Livestock and Poultry Groups Seek RFS Waiver

Cindy Zimmerman

Livestock and poultry producers are filing a petition with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seeking a waiver from the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) in light of the current drought situation likely to cause feed shortages.

“We need a waiver now,” said Randy Spronk of Minnesota, National Pork Producers Council president-elect.

“I and NCBA support American ethanol,” said National Cattlemen’s Beef Association president J.D. Alexander of Nebraska. “I’m not asking for a handout. I’m asking for the federal government to let the market work.”

John Burkel, Minnesota turkey grower and National Turkey Federation vice chairman, says he has already cancelled his last flock of turkeys for this year. “The ethanol waiver is a must and I hope the administration acts now,” he said.

“Relief from the Renewable Fuel Standard is extremely urgent,” said Past National Chicken Council chairman Michael Welch, President & CEO of Harrison Poultry in Bethlehem, Georgia.

Listen to opening comments at a press conference this morning from the four organization leaders here: Livestock and Poultry groups

Audio, Beef, Corn, Ethanol, Livestock, NCBA, NPPC, Poultry, Swine

Astronaut Kelly to Keynote Farm Bureau Meeting

John Davis

Farm Bureau officials are excited to announce that retired astronaut Mark Kelly will be the keynote speaker at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 2013 Annual Meeting, Jan. 13-16, 2013, in Nashville, Tenn. While Kelly is known for his work in space, he is also a loving caregiver to his wife former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt in January 2011.

Kelly is one of America’s most experienced pilots and has logged more than 6,000 flight hours aboard more than 50 different aircraft. His experience includes 375 aircraft carrier landings, 39 combat missions, more than 50 days in space and serving as commander of the Space Shuttle Endeavor’s final mission.

“We are excited to have Mark Kelly as our keynote speaker,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman. “His outstanding leadership, dedication to teamwork and courage under pressure are truly inspirational.”

Kelly is also a survivor of prostate cancer and has a new children’s book coming out this fall, “Moustronaut: A Partially True Story.” In remarks posted on YouTube, Kelly says AFBF provides an important forum for farm and ranch families. “I’ve certainly learned a lot about community in my life, and I look forward to sharing [my] experiences.”

The 94th annual meeting is expected to attract more than 5,000 Farm Bureau members from across the country to talk about policy for the group through 2013.

Ag Groups, Video

BASF On-Target Application Academy Schedule

Cindy Zimmerman

BASF On-Target Application Academy events were held in various locations this past month and more are upcoming.

Developed by Bob Wolf, Ph.D., of Wolf Consulting and Research, TeeJet Technologies and BASF, with insight from a grower roundtable, the On Target Application Academy is a one-of-a-kind educational opportunity to provide growers extensive hands-on training for better awareness of herbicide application best practices.

“State certification courses and exams are important steps in ensuring proper herbicide application,” said Wolf. “The On Target Application Academy supplements these efforts, offering more detail around best management practices and factors that affect proper application.”

The On Target Application Academy educates growers on new application technologies, plant biology and advancements in new product chemistries to help them achieve the most effective and sustainable weed control possible – and to help mitigate off target applications, which is a continuous area of focus for the agricultural industry.

Check the website for upcoming academies in your area.

BASF, Farming, weed management

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Collectively, Randy Shryock and Ron Wall represent more than 35 years of experience in exceptional creative writing and video production and now bring that to Osborn Barr.
  • The Farm Equipment Dealership Minds Summit, set for January 30, 2013, will be guided and presented by Lessiter Publication’s Dealership of the Year alumni group as well as industry experts in the agricultural equipment retail market.
  • Advanced Animal Diagnostics has added Dr. Francis Adriaens as Vice President of Marketing and International Sales, and Gary Winter as Vice President of North America Sales.
  • Webinar announced…Beef-Cattle Economics: Regional pasture conditions, the USDA’s July Cattle Inventory report, and a synopsis of factors raising uncertainty and influencing investment/management decisions. Tuesday, August 7, 2012.
    Zimfo Bytes

    Precision Tech Detects Citrus Greening Disease

    John Davis

    A disease causing some real problems for citrus growers in the U.S. is citrus greening disease, also called Huanglongbing or HBL. The bacterial disease poses no threat to humans, but its effect on the trees can be devastating. Discovered in Florida in September 2005, HBL is being closely monitored. But that monitoring can be quite labor intensive and costly. At the International Conference on Precision Agriculture, Chuck caught up with Dr. Wonsuk Lee from the University of Florida, who moderated a session on “Machine Vision and Imaging Applications to Precision Agriculture” and is using some of that modern technology to more efficiently look for the disease.

    “For disease detection, currently a ground crew has to inspect every single tree. That takes a very long time and is very labor-intensive work. So our work is utilizing area hyper-spectre imaging to detect the mostly infected areas, so growers can go [to those areas] and individually look at those trees to do more detailed operations,” he explained. While this particular application might not work for some row crops, he added the basic principle of detecting disease through this kind of technology could be applied to more products.

    Listen to Chuck’s interview with Dr. Wonsuk Lee here: Interview with Dr. Wonsuk Lee, University of Florida

    11th International Conference on Precision Agriculture Photo Album

    AgWired coverage of the International Conference on Precision Agriculture is sponsored by John Deere
    Ag Groups, Audio, Citrus, International, Precision Agriculture, Research

    House to Consider Farm Bill Extension

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Despite the fact that the House Agriculture Committee has a new farm bill ready to go to the floor for a vote, leadership decided late on Friday to instead vote this week on a one-year extension of the current legislation, coupled with an extension of disaster aid for livestock producers.

    The reason is the drought, according to House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK). “It is critical that we provide certainty to our producers and address the devastating drought conditions that are affecting most of the country and I look forward to supporting and advancing this legislation,” Lucas said in a statement.

    National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Vice President, Government Affairs, Colin Woodall says they like the idea of getting help to livestock producers hurt by the drought. “We need to get these drought relief programs put back in place so we’re excited that we’re going to have some opportunities to move this thing forward,” he said. “At the same time we’re still concerned about what the future is for a long-term omnibus bill.”

    Listen to or download Colin’s comments here: Colin Woodall, NCBA

    National Corn Growers Association President Garry Niemeyer says they would rather Congress move ahead with new legislation, which has already been passed by the Senate. “America’s farmers need a new farm bill that will allow them the ability to make sound business decisions for the next five years. An extension of current law fails to provide the needed level of certainty,” he said. “It is important to get to conference and pass a bill before the current law expires September 30. Continuing outdated farm policies will negatively impact agriculture, the federal budget, consumers and the economy.”

    Uncategorized

    Newbies to Precision Ag Credit Pioneers for Success

    John Davis

    Getting more out of your fields… that’s the name of the game in agriculture these days, and precision techniques are helping farmers optimize those yields to their fullest potentials. Success by some pioneers in the field is helping more new companies also offer more products. At the recent International Conference on Precision Agriculture, Chuck caught up with Nick Koshnick (on the right in the picture), the founder of one of the newest players to the field, a company called Solum. “Solum was founded in 2009. The whole goal is to create measurements and analytics that allow farmers to efficiently increase their yields.” One example he pointed out is the ability to measure nitrogen inputs, which used to take days, but through Solum’s software, can now can be done in just a few minutes. “And the cool thing is you don’t have to be a trained PhD, labcoat person to do this,” Koshnick said.

    Koshnick said they’e seeing a lot of interest in what they do and credits some of the bigger companies out there, such as John Deere, Ag Leader, and Raven, for blazing the trail in precision ag tools. “We’re standing on the success and quality of their products. Working with them is key to our success.”

    Listen to Chuck’s interview with Nick here: Interview with Nick Koshnick, Founder, Solum

    11th International Conference on Precision Agriculture Photo Album

    AgWired coverage of the International Conference on Precision Agriculture is sponsored by John Deere
    Ag Groups, Agribusiness, Audio, International, Precision Agriculture

    NCBA Federation Div. Approves Comm. Structure

    Chuck Zimmerman

    The NCBA Federation Division, which we’ve known as the Federation of State Beef Councils, is chaired by Craig Uden, fourth generation cattleman from Elwood, Nebraska. I visited with him to find out what’s on the agenda for the Federation here at the Cattle Industry Summer Conference. Craig says the main issue before the Federation here is the committee restructuring. He says, “We wanted to make it more efficient.” Craig explains the rationale behind the new structure. During this morning’s business meeting the Federation voted to approve the new committee structure proposal which had been approved by the Cattlemen’s Beef Board earlier this week.

    Listen to my interview with Craig here: Interview with Craig Uden

    2012 Cattle Industry Summer Conference Photo Album

    Ag Groups, Audio, Cattle Industry Conference

    2012 W. D. Farr Scholarship Recipients

    Chuck Zimmerman

    During the Cattle Industry Summer Conference two graduate students, one studying animal science and the other agricultural water management, received the 2012 W.D. Farr Scholarships from the National Cattlemen’s Foundation. The $12,000 awards recognize superior achievements in academics and leadership and will allow the students to further their study in fields that benefit the cattle and beef industry. The scholarships were presented by John Lacey and Dick Farr.

    First up was Curtis Pittman of Glenford, Ohio., (pictured on left) a Ph.D. candidate in animal science at Colorado State University (CSU). Pittman received his bachelor of science degree Cum Laude with Distinction in Animal Science from The Ohio State University (OSU), and his master of science degree in animal science from CSU. He expects to receive his Ph.D. in December, 2013.

    Listen to remarks Curtis made here: Curtis Pittman Remarks

    Also receiving a scholarship was Jenna Rodriguez of Linden, Calif., a Ph.D. candidate in hydrologic sciences at the University of California, Davis. Rodriguez received her bachelor of science in environmental science from UCLA, and her master of science in hydrologic sciences from UC-Davis. Her master’s project involved research of irrigation techniques in the San Joaquin Valley of California.

    Listen to Jenna’s remarks here: Jenna Rodriguez Remarks

    2012 Cattle Industry Summer Conference Photo Album

    Ag Groups, Audio, Cattle Industry Conference, NCBA

    NCBA Leading Forward

    Chuck Zimmerman

    National Cattlemen’s Beef Association CEO, Forrest Roberts, gave a passionate speech this morning during the closing business session at the Cattle Industry Summer Conference. He encouraged everyone to keep “leading forward.” I visited with him beforehand to find out what his vision is for NCBA moving ahead and he focused on three key areas, Challenge, Change and Courage. He says one challenge is to motivate the millennial generation to enjoy beef since they think very differently about this great protein source than those in an older generation. He also says that NCBA’s number one priority between now and December 31 is the estate tax.

    Listen to my interview with Forrest here: Interview with Forrest Roberts

    Listen to Forrest’s NCBA CEO Report here: NCBA CEO Report

    2012 Cattle Industry Summer Conference Photo Album

    Ag Groups, Audio, Beef, Cattle Industry Conference, NCBA