Agri-Pulse Open Mic with Shirley Bloomfield

Cindy Zimmerman

New on Agri-Pulse this week:

open-micShirley Bloomfield, the CEO of the NTCA – Rural Broadband Association says rural customers want the same speed, clarity and quality of service as other Americans, but her members face several challenges delivering 21st Century technology, in part because wireless still needs a wired network. Her association is working with farm groups and others on a new Smart Rural Community Initiative to help boost education, telemedicine and economic development in rural areas. She also explains how failure to pass a farm bill impacts rural America and telecommunications firms who rely on USDA rural development programs.

Listen to the Agri-Pulse Open Mic interview with Shirley Bloomfield here.

Agri-Pulse

Farm Bureau: Fourth of July Still a Bargain

John Davis

AFBF4thofJuly1While prices at the grocery store might have gone up a bit, our friends at the American Farm Bureau Federation say a Fourth of July picnic is still a bargain. The group’s latest marketbasket survey shows a party for 10 people with all the Independence Day favorites, such as hot dogs, cheeseburgers, pork spare ribs, potato salad, baked beans, lemonade and chocolate milk still comes to less than $6 per person at just $5.72:

“Although retail food prices have increased modestly over the past year or so, most Americans should be able to find summer picnic foods at close to the average prices found by our volunteer shoppers,” said John Anderson, deputy chief economist at AFBF.

“For many of us, nothing says the Fourth of July more than firing up the grill to prepare a meal,” Anderson said. “We’re fortunate here in America to have a consistent, high-quality supply of meats and poultry that can be grilled or prepared any number of different ways.”

AFBF’s summer picnic menu for 10 consists of hot dogs and buns, cheeseburgers and buns, pork spare ribs, deli potato salad, baked beans, corn chips, lemonade, chocolate milk, watermelon for dessert, and ketchup and mustard.

AFBF used input from 60 volunteers in 22 states to check the prices in this informal survey.

AFBF, Food, Markets

Updated John Deere 5E Series Utility Tractors

Chuck Zimmerman

John Deere 5E SeriesThe John Deere 5E Series of Utility Tractors have received a major update. Here are some of the details.

John Deere has updated its entire lineup of 5E Series Utility Tractors (45-100 horsepower) with new Interim Tier 4 engine models and more cab / open operator station and transmission options. This new 5E Series Tractor line now includes the new 85 and 100 horsepower 4-cylinder tractors, which replace the previous 83, 93 and 101 horsepower models, and four 3-cylinder models ranging for 45 to 75 horsepower.

The new 5085E and 5100E feature Interim Tier 4 emissions-compliant PowerTech diesel engines with the 12 Forward / 12 Reverse PowrReverser™ Transmission and 540/540 Economy PTO in base equipment. They can be ordered with either a comfortable, ergonomic climate-controlled cab or with an open operator station, an option not previously available on the larger 5E models.

Two of the most popular options many customers have asked for on the 55 to 75 horsepower 3-cylinder 5E tractors are a cab and the 12/12 PowrReverser Transmission. The electrohydraulic PowrReverser Transmission with 12 forward and 12 reverse gears makes back and forth chores like loader and blading work easier. With the PowrReverser Transmission, the operator does not have to clutch or even slow down to go from forward to reverse.

You can hear all about the changes in the 5E Series from Scott Schadler, Product Marketing Manager, Utility Tractors, in a short conversation I had with him by phone: Interview with Scott Schadler

Agribusiness, Audio, John Deere, Tractor

GROWMARK Sees Demand for New Grain Dryers

Cindy Zimmerman

gmk-dryerAlmost a year ago, GROWMARK’s Total Grain Marketing (TGM) location at Neoga, Illinois completed installation of a groundbreaking mixed airflow grain dryer. with the help of Chief Industries, United Kingdom. Now, GROWMARK Commercial Grain Systems Project Manager Paul Brooks says they are working on constructing another one in Kearney, Nebraska where it will be used for drying organic grains such as blue corn tortilla chips for food consumption.

“The mixed airflow dryer has a little bit different design in how the air and heat passes through the grain columns,” Paul explains, noting that food grade quality or specialty grain drying needs to be at a lower temperature and shorter time period to avoid damaging the internal parts of the grain.

“This particular drying was originally designed and manufactured in Europe,” he said. “It was designed to be more energy efficient and take into consideration emissions for sound and dust.” That’s among the reasons why GROWMARK believes there is a big future for these types of dryers. “Commercial grain elevators are going to be more regulated on emissions,” said Paul. Additionally, the cost of fuel is increasing and it will cost more and more money to dry the same amount of corn. “We’re going to have to look at things that are more efficient and cost less.”

Find out more in my interview with Paul: GROWMARK's Paul Brooks

Audio, Grains, GROWMARK

Zimfo Bytes

Talia Goes

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Purina Animal Nutrition introduces the Heat Stress Manager for Sows app for smart phones.
  • Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc. announces the issuance of a patent by the United States Patent & Trademark Office for sarmentine, the active ingredient in its new bioherbicide, currently identified as MBI-011.
  • Since its public launch in 2011, the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance has gained significant momentum in its groundbreaking communications efforts to build consumer trust in today’s food production system.
  • ANIMART, Inc. announces the addition of Ashley Anderson as Marketing Associate of the dairy and livestock division which provides animal health products, supplies and solutions to producers.
Zimfo Bytes

Great American What Harvest Makes Progress

Chuck Zimmerman

Great American Wheat HarvestThe Great American Wheat Harvest documentary is making good progress. You’re invited to visit them on July 4th in Colby, KS. Here’s a report:

Filming for the Great American Wheat Harvest documentary is in full swing…and you’re invited to follow our filmmaker and meet Teresa Scanlan, Miss America 2011 on July 4th in Colby, Kansas!

As Conrad Weaver of ConjoStudios wraps up filming at Guymon, Okla., near the Oklahoma/Texas border, he’ll continue south today to Canadian, TX where the Misener Crew of Elk City, Okla., will be harvesting in oil country.

Then, they will be with Jim Zeorian and Jim Deibert of Deibert Harvesting (JKD INC.) in and around Colby, Kan., the rest of the week and prepare for a 4th of July Celebration ~ featuring Teresa Scanlan Miss American 2011 at the Thomas County Fairgrounds.

At 6 p.m. on July 4, the Colby Lyons Club plans to have a hot dog and watermelon feed before the Colby Kiwanis Club and the Colby Fire Department provide the 4th of July Fireworks…and Ms. Scanlan will be available for photos and autographs.

Agribusiness, Harvest, Wheat

Replace Google Reader – Subscribe to AgWired

Chuck Zimmerman

Google ReaderGoogle Reader goes bye bye today. So what do you do now? I shouldn’t assume you use Google Reader or even know what a news feed reader is I guess so let’s step back a moment.

Services like Google Reader allow you to subscribe to RSS feeds. That would be a distribution mechanism for all kinds of information. It’s used by blogs, podcasts and much more. You can find the AgWired RSS Feed here. That link is to a small text file containing the information your feed reader needs to subscribe to AgWired. That means you can pull AgWired posts into your feed reader which might be on your phone or tablet or computer. You can subscribe to lots of feeds and the reader you use aggregates them into one place for you. And you subscribe anonymously! That’s nice for you. But for me it makes it more difficult to provide our sponsors with demographic data on you. Oh well. I’ll happily live with that. I want you to subscribe and enjoy AgWired without worry.

So back to the demise of Google Reader. What do you replace it with? My recommendation is NetNewsWire for Macs. I’ve been using it for years. It syncs across all my devices, including iPhone and iPad. I subscribe to about 100 feeds right now and check them almost every day. But if you’re still PC then I would point you to Feed Demon or Feedly.

So if you’ve been using Google Reader then import those feeds into your new feed reader asap. Google Reader is gone end of day.

Internet, Technology

Farm Foundation to Talk US-EU Issues

John Davis

US-EU Farm Foundation1The U.S. and the European Union has a nearly $4 trillion trade relationship, and food and agriculture make up a good portion of that. That’s why Farm Foundation is sponsoring a forum to discuss the U.S.-EU Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) on Wednesday, July 17 at the National Press Club, in Washington, D.C.

In early July, the United States and the European Union will open TTIP negotiations toward the goal of increasing U.S.-EU trade and investments. Negotiators will examine tariffs, tariff-rate quotas and non-tariff barriers across multiple sectors. At present, the United States and the EU have about $2.7 billion of trade daily, and nearly $4 trillion is invested each other’s economies. As negotiations get underway, many of the areas of sharp differences will come into focus. For agriculture, both sides have called for an array of market access barriers to be addressed.

Moderating the Forum discussions will be J.B. Penn of Deere & Company, a Trustee of Farm Foundation, a member of the Board of IPC, and a former USDA Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services. Presenting perspectives on TIPP will be:

· Sue Taylor, Vice President of Dairy Policy and Procurement for Leprino Foods Company will discuss dairy industry priorities.

· Matt O’Mara, Director of International Affairs, Biotechnology Industry Organization, will explain his industry’s vision for the future of trans-Atlantic trade.

· William Kerr of the University of Saskatchewan, will outline the different approaches of the United States and European Union to geographical indications.

· Craig Thorn of DTB Associates, LLP will address U.S. industry views of geographical indications.

· David Biltchik, consultant to the Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma, will discuss the European objectives for geographical indications.

The forum is free to attend, or you can watch it through a webcast. Register by emailing info@farmfoundation.org or for the webcast, register at: www.visualwebcaster.com/July2013FarmFoundationForum.

Farm Foundation, International

Surprising Acreage Report from USDA

Cindy Zimmerman

Despite the challenging planting conditions this spring USDA is saying that farmers have planted even more corn than last year and the most acres in 77 years, according to Friday’s Acreage report.

northey-cornCorn planted area for all purposes in 2013 is estimated at 97.4 million acres, up slightly from last year. This represents the highest planted acreage in the United States since 1936 when an estimated 102 million acres were planted. Growers expect to harvest 89.1 million acres for grain, up 2 percent from last year. Corn acreage is up in 23 states, but most of them are not major corn producing areas. In fact, acreage is down in the big corn states of Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Missouri but small increases are noted in states like Nebraska, North Dakota and Ohio.

Not only that, soybean acreage is a new record. Soybean planted area for 2013 is estimated at a record high 77.7 million acres, up 1 percent from last year. Area for harvest, at 76.9 million acres, is up 1 percent from 2012 and will be a record high, if realized. Record high planted acreage is estimated in New York, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota. Wheat acres are up one percent and cotton is down 17% – no surprises there.

Considering what the spring has been like, the numbers are being met with some skepticism by market watchers in particular. “It’s a shockingly big number and it will be questioned,” said Jack Scoville of The Price Futures Group during a crop conference call from the Minneapolis Grain Exchange today.

Listen to Jack’s commentary here: Jack Scoville, MGEX Crop Call

The question is whether USDA will resurvey farmers now, based on the spring planting issues. The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has already announced it will collect updated information next month for acres planted to soybean in fourteen states, but no word on corn.

Photo credit – Iowa Secretary of Ag Bill Northey who has a great set of 2013 crop photos on Facebook.

Audio, Corn, Soybean, USDA

Aasness New Exec. Dir. MN Agri-Growth Council

Chuck Zimmerman

Perry AasnessThe Minnesota Agri-Growth Council has announced that Perry Aasness will become the new Executive Director in July.

Aasness currently serves as the Executive Director of the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation. He is replacing the previous Executive Director, Daryn McBeth, who took a position with Land O’Lakes in May 2013.

Aasness will be transitioning from the Minnesota Farm Bureau to Agri-Growth in the coming weeks, and plans to begin full time on July 22, 2013. Perry lives with his wife and three children in Woodbury, MN. He also continues to work on and manage his family farm near Fergus Falls, MN.

Ag Groups