2025 Tech Hub Live

Precision Ag News 10/5

Carrie Muehling

  • Biome Makers BeCrop® technology is used across the globe to deliver insights into soil biology and sets the standard for soil health. Syngenta’s R&D-led LIVINGRO™ program will utilize BeCrop® to make science-based decisions that support the production of safe, healthy food while preserving and improving biodiversity and soil quality in agricultural ecosystems.
  • COUNTRY Financial entered into an agreement with GROWMARK on the sale of the Financial Services Building, located at 1705 Towanda Ave in Bloomington, Illinois. The two organizations anticipate the sale to be finalized later this year.
  • The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) released a 2020 report finding that the vast majority of fruits and vegetables sampled in the state meet federal pesticide safety standards. The California Pesticide Residue Monitoring Program Report shows 95% of domestically grown and imported produce samples collected in 2020 had either no detectable pesticide residues or had residues within the allowable tolerance, based on federally established thresholds. In addition, more than 97% of produce samples labeled as “grown in California” had no residues or allowable tolerances.
  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture announced it is awarding more than $1.8 million to support the work of the Agricultural Genome to Phenome Initiative (AG2PI) being led by Iowa State University in collaboration with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and University of Idaho.
  • During their 2022 Annual Meeting, CropLife America elected Andy Lee, president and CEO, Valent North America, as its newest chair of the CLA Board of Directors. Lee will hold the position for two years and use his diverse background to help guide the association. Andy succeeds Paul Rea of BASF Corporation who led the board from 2020 – 2022.
  • New for 2023, Brevant® seeds brand Bovalta™ BMR silage corn builds on the high level of fiber digestibility that producers count on from BMR, with improved agronomics, tonnage and starch. Brevant seeds brand Bovalta BMR silage corn is built with the newest, elite genetics from Corteva Agriscience to help producers boost milk production and their bottom line.
  • American Farmland Trust and the Natural Resource Conservation Service have signed a two-year, $2 million cooperative agreement to further develop and improve AFT’s soil health economic and environmental tools, including the Excel-based Retrospective Soil Health Economic Calculator (R-SHEC), the Excel-based Predictive Soil Health Economic Calculator (P-SHEC) and the Online-Soil Health Economic Calculator (O-SHEC).
  • “Biologicals: Farmer Value, Perception and Potential,” a comprehensive market research effort focused on understanding farmer opinions on the current use, issues and potential for biologicals at field-level has announced the support of another six major players. “We’re pleased to announce that Evoia, the Biological Products Industry Alliance (BPIA), Certis, AMVAC, Lalleman and Redox have joined our forces,” said Cam Camfield, Founder and CEO of Stratovation Group in announcing the news.
  • The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) applauded the U.S. Department of Agriculture for expanding the Post-Application Coverage Endorsement insurance option for corn farmers who “split-apply” nitrogen.
  • Syngenta Crop Protection is launching the world’s first commercial digital solution to diagnose infestations of plant-parasitic nematodes in soybean crops by analyzing photographs taken from satellites.
  • Climate change is threatening agriculture globally, and small-scale farmers in low and middle income countries are particularly vulnerable. To strengthen their resilience, the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) and Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture (SFSA) awarded a $300,000 competitive grant to World Vision through AgMission, an initiative co-created by FFAR and the World Farmers’ Organisation to unlock agriculture’s potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. World Vision is providing additional funding for this project. The joint investment will enable in-depth examination of small-scale farmer adoption of climate-smart agriculture in India, Kenya and Bangladesh.
  • AMVAC recently concluded a 12-stop Technology Summit road tour showcasing the expanding SIMPAS-applied Solutions™ portfolio and SIMPAS® application system.
  • The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is encouraging growers to join its call-to-action and submit comments to the EPA on the important role atrazine, a popular herbicide, plays in their work. Comment period ends October 7. EPA is proposing a level of concern for atrazine at 3.4 parts per billion, down from the current level of 15 parts per billion.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

BetterSoil Alliance Welcomes New Partners

Cindy Zimmerman

The BetterSoil Alliance is pleased to welcome two new partners – Ceres Imaging and Phytech – to help support the California almond industry in the pursuit of improving water productivity, soil health, and lowering carbon footprint.

Since its inception last fall by Yara North America and Heliae® Agriculture, the Alliance has established a framework for evaluating soil chemical, physical, and biological properties; treatment level plant response (growth, moisture stress, vigor); and yield potential. At the end of the season, crop yield/quality, nutrient use efficiency, water productivity, and greenhouse gas emissions will be calculated and evaluated against grower standard practices to validate improvements for growers. Following harvest, the Alliance will share initial findings from the first year of trialing to ensure valuable insights are available to the entire industry.

