Syngenta Hopeful Science Will Prevail in Atrazine Proposal

Cindy Zimmerman

The public comment period for proposed EPA revisions to rules and regulations regarding the use of atrazine ended October 7 but it will still be some time yet before a final decision is made that could ultimately impact 65 million acres of corn, sorghum, and sugarcane nationwide.

“It’s going to have a significant impact on how we use atrazine going forward if this proposal does in fact come to fruition,” said Mark White, Sr. Stewardship Manager for Syngenta, who gave an update on the EPA proposal during a media event this week. The proposed rules published in June would reduce the concentration equivalent level of concern (CE-LOC) from 15 parts per billion to 3.4 parts per billion, reduce atrazine usage to a maximum of 2 pounds per acre per year, prohibit aerial spraying, and ban atrazine applications to saturated soils, as well as within 48 hours of forecast heavy precipitation.

White says EPA received over 68,000 public comments on the proposal, about half of which have been published so far, and EPA has already agreed to have an independent scientific advisory panel review the CE-LOC, which will not happen until sometime next year. In the meantime, the current label and use for atrazine remains in effect. “Even in a worse case scenario, if nothing were to change and the proposal went through as proposed, it would still be over a year, two years from now probably before we saw new labels come out,” said White, and Syngenta remains hopeful that good science will prevail in this case.

Learn more in this interview.
Syngenta media - Mark White interview 9:36

AgWired Precision, Audio, Crop Protection, EPA, Herbicide, Syngenta, Uncategorized

Registration Open for 2023 VISION Conference

Cindy Zimmerman

Registration is now open for the 2023 VISION Conference January 17 – 18 at the Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel & Spa in Arizona.

The VISION Conference is where North America’s precision agriculture and digital farming industry ecosystem meet to address emerging technology and data trends that will transform agribusiness with a focus on the next 3 – 5 years. With the theme “Harnessing the Power of Agriculture 4.0
– Turning Innovation Into Reality,” the two-day program is built around key topics that are driving Agriculture 4.0: virtual cropping systems, autonomy, AI, climate smart ag, vertical farming, weather mapping, precision bio controls, imagery and more.

Early registration discounts are available through November 18.

AgWired Precision, Media, Precision Agriculture

Midterms and Future of Farm Policy

Cindy Zimmerman

“What will the mid-term elections mean for you and the future of farm policy?”

That is a question that Agri-Pulse will be tackling during a complimentary webinar on the day after the election, Wednesday, November 9. The webinar will feature a recap of the election results and discussion about the potential impacts on legislative and regulatory issues with former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., Michael Torrey of the Torrey Advisory Group, Agri-Pulse Editor Sara Wyant and Agri-Pulse Executive Editor Philip Brasher.

“Our team has been talking to lawmakers and political analysts for several months about potential scenarios and farm bill implications from the midterm elections,” says Wyant. “We are pleased to be joined by two experts who understand Rural America and how Washington works. Although we might not know all of the final results on the day after the election, this will be our first chance to discuss what we’ve learned from key races.”

The webinar will run from 3-4 pm EST on November 9 and registration is free.

Agri-Pulse, webinar

Alltech Opens Vietnam’s First Organic Mineral Facility

Cindy Zimmerman

Lai Xuan Sam, Sonadezi; Mark Lyons, Alltech; Duong Tat Thang, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; Jonathan Wilson and Keith Gribbins, Alltech Asia Pacific.

Global agricultural leader Alltech opened its newest Bioplex® plant organic mineral production facility in Vietnam this week. The plant is Alltech’s eighth mineral production facility worldwide.

Alltech is one of the world’s largest producers of organic minerals for animal nutrition and the company’s Bioplex® range of minerals offer higher bioavailability to animals than inorganic minerals, are readily absorbed, stored and utilized by the animal, supporting overall health, immune status and reproductive function.

