Carbon A List and Partners Receive USDA Climate-Smart Grant

Cindy Zimmerman

Carbon A List, partnering with Danone North America and others, has been awarded $70 million by the USDA Partnership for Climate Smart Commodities initiative.

As one of the 14 high-investment projects, the partners will use the awarded funds to transform the farmer-to-consumer supply chain with implementation of climate-smart projects and infrastructure investments. The five-year collaborative program allows project partners to create end-to-end supply chain partnerships to optimize the value of climate-smart commodities through improving feed management for dairy cows, enhancing food grade commodities for human consumption and better managing nutrients and manure on farm operations. It will also help farmers identify best practices for their acres. To optimize climate-smart farm practices, farmers will receive agronomic and business support for their agricultural systems. This will drive economic growth in rural communities.

The initiative will involve more than 350 participating farms across 18 states. This will include over 32,000 farm
acres, as well as 48,000 head of cattle across 57 managed dairy projects. Partners expect implemented project
practices to remove 57,000 tons of carbon dioxide over the 5-year period. Along with Danone North America, other major partners include Becks Hybrids, Scoular, Sustainable Environmental Consultants and others.

carbon, Farming, USDA

Precision Ag News 9/28

Carrie Muehling

  • U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the Biden-Harris Administration is making $500 million in grants available to increase American-made fertilizer production to spur competition and combat price hikes on U.S. farmers caused by the war in Ukraine.
  • The U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing its withdrawal of all remaining portions of the interim registration review decision for glyphosate. Pesticide products containing glyphosate continue to remain on the market and be used according to the product label and are unaffected by this action.
  • The Conservation Technology Information Center, in partnership with The Nature Conservancy and Houston Engineering, will lead development of a new online tool, the Climate Smart Agriculture Connector, as a key element of a new project selected last week for funding by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities program.
  • AMVAC® Chemical Corp., an American Vanguard® Company, announced a Farm Journal-managed, coalition-driven initiative called the Climate-Smart Connected Ag Project – in which AMVAC/SIMPAS® is a partner – has been named a USDA Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities project.
  • The Soil Health Institute (SHI) congratulates all recently announced USDA Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Grant recipients. As an implementing partner across five selected projects, SHI will work alongside a wide variety of organizations to assist farmers, ranchers, and landowners on their journey toward improved soil health and climate resiliency.
  • GUSS™ Automation has introduced the first and only autonomous herbicide orchard sprayer – Herbicide GUSS, available at select John Deere dealers. This high-tech herbicide sprayer removes the driver from the vehicle to eliminate exposure to the chemical being sprayed. A single operator can monitor any combination of up to eight GUSS, mini GUSS or Herbicide GUSS sprayers on a laptop computer from the safety of their vehicle.
  • Developing a uniform industry adjuvant educational program for the agricultural retail industry is the focus of a webinar the Council of Producers and Distributors of Agrotechnology (CPDA) is sponsoring in partnership with the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) starting at 1:00 p.m. EST on Nov. 1.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

Farm Journal Foundation Series to Discuss Food Waste

Cindy Zimmerman

The Farm Journal Foundation Speaker Series will focus on Food Waste: Access, Affordability and Acceptability during a webinar Thursday, September 29, at 4 pm Eastern.

In developing countries, 40 percent of food losses occur at post-harvest and processing levels. In industrialized countries, more than 40 percent of losses happen at retail and consumer levels. Creating solutions for food waste is a challenge that requires navigating complex landscapes of income disparities, cultural and societal practices, and matters of distribution and availability. This panel will examine the ways in which issues of access, affordability and acceptability contribute to food waste, and how next generation leaders are creating a more inclusive food system.

Register on-line.

Farm Journal, Food

Syngenta Seeds Research Shows Benefits of Enogen Corn

Cindy Zimmerman

Syngenta Seeds has unveiled new research on the benefits of using Enogen® corn for livestock feed in dairy operations. The research found that when comparing Enogen corn to traditional feed products, a U.S. dairy farm operation could potentially yield a financial savings of $132 to $208 per milking cow.

The financial value assessment, conducted in partnership with model developers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Animal and Dairy Sciences and Agronomy Departments and Rock River Laboratory, evaluated factors such as milk content, expected milk revenue, and associated corn silage costs, resulting in a final metric of Income Over Feed Cost (IOFC).

