US Cotton Trust Protocol Update

Cindy Zimmerman

The 2023 Beltwide Cotton Conferences kicked off in New Orleans Tuesday with the consultants conference and an update on the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol from president Gary Adams.

Launched in 2020, the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol is a farm level, science-based program designed to set a new standard in more sustainably grown cotton. Adams says membership in the program grew from about 600 growers in 2021 to between 800 and 900 in 2022 and increased substantially across the value chain as well. “We enroll mills and manufacturers…and now that’s about 1100 companies from over 30 countries that have joined,” said Adams. “And then those end use customers and we have approximately 30 major brands and retailers, such as Gap and Levi’s.”

Adams notes that the Cotton Trust Protocol was the recipient of a USDA Climate Smart project grant that will be undertaken in 2023. “The objective is to enroll 1,650 U.S. cotton farmers into the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol,” said Adams, who is also president and CEO of National Cotton Council.

Listen to Adams’ remarks at the Beltwide and a summary interview below:
2023 Beltwide Cotton - U.S. Cotton Protocol Update 25:34

2023 Beltwide Cotton - interview with Gary Adams, NCC/US Cotton Protocol 7:17

Audio, Beltwide Cotton, Cotton

Agri-Pulse Webinar – Farming in an Integrated World

Cindy Zimmerman

An upcoming Agri-Pulse webinar will address “Farming in an Integrated World,” how disparate global crop protection standards disrupt trade, exacerbate food insecurity and restrict farmers’ ability to grow and export safe, high-quality food.

“U.S. farmers and ranchers have long been some of the most productive and efficient in the world but they need access to safe, modern farming tools in order to be competitive,” said Agri-Pulse Editor Sara Wyant. “This webinar will provide an update on current regulatory challenges that are impacting ag exports around the world.”

Speakers include:
• Sabina Neumann, senior trade advisor, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service;
• Paula de Vera, senior policy advisor, Copa-Cogeca in Europe;
• Luis Osorio, executive director, PROCCYT in Mexico; and
• Ted McKinney, CEO, National Association of State Departments of Agriculture.

The webinar will also feature the voice of an American farmer, Jason Sandahl, sharing his perspective on the impact that varied crop protection standards have on their ability to grow and trade. Agri-Pulse Editor Sara Wyant will serve as moderator.

The free webinar takes place January 19 at 1 p.m. ET and is sponsored by the Crop Protection Action Coalition for Trade (CPACT).

Register here.

