Precision Ag News 4/12/23

Cindy Zimmerman April 12, 2023

The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) recently updated its guide assisting farmers, land owners and others to easily locate and contact professional seed suppliers for quality environmental, conservation, and cover crop seed. The interactive Conservation, Environmental, and Cover Crop Seed Resource Guide helps buyers find lists of dealers for specific seed types by geographic location to support production and sustainability goals.
The first official meeting for the newly formed Women in Ag Tech will be held at Tech Hub LIVE on July 24, 2023 from 2-5 pm at the Hilton Des Moines Downtown. Join the first meeting by registering to attend Tech Hub LIVE.
The Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) will be hosting its 16th annual Conservation in Action Tour in Frankenmuth, Michigan, July 10-11, 2023. This year’s tour theme, Experiencing Conservation in Supply Chains, will help connect the circle from farmer to consumer. The $225 early registration fee includes all tour activities, bus transportation and meals. Early registration ends on April 21.
Bayer announced its 2023 cohort of Grants4Ag grant recipients who have been selected to research promising sustainability and biotechnology subjects in agriculture with support from Bayer. This year’s program addressed three innovation themes integral to Bayer’s R&D efforts in its Crop Science division: sustainability traits, plant transformation technologies, and the gene editing potential of local plant varieties.
Valent U.S.A. announced that Kenny Seebold will be the new senior director of Field Research & Development, effective April 3, replacing Mike Riffle, who announced his plan retire at the end of June, after more than 35 years of dedicated service. Seebold will serve as Valent’s Field R&D executive responsible for all technical programs that drive field development of the company’s agricultural crop protection and enhancement portfolio for North America.
AGCO Corporation, together with Bosch BASF Smart Farming, will integrate and commercialize Smart Spraying technology on Fendt Rogator sprayers, and jointly develop additional, new features. AGCO will offer the system in the Americas and Europe starting in 2024. Supported crops currently include corn, soy, cotton, canola, sunflower, and sugarbeet, with capabilities for more crops such as small grains being added over time.
The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) and a coalition of agriculture and conservation organizations sent a letter to congressional appropriations leaders requesting at least $1.2 billion for NRCS Conservation Operations and full authorized funding for farm bill conservation programs in Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24). More than 50 organizations signed the letter to support the requests.

AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

Couser Provides Grassroots Input to EPA

Cindy Zimmerman April 12, 2023

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan recently appointed members for the Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Federal Advisory Committee (FRRCC), including Iowa livestock producer and ethanol investor Bill Couser. Established in 2007, the FRRCC provides independent policy advice, information, and recommendations to the EPA administrator on a range of environmental issues and policies that are of importance to agriculture and rural communities.

Couser, who frequently hosts tours of his operation to promote ethanol and agriculture, considers it an important duty to be involved in decisions that might impact the industry.

“It’s our voice that we get to sit down with the ag liaison to the administration,” said Couser. “It’s a think tank and they give us topics to work on…that’s our grassroots input to the administration. That’s why I feel so confident today that we finally have a seat at the table and are not on the menu.”

The committee’s focus for the next two years will be advancing climate mitigation and adaptation strategies for U.S. agriculture with specific topics including improved quantification of low-carbon biofuels’ reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the benefits of nutrient management practices for climate and water quality.

Couser was thrilled to once again take part in the recent American Coalition for Ethanol DC Fly-in where he had the chance to meet with members of Congress and feels very optimistic for ethanol right now. Listen to an interview with him below:
ACE-DC 23 Bill Couser, Iowa (3:47)

Photos

2023 ACE DC Fly-in Photo Album

Find more audio from the ACE Fly-in here:
ACE Fly-in Virtual Newsroom

Audio, Beef, EPA, Ethanol

Crop Insurance Emerging Leaders Heading to the Hill

Cindy Zimmerman April 11, 2023

The 8th Annual CIRB Emerging Leaders Program Class will be heading to Capitol Hill next week for their Spring Fly-In and Policy Conference to talk with policy makers about the importance of crop insurance as a risk management tool for farmers. This year’s class is the largest yet with 17 participants from 10 different companies.

At CIRB’s 59th annual meeting, we had the chance to meet 16 of the 17 emerging leaders and find out why this program is important to them. Take a listen.

