Truterra Announces New Programs for Farmers
Truterra, LLC, the sustainability business of Land O’Lakes, today announced the launch of four new data-driven regional and crop-specific programs to support farmers as they adopt regenerative growing practices.
The offerings include a long-awaited solution for long-term adopters, Truterra’s first cotton-specific program, first nitrogen management program following a successful pilot and more. These programs build on Truterra’s mission to support farmers wherever they are on their sustainability journey and provide flexible, farmer-friendly programs.
Truterra’s new 2023 sustainability programs include:
Cotton Field Data Management program available for eligible Tennessee farmers to enroll – in exchange for providing field management data and signing a one-year commitment, eligible farmers will receive compensation as well as exposure to the transformative power of data-driven agriculture.
Wheat Field Data Management program is available to eligible farmers in Ohio, Maryland and Kansas at the start of their sustainability journeys, with wheat in rotation between 2018-2023.
Supply Shed Benefits for long-term adopters of sustainable practices. Farmers in Indiana are eligible if they have implemented strip-till or no-till and/or added cover crops on fields with corn. The practice must be in place for crop year 2023, regardless of the date of practice change.
Nitrogen Management Incentive is available for eligible farmers with corn fields in Illinois having met the qualifying practice changes. The program is designed to be flexible in how a farmer may be incentivized, with either the reduction of fertilizer and/or addition of stabilizer.
To learn more about these new programs and the range of Truterra services visit https://www.truterraag.com/enroll.
Peanut Farmers Interested in SAF
Finding new uses for peanuts is becoming a priority for the industry and there was a lot of interest at the Southern Peanut Growers Conference this year in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
“Peanut oil is very suitable for conversion into a jet fuel…to be able to get into that market would be a further use for peanuts and peanut oil in the future,” said Dr. Marshall Lamb, USDA-ARS National Peanut Research Lab.
2023 SPGC - Marshall Lamb, National Peanut Research Lab (2:54)
Also at the conference this year was Nuseed Carinata, which is contracting with farmers to plant a cover crop in the off season that is being utilized for SAF already.
“Our crop is rotated in with peanuts,” said Michelle Howard, Carinata commercial program manager. “You can plant carinata in the early November to mid November time frame and then harvest in April to May…It’s a cover crop that is profitable as well.” Howard says this is the second year they are contracting with growers.
Farmers harvest the carinata and Nuseed buys it from them. “It’s crushed and blended into biodiesel…the oil we produce is actually owned by BP and BP is using it for aviation fuel.”
2023 SPGC - Michelle Howard, Nuseed (2:11)Farmerhood Seeks Help for Ukrainian Farmers
Andrew Mullin, Earth Daily Agro, and Kateryna Konashchuk, FARMERHOOD
FARMERHOOD.org is a charitable collective that includes leading agricultural companies such as Syngenta and Land O’Lakes designed to help the smaller farmers impacted by the ongoing conflict with Russia. “And we offer them seed inputs, crop protection, fuel, repair services for bombed out equipment, as well as a limited amount of cash,” said Andrew Mullin, Earth Daily Agro. “We’re collecting donations from farmers and from agribusinesses to go directly to the farmers in Ukraine, and 95 cents of every dollar collected goes directly to these small farmers.” Ukrainian farmers with up to 1,200 acres (500 hectares) located in regions impacted by war are eligible to receive aid.
Mullin facilitated meetings at Tech Hub LIVE with FARMERHOOD project manager Kateryna Konashchuk, who says these smaller farmers are enduring a second season now of uncertainty and struggle. “They have a lack of different resources and they would like to survive,” said Konashchuk. “They would like to stay on their land with their families because they do not know any other existence other than farming.”
Konashchuk says her husband, who is a civil engineer, is serving in the Ukrainian artillery despite having no experience in the military. “There is no other way to stand for your land and stand for your family,” she said.
Learn more about the situation for farmers in Ukraine and how FARMERHOOD is helping in this interview with Andrew and Kateryna and find out how to donate at FARMERHOOD.com.
2023 Tech Hub LIVE interview with Andrew Mullin, Earth Daily Agro, and Kateryna Konashchuk, FARMERHOOD (15:44)Third Tech Hub LIVE Proves Premier Status
It was only two years ago that the very first Tech Hub LIVE debuted in Des Moines and already it has proven itself to be the premier event for advancing tech-enabled agriculture.
Meister Media Worldwide chairman and CEO Gary Fitzgerald was very pleased with the success of the event this year. “I’ve been told it’s 25 or 30 percent growth over last year,” said Fitzgerald. “We had great support from industry sponsors and supporting organizations, a full exhibit floor, and an immense amount of content.”
Fitzgerald says they will be returning to Des Moines next year. “It’s a wonderful home, ideally located, for the ag tech ecosystem, the retailer community, and other interested parties to join us here in Des Moines,” he said.
Tech Hub LIVE is powered by the CropLife Media Group®, the nations leading voice for the ag retail industry, in collaboration with the Global AgTech Initiative and AgriBusiness Global™ brands, and organized by parent company Meister Media Worldwide.
Listen to this THL wrap-up interview with Fitzgerald.
2023 Tech Hub LIVE interview with Gary Fitzgerald, Meister Media Worldwide (4:57)
Animal Ag News 7/31
Rep. Austin Scott Addresses Peanut Growers
With Congress on summer vacation until September 12, it’s unlikely the September 30 deadline for a new farm bill before the old one expires will be met. But, as Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA) told the Southern Peanut Growers Conference, Congress still has to do something.
“Every five years we write a farm bill, it’s a temporary change to permanent law written in the ’30s and ’40s,” said Scott. “The option of doing nothing doesn’t exist. If you do nothing, you revert to permanent laws that are dust bowl era policies that would destroy the food supply of this country.”
Scott, who is a member of the House Agriculture Committee, believes the time has come to separate farm programs – ARC, PLC and crop insurance – from SNAP and the other food programs that make up the bulk of a farm bill. “Many of the people in the ag industry have disagreed with me on this, but it’s time to split the bill,” he said.
Since SNAP benefits are part of permanent law and will continue even if a farm bill does not get passed, Scott suggests making ARC and PLC part of permanent law as well. “And then we need to separate the legislation and do smaller pieces of legislation every other year instead of one super-sized piece of legislation every five years.”
Scott also expressed disappointment that Congress failed to pass an agriculture appropriations bill last week but found time to have a hearing on UFOs. Listen to his remarks and comments to the media below.
2023 SPGC - Rep. Austin Scott remarks (13:35) 2023 SPGC - Rep. Austin Scott media (13:41)Photos
Industry Ag News 7/28
The 2023 Southern Peanut Growers Conference State Updates
At the start of the Southern Peanut Growers Conference I get a chance to visit with each of the state peanut association executives. This year we have a new Executive Director at the Alabama Peanut Producers Association, Libbie Johnson. Along with her are Ken Barton, Florida Peanut Producers Association, Don Koehler, Georgia Peanut Commission and Malcolm Broome, Mississippi Peanut Growers Association.
Topics and issues in the states are pretty similar to last year. Each executive director provides an outlook on the peanut crop in their state. The Farm Bill is of higher importance because we’re getting closer to possible new legislation by the end of the year. We’ll be hearing more about it during the conference. Input costs and other factors are making financial difficulties for peanut farmers. Relatively new on the program this year is a discussion on new non-edible uses for peanuts and newer precision agriculture technology. More stories can be found on the SPGC Blog.
Listen in and hear how things are going in each state.
2023 SPGC - Libbie Johnson, AL Peanut Producers Association (3:46)2023 SPGC - Ken Barton, FL Peanut Producers Association (4:31)
2023 SPGC - Don Koehler, GA Peanut Commission (6:57)
2023 SPGC - Malcolm Broome, MS Peanut Growers (5:04)
Tech Hub LIVE Hears From Farmers
From left – Kyle Daeley, Jason Kieser, Doug Applegate, and Scott Henry
Kyle Daeley, Associate Director- Food & Agriculture, Publicis Sapient, moderated the Farmer Panel General Session featuring Jason Kieser, Creekwood Ag, Illinois; Doug Applegate, Applegate Acres, Iowa and Praxidyn; and Scott Henry, LongView Farms, Iowa. All three are actively involved in improving ag technology.
Kieser, who is CEO of a full-time production row crop operation, believes he will see true autonomous farming in his generation because it is becoming necessary. “Labor’s becoming a tougher thing to find, it’s getting expensive,” said Kieser. “It’s a very real concern….I think it’s going to be necessary to be able to cover the acres we need to cover.”
When it comes to data management, Henry thinks farmers have somewhat moved on from data privacy concerns and have gotten a little calloused. “I’m probably more willy-nilly with my data now,” he said. “If we’re going to work with you, great, I don’t think you’re going to hurt me.”
Applegate has been actively involved with AgGateway for more than a decade and he sees the data standardization connections accelerating. “You think about something like ‘what is a field?’. That takes some time to define but everybody needs to have that standardized perception of that,” said Applegate. “Agriculture is complex. It’s like boiling the ocean.”
Carbon capture and its role in climate smart agriculture is also a hot topic for farmers, especially those who have already been implementing sustainable practices for years.
Listen to an interview with Applegate here:
2023 Tech Hub LIVE interview with Doug Applegate, Praxidyn (8:49)