Agri-Pulse Open Mic with Congressman Rick Nolan

Cindy Zimmerman

New on Agri-Pulse this week:

open-micCongressman Rick Nolan is a democrat from Minnesota’s 8th district. His primary industries are agriculture, forestry and mining. He holds the congressional record for the longest lapse between terms as he served in Congress (1975-1981), then left to go into business where he managed an international trade association and was owner and president of a forestry company. He returned to Congress this year, in his mid 60’s, and now sits on the agriculture and transportation committees. Nolan speaks about then and now in the change in Congress and about the prospect for passage of the House Farm Legislation. He also talks about the EPA and the challenges faced by industries in his district.

Listen to the Agri-Pulse Open Mic interview with Rep. Nolan here.

Agri-Pulse

Blueprint for Easy from BIVI

Cindy Zimmerman

wpx13-bivi-gregVaccinating pigs against disease can be a time-consuming, back-straining process for humans and an unpleasant experience for the swine – but it doesn’t have to be that way.

“Oral vaccines pamper people and they also pamper pigs,” Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica (BIVI) Technical Manager Dr. Greg Cline said during an event at World Pork Expo last week. “It certainly is a lot easier to vaccinate a group of pigs through the water supply system than it is to go through and restrain the pigs and inject them.”

wpx13-bivi-blueprintDr. Cline explained how producers can administer several vaccines at the same time by water. “We have a license for the concurrent use of Enterisol Ileitis, Enterisol SC-54 and Ingelvac ERY-ALC,” he said. “So we’ve got an opportunity to have both ease of administration and add those vaccines together and get multiple pathogens at the same time.”

BI offers an oral vaccination learning program and producers can find out more through their local veterinarian or BIVI representative.

Listen to my interview with Greg here: Interview with BIVI's Greg Cline

Visit the 2013 World Pork Expo photo album.

AgWired coverage of the 2013 World Pork Expo is sponsored by NOVUSAgWired coverage of the 2013 World Pork Expo is sponsored by boehringer-ingelheim
Animal Health, Audio, Boehringer Ingelheim, Swine, World Pork Expo

Zimfo Bytes

Talia Goes

    Zimfo Bytes

  • DuPont opened its seed production facility in Stasi, Dykanka region, Poltava oblast, Ukraine, helping Ukrainian farmers increase their productivity.
  • Gary Newton reflects as Agri-Inject celebrates three decades of fluid injection technology leadership.
  • Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack kicked off the 5th annual Feds Feed Families Campaign at the Capital Area Food Bank.
  • Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the availability of up to $98.6 million to support the production of advanced biofuels, and an opportunity for eligible producers to submit applications.
Zimfo Bytes

What Do You Think of The Senate Immigration Bill

Talia Goes

Before we get to our new Zimmpoll let’s look at the results of our latest one which asked the question, “How good was your first cutting of hay?” Many of you felt your hay crop was better than last year. Hopefully this is a good sign for this season.

Our poll results: Thirty-five percent said Better Than Last Year, twenty-five percent said Same as Last Year, twenty-five percent said Worse Than Last Year, and fifteen percent said Other. The “Other” responses claimed it is too wet to cut hay. All this moisture is a cure for the drought but seems to have delayed hay season in parts of the country.

Untitled

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “What is your opinion of Senate immigration bill?” With a Senate vote of 82-15 to allow further debate on legalizing the nation’s 11 million unauthorized immigrants, update the hiring process and make legalization a breeze. President Obama claims it is “the best chance we’ve had in years”. How do you feel? Let us know.

ZimmPoll is sponsored by New Holland Agriculture.

ZimmPoll

Check out the Propane Farm Incentive Program

Joanna Schroeder

The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) is encouraging producers to upgrade their grain dryers with a $5,000 incentive through the Propane Farm Incentive Program. Producers who purchase a new qualifying propane-fueled dryer from GSI Group or Mathews Co. now through the end of 2013 can apply for the incentive through PERC’s nationwide research program. In exchange, producers report post-harvest performance data to PERC.

Propane Farm Incentive Program LogoFor many farmers this spring, planting has been a challenge with cool, wet and rainy conditions. This has led to planting delays that may lead to more grain drying in the fall, and today, nearly nine of of 10 farmers dry grain using propane-fueled equipment. New models can offer energy efficient designs that produce even, consistent drying and can save producers money.

New and improved grain drying equipment is a profitable investment for producers, according to Mark Leitman, director of marketing and business development at PERC. “Mew propane-fueled grain dryers can be 30 to 50 percent more efficient than older models. These machines can produce huge energy savings for farmers, and we offer a $5,000 incentive on select, new models.”

The eligible models for the incentive include the GSI X-Stream series and Mathews Trilogy series dryers. PERC co-supported the development and testing of these machines because they’ve been proven to offer increased capacity, improved grain quality, and they can dry up to twice as many bushels per gallon of propane as previous models.

Equipment, Propane

Farmer Boys Head of Security?

Chuck Zimmerman

Farmer BoysI dunno. What do you think? What do they put in those burgers out on the west coast?

Meet Farmer Boys® New Head of Security. Sworn to protect the farm fresh vegetables that make Farmer Boys burgers so tasty. Locally-sourced lettuce, crisp tomatoes, onions and Hass avocados. Stop by and say hello. If he says anything back, you may want to get some help.