2023 CIRB Annual Meeting Photo Album

Audio, CIRB, Crop Insurance

Animal Ag News 4/10/23

Cindy Zimmerman April 10, 2023

World Dairy Expo® welcomed new industry representatives to its Board of Directors, Commercial Exhibitor Committee and Dairy Cattle Exhibitor Committee at the annual March meetings. The two incoming board members include Kami Dorn, Wisconsin Guernsey Breeders’ Association, and Annie McCullough, Farm Journal.
PEAK 2023 – formerly called the Midwest Poultry Federation Convention – is being held this week, April 11-13, at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The event is the nation’s largest trade show and convention in North America focused exclusively on the business and food production of poultry. The Midwest Poultry Federation board made the decision to change the name of its annual convention last year after more than 50 years. PEAK stands for Progress, Experience, Advancement and Knowledge. The show continues to be powered by the Midwest Poultry Federation representing 11 state poultry organizations in 9 states, including Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Charles Krause from Buffalo, Minnesota, was newly elected as chair of Midwest Dairy during the organization’s recent annual meeting in Des Moines, Iowa. Elections for the Corporate board officer team were also held. Dan Hotvedt, Decorah, Iowa, was newly elected as first vice chair; Bill Deutsch, Sycamore, Illinois, was newly elected as second vice chair; Rita Young, Plainview, Minnesota, was re-elected as secretary and Matt Schelling, Orange City, Iowa, was newly elected as treasurer. New members elected by their divisions to the Midwest Dairy Corporate board include: Anthony Anderson – Minnesota, Eric Hoese – Minnesota, and Tom Walsh – South Dakota
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) released a statement in regard to false information circulating on social media about the use of mRNA vaccines in cattle. “There are no current mRNA vaccines licensed for use in beef cattle in the United States. Cattle farmers and ranchers do vaccinate cattle to treat and prevent many diseases, but presently none of these vaccines include mRNA technology.”
The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has released an updated Veterinary Services (VS) 16-4 form, addressing concerns about US animal food manufacturers being barred from exporting products amid animal disease outbreaks. The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) expressed its support of the update, claiming that it helps protect processors’ abilities to export animal-based products.

AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture

Alltech ONE World Tour Announces First Stops

Cindy Zimmerman April 7, 2023

All aboard for the 2023 Alltech World Tour with first stops in Hungary and Ireland!

Dates and locations have been announced for the spring European leg of the Alltech ONE World Tour, a series of exciting international events that bring the ideas and inspiration of Alltech’s annual ONE Conference to the world. The first stops are in Budapest, Hungary, on May 22-23 and Dublin, Ireland, on June 19-20.

The Alltech ONE Conference has been held in Lexington, Kentucky, home of Alltech’s global headquarters, for the past 38 years. In 2023, the global leader in agriculture is bringing the conference to its partners, customers, suppliers and friends across the globe, providing the opportunity for more people than ever to experience the power of ONE.

The Alltech ONE World Tour will explore collaborative solutions to the greatest challenges facing the agri-food industry, uniting changemakers and thought leaders to examine regional and local market trends in agriculture, business, health and nutrition.

“As our customers and partners continue to face many challenges and uncertainties, we determined that 2023 would be dedicated to meeting them in their market,” said Dr. Mark Lyons, president and CEO. “This special edition of the ONE will endeavor to deliver global expertise to locally relevant issues. In the midst of economic and political uncertainties that fuel regionalization, this ONE reflects the responsibility we have as a global company to be a connector of people and ideas, ever advancing our purpose of Working Together for a Planet of Plenty.”

The Alltech ONE World Tour will continue with stops in Canada, the U.S., Asia, South America and the Middle East.

Alltech, International

Industry Ag News 4/7/23

Cindy Zimmerman April 7, 2023

Agri-Pulse Communications, Inc. is pleased to announce an agreement with Western Growers to provide Agri-Pulse West content to 2,000 of the group’s members in California, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico.
Syngenta announced the appointment of Kathy Eichlin as head of U.S. Crop Protection Corporate Communications for Syngenta North America. Eichlin began her Syngenta career 15 years ago as head of internal communications for Syngenta North America and head of Corporate business partnering. In her new role, Eichlin is responsible for leading the U.S. Crop Protection Corporate Communications Team, as well as external and internal communication strategies, crisis communication, and community and employee relations efforts.
The American Farm Bureau Federation and Arizona Farm Bureau presented Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) with AFBF’s Golden Plow award. The Golden Plow is the highest honor the organization gives to sitting members of Congress
The 2023 AgriBusiness Global℠ Trade Summit is set for August 9 -10, 2023 near Fort Lauderdale, Florida. the event will facilitate global trade by offering educational sessions, a robust exhibit floor, private meeting rooms, and dedicated networking opportunities for the world market to connect, engage and build business.
The Illinois Society of Professional Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers have presented the 2023 Service to Agriculture award to Gery Schnitkey, Ph.D., University of Illinois. The presentation was made during the 2023 Illinois Land Values conference which is sponsored by the organization and was held on March 23.
Time is running out in Culver’s ninth annual FFA Essay Contest, with only one month left for FFA Members to submit their essays. The contest will award a total of $15,000 to three winners for their FFA chapters. FFA Members have until May 1, 2023, to respond to this year’s prompt in a written or video essay. This year, the contest is in partnership with U.S. Farmers & Ranchers in Action (USFRA) and their Decade of Ag movement to encourage a sustainable future for agriculture.
American Farmland Trust announced new leaders who will drive forward efforts to support the ability of farmers and ranchers to earn a living from the land and achieve their business, personal, and family goals in agriculture. Nathan L’Etoile, former AFT New England Regional Director has been appointed National Farm Viability Managing Director and will lead efforts to elevate farm viability across AFT’s programming, specifically AFT’s direct grant making to farmers, business technical assistance work and solar programming. Ethan Winter, former Northeast Solar Specialist, becomes AFT National Smart Solar Director where he will set and implement AFT’s strategy for solar energy generation and farmland conservation.

Ag Groups, Agribusiness, Zimfo Bytes

Farm Groups Join Push for Summer E15

Cindy Zimmerman April 6, 2023

Farm organizations joined ethanol groups in a letter calling on President Biden to get ahead of rising fuel costs by authorizing sales of E15 this summer.

National Corn Growers Association, National Sorghum Producers, American Farm Bureau Federation and National Farmers Union signed the letter, along with the Renewable Fuels Association and Growth Energy, noting that current conditions are similar to last summer when President Biden waived outdated Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) restrictions on E15, a move which ended up saving drivers at the pump.

Protecting summer access to E15 would help relieve pressure on U.S. fuel supplies, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, lowering evaporative emissions, and supporting America’s farmers and rural economies, they argued.

“While a permanent solution that would allow E15 sales year-round remains an important necessity, we urge you to take action on a temporary, emergency RVP waiver as soon as possible to remedy current and expected supply challenges resulting from ongoing conflict in Ukraine,” concluded the letter.

AFBF, Corn, Ethanol, NCGA, RFA

Syngenta Seeds R&D on the Fast Track

Cindy Zimmerman April 4, 2023

Syngenta Seeds brands Golden Harvest and NK Seeds are both on track to highlight the speed and precision of their new hybrids and varieties.

Photo courtesy of Sammy Smith

Golden Harvest recently announced its sponsorship of NASCAR driver Sammy Smith. The partnership with Smith is part of Golden Harvest’s 50th anniversary celebration as a seed company, focused on farmer success and reinforcing its commitment to bringing proven corn and soybean products to market faster. Smith is a native of Johnston, Iowa, and already a proven winner in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

The partnership kicked off with the March 25 race in Austin, Texas, and extends throughout the entire 2023 season and includes Golden Harvest® branding on Smith’s car and suit, exclusive at-track activities for Golden Harvest customers, and a special appearance by Smith at a key farmer event later this season. “I am excited to have Golden Harvest partner with me for the 2023 season,” Smith said. “Racing and farming require the same skills ― both need precision and accuracy to perform.”

In addition, NK Seeds this year renewed its partnership with John Force Racing to celebrate speed, precision and power, bringing farmers to the racetrack to watch the NK Seeds logo speed down the track.

Originally signed on two races into the 2022 season, this will be NK Seeds’ first complete season with the legendary team. NK Seeds will continue to be featured on all four John Force Racing hot rods driven by Robert Hight, John Force, Brittany Force, and Austin Prock.

NK Seeds will host VIP events at six races in 2023, including:
• May 19-21, Chicago, Illinois
• June 22-25, Norwalk, Ohio
• Aug. 11-13, Topeka, Kansas
• Sept. 14-17, Reading, Pennsylvania
• Sept. 29-Oct. 1, St. Louis, Missouri

Steve Sterchi, Head of Product Strategy & Business Development for Syngenta Seeds, says the company’s increased investment in R&D is starting to pay off now. “We’ve almost doubled the top of the funnel for what we are able to select from for our new commercial products,” he said during an interview at Commodity Classic. “We’re just now this year opening that 90 acre facility in Malta, Illinois and we’re pretty excited about the innovation that will bring.”

Classic 23 interview with Steve Sterchi, Syngenta Seeds (4:33)

2023 Commodity Classic Photo Album

Audio, Corn, Seed, Soybean, Syngenta

Animal Ag News 4/4

Cindy Zimmerman April 4, 2023

As of March 1, there were 72.9 million hogs and pigs on U.S. farms, up slightly from March 2022 but down 2% from Dec. 1, 2022, according to the Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Of the 72.9 million hogs and pigs, 66.7 million were market hogs, while 6.13 million were kept for breeding. Iowa hog producers accounted for the largest inventory among the states, at 23.4 million head. Minnesota had the second largest inventory at 8.90 million head. North Carolina was third with 8.00 million head.
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) President Todd Wilkinson commended the U.S. Senate for passing a resolution to stop the Biden administration’s latest Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule. “Together, we wrote more than 1,900 letters to senators calling for a vote on this resolution. Our advocacy made a crucial impact.”
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) strongly supports legislation introduced by Sen. John Thune (R-SD) to repeal the federal estate tax, commonly referred to as the Death Tax.
Vytelle, a precision livestock company, has raised $20MM in Series B funding to accelerate genetic progress in cattle. With this new investment, Vytelle will continue to expand its global operations, while delivering the most accessible, reliable, and predictable reproductive technology available to customers today.
R-CALF USA and a coalition of groups representing farmers, the food system, the environment, animal welfare, and antimonopoly advocacy called on Congress to restore accountability and transparency to commodity checkoff programs by supporting inclusion of the Opportunities for Fairness in Farming (OFF) Act (S.557 and H.R.1249) in the 2023 Farm Bill.
U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY) is accepting applications for the 2023 Clean Water Awards. The awards recognize outstanding performance of wastewater treatment plants that operate at poultry and egg processing facilities. The deadline for submitting applications is June 23. Winners will be announced at USPOULTRY’s Environmental Management Seminar to be held Sept. 28 – 29, at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa in Destin, Florida.

AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture

Special #NAMA23 Rates Extended & Leader Honorees Announced

Chuck Zimmerman April 4, 2023

The clock’s ticking to save! Register for #NAMA23 by April 10 to take advantage of the early bird special. And reserve your hotel room by the same date to ensure you get the discounted NAMA room block rate.

You can book your room at the Marriott St. Louis Grand online or by calling (314) 621-9600 and mentioning NAMA to get our conference room block price.

AGRIBUSINESS LEADER OF THE YEAR

The Agribusiness Leader of the Year award recognizes outstanding leadership in private, public or academic service and is conferred each year to a senior executive in agribusiness.

NAMA is proud to announce Eric Boeck, Regional Director North America Syngenta Seeds, as the 2023 Agribusiness Leader of the Year.

NAMA MARKETER OF THE YEAR

Awarded to an active member of NAMA and recognizes outstanding accomplishments in the field of agri-marketing.

Beth Burgy, President and Chief Operating Officer of broadhead is the distinguished recipient of the 2023 NAMA Marketer of the Year Award.

AG ASSOCIATION LEADER OF THE YEAR

This award recognizes outstanding achievement and excellence among senior executives who have made significant contributions to the agriculture industry in their roles with a trade association or commodity organization.

Timothy L. Price, Executive Vice President, Southern Cotton Ginners Association (SCGA), is NAMA’s 2023 Ag Association Leader of the Year.

NAMA

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