audio, Farming, IFAJ, International, Markets, Trade

Ferilizer Use Growing in Argentina

Cindy Zimmerman

ifaj13-profetilFertilizer use is on the rise in Argentina, which is a major contributor to increasing yields in that country. We found out more about that during the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) Congress in Argentina.

We visited Profertil, a joint venture with Canada’s Agrium and the nation’s largest fertilizer producer. “The use of fertilizer technology has improved a lot,” said Profertil commercial manager Pablo Pussetto. “More or less, 80% of all the urea consumed in Argentina is supplied by Profertil,” he said.

Argentine crop yields have doubled in the past two decades as fertilizer use has increased 10 fold with farmer education. “We cannot continue mining our soil to make our agricultural practice,” said Pussetto. “We need to replenish the nutrients in every system.”

The approach to farmers in Argentina is similar to the 4R message in the United States – the right source, the right rate, the right time, and the right place. “The concept is not to use a lot of fertilizer but to use the correct fertilizer, the correct amount of fertilizer in order to maximize not only economic value or yield but at the same time make your crop more sustainable,” Pussetto said.

Argentina supplies much of its own nitrogen and urea fertilizers, but needs to import phosphate from other countries, including the United States, as most of the soils in the major producing area are phosphate deficient. Interview with Profertil's Pablo Pussetto 2013 IFAJ Congress Photo Album

Coverage of the 2013 IFAJ Congress is sponsored by Novus International and Dupont Pioneer
Audio, Fertilizer, IFAJ, International

Monsanto “Follow-A-Field” Initiative

Cindy Zimmerman

Monsanto is encouraging farmers to “Follow-A-Field” in order to learn more about the next innovation in soybean and cotton weed control.

extend-follow-fieldThe Follow-A-Field initiative from Monsanto is an interactive experience featured on XtendFollowAField.com that follows three farmers as they take their Roundup Ready 2 Xtend™ soybean fields from burndown through harvest as part of the Monsanto Ground Breakers® Field Trials Under Permit program. The initiative will include testimonials, videos and photos captured from the three growing sites in Missouri, Illinois and Minnesota.

Michelle Vigna, Monsanto Roundup Ready Xtend launch manager, says the goal of the program is to prepare farmers, retailers and applicators to effectively use Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans with a diversified weed management plan such as Roundup Ready PLUS® Weed Management Solutions. “By bringing dicamba tolerance as an option within soybeans, it’s a totally new mode of action for helping manage tough-to-control and resistant weeds,” she said.

Pending regulatory approval, the Roundup Ready® Xtend Crop System will introduce Roundup Ready 2 Xtend™ soybeans, which contain tolerance to dicamba and glyphosate herbicides, which Vigna says they hope will happen in time for the 2015 growing season. “We’re working with USDA and EPA to get approval for the traits themselves and also for the chemistry used over the top,” said Vigna. They are also working for approval in export markets.

Monsanto has been working with BASF on the development of the herbicide to use with the dicamba-tolerant soybeans. BASF has already applied for registration of Engenia™ herbicide in anticipation of regulatory approval. “It’s really been a great opportunity to share learning and make sure we’re developing a system that growers and applicators can be successful with right out of the gate,” Vigna said, adding that they are working on bringing dicamba-tolerance into cotton as well. Interview with Monsanto's Michelle Vigna

Agribusiness, Audio, BASF, Farming, weed management

What’s New In Herbicide Products at Bayer

Jamie Johansen

chuck-fps-peters-augustBayer CropScience is making the fight against weeds a little easier with their soybean herbicide products. The recent Farm Progress Show was a great outlet to share the new and exciting products available for growers nationwide.

Chuck spoke with Eric Peters, Soybean Herbicide Product Manager for Bayer CropScience, during the event and Eric went into more depth about Balance Bean, Balance GT and Liberty products for soybean growers.

“One of the exciting things we’ve had here recently is we did get US approval the Balance GT for Soybeans. It is the new soybean system that has dual herbicide tolerance. It is a HPPD based herbicide, so it’s a different mode of action for soybean growers than what they have had to work with. It will be a total system to provide weed control to growers that offers a good strong broad spectrum soil residual with reactivation combined with the post-merge control of glyphosate to offer a season long control through canopy closure.”

Lauren August, Brand Manager for MS Technologies, walked by during the interview so Chuck took advantage of that and asked about the collaboration and working relationship with both companies.

“The relationship is great. We have been working with Bayer for awhile now. We first introduced the Liberty Link system together and we have been working together ever since.”

“It’s a big step. Just allowing growers to plant multiple modes of action is going to be a big thing for their fields. They are really going to be able to combat some weeds that maybe they haven’t been able to. It’s also going to give them another tool in their tool belt to continue fitting those tough weeds.”

Listen to Chuck’s complete interview with Eric and Lauren here: Interview with Eric Peters & Lauren August

2013 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

Coverage of the 2013 Farm Progress show is sponsored by Bayer CropScience, Growmark and New Holland
Audio, Bayer, Farm Progress Show, Herbicide, Soybean

Zimfo Bytes

Talia Goes

    Zimfo Bytes

  • The Pork Checkoff’s Environmental Stewards subcommittee has selected four pork farms to be honored as the 2013 Pork Industry Environmental Stewards.
  • The International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) announces the second annual Young Leaders “30 under 30” Program, targeting young professions who normally would not have the financial resources or opportunity to attend IPPE.
  • Jen Hundley, previously of the Indiana Beef Council, joins Prosperity Consulting, LLC as Project Manager.
  • broadhead, one of the leading marketing communications agencies connecting the interests of urban and rural, continues to grow with the addition of five new team members.
Zimfo Bytes

NAMA Exec. Comm. Meets

Chuck Zimmerman

NAMA Executive Committee MeetingThe executive committee of the National Agri-Marketing Association held its quarterly meeting this afternoon in advance of the full board meeting tomorrow. We’re continuing to work on the strategic plan to grow and expand NAMA.

The board meeting will precede the start of the annual NAMA Fall Conference which is taking place here in Clayton, MO. We’ve got a full program of sessions that will challenge your thinking and help build leaders in the industry. I’ll have more to come during the next several days.

Follow along on Twitter using the hashtag, #NAMAFall13.

NAMA

Selling House Water Bill on Social Media

Cindy Zimmerman

shusterThe chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is using social media to promote the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2013 (WRRDA) introduced last week by the committee.

Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA) narrates a whiteboard-doodled YouTube video on why the legislation to improve our nation’s waterway infrastructure “matters to every American, the Nation’s economy, jobs, and our ability to remain globally competitive.” The issue is especially important to farmers who have been asking Congress to improve the outdated locks and dams on transportation waterways for years.

Tomorrow (September 17), Shuster will be answering questions about the bill via Twitter from the Committee’s Twitter account (@Transport). To submit questions, use the hashtag #WRRDA.

It’s refreshing to see Congress get creative when it comes to using social media!

Trade, Video

Brownfield Welcomes New Sales Team Member

Jamie Johansen

Lori Lulich photoBrownfield Ag News has welcomed veteran agricultural marketer Lori Lulich to their Sales Team. Lulich will work with agricultural clients and agencies in the Midwest on their marketing and advertising goals and objectives.

Lulich has spent the last 10 years as a national accounts manager for Farm Journal Media. And before that she was the director of communications for the Equity Cooperative Livestock Sales Association in Baraboo, Wisconsin.

“We are very excited to bring Lori on board,” said Senior Vice President John Baker. “Her passion and working knowledge of the agricultural industry will be of great benefit to our advertising partners.”

Lulich graduated from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls with a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural marketing. She is also a former State FFA Officer, holds her American FFA Degree and is currently the Vice President of the Wisconsin FFA Foundation. She credits growing up on her families dairy to her passion for the agricultural industry.

Brownfield Ag News is committed to agriculture, providing news, markets, weather, event coverage and feature and commentary programming relevant to those who live and work on farms and in rural communities. Committed to local, on-the-ground coverage of agriculture, Brownfield features an award winning team of ten agricultural journalists along with an ag meteorologist, Washington D.C. policy analyst and two market analysts.

Marketing

Bayer’s Digital Farming

Jamie Johansen

chuck-fps-grossweilerBayer CropScience consistently focuses on the innovation of technology. During the 2013 Farm Progress Show their air-conditioned exhibit displayed their innovations no matter where you turned. Their On Demand Seed Treatment is one of those technologies where software, preloaded recipes and wireless communications accommodates all types of operations.

Kerry Grossweiler, SeedGrowth Equipment and Coatings Manager for Bayer CropScience, shared with Chuck what’s new with their On Demand Seed Treatment. Kerry described the new technology as “the future in digital farming.”

“The On Demand system is a fully automated closed system developed to treat seeds correctly and consistently, resulting in healthier plant establishment. This is really important because when you look into the past with inoculants and fungicides being applied downstream the older technology and early treaters were sufficient, but now with the new products on the marketplace, everything is going to a per seed application basis. On Demand really fits the need because we have taken our commercial equipment that is used by the seed companies to treat corn and we’ve scaled it down to be able to provide this to downstream treating for ag retailers and seed dealers.”

Listen to Chuck’s complete interview with Kerry here: Interview with Kerry Grossweiler

2013 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

Coverage of the 2013 Farm Progress show is sponsored by Bayer CropScience, Growmark and New Holland
Audio, Bayer, Farm Progress Show, Seed

Argentine Cowhide Sledding

Cindy Zimmerman

ifaj13-cowhide-sledWhat do Argentine gauchos do out in the pampas when they are bored and maybe have had a little too much Quilmes to drink? They tie dried cowhides to their horses and drag each other around in them.

Seriously. I don’t know what it’s called – there must be a name for it – so I just call it cowhide sledding. Who knows? It could become an Olympic sport.

2013 IFAJ Congress Photo Album

Coverage of the 2013 IFAJ Congress is sponsored by Novus International and Dupont Pioneer
Horses, IFAJ, Video