Industry Ag News 4/15

Carrie Muehling

  • Alltech took steps to advance its leadership in sustainability through the company’s first global renewable energy project, a photovoltaic solar energy system, located in its production plant in Serdán, Mexico. The plant also presented its new source of compressed natural gas, which will help to considerably mitigate its environmental impact.
  • Potatoes USA elected new leadership during its Annual Meeting on March 9, 2022. The newly elected Chairman and Executive Committee will lead the Board through 2022-2023. Jason Davenport of Bakersfield, California was elected as Chairman of the Board.
  • Farmers are invited to submit nominations for the 2023 Farm Bureau Farm Dog of the Year contest, supported by Purina. This is the fifth year of the contest, which celebrates farm dogs and the many ways they support farmers and ranchers in producing nutritious food for families and their pets across America. The grand prize winner – Farm Bureau Farm Dog of the Year – will win a year’s worth of Purina dog food and $5,000 in prize money. Farm Dog of the Year nominations, which include written responses to questions, at least one still photo and a video clip (optional), must be received by July 1, 2022, for consideration.
  • The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture announced Lauren Zajicek has been hired as Coordinator, Communications. In this role, Zajicek will assist in facilitating strategic public engagement including social media and website management, graphic design, event branding and promotion and newsletter development.
  • Ag Media Summit will feature Scott Mason as the opening keynote speaker at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, July 18. Scott Mason is known as the Tar Heel Traveler. His Monday-Thursday series on WRAL-TV, the NBC affiliate in Raleigh, takes viewers along the back roads of North Carolina where he meets memorable characters, finds out-of-the-way places, and unearths fascinating historical footnotes. The series has become so popular it has led to Tar Heel Traveler half-hour specials, which Mason produces each quarter.
  • A committee of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) grower leaders has selected the finalist for the 2022 NCGA Scholarship Programs. As a result, eleven students will be awarded scholarships for the fall 2022 semester. NCGA is proud to support these programs in partnership with BASF Corporation. Learn more about the program winners below and read their full bios here.
  • EasyKnock announced the relaunch of FarmlandFinder, the first online sale-leaseback platform for farmland, with a renewed focus on helping America’s farmers achieve their goals. The new FarmlandFinder will exclusively offer sale-leasebacks to farmers and can help them achieve goals such as strengthening balance sheets, funding operations, eliminating debt, and buying more land.
  • The National Pork Producers Council has hired Chase Adams as manager of congressional relations in its Washington, DC, public policy office. He joins Jack Frye on the organization’s lobbying team.
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Agri-Pulse Newsmakers – Rep. Feenstra, on E15 and WOTUS

Chuck Zimmerman

The newest episode of Agri-Pulse Newsmakers is now live and features Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, on E15 news and WOTUS discussions.

The Biden administration made news this week with the announced emergency action to allow E15 to be sold this summer. The move satisfies a major request of the biofuels industry but also leaves the sector wondering what comes next. Iowa Republican Randy Feenstra joins Newsmakers to discuss that as well as ag input issues and efforts to define a Water of the U.S.

There’s also a panel discussion on the future of ethanol policy and agriculture’s current relationship with the Environmental Protection Agency.

Newsmakers is also available as a podcast and/or you can sign up to get free access to Newsmakers.


Agri-Pulse

DDGS Mistaken for Bird Poop on Biden’s Lapel

Cindy Zimmerman

The ag story of this week may be what hit President Joe Biden on the lapel during his appearance at an Iowa ethanol plant Tuesday.

Video of the moment went viral since it appeared to be bird droppings, but instead of being by-product of a bird, turns out it was a co-product of an ethanol plant, the high protein animal feed known as distillers dried grain with solubles or DDGS.

Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper was an eyewitness in the distillers grains barn with President Biden and he confirmed it was definitely DDGS responsible for spotting the POTUS lapel. “We did see something falling from the ceiling and it landed right there on his lapel and I can confirm it was not a bird dropping,” said Cooper, who took this photo at the event which shows the mound of DDGS off to Biden’s left side and the spot on his jacket. It came just as President Biden started to talk about products made in America and the amount of corn used at the Menlo, Iowa POET plant.

The Des Moines Register was first to report the actual culprit which has given some media outlets a chance to learn about distillers grains for the first time. Even Snopes has issued a fact check on the claim now and White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield tweeted, “If you guys knew your way around a corn silo at all, you’d know it was corn.”

Cooper says it provides a great opportunity for the ethanol industry to explain how each bushel of corn used in ethanol production generates about 17.4 pounds of DDGS to be used as feed for both dairy and beef cattle.

RFA CEO Geoff Cooper confirms DDGS on Biden lapel (3:30)

Audio, Corn, Ethanol, Feed

ZimmCast 690 – From the 2022 Agri-Marketing Conference

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCastHello and welcome to the ZimmCast.

The topic of this episode is the 2022 Agri-Marketing Conference which took place last week. Besides exhibiting in the Connection Point I was also taking photos for NAMA, over 500 of them, which you can find in our online album. Just click on the Flickr icon on AgWired.com or AgNewsWire.com to view and share.

During the conference I recorded remarks from our industry award winners as well as interviewing the new president of NAMA, Deron Johnson, Curious Plot. The Golden ZimmComm Microphone was active in our Connection Point booth and I conducted interviews with a number of attendees and other exhibitors. You can find them all on the virtual newsroom on AgNewsWire.com.

I’m sharing a number of these remarks and interviews with you in this week’s program. Congrats to Kelly Loganbill for winning the Apple HomePod mini in our Connection Point booth drawing. And thank you to Julie Lux, Rural Minds, for winning the distribution of a news release using our AgNewsWire service in the NAMA Foundation Silent Auction

If you would be interested in sponsoring the podcast please let me know. Just email chuck@zimmcomm.biz or message me on social media.

I hope you enjoyed this episode and thank you for listening.

Listen to the ZimmCast here:
ZimmCast 690 - 2022 Agri-Marketing Conference (32:02)

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:

Advertising, Agencies, Agribusiness, Audio, Marketing, Media, NAMA, ZimmCast

Precision Ag News 4/13

Carrie Muehling

  • Koch Agronomic Services is the latest company to join SVG Ventures THRIVE Venture & Innovation Platform to focus on identifying and engaging with scalable solutions across the rapidly transforming crop nutrition ecosystem.
  • A new tool available for the 2022 season, the KestrelMet™ 6000 AG Weather Station, provides farmers with a simple, cost-effective way to manage risk, create management timelines and achieve better irrigation efficiency.
  • Clariant has launched DropForward™: a focused approach to providing precision application with adjuvants and co-formulants. Clariant offers customers Synergen DRT: the first solution to come out of its DropForward concept. Synergen DRT is the drift control agent and biological activator specifically for drones.
  • A cornerstone of any effective weed control program is finding and treating bothersome weeds before they become established and spread. According to weed scientist Erin Hill, Ph.D., at Michigan State University, commercially available Android and iOS smartphone apps may put you on the right path. Hill tasked 16 teams of students learning plant identification skills in her weed science labs at Michigan State with comparing apps for accuracy. The results, now published on the Michigan State website, show the apps correctly identified anywhere from 11 to 67 percent of the photographed plants – or 25 to 80 percent when partially correct answers are included.
  • Syngenta wants to help growers plan their 2022 National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) Yield Contest entries by unlocking their fields’ full potential through the 2022 Find More Bushels program.
  • The 2022 National Sorghum Producers Yield Contest is now open and includes new deadlines for entry and harvest forms submission deadlines. The new entry deadline for the 2022 Sorghum Yield Contest is October 15. Additionally, the 10-day waiting period between submission of the entry form and the harvest report is eliminated. Harvest reports will be made available to contest entrants beginning October 16 and must be received at the NSP office or postmarked no later than November 25.
  • Two scientists have earned a place in the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Science Hall of Fame for their pioneering and impactful research in human nutritional health and biobased product development. Lindsay H. Allen and Terry A. Isbell will be inducted in a virtual ceremony rather than a physical event due to ongoing COVID-19 safety precautions.
  • Godsey Precision Ag began offering Pioneer Seed along with precise soil sampling and data management. The growing business then added variable-rate planting, fertilizer and irrigation, imagery, and on-farm research. Now the next step-change in service is a dealership agreement with Meristem Crop Performance, a fast-growing, high quality crop input provider.
  • The AgCareers.com Talent Solutions Team is partnering with AgLaunch to amplify career connections in the Ag Technology sector. Together, they are laying the foundation for a collaboration focused on growing and promoting careers in the agtech field.
  • Ag tractor and combine unit sales had their first decline since July 2021, according to the latest data from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. U.S. total farm tractor sales fell 21.1 percent for the month of March compared to 2021, while U.S. self-propelled combine sales for the month dropped 10.2 percent to 343 units sold.
  • World FIRA, the leading event in Ag Robotics, will launch FIRA USA in Fresno, Calif. Oct. 18-20, 2022 to provide autonomous systems and robots to California and North America growers. Jointly organized by the Global Organization For Agricultural Robotics (GOFAR), the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, Western Growers Association and the Fresno-Merced Future of Food (F3) Initiative, FIRA USA 2022 will bring together specialty crop growers, robot manufacturers, industrials, academics, technologists, startups and investors for three days of problem-solving, decision making and planning.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

C is for Care Tells Kids About Cattle

Cindy Zimmerman

Zoetis and Ag Storytellers have collaborated on a new children’s book that celebrates the special bond between humans and cattle.

C is for Care is written by Amanda Radke and illustrated by Michelle Weber and features the special care for beef and dairy animals in an A-to-Z format.

“We know the relationship between humans and cattle is two-way; our customers care and provide for animals so the animals can provide for us,” said Becky Lambert, Vice President, U.S. Cattle Marketing for Zoetis. “There’s tremendous value in helping educate the next generation of consumers on the responsible care that beef and dairy producers provide to their animals every day.”

For Radke and Weber, this book fits in with the type of story they are passionate to share. “As cattle producers ourselves, we want to share the positive story of animal production agriculture,” Radke said. “This project helps us tell the story of cattle care with young children and their families, so future generations can appreciate the love and dedication that U.S. beef and dairy producers put into raising healthy animals.”

Buy it here and share it with your non-ag friends!

AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Health

Animal Ag News 4/12

Carrie Muehling

  • U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) released a statement of support after the Senate Agriculture Committee announced that it will hold a hearing on S. 4030, the Cattle Market Price Discovery and Transparency Act. The hearing will take place on Tuesday, April 26 at 10:00 am ET.Click here to read more about the bill.
  • World Dairy Expo welcomes Jenna Langrehr as the organization’s new Communications Specialist. In this role, Langrehr will engage with Expo’s audience on social media, write press releases, and design materials in preparation for the annual event.
  • The North American Meat Institute recognized hundreds of meat and poultry establishments for their positive environmental impact and worker safety achievements at the 2022 Environmental, Labor and Safety Conference in San Antonio, Texas.
  • USPOULTRY’s 2022 Poultry Processor Workshop will be held May 18-19 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Downtown in Nashville, Tenn. The workshop keeps industry professionals informed about the latest technology, newest management techniques and current inspection issues to keep their plants running efficiently.
  • Smithfield Foods, Inc. has promoted Andrea Tucker to plant manager of the company’s Tar Heel facility in North Carolina, effective April 4. The company’s largest facility, Smithfield’s Tar Heel plant is also the largest pork processing operation in the world.
  • The Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER) released new research which shows that if more U.S. food companies are to require feed for their livestock and poultry be free from genetically modified (GM) ingredients, then greenhouse gas emissions on farms could rise, grain elevator and feed mill product handling and production requirements would be greater, and the price of meat, milk and eggs for consumers could increase.
  • Certified Angus Beef will award more than $50,000 in scholarships this year to students who are honing their interests through a variety of education options in the pursuit of a career in agriculture. Applications for all scholarships are open until April 30, 2022, for students pursuing a degree in meat science, animal science, economics, marketing, business, communications, or other beef-related fields or trades.
  • Dairy Specialists LLC announced it has finalized an agreement to acquire the Kansas-based assets and operations of Holstein Supply Inc. (Holstein Supply), effective April 1, 2022.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

Passing the Gavel for NAMA

Chuck Zimmerman

Sara Steever and Deron JohnsonThe gavel has been passed at the Agri-Marketing Conference as Deron Johnson, Curious Plot, becomes the new President of the National Agri-Marketing Association. Sara Steever, Paulsen, handed over the reigns to Deron after serving as NAMA President for the last two year.

Deron has two main priorities for his time as President of NAMA. The first one is “to build back.” Like most organizations, NAMA was impacted by the pandemic and it is time to rebuild to where things were prior to that. The other priority is a challenge to members to get involved and be “present in the association.” You can learn more about Deron’s priorities in the interview we did at the completion of the Agri-Marketing Conference

You can listen to my interview with Deron here: Interview with Deron Johnson (5:17)

2022 Agri-Marketing Conference Photo Album

Agencies, Audio, NAMA

Agri-Pulse Newsmakers – CRP acreage, FSA agency staffing and equity

Chuck Zimmerman

The newest episode of Agri-Pulse Newsmakers is now live and the focus this week is on CRP acreage, FSA agency staffing and equity.

The Department of Agriculture has responded to farm group entreaties to consider allowing production on Conservation Reserve Program acres, leaving many wondering what comes next. Farm Service Agency Administrator Zach Ducheneaux joins Agri-Pulse to discuss the future of the program as well as the current state of FSA programs.

Then, a panel of experts explores farm programs, this year’s production expectations, and what it all means for the upcoming farm bill.

Newsmakers is also available as a podcast and/or you can sign up to get free access to Newsmakers.


Agri-Pulse, Audio, Farm Policy, Podcasts, Video

Industry Ag News 4/8

Carrie Muehling

  • AAEA The Ag Communicators Network announced it is accepting applications through April 18th for one marketing internship with Vive Crop Protection for the summer of 2022.
  • The Corn Utilization and Technology Conference (CUTC) will be held in St. Louis, Missouri, at the DoubleTree Hotel and Conference Center from June 6 through June 8, 2022. To learn more about the agenda, registration, sponsorship or exhibitors, visit ncga.com/cutc.
  • Registration is now open for the Southern Peanut Growers Conference July 21-23, 2022 at Edgewater Beach and Golf Resort in Panama City Beach, Florida
  • After a two-year hiatus, The California Antique Equipment Show™ is back and bigger than ever! A vintage tractor pull starts the weekend on Friday, April 22 at 3:00 p.m. The full show kicks off Saturday, April 23 at the International Agri-Center® show grounds in Tulare, CA.
  • Farm Credit recently awarded $51,000 in grants to 51 FFA members across the country, as well as $51,000 in grants to the winners’ respective FFA chapters. Nearly 6,000 students nationwide competed for the Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) grants. These grants help FFA members create or expand their SAE projects, leverage classroom learning, and gain hands-on experience in the agriculture industry.
  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will hold its biannual Data Users’ Meeting on Tuesday, April 19, 2022, from 1–4:30 p.m. CDT. The event will be held at the University of Chicago’s Gleacher Center. A virtual attendance option will also be available. The meeting is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
  • Minneapolis Grain Exchange, a Designated Contract Market and Derivatives Clearing Organization, reported record March 2022 trading volume of 342,172 contracts, representing a 31.8% year-over-year increase and the highest volume total for March in MGEX history. Total year-to-date volume reached a record 931,091 contracts, an increase of 18.1% from the same period in 2021.
  • The World Food Prize Foundation announced that Jon Wogman has joined the Foundation as the new Senior Program Manager, Global Youth Programs and Partnerships.
  • Children of all ages can discover the joys and challenges of growing one of spring’s sweetest treats through “I LOVE Strawberries,” the newest title from Feeding Minds Press, the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture’s publishing venture. To complement the book, Feeding Minds Press has created a full educator’s guide and coloring pages, with samples available here.
  • Three young leaders, each with a passion for sustainable global agriculture, have been named winners of Bayer’s Youth Ag Summit Thrive for Change Awards. Bruno Ferreira from Bolivia, Chidinma Ezeh from Nigeria and Emiliano Barbero from Argentina will each receive a €5,000 bursary award to help put their winning Thrive for Change project ideas into action. From September 2021 to March 2022, the awardees developed their project plans to make a difference in the fight against food insecurity and climate change.
  • IFAJ and Corteva announce the opening of applications for the 2022 IFAJ/Corteva Master Class, a leadership and professional development training program for agricultural journalists and communicators from developing countries. Click here for more information on the 2022 Master Class and the application form.
  • Country music singer and songwriter, farmer and Case IH brand ambassador Lee Brice will celebrate the tireless work of producers this summer throughout his ‘Label Me Proud Tour’ with his song “Farmer.” The song was written as part of Case IH’s Built by Farmers initiative. The campaign connects the company’s employees, dealers and their families rooted in agriculture with the farmers who use Case IH equipment and technology.

 

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