Truterra Launches Sustainability Services

Cindy Zimmerman

Truterra, LLC, the sustainability business of Land O’Lakes cooperative, is announcing the launch of Truterra™ sustainability services, a comprehensive suite of agronomic and financial resources designed to meet farmers where they are at every stage of their sustainability journey and to encourage adoption of regenerative farming practices by working to remove one of the biggest barriers to practice change – fear of lost profitability and productivity of their acres.

Truterra sustainability services focuses on working with farmers to plan, make and maintain sustainability practice changes, including:
Making a plan: The Truterra™ soil health assessment and plan sets quantifiable soil health baselines and provides custom recommendations to improve overall soil health and resiliency. The soil health assessment brings much-needed locally relevant context to soil health measures for farmers to understand more about their soil health status, potential for improvement and to help create a roadmap toward improved soil health. After a successful 2022 pilot across several states including Iowa, Kansas and Missouri, Truterra is expanding the soil health assessment to Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin. The soil health assessment offering builds on the robust conservation agronomy support already being delivered through Truterra and Winfield United networks of trusted local ag retail advisors and its farmer support team.
Creating a pathway to make change: Truterra’s market access program is an on-ramp for eligible farmers considering adopting new regenerative practices on their fields. Farmers can potentially receive $2/acre to begin building the baseline data required to participate in future carbon program opportunities. In addition, farmers have the opportunity to participate in the WinField United Advanced Acre® Rx prescription plan1 – a component of which provides a warranty to offset part of the risk of this practice change implementation.
Being rewarded for transition: For fields that have made eligible practice changes within the last four years, qualified farmers can potentially earn between $15-$30 per tonne of new carbon stored through Truterra’s 2023 carbon program which is now open for enrollment through February 28. Truterra offers farmers earning potential by paying based on results – carbon stored – rather than a set payment per acre.

As part of sustainability services, Truterra’s 2023 carbon program is now open for enrollment and Truterra is also working to develop additional opportunities for farmers to be rewarded for their stewardship, such as the USDA-funded Climate SMART (Scaling Mechanisms for Agriculture’s Regenerative Transformation) project to scale production and demand for climate-smart corn, soybean, wheat, cotton and milk production.

Truterra’s 2022 carbon program is expected to pay farmers more than $4.5 million total in cash payments for nearly 237,000 tonnes of carbon stored in soils. The program delivered 220 participating farmers an average payment per participating farmer of $24,842. Full results for the 2022 program will be released in the coming months once all payments have been finalized.

Interested farmers can learn more and find the program that is right for them at Truterraag.com/enroll or contact their local Truterra retail partner.

carbon, Sustainability

How Technology Will Help Future Food System

Cindy Zimmerman

Rob Dongoski is the Global Food & Agribusiness Lead with the corporate consulting firm EY (Ernst & Young) which has as its purpose to build a better working world. His purpose as keynote speaker for day two of the 2023 VISION Conference was to discuss How Technology Will Enable the Future Food System – from Producers to Consumers.

As consumers want to know more about their food and there is a bigger focus on sustainability, “the opportunity to leverage technology in the food system is phenomenal right now,” said Dongoski. “As a society, what we’re leaning in on is friendliness to our planet, so how do we improve some of our practices using technology to make it more planet-friendly.”

At the same time, farmers need to know more about consumer trends than ever before to be able to respond to them in the marketplace. “So as consumers shift away from certain types of foods, are they producing something on the down cycle or could they shift over to something that may be on the growth cycle,” Dongoski explained.

More and more we are all getting information and making decisions with our phones as it relates to food, which provides new opportunities for interaction. “People want to be served by their phones. Particularly the Gen Zs and Millennials have grown up always having a phone, their channel starts with the phone,” said Dongoski. “Whether it’s delivery folks, or directly through stores or restaurants, I think we’re just starting to see the opportunity.”

VISION 2023 interview with Rob Dongoski, Ernst & Young (4:55)

AgWired Precision, AI, Audio, Food

Alltech Releases 2023 Agri-Food Outlook

Cindy Zimmerman

Alltech released its 2023 Alltech Agri-Food Outlook today, showing global feed production remained steady in 2022 at 1.266 billion metric tons, a decrease of less than one-half of one percent (0.42%) from 2021. The annual survey, now in its 12th year, includes data from 142 countries and more than 28,000 feed mills.

Europe bore the brunt of the impact, including significant disease challenges, severe weather and the impacts of the invasion of Ukraine. The global COVID-19 pandemic has had major impacts on the agri-food sector, contributing to supply chain challenges and accelerating the adoption of new technology and environmental sustainability practices.

The top 10 feed-producing countries over the past year were China (260.739 million metric tons [MMT]), the U.S. (240.403 MMT), Brazil (81.948 MMT), India (43.360 MMT), Mexico (40.138 MMT), Russia (34.147 MMT), Spain (31.234 MMT), Vietnam (26.720 MMT), Argentina (25.736 MMT) and Germany (24.396 MMT). Together, the top 10 countries produced 64% of the world’s feed production, and half of the world’s global feed consumption is concentrated in four countries: China, the U.S., Brazil and India. Vietnam experienced a great recovery in terms of its feed tonnage in 2022, entering the top 10 ahead of Argentina and Germany and crowding out Turkey, which reported reduced feed tonnage. Russia overtook Spain, where there was a significant reduction in feed production.

Key observations from the survey:

Feed production increased in several regions, including Latin America (1.6%), North America (0.88%) and Oceania (0.32%), while Europe decreased by 4.67%, Africa by 3.86% and the Asia-Pacific region also dropped 0.51%.

Globally, increases in feed tonnage were reported in the aquaculture, broiler, layer and pet food sectors, while decreases were reported in the beef, dairy and pig sectors.

Although it experienced a narrow reduction in feed production, China remains the largest feed-producing country in the world, followed by the United States and Brazil.

See the survey results here.

Alltech, Animal Agriculture, Feed, Food, Livestock, Poultry

Agri-Pulse Expands California Staff

Cindy Zimmerman

Agri-Pulse Communications, Inc., is pleased to announce the addition of Burke Kennedy as western sales associate for the digital media company.

“Burke will support the continued expansion of Agri-Pulse West subscriptions, advertising and event sponsorship in the California market,” said Jason Lutz, Agri-Pulse sales and marketing manager. “We’ve experienced steady growth since our launch in 2019 and look forward to continuing that upward trend.”

Kennedy has a background in the grower/shipper industry and precision agriculture. Most recently, he worked for Green Rubber Kennedy Ag, providing solutions to food processors and growers through various agricultural and industrial product lines. He also worked with PlantTape to increase crop yield, improve efficiency and lower per-acre cost for growers through automated transplanting systems.

He was born and raised in California’s Salinas Valley, where his family grows, both conventionally and organically, leafy greens, fresh vegetables and strawberries. Kennedy graduated from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business.

Agri-Pulse, Media

Animal Ag News 1/23

Carrie Muehling

  • The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) announced new members of the organization’s Executive Council as well as new directors for the group’s five Industry Segment Boards. Patricia D. Stroup, senior vice president and chief procurement officer of Nestle S.A., and CEO of Nestrade S.A., was selected to chair the IDFA Executive Council. Mike Durkin, president and CEO of Leprino Foods Company was selected to be vice chair of the IDFA Executive Council.
  • National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) President-Elect Todd Wilkinson, a South Dakota cattle producer and chairman of the NCBA traceability working group, released a statement regarding the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) proposed rule on electronic identification for cattle moving interstate.
  • The Dairy Business Association, Wisconsin’s leading dairy advocacy group, presented several Wisconsin legislators with awards for their efforts on behalf of the state’s signature industry at their annual Dairy Strong conference.
  • National FFA Officer Candidates will be attending the International Poultry Expo (IPE), part of the 2023 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE), as a result of the USPOULTRY Foundation’s ongoing initiative to further attract the best and brightest students to the poultry and egg industries. The students will receive an all-expense paid trip to IPE in Atlanta, Georgia, and this opportunity is made possible in part by an endowing Foundation gift from Tyson Foods.
  • VAS is pleased to work with Zoetis to bring genomic data to the PULSE Platform and DairyComp herd management software. This integration makes it easy to view genomic data from the CLARIFIDE brands and herd data in one place for efficient herd management.
  • The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) announced the appointment of key cattle industry leaders to serve on the association’s policy committees. The policy committees review, discuss, and vote on policy resolutions brought forward by NCBA members. These grassroots policies guide NCBA’s advocacy efforts in Washington, D.C.
  • Grazing connections between crop farmers and livestock farmers is a win-win-win for soil health, livestock, and farm profitability. As you’re taking stock of 2022 and planning for 2023, consider adding or expanding a grazing component to your farm operation and look to the Midwest Grazing Exchange to help make it happen.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

ZimmCast 704 – From Beltwide to VISION

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCastHello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.

I’m a little behind on this latest episode. The holidays and early conferences have kept Cindy and I very busy. This includes traveling to see family and that includes a beautiful wedding for one of our nieces. We are very blessed to be able to see so many of our family members. We’re scattered all over the place so it’s not easy. But worth it.

So, I’m going to include a few of the interviews I conducted in the last two weeks.

Let’s start with the Beltwide Cotton Conferences in New Orleans. These interviews are from the Cotton Sustainability Conference. First up will be Dr. Gary Adams, President and CEO, National Cotton Council, talking about the U. S. Cotton Trust Protocol. Following Gary will be Dr. Jesse Daystar, Chief Sustainability Officer, Cotton Incorporated, talking about Climate Smart Cotton.

