Violated by Facebook

Chuck Zimmerman

FacebookHas this happened to you (FB account blocked)? If so, how did you handle it?

It has only been 4 days since Facebook blocked my whole account. Many of my friends have had this happen. Almost all were able to get unblocked. None of them were violating FB standards. This is in part the result of the AI being used to determine what is okay and what is not okay. It’s also in part because of a concerted attack by people who have activist agendas and work hard to cancel those they disagree with. Top that off with actually having your account hacked by some unknown person and it is amazing this doesn’t happen even more often. It’s not just Facebook either.

In my case, I got a notification that someone had reported the business page I have in my account for AgWired. I clicked through but didn’t see what was being reported. Right after that I got a notification that my account might have been accessed by someone and to take steps to secure my account. It was a Chrome browser on a Windows computer in Chicago. I was just about to delete it when my page was completely blocked. I chose to disagree and followed all FB steps which included changing my password, uploading proof of my identity (I used my passport), make remarks about what might have triggered this, etc. So, I’m waiting the verdict. This apparently was focused on my AgWired page on which I post stories using content we create for on-location events, news release distribution, latest episodes of podcasts we produce and more. I have been very careful not to violate any social media standards. I don’t actually know what caused this since I wasn’t given a reason.

This happened during my work in Minneapolis last Friday morning. I am the one who feels violated if anybody and the fact that you can’t talk or chat with anyone makes matters worse. I sincerely hope this gets a positive resolution. From a personally standpoint it has been a great communication mechanism for me and my family as well as my work.

I have communicated with several people who have recently had this happen. It has affected them like me and not all of them have been unblocked. I read posts just recently of a few people I follow on Twitter who have just lost 10-15,000 followers over night. I’ve heard it said that it is a conservative purge prior to the election. I also believe we are being targeted by people who are just plain anti-agriculture.

For you agri-marketers out there. What are your thoughts? People I’ve known who are having this happen include farmers, media and other influencers that I believe you want to reach.

Post Update: I got it back on November 7th. Apparently my account was hacked via my AgWired business page. The interesting thing is that my business pages were not blocked although I couldn’t see them or work on them. So, as soon as I could log in again I checked the AgWired page and found an un-authorized ad center admin. I canceled him immediately but he or they somehow placed ad campaigns that never showed up on the page and were charged to a credit card that I don’t have. FB disabled the account, which btw, doesn’t officially show up in my list of ad accounts. Very strange. I spent too much time on this but have learned a lot. And the main thing is that the Facebook of today is now part of the Metaverse and apparently you automatically have an account there to allow you to do all kinds of things. It is complicated and you would need classes in how to actually use all the elements involved. I’m going to stick to simple and am still waiting on Facebook to delete the activity the hacker did in the time I was blocked. Enough on that.

Social Media

Animal Ag News 10/18

Carrie Muehling

  • The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association denounced Google’s decision to bias consumers against beef through their new sustainability search feature that provides inaccurate climate information on cattle production.
  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service released a proposed regulatory framework for a new strategy to control Salmonella contamination in poultry products and reduce foodborne illnesses attributed to these products. The agency is hosting a virtual public meeting on Nov. 3, 2022, to seek input from stakeholders on the proposed framework.
  • The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association reaffirmed support for the National Pork Producer’s Council (NPPC) following Supreme Court oral arguments in the case NPPC v. Ross.
  • Nine-in-ten voters with children in public schools say making sure school meals are healthy and nutritious for children in their community is a priority, according to a new Morning Consult national tracking poll commissioned by the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA). Ninety-two percent of these parents also indicated that they believe providing milk in school meals is important to a child’s daily nutritional intake, while approximately 8-in-10 parents supported including low-fat flavored milk in public school meals. IDFA shares this information at the start of National School Lunch Week to remind policymakers of dairy’s essential place in school meals.
  • Following R-CALF USA‘s 23rd Annual Convention “Code of the West,” R-CALF USA announced all convention speaker presentations are now available on the R-CALF USA YouTube channel. The “Code of the West” convention was hosted in Deadwood, South Dakota, Aug. 18-19, 2022. At least 25 states were represented with about 400 guests in attendance and several thousand additional guests viewed the convention online.
  • The checkoff-funded Dairy Foods Research Centers network – created to provide innovative, science-backed solutions related to consumer demand and business needs and trends – is celebrating its 35-year anniversary. Dairy Management Inc. provides the structure and oversight for more than 20 universities that comprise the network’s six regionally based centers. This system has supported more than 400 dairy industry companies with research-based solutions related to processing, food quality and safety, ingredients and other areas.
  • Steve Evans, vice president of community development for Smithfield Foods, was recognized with the Future Leader Award at the World Sustainability Congress in Munich, Germany.
  • Wayne-Sanderson Farms has announced a second donation of $500,000 toward construction of Mississippi State University’s new poultry feed mill, bringing the company’s total contribution to the facility to $1 million. With this donation, MSU’s department of poultry science is closing in on the halfway mark for funding their multimillion-dollar research mill facility.
  • The American Farm Bureau Federation was joined by representatives of the National Milk Producers Federation, dairy cooperatives, processors, state dairy associations and dairy farmers from across the country for a successful first-of-its-kind industry-wide Federal Milk Marketing Order Forum.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

ZimmCast 700 – NAMA Fall Conference & Export Exchange

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCastHello and welcome to the ZimmCast.

We’re reached another milestone. This is episode 700 of the podcast that started back at the beginning of 2005. You can find them all on AgWired.com by searching the category link for the ZimmCast.

This week I’m going to share a few interviews from my week last week in Minneapolis. This includes the NAMA Fall Conference followed by the Export Exchange. First we’ll hear from Matt Coniglio, Farm Progress, and chair of the NAMA Foundation. Next up is Brian Torrey, John Deere, who is the chair for the 2023 Agri-Marketing Conference which will take place in St. Louis next April. He provides a little look ahead for that.

After the NAMA Fall Conference I changed hotels for the Export Exchange which is an opportunity for foreign grain buyers to come visit with farmers, agribusiness companies and the U.S. Grains Council, Renewable Fuels Association and Growth Energy, who partner to put the even on. First up is Ryan LeGrand, U.S. Grains Council President/CEO. Next Ann Lewis of the RFA provides current numbers for the exports of U.S. ethanol and dried distillers grains.

It was a busy week in Minneapolis but later this week I’ll be in the Georgia woods hunting deer. Looking forward to a little R&R.

Listen to the ZimmCast here:
ZimmCast 700 - NAMA Fall Conference & Export Exchange (17:56)

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

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, Biofuels, Ethanol, NAMA, RFA

AgGateway Preparing for Annual Conference

Cindy Zimmerman

“Create, Engage, Grow – 2.0” is the theme for the AgGateway 2022 Annual Conference, November 14-16 at the Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach, Clearwater Beach, Florida.

“We are doing things to create new digital resources, to engage new people, to grow the organization, and to overall bring better data interoperability,” said AgGateway Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Jeremy Wilson.

The AgGateway Annual Conference is a benchmarking event, where the industry gathers to understand the state of interconnectivity in agriculture, what the association and its membership has accomplished over the past year, and the core initiatives on deck for the year ahead. Wilson says their membership is very diverse from ag retailers, distributors, and manufacturers, to grain and feed companies, precision ag providers, and software and data service providers.

“If you’re involved in any type of agriculture today, there’s a fit for you in AgGateway,” said Wilson. “We’re actually looking at adding some new work in the animal health segment…we’ve also had a couple meet ups around the ag energy side for delivery of liquid fuels.”

Learn more about AgGateway and the upcoming annual conference in this interview:
AgGateway annual conference preview 13:47

ag retailers, AgGateway, Agribusiness, AgWired Precision, Audio, data, Precision Agriculture, Technology

Industry Ag News 10/14

Carrie Muehling

  • High fuel and input costs, market volatility, the war in Ukraine, and the 2023 Farm Bill are just some of the factors driving today’s challenging farm operations. Now is the time to prepare yourself to manage this ongoing uncertainty. Join us online for the 2022 DTN Ag Summit on Dec. 12-13. You’ll gain valuable information from notable experts across the agriculture industry.
  • College undergraduates: Apply for the Agricultural Relations Council (ARC)/Gardner & Gardner Communications internship, being hosted by G&S Business Communications – in Raleigh, N.C. or Chicago – during the summer of 2023. Students interested in applying for the ARC Internship with G&S Business Communications should fill out an application, due Dec. 31. The intern will be selected by Jan. 31.
  • The National Council for Agricultural Education named Dr. Travis Park the director of agricultural education, National FFA board chair and National FFA advisor.
  • Working together was the theme of the annual World Ag Expo Chairman’s Kickoff Dinner at the International Agri-Center® on Saturday, October 8. The event gives the new show chairman a chance to gather committee chairmen, staff, and his friends and family to share a meal and set the tone for “farm show season.”
  • AEI Premium, the online community for agricultural decision makers, presents the third season of its award-winning AEI Presents podcast series: “Nothing Borrowed, Nothing Gained.”
  • The 2022 Annual Conference and Meeting of the American Society of Agricultural Consultants will be held Sunday, October 23 – Tuesday, October 25 in Oklahoma City at the Skirvin Hilton Hotel.
Zimfo Bytes

Export Exchange by the Numbers

Cindy Zimmerman

RFA team in foreground greets Export Exchange attendees

The first Export Exchange since 2018 is underway in Minneapolis this week and organizers are pleased with the turnout.

“We have about 490 registrations as of right now,” said U.S. Grains Council Director of Industry Relations Ellen Zimmerman during the welcome reception Wednesday night. On site registration was busy so they expect to easily surpass the 500 they expected.

“We have five general sessions, about 20 speakers, 32 exhibits, 34 sponsors, 51 countries represented,” she said. “We have just as much time built in for networking breaks.”

The sessions will focus on timely topics related to exports of U.S. corn, sorghum, barley, and the ethanol co-product distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS). But the networking is where the business of the Exchange gets done. Reported sales associated with Export Exchange 2018 included approximately 1.3 million metric tons of grains and co-products worth $403 million traded either at the conference or immediately before or after. The event is co-sponsored by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA).

Learn more in this interview with Zimmerman.
Export Exchange interview with Ellen Zimmerman, USGC 3:24

2022 Export Exchange Photo Album

Audio, Ethanol, Exports, Grains, RFA, USGC

AFBF Establishes 2023 Farm Bill Priorities

Cindy Zimmerman

American Farm Bureau Federation president Zippy Duvall today outlined the organization’s 2023 Farm Bill priorities. The priorities were identified by a working group of Farm Bureau members and staff from across the country.

In general, AFBF supports continuing current farm bill program funding; maintaining a unified farm bill that includes nutrition programs and farm programs together; prioritizing risk management tools that include federal crop insurance and commodity programs; and ensuring adequate USDA staffing and resources to provide technical assistance.

The priorities include more than 60 recommendations over multiple titles of the farm bill including reference price increases for commodities, more transparency for milk checks, funding for conservation programs, rural development, and streamlining of nutrition programs to get food to those who need it most.

The AFBF board of directors voted unanimously to approve the recommendations. Final approval of policy priorities will be accomplished by a vote of delegates at the AFBF Convention in Puerto Rico in January 2023.

Listen to Duvall’s comments and press conference.
AFBF Farm Bill priorities 27:23

AFBF, Audio, Farm Bill, Farm Policy

New AEI Premium Podcast Explores Farm Financing

Cindy Zimmerman

The third season of the award-winning AEI Premium Presents podcast series tackles how farm financing works, and when it doesn’t, in the latest podcast “Nothing Borrowed, Nothing Gained.”

