Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Agribusiness, Zimfo Bytes

    Pork Expo Farm Bill Update

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Pork producers know what they want in a 2012 Farm Bill, they’re just not sure if and when it will happen.

    Former National Pork Producers Council president Sam Carney of Iowa, co-chair of the organization’s farm bill policy task force, gave an update on the legislation, which happened at almost the very moment the Senate voted to advance the bill to the floor. “Best case scenario is that Senators Stabenow and Roberts are able to hold off controversial amendments and the farm bill passes by the end of next week,” he said. However, he added that it is “unlikely” both houses will pass a bill and get it signed by the president before the current bill expires on September 30.

    Carney says the Senate version of the bill includes several issues important to pork producers. “Catastrophic event insurance program study – very important to us,” he said. Also important to NPPC are reforming the beginning farmer and rancher program to allow better access to capitol, reduction in the CRP to address feed availability concerns, increasing swine research funding and maintaining funding for foreign market development and access programs.

    Listen to Sam’s farm bill update here: Former NPPC president Sam Carney
    2012 World Pork Expo Photo Album

    Audio, Farm Bill, World Pork Expo

    Precision Laboratories Celebrates 50 Years

    Chuck Zimmerman

    It’s golden anniversary time for Precision Laboratories this month.

    In 1962, Chicago entrepreneur Jim Wohlner left his sales position with a national chemical distributor and founded Precision Laboratories. The new company specialized in private-label maintenance chemicals for industrial applications. Jim would often spend four days on the road selling, and then return on Fridays to fulfill the orders. As the company grew, Jim hired warehouse personnel and sales representatives to meet growing needs.

    In 1976, Precision Laboratories purchased AmChem, an industrial and agricultural chemical distributor. Jim fell in love with the agricultural industry, and it became his passion.

    In 1986, Jim Wohlner’s son, Rick, began working for the company. Rick began selling to and establishing relationships with distributors in the professional turf industry. The company positioned spray pattern indicators, adjuvants and surfactants to golf course superintendents through distributors across the country.

    In 1995, with a strong vision for the future, Rick Wohlner purchased Precision Laboratories from his father, and narrowed the focus to meeting the needs of the ag and turf markets. Read More

    Agribusiness

    BASF Innovating for Sustainability

    Cindy Zimmerman

    “Innovation as the Path to Sustainability” was the theme of the 2012 BASF Agricultural Solutions Summit last week in Chicago where the company’s top executives presented the latest crop protection and plant biotechnology strategies aimed toward sustainable food production for a growing population.

    Markus Heldt, President of BASF’s Crop Protection division, released initial results of the new AgBalance study launched in 2011 as a method for measuring sustainability in agriculture. “We performed a case study on corn production in Iowa comparing 2000 and 2010,” said Heldt. “We’ve seen an improved sustainability index of 42%.”

    Listen to my interview with Markus here: BASF Crop Protection President Markus Heldt interview Listen to Markus’ presentation here: BASF Crop Protection President Markus Heldt presentation

    In the area of plant biotechnology, Dr. Peter Eckes, President of BASF Plant Science, discussed the company’s gene discovery platform and joining forces with companies like Monsanto to bring new traits like drought tolerance to market. Eckes is especially excited about new traits to make food healthier, such as increasing the content of EPA-DHA Omega 3 in crops. “These are the fatty acid that have the health benefits,” he said. “This is really giving consumers a direct benefit.”

    Listen to my interview with Peter here: BASF Plant Science President Peter Eckes interview Eckes also talked about moving the BASF Plant Science global headquarters to North Carolina during his presentation: BASF Plant Science President Peter Eckes presentation

    While the agricultural segment is a significant part of BASF, “The Chemical Company” is so much more as Dr. Harald Lauke, President of BASF’s Biological and Effect Systems Research division, showed us with a concept car they have developed with Diemler. “We wanted to showcase what BASF as a chemical company can contribute to a whole car,” said Lauke. “People may underestimate what a company like BASF can do…that we make complete products, together with customers.”

    Listen to my interview with Harald here: BASF's Harald Lauke interview Listen to Markus’ presentation here: BASF's Harald Lauke presentation

    This is all great stuff – and much more to come from the BASF Media Summit. Please feel free to use any or all of the audio or photos from the event!

    BASF Ag Media Summit Photos

    Audio, BASF

    POTNAFB Interviews POTUS

    Cindy Zimmerman

    The president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting had the opportunity to interview the President of the United States today about a new report on the rural economy and farm policy.

    NAFB President Tom Steever of Brownfield Ag News not only asked President Obama about the Council of Economic Advisers report – Strengthening Rural Communities: Lessons From a Growing Farm Economy – but they also chatted about the 2012 Farm Bill.