“Our organic mineral program reflects our focus on sustainability in all aspects, from the health of the animal and the nutrition of the meat, milk and eggs produced to the economic well-being of the producer and the impact we have on our planet’s land and water,” said Dr. Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech. “Our investment in enhancing our mineral production in Asia reflects our confidence in the market’s continued growth and our alignment with our customers’ commitment to better nutrition from farm to market.”

Feed production in Vietnam increased nearly 7% in 2021, according to the Alltech Agri-Food Outlook, the company’s annual global feed production survey. Vietnam’s total feed production in 2021 was 18.5 million metric tons, led by the swine sector with 7.84 million metric tons, an increase of nearly 20% over 2020. Aqua feed production increased 40% in 2021 to 6 million metric tons, broiler feed increased 9% to 2.12 million metric tons, layers feed production increased 11.7% to 2 million metric tons and dairy increased 22% to 520,000 metric tons.

Agribusiness, AgWired Animal, Alltech, Animal Agriculture

Syngenta’s Thatcher Provides Policy Perspective

Cindy Zimmerman

Mary Kay Thatcher has been in policy “since the first Bush administration” when she left Iowa for Washington DC after college, so when she talks about policy, people in agriculture listen. After 30 years with the American Farm Bureau Federation and now Sr. Manager, Federal Government & Industry Relations at Syngenta for almost five years, most everyone knows Mary Kay and her policy talks are highly anticipated wherever she speaks.

Thatcher gave her policy overview at the Syngenta media event this week in New Orleans, hitting all the major issues, starting with the very important midterm election next week. “I wouldn’t get all excited about staying up on November 8th, or probably November 9th for that matter, because I suspect we’ll have 10 or 12 races that will be within one percent,” she said during her remarks.

As for the 2023 Farm Bill, Thatcher expects that will not happen by October 1 of next year. “Very little chance,” she said in an interview. “The fact is that we really don’t have to reauthorize nutrition or crop insurance programs because they go on regardless…and the Inflation Reduction Act did the same for conservation…so that is going to take the pressure off getting this done.”

The biggest challenge for farmers Thatcher believes comes from the Environmental Protection Agency. “Farmers have a lot of tools in their toolbox from EPA but it appears they’re trying to remove those tools and that’s going to make life difficult on the farm,” said Thatcher.

Listen to Thatcher’s interview below.
Syngenta media - Mary Kay Thatcher interview 6:59

Audio, EPA, Farm Bill, Farm Policy, Syngenta

Precision Ag News 11/2

Carrie Muehling

  • USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is reinstating the Cost of Pollination Survey, that was suspended on December 6, 2018. NASS has mailed the questionnaires and will collect data immediately. The report, to be published on Jan. 11, 2023, will include data for 2017 and 2022 reference dates, including paid pollinated acres, price per acre, colonies used, price per colony, and total value of pollination per crop.
  • Repair Done Right is a campaign created by the North American Equipment Dealers Association (NAEDA) to change the narrative on Right to Repair. The main part of the campaign is a training platform providing dealer personnel a foundational understanding of what the Right to Repair issue is and how our industry is supporting customer repair.
  • Clariant announces that it has completed the acquisition of BASF’s U.S. based Attapulgite business assets for USD 60 million in cash.
  • Canadian company Nutrien partnered with San Diego, California, Radicle Growth, an accelerator and venture capital firm focused on early-stage agriculture and food technology startups, to sponsor the Radicle Inclusion Challenge. Agtools was one of four finalists chosen that went on to win the Radicle Inclusion Challenge Award.
  • Reinke Manufacturing and FreeWave Technologies announced a partnership to simplify data connectivity between irrigation systems and the cloud, making way for another best-in- class hardware line-up for Reinke’s ReinCloud-Ready products.
  • October 28 marked two years since the groundbreaking ceremony of the Ag Innovation Campus (AIC). As a not-for-profit, the AIC will process about 9 semi-trucks a day, crushing a grand total of 62,400 tons of soybeans per year. Phase two will be an office complex and research labs, with the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute operating the research labs. Phase three consists of rentable discovery bays and a Crushwalk that will be available for short to midterm use for companies who want to prove their designs at full production scale.
  • AgReliant Genetics announced it will invest $18 million in capital improvements at its Decatur, Illinois, foundation seed facility. Scheduled over the next three years, the improvements will expand capacity and add the latest technology and automation to better serve farmers across the U.S. and Canada.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