Almond growers (with 80 acres or more) and advisors are invited to participate in implementing the solutions through customized crop and soil nutrition programs. Participants are eligible to receive a sustainability reward based on water productivity and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) improvements. Data collected from participating growers’ orchards will be used to better understand the positive impact the solutions implemented in the program can have. To allow for collaboration with as many growers as possible, the Alliance urges the industry to participate through pledges to help fund the sustainability awards.

To learn more about the BetterSoil Alliance and how you can get involved, visit www.yara.us/bettersoil/.

carbon, Soil, specialty crops, Sustainability, Water

Mexican Ban on Biotech Corn Would Have Broad Impact

Cindy Zimmerman

A coalition of food and agriculture industry stakeholders in both Mexico and the United States released a new study this week revealing the broad impacts of Mexico’s proposed ban on biotech corn. The report, which was conducted in September 2022 by World Perspectives Inc., reveals that the proposed restrictions would adversely impact food security in North America and raise consumer prices for corn, basic foods, and other critical products derived from corn, particularly in Mexico.

Should the proposed restrictions be implemented, the study found that the average cost of corn would increase 19% and tortilla prices would rise 16% on average. In the first year of the ban, non-GM corn prices would rise 48% to $8.14/bushel and Mexico would pay an additional $571 million for imported corn. Price increases in corn protein, fiber, oil, and thousands of processed foods distributed by tens of thousands of Mexican food retailers would all incur price increases.

“American farmers are not going to stop growing GMO corn,” said National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) president Tom Haag during a press conference Tuesday. “It would be a loss for American farmers but it would also increase the cost of food in Mexico.”

NCGA is one member of the coalition that sponsored the study, which also included the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), US Grains Council, Mexico’s National Agriculture Council, the U.S. Grains Council, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, and many others.

NCGA President comments on Mexico/GMO corn 1:33

Audio, Biotech, Corn, Exports, GMO, NCGA, Trade

Meet New NCGA President Tom Haag

Cindy Zimmerman

Minnesota farmer Tom Haag is the new president of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), starting his term on October 1. Haag farms corn and soybeans in Eden Valley with his son Nathan and has been farming for over 40 years. He has has served on the Minnesota Corn Growers Association board since 2010 and on the NCGA board since 2016.

One of Haag’s biggest priorities as NCGA president is advancing higher ethanol blends through legislation like the Next Generation Fuels Act, which is in both the House and Senate. “So the ball is rolling and I think there’s a great opportunity for that,” said Haag. “If we can get a 30 percent blend (and) use the science behind our technology, I think we can compete with electric vehicles.”

Haag touched on multiple topics important to the nation’s corn growers during a news conference Tuesday, including ethanol, crop insurance, exports, transportation, and negotiations on the next farm bill.

New NCGA President Tom Haag 23:06

Audio, Corn, Ethanol, NCGA

YieldMaster Solutions Continues Partnership with Azotic in US

Cindy Zimmerman

YieldMaster Solutions (YMS) is pleased to continue its partnership with Azotic for at least another three years.

With this partnership, farmers will continue to have access to the nitrogen-fixing biological, Envita® through YMS Distribution channels. Envita is a nitrogen-fixing solution that fundamentally changes the nitrogen equation on your farm. Applied in-furrow or as a foliar spray, Envita enables cells throughout the plant – including foliage and roots – to fix their nitrogen (N) and fill the gap between crop available N and crop accessible N.

Growers can learn more about how Envita has performed in their area through the YMS Proof-of-Concept (POC) trials. To learn more about how Envita visit: yieldmastersolutions.com

AgWired Precision, Biologicals, Nutrient Management

Animal Ag News 10/3

Carrie Muehling

  • Attendee registration and housing is now for the Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show, including any educational programs, business meetings, social events, and access to the Trade Show floor.
  • As of Sept. 1, there were 73.8 million hogs and pigs on U.S. farms, down 1% from September 2021 but up 2% from June 1, 2022, according to the latest USDA-NASS Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report.
  • The following statement can be attributed to the National Pork Producers Council: “We are pleased that the federal judge upheld the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) New Swine Inspection System (NSIS) that incentivizes investment in new technologies while ensuring a safe supply of wholesome American pork. Pork producers use science-based approaches to continuously improve and modernize their practices to ensure product quality and consistency and their workforce’s health and safety.”
  • At the recent 2022 R-CALF USA national convention, R-CALF USA celebrated a strong 2021-2022 rollover calf sale fundraiser season and highlighted the increased interest and support gained from the fundraisers.
  • The National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA) is now accepting nominations for the second cohort of the Advanced Training for Animal Agriculture Leaders program. Nominations are due November 1.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

DWFI Podcast 18 Renata Rimšaitė, National Drought Mitigation Center

Cindy Zimmerman

Renata Rimšaitė is a senior program manager with DWFI and the National Drought Mitigation Center. Renata studies incentive-based water management, including tools designed to motivate or incentivize water using or managing parties to modify the way they use water, not only because it is sustainable, but also because it’s in their financial interest. Water markets is an example of incentive-based water management and can be used to provide flexibility and lower drought risk to crop growers.

In this episode, DWFI Communications Specialist Arianna Elnes interviews Renata to help us learn more about interesting aspects of groundwater management policy. She explains how sustainability can be an economic win-win and how incentive-based water management tools are used in Nebraska and elsewhere.

Listen here or subscribe on your favorite podcast platform:
DWFI Podcast 18 - Renata Rimšaitė, National Drought Mitigation Center 14:48

The Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute (DWFI) at the University of Nebraska was founded with the mission to have a lasting and significant impact on achieving more food security with less pressure on scarce water resources by conducting scientific and policy research, using the research results to inform policy makers, and sharing knowledge through education and communication.

How to subscribe:

Audio, Water, Water for Food

Industry Ag News 9/30

Carrie Muehling

  • The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) and the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) are celebrating 50 years of working together to provide timely, accurate and useful statistics in service to U.S. agriculture.
  • Start making your plans to attend the 2022 NAFB Convention today. Join more than 650 agricultural industry leaders November 16-18 in Kansas City for three days of learning, newsmaker sessions, networking, and more.
  • The Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) and other Illinois commodity groups signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Taiwan that will enable closer cooperation in global trade facilitation.
  • The Mid America CropLife Association (MACA) presented the Industry Vision of the Year award on Thursday, September 8, during the Annual Meeting held in St. Louis, Missouri. This year’s recipient is Susanne Wasson, Corteva Agriscience (retired), of Indianapolis, Indiana.
  • Those planning to attend the 2023 Beltwide Cotton Conferences, set for January 10-12 (Tuesday-Thursday) at the New Orleans Marriott Hotel in New Orleans, LA can now register at https://www.cotton.org/beltwide/index.cfm?page=registration. The last day for discounted meeting pre-registration fees is Wednesday, December 14.
  • The National FFA Organization has received $3 million from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help strengthen Indiana FFA chapters.
  • NASCAR Cup Series rookie, Todd Gilliland, and his No. 38 Georgia Peanuts team head back to the Superspeedway racing Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022, at the Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race begins at 2:00 p.m. ET on NBC.
  • The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) announced that eight Research Ambassadors have been selected for 2022-2023 academic year. Developed and funded by NCGA’s Sustainable Ag Research Action Team, the objective is to build a network of future leaders in the agricultural sector; ambassadors must demonstrate academic excellence, leadership potential, and be involved in research relevant to corn production.
Zimfo Bytes

ZimmCast 699 – Preview of the 2022 NAMA Fall Conference

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCastHello and welcome to the ZimmCast.

This week’s program will be a preview interview on the NAMA Fall Conference coming up very soon in Minneapolis. To get the details I talked with GROWMARK’s Chris Grogan who is the vice chair of the NAMA committee that has worked with staff to plan this year’s event. We’ll talk about the program and speakers, registration, the hotel and more.

The conference will be held at the Loews in Minneapolis on October 10-12. You can find the link to register on the NAMA website if you haven’t already done so.

Listen to the ZimmCast here:
ZimmCast 699 - NAMA Fall Conference Preview (10:54)

So, that’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.

Want to sponsor the ZimmCast? Just let me know and we can talk through ideas for your company. I’m AgriBlogger on Twitter or just email me at chuck@zimmcomm.biz.

Subscribe to the ZimmCast in:

Audio, NAMA, ZimmCast

NCBA CEO Represents Beef Producers at White House

Cindy Zimmerman

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) CEO Colin Woodall this week attended the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health to represent the nation’s beef cattle producers.

“The White House has prioritized ending hunger and increasing access to nutritious food and America’s cattle producers are ready to help by providing safe, sustainable, and nutritious protein to the world,” said NCBA CEO Colin Woodall. “We will continue to highlight beef’s role as an excellent source of protein for all ages, especially for those Americans lacking iron and other essential beef nutrients.”

The White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health, held for the first time in over 50 years, provided an opportunity for stakeholders to discuss solutions to end hunger and reduce the risk of diet-related diseases by 2030. Agricultural producers have a central role in this conversation as providers of our nation’s food. NCBA has previously highlighted the importance of beef in a balanced diet and will continue to showcase the innovative, sustainable production practices employed by cattle producers that ensure safe, wholesome, nutritious beef is accessible to all.

NCBA Director of Policy Communications Hunter Ihrman interviewed Woodall about the conference.
NCBA interview on White House conference (6:08)

Audio, Beef, Food, NCBA