ZimmCast 696 – Yield10 Bioscience

Cindy Zimmerman

ZimmCastHello and welcome to the ZimmCast.

Yield10 Bioscience is an agricultural bioscience company that is developing improved Camelina varieties for the production of proprietary seed products, and to discover highly valuable genetic traits for the agriculture and food industries. The company is working to establish a high-value seed products business based on developing superior varieties of Camelina for the production of feedstock oils, nutritional oils, and PHA bioplastics, and to license yield traits for commercialization in row crops, including corn, soybean, and canola.

Yield10 recently announced an open enrollment program for contract production of winter Camelina in Montana and Idaho, as well as southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada.

We talked with Yield10 President and CEO Oliver Peoples about the company’s goals and the opportunities for camelina production. Listen to the ZimmCast here:
ZimmCast 696 - Yield10 Bioscience and Camelina (21:01)

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.

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Audio, Biofuels, Seed, ZimmCast

Animal Ag News 7/25

Carrie Muehling

  • There were 98.8 million head of cattle and calves on U.S. farms as of July 1, 2022, according to the Cattle report published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).
  • The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) recently updated its export numbers and the value to corn and soybean farmers. The study shows in 2021, beef and pork exports accounted for 537 million bushels of corn usage, which equals $2.94 billion (estimated using an average corn price of $5.48 bushel).
  • The Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin (DFW) board of directors unanimously elects Janet Clark as Board Chair at its annual reorganization meeting. Clark is a second-generation dairy farmer from Rosendale representing District 16 (Fond du Lac, Green Lake and Marquette counties). She, along with the newly elected Executive Committee, will lead the organization through the next fiscal year, which began July 1 and will conclude June 30, 2023.
  • Cargill and Continental Grain Company announced the completion of the previously announced acquisition of Sanderson Farms, Inc. by a joint venture between Cargill and Continental Grain. The acquisition was announced on August 9, 2021. As a part of the closing of the transaction, Cargill and Continental Grain have combined Sanderson Farms with Wayne Farms, a subsidiary of Continental Grain, forming a new privately held poultry business. The new business, named Wayne-Sanderson Farms, will be headquartered in Oakwood, GA.
  • The Missouri Beef Industry Council announced the addition of Sydney Thummel as Executive Director. Thummel will work directly with the MBIC Board of Directors and will be responsible for all operational and budgetary functions of the organization. As the Executive Director she will also serve as a representative at all state and national functions.
  • Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) has hired Lori Captain as executive vice president of global sustainability strategy, science and industry affairs, effective July 25. Captain comes to DMI after serving more than 20 years working at Corteva Agriscience and its predecessor DuPont, most recently as chief of staff, external affairs and counsel to the CEO. She also has worked at Syngenta and has significant experience in sustainability, corporate communications, media relations, policy, and executive and stakeholder engagement.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

Southern Peanut Growers Update

Cindy Zimmerman

From left: Jacob Davis, Alabama; Ken Barton, Florida; Don Koehler, Georgia; Malcolm Broome, Mississippi

The 2022 Southern Peanut Growers Conference was held once again in Panama City Beach, Florida last week, and once again we got an update from the executive directors of the Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi peanut grower associations about their state situations.

Questions include what the crop looks like and how many acres were planted, effects of the pandemic and supply chain issues, crop inputs and early discussions on the farm bill that will be more formally worked on in 2023. In general most areas of these states had good early rain followed by a dry spell and then more moisture so that the crop is in pretty good shape. Input costs have basically doubled for producers since last year and even parts to fix equipment has been more expensive and difficult to get in a timely manner. One of the big issue looking ahead to legislation include an adjustment in the peanut reference price due to the high cost of production.

Listen to the interviews here.
Jacob Davis, Alabama Peanut Growers Association (5:30)

Ken Barton, Florida Peanut Producers Association (3:51)

Don Koehler, Georgia Peanut Commission (4:54)

Malcolm Broome, Mississippi Peanut Growers Association (4:30)

Southern Peanut Growers Conference Blog

Photos

2022 Southern Peanut Growers Conference Photo Album

Audio, Peanuts, SPGC

DWFI Podcast 14 – Jackson Stansell, Sentinel Fertigation

Cindy Zimmerman

Jackson Stansell is CEO and founder of Sentinel Fertigation, a Lincoln, Nebraska ag startup founded in 2021 that uses drone- and satellite-collected imagery to predict when a corn crop needs fertilization — saving growers money and reducing environmental impact. Jackson has a connection to the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute. He received student support from the institute while working on his masters in agricultural engineering at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Jackson is now also pursuing his Ph.D. in biological engineering.

In this episode of our special series focused on water and agriculture in Nebraska, Frances Hayes, DWFI director of communications and public relations, sits down with Jackson to discuss how he came up with the idea for his company, tips for creating technology growers will actually use and his vision of how agtech entrepreneurs can create a win-win for both farmers and the environment.

