BASF Introduces Sustainability Analysis Tool

Cindy Zimmerman

BASF ChicagoSustainability has become a challenge to the agriculture industry because everyone seems to have a different definition of the word and ways to objectively measure sustainability are seriously lacking.

BASF ChicagoBASF announced an Eco-Efficiency Analysis tool during the 2010 Ag Media Summit in Chicago today that examines the entire lifecycle of a crop to measure and manage sustainability. “When we look at all the inputs that go into producing, storing, transporting, applying and then disposing of a crop protection product, we have a more detailed approach of measuring inputs, outputs and benefits,” says Paul Rea, BASF vice president for crop protection in the U.S.

The real bottom line to better sustainability is really simply increasing yields, and Paul says that can be achieved in a variety of ways. “Such as the use of new technologies, new innovations that can actually help farmers achieve more with less,” he said. That includes plant health products like BASF Headline that increase yields, as well as biotech advancements in areas such as drought tolerance.

Listen to an interview with Paul in the player below.

BASF Ag Media Summit on Sustainability photo album

Audio, BASF, Sustainability, Uncategorized

Carney: More Upbeat at This Year’s World Pork Expo

John Davis

It’s a much more upbeat attitude at this year’s World Pork Expo in at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines.

National Pork Producers Council President Sam Carney, a pork producer from Adair, Iowa, welcomed members of the media this morning and says they are expecting much bigger crowds than they’ve seen in the last couple of years because of the economy and concerns over H1N1.

“We’re expecting about 15,000 people, we have over 400 exhibitors, 1700 pigs in the open show, and between 23-27 countries coming.”

Carney also had a couple of quick comments about the 2012 Farm Bill and the NPPC’s stand of just making sure nothing is in there that will hinder producers.

“We do not want our producers to be tied down. We want them to have the freedom to sell their pigs.”

Carney points out that over the last three years, the pork industry has gone through some of the worst times in its history, and NPPC wants to make sure the Farm Bill will help them recover.

You can hear Sam’s remarks in the player below.

Check out our World Pork Expo 2010 Photo Album.

AgWired coverage of the World Pork Expo 2010 is sponsored by:
Novus International

Audio, Novus International, Pork, Swine, World Pork Expo

China Perspective On CUTC

Chuck Zimmerman

Li BinThe Corn Utilization and Technology Conference has international participants. We have quite a few from China. I had an opportunity to speak with Li Bin, CEO, Xin Jiang Tianda Biotechnology Co., Ltd., pictured here with Linyi Li, Novozymes China, my interpreter. Thank you Linyi!

I asked him what stimulated his interest in participating. He says that corn utilization in China is one of the largest in the world and he wanted this chance to see what kind of products and technology we have. He is impressed with the organization and diversity of information provided here. He was very interested in how ethanol and production by-products like DDGs have developed here in the United States since they have not progressed to that point in China yet.

You can listen to my interview with Li Bin below.

Don’t forget to check out the CUTC Photo Album

I’ll be heading out from the CUTC today to see the newest utility vehicles being introduced by John Deere. So see you from there next.

Ag Groups, Audio, Corn, CUTC, International

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • According to the new Rabobank U.S. Farm & Ranch Survey, more than 70 percent of U.S. agricultural producers now report that they have taken a range of measures on sustainable ag practices – the highest level since the survey began in 2008.
  • The United Soybean Board/soybean checkoff will sponsor the National Tractor Pullers Association’s 2010 season and its newest competition division, the Light Pro Stock class. As part of this new program, all of the tractors competing in the Light Pro Stock class will run on biodiesel.
  • A newly-released International Food Information Council survey shows that an overwhelming percentage of consumers will choose foods that are produced through biotechnology based on environmental benefits and sustainable agricultural practices.
  • Biagro Western is now licensed to distribute Bluestim in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Bluestim is a natural, organically certified and environmentally safe product tested on a wide variety of open field vegetables and crops under commercial cultivation conditions.
    Zimfo Bytes

    BASF Welcomes Ag Media to Summit in Chicago

    Cindy Zimmerman

    BASF ChicagoChuck is with corn growers in Atlanta, John and Joanna are covering the Pork Expo in Des Moines, while I am toughing it out with my dear friends from BASF and some of the nation’s finest agricultural journalists in the sumptuous Trump International Hotel and Tower Chicago. I am seriously thinking I got the best job this week!

    Pictured are Eric Sfiligoj with CropLife, Pat Morrow with BASF, and Willie Vogt with Farm Progress at the opening reception for the 2010 BASF Agricultural Solutions Media Summit. The theme of the summit is “A Grounded Approach to Agricultural Sustainability” and our day on Wednesday will be spent hearing from representatives of BASF and various agricultural experts about the topic.

    BASF ChicagoTo kick off the event, we got to learn a little bit about the more colorful history of the Windy City from Chicago historian and author Rich Lindberg, who autographed copies of his book “Return to the Scene of the Crime – a Guide to Infamous Places in Chicago” which features notorious figures like John Dillinger and Al Capone.

    Dale Minyo with Ohio Ag Net did a short interview about the more “grounded” history of Chicago’s agricultural background, which started with the stockyards at the end of the Civil War. Even that ties in with the criminal history of Chicago, according to Rich, who explained how scam artists ripped off Midwest farmers coming off the trains. Interestingly, he says the great-grand nephew of Mike McDonald, the crime boss who led that scam in the 1870s, now works at the Chicago Board of Trade. Listen to that interview in the player below.

    Check out photos from the event in the 2010 BASF Ag Media Summit photo album.

    Audio, BASF

    Info, Food and Fun at World Pork Expo!

    John Davis

    It’s World Pork Expo eve (that’s a holiday, right?), and we’re here in Des Moines, Iowa to keep you up-to-date on all the news from event.

    This evening as producers, industry leaders and media converge on Central Iowa in anticipation of the next three days of information, I caught up with Cindy Cunningham, Assistant Vice President of Communications with the National Pork Board (aka, Pork Checkoff spokesperson), and she reminds everyone to also get some great food and have some fun at this year’s World Pork Expo.

    “The Pork Checkoff this year is sponsoring a hospitality tent, and we’d love to have all of our producers stop by and try some bacon ice cream and some maple-glazed bacon doughnuts.”

    She adds they are also offering some important information and education in the form of the PORK Academy … Producers Opportunity for Revenue and Knowledge.

    “PORK Academy is really a seminar session that covers everything from manure management to nutrition [to marketing and economics]. It’s really designed so pork producers can get this information, take it home and put it into practice in their own operations.”

    Cunningham says they are also celebrating the success of the Pork Quality Assurance Program, with nearly 50,000 producers certified in their education levels and practices in animal care, food safety and providing consumers with a safe, wholesome food supply.

    Finally, she wants people to have some fun.

    Come out and have some fun with us at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. And if you can’t be here, follow coverage here on Agwired.com and our Twitter accounts @jdavisreporter, @jmschroeder, and later this week, @farmpodcaster … hashtag #WPX10. You can also check out the event in our World Pork Expo 2010 Photo Album.

    Hear more of my conversation with Cindy in the player below.

    AgWired coverage of the World Pork Expo 2010 is sponsored by:
    Novus International

    Audio, Novus International, Pork, World Pork Expo

    World Pork Expo Kicks Off in Des Moines

    Joanna Schroeder

    World Pork Expo officially kicked off in Des Moines this evening with a media reception. More than 100 registered media will be on hand to cover the Expo which is expected to be attended by thousands of people from all over the world.

    During the reception Tim Bierman, who lives in Larrabee, Iowa and is the President of National Pork Board, said a few words of thanks to the faithful media who get the word out about the pork industry. He also thanked the National Pork Producers Council for letting them join in their yearly event.

    Sam Carney, a producer from Adair, Iowa and the President of the National Pork Producers Council also thanked the media for attending and promised that the week would be full of great fun, cool events and lots of education.

    You can see their opening remarks in the video below. You can follow the event on www.workpork.org and you can follow me and John Davis on Twitter @jmschroeder and @jdavisreporter, hashtag #WPX10. You can also follow the events @NPPCWPX. Cindy will be joining us on site later this week and you can follow her @farmpodcaster.

    You can also check out the event in our World Pork Expo 2010 Photo Album.

    AgWired coverage of the World Pork Expo 2010 is sponsored by:
    Novus International

    Novus International, Pork, Video, World Pork Expo

    Colin Crankshaw Wins CUTC iPad

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Colin CrankshawAmid all the research and new uses information being presented at the Corn Utilization and Technology Conference a very important announcement was made.

    Colin Crankshaw, GEA Barr-Rosin, was the winner of the iPad drawing. As I understand it he was also the first person to register for CUTC. This drawing was for “early registrants” and I don’t think you can get any earlier than that!

    So congratulations Coin and I hope you enjoy that bad boy.

    This won’t be the only iPad that CUTC is giving away. The first place winner of the Poster Contest will also win an iPad.

    Don’t forget to check out the CUTC Photo Album

    CUTC

    CUTC Encouraging New Uses For Corn

    Chuck Zimmerman

    CUTCIt looks like we have nearly 300 people attending the 2010 Corn Utilization and Technology Conference. I sat down with NCGA President and South Dakota corn farmer, Darrin Ihnen, this morning and we talked about the need for this kind of conference.

    Darrin says CUTC brings out ideas that are still in the development stage while helping the industry come up with new uses of corn. He says that as we grow more corn there is a continuing need to develop new products and markets. He is excited about things like ethanol and ethanol by-products since he’s from a state that doesn’t have a livestock industry to take advantage of these products that are being made from his crop. He says there are a lot of the participants at CUTC who represent companies that already have corn products but may be looking for new and cost effective ways to help their bottom line.

    You can listen to my interview with Darrin below.

    Don’t forget to check out the CUTC Photo Album

    Ag Groups, Audio, Corn, CUTC, NCGA

    Fluidigm Introduces First Reusable Bio-Chip

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Fluidigm Corporation held a joint press conference this morning with the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service to announce their new reusable bio-chip architecture which is a first for the commercial market.

    These reusable integrated fluidic circuits (IFCs) will dramatically lower SNP genotyping costs and are designed to support accelerated sample throughput, while maintaining data quality of 99.75 percent or greater accuracy and 99 percent or greater call rates.

    Fluidigm initially invented this architecture to support a progressive new program driven by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the chief scientific research agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The program’s goal is to drive high sample throughput genotyping down to a penny-per-data-point, which would enable widespread adoption of genetic analysis in vegetable and fruit seeds, livestock (cattle, pigs, sheep, poultry, etc.) and fishery management. This will significantly improve the quality and quantity of the food supply, while lowering production costs.

    I spoke to Fluidigm President/CEO Gajus Worthington to learn more about the announcement and what it means to consumers today.

    You can find the full release here (Word Doc) and listen to my interview with Gajus below.

    Agribusiness, Audio, Research, Technology, USDA