Ruminating on the future of beef and dairy farming will be the topic of discussion at Alltech’s 5th Annual Global 500. The event will feature industry experts who will address the changing future of the dairy and beef industries. Last year’s event was a success with 700 attendees and they are expecting over 1000 this December 4-6 in Lexington, Ky.
“Global 500 has gone from a powerful event to an astounding event,” said Dr. Pearse Lyons, president and founder of Alltech. “In a few short years we’ve managed to get some of the industry’s most successful producers to attend and get involved in discussions that are paving the way to a future of opportunity and profitability.”
Producers and industry leaders will have the opportunity to network, discuss and discover new opportunities and challenges for 2013. The program will feature presentations on branding, social media in agriculture and finding new opportunities in challenging times. In addition to an array of presentations, attendees will be invited to take part in discussion dinners, breakout sessions and a number of farm tours.
Dairy producers will explore topics including breakthroughs in nutrition, strategies to manage feed costs, and emerging markets.
Beef producers will delve into issues such as the future marketplace, consumer demands, meat quality, greenhouse gasses and feed yard management.
Registration for Global 500 is $325, but for all those early birds out there register by November 9 for only $200. This will include all sessions, organized functions, luncheons and dinners. Register today and use the invitation code G124.
When a honey bee lands on a flower, she is helping to feed the world. Didn’t really think about it like that did you? In fact, honey bees are vital to agriculture and our food supply, and many bee populations have been dwindling at an alarming rate. This is why Bayer CropScience has launched a program to save the bees. The Bee Ambassador Program is an awareness and educational campaign aimed at showcasing the importance of bees. The company has also unveiled several Bee Care Centers.
Bayer’s Bee Ambassador Program will integrate key topics related to honey bee management and health with issues facing agriculture. Ambassadors will engage at the local level with beekeepers, farmers, researchers, government officials, educators, non-government organizations (NGOs) and the general public about the value of honey bees and the challenges they face.
During the 2012 Farm Progress Show, Cindy Zimmerman had an opportunity to learn more about Bayer’s Bees from Robyn Kneen. She explained that bees pollinate more than one-third of our crops so they play a very, very important role in agriculture. Without bees 90 percent of the world’s food would not exist.
We’re looking at the various factors that affect bee health so we’re doing research to the different factors, particularly the Varroa mite. That is a big problem for beekeepers today,” said Kneen. “We’re also promoting best practices in terms of stewardship of use of best products to ensure crop protection and agriculture and bees all live in harmony together.”
Bayer strongly believes supporting bee health requires ongoing collaboration and engagement to build new relationships with stakeholders and the Ambassador Program will become an integral component of Bayer’s outreach efforts.
Bayer's Bees
The National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) is pleased to announce that Monsanto has committed $10,000 a year, over the next three years, to both NAMA and ABEF. The company will become a Sustaining Partner with NAMA and will be the primary sponsor of the ABEF Student Competition.
“Monsanto is committed to sustainable agriculture,” said Gary Sakin, Monsanto Marketing Communications Lead. “That means providing solutions for farmers that help them meet consumer demand today, while developing innovative products to meet future demands of our growing planet. Continued agricultural innovation requires strong leadership in agriculture, which is exactly what Monsanto’s commitment to NAMA and ABEF is all about. NAMA events provide professional development opportunities for today’s agribusiness leaders and ABEF is committed to helping prepare the agribusiness leaders of tomorrow.”
John Deere’s expanded family of 6 Series tractors were in the spotlight at the 2012 Farm Progress Show, spanning the spectrum to cover just about any need you have in a tractor.
“We have 6D tractors which is our value spec tractor, we have a 6M which is our mid spec tractor – which replaces our 6030-7030 standard tractors, and then we have a full line of 6R tractors which is our premium spec model in the 6 family,” said Jeff Ostermann, senior marketing rep with John Deere Waterloo Works.
The whole family offers new features including a redesigned cab on the 6D, increased horsepower on the 6M, and new direct drive transmission on the 6R. The new 6D Series include 4 models – 6105D, 6115D, 6130D, and 6140D – ranging from 105 to 140 engine horsepower. The all-new John Deere 6M Series Tractors features six models, including the 6140M is pictured here, from 105 to 170 engine horsepower. And the expanded 6R tractors for the row-crop market includes two mid-horsepower model, 6140R and 6150R.
Listen to my interview with Jeff here: John Deere's Jeff Ostermann
Harvest is progressing at a faster than average pace this year and yield data continues to stream into Pioneer.com/yield. The variability in weather experienced throughout the growing season will impact yields this fall. For a quick snapshot of harvest yields in your area and across the country, visit www.pioneer.com/yield.
The Pioneer yield site provides a brief summary of each plot as well as a detailed individual plot report with competitive comparisons, planting information and harvest data. The process to find local yield results and comparisons is easy. Simply select a crop, zip code and preferred radius to obtain a custom view of harvest yields in your area of interest.
As harvest continues to progress, visit www.pioneer.com/yield to see how Pioneer and other products are performing in your area and across the country.
BASF plans to acquire Becker Underwood for a price of $1.02 billion. The company, headquartered in Ames, Iowa, is one of the leading global providers of technologies for biological seed treatment, seed treatment colors and polymers, as well as products in the areas of biological crop protection, turf and horticulture, animal nutrition and landscape colorants and coatings. Becker Underwood has 10 production sites worldwide and 479 employees. BASF came to an agreement with Norwest Equity Partners (NEP) to acquire Becker Underwood which has been a portfolio company of NEP since 2004. The purchase is subject to approval by the responsible authorities and legal closing of the transaction is expected by the end of 2012.
Becker Underwood is expected to achieve sales of $240 million for fiscal year 2012, ending on September 30. As part of the acquisition, BASF’s Crop Protection division will create a strategic global business unit called Functional Crop Care. The unit will merge BASF’s existing research, development and marketing activities in the areas of seed treatment, biological crop protection, plant health, as well as water and resource management with those of Becker Underwood. Becker Underwood’s animal nutrition business will be integrated into BASF’s Nutrition & Health division.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced $11.8 million in additional financial and technical assistance to help crop and livestock producers in 22 states apply conservation practices that reduce the impacts of drought and improve soil health and productivity. The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides this assistance through its Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP) and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).
Since early summer, USDA has announced a variety of assistance to producers impacted by the drought, including opening conservation acres to emergency haying and grazing, lowering the interest rate for emergency loans, and working with crop insurance companies to provide flexibility to farmers. Just a few weeks ago, USDA announced $16 million in financial and technical assistance to immediately help crop and livestock producers in 19 states cope with the adverse impacts of the historic drought. In July, the Secretary announced USDA would allow producers to modify current EQIP contracts to allow for grazing, livestock watering, and other conservation activities to address drought conditions, and also authorized haying and grazing of WRP easement areas in drought-affected areas where haying and grazing is consistent with conservation of wildlife habitat and wetlands. The announcement expands upon these efforts and brings the total assistance to nearly $28 million.
See the additional NRCS drought assistance received by each state here. Learn more about drought categories here.
Producers and landowners are encouraged to visit the NRCS website or stop by their local NRCS office to find out if they are eligible for this new funding.
When I was younger, my mom would send me out to the garage where our deep-freeze was to get meat to thaw for dinner that night. She’d tell me exactly what she wanted, exactly how it was packaged, and almost exactly where it was in the freezer but for some reason, I could never find it. And I think that’s a trait I inherited from my dad. She on the other hand, could locate it blindfolded and half asleep.
My husband is that way with his truck keys, except he always says, “Where did you move them?” or “Where did you put that paper? I had it laying right here.” (Mind you, I didn’t touch either!)
This sounds a little like a story my grandfather tells about an old tire inner-tube.
Listen to Grandpa explainMaybe you can find a needle in a haystack, if you look a little harder.
Until we walk again …
The National Corn Growers Association is the latest group to join a broad coalition opposing California’s Proposition 37, which would require labeling of some food products sold in that state that contain genetically engineered ingredients.
“All it’s going to do is add to food costs,” said NCGA president Garry Niemeyer of Illinois. “It is a flawed proposition and its exemptions don’t really make sense for those who support the idea of the ‘right to know.'”
An example of exemptions that make no sense – cow’s milk is exempt but soy milk requires a label. Dairy products, eggs, meat and poultry are all exempt. Fruit juice requires a label, but alcohol made with some of the same GE ingredients is exempt. Food sold in a grocery store requires a label, but the same food sold in a restaurant is exempt.
Listen to my interview with Garry here: NCGA president Garry Niemeyer
At least 60 agricultural organizations are part of the campaign urging Californians to vote No on Prop 37, titled the “California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act.” San Joaquin valley diversified farmer Greg Palla says the initiative would effectively ban the sale of tens of thousands of common grocery products only in California, unless they are relabeled or made with more costly ingredients. “We feel that it’s a very deceptive initiative,” he said, noting that the idea of having to label perfectly safe products “just conflicts with good science.”
Palla says Proposition 37 would have a definite impact outside the state of California, since it would apply to so many retail products that made in other locations. “The impact would be swift and clear,” he said, noting that other states might follow California’s example.
Besides state and national agricultural groups, Prop 37 is being opposed by a broad coalition of ethnic and labor organizations, as well as groups representing scientists, doctors, business, and taxpayers in general. Find out more at NoProp37.com.
Listen to my interview with Greg here: California farmer Greg Palla