Listen here or subscribe on your favorite podcast platform:
DWFI Podcast 14 - Jackson Stansell, Sentinel Fertigation 29:39

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:

AgWired Precision, Audio, Fertilizer, Irrigation, Precision Agriculture, Sustainability, Water, Water for Food

Industry Ag News 7/22

Carrie Muehling

  • National Corn Growers Association President Chris Edgington presented the organization’s prestigious President’s Award to Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) during the group’s Corn Congress meeting in Washington, D.C.
  • The International Fresh Produce Association commends leadership of the House Committee on Education and Labor for its recent commitment to the health of U.S. children via the introduction of the Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act, which includes several of IFPA’s recommendations including expanding access to school meals, providing funding for school kitchen equipment, extending WIC benefits to age six, and researching the impact of meal times on fruit and vegetable consumption.
  • The Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City and Agri-Pulse Communications announced that USDA Chief Economist Seth Meyer will be one of the keynote speakers for the 2022 Ag Outlook Forum. The event will be held on September 26 at the Marriott in downtown Kansas City.
  • Conference registration is now open for ASTA’s CSS & Seed Expo 2022, December 5-8 in Chicago. A time-honored tradition each December, this year’s event will be the last year in Chicago, where it has been held since 1946. Visit the conference webpage for the latest agenda details and to register.
  • Curious Plot is announcing seven account leadership promotions and new roles as the agency continues to evolve to best meet needs of its clients. With more than 100 employees nationwide, Curious Plot is a marketing, communications and consulting agency serving more than 65 clients in the food, agriculture and companion animal care markets.
  • Leading industry associations launched the Ag Bioeconomy Coalition to advance federal policy initiatives that foster growth toward a circular economy based on innovative products derived from agricultural commodities. Encompassing a broad range of technologies, the ag bioeconomy uses renewable, biobased materials as inputs to make chemicals and products such as fuels, manufacturing materials, and consumer goods. The industry presents an opportunity to tap into the full potential of the American agriculture sector, support supply chain resiliency, and help address key environmental issues.
  • The Renewable Fuels Association welcomed CIBO Technologies Inc. as its newest associate member. CIBO is a science-based technology company focused on accelerating the adoption and scaling of regenerative agriculture. CIBO uses crop, soil and carbon modeling to quantify the historical carbon footprint and carbon intensity of any field, and through full life-cycle crop simulation, quantifies the impact of practice changes on the carbon reduction and sequestration, as well as crop yield and other parameters.
  • 40 Square Cooperative Solutions announced that Amanda Beavens is the organization’s new executive director.
Zimfo Bytes

Global Ag Tech Awards Presented

Cindy Zimmerman

Chris, Parker, Greg and Kirby Odde, Jim Chambers, Brent Shedd, Jeff Wessels

The first Global Ag Tech Awards of Excellence North America were presented at the second Tech Hub LIVE in Indianapolis on July 21. The awards carry on a 15-year tradition of the Precision Ag Awards of Excellence with a new name to reflect the direction of the industry on an international level. The awards are sponsored by the Global Ag Tech Alliance, formally known as the Precision Ag Alliance.

The 2022 Precision Farmer of the Year award was presented to Greg Odde, L&O Acres, in Aberdeen, South Dakota. The family operation was founded in 1974 by Greg’s father Leonard and is run today along with Greg’s sons Chris and Kirby and grandson Parker.

There were two winners in the Crop Advisor/Entrepreneur of the Year category this year. Stout Industrial Technology, creator of the Smart Cultivator, is an ag tech startup located in Salinas, California developing farm implements that automate labor intensive and expensive tasks like weeding, cultivating and spraying. CEO Brent Shedd accepted the award for the company.

Crop Advisor of the Year Jeff Wessels is Acre+ Precision Ag Manager for Frenchman Valley Coop in Grant, Nebraska. Wessels has been a leader in farmer-facing precision agriculture programs for over 20 years and was one of the first individuals to work with growers on grid soil sampling and variable rate fertility, then to have variable yield zones for fertility and then progress to variable rate seeding.

Finally, the Legacy in Ag Technology Award was presented to Jim Chambers, Vice President and General Manager, Ag Division, Trimble Agriculture. Chambers has dedicated his career to ag tech, precision ag and water technology at both start-ups and major corporations such as Monsanto, Bayer Crop Science, and John Deere.

Congrats to all and check out more photos from the event in the link below.
2022 Tech Hub LIVE Photo Album

Agribusiness, AgWired Precision, Tech Hub LIVE, Technology

Field Notes from Koch Agronomic Services – Episode 21

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.

The experts we’ve heard from on our previous episodes have covered topics ranging from how different crops use nitrogen to the 4R’s of Nutrient Stewardship and how growers and retailers work together to choose the best input for an operation. If you haven’t checked out the previous episodes, you can find them on your favorite podcast platform.

