Yield Forecast Challenge Launches April 15 on AEI Premium

Cindy Zimmerman

AEI Premium, the online community for agricultural decision makers, is launching a new online contest called the Yield Forecast Challenge.

Beginning April 15, you are invited to forecast 16 questions about USDA yield estimates for corn and soybeans. The questions will span the USDA World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) reports from May through November 2022.

You can earn points after each question based on how well your forecast stacked up and how often you participate. The overall winner will receive the grand prize at the end of the contest: $1,600. Additional prizes will be awarded throughout the contest.

“We’re excited to provide a new way for farmers, agribusiness leaders, farm policy wonks, and students to engage with AEI.ag,” said AEI Premium co-founder David Widmar. “This contest supports our broader mission to help agriculture decision makers navigate today’s uncertainty and information overload. The Yield Forecast Challenge will empower you to be your own guru.”

Learn more about the Yield Forecast Challenge at aei.ag/16-questions.

Corn, Soybean, USDA

Animal Ag News 4/4

Carrie Muehling

  • The National Pork Producers Council has hired Chase Adams as manager of congressional relations in its Washington, DC, public policy office. In addition, Annemarie Pender has been hired by NPPC as assistant vice president for marketing and communications in the DC office.
  • As of March 1, there were 72.2 million hogs and pigs on U.S. farms, down 2% from March 2021 and down 3% from Dec. 1, 2021, according to the Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report published today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
  • National Bison Association Executive Director Dave Carter has announced that he will be stepping down as the organization’s leader after more than two decades of helping to build the business as a solid, economically growing sector within the food economy while restoring bison to native habitat across North America.
  • U.S. Senators Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) released an updated version of their legislation, the Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act. The senators first introduced the bill in November. Click here to read the amended bill text.
  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture published the highly anticipated Origin of Livestock (OOL) final rule for organic dairy. This change to the USDA organic regulations will promote a fairer and more competitive market for all organic dairy producers, by making sure that certified USDA organic dairy products are produced to the same consistent standard.
  • The results from Alltech’s 2021 U.S. Harvest Analysis revealed that the mycotoxin risk was notably higher for forage harvested in 2021 compared to the previous year. As dairy producers are now opening their forage bunks and taking 2021 corn out of their silos, the mycotoxin risk has been found to be amplified in the total mixed rations (TMR) that are being tested in the Alltech 37+ laboratory. Almost 140 TMR samples have been tested since the beginning of January 2022, and the results show that 100% of samples contain mycotoxins, with an average number of 7.5 mycotoxins per sample.
  • The U.S Department of Agriculture announced that ranchers who have approved applications through the 2021 Livestock Forage Disaster Program for forage losses due to severe drought or wildfire in 2021 will soon begin receiving emergency relief payments for increases in supplemental feed costs in 2021 through the Farm Service Agency’s new Emergency Livestock Relief Program.
  • Sanderson Farms’ feed mill in Collins, Mississippi has been recognized as the 2021 Integrator Feed Facility of the Year by the American Feed Industry Association in partnership with Feedstuffs and the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association. The award, which recognizes the highest achievement in feed manufacturing facilities, was presented during the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association’s annual Feed Mill Management Seminar.
  • Nonprofit regional dairy council Dairy MAX announced that Marty McKinzie has been promoted to chief growth officer of the organization, responsible for business development, industry image and relations, sustainability and organizational development. Dairy MAX has additionally hired Kay Johnson Smith as chief operating officer, leading key areas of the business including consumer marketing, corporate communications, issues management, health and wellness and school marketing.
  • For advocating relentlessly for North Carolina pork producers and farmers, for educating people about the value of production agriculture, for addressing childhood hunger by getting food banks and farmers to work together, and for creating an army of producer advocates for the pork industry and agriculture as CEO of the North Carolina Pork Council, Deborah Johnson was honored with the Paulson-Whitmore State Executive Award. The award was presented by the National Pork Producers Council and National Pork Board at the organizations’ joint annual business meeting, the National Pork Industry Forum.
  • WATT Global Media has announced a Chicken Marketer of the Year will be awarded during the annual Chicken Marketing Summit, with nominations being accepted until May 1, 2022. The executive conference is scheduled for July 25-27 at the Château Élan in Braselton, Georgia.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

White House Fuel Price Plan Overlooks Biofuels

Cindy Zimmerman

Biofuel organizations are baffled by the White House “Plan to Respond to Putin’s Price Hike at the Pump” released last week that completely ignores increasing use of renewable fuels.

“It is baffling to us that President Biden continues to overlook ethanol, which is the most readily available, lowest-cost, and lowest-carbon option for extending our nation’s fuel supply,” said Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “Today, ethanol is selling for $1 per gallon less than gasoline and we are sitting on record ethanol inventories and ample spare capacity; yet access to the marketplace continues to be limited by decades-old regulatory barriers that never made sense.”

President Biden has been sent letters from lawmakers, organizations, and individuals over the past month urging him to simply allowing gasoline blenders to sell E15 year-round, which could be accomplished by administrative action.

U.S. Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) led the six bipartisan Co-chairs of the Congressional Biofuels Caucus and 23 additional Members of Congress in a letter to President Joe Biden Thursday urging him to direct EPA to both allow the summer sales of E15 this year and to reverse course on proposed retroactive reductions to 2020 and 2021 Renewable Volume Obligations.

“This is one of the most simple and most environmentally friendly way to address the issue,” said Rep. Craig in an interview.

Interview with Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) (13:28)

Audio, Ethanol, RFA

Industry Ag News 4/1

Carrie Muehling

  • The Agribusiness Association of Iowa has announced that Bill Northey, former Secretary of Agriculture for Iowa, has been named as its new CEO. Northey will be succeeding Joel Brinkmeyer, who will be retiring on May 1, 2022.
  • The Animal Agriculture Alliance board of directors has announced that Hannah Thompson-Weeman, currently serving as the Alliance’s vice president, strategic engagement, has been named the organization’s new president and CEO.
  • Sixteen farm and ranch women leaders graduated from the spring session of Women’s Communications Boot Camp hosted by the American Farm Bureau Federation. Boot Camp graduates are Sharla Mortimer, Arizona; Shawn Wood, Arizona; Jana Carroll, Arkansas; Roxi McCormick, Colorado; Jennifer Duvall, Georgia; Theresa Gottbrath, Indiana; Melissa Huggett, Kentucky; Kayla Griffith, Maryland; Barbara Rogers-Scharneck, Massachusetts; Stacey Lauwers, Michigan; Emma Alexander, Missouri; Allison Cooper, North Carolina; Carie Moore, North Dakota; Melanie Fink, Pennsylvania; Megan Jernigan, Tennessee; and Sarah Scyphers, Virginia.
  • McLain Farms was named the 2021 “Grower of the Year” and long-time Director of Markets for the Georgia Department of Agriculture Bob Meyer was inducted into the Vidalia Onion Hall of Fame during the Vidalia Onion Committee 2021 awards banquet.
  • The 2022 U.S. Agricultural Market Outlook is now available on FAPRI’s website.
  • U.S. corn farmers raised the bar in 2021, setting a new record-high national average yield. To highlight the many achievements of corn farmers and explore the data, the National Corn Growers Association delves into the facts about corn production, using a historical comparison in its newest edition of the World of Corn.
  • March is National Peanut Month. Throughout the month of March, the Georgia Peanut Commission donated 10,080 jars of peanut butter to the Atlanta Community Food Bank, 10,080 jars of peanut butter to Capital Area Food Bank in Washington, D.C., and 7,200 jars of peanut butter to Second Harvest of South Georgia in celebration of National Peanut Month. GPC also sponsored the annual ACFB Hunger Walk/Run held March 6 in Atlanta. The annual event brings approximately 5,000 attendees to help support the food bank by walking or running in the event. GPC distributed packs of peanuts to attendees and promoted the humanitarian relief efforts through Peanut Proud.
  • Farm Credit and Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) announced the winners of the 2022 Farm Credit/MANRRS VIP Scholarship.
  • As Women’s History Month comes to a close, ASTA is excited to announce the next Women in Seed Luncheon, being held as part of the NEW ASTA Leadership Summit, June 25-29 in Indianapolis. ASTA is proud to honor the women of the seed industry who have already been making history in our business for many years. Join us for a special session on cultivating leadership skills, focusing on your values and how they come into play in your work, featuring special consultant Heather Lowey.
  • The Agricultural and Biological Engineering AgrAbility Program at Purdue University has received $2,124,000 in funding for the National AgrAbility Project and $720,000 for the Indiana AgrAbility Project from the United States Department of Agriculture and National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
  • The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is announcing a solicitation for nominations to serve on its Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Federal Advisory Committee. Established in 2008, the FRRCC provides independent policy advice, information, and recommendations to EPA’s Administrator on a range of environmental issues and policies that are of importance to agriculture and rural communities.
Zimfo Bytes

Agri-Pulse Newsmakers Spotlights Cattle Price Discovery Bill

Chuck Zimmerman

The newest episode of Agri-Pulse Newsmakers is now live and the focus this week is on cattle price discovery bill.

An updated piece of legislation seeks to reform the way cattle are bought and sold across the country, but the new bill includes a provision that caused two major farm groups to oppose the initial version. Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., explains why the regional cash trade mandate remains in the bill and what she sees as the path forward for the legislation.

Then, a panel of beef producer group leaders explain their stances on the new bill and take a look at the state of ranchers as a whole.

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


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

2022 IFAJ/Alltech Young Leaders Announced

Cindy Zimmerman

The International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) has announced the recipients of the 2022 IFAJ/Alltech Young Leaders in Agricultural Journalism Award. The program, sponsored by Alltech, honors 10 young agricultural journalists and communicators who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in reporting as well as excellent potential as leaders of the industry in the years to come. The honorees were chosen by an international jury among applicants from many of IFAJ’s 56 member countries.

This year’s IFAJ/Alltech Young Leaders are:
Megan Hughes, Australia, ABC
Becky Zimmer, Canada, Pattison Media
Maria Wehrle, Germany, Badischer Landwirtschafts-Verlag
Hannah Binns, Great Britain, Farmers Guardian
Tracey Donaghey, Ireland, Ulster Farmers’ Union
Tamba Tengbeh, Sierra Leone, Regional Rice Value Chain Project
Daud Abdi Daud Dimbil, Somalia, Freelancer
Cecilia Persson, Sweden, Lantbrukets Affärstidning
Yero S Bah, The Gambia, Mansa Banko Online Newspaper
Megan Schilling, USA, Successful Farming

The 10 honorees will attend the 2022 IFAJ Congress in Vingsted, Denmark, in June. The Young Leaders will also participate in a Boot Camp in the days prior to Congress which includes professional development and networking workshops and farm visits in the region.

Alltech, IFAJ, Media

NAMA Names Next Gen Winners

Cindy Zimmerman

The National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) has named the winners of the Next Gen NAMA Award who will be honored at the 2022 Agri-Marketing Conference, April 6-8 in Kansas City. This award was developed to celebrate the next generation of leaders. Honorees are nominated from within their company or through chapter or national leadership.

The recipients for 2022 are:

Rachel Peabody, Director of Communications, Illinois Soybean Association –
Beginning as a publication’s coordinator, Rachel Peabody next worked in an agency setting to support Fortune 500 agricultural companies throughout the Midwest. Today, as the Director of Communications for the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA), Peabody manages a team of six, which she built from the ground up.

Brittany Phillips, Account Director, Brighton Agency –
In just five years at Brighton, Brittany Phillips has risen from an entry-level position to Account Director. Phillips’ passion to build content that accurately represents agriculture made her the perfect NAMA programming chair for the 2019 NAMA Fall Conference.

Caitlyn Ross, Account Executive, Hunt Marketing –

Where some people see a challenge, Caitlyn Ross recognizes an opportunity to shine and grow. Since her early days as an intern at Hunt Marketing, Ross has stood out from the pack. As an Account Executive, Ross is an invaluable member of her team.

Advertising, Ag Groups, Agencies, NAMA

Plantings Report Expects More Soybeans, Less Corn

Cindy Zimmerman

U.S. farmers expect to plant more soybeans and less corn acreage, according to the 2022 Prospective Plantings report released today by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

Producers surveyed say they intend to plant a record high 91.0 million acres of soybeans in 2022, up 4% from last year, at the same time decreasing corn acres by 4% to 89.5 million acres.