Agri-Pulse, Agribusiness, Exports, Trade

Animal Ag News 1/9

Carrie Muehling

  • EmGenisys, Inc., an animal health technology company on the path to revolutionize the bovine embryo industry, was one of the ten semi-finalists competing in the 2023 American Farm Bureau Federation Ag Innovation Challenge this week in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
  • Under the theme of “The Bison Benefit – Good for US, Good for our Planet”, preparations are in full swing to welcome roughly 400 North American bison ranchers, processors and marketers who will convene at the Westin Westminster Hotel January 18-21. This is the annual meeting of the industry’s largest bison organization, the National Bison Association (NBA).
  • From National Milk Producers Federation President and CEO Jim Mulhern: “NMPF is disappointed that once again dairy farmers, who every day strive to be leaders in environmental stewardship, may need to live under a WOTUS rule that is cumbersome, unclear and overly complicated. Because the EPA’s most recent iteration fails to resolve what is now a 50-year struggle to define what constitutes a water body subject to federal regulation under the Clean Water Act, our members will face continued uncertainty as they attempt to comprehend and comply with unclear regulations.” Read the full statement here.
  • Chad Vincent, CEO of Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin (DFW), is featured in BizTimes Media’s “The Wisconsin 275” highlighting Wisconsin’s Most Influential Business Leaders of 2022.
  • Individuals 8-21 years of age are invited to compete in the Larry Higgins Bison Junior Judging Contest on Friday, January 20th at 9 a.m. in the Yards at the National Western Stock Show. This event is hosted by the National Bison Association and the Rocky Mountain Bison Association and held in conjunction with the Gold Trophy Show and Sale (GTSS) during the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado.
  • U.S. beef exports to East Asia in 2022 are again on record pace after a record year in 2021. Despite economic uncertainties due to the COVID-19 pandemic, continued global supply chain challenges, and a competitive global beef market, U.S. beef exports to East Asia, both in value and volume, were outstanding in the first half of 2022. East Asia’s relatively robust middle class has supported the demand for high-quality beef, and a developed e-commerce retail sector has provided flexible avenues for suppliers to promote beef products during the pandemic.
  • The Animal Agriculture Alliance announced that registration is now open for the 2023 Stakeholders Summit, themed “Partners in Progress: Building a Sustainable Future for Animal Ag.” The event is set for May 4-5 in Arlington, Va. An outline of the Summit agenda has been posted on the event website and the full speaker lineup will be announced soon. To register, visit bit.ly/AAA23Summit. Early registration discounts are available through March 10. Discounted hotel rooms are available to attendees through April 11 at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View hotel.
  • With over twelve million dollars raised for livestock operations, Harvest Returns continues to successfully raise capital in this agricultural sector. The crowdfunding platform recently assisted American Beef Ranch (ABR) in completing a $470,000 raise.
  • Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA), the largest and oldest livestock association based in Texas, announced the opening of registration for the 2023 Cattle Raisers Convention & Expo. The annual event, which will be held March 24-26 in downtown Fort Worth, is the largest gathering of livestock producers in the Southwest, drawing more than 3,500 landowners together.
  • The nation’s premier bison show and sale will culminate with a live animal auction at the National Western Livestock Auction Arena starting at 10 a.m., Saturday, January 21 at the National Bison Association’s Gold Trophy Show and Sale (GTSS).
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

Field Notes from Koch Agronomic Services – Episode 25

Chuck Zimmerman

The Field Notes podcast series from Koch Agronomic Services breaks down the science and technology behind agronomy to help growers do more with less.

Success is in the Science – How CENTURO Protects your Nitrogen

In this episode, our experts go through the science behind the KAS nitrification inhibitor, CENTURO. They explain the truth of how the field-proven, EPA-registered formula works with anhydrous ammonia and UAN to help protect growers’ nitrogen investments. Lacie Thomas, technical agronomist for KAS, and Stacey Wertz, KAS senior research chemist, also discuss how Pronitridine, the active ingredient in CENTURO, offers highly effective below-ground protection against leaching and denitrification for fall- and spring-applied nitrogen.

You can listen to the program here: Success is in the Science – How CENTURO Protects your Nitrogen (14:31)

And to make sure you don’t miss an episode, choose an option to subscribe

For Spotify on your computer download the desktop app

Agribusiness, Audio, Fertilizer, Koch Agronomic Services, Podcasts, Soil

USDA Announces Value Added Producer Grants

Cindy Zimmerman

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Thursday announced the awarding of $9.6 million across the country and taking several other steps to help farmers, ranchers, processors and rural businesses diversify the nation’s meat supply.

The Department is awarding 23 Value Added Producer Grant program grants totaling $3.9 million to help producer-owned companies process and market new products. USDA is also providing guarantees for a total of $5.7 million in loans to two companies through the Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program using American Rescue Plan funding. This program supports new investments in infrastructure for food aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storage, transportation, wholesaling and distribution. Through these two programs, USDA is investing in 25 projects in California, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

In his first call with reporters for 2023, Vilsack answered questions on a few other topics, including the announcement that Senate Agriculture Committee chair Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) will not seek re-election in two years, getting a new farm bill done, the current status of Mexico’s plan to ban GMO corn, and whether Congress should re-introduce cattle marketing legislation this year. Listen to the call below.

USDA press call 1-5-23 (28:37)

Audio, Beef, Livestock, Meat, USDA

Deere Introduces New Planting Tech at CES 2023

Cindy Zimmerman

The massive CES 2023 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas kicked off this week with a keynote address by John Deere featuring Chairman and CEO John May and new product announcements.

This is the first time in CES history that an agriculture technology company was featured as a keynote at the show. John Deere first debuted at CES 2019 and has been exhibiting each year since, highlighting the importance of innovation in agriculture. “I know some of you are wondering, why should you care about farmers when they represent less than two percent of the U.S. population,” said May. “It’s farmers from across the world who undertake the enormous task of growing the food, fuel and fiber we all need.”

Deanna Kovar, Deere Vice President of Production and Precision Ag Production Systems, had the pleasure of introducing a new planting technology called ExactShot, which allows farmers to reduce the amount of starter fertilizer needed during planting by more than 60 percent. “The technology uses sensors and robotics to place starter fertilizer precisely onto seeds as they are planted in the soil, rather than applying a continuous flow of fertilizer to the entire row of seeds,” said Kovar.

Last year at CES, Deere introduced a fully autonomous tractor ready for large-scale production. While attendance at the huge event was down last year post-COVID, CES 2023 is expected to have as many as 100,000 attendees this year.

Listen to May and Kovar’s remarks this morning at CES 2023 below and you can watch the livestreamed video here.

CES 2023 John Deere keynote (30:38)

Audio, Equipment, John Deere, Planting, Technology

2022 was a Very Good Year for Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

For the first time in several years the good news outweighed the bad for the ethanol industry in 2022.

In this edition of the Ethanol Report, Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper takes a look at the year in review for the industry and takes a peek at what 2023 may have in store.

Ethanol Report 12-19-22 22:42

The Ethanol Report is a podcast about the latest news and information in the ethanol industry that has been sponsored by the Renewable Fuels Association since 2008.

Choose an option to subscribe

Audio, Ethanol, Podcasts, RFA

Industry Ag News 1/4

Carrie Muehling

  • American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented on EPA’s issuance of yet another Waters of the United States Rule, which will replace the Navigable Waters Protection Rule. “AFBF is extremely disappointed in the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers’ new Waters of the United States Rule. Farmers and ranchers share the goal of protecting the nation’s waterways, but they deserve rules that don’t require a team of attorneys and consultants to identify ‘navigable waters’ on their land.
  • The American Farm Bureau Federation will present its highest honors, the Distinguished Service Award and the Farm Bureau Founders Award, to former AFBF Executive Vice President Dale Moore and former North Carolina Farm Bureau President Larry Wooten, respectively, during the 2023 American Farm Bureau Convention, Jan. 6-11 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
  • The International Federation of Agricultural Journalism (IFAJ) and Alltech have opened nominations for the 2023 IFAJ/Alltech Young Leaders program. The deadline to apply is January 30, 2023.
  • EOS SAT-1, the first imaging satellite to be built by Dragonfly Aerospace, has lifted off from SpaceX’s launch site in Cape Canaveral, Florida as part of the Transporter-6 mission. The satellite is the first of a seven-satellite constellation in low Earth orbit for customer EOSDA (EOS Data Analytics). The remaining six satellites of the constellation will be deployed over the next three years.
  • ADM is bringing forward authentic stories of producers and their crucial role in our nation’s food supply chain through a new video series titled “Faces of Food.” Each episode features a different farm family, their unique operation, challenges they’ve faced, and how local community support has been a factor in their growth, innovation and success.
  • The Alabama Peanut Producers Association seeks eligible peanut producers who are interested in serving on the National Peanut Board. The Alabama Peanut Producers Association will hold a nominations election to select two nominees each for member and alternate to the National Peanut Board during a meeting on February 2, 2023, following the Alabama-Florida Peanut Trade Show. All eligible peanut producers are encouraged to participate. Eligible producers are those who are engaged in the production and sale of peanuts and who own or share the ownership and risk of loss of the crop.
  • Applications are now available for the 16th annual “We Believe in Growing” scholarship, presented by E.M. Tharp and World Ag Expo. The scholarship was created to support agriculture education and encourage students from the Central Valley to pursue a career in agriculture. High school seniors from Madera, Fresno, Tulare, Kings, and Kern counties are eligible for the scholarship. To apply, students must plan to attend a four-year college or university with a focus on pursuing an agricultural career. Two students will be awarded a $10,000 scholarship and the funds will be disbursed over four years at $2,500 per year. The deadline to apply is January 13, 2023.
  • Following a two-month decline and a year of weak sentiment, the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer closed out the year on a more positive note, rallying 24 points in December to a reading of 126. U.S. farmers were more optimistic about both their current situation and expectations for the future. The Current Conditions Index jumped 37 points to a reading of 135, while the Future Expectations Index increased 18 points to a reading of 122. The Ag Economy Barometer is calculated each month from 400 U.S. agricultural producers’ responses to a telephone survey. This survey was conducted from December 5-9.
  • Registration for the 34th Independent Professional Seed Association (IPSA) Annual Conference closes January 9. The IPSA conference will be held January 24-26 in Tucson, Arizona.
Zimfo Bytes

RaboResearch North America Names Senior Dairy Analyst

Cindy Zimmerman

Dairy industry research analyst and economist Lucas Fuess has been appointed Senior Dairy Analyst at RaboResearch Food & Agribusiness (F&A) team in North America. Fuess has served the dairy industry throughout his entire career and gained recognition domestically and globally for his foresight and first-hand industry knowledge.

Rabobank’s RaboResearch F&A group is a global team of more than 75 analysts who monitor and evaluate global market events that affect food and agriculture worldwide. Fuess will join more than 20 analysts based in North America who are internationally respected experts in sectors ranging from dairy to produce, farm inputs, to consumer foods and beverages. The F&A team discerns key insights into agricultural markets; conducts in-depth analysis of the factors that drive sector success or failure; and examines megatrends that ultimately influence clients’ business strategies.

Fuess comes to Rabobank from HighGround Dairy, where he was responsible for leading the dairy market analysis group and delivering maximum analytical value to global dairy clients through published market research and client engagement. Before joining HighGround, Lucas spent seven years at Glanbia Nutritionals as a dairy analyst and economist.

Agribusiness, Animal Agriculture, Dairy

Precision Ag News 12/29

Carrie Muehling

  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced an investment of $9.5 million to support the scale-up of sustainable bioproduct manufacturing in the United States. Three successful projects are funded through USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA) Bioproduct Pilot Program, which funds research and development of value-added products from agricultural commodities.
  • USDA’s $9.5 million investment in sustainable U.S. bioproduct manufacturing will fund research and development of value-added products from agricultural commodities, including soy. The innovative soy project, run by Soylei Innovations of Ames, Iowa, transforms high oleic soybean oil into thermoplastic rubber for pavements, and has had the support of ASA and its farmer leaders.
  • The 6th Annual VISION Conference organized by Meister Media Worldwide, the leading global media company serving specialty agricultural markets around the globe, returns to the Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel & Spa in Arizona on January 17-18, 2023.
  • The American Soybean Association and 19 other agricultural groups argued before the Eight Circuit Court of Appeals on Dec. 15 in Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association, et al. v. Michael Regan, et al. (Eighth Cir. 22-1422). The groups urged the court to reinstate chlorpyrifos tolerances that the Environmental Protection Agency has found safe. EPA arbitrarily revoked those safe tolerances for chlorpyrifos, which effectively ended agricultural uses of the important pesticide. The decision has inflicted enormous costs on thousands of farmers across the country and undermined their ability to protect their crops from devastating insect pests.
  • Organic Seed Alliance (OSA) published a comprehensive policy platform for advancing equitable and resilient seed systems in the next Farm Bill and beyond. The platform provides recommendations on how Congress, regulatory agencies, and state governments can support organic seed producers and the diversity of our national seed supply.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture