Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Kubota Tractor Corporation announces the latest version of its popular RTV900 workhorse utility vehicle model, the new and improved RTV900XT.
  • Planters is announcing the inaugural Naturally Remarkable Planters Awards to celebrate American peanut farmers who are implementing sustainable practices and making positive social changes in their local communities.
  • 4-H Tech Wizards, a new 4-H group mentoring program, will expose underrepresented youth in Bloomington-Normal, Ill., to curricula in science, technology, engineering and math beginning this spring.
  • Krystil Smit has joined the Paulsen Marketing team as their Ag Public Relations Specialist.
    Zimfo Bytes

    Keep Potatoes in Schools!

    Cindy Zimmerman

    According to the National Potato Council, “The time has come to stand up for potatoes in schools!”

    French fries and mashed potatoes have long been staples of the school lunch program, but that could change if a USDA proposal incorporating the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans is implemented. According to USDA, the revisions will “add more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fat-free and low-fat milk to school meals.” But, NPC says the changes include the reduction of certain vegetables, including potatoes, in schools. “The proposed rule on Nutrition Standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs would limit the weekly servings of potatoes, corn, peas and lima beans to a single cup in school lunches and would eliminate all these vegetables in school breakfasts.”

    The 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee identified potassium and fiber as nutrients of concern for children. However, the USDA is recommending limiting the availability of a vegetable that not only provides these essential nutrients in a calorie-efficient package, but that’s also a vegetable children actually want to eat.

    The comment period on the proposal ends April 13, so NPC is urging people to stand up for potatoes and make their voices heard by submitting comments to support potatoes in school lunches. Find out more at PotatoesInSchools.com.

    Potato, USDA

    Farmers’ Share of Food Dollar

    Cindy Zimmerman

    I have been meaning to do a post on the recent report from USDA’s Economic Research Service about the farmers’ share of the food dollar, but I just can’t top the simplicity of a post that NCGA’s Ken Colombini did on Corn Commentary, which he titled “The 88% Solution.” It just says it all.

    The USDA now tells us that farms and agribusinesses represent less than 12% of each food dollar. When will folks start looking at the other 88% as a possible cause of higher food prices?

    More information here from the USDA.

    Corn, Food, NCGA

    Monsanto Responds to Organic Lawsuit

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Monsanto is facing a legal challenge from organic farmers over genetically modified seed.

    monsantoThe Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT) filed suit this week on behalf of 60 family farmers, seed businesses and organic agricultural organizations, against Monsanto Company as a preemptive measure “to protect themselves from being accused of patent infringement should they ever become contaminated by Monsanto’s genetically modified seed, something Monsanto has done to others in the past.”

    “This case asks whether Monsanto has the right to sue organic farmers for patent infringement if Monsanto’s transgenic seed should land on their property,” said Dan Ravicher, PUBPAT’s Executive Director and Lecturer of Law at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York. “It seems quite perverse that an organic farmer contaminated by transgenic seed could be accused of patent infringement, but Monsanto has made such accusations before and is notorious for having sued hundreds of farmers for patent infringement, so we had to act to protect the interests of our clients.”

    Monsanto calls the organization’s allegations “false, misleading and deceptive.”

    The plaintiffs’ approach is a publicity stunt designed to confuse the facts about American agriculture. These efforts seek to reduce private and public investment in the development of new higher-yielding seed technologies. This attack comes at a time when the world needs every agricultural tool available to meet the needs of a growing population, expected to reach 9 billion people by 2050. While we respect the opinion of organic farmers as it relates to the products they choose to grow, we don’t believe that American agriculture faces an all-or-nothing approach. Rather we believe that farmers should have the ability to choose the best agricultural tools to farm their own land and serve their own end-market customers. We are confident that these multiple approaches can coexist side-by-side and sustainably meet the world’s food needs over next 40 years.

    Biotech, Organic, Seed

    First Certified Biobased Labels Announced

    Chuck Zimmerman

    The United Soybean Board held a Biobased Products Stakeholders’ Workshop today at Hoover, Inc. Our featured speaker was Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan who announced the first 11 companies whose products have been certified to feature USDA’s new BioPreferred Label. “The USDA BioPreferred label assures the consumer that a product or package contains a verified amount of renewable biological ingredients.” You can hear her comments below as well as a short interview I conducted with her.

    We also had soybean farmer representatives with us as well as representatives from a variety of companies that are now certified or working on it. I’ll be posting interviews with them later on.

    One of the reasons this event was held in Ohio was the fact that three of the eleven companies are based here. Companies receiving the certification include:

    Nutek Green, a division of Hoover, Inc., (Glenwillow, Ohio); Seventh Generation (Burlington, Vermont); Betco Corp. (Toledo, Ohio); Clear Lam Packaging, Inc. (Elk Grove Village, Illinois); DuPont Corporation (Wilmington, Delaware); ElastiKote (Akron, Ohio); Green Earth Technologies (Celebration, Florida); National Industries for the Blind Agencies (Lighthouse for the Blind, St. Louis, Missouri and Travis Association for the Blind, Austin, Texas); NatureWorks LLC (Minnetonka, Minnesota); Rochester Midland Corporation (Rochester, New York); Bio-Lub Canada (Quebec, Canada).

    Deputy Ag Secretary Merrigan told us, “When consumers see the BioPreferred label in a store, they’ll know that the product or its packaging is made from renewable plant, animal, marine or forestry materials.” She also told me how happy she was that this program will help our farmers since it will continue to open up and develop new markets for their commodities.

    You can listen to or download her comments here: Dep. Ag Secretary Merrigan's Remarks

    You can listen to or download my interview with her here: Interview with Dep. Ag Secretary Merrigan

    You can find photos from the event here: USB Biobased Stakeholders’ Workshop Photo Album

    Ag Groups, Audio, USB, USDA

    BASF Weeds to Watch Reports on Brownfield

    Cindy Zimmerman

    BASF has some new resources for farmers this growing season for weed resistance management.

    basf kixorOne is the Kixor Weed Resistance Management Guide that offers growers strategies for managing glyphosate resistant weeds as well as information about the benefits of using Kixor as a burndown and/or residual herbicide to fight resistance.

    In addition, growers can tune into their local Brownfield Network affiliate on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of each week to hear a localized report on the spread of weed resistance throughout the season. The “Weeds to Watch” Farm Report will feature weed scientists from Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Nebraska and provide an “eye in the sky” report of weeds growers are dealing with and tips for managing the problem.

    BASF

    USB Biobased Stakeholders’ Workshop

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Hello from “I wish it was warm and sunny” Cleveland, OH. Today the United Soybean Board is holding a Biobased Stakeholders’ Workshop and I’m on the scene to capture it in photos and interviews. I’m primarily posting onto the USB Biobased Solutions Blog and will also post some items here.

    This morning we’ll have Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan with us. She will announce the first 11 companies to receive USDA’s Certified Biobased Product label including several soy products. Deputy Merrigan will then try-out some of these certified products.

    We’ll also have USB Director Dale Profit talk about what Biopreferred products mean for his farming operation and representatives from companies receiving the biobased label will discuss their newly certified products.

    So, we’re on location at Hoover, Inc. Yes, that’s the vacuum cleaner company. It’s very interesting seeing some of the original advertising for their products. The company is now much larger and diversified and we’ll learn more about that during a morning tour with the Deputy Secretary.

    Soybean, USB

    Putting Down Roots

    Melissa Sandfort

    These are my beloved pepper seeds. They represent more than just the possibility of having salsa at the end of this growing season. For a couple of weeks now, I have kept them in paper towels and each day, made sure they had adequate moisture. In response, they sprouted roots. This weekend, we put 30 seeds in soil, hoping to have thriving vines to transplant into our garden once any threat of cold weather is gone.

    These seeds represent a sort of emotional connection I feel to being “back home.” I’ve put down roots, and continue to feed that relationship with a community and family that have given so much to me. The people around me gave me a firm foundation – the beginning of a good root system – and continued to feed and sustain me over the years, no matter how many miles were between us.

    Planting a garden this year represents the fact that I’m staying here for good, and oh it feels wonderful to take root where I belong.

    I know. They’re just seeds.

    Until we walk again …

    Uncategorized

    USDA Releases 2011 Prospective Plantings Report

    Cindy Zimmerman

    USDAUSDA expects more corn, wheat and cotton to be planted this year, but slightly less soybeans, according to the Prospective Plantings report released this morning.

    Corn growers intend to plant 92.2 million acres of corn for all purposes this year, up 5 percent from last year and 7 percent higher than in 2009. If realized, this will be the second highest planted acreage in the United States since 1944, behind only the 93.5 million acres planted in 2007. Soybean planted area for 2011 is estimated at 76.6 million acres, down 1 percent from last year. If realized, the United States planted area will be the third largest on record. All wheat planted area is estimated at 58.0 million acres, up 8 percent from last year. All cotton plantings for 2011 are expected to total 12.6 million acres, 15 percent above last year.

    Read the whole report here.

    *POST UPDATE*
    Listen to commentary about the report from Brian Hoops on Midwest Market Solutions who participated in this morning’s Minneapolis Grain Exchange (MGEX) Crop Report Conference Call.

    MGEX Commentary with Brian Hoops
    Audio, Corn, Cotton, Soybean, USDA, Wheat

    Join us at InfoAg 2011

    Melissa Sandfort

    InfoAg 2009 was a terrific success. Over 650 participants shared in presentations on a wide range of topics on technology applications and data management and interpretation. As with previous InfoAg Conferences, the networking among participants was again a highlight of the experience. New relationships formed at InfoAg will lead to greater benefits and opportunities for those involved.

    InfoAg 2011 will be held July 12-14 in Springfield, Ill.

    Coverage of the event will be sponsored by Ag Leader.

    Ag Leader, Events