Brand Expansion: Finding the Right Solutions to Grower Challenges

In this episode, we’ll sit down with two members of the brand expansion team to discuss how they find the right solutions to handle the nutrient challenges growers face in the field. Michael Berry, director of brand expansion, and Doug DeGroot, brand expansion manager, also discuss their latest acquisitions and how products are integrated once they are added to the KAS solutions lineup.

You can listen to the program here: Brand Expansion: Finding the Right Solutions to Grower Challenges (10:12)

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, Koch Agronomic Services, Podcasts, Soil

Tech Hub LIVE Keynoter Offers Ag Economic Insights

Cindy Zimmerman

Keynote speaker for the second annual Tech Hub LIVE on Wednesday was David Widmar, managing partner at Agricultural Economic Insights (AEI), who offered his insights on where we are in the farm economy production agriculture business cycle, some key demographic trends, and some key conversations to have with growers.

Widmar says one of the main favorable factors in the current farm economy is an increase in oilseeds demand. “We’ve seen it here in the U.S. but also around the world,” said Widmar. “It’s soybeans in South America, sunflowers in Eastern Europe, and it’s rapeseed in India.”

AEI.ag has produced two in-depth podcast series in the past two years, “Escaping 1980” about the causes, impacts, and lasting effects of the 1980s farm crisis, and “Corn Saves America” on agriculture’s role in environmental solutions, comparing the rise of corn ethanol with today’s carbon markets. The podcast just received a Star Prize award for audio from the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) at the organization’s 2022 World Congress in Denmark last month, so congratulations for that major accomplishment.

Listen to an interview with Widmar here.
2022 Tech Hub LIVE interview with David Widmar, AEI 6:03

Photos

2022 Tech Hub LIVE Photo Album

Ag Economics, Audio, Tech Hub LIVE, Technology

Precision Ag News 7/20

Carrie Muehling

  • Bushel, an independently owned software company for the agricultural supply chain, announced an integration with EFC Systems’ Merchant Ag ERP software. This integration will allow agribusinesses to provide real-time business information through Bushel’s digital tools including its mobile app and web portal created specifically for agribusinesses.
  • American Farmland Trust (AFT) expanded its national Farmers Combat Climate Change Initiative team by adding Bonnie Michelle McGill, PhD, as Senior Climate and Soil Health Scientist and Rachel Seman-Varner, PhD, as Senior Soil Health and Biochar Scientist.
  • Moleaer, the global leader in nanobubble technology, made its U.S. debut of Lotus™, the newest addition to its nanobubble generator product suite. The patented nanobubble system joins in good company with Moleaer’s other nanobubble generator products, which are used globally by over 500 growers and farmers. Lotus is designed to treat and optimize irrigation water, promote plant growth and reduce water and chemical usage.
  • For compact sprayer manufacturers Martin Lishman Ltd, their venture into the world of autonomous spraying became a reality when they were approached by UK based precision equipment specialist, Manterra Ltd. The plan was to mount a Martin Lishman Mini-Spray 125 litre demount sprayer with 3.5m boom on their XAG R150 fully autonomous utility vehicle and create a go-anywhere unmanned GPS controlled spraying system. The XAG and Mini-Spray combo provides a robust and versatile ground-based platform, which offers a whole plethora of spraying capabilities at an affordable level.
  • With 2022 planting complete, growers are turning their attention to managing their in-season inputs and protecting against disease. This season, managing disease and improving plant health with the right fungicide are crucial due to the higher risk of disease from late planting throughout the Midwest and an above average predicted hurricane season for the South and East Coast. With the Syngenta portfolio of fungicides, like Miravis® Neo, Miravis Top, Miravis Ace and Trivapro®, growers can expect cleaner and greener fields with higher yield and return on investment (ROI) potential.
  • Langer Farms & Ag Services has entered a dealer agreement with Meristem Crop Performance, a new provider of crop inputs.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

Soiltech Wireless at Tech Hub LIVE

Chuck Zimmerman

Soiltech WirelessSoiltech Wireless has just completed its seed funding round of $2.5 million and this week the company is exhibiting at Tech Hub LIVE in Indianapolis.

“These funds will help us accelerate growth,” said Ehsan Soltan, Soiltech Founder and CEO. “We have worked hard to prove the concept, enhance the product, and demonstrate value to our customers. Now that we have proven this level of success at the farm gate, we will build the team to drive sales, while continuing to collaborate with customers and researchers to refine our product and software platform to deliver tangible operational, sustainability and traceability results across the agricultural supply chain.”

Soiltech at Tech Hub LIVE

The Soiltech sensor boasts ease of use, arriving pre-configured, pre charged, and ready to help farmers improve crop quality, boost yields, reduce costs, and lower environmental impact. This current round of funding will focus on developments to the Soiltech software platform to help drive collaboration across the agriculture supply chain and deliver enhanced insights to farmers, advisors, processors and input companies.

Learn more about Soiltech in this interview with Soltan.
2022 Tech Hub LIVE interview with Ehsan Soltan, Soiltech 3:42

Agribusiness, Audio, Farming, Tech Hub LIVE, Technology