“He showed up during the lunch rush. He arrived from the farm to protect the farm-fresh vegetables at Farmer Boys. We immediately hired him as our Head of Security. He also keeps the restaurants free from crows.” – Ken Clark, President

Food, Video

Genscape Buy of LandViewer Ups Ag, Biofuels Info

John Davis

Genscape LogoProvider of energy information for commodity and financial markets Genscape has bought LandViewer to expand its technology footprint in the agriculture and biofuels industries. Genscape says, using NASA satellite data to get daily updates of corn vegetation progress, the LandViewer platform gives corn traders and buyers land use and crop progress information on a sub-regional level so they know where to source grain and how to set the best prices.

“The LandViewer platform opens a lot of doors for Genscape customers to make informed grain management decisions ahead of market movements. When you know the supply of corn you can set better prices, hedge investment risk and stay ahead of the competition,” says Robert Barton, Managing Director of Agriculture and Biofuels at Genscape.

To complement the LandViewer acquisition and to provide additional value to ethanol customers Genscape has also launched a unique QAP specifically for the ethanol industry. The new program offers a way for ethanol plants to create QAP-B RINs desired by Obligated Parties with a minimal impact on plant operations. Using their proven technology, the company can offer a cost-effective method to directly manage RIN generation compliance while eliminating the hassle of onsite auditing.

Also designed for traders, LandViewer uses a combination of historical data, national yield regressions and fundamental crop data to deliver highly accurate projections of crop yields on a national level to inform trading and investment strategies.

The LandViewer technology was developed at the University of Illinois at Chicago Energy Resources Center.

Agribusiness, Corn, Ethanol

Livestock Marketing Time

Chuck Zimmerman

LMA-WLAC-50th-logoIt’s time for my first Livestock Marketing Association annual meeting and World Livestock Auctioneer Championship. I’ll begin my coverage tomorrow with the opening general session and continuing through Saturday when the auctioneer championship competition ramps into high gear. I’ll be sharing lots of photos, interviews and other media content throughout the event.

Taking a look ahead at the schedule, we’ll get to hear from Alabama Governor Robert Bentley during the opening session. Then we have an afternoon of workshops before an evening reception in the industry showcase and LMA PAC auction. Friday it’s back to business with the LMA Board and Membership meeting. In the afternoon I’ll be on the team doing the World Livestock Auctioneer Championship interview competition. After that we will have party time hosted by the Montgomery Stockyards. Saturday is the big day of the 50th Annual World Livestock Auctioneer Championship which will be kicked off by Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture John McMillan.

For the world champion auctioneer title, 31 semi-finalist auctioneers will be competing. The interview competition can be viewed live on www.LMAAuctions.com starting at 2 p.m. (CST). The Saturday, June 15, auctioneering competition at Montgomery Stockyards begins at 8 a.m. (CST) and is a live sale where the contestants auction cattle to actual bidders in the seats. The auctioneering competition will also be broadcast live on RFD-TV starting at 8 a.m. (CST), as well as streamed online at www.LMAAuctions.com.

Ag Groups, Livestock, LMA

Career Opportunities Abound For Ag Degrees

Talia Goes

monsantointernThe number of college students graduating with a degree in agriculture has been on the decline, but there are nearly 8,000 job opportunities in the ag industry for qualified candidates this year, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. Beginning in mid-May, 164 college students from across the country began internships with Monsanto Company to gain experience for future careers in agriculture.

Twenty-three students from the University of Missouri – Columbia joined Monsanto’s summer intern class. Seven of those students will be working as field sales interns in communities across the U.S..

For the next three months, these interns will build strong sales skills and relationships with customers by participating in team and customer call projects and completing a county market analysis. With professional guidance, they will assist the local sales team in delivering outstanding customer service, while making industry connections and networking with other young professionals.

The Monsanto summer internship program has been active for more than a decade, and participating in the program puts students on the inside track to a career with the industry leader. The program allows Monsanto to assess career potential, and the majority of new graduate hiring comes from its internship and co-op programs. More than 70 percent of Monsanto territory sales managers began their professional careers in agriculture as Monsanto summer sales interns.

Agribusiness

Golf Tournament Raises Money for Missouri 4-H

Talia Goes

MO 4-HThe Missouri 4-H Foundation hit a hole-in-one at the fourth annual Clover Classic golf tournament, raising upwards of $25,000 for 4-H clubs across the state. Twenty teams played in the June 4th tournament at the A.L. Gustin Golf Course in Columbia, Mo. Sponsored in part by Monsanto Company the Clover Classic has become the foundation’s major annual fundraising event.

Monsanto and 4-H have enjoyed a partnership spanning more than 50 years. Many 4-H alumni working at Monsanto credit their skills to this positive youth development organization. Young people in 4-H are challenged to be active citizens and engaged leaders. 4-H clubs are an asset to farm communities and improve agricultural-based opportunities for youth.

The funds raised at Clover Classic are distributed across the state, wherever the need is greatest. Clover Classic started four years ago with the support of Monsanto Company to enhance 4-H programs across Missouri.

Agribusiness