In addition to the financial value assessment, Syngenta Seeds conducted a life cycle assessment (LCA) for the dairy industry and unveiled a similar LCA for the beef industry in 2021, which demonstrated the potential for reducing the environmental footprint of livestock production by switching to Enogen corn in feed rations. The dairy-specific LCA, completed by sustainability firm Sustainable Solutions Corporation, highlights potential reductions in environmental impacts, including lower emissions of greenhouse gases and lower use of land, energy and water.

Syngenta Head of Enogen Marketing and Stewardship Duane Martin talked about some of the advantages of Enogen corn for livestock during an interview at the recent Farm Progress Show.
FPS22 Interview with Duane Martin, Enogen (3:35)

Audio, Corn, Feed, Livestock, Syngenta

Custom Agronomics Partners with Inverness Graham

Cindy Zimmerman

Custom Agronomics, Inc., a provider of private-labeled liquid plant nutrition and other specialty products for agriculture, turf and ornamental markets, has announced a partnership with Inverness Graham Investments.

Company co-founders Michael Williams and Brian Scott will continue running the business. “We look forward to collaborating with the team at Inverness Graham to further expand our offerings and capabilities for both existing and new customers as we pursue the next chapter of growth at Custom Agronomics. We anticipate that this change will result in additional capabilities, increased staffing, and overall enhanced operational and innovative excellence.”

Custom Agronomics and Inverness Graham Investments will be seeking acquisitions that provide high quality products to specialty agriculture and turf markets.

Agronomy, Nutrient Management

Animal Ag News 9/26

Carrie Muehling

  • The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) announced that Mikayla Dolch has joined the organization as its new manager of marketing and digital communications. Dolch will support the expansion and enhancement of NPPC’s digital programming activities.
  • The U.S. Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) invites you to its 15th Annual Meeting and Cattle Producer’s Forum at the DoubleTree Downtown in Nashville, Tennessee this upcoming December 8-10, 2022. Registration and room reservations are now live at https://cattlemensmeeting.square.site/.
  • 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.
  • The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), in conjunction with the Public Lands Council (PLC), is now accepting applications for public policy internships in the NCBA Washington, D.C., office for summer 2023.
  • The dairy checkoff’s “Reset Yourself with Dairy” campaign earned a best-in-class International Milk Promotions (IMP) Trophy at the recent International Dairy Federation’s
    World Dairy Summit 2022 in India, winning against finalist campaigns from France and Switzerland.
  • The U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY) awarded the 2022 Clean Water Award to and Tyson Foods in Dardanelle, Ark., and Pilgrim’s in Arcadia, Wis. The award is presented annually to poultry facilities that go above and beyond in their commitment to sustainable wastewater treatment and water reuse.
  • A new poll of registered voters, conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of the Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA) shows an overwhelming majority of voters—including 86% of Democrats, 83% of Independents, and 90% of Republicans—support the American Beef Labeling Act (S.2716 and H.R.7291) that reinstates mandatory country of origin labeling (MCOOL) for beef.
  • The partners in a new broad climate-smart initiative touted the potential of the project to greatly expand farmer-led conservation practices and business opportunities. The groups learned they will receive up to $50 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the initiative through USDA’s new Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