This season, hosts Sarah Mock, Brent Gloy, and David Widmar are back, along with a team of experts. Together, they will shine a spotlight on the often mysterious world of agricultural lending. How does a farm loan work? Where, exactly, does the money that farmers borrow come from? How do interest rates impact lenders and borrowers? Farmers, agribusiness leaders, farm policy wonks, and students are each sure to glean insights.

“This season, we connect the dots from the farm to the Federal Reserve and ponder where the future of farm financing may be headed during uncertain times.” said AEI Premium co-founder and “Nothing Borrowed, Nothing Gained” co-host David Widmar. ”You’ll walk away with an answer to the question: just how risky is ag credit?”

“Nothing Borrowed Nothing Gained” builds on themes from the first two seasons of AEI’s podcast, “Escaping 1980” and “Corn Saves America.” Season one explored the causes, impacts, and lasting effects of one of the most infamous events in American agriculture history – the 1980s farm crisis – so listeners could better understand today’s farm economy. Season two explored the history of the ethanol boom for insights into what might be ahead for carbon markets.

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

Audio, Farm Credit, Farming

Export Exchange Underway in Minneapolis

Cindy Zimmerman

The 2022 Export Exchange welcomed hundreds of buyers and sellers of U.S. coarse grains and co-products to Minneapolis Wednesday evening for a reception prior to the official kickoff of the event Thursday.

“It’s looking great,” said Chad Willis, a farmer from Minnesota and past chair of the U.S. Grains Council (USGC). “After COVID, everybody wanted to get out and be in person again so our attendance is phenomenal.”

It was 2018 when the Export Exchange was last held and being a biennial event, missing 2020 due to the pandemic means four years have gone by since international buyers have been able to visit and meeting grain suppliers face to face. “What I’ve noticed is how important it is for these countries to know where their grain comes from,” said Willis. “A lot of buyers from overseas have been here the last few days and some will be staying on and going on tours of farms, ethanol plants, elevators, ports.”

Listen to an interview with Willis here.
Export Exchange interview with Chad Willis, MN farmer 3:16

2022 Export Exchange Photo Album

Audio, Exports, Feed, Grains, USGC

Corn and Soybean Crop Down from September

Cindy Zimmerman

Corn and soybean production took another step down this month compared to September 2022, according to USDA’s latest Crop Production report.

Based on conditions as of Oct. 1, corn yields are now expected to average 171.9 bushels per harvested acre, down 0.6 bushel from the previous forecast and down 4.8 bushels from 2021. Area harvested for grain is forecast at 80.8 million acres, unchanged from the previous forecast. Corn production is down 8% from last year, forecast at 13.9 billion bushels.

Also based on conditions as of Oct. 1, soybean yields are expected to average 49.8 bushels per acre, down 0.7 bushel from the previous forecast and down 1.9 bushels from 2021. Area harvested for beans is forecast at 86.6 million acres, unchanged from the previous forecast but up slightly from 2021. Soybean production is expected to be 3% lower than 2021, forecast at 4.31 billion bushels.

The report also included a production forecast for U.S. cotton. All cotton production is forecast at 13.8 million 480-pound bales, down slightly from the previous forecast and down 21% from 2021. Based on conditions as of Oct. 1, yields are expected to average 842 pounds per harvested acre, down 1 pound from the previous forecast but up 23 pounds from 2021.

USDA’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates for this month’s 2022/23 U.S. corn outlook is for reduced supplies, greater feed and residual use, lower exports and corn used for ethanol, and smaller ending stocks.

Corn supplies are forecast at 15.322 billion bushels, a decline of 172 million bushels from last month, as lower production and beginning stocks are partially offset by higher imports. Exports are lowered 125 million bushels reflecting smaller supplies and slow early-season demand. Projected feed and residual use is raised 50 million bushels based on indicated disappearance during 2021/22. Corn used for ethanol is lowered 50 million bushels. With supply falling more than use, corn ending stocks for 2022/23 are cut 47 million bushels.

Lower soybean production is partly offset by higher beginning stocks, supplies are reduced 31 million bushels. Soybean exports are reduced 40 million bushels to 2.05 billion with increased competition from South America.

Corn, Cotton, Soybean, USDA