Animal Ag News 9/3

Carrie Muehling

  • The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) released its annual, “Our Industry, Our Promise,” report, detailing the operational challenges facing U.S. feed and pet food manufacturers and actions the AFIA is taking to address them. The report provides an analysis of the animal food industry’s contribution to the U.S. and global economies and the forces creating an uncertain business climate. It also provides an inside look at efforts underway to usher the federal regulation of animal food into the 21st century and steps the industry is taking to better protect animal and human health while producing safer, more sustainable food.
  • National Institute of Animal Agriculture recently welcomed two new co-chairs to the Antibiotics Council: Dr. Heather Fowler from the National Pork Board and Dr. Alexandra Medley from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.
  • Ralco, a leading innovator in natural animal health, is proud to announce the launch of Rapid Strike, an advanced oral drench designed to maintain health during times of calf scours, a common and costly issue for beef and dairy producers.
  • Local meat processing facilities, particularly small businesses that work with a relatively low volume of processing, are vital contributors to the food supply chain in many communities across the country. One of the primary challenges they face is how to manage the wastewater produced from their operations. The issue has been brought to the national forefront in recent years, as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency examines the environmental effects of wastewater from the meat processing industry. In Michigan, these low-volume facilities often rely on decentralized wastewater treatment due to cost and lack of access to municipal centralized options. They frequently must obtain a groundwater discharge permit from a state or regulatory agency, such as the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE). Two projects to help small meat processors manage wastewater have been funded by the Michigan Alliance for Animal Agriculture.
  • Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative has added a new staff position to support its government affairs and permitting and regulatory departments with advocacy and outreach efforts. Erin Tomasik has joined the team as the Community Relations Manager. Among her responsibilities, she will engage, connect and collaborate with legislators and stakeholders on behalf of the association and its affiliates.
  • In April 2024, USDA-APHIS issued a final rule updating their existing 2013 regulations on animal disease traceability (ADT). The updated rule will take effect on November 5, 2024. This update now requires ear tags to be used as official animal identification for the interstate movement of covered classes of cattle to be both visually and electronically readable. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) will host a webinar entitled “Updated EID Tag Requirements for Disease Traceability” on Thursday, September 5, 2024 at 6:00PM CST. Register here.
  • The Joint Poultry Industry Safety & Health Council is currently accepting applications for the Frank Cruice Innovation in Safety & Health Award. The award is named in honor of Frank Cruice, formally of Perdue Farms, who was an active member of the Joint Poultry Safety & Health Council for more than 20 years. In addition, Cruice led the industry safety award committee and served as Council Chair from 2019 – 2021 before he retired. Award program rules, regulations and application forms are available by clicking here.
  • The International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) is accepting applications for the 13th annual IPPE Young Leaders Under 30 Award. This initiative, supported by the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA), the Meat Institute and U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY), aims to recognize emerging leaders in the industry. The award offers recipients a chance to gain visibility at the world’s largest annual trade show focused on the production, packing and processing of meat, poultry and egg products, as well as animal feed and pet food.
    • AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

    ZimmCast 734 – Interviews from FPS

    Chuck Zimmerman

    ZimmCastI’ve lost count of how many Farm Progress Shows I have attended but it’s a lot. This year in Boone, IA we had great weather and that’s not always the case. But it was also an opportunity to see friends as well as clients. I was only on site for Tuesday and half of Wednesday but I recorded 26 interviews that you can find on AgNewsWire in our virtual newsroom for the event.

    So, speaking of clients and the fact that we’re always interested in what’s new in the world of agribusiness I’m going to share interviews with several companies. They include: Scott Nelson, Make Hay; Thad England, Groundwork BioAg; Craig Dick, Phospholutions; Scott Trbovich, Taranis and Steve Nicholson, Rabo AgriFinance. They’ll go in that order.

    We post the ZimmCast on AgWired as the official podcast. We also post stories using other interviews as we have time so keep your eye out for them too.

    Listen to the episode here:
    ZimmCast 734 - Interviews from FPS (35:13)

    That’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.

    Subscribe to the ZimmCast in:

    Agribusiness, Audio, Farm Progress Show, ZimmCast

    Industry Ag News 9/3

    Carrie Muehling

  • Robert Bonnie, Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation at the USDA, will be a keynote speaker at the 2024 Ag Outlook Forum, September 16 in Kansas City. Secretary Bonnie will discuss the latest updates on climate-smart projects and the progress of voluntary, incentive-based conservation efforts across the United States. Click here for more information.
  • Attendees at the 2024 American Society of Agricultural Consultants (ASAC) Annual Conference November 3 – 5 will have the opportunity to participate in three tours in the greater Fort Myers, Florida area. ECHO Farms offers unique demonstrations, plants, and techniques being used to help farmers and urban gardeners in developing countries. Click here for more information and registration.
  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative are accepting applications for new members to serve on the agricultural trade advisory committees. Applications must be received by 5 p.m., EDT, on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. Any applications received after the deadline will be considered for future appointments, as appropriate. For complete application instructions and information about the committees, please visit: https://fas.usda.gov/topics/trade-advisory-committees.
  • At the annual Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA is partnering with American business owners to expand innovative domestic fertilizer production, creating jobs in rural communities and strengthening local economies. The Department is awarding $35 million for seven projects in seven states through the Fertilizer Production Expansion Program (FPEP), which is funded by the Commodity Credit Corporation. This program provides grants to independent business owners to help them modernize equipment, adopt new technologies, build production plants and more. This funding advances President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to grow the nation’s economy from the middle out and bottom up.
  • Farm Journal announces the launch of its revamped website, FarmJournal.com, as a go-to resource for marketing and sales professionals charged with engaging the stakeholders who are producing and delivering food, fuel and fiber to the world. This new web resource is a cornerstone of Farm Journal’s “no one grows alone” philosophy to unite the ag community and advance the possibilities realized by working together.
  • House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member David Scott published an op-ed titled “As SNAP Turns 60, Congress Debates Its Future” in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  • Syngenta Group announced sales for the first half of 2024 were $14.5 billion, down $3.0 billion or 17 percent year-on-year, compared to a strong 2023. Syngenta Crop Protection sales declined in a market that remained challenging. The Seeds business delivered $2.4 billion sales in the first half of 2024, 4 percent lower year-on-year.
  • The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is pleased to announce the awardees for the 2024 NCGA Scholarship Programs. Eleven outstanding students were selected by a committee of grower leaders to receive scholarships for this fall semester. NCGA is proud to continue supporting these vital programs in partnership with BASF Corporation.
  • Bob Petersen, a long-time figure in regional and national agricultural circles, has announced his plans to retire. He will be succeeded at the firm he founded in 2004, Petersen Consulting Services (PCS), by Erica Venancio as the firm’s senior executive. New to the firm is Zachary Helder, who recently completed his MPA at Princeton University and brings a decade of experience in agriculture, public policy, and organizational management.
  • Sollum Technologies contributed to a significant expansion of the Cannabis Research Coalition’s (CRC) research capabilities through a groundbreaking partnership. This collaboration marks a major milestone in the cannabis cultivation research sector, as CRC introduces Sollum’s dynamic lighting solution into its new facilities.
  • U.S. retail sales of potatoes increased by both volume and dollar sales in July 2023–June 2024. Volume sales increased by 1.3 percent, and dollar sales for the year increased by 4.6 percent to $18.3 billion.
  • According to a new research brief from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange, global demand for U.S. soybeans has fallen sharply as international buyers remain discouraged by a strong dollar, slowing economic growth and uncertainty over the direction of U.S. trade policy in an election year. Export sales of new-crop soybeans are historically low as the U.S. enters the 2024/25 soybean marketing year on Sept. 1. However, several tailwinds could emerge to rejuvenate demand for U.S. soybeans in the marketing year ahead.
    • Zimfo Bytes

    Syngenta Offers Better Yield as the Better Deal

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Syngenta’s theme at the Farm Progress Show last week was Better Yield is the Better Deal, which technical development lead Dean Grossnickle explains is putting the right products on that acre to maximize yield, maximize performance and maximize that return on investment.

    “So it all starts with that weed control platform, putting down a product that is going to the control the weeds and preserve yield,” said Grossnickle.”The biggest thing is trying to maximize that ROI with a good solid agronomic program and get with your agronomist because there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for every grower. Each grower is unique. Each acre is unique. So find the the best program that works for that farmer that grower in that situation.”

    Grossnickle says even if it costs more, growers may want to consider using multiple complementary products, like a corn herbicide and a corn fungicide, for maximum yield protection.

    FPS24 - Interview with Dean Grossnickle, Syngenta 3:37

    2024 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

    Agribusiness, AgWired Precision, Audio, Crop Protection, Farm Progress Show, Fungicide, Herbicide, Syngenta

    GHX 2.0 with Cropwise AI Offers Answers

    Cindy Zimmerman

    At Farm Progress Show last week, Golden Harvest/GHX celebrated the launch of the GHX™ 2.0 app with new Cropwise™ AI, which gives users the ability to ask and get answers to the toughest product and agronomic questions while simplifying the way they manage data, according to Justin Welch, Syngenta Seeds, Head of Decision Ag.

    “Two years ago we were here in Boone, Iowa and we launched GHX 1.0 and we’re back here now launching GHX 2.O,” said Welch. “The feedback we got over the last two years was would you tell us more about your products inside of the application. And so now we have a GPT address line where someone can ask anything about our products and it will tell you all about Golden Harvest directly inside the app.”

    Learn more in this interview.
    FPS24 - Interview with Justin Welch, Syngenta Seeds 2:58

    2024 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

    AgWired Precision, AI, Audio, Golden Harvest, Seed, Syngenta

    Alliance Seeks to Control Weeds, Not Farming

    Cindy Zimmerman

    L-R: Martha Smith, Bayer; farmer Dave Struthers; Ben Gleason, Iowa Agribusiness; and farmer Kevin Ross

    The Modern Ag Alliance, led by Bayer, was launched earlier this year to advocate for farmers’ access to safe and effective pesticides. The coalition of over 85 agricultural groups supports science-based regulation and labeling of crop protection tools that are essential for food production and sustainability and their rallying cry is “Control Weeds Not Farming.”

    Bayer sponsored a panel at Farm Progress Show to highlight the alliance and its purpose. Martha Smith, Bayer VP of Stakeholder Relations, says the alliance includes many state ag groups working on specific legislation in their areas. “There’s been legislation that has been filed in a few states, including here in Iowa and down South in Missouri and out West in Idaho. And the alliance has been supporting the efforts of those legislators to again protect farmers access to crop protection tools,” said Smith.

    Iowa farmer Kevin Ross, former president of the National Corn Growers Association, says if farmers lose an important crop protection tool like glyphosate, the impact goes beyond the farm. “There are certainly other chemistries out there right now that people use to control weeds, but if you start taking away one, especially one that’s proven safe and one that again has been around 50 years, if we started reducing the amount of tools that a farmer needs, I think we have major problems ahead from a production standpoint,” said Ross. “That trickles down to industries and costs other consumers down into other economies as well.”

    Others on the panel included Iowa farmer Dave Struthers, and Ben Gleason, executive director of the Iowa Agribusiness Association, one of the Alliance members. Listen to their discussion and interviews with Smith, Ross, and Gleason below.

    Panel discussion – Martha Smith, Bayer; Kevin Ross, Iowa farmer; Ben Gleason, Iowa Agribusiness Assoc., Dave Struthers, Iowa farmer
    FPS24 - Modern Ag Alliance panel 16:35
    Interview with Martha Smith, Bayer
    FPS24 - Modern Ag Alliance Martha Smith, Bayer 5:14
    Interview with Ben Gleason, Iowa Agribusiness Assoc.
    FPS24 - Modern Ag Alliance Ben Gleason, Iowa Agribusiness 6:19
    Interview with Kevin Ross, Iowa farmers
    FPS24 - Modern Ag Alliance Kevin Ross, farmer 5:44

    2024 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

    Agribusiness, AgWired Precision, Audio, Bayer, Corn, Crop Protection, Farm Progress Show

    Future is Bright for Syngenta Seeds

    Cindy Zimmerman

    The head of North America Seeds for Syngenta is pleased with the latest innovations in their brand offerings and looking forward to future advancements.

    “We’re really looking forward to 2025 and 2026 being a really innovative year set of years for Syngenta,” said Erik Boeck during an interview at Farm Progress Show this week. “We introduced a new worm stack in the marketplace to control worms. And if you’re in the northern corn belt, you know those little green bugs can be a real pain in the butt. And we’re launching new seed care products. So the future’s bright.”

    Syngenta brands GHX, Golden Harvest, NK, Duracade Viptera, and Enogen all had something new to talk about with farmers at the show this week. You can find interviews with many of their representatives here in the FPS virtual newsroom.

    FPS24 - Interview with Eric Boeck, Syngenta Seeds 6:28

    2024 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

    Audio, Farm Progress Show, Seed, Syngenta

    Precision Ag News 8/28

    Carrie Muehling

  • In an effort to identify and celebrate global trailblazers working in food and agriculture, the World Food Prize Foundation has launched its first-ever Top Agri-food Pioneers (TAP) List. This year’s TAP awardees come from 20 countries on six continents, represent a range of ages and work in varied fields, from farming to animal and crop science, agtech, nutrition, education, advocacy and more. The full list is available to view on the World Food Prize Foundation website.
  • The Seed Association of the Americas (SAA), in collaboration with the Argentine Seed Association (ASA), is hosting the 9th Seed Congress of the Americas Sept. 30 – Oct. 2 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. With the motto “Promoting the Seed Business in the Americas,” this congress will focus primarily on trade and regulatory issues.
  • Verbio is showcasing its technology and competencies in creating green energy and organic fertilizers at this year`s Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa. The company, which is a subsidiary of Europe`s leading biofuels and bioenergy producer Verbio SE, is demonstrating how to make renewable natural gas from ag residues to visitors. Verbio just recently had announced the launch of ethanol production in addition to RNG production at its Nevada, Iowa, location. Operating as a full biorefinery, the plant has installed a total capacity to produce 60 million gallons of corn-based ethanol per year and 2.3 million MMBtu of renewable natural gas (RNG). It is the first plant of its kind in North America.
  • European-based Fresh Inset is introducing Vidre+ Complex, breakthrough technology that unlocks the full potential of 1-MCP application across the entire supply chain, to the United States. Vidre+ is revolutionizing the supply chain seamlessly without any reorganization of current operating practices, by making every existing type of fresh produce packaging and label functional and adaptable into a smart version with adjustable protection against the negative effects of ethylene.
  • Solinftec, a global leader in artificial intelligence solutions and sustainable agricultural practices, has announced its newest development in the field of agricultural robotics: the docking station. Announced at the Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa, the launch of this new development will allow Solix Ag Robotics to operate 100 percent autonomously throughout the season, without the need for a manual refill.
  • The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) announced the 2024 Urban and Community Conservation (UAC) grant initiative recipients. These grants are open to any conservation district or tribe within the U.S. and its territories. Since 2016, NACD has led the efforts of this successful grant program in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to help conservation districts and tribes build capacity for urban technical assistance and small-scale conservation, while addressing community needs in both rural and urban contexts.
  • Salford unveiled its groundbreaking Precision Row Crop Cultivator at the Farm Progress Show 2024 in Boone, IA. The Precision Row Crop Cultivator integrates cutting-edge camera and wand guidance systems, which allow for precise alignment and operation at speeds of up to 12 mph—more than twice as fast as traditional cultivators. This significant leap in speed and technology is designed to maximize productivity while minimizing crop damage, offering organic growers the ability to reduce the number of machines needed throughout the growing season.
  • Praxidyn‘s Mixmate continues to set the standard for fast, easy, and safe chemical mixing, and now, with the launch of the new Fusion Skid, system setup is more straightforward than ever. Designed for versatility, the Fusion Skid is perfect for large batches and can easily be converted for drone applications. Whether you are setting up a spray tender trailer, a stationary mixing system, or a drone trailer, the Fusion Skid makes the process seamless. Just connect the incoming water and chemical lines and you’re ready to go.
  • ClearLeaf, a company with proven success in formulating non-toxic agricultural products to protect important crops, announced a strategic partnership with Summit Agro International (SAI), a global provider of agricultural solutions. After nearly three years of joint testing with ClearLeaf on a variety of pathogens in crops of commercial importance, Summit Agro International has acquired exclusive rights for the market development and distribution of ClearLeaf’s flagship product, GotaBlanca, in Japan and South Korea.
  • CropX Ltd., a global leader in digital agriculture solutions, and CNH Industrial N.V, a leading manufacturer of agricultural machinery and technology, announce a new application programming interface (API) connection between the CropX agronomic farm management system and Case IH and New Holland Agriculture equipment. This integration automates the transfer of data from CNH machinery to CropX for data visualization, record-keeping, planning, and variable-rate applications.
    • AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

    Syngenta Excited For New SCN Seed Treatment

    Cindy Zimmerman

    At Farm Progress Show this week, Syngenta was promoting its highly anticipated seed treatment for soybeans and cotton using TYMIRIUM® technology, called Victrato.

    With approval by EPA for registration anticipated by the 2025 growing season, the new seed treatment will introduce targeted technology to stop nematodes, Sudden Death Syndrome, and Cotton Root Rot without harming beneficial organisms.

    “Its wheelhouse is really in these heavy pressure situations. Where we have heavy nematode pressure and also heavy SCS because of the potency of the molecule,” said Katie Jaeger, Syngenta Seedcare product lead. “It’s bringing a highest level of intrinsic activity that we’ve seen before. When facing these type of past early season and so it’ll with that bring a new level of protection to our customer base.”

    FPS24 - Interview with Katie Jaeger, Syngenta 3:37

    Jaeger moderated a panel on the new chemistry at the show, which included ISU nematologist Dr. Greg Tylka, Syngenta research scienties Jeff Simmons, and Syngenta Seedcare technical product lead Dale Ireland.

    “Victrato will protect against adults, juveniles, and eggs from multiple nematode species, including Soybean Cyst, root-knot, reniform, lance, and lesion,” said Ireland. “The high intrinsic activity will also help defend against Fusarium virguliforme, the causal organism of SDS, while providing early-season suppression of foliar diseases, such as frogeye leaf spot, target spot, and Septoria brown spot.”

    FPS24 - Syngenta VIP presentation 32:33

    2024 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

    AgWired Precision, Audio, Cotton, Farm Progress Show, Soybean, Syngenta, Technology

    Day 2 of the 2024 Farm Progress Show

    Chuck Zimmerman

    2024 Farm Progress ShowWe got a beautiful sunrise this morning of day two of the Farm Progress Show. The temperature is cool and it’s just a great start for the day.

    Yesterday I think I did almost 20 interviews and a lot of photos. This morning I’ll add close to 10 more before I head home to ZimmComm World Headquarters. Let’s hope for on time flights!

    All content will be published in a virtual ag newsroom on AgNewsWire.com and we’ll also be posting interviews here on AgWired over the next week. Hope you like what you see and here.

    2024 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

    Farm Progress Show