Planted acreage intentions for soybeans are up or unchanged in 24 of the 29 estimating states. The largest increases are expected in Illinois and Missouri, where producers in each state intend to plant 400,000 more acres than in 2021. If realized, the planted area of soybeans in Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin will be the largest on record.

Corn acreage decreases from last year of 200,000 or more are expected in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. Record high corn acreage is expected in Nevada and South Dakota with record low acres expected in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

For wheat, all wheat planted area for 2022 is estimated at 47.4 million acres, up 1% from 2021. Winter wheat planted area, at 34.2 million acres, is down less than 1% from the previous estimate but up 2% from last year. Area planted to other spring wheat for 2022 is expected to total 11.2 million acres, down 2% from 2021. Durum wheat is expected to total 1.92 million acres for 2022, up 17% from last year.

All cotton planted area for 2022 is expected to total 12.2 million acres, 9% above last year.

Brian Hoops with Midwest Market Solutions provided commentary on the report for MGEX.
Brian Hoops, Midwest Market Solutions (5:32)

Audio, Corn, Cotton, Soybean, USDA, Wheat

Syngenta Group Sales Up 23% in 2021

Cindy Zimmerman

Syngenta Group today announced sales for 2021 grew 23 percent ($5.2 billion) year-on-year to $28.2 billion.

In 2021, Syngenta Crop Protection sales grew 19 percent to $13.5 billion with sales in North America up 14 percent. VAYANTIS®, a broad-spectrum novel seed treatment fungicide dedicated to protecting soybean and corn from key diseases such as pythium, was launched in the U.S. and Canada.

ADAMA sales grew by 24 percent in 2021, with 18% in North America, resulting in full-year sales of $5.8 billion.

Syngenta Seeds sales grew 24 percent to $4.1 billion last year with a five percent increase in North America. ENOGEN™ corn for feed saw record sales in North America, offering better digestibility for livestock as well as greenhouse gas reductions.

At the recent Commodity Classic in New Orleans, Enogen Head of Marketing and Stewardship Duane Martin talked about how livestock producers feeding Enogen® corn can see an increase feed efficiency.

Learn more about Enogen corn in this interview.
Interview with Duane Martin, Enogen (5:33)

Audio, Commodity Classic, Corn, Seed, Syngenta

Precision Ag News 3/30

Carrie Muehling

  • Following the thorough review of a proposed label amendment, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved the use of Enlist One and Enlist Duo in 134 additional counties, providing growers with additional weed management options for the 2022 growing season.
  • Grower groups including the American Soybean Association, American Farm Bureau Federation, National Corn Growers Association, and National Cotton Council welcomed and expressed appreciation for an announcement from EPA that will restore use of Enlist herbicides to many U.S. counties.
  • Wehmeyer Seed has entered a dealership agreement with Meristem Crop Performance Group, LLC, a fast-growing supplier of high-quality crop inputs. Under the new relationship, Wehmeyer Seed will carry the Meristem Crop Performance product line and become Meristem’s ally in helping Corn Belt farmers make every acre even more profitable.
  • GROWERS, a solution and service provider for ag retail, and Arva Intelligence, a leader in carbon marketing technology, announced a partnership to provide a seamless way for ag retailers to assist customers in selling carbon through Arva’s Carbon Ready program and GROWERS Rally sales platform.
  • Cotton growers have a convenient new tool to battle nematodes in-furrow with Averland® FC nematicide/insecticide/miticide from Vive Crop Protection. Averland FC combines abamectin and Vive’s patented Allosperse® nano-polymer delivery system, making it the only abamectin in-furrow solution registered for nematodes in cotton that also mixes perfectly with liquid fertilizers and other crop inputs.
  • AgSource Cooperative Services announced their acquisition of Dairyland Laboratories, Inc. Agronomy Services Division in Stratford, Wisconsin. Effective March 23, all soil, plant tissue and manure analyses, as well as nutrient management services, will be provided by AgSource. Another change for the AgSource brand was recently announced by URUS, the parent company of the AgSource and VAS brands. Effective March 1, both companies will operate as independent brands under the URUS umbrella.
  • The National Corn Growers Association released a video offering tips from perennial high-yield entrants of the National Corn Yield Contest during a breakfast at Commodity Classic in New Orleans honoring the state winners of the 2021 contest.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture