NCBA CEO Sees Strong Momentum for Cattle Industry

Cindy Zimmerman

The CEO of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association sees the current status of the cattle industry as the opportunity of a lifetime.

“There’s a whole lot of market signals in place for growth in this industry,” Forrest Roberts said in his report to the NCBA membership during the annual business meeting at the Cattle Industry Convention on Saturday morning. “NCBA is riding a wave of momentum.”

Forrest notes that NCBA has a strong financial and leadership foundation and the relationship between NCBA and the Cattlemen’s Beef Board is also strong. “Let me leave no doubt – we are working together very well,” Forrest said about the policy and checkoff organizations.

He outlined goals for the coming year as increasing consumer demand and proving the sustainability of cattle production, creating new trade opportunities in international markets, and pursuing the policy priorities of removing the livestock title in the 2012 farm bill and getting permanent estate tax relief.

Listen to Forrest’s report here: NCBA CEO Forrest Roberts

I also interviewed Forrest about the record attendance at the meeting of 8,217 cattle industry members. “The sense that I’ve gotten from folks all across the U.S. this week has been a lot of optimism about the future of this industry,” he said, noting that is the case even with the severe drought in Texas that helped contribute to the lowest cattle numbers since 1950. He expects to see those number go back up again pretty quickly. “I can see us maybe moving from 30 million head to 35 here in the next 5-6 years,” he said. “The demand is there for our product.”

Listen to my interview with Forrest here: Forrest Roberts Interview

2012 Cattle Industry Convention Photo Album

Audio, Beef, Cattle Industry Conference, NCBA

National Biodiesel Conference Opening Speech

Chuck Zimmerman

Joe Jobe, CEO, National Biodiesel Board, welcomed attendees to the 2012 National Biodiesel Conference this morning. He started out by telling a story about what biodiesel means to him and how he got involved in energy, politics and history. One of the things that really got him interested in the industry was, “I wrote a paper for my high school economics class about developing a market for ag-based fuels to supplement our energy supply . . . So my paper was overly simplistic and naïve, but after working in this industry for almost 15 years now, the basic idea is clearer than ever, and has now become a reality.” However, he says, “Over the past four decades America has not had a consistent and clear energy policy.”

Joe spent some time talking about the RFS.

The RFS demonstrated last year that effective energy policy can be carried out by actual energy policy. After the first year of implementation it has its wrinkles to iron out and we are going to talk about those in depth. But 2011 demonstrated that the RFS can work at doing what Congress intended, which is to draw renewable fuels into the market. I want to commend the EPA for their work in bringing this program together. They have had a very difficult job to take a brand new complex law and a wide range of stakeholders, and build a workable program.

The RFS has created a clear, predictable, stable and sustainable future for this industry.

Listen to or download Joe’s speech here: Joe Jobe Speech

2012 National Biodiesel Conference Photo Album

Audio, Biodiesel, Biofuels, National Biodiesel Conference

It’s a Hairy Job…

Melissa Sandfort

I have the luxury of working from him which means my attire consists of running shoes, sweat pants, t-shirts and sweatshirts. Gone are the days of getting up more than an hour early just in order to apply make-up, wash and style my hair and stand in my closet thinking, “I have nothing to wear” for 15 minutes. I’m sure there are days my husband wishes I would do a little more with myself but then he remembers that I don’t need make-up to go feed the horses or impress the mailman who I see once a month.

When my grandmother was young, it was customary for a woman to get dolled up not only for church on Sunday but for everyday life. My grandmother and her mom always have on hand hair pins, curlers, rollers, clips and rubber rollers to do their hair. This was also back in the days of aprons and panty hose, both of which I don’t own.

And when getting up at 5 a.m. was customary in order to feed the animals, gather the eggs, milk the cow and start on a meal large enough to feed a small country, who had time to do their hair???

Until we walk again …

Uncategorized

ANCW President Addresses Cattle Industry Convention

Chuck Zimmerman

Jill Ginn of Texas addressed the general session of the Cattle Industry Convention last week as one of her last acts as the 60th president of the American National Cattlewomen (ANCW).

“I’m proud to say that this national voice has had a major impact with consumers, politicians and other cattle producers for 60 amazing years,” Jill said. “In 2011, nearly 1600 ANCW members, representing 28 state affiliates, committed to continue our legacy.”

She noted that ANCW’s primary focus is to mobilize their network of volunteers to engage in conversations with consumers and youth about topics ranging from cooking to animal well-being.

Jill has been a cattle buyer for Excel and is currently a territory manager for Novartis Animal Health and she has served in officer positions for various cattlewomen associations.

Jill is now past president of ANCW as Tammi Didlot of Oklahoma was elected the 61st president during the organization’s 2012 Annual Meeting in Nashville.

Listen to Jill’s comments here: ANCW President Jill Ginn

2012 Cattle Industry Convention Photo Album

Ag Groups, Audio, Beef, Cattle Industry Conference, Livestock

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • National 4-H Council has named Dr. P. Bai Akridge as its new Director of Global Projects.
  • Feedstuffs is excited to announce that veteran communicator Andy Vance will be joining its editorial team in a full-time capacity effective March 1.
  • The USDA will amend the federal marketing order regulating the handling of pistachios produced in California, Arizona and New Mexico.
  • A new Issue Paper from CAST examines the impact of certain weed management practices on soil conservation objectives and addresses ways to mitigate negative effects.
Zimfo Bytes

NAFB President at Cattle Industry Convention

Cindy Zimmerman

National Association of Farm Broadcasting president and poet laureate Tom Steever of Brownfield Ag News impressed the 2012 Cattle Industry Convention with yet another of his original poems. Like he did at the American Farm Bureau convention, Tom wowed the crowd in his own special way.

His poetic composition for the cattle industry was on the timely topic of dust – and anyone aware of the bureaucratic battle over the regulation of “particulate matter” will enjoy Tom’s “It’s Only Dust.”

Listen to the audio here and watch the video below: NAFB President Tom Steever - Dust

2012 Cattle Industry Convention Photo Album

Audio, Cattle Industry Conference, NAFB, NCBA, Video

2012 National Biodiesel Conference

Chuck Zimmerman

It’s hard to believe I’ve been Biodiesel Blogging for seven years now. This is the seventh year of the National Biodiesel Conference Blog, one of the first ones we created when we started agriblogging!

The 2012 National Biodiesel Conference is taking place in Orlando, FL. Once again New Holland is sponsoring the media room and the blog and we thank them!

I’ll be posting mostly on the conference blog and Domestic Fuel during the next several days. Just in case you wondered, I will be posting photos too: 2012 National Biodiesel Conference Photo Album

Biodiesel

Novus Introduces NEXT ENHANCE

Chuck Zimmerman

The Novus International team rallied around Wally again this year at the Cattle Industry Convention. The company also had a new product announcement.

Novus International, Inc., announces the release of NEXT ENHANCE®, a source of plant extracts that affects the rumen environment to consistently boost both efficiency and weight gain in beef cattle.

NEXT ENHANCE is a source of cinnamaldehyde and garlic oil (containing the active ingredient diallyl disulfide), which have been shown to favorably modify rumen fermentation. This allows dietary carbohydrates and proteins to be more efficiently used by the animal.

On hand to discuss NEXT ENHANCE was Jim Gerardot, Executive Director, Global Strategic Marketing for Novus. He explains why this natural product is a great new option to optimize weight gain in cattle.

Listen to my interview with Jim here: Novus Introducers NEXT ENHANCE

2012 Cattle Industry Convention Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Cattle Industry Conference, Novus International

Pioneer Sees Strong 2011 Results for Plenish Soybeans

Cindy Zimmerman

Dupont’s Pioneer Hi-Bred is reporting strong seed performance for Plenish high oleic soybean varieties despite challenging growing conditions in 2011.

Pioneer Plenish“I’ve had great success with Plenish high oleic soybeans,” said John Motter, director, United Soybean Board and chair of the Ohio Soybean Council. “During this year’s harvest my Plenish soybeans yielded higher than my overall farm average at 55 bushels an acre, and agronomic performance was outstanding.”

Pioneer launched the high oleic soybean trait in its industry-leading lineup of Pioneer® brand Y Series soybean varieties, with key defensive and agronomic traits such as soybean cyst nematode resistance, phytophthora and sudden death syndrome tolerance, and excellent field emergence and harvest standability.

Pioneer will continue to work closely with growers who are trained in growing specialty crops under identity preserved conditions in targeted geographies based on processor collaboration to produce Plenish high oleic soybeans for continued product testing. Pioneer currently is collaborating with ADM in central Indiana, Bunge in northwest Ohio and Zeeland Farm Services in Michigan on contract production programs to produce Plenish high oleic soybeans in 2012.

Pioneer, Soybean

USDA to Mark 150th Anniversary at 2012 Outlook Forum

Cindy Zimmerman

Eight former agriculture secretaries will help celebrate the 150th anniversary of USDA as they participate in a historic plenary panel at the 2012 Agricultural Outlook Forum, which will be held Feb. 23-24, 2012, in Arlington, Va.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will give the keynote address at the forum and moderate the panel which will feature any and all of the former living secretaries who are able to attend. They include (in reverse chronological order) Ed Schafer, Senator Mike Johanns, Ann Veneman, Dan Glickman, Mike Espy, Clayton Yeutter, John Block, and Bob Bergland.

In addition to the traditional USDA commodity supply and demand and food price outlooks, the forum will also feature 25 breakout sessions with more than 80 speakers that will focus on a broad range of topical issues, including: global food security; foreign trade, financial markets, and economic development; conservation; energy; climate change; food safety; food hubs; extension programs; and next generation farmers. USDA has hosted the Agricultural Outlook Forum since 1923.

Registration for the forum is still available for a cost of $425. Plenary speeches will be Webcast after 6 p.m. EST on Feb. 23, and breakout session speeches and PowerPoint presentations will be posted online after 6 p.m. Feb. 24.

USDA