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  • Animal Welfare Approved is introducing the first and only food label which guarantees that food products marked as grassfed come from animals fed a 100% grass and forage diet and are raised entirely outdoors on pasture or range for their entire lives.
  • Syngenta announced that regulatory authorities in Korea have granted import approval for the Agrisure 3122 trait stack for food or feed use.
  • Rotam CropSciences has opened a new office in Jakarta, Indonesia, which will serve as its headquarters in the Asia-Pacific region.
  • Purdue University researchers have identified two genes within the soybean genome that are highly resistant to a soilborne pathogen that causes Phytophthora root and stem rot.
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New Holland Helping at Arlington Cemetery

Chuck Zimmerman

Abe Hughes New HollandToday New Holland Construction took part in “Renewal & Remembrance at Arlington National Cemetery,” put on by the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) which says it is “the landscape industry’s largest day of service in the country. Pictured is Abe Hughes, New Holland. Here’s what they are doing today.

More than 100 companies brought crews to Arlington National Cemetery to spend the day mulching, pruning, planting, and performing other landscape maintenance duties throughout the cemetery. Abe Hughes, Vice President of New Holland in North America, headed the seven-member New Holland contingent, who was among a workforce of 500 volunteers who participated in the day of work and remembrance. In addition, Gaithersburg Equipment, a New Holland dealership in Gaithersburg, Md., donated the use of two New Holland Construction skid steers and a New Holland Rustler™ utility vehicle to aid in the work being done at the cemetery.

“New Holland is honored to play a part in this important project,” says Hughes. “By contributing equipment and manpower to enhance the beauty of this solemn and sacred place, it’s one of the ways we can pay tribute to our nation’s veterans and leaders.”

Agribusiness, New Holland

Apps for Agriculture

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast 403Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. In this week’s program I’m sharing a conversation with Brian Arnall, Oklahoma State University. Brian was one of the presenters at the 2013 InfoAg Conference on precision agriculture.

Brian ArnallBrian’s presentation topic was “Ag Apps for Smart Phones and Tablets.” That certainly got my attention.

Brian is keeping a list of apps he finds that are focused on agriculture and it’s growing fast. When he was asked to do this presentation in January his list (narrowed by topics he’s concerned with) had about 20 apps on it. By last week’s conference he was at 50 and added 4 the morning of his presentation! I hope you’ll enjoy hearing some of his thoughts.

Listen to this week’s ZimmCast here: Apps for Ag

2013 InfoAg Conference Photo Album

Thanks to our ZimmCast sponsors, GROWMARK, locally owned, globally strong and Monsanto, Roundup Ready Plus, for their support.

Ag Groups, Apps, Audio, Farming, Precision Agriculture, Technology, ZimmCast

Monsanto Part of CTIC Conservation Efforts

John Davis

ctic-13-emilio-oyarzabalMonsanto was one of the sponsors on the recent Conservation Technology Information Center tour in Livingston County, Ill., and Chuck caught up with the company’s Emilio Oyarzabal, who said the CTIC’s work is very important to Monsanto and its customers.

“We need agriculture more than ever,” Emilio said, but he added that farmers are being accused of doing environmental damage. “If we observe the problem and see how we can fix this, conservation is one way to make your farm sustainable and deflect that criticism.”

Emilio said Monsanto is right on the forefront of that environmental charge, working on how to double crop yields and decrease the inputs by a third… not an easy task.

“Biotechnology is a tool, but not the only tool. We need to make a paradigm shift in what we do in agriculture,” suggesting new crop rotations and different ways of using fertilizers, just to name a few ideas. “We need to think in different ways.”

He went on to say that precision farming tools are helping farmers adopt better practices, while companies are providing the better tools farmers need.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Emilio here: Emilio Oyarzabal, Monsanto

2013 Conservation in Action Tour Photo Album

Ag Groups, Agribusiness, Audio, Conservation, CTIC, Environment

Texas Congressman at Peanut Conference

Cindy Zimmerman

spgc13-conawayCongressman Mike Conaway (R-TX) provided an update on the farm bill at the 2013 Southern Peanut Growers Conference on Saturday.

Rep. Conaway, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, says the House still intends to get a nutrition bill passed. “We’ll have a nutrition title and it will have reforms in it…probably stronger reforms than what we had in the one that passed out of committee,” he said.

The House farm-only bill was sent over to the Senate last week and but when it goes to conference is still up in the air. “There’s an awful lot of work that goes on in conferences ahead of the appointment of conferees,” said Conaway. Of course, the chairs of both the House and Senate ag committees will be conferees, and since they take turns chairing conference committees, it’s the House’s turn so Cong. Frank Lucas (R-OK) will have the chair this time.

The White House has already threatened to veto a farm-only bill but Conaway thinks that makes no sense. “It’s illogical,” he said. “If there are no changes to food stamps and your only real beef was with the food stamp changes, why would you punish the farm bill because we didn’t change food stamps?”

Listen to or download my interview here: Interview with Rep. Mike Conaway

Ag Groups, Audio, Farm Bill, Peanuts, SPGC, Video

Investing in Illinois Soil’s Wealth

John Davis

ctic-13-jean-payne“The wealth of Illinois is in her soil, and her strength lies in its intelligent development.” That quote was from one of the first presidents of the University of Illinois almost 200 years, but attendees of the recent Conservation Technology Information Center tour in Livingston County, Ill., heard it reiterated by Jean Payne, President of the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association, who spoke at one of the tour dinners.

She says, while many recognize the need for good investment in that great natural resource, the recent economic troubles of Illinois has ended up cutting any state funding to nurture that investment. Rather than relying on the government, members of Jean’s group decided they’d take their own fate in their own hands and not be dragged down by what went on with the politicians.

“Are we going to let this tremendous [ag] industry get sucked down the vacuum that is becoming our state government? I said ‘No!'”

They went to other ag groups, including the Farm Bureau, corn and soybean growers, pork producers and Syngenta Crop Protection, and they were able to raise support for research. Eventually, they talked the Illinois legislature into letting them put together their own fertilizer checkoff that the groups, not the state, would manage. Now, they’re able to collect $2.5 million each year that they can use to be good stewards of the land.

“Despite the fact that we have a vacuum in our state government, I feel phenomenal about where our Illinois agriculture stands with our nutrient stewardship efforts. And it’s only going to get better,” Jean said.

She said they’ll need to keep working to educate people about the need for the checkoff and the dividends it pays on that investment.

“We have had to fight for this, [but] everything in life worth having is worth fighting for.”

Listen to Jean’s remarks to the CTIC group here: Jean Payne, President of the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association

2013 Conservation in Action Tour Photo Album

Ag Groups, Agribusiness, Audio, Conservation, CTIC, Environment, Fertilizer

Corn Growers Adopting New Conservation Practices

Chuck Zimmerman

Dan Cole NCGAThe National Corn Growers Association is very supportive of the work of the Conservation Technology Information Council. That certainly makes sense as corn farmers have a strong desire to better manage their land in a sustainable way.

During the 2013 Conservation in Action Tour, Dan Cole, corn grower (left in photo) and member of the NCGA Production & Stewardship Action Team (PSAT), was on hand along with other growers to see the projects being worked on in the Indian Creek Watershed. NCGA sponsored the first tour stop at the Bachtold Farm which focused on soil health.

You can listen to my interview with Dan here: Interview with Dan Cole

2013 Conservation in Action Tour Photo Album

Ag Groups, Audio, Conservation, Corn, CTIC, NCGA

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  • Avocados From Mexico (AFM), announced several leadership additions to the new marketing agenc.
  • NovaSource Inc. announced the expansion of its international organization and the establishment of a new position in Latin America.
  • The results of a survey about the 4R nutrient knowledge of and the communication between soil and water conservation districts and agricultural retailers will be discussed in a free webinar on Thursday, July 25 from 1-2 p.m. Central Daylight Time.
  • The Senate confirmed, on a mostly partisan 59-40 vote, the nomination of Gina McCarthy to serve as EPA administrator.
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Southern Peanut Growers Team

Cindy Zimmerman

The 15th annual Southern Peanut Growers Conference is officially underway in Panama City Beach and I had the opportunity to catch up with all four of the state executives for the associations involved in the event as soon as I arrived on the scene yesterday to get an update and a preview.

spgc13-1Left to right, the fabulous four are Randy Griggs with Alabama Peanut Producers; Ken Barton with Florida Peanut Producers; Don Koehler with Georgia Peanut Commission; and Malcolm Broome of the Mississippi Peanut Growers Association.

As usual, I asked each of them to talk about the condition of the crop in their states and what the biggest concerns of the growers are right now. Randy says the Alabama crop is “wet, wet, wet” right now. In Florida, Ken says the state is pretty much a “mixed bag” with “an excellent crop in half the state and a questionable crop in the other half.” Don reports that the Georgia crop is “like a Clint Eastwood movie – the good, the bad and the ugly.” Finally, Mississippi is a little wet in the traditional southern peanut growing area of the state “but the northwest corner of the state, which is a new area, is extremely dry,” according to Malcolm.

Meanwhile, all farmers are waiting to see when and if they will finally get a farm bill this year, which we will be hearing more about on Saturday here at thhttp://www.processoptimizationseminar.com/e conference. The theme for the 15th annual event is Making Sustainability Work, an issue which is important to all the growers as well.

Randy and Don have been a part of the SPGC since the beginning in 1999. “We started out with about 3 or 4 sponsors and the first year we had about 250 people,” said Randy. “We’ve seen it just constantly grow ever since.”

Listen to my interview with the fab four: Interview with Southern Peanut Grower State Execs

2013 SPGC Photo Album

Ag Groups, Audio, Farming, Peanuts, SPGC

New Program to Empower Farmers as Leaders

Talia Goes

DuPont_oval_redDuPont and the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) announced a new program to develop corn farmers for agricultural leadership opportunities. With more focus on food than ever, the NCGA DuPont New Leader Program will help to empower growers to share their story of their farms and the benefits of a robust agriculture system with key audiences, including consumers, media and decision-makers.

The NCGA DuPont New Leader Program will bring farmers from each affiliated state to two sessions to develop and hone their communications and leadership skills. The first session will be held in November at the DuPont Pioneer facilities in Johnston, Iowa. The second session will take place in Washington in July 2014. In between the two sessions, those farm couples involved will be encouraged to be actively participating and honing their skills in state and national programs.

Applications for the inaugural class will be available later this summer.

Agribusiness, NCGA