There are a quite a few more interviews and other audio in the Beltwide Cotton Conferences virtual ag newsroom on AgNewsWire.com. That includes regulatory updates, cotton policy updates and a world cotton outlook.

Now let’s move to this week’s VISION Conference conducted by Meister Media and held in Glendale, AZ. It is the 6th year for this conference.

First up is Joe Monahan, President and COO of Meister Media. He talks about the conference theme of Harnessing the Power of Agriculture 4.0. Then you’ll hear Rob Dongoski, Global Food & Agribusiness Leader, Ernst & Young. He has some great information about how technology will enable the future food system from producers to consumers.

Coming up next on the ZimmComm schedule is the Clean Fuels Conference followed by the annual meeting of the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau. I’m looking forward to them!

I’d also like to remind you that you can subscribe, not only to the ZimmCast, but the ZimmComm Golden Mic Audio Podcast. That podcast contains all interviews or other audio files that we publish. You can find it in all the major podcast directories. Just search for ZimmComm Golden Mic Audio Podcast.

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

Listen to the ZimmCast here:
ZimmCast 704 - From Beltwide to VISION (22:22)

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, Media, Precision Agriculture, Technology, ZimmCast

Industry Ag News 1/20

Carrie Muehling

  • The American Farm Bureau, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Pork Producers Council, Texas Farm Bureau, and the US Poultry and Egg Association joined with other interests in filing a lawsuit in the Southern District of Texas challenging the Biden administration’s recently announced Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule. Other organizations in the lawsuit represent interests such as transportation, construction, petroleum, real estate and mining.
  • Iowa State student Lydia Johnson will be a member of the Agri-Pulse team of journalists this spring as part of an immersive learning experience provided through the Iowa State University Foundation. She is the first candidate to be selected by ISU for this multiyear educational program. Johnson will be based in Washington, D.C., where she will write articles for the Agri-Pulse newsletter — a must-read, subscriber-only product offering the latest ag and food policy information — as well as contribute to all other facets of coverage offered at Agri-Pulse.com.
  • The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published a proposed rule to update the definition of the “healthy” claim on food packaging to help improve American diets. The proposed rule would align the definition of the “healthy” claim with current nutrition science, the updated Nutrition Facts label, and the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Read the proposed rule here. The Georgia Peanut Commission and the U.S. Peanut Federation are requesting peanut growers and industry stakeholders to submit comments to the FDA using this link. Submitting comments ensures that the message of the peanut industry strong and clear for the FDA to take into consideration for the final rule.
  • National Association of State Departments of Agriculture members, the state commissioners, secretaries and directors of agriculture, hand-selected seven issues to serve as the organization’s primary policy focus for 2023. They include the 2023 Farm Bill, animal health, environmental regulations, food production and the supply chain, food safety, international trade and workforce development.
  • Exhibit space at the 2023 Commodity Classic in Orlando is rapidly reaching sell-out status with nearly 400 companies and over 2,600 booth spaces already committed. A limited number of prime visibility booths are expected to sell quickly.
  • The USDA National Organic Program previewed the Strengthening Organic Enforcement final rule. This update to the USDA organic regulations strengthens oversight and enforcement of the production, handling, and sale of organic products. This final rule implements 2018 Farm Bill mandates, responds to industry requests for updates to the USDA organic regulations, and addresses National Organic Standards Board recommendations.
  • Northern Soy Marketing (NSM) traveled to Thailand for its first international trip of 2023, focused on promoting the soy quality of northern-grown and beans and meal exported via the Pacific Northwest, as well as the importance of looking at critical essential amino acids versus crude protein. NSM trip participants had the opportunity change the language around true protein quality during a seminar and site visits to feed mills and vegetable oil companies.
  • Researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) bred four cotton lines that can be used to make self-extinguishing textiles when exposed to fire and will reduce the need for flame-retardant chemicals to be embedded in consumer products, according to a recent study published in PLOS ONE.
  • Join the Livestock Publications Council for a luncheon at Cattle Industry Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana. Register for NCBA-LPC Luncheon by Friday, January 20.
  • The National Corn Growers Association announced that Sadie Lackey has joined the organization as the manager of grassroots advocacy and leadership development.
Zimfo Bytes

Autonomy is Driving New Partnerships in Ag

Cindy Zimmerman

With the value of the autonomous farming sector forecast to reach $95 billion by 2027 the promise of business growth is leading to interesting partnerships and investment agreements.

“Autonomy Makes Strange Bedfellows” was the title of a panel at the 2023 VISION Conference this week organized by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) and moderated by Senior Vice President Curt Blades with representatives from John Deere, Yara North America, and Topcon. “Those are three very different companies that are all collaborating with each other and others in the industry,” said Blades.

Blades says Yara is a global crop nutrition company that has been actively involved in AEM and the precision ag space. “They’ve had the vision of understanding how important it is to work really closely with traditional equipment manufacturers.”

Representing Yara on the panel was Incubation Lead Courtney Yuskis. She was joined by Michele Kaiser, Business Development Manager, ISG, John Deere, and Kent Carroll VP Sales for North America with Topcon Agriculture.

Listen to an interview with Blades about the panel and his comments on AEM’s latest tractor and combine sales report for 2022.
VISION 2023 interview with Curt Blades, AEM (4:44)

2023 VISION Conference Photo Album

AEM, Agribusiness, AgWired Precision, AI, Audio, Equipment, Precision Agriculture, robotics, Technology

Unlocking the Potential of Imaging at VISION 2023

Cindy Zimmerman

Leaders in imagery technology offered insights into the true value proposition for agricultural users during one of the first panels at this week’s VISION Conference in Glendale, Arizona.

Dave Gebhardt, General Manager for EarthDaily Agro, moderated the panel which focused on fully utilizing the massive potential of imaging data. “Imagery has been around for a long, long time and it’s still not one of the most highly sought after data sets,” said Gebhardt. “So we talked a little bit about how we combine different data sets, maybe some satellite imagery with drones.”

Gebhardt says they are also working with different sectors in satellite imagery. “We’re measuring anything that’s green, so how about forestry, how about carbon? How about ESG? So we are looking at opportunities that go outside of traditional precision ag.”

Joining Gebhardt on the panel were Tim Hassinger, Intelinair, Inc.; Orlando Saez, Aker Technologies; and Ron Osborne, Head of Technology for Agriculture, Amazon Web Services.

Learn more in this interview with Gebhardt from the 2023 VISION Conference.
VISION 2023 interview with Dave Gebhardt, EarthDaily Agro (4:48)

2023 VISION Conference Photo Album

AgWired Precision, Audio, Media, Precision Agriculture

BASF Sponsors Awards at Beltwide Cotton Conferences

Cindy Zimmerman

BASF helped to recognize the Cotton Specialist of the Year and Cotton Marketer of the Year at last week’s Beltwide Cotton Conferences.

Dr. Murilo Maeda

Dr. Murilo Maeda, assistant professor and extension cotton specialist from Texas A&M University AgriLife Extension, in Lubbock, Texas, was named the 2023 Cotton Specialist of the Year.

Maeda has been in the cotton industry his entire life, growing up in Brazil on his family’s cotton farm, coming to the U.S. in 2010, receive his doctoral degree in agronomy and crop physiology in 2015 from Texas A&M University. In 2018, he made his debut in the extension industry.

“Along with solid field knowledge, Dr. Maeda also brought an excellent focus in technology, specifically a focus into drone use for producers,” said Kenny Melton, BASF Agronomic Services Manager. “He does a great job bringing West Texas producers into the 21st century and beyond. Not only does he bring the technology knowledge needed to make advancements, but he also does a great job explaining what he is doing and why so that the producers can have a baseline knowledge as well.”

Maeda recently accepted a full-time position with BASF as its Breeding Technology Manager. Along with his wife and two children, he will be moving back to Brazil to use his focus on drones and the sensing industry to work on BASF’s cotton breeding business in Brazil.

Joe Mencer receives Marketer award from O.A. Cleveland

Arkansas cotton grower Joe Mencer was named Cotton Marketer of the Year. The Joseph J. O’Neill Cotton Marketer of the Year award presented by ICE Futures (formerly the New York Cotton Exchange) and BASF dates back to 1991.

Mencer is a third-generation farmer and has been farming since 1979 when he started his operation in Lake Village, Arkansas, with 125 acres of rice on his father and uncle’s land. Mencer had been working for his family since he was old enough to drive the equipment used on their farm. Today, Mencer grows 1,800 acres of cotton, 1,800 acres of rice, 1,000 acres of corn and 2,400 acres of soybeans. He also manages 1,600 acres of timber across Arkansas and Mississippi.

Mencer runs a family business with the help of his wife and two sons and is also heavily involved in many agriculture boards and committees, including the Arkansas Boll Weevil Board, representing Arkansas on the National Boll Weevil Board, the USA Rice and Arkansas Rice boards.

Listen to Mencer’s acceptance remarks and
2023 Beltwide Cotton Marketer of the Year remarks :43

Listen to an interview with Kenny Melton about BASF’s involvement at Beltwide Cotton.
2023 Beltwide Cotton interview Kenny Melton, BASF 4:15

Audio, BASF, Beltwide Cotton, Cotton