US Identity Preserved Brand Introduced in Vietnam

Cindy Zimmerman

The U.S. Identity Preserved brand is now officially a global entity with its introduction this week at an event in Vietnam.

The Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA) met with buyers and food producers in Saigon to introduce the new international mark designating premium crops with verifiable origins and superior products from the U.S.

“(SSGA) is here today to announce a significant certification advancement for food manufacturers to consider when purchasing ingredients for their products,” Executive Director Eric Wenberg said during a livestreamed event from the Saigon Sheraton Hotel & Towers. “We are excited to make this first official announcement in Vietnam because this is an important and growing market for high-quality foods that require high-quality ingredients.”

The U.S. Identity Preserved quality assurance plan and brand mark symbolizes a landmark advancement in the verification of trust, traceability and value for food manufacturers, processors and exporters. Since the brand was unveiled to an American audience in December 2021, a dozen U.S. companies have joined the program and are using the mark – with several more companies currently going through the application and qualification process.

Listen to comments from the event:
Eric Wenberg, executive director, SSGA;
Shane Frederick, manager of strategic programs, SSGA;
Hathairat Prachayaphiphat, Green Spot Co., Thailand;
Todd Sinner, partner, SB&B Foods (North Dakota processor/food ingredients company)
David Williams, (Michigan farmer and United Soybean Board director)

SSGA US Identity Preserved Vietnam 19:26

Audio, Exports, Food, Grains, International, Soybean

Research Reveals Farmer Concerns About Carbon Markets

Cindy Zimmerman

Are farmers ready for carbon markets – or not?

That was the question that Farm Journal’s Trust In Food™ set out to answer in its inaugural “Ready or Not? Ag Carbon Markets and U.S. Farmers” report, highlighting perspectives from 500 U.S. row crop producers on pathways and barriers to participating in carbon ecosystems.

The answer? “Not quite yet,” according to Amy Skoczlas Cole, executive vice president of Trust In Food. “Our initial findings suggest that even the most carbon-curious farmers are signaling that their participation under current market conditions would require prohibitive investments of time, effort and resources without fair financial and market returns,” she said. And that is something everyone in the carbon market value chain should take very seriously with so much being staked on it as a critical tool for addressing climate change.

The majority of farmers surveyed report serious concern about overcoming technical and financial roadblocks to success in carbon markets. In addition to more fundamental warning signs, producers fear that costs will outweigh benefits; that ongoing compliance will require too high a burden; that existing conservation ag practices will not be compensated fairly; that data will not be handled appropriately or will be difficult to collect; or that upfront investments will be a barrier to entry. More than half of farmers surveyed labeled each respective concern a “significant” challenge to carbon market entry.

Learn more in this interview with Cole and read the full report.
Interview with Amy Skoczlas Cole, Trust In Food 20:09

carbon, Farm Journal, Farming

Animal Ag News 11/1

Carrie Muehling

  • For more than three decades cattle producers have simplified their recordkeeping with a handy pocket-sized booklet from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. The 2023 version of the Redbook is now available to help cattle producers effectively and efficiently record their daily production efforts, which can help enhance profitability and reduce stress levels.
  • The National Pork Producers Council has appointed Kelly Cushman as its new vice president of domestic policy. In this newly created position, Cushman will oversee U.S. government engagement, advocacy and lobbying efforts on behalf of the U.S. pork industry.
  • National Milk Producers Federation leadership unanimously endorsed a proposal to modernize the Federal Milk Marketing Order milk-pricing system at its annual meeting in Denver.
  • Ralco has announced that the Jon Knochenmus Center for Innovation is fully operational with its first research studies being conducted. Ralco purchased this 13.6-acre site in fall 2020 which now includes a swine research barn, poultry research barn, ruminant lab, radio frequency gas production system, mycotoxin testing and particle size analysis services for Ralco customers.
  • The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association announces the four finalists in the 10th annual National Anthem Singing Contest, sponsored by Norbrook®. The winner receives a trip to the 2023 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show in New Orleans to perform the “Star-Spangled Banner” at the Opening General Session on Feb. 1 as well as during the evening event on Feb. 3. Videos of the finalists will be available for viewing and voting at https://convention.ncba.org beginning Nov. 1. The public can vote for their favorite singer once per day per person through Nov. 15, and the winner will be announced Nov. 18, 2022.
  • World Ag Expo seminars are included with the price of admission and feature experts in global agriculture. In 2023, four sessions from the University of California will focus on Dairy and Livestock with speakers coming from the Extension system and the CLEAR Center at UC Davis.
  • The Dairy Innovation Hub will hold its third annual Dairy Summit conference on November 16, hosted by UW–River Falls. Formatted for a general audience, the Summit features the Hub’s newest projects. Anyone unable to attend in person can participate through a live virtual option. Sessions will also be recorded and posted to YouTube.
  • In a strong show of support for healthy nutrition incentive programs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a significant expansion of the Healthy Fluid Milk Incentives Projects, a pilot program that provides a dollar-for-dollar match to participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) when they purchase healthy fluid milk options at qualifying food retail outlets.
  • The dairy checkoff has awarded 12 academic scholarships to students enrolled in programs that emphasize dairy and who have shown potential to become future dairy leaders. The National Dairy Promotion and Research Board, through Dairy Management Inc., which manages the national dairy checkoff, annually awards $2,500 scholarships to 11 students. In addition, the NDB awards a $3,500 James H. Loper Jr. Memorial Scholarship to one outstanding scholarship recipient.
  • Royal DSM, the global purpose-led science-based company, has announced the update of its OVN Optimum Vitamin Nutrition guidelines to deliver sustainable farming practices. OVN, produced with a low environmental footprint, improves animal health and welfare by providing animals with high-quality vitamins in the optimal amount.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

AMVAC® Partners with NewLeaf Symbiotics® for Biologicals

Cindy Zimmerman

AMVAC®, an American Vanguard® Company, is partnering with St. Louis-based NewLeaf Symbiotics® to bring new and existing biologicals solutions to North American crop markets beginning in 2023.

This collaboration will harness the complementary marketing and technical strengths of each partner to expand the application of existing products and advance the development of future products utilizing the combined technical resources of both companies. The partnership also will expand and accelerate AMVAC’s growing GreenSolutions™ biological portfolio and facilitate NewLeaf Symbiotics’ objective of securing wider market penetration.

AMVAC leverages its deep market access, its strong sales teams in U.S. crop markets, and its growing portfolio of GreenSolutions™ biologicals. In the U.S., AMVAC’s GreenSolutions recently passed the 1.2-million-acre mark for application, a milestone for the company. AMVAC previously has announced biologicals-related partnerships with 3Bar Biologics, BASF, and Azotic North America.

NewLeaf Symbiotics brings to the partnership its proprietary microbial library, continued research and development capability, and its current product offering including PPFMs – pink pigmented facultative methylotrophs – which are naturally occurring beneficial microbes that deliver a range of benefits to crops throughout the entire growing season. Leading this new class of ag biologicals is NewLeaf Symbiotics’ Terrasym® microbial inoculants, which can make crops stronger, more resilient, and more tolerant of abiotic stress throughout their life cycle.

AMVAC, Biologicals