Restaurants Should Seek Farmer/Vet Input

Chuck Zimmerman

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “Which group should restaurants consider experts on animal care?” Recently many folks in agriculture participated in an online thank you campaign for Domino’s Pizza. Why? Because the restaurant chain made a decision based on good humane animal practices and did not give in to the demands of the animal activist group HSUS. According to our poll 48% said Farmers, 35% said Veterinarians, 16% said Ag Industry, 1% said Activists and no one selected Government. Sounds like good common sense response to me. So take notice all you restaurant chains. If you need advice and want to do the right thing for your customers and the folks who produce safe, humanely produced food, ask the experts and not people with an agenda.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “Is Atrazine lawsuit settlement good for farmers?” A lawsuit against Syngenta related to the herbicide was has been settled with an offer of over $100 million by the company, even thought there has been no evidence of harm in drinking water caused by the product and the plaintiffs in the lawsuit acknowledged they had not commissioned any research on the subject or seen any new research to the contrary either. What do you think?

ZimmPoll is sponsored by Rhea+Kaiser, a full-service advertising/public relations agency.

Farming, ZimmPoll

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Farm Journal Media is pleased to announce that Cliff Becker and Chad Forster have joined the sales team.
  • Pioneer Hi-Bred and Pannar Seed (Pty) Limited were given approval to implement their agreement for Pioneer to purchase a majority share of Pannar.
  • Farmers and ranchers are headed to Los Angeles – the entertainment capital of the world – for the second Food Dialogues event, June 20-21, 2012.
  • Bayer CropScience announced that EverGol seed treatment fungicide was registered by the EPA and will be available in the U.S. market in cotton, canola and wheat for the 2013 crop season.
Zimfo Bytes

Back to the Corn Grind

Chuck Zimmerman

When I hear that it’s time to get “back to the grind,” I think of going back to work. For the corn industry, Back to the Grind is the theme of the 2012 Corn Utilization Technology Conference.

With a theme of “Back to the Grind,” CUTC will feature the cutting-edge technologies and new uses that continually improve and dynamically change the corn industry.

The conference will debut a third tier of presentation options offering participants the opportunity to hear the latest on mycotoxin research. This new offering has been added to complement the work of the Aflatoxin Mitigation Center of Excellence, which continues to emphasis the importance of developing methods to mitigate and control mycotoxin development in all phases of production and processing.

So I’ll be going back to the grind again this year for the conference where I’ll be conducting interviews with researchers and presenters. Some of my coverage will be featured here on AgWired but most will be appearing on Corn Commentary, the award winning blog of the National Corn Growers Association.

Next week’s event is just one of several where you’ll find members of the ZimmComm team. Cindy will be attending a BASF media event and World Pork Expo and Jamie will be attending the Fuel Ethanol Workshop. We’ll be putting a lot of time on the agriblogging highway!

Ag Groups, Corn, CUTC, Technology

Mississippi Delta Conservation Tour

Chuck Zimmerman

It’s time for the 2012 Conservation Technology Information Center’s annual Conservation in Action Tour. I’m heading out on the agriblogging highway bright and early in the morning for the Mississippi Delta region. CTIC is partnering with the Delta Farmers Advocating Resource Management (Delta F.A.R.M.) to host tour. Delta F.A.R.M. is an “association of growers and landowners who strive to implement recognized agricultural practices that will conserve, restore and enhance the Northwest Mississippi environment, recently celebrated 1 million acres enrolled in its conservation programs.”

I’d like to thank CTIC and AGROTAIN for once again making my coverage of this important event possible. I’ll be collecting interviews and photos from the tour which will take place on Thursday.

Ag Groups, Agribusiness, Conservation, CTIC

Wisconsin Agri-Business Association Names New Exec. Director

Melissa Sandfort

The Wisconsin Agri-Business Association is proud to announce the employment of Tom Bressner as the Executive Director of the new association.

Tom Bressner is a native of Pontiac, Ill., where he grew up on a corn/soybean/dairy farm, raising and showing Registered Guernsey Dairy Cattle Tom holds a B.S. Degree in Agri-Business Management from Illinois State University. Prior to working in Wisconsin, Tom spent over 30 years working for agricultural cooperatives, with over 23 of those years as general manager. Since March 2011, Tom has served as the Interim Executive Director of the Wisconsin Agri-Service Association. He currently lives in rural Moweaqua, Ill., but plans to relocate to the Madison area.

Agribusiness

Is She Tired Yet?

Melissa Sandfort

It’s quiet around here. And because I was going through withdrawal from the incessant watering and feeding I usually have to do, I decided to clean out the horse’s water tank and scoop the poo from inside the barn where they hang out in the shade. It was much more enjoyable this time because while the horses are gone, so are the flies.

Did I mention both of our girls are off meeting a new stud? That’s right, a stud of the same breed/color as Thelma and she must have liked him because she’s already pregnant again! Less than a month after having Surprise (the new filly), she’s with child again. I wonder if she’s tired yet.

Now if it would only rain so the grass would grow for her in our pasture while she’s gone.

So about April next year, we’ll have another new face in the pasture and I hope it’s as easy for her as it was with Surprise.

Until we walk again …

Editor’s Note: I hope to resume audio with my grandfather sometime soon. He’s been under the weather and didn’t think his voice was “blog quality”, so our interviews have taken a short hiatus. Hope to be back to AgWalking shortly!

Uncategorized

USDA Ponders Future of Crop Report Release Times

Cindy Zimmerman

USDA is pondering the future of crop report release times in light of movement toward 24-hour trading.

USDA is reviewing release times for several major statistical reports due to recent changes in market hours by major commodity exchanges. The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) and the World Agricultural Outlook Board (WAOB), the USDA entities responsible for the reports, will seek public comment on the release times and procedures of their key statistical reports. In the coming weeks, USDA expects to publish a notice in the Federal Register advising the public of the comment period. USDA is reviewing release times of the following statistical reports: World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates, Acreage, Cattle, Cattle on Feed, Crop Production, Grain Stocks, Prospective Plantings, Quarterly Hogs and Pigs, and Small Grain Summary. The current USDA release times of 8:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. ET will remain in effect until further notice.

“It is important that USDA continue to ensure the integrity of its report release process, particularly as global exchanges move closer to 24-hour trading,” said USDA Chief Economist Joe Glauber. “To this end, USDA is reviewing our procedures and will solicit public input to determine the needs of those who use our data.”

Some options being considered include changing the reports to the afternoon or running them on weekends to take them out of live trading time. The Chicago Mercantile Exchange just started electronic trading 21 hours a day and intends to offer expanded floor trading hours for CBOT grain and oilseed futures and options during major crop reports, pending CFTC certification. According to CME, the floor trading open would be “changed to 7:20 a.m. CST from 9:30 a.m. CST on mornings of specified reports beginning June 12, 2012 for the USDA WASDE and Crop Production reports.”


In a recent letter to the chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the National Corn Growers Association requested a 30-day public comment period before grain traders are allowed 22-hour-per-day electronic trading of grain and oilseed futures contracts. NCGA believes it is important for CFTC to take input and further analyze the proposals from the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) and the CME Group. “As currently formulated, both ICE’s plans for new contracts with greatly expanded trading hours and the CME Group’s plans to expand hours raise serious issues that potentially place the Nation’s corn growers at a marketing disadvantage,” wrote NCGA President Garry Niemeyer.

NCGA is concerned that extended trading hours could lead to “extreme” market volatility and problems for growers who track the futures to make marketing decisions.

Corn, USDA

Meet the Students of Locust Trace AgriScience Farm

Jamie Johansen

Locust Trace AgriScience Farm is full of students on the road to a successful career in agriculture. I had the opportunity to sit down with a few of them as they told their story on why they have chosen to attend this state-of-the-art school focused on agriculture.

Meet Camila Modica, Sr. at Locust Trace and served as the chapter FFA president this past year. Listen as she shares her story about beating the odds and how she credits this unique school. Interview with Camila Modica

Meet Danielle Milbern, Jr. at Locust Trace. Check out how Danielle is planning for a future career in agriculture education and what courses she is taking to help prepare her for it. She also would love to do her student teaching at Locust Trace and maybe even teach there in the future. Interview with Danielle Milbern

Meet Travis Mink, Jr. at Locust Trace. I caught up with him as he was leading one of the schools dairy cows in to be bred through artificial insemination. Listen as he shares what sets this school apart from a traditional education. Interview with Travis Mink

Locust Trace AgriScience Farm Photo Album

Agribusiness, Alltech, Education, FFA

Atrazine Settlement a Relief for Farmers

Cindy Zimmerman

Syngenta is hoping that a settlement reached last week over atrazine in water supplies will help the farmers who depend on the herbicide that is more than 50 years old.

The proposed settlement agreement will cost the company $105 million and still requires court approval but the hope is that it will “end the uncertainty and expense of almost eight years of litigation.”

“This settlement is good for the company and the farmers who depend on atrazine, as well as our retailers, distributors, partners, and others who have been inconvenienced by this ongoing and burdensome litigation,” said Syngenta officials in a press release.

“We’re relieved that a settlement has been reached that will allow our farmer members to use this proven and safe tool on their farms,” said National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) President Garry Niemeyer. “Atrazine safety has been verified by thousands of studies and numerous reviews by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and we’re happy to have this nuisance lawsuit behind us so our growers can move forward and do what they do best – help feed and fuel the world, sustainably.”

In making the settlement, Syngenta “acknowledges no liability and continues to stand by the safety of atrazine,” while the $105 million will be used for water systems that have “detected any amount of atrazine in its raw or finished water in the past or up to approximately 90 days after the date of preliminary approval of the settlement.”

According to the settlement, the scientific evidence continues to make it clear that no one ever has or ever could be exposed to enough atrazine in water to affect their health when the product is used according to its label. The plaintiffs acknowledge that they have not commissioned and are not aware of any new scientific studies relating to the safety of atrazine.

The court settlement hearing is scheduled for tomorrow.

Corn, Crop Protection, NCGA

Wheat Growers Hires Director of Grain Merchandising

Melissa Sandfort

Wheat Growers grain and agronomy cooperative announces that Tom Bright has been hired as Director of Grain Merchandising.

He brings more than 20 years of merchandising and management experience in the grain industry to Wheat Growers with background from an experience base across the Midwest, working with a variety of grain industry buyers, sellers, transportation providers and other key members of the industry.

Prior to joining the Wheat Growers team, Bright was the Director of Grain Management at Panda Ethanol. Before that he spent four years as Senior Merchandiser at W.B. Johnston Grain Company and had 17 years experience with Bartlett and Company in various roles. He’s a graduate of Oklahoma State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics.

Wheat