Industry Ag News 9/23

Carrie Muehling

  • Virtual registration is still available for the Ag Outlook Forum on September 26 from 8:00 am – 4:00 pm CDT. The annual Ag Outlook Forum is a great opportunity to get a comprehensive preview of what lies ahead from leading experts. Presented by the Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City and Agri-Pulse, this “must attend” event brings together USDA’s Chief Economist and other industry experts to share key insights on existing and new market opportunities.
  • The Mid America CropLife Association (MACA) Educator of the Year Award was presented to Dr. Todd Gaines, Colorado State University. The award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated significant contributions to American agriculture, especially in the MACA region. The Ruth White Media Award is presented to an individual who’s demonstrated an evidence of consistent, objective, and accurate reporting on American agriculture and the myriad of issues involved in modern agriculture, including the CropLife industry. This year’s winner is Mike Adams, formerly with American Ag Network.
  • Plans for the 2023 Commodity Classic are well underway as America’s largest farmer-led agricultural and educational experience returns to Orlando March 9-11, 2023. The theme for the 2023 show is “Preparing for the Next Generation.”
  • Clean Fuels Alliance America has appointed Jonathan Martin of Ottawa Hills, Ohio, as its first Director of Economic and Market Analytics. Martin, most recently an economist with Marathon Petroleum Co., brings ten years of experience in oil and gas corporate economics to this newly created role. He will be based in Ohio.
  • The American Farm Bureau and Farm Bureau members across the country will have a seat at the table advising the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission with the appointment of Nebraska Farm Bureau President Mark McHargue to serve on the Agricultural Advisory Committee.
  • Alltech has appointed Tara McCarthy as its global vice president of environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG). McCarthy will support the advancement of Alltech’s vision of Working Together for a Planet of Plenty™, which underscores the ability of the agri-food sector to provide enough nutritious food for all while revitalizing local communities and replenishing the Earth’s natural resources.
  • Potato retail sales increased in dollar sales but decreased in volume sales from July 2021 – June 2022, compared to the same timeframe a year ago. As consumer prices increased by 10.5 percent, retail dollar sales increased by 5.7 percent. The total volume sales decreased 4.4 percent from the same time a year ago, but they remained above volume sales prior to the pandemic. Dollar sales have continuously increased over the last five years. Volume sales have ranged between 6.7 to 7 billion pounds of potatoes sold at retail.
  • The National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC) announced that the organization has hired Alison Gerzina to serve as coordinator of government affairs and communications. In this role, she will support the efforts of the organization in representing the policy and business interests of farmer co-ops in the nation’s capital.
  • The AgCareers.com 2022-2023 season of Feed Your Future virtual career fairs will continue to connect agri-food employers and job seekers across the United States. Organizations require qualified talent to fill workforce gaps in agriculture and food.
  • Farm Credit and Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) announced a new partnership to expand Farm Credit’s Launching Leaders internship program. Interested students may find current internship and career opportunities at Farm Credit institutions across the country at FarmCredit.com/careers.
Zimfo Bytes

Registration Open for CropLife’s 2022 PACE Executive Forum

Chuck Zimmerman

CropLife PACE Executive Forum 2022The 2022 event is set for October 27-28 at the Marriott Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, MO. Here’s more information. And registration is open.

The PACE Executive Forum is an exclusive, new conference born out of CropLife Media Group’s longstanding PACE Initiative. For over 25 years, the PACE Advisory Council has been effective in breaking down silos among the many sectors of agriculture and ag input distribution by sharing challenges and opportunities, learning from one another, and developing strategies for future action.

This October, building on the PACE Initiative model, industry leaders will share their knowledge and insights on how the ag retail industry can respond to the volatile market dynamics.

The ag retail industry is facing rapid and consequential strategic forces that are dramatically impacting businesses. High inflation interest rate environments along with energy price spikes and supply chain disruptions that are straining input availability and creating cost-price pressure are impacting operations across the country. The PACE Executive Forum is uniquely designed and timed to provide insights on how to adapt your go-forward agenda, respond, and realize new opportunities during these times of unprecedented change. Read More

Media

Precision Ag News 9/21

Carrie Muehling

  • Shell Rotella is hosting the second annual SuperTractors virtual tractor beauty contest to celebrate National Farmer’s Day. Farmers throughout North America will have the opportunity to register their unique farm equipment starting on September 19 for a chance to win $250 dollars and 10,000 MyMilesMatter points as part of the SuperTractors competition. Fans can vote for their favorite tractor beginning October 1 and concluding October 11 once a day at mymilesmatter.com/supertractors/peopleschoice.
  • Traction Ag Inc., the first cloud-based farm management software that delivers financial solutions to growers across the midwest, announced it has raised $3 million in seed funding. The company will use this investment to bring added functionality and value to its integrated farm accounting and operations application.
  • Customers seeking cutting-edge biological seed treatment solutions will benefit from a global commercial and R&D collaboration announced between Syngenta Crop Protection’s Seedcare business and Bioceres Crop Solutions, a leader in biological crop productivity solutions.
  • Arva Intelligence announced its participation in three proposals selected for award by the USDA’s new initiative to fund sustainability and climate solutions in agriculture. The USDA publicized its investment of $2.8 billion in 70 selected projects under the first Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities funding pool.
  • Nutrien is sharing the amazing results growers get when applying ESN Smart Nitrogen to corn, commissioning artist Stan Herd to create a one-of-a-kind living billboard in an Iowa cornfield. Over a period of eight weeks, Herd created a crop art installation featuring ESN’s signature E.S. Nitrogen “granule guy” in a local grower’s field using corn grown with ESN fertilizer. Herd recently went “viral” as more than 3 million people tuned in to YouTube for his “Stranger Things” crop creation. Get a behind-the-scenes look at the making of our crop art installation.
  • Meristem Crop Performance announced that ag industry veteran Chris Reat has joined their team to expand business opportunities in Texas and across the southern US. He will seek to further boost Meristem’s portfolio of innovative solutions into new markets.
  • President Biden has signed an executive order launching a national biotechnology and biomanufacturing initiative that contains many provisions important to American soybean farmers, including actions that will support improved markets for biobased products, create greater access to biotechnology, and encourage research and development supporting the “bioeconomy,” or economic activity derived from biotechnology and biomanufacturing.
  • Three years of results from an eye-opening sustainability project in southwestern Wisconsin show that farmers who incorporate environmental practices that improve water quality and conserve soil can also benefit financially. Lafayette Ag Stewardship Alliance (LASA), a farmer-led watershed conservation group, released the latest results from an ongoing study of its nationally recognized sustainability project.
  • The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has rescheduled the Sept. 15, 2022, Conservation Practice Adoption Motivations data highlights release. The new release date is Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, at 3 p.m. EDT. NASS is taking this action to provide additional time for data collection and increase response rates.
  • EOS Data Analytics (EOSDA), a global provider of AI-powered satellite imagery analytics, announced that EOSDA Crop Monitoring has been selected as “Yield Forecasting Solution of the Year” in the 2022 AgTech Breakthrough Awards conducted by AgTech Breakthrough, a leading market intelligence organization that recognizes the top companies, technologies and products in the global agricultural and food technology markets today.
  • The Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) has named Kelsey Litchfield of Rio, Illinois, as Agronomic Programs Coordinator. In her new role within the ISA Agronomy team, Litchfield will be working on behalf of Illinois soybean farmers by coordinating programs and implementing mission driven objectives.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

2022 NAMA Professional Development Awards of Excellence

Chuck Zimmerman

Bob WilhelmThe NAMA Professional Development Awards of Excellence honor members of the organization based on outstanding achievement in each of the Professional Development Areas. The awards will be presented in conjunction with the NAMA Fall Conference, October 10-12, in Minneapolis.

This year, NAMA recognizes Bob Wilhelm, Bayer Crop Science, in the Marketing Communications area and Lori Hallowell, Bader Rutter, in the area of Public Relations.

Throughout a career spanning more than 25 years, Bob Wilhelm has distinguished himself as an agricultural marketing visionary. Between the national and global stage, he has led branding strategy, campaign development, commercial marketing, internal communications, PR campaigns, social media strategy and more. Today, Wilhelm focuses on marketing communications as the Head of Digital Brand Experience, Marketing and Product Communications at Bayer Crop Science. His thoughtful and curious approach inspires team members, pushes boundaries and challenges convention to realize results that surpass goals across Bayer brands. As an avid regional and national NAMA supporter, Wilhelm’s influence is felt industry wide.

Lori HollowwellLori Hallowell’s professional commitment derives from a deep-seated passion for agriculture. For more than 30 years, Hallowell’s concern for the land, livestock and feeding the world has driven her to continually push her industry to improve and innovate. As a public relations leader, Hallowell inspires her Bader Rutter team to seek new and effective ways to deliver content in an ever-changing world. Hallowell’s progressive approach and understanding that to reach producers, agencies must capitalize on diverse content vehicles, has helped her team excel despite unprecedented challenges in recent years. Passionate about developing the next generation of ag communicators, Hallowell devotes countless hours as a mentor and has been active within NAMA for nearly 30 years.

NAMA