Alltech Business Session Showcases Startups

Cindy Zimmerman

Innovation is one of the keys to achieving the Alltech vision of a Planet of Plenty, which is why the company sponsors the Pearse Lyons Cultivator (PLC) program. Participants in the year-round program were part of the business track of the Alltech ONE Conference last week in Lexington.

Alltech European Growth Officer Robbie Walker says the program was introduced as the Pearse Lyons Accelerator program four years ago, but an interruption by COVID caused them to rename and restructure. “We’re always looking for companies and when we find them we rapidly do a demo with them,” said Walker. “We expect to be able to present ten a year, that’s our mission.”

Five companies presented at the ONE conference last week, including an insect genetics company developing and distributing black soldier fly breeds to the insect farming sector. “The same way that chickens improved in efficiency of production by 300 percent over 50 years, we believe that in the future the black soldier fly could be also be improved…and make that industry viable,” said Walker.

In this interview, Walker talks about the PLC program and the business track for last week’s ONE conference.

ONE22 Interview with Robbie Walker, Alltech Europe (12:58)

Virtual Newsroom

2022 Alltech ONE Conference Photos and Audio

Alltech, Audio, Technology

Animal Ag News 5/31

Carrie Muehling

  • The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) applauded the Biden administration for its initiation of a second U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) dispute panel concerning Canada’s ongoing refusal to meet its USMCA dairy trade obligations.
  • The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) announced the return of the annual Capitol Hill Ice Cream Party to the National Mall on June 22, 2022. The Ice Cream Party has been an essential summertime event for members of Congress, their families, Capitol Hill staff and many other special guests since it began in 1983. However, IDFA did not hold the event in 2020 or 2021 due to the pandemic.
  • Poultry farms are being devastated by the recent bird flu outbreak. Although the risk to public health remains low, the virus is highly contagious and fatal to flocks, which has had a significant impact on commercial poultry facilities, food processing plants, and other sectors along the supply chain. Decontamination is a key biosecurity measure. However, many cleaning and disinfecting chemicals can be toxic to livestock and soil or pose health hazards to humans. As a leading provider of safer, more sustainable infection prevention solutions, EvaClean established the Avian Influenza Mitigation (AIM) program to help farmers stop the spread of the virus in a safer way by providing process enhancement protocols and unprecedented price reductions on EvaClean’s unique PurOne disinfectant chemistry.
  • Enteric methane, which animals release into the atmosphere by belching or exhaling, is a significant source of direct greenhouse gas emissions. The Greener Cattle Initiative, an industry collaborative created by the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) and Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, is issuing a request for applications to advance enteric methane reduction research. The initiative specifically seeks research to develop scalable technologies that reduce enteric methane emissions and enhance sustainable production of beef and dairy.
  • The University of Florida Veterinary Hospital at World Equestrian Center in Ocala opened for business May 26 to provide leading-edge patient care to horses and small animals located on-site as well as from the local community.
  • U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced more support, resources, and new rules that will strengthen the American food supply chain, promote fair and competitive agricultural markets, prevent abuse of farmers by poultry processors and make prices fairer for farmers and American consumers.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

Agri-Pulse Newsmakers – Feeding America on Rising Food Costs

Cindy Zimmerman

The latest Agri-Pulse Newsmakers is out with food prices and hunger as the focus.

Rising food prices are having a big impact on the need for assistance from the nation’s most vulnerable consumers, which is leading to swelling demand at the nation’s food banks. Feeding America’s Vince Hall joins Newsmakers to discuss the current situation and look ahead to what he hopes is learned at an upcoming White House conference and the action’s he’s hoping to see in the upcoming farm bill.

There’s also domestic hunger analysis from Brandon Lipps of Caprock Strategies and Andrew Cheyne with the Food Research & Action Center and a look at the food security issues due to the war in Ukraine from Kip Tom.


Agri-Pulse, Video

Industry Ag News 5/27

Carrie Muehling

  • In a letter to President Biden, 54 agricultural groups expressed grave concern with a recent amicus brief submitted by the U.S. Solicitor General to the Supreme Court advising the court against taking up a case regarding pesticide labels. The groups, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, American Soybean Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Association of Wheat Growers, National Cotton Council, and American Sugarbeet Growers Association, listed in full in the letter, called on the president to swiftly withdraw the brief. They warned the new policy would set a dangerous precedent that threatens the science-based regulatory process. The groups are worried this new policy, along with having environmental impacts, could ultimately hinder the ability of U.S. farmers to help meet growing global food needs intensified by the invasion of Ukraine.
  • A broad and diverse group of American food and agriculture leaders sent a letter to the U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai office calling for the suspension, reduction or elimination of tariffs in order to ease the burden of retaliatory tariffs on the industry and American farm families. The letter, led by Farmers for Free Trade, comes as the Biden Administration is undergoing a mandatory review of recently increased tariffs and following Administration comments that tariff changes are under review as part of efforts to address inflation.
  • Julio Negreli has joined FMC as U.S. Crop Marketing Director. He will be responsible for leading the FMC marketing team and developing strategies that leverage customer intelligence and marketing insights to create and improve the FMC value proposition. He is also charged with leading product strategy, product planning and pricing stewardship. Negreli will serve on the FMC U.S. Crop Leadership Team.
  • The 20th Anniversary Ag & Food HR Roundtable is back in-person August 3 & 4, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee, hosted by Tennessee State University. For two decades, AgCareers.com has customized fresh Roundtable content every year to reflect current industry trends and focus educational sessions on high-interest recruitment and retention issues. This year’s sessions will discuss industry disruption, recruiting new graduates, retention tactics, benefit expectations, building trust in the workplace, diversity, equity and inclusion and much more.
  • Louis (Louie) Thomas Rosandick, 97, passed away May 23, 2022, at Aspirus Riverview Hospital in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. Louis Rosandick’s introduction to broadcasting began came later in his life after 31 years as a county extension agent, joining NAFB as a voting probationary member in 1983 and continuing his membership through 1993 at WHFR Radio in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin.
  • USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced more support, resources, and new rules that will strengthen the American food supply chain, promote fair and competitive agricultural markets, prevent abuse of farmers by poultry processors and make prices fairer for farmers and American consumers.
  • Abby Berger of Jonesboro, Arkansas, is the recipient of the 2022-23 Soy Scholarship award, sponsored by BASF and the American Soybean Association.
  • Whether you’re an agribusiness veteran or just starting out, NAMA Boot Camp has something for you. Enrich your understanding of modern agriculture and agri-marketing, grow your network and career and prepare to lead in an ever-changing industry. NAMA members receive a discounted rate. Non-members receive a year of NAMA membership when they register. Sign up for Boot Camp and join us in Kansas City August 10-12.
  • Joining like-minded companies in the private sector, Bayer has signed the Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge with a 160 million U.S. dollar commitment dedicated to help end global hunger. The Pledge, in the context of the UN Food Systems Summit of 2021 and as a part of the Summit’s Zero Hunger Coalition, recognizes the need for governments and the private sector to work together to end food scarcity. Companies taking the pledge commit to investing money, resources and expertise in areas of concern within regions where they do business. Bayer’s commitment will go toward communities in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Zimfo Bytes

USDA Announces Meat Supply Chain Actions

Cindy Zimmerman

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack used an appearance before the Senate Agriculture Committee on Thursday to make a few announcements, including issuing a new Packers & Stockyards Act rulemaking, making available $200 Million to expand competition in meat processing, and investing $25 million in workforce training.

Vilsack said the actions build on President Biden’s whole-of-government effort to promote competition in the American economy and fulfill key pillars of the Meat and Poultry Supply Chain Action Plan launched in January. These actions are designed to combat market dominance by a small number of major meat and poultry processors in key markets, where excessive concentration and control has led to lower prices paid to producers and higher prices paid by consumers.

Listen to Vilsack’s announcement and learn more details from USDA.
Vilsack at Senate Ag Committee Hearing (4:06)

AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Audio, Beef, USDA

Alltech ONE Presents Two Humanitarian Awards

Cindy Zimmerman

L-R: Erik Weihenmayer, Dr. Mark Lyons, Mick Ebeling

The Alltech ONE Conference (ONE) wrapped up this week with a closing session featuring a double dose of inspiration – Mick Ebeling, founder and CEO of Not Impossible Labs, and world-class blind adventurer Erik Weihenmayer, who were both presented with Alltech Humanitarian Awards.

“We are pleased to present friends and first-time double Alltech Humanitarian Awards to Mick Ebeling and Erik Weihenmayer at the Alltech ONE Conference,” said Dr. Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech. “Together, we have the collective courage and impact to work together for a Planet of Plenty™.”

Previous award winners have included Muhammad Ali, Steve Wozniak, Bear Grylls and late Alltech founder and Mark’s father, Dr. Pearse Lyons.

You can listen to Mark present the awards on stage here: Humanitarian Award Presentation (1:58)

ONE welcomed nearly 2,000 international delegates in person, with an additional 5,000 participating virtually. Now in its 38th year, this world-class event brought inspiring keynote speakers and more than 100 industry leaders to the stage, sharing valuable insights in live workshops and focus tracks and uncovering the challenges and opportunities in agriculture, business, health and wellness, and professional development.

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2022 Alltech ONE Conference Photos and Audio

AgWired Animal, Alltech, Animal Agriculture, Animal Health

ZimmCast 692 – Alltech Planet of