Another Successful National Ag Day

Cindy Zimmerman

The Agriculture Council of America (ACA) hosted a great celebration Tuesday honoring the 50th National Agriculture Day, which included an official proclamation by President Joe Biden declaring March 21, 2023 National Ag Day. This was only the seventh year that The White House has publicly recognized National Ag Day as a salute to the contributions of America’s farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses.

The proclamation highlights the spirit across America’s ag communities. A respect for tradition, a drive to innovate and a commitment to never giving up. It also highlights the many challenges farmers face and the administration’s commitment to fighting for farms and farm workers. You can view the proclamation here.

Amy Bradford, Growmark, chair of the board for the Agriculture Council of America, the national organization charged with promoting National Ag Day, said receiving this type of recognition from the administration greatly enhances the stature of National Ag Day, as well as the many local and state Ag Day activities planned around the country. “More importantly, it reminds everyone that the safe, affordable, abundant and nutritious food that they depend on every day comes to them thanks to the hard work and resilience of 2 million American farmers and ranchers.”

Listen to Bradford’s Ag Day remarks here:
2023 Ag Day Amy Bradford, GROWMARK (2:22)

ACA Vice Chair Jenni Badding, John Deere, says they were very pleased with all the participation from youth in Ag Day. “The room was full of young people…great to see that next generation of advocates for ag being a part of a great day,” said Badding.

2023 Ag Day interview - Jenni Badding, John Deere (2:58)

2023 National Ag Day Photo Album

Ag Day, Agribusiness, Audio

Venture Capital Platform for Sorghum Launches

Cindy Zimmerman

The Collaborative Sorghum Marketing Transformation Program (cSmart) has announced the launch of the first-ever venture capital platform dedicated exclusively to attracting capital for companies, projects and innovations that create opportunities for sorghum farmers.

cSmart matches private capital with funding to support startups and established companies investing in sorghum and also facilitates a network of private investors seeking opportunities for competitive returns in agriculture.

“To date, cSmart has invested in support of a container facility for specialty sorghum exports, matched private investment with funds for marketing efforts for an all-female run sorghum food startup and facilitated networking and due diligence for an industrial sorghum starch project,” cSmart consultant John Duff said. “The diversity of these investments demonstrates the wide net cSmart intends to cast, supporting and financing innovation in American agriculture—a necessity we are proud to announce this National Ag Day.”

Fueled by relationships across the sorghum industry and the supply chain, cSmart leverages knowledge and financial flexibility to support startups, existing companies and investors bringing innovation to the sorghum industry.

For more information on investing or obtaining support for sorghum innovation, contact cSmart consultant John Duff at john@seroag.com or 806-638-5334.

sorghum

Happy 50th Anniversary to National Ag Day

Cindy Zimmerman

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack celebrated the 50th anniversary of National Agriculture Day Tuesday at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but he said he wasn’t really that interested in celebrating it.

“Why today? Why just one day? Why not every day?” asked Vilsack. “I think we let the country get off the hook a little easy by having only one day. We ought to recognize farmers, ranchers and producers and what they do for this country every single day.”

2023 Ag Day USDA Secy Tom Vilsack (13:04)

2023 National Ag Day Photo Album

Ag Day, Audio, USDA

Agri-Pulse Hosts Most Successful Summit Ever

Cindy Zimmerman

L-R: Spencer Chase, Phil Brasher, Bill Tomson, Andrew Huneke, Noah Wicks, Steve Davies, Sara Wyant, Al Johnson, Hannah Pagel, Paige Dye, Tom Davis, Jason Lutz, Lydia Johnson, Jacqui Fatka

Congratulations to the Agri-Pulse team for the most successful Ag and Food Policy Summit ever on Monday with the theme “Next Gen Farm & Food Policy.”

“It was a great day for attendance and we are so thankful for all of our sponsors who made it all possible,” said Sara Wyant, Agri-Pulse editor and founder. The team picture here represents the majority of the Agri-Pulse staff, but there are a few missing, like Jeff Nalley who was busy doing an interview while the photo was being taken, and Jesse Campbell, among the team members holding down the fort at home.

The agricultural policy news organization is heading into its 20th year and they have been holding an annual summit in conjunction with National Ag Day since 2012, with the exception of 2020.

In addition, Agri-Pulse holds a similar event in California focused on western grower concerns. The 2023 Agri-Pulse Food & Ag Issues Summit will be held June 5 in Sacramento and registration is open to attend either in person or virtually.

Listen to a wrap up with Wyant here.
Agri-Pulse summit wrap up interview with Sara Wyant (5:35)

2023 Agri-Pulse Ag and Food Policy Summit Photo Album

Agri-Pulse, Audio

ASTA Releases 2023 Farm Bill Recommendations

Cindy Zimmerman

The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) recently released its policy recommendations for the 2023 Farm Bill. The recommendations fall under the following priority areas: 1) conservation; 2) agriculture research; 3) trade; 4) innovation; and 5) risk management.

“Farm bills are meant to be a safety net for farmers,” said Janae Brady, ASTA Vice President for Government Affairs. “For us, the number one safety net would be the high quality seed that you place in the ground.”

Research is one of ASTA’s number one priorities for the farm bill, including support for the National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) and the re-authorization of the Agriculture Genome to Phenome Initiative and the Agriculture Advanced Research and Development Authority (AGARDA), as well as gathering and providing access to needed cover crop data.
Read more about ASTA’s priorities and listen to an interview with Brady here:
Interview with Janae Brady, ASTA (2:20)

ASTA, Audio, Farm Bill, Farm Policy, Seed

Secretary Vilsack Addresses Agri-Pulse Summit

Cindy Zimmerman

Agri-Pulse hosted its most successful Ag and Food Policy Summit ever on Monday with some of the biggest newsmakers in the agricultural space, including Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.

The agricultural policy news organization has been holding an annual summit in conjunction with National Ag Day since 2012, with the exception of 2020. This year was the first time they were able to welcome Secretary Vilsack in person. Vilsack previously was only able to address the virtual event in 2021.

After his remarks, Vilsack sat down with Agri-Pulse Managing Editor Spencer Chase for a chat about some important topics like meat labeling, fertilizer demand, and trade.

Agri-Pulse summit - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack (34:38)

2023 Agri-Pulse Ag and Food Policy Summit Photo Album

Agri-Pulse, Audio, USDA

Nuseed Launches 2023 Carinata Program at Classic

Cindy Zimmerman

Look, up in the sky! It’s a mustard seed! It’s a cover crop! No, it’s super Carinata sustainable aviation fuel!

Once a lowly Ethiopian mustard seed with little to offer for human consumption, this plant is growing in popularity as a certified sustainable non-food cover crop that can be used as a low-carbon feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

“Carinata is an exciting crop,” said Roger Rotariu, Nuseed North American Marketing Lead. “We position it as a cover crop for the Southern U.S. grower with yield potential and profitability opportunities.”

The Nuseed Carinata program pays growers for what they grow and how they grow it. Growers receive contract payment for the grain harvested from the cover crop and for certifiable sustainable farming practices, like reduced tillage and lower synthetic nitrogen applications.

“Carinata is grown for a specific downstream market and that is sustainable aviation fuel,” said Rotariu. “So it’s a feedstock to allow planes to continue to fly and meet the carbon requirements that we all know are coming in the future.”

Rotariu says carinata has all the benefits of a cover crop for farmers, with a profitability advantage.

Learn more in this interview with Rotariu from Commodity Classic.
Classic 23 interview with Roger Rotariu, Nuseed (8:04)

Audio, Biofuels, Commodity Classic, cover crops, Environment, Seed, Sustainability

Animal Ag News 3/20

Cindy Zimmerman

  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced this week that they are awarding the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) with $445,396 in funding to advance the Secure Beef Supply Plan (SBS) in the event of a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak in the U.S.
  • The World Pork Expo is returning to the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines for its 35th year this June 7 through June 9. Presented by National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), this year’s event will mark a major milestone for the world’s largest pork-specific trade show.
  • The 2022 Cattlemen’s Beef Board Annual Report is now available. See how the Beef Checkoff utilized your producer dollars to support and strengthen the entire beef industry through research, promotion and education.
  • Alltech has published a new white paper comparing selenium sources by form, source and function, by Dr. Richard Murphy, director of research at Alltech.
  • Joseph Scimeca, PhD, senior vice president of regulatory and scientific affairs for the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), recently announced his plans to retire in the summer of 2023 following nearly four decades in the food industry. IDFA has begun a national search for Dr. Scimeca’s successor to lead the trade association’s Regulatory & Scientific Affairs team.
  • The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) and the National Pork Board awarded former Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA) Executive Director Mike Telford with the Paulson-Whitmore State Executive Award. Presented at the National Pork Industry Forum joint annual business meeting, Telford was recognized for his leadership, vision, and long-standing commitment to the pork industry.
  • The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) announced 12 scholarship winners at the recent National Pork Industry Forum. The Lois Britt Memorial Pork Industry Scholarship and the Neil Dierks Scholarship were awarded to college students pursuing careers in the U.S. pork industry.
  • Athian (athian.ai), the world’s first cloud-based carbon marketplace for the livestock industry, announces a seed investment from Tyson Ventures for a transactional carbon credit inset program for the livestock sector.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture

AgriPro Hybrid Wheat Stands Out at #Classic23

Cindy Zimmerman

Paul Morano (left) and Jon Rich, Syngenta Agripro

NK Seeds Agripro brand hybrid wheat marks a new era for wheat production as the first to bring commercial hybrid wheat seed and all of its benefits to farmers, starting with spring wheat in the Northern Plains region.

“Our big focus right now is building an R&D pipeline for hybrid wheat,” said Jon Rich, Hybrid wheat Operations Head Syngenta-Agripro. “We’re trying to bring a new technology to the marketplace for the farmers.” Benefits for farmers include increased yield consistency, yield increases from heterosis, and reduced seeding rate.

Paul Morano, Head of Cereals at Syngenta-AgriPro, says they started learning launches last year with a few hundred acres. “This year we raised that up to a couple thousand acres of hybrid wheat in the field to the farmers,” he said. “Next year we will plan our full launch in spring wheat.”

Learn more in this interview and in their remarks during the Syngenta press conference at Commodity Classic.
Classic 23 interview with Jon Rich and Paul Morano, Syngenta-AgriPro (5:49)

Audio, Commodity Classic, Syngenta, Wheat

Industry Ag News 3/17

Cindy Zimmerman

  • Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has confirmed that he will appear in person as the luncheon keynote during the March 20 Agri-Pulse Ag & Food Policy Summit. Registration for the day long event at the National Press Club remains open with virtual options available.
  • The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) has released its policy recommendations for the 2023 Farm Bill. The recommendations fall under the following priority areas: 1) conservation; 2) agriculture research; 3) trade; 4) innovation; and 5) risk management
  • Early registration for the 2023 Water for Food Global Conference has been extended through Monday, March 27. A discount of $100 is available to those who register on or before this date. The conference, held May 8-11, at Nebraska Innovation Campus in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA, will focus on innovative ways to improve water and food security by increasing farmers’ resiliency to a changing landscape.
  • It’s time for the 2023 Livestock Publications Council awards contest! New this year are tiered entry fee deadlines. The early deadline is April 18 and the final deadline is May 9, 2023. Save money by entering early!Find rules, fees, deadlines, entry instructions and other information here.
  • Nominations are now open for the newly established American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) Mentorship Award. The award will recognize ASTA members who have made significant and sustained contributions to the career development of trainees and to the profession through outstanding mentoring.
  • The Agricultural Relations Council (ARC) and G&S Business Communications selected McKenna Greco, a senior at Rutgers University studying animal science, with a minor in business and technical writing, as the 2023 ARC/Gardner & Gardner Communications intern. As the intern, she will also serve as the student adviser to the ARC board of directors.
  • The Renewable Fuels Association is pleased to welcome ArrowUp LLC and Hanigan Law Group PLC as its newest associate members.
  • Minneapolis Grain Exchange (MGEX™) reported February 2023 trading volume of 253,274 contracts, representing an 18.8% year-over-year (YoY) decrease from the same period in 2022 and a 52.9% increase from January 2023.
  • 400 farm and industry groups signed onto a letter shared with congressional leadership on agriculture’s budgetary needs in the 2023 Farm Bill. That letter sent to the chairmen and ranking members of both the House and Senate Budget Committees is a strong example of “united, we stand,” a phrase popular amongst the country’s founding fathers.
  • The American Soybean Association presented several awards at Commodity Classic last week. Les Seiler of Fayette, Ohio received ASA’s 2023 National Conservation Legacy Award. Willard Jack, retired ASA director and soy farmer from Belzoni, Mississippi, was the Pinnacle Award honoree this year in recognition of a lifetime of work. Parks Wells of Tennessee, was the Distinguished Leadership Award recipient and Ryan Bivens, Hodgenville, Kentucky, won the Outstanding State Volunteer Award.
  • GROWMARK, Inc. announces a revamped scholarship program for 2023. The GROWMARK Foundation will provide 55 scholarships of $2,000 each to students pursuing agriculture and business-related degrees or certificates at colleges, universities, and technical schools in the United States and Ontario, Canada.
Ag Groups, Agribusiness, ZimmNews