    Tom did his usual sterling job – congrats to him, Brownfield and NAFB for getting this opportunity.

    Listen to the POTNAFB/POTUS interview here: NAFB President Interviews President Obama

    Audio, Farm Bill, NAFB

    “Decade of the Bean” Focuses on Higher Yields

    Melissa Sandfort

    Building on the successful launch of Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield trait technology, Monsanto Company is poised to deliver a dozen new soybean traits in the next decade, helping farmers boost yield to meet the growing global demands for soybeans.

    The 2010s have been coined the “Decade of the Bean” because Monsanto has a mix of 12 biotech and breeding traits in its soybean research and development pipeline that are targeted to give farmers the tools they need to help maximize their yield opportunity. Global demand for soybeans is driving the need for farmers to increase yields, and Monsanto has made significant investments in soybean breeding and biotechnology and in improving agronomic practices.

    Advances resulting from the company’s new product soybean pipeline support Monsanto’s goal of helping farmers double crop yields by 2030 to meet this growing world demand. These innovations will be available only in varieties containing the company’s second-generation soybean trait technology – Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield.

    Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield trait technology and advanced breeding techniques deliver the offensive punch while traits like aphid-tolerance and Phytophthora root rot resistance discovered via breeding efforts provide the defensive characteristics that protect yield. With tools like marker-assisted breeding and soybean chipping technology, Monsanto’s R&D organization is bringing products that are expected to deliver high-yield potential every year.

    Agribusiness, Biotech, Soybean

    Wrapping Up Conservation in Action Tour

    Chuck Zimmerman

    ZimmCast 353It’s time to wrap up my coverage of the 2012 Conservation in Action Tour. To do so I’m sharing a couple of interviews I did at the end of the tour.

    To start with you’ll hear Danny Murphy, Mississippi soybean grower and First Vice President of the American Soybean Association talk about what he saw and learned during this year’s tour. Then you’ll hear Pauley Bradley, John Deere, who is also on the board of the Conservation Technology Information Center, talk about why this year’s tour was “the best tour ever.”

    Listen to this week’s ZimmCast here: Conservation in Action Tour Wrap-up

    Thanks to our ZimmCast sponsors, GROWMARK, locally owned, globally strong and Monsanto, Roundup Ready Plus, for their support.

    The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired. Subscribe so you can listen when and where you want. Just go to our Subscribe page.

    2012 Conservation in Action Tour Photo Album

    AgWired coverage of the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Field Tour is sponsored by AGROTAIN
    Ag Groups, ASA, Audio, Conservation, CTIC, John Deere, ZimmCast

    Zimfo Bytes

    Melissa Sandfort

      Zimfo Bytes

      Future Pork at the Expo

      Cindy Zimmerman

      From the whole hog on down to the pork bellies, there’s tons of pork served each year at World Pork Expo, but there’s also plenty of future pork on the hoof around as well.

      The annual WPX Junior National show features young people, who might possibly one day be pork producers, and young hogs, who very likely will one day be pork. And it’s a beautiful thing! You can see some photos of the champions and a list of all the winners in each category on the National Swine Registry website and on the NSR blog.

      The gestation stall issue was a shadow hanging over the expo this year, just the latest in attacks against the pork industry totally led by HSUS, which even tweeted under the #NPPCWPX hash tag this week – “It’s time the pork industry make plans for getting rid of gestation crates. Pigs & farmers both deserve better.”

      If it were up to HSUS, there would probably be no Junior National, or any Pork Expo, for that matter. Reporter Sandhya Dirks of Iowa Public Radio did a story today titled “Is the Agriculture Industry Being Bullied?” about an aspiring young livestock producer who feels he may not have a future in the industry because of HSUS. In an interview with the reporter, HSUS president Wayne Pacelle denies that he wants to eliminate animal agriculture, but then goes on to compare livestock farming to slavery.

      “Who’s really the bully when people are taking advantage of animals?” Pacelle says, adding that he doesn’t think the differences between animal rights activists and animal agriculture one of those things where “the truth is in the middle.” “I don’t think the truth was in the middle when our nation fought about child labor or slavery,” he said.

      Pacelle also accuses the aspiring producer of adopting “the party line” and predicting that the young man’s attitudes will be totally different in five years, “because there’s no future in holding the line on confinement crates.” Sounds like a threat to me.

      The young people who raise livestock for shows pamper those animals and often become very attached to them, but they know very well that they will someday be food on someone’s table. I’m reminded of a line from a very funny video from a British TV program that shows vegetarianism from the other point of view – “Pigs are expensive, pink and annoying – they’re also delicious.”

      2012 World Pork Expo Photo Album

      Pork, Swine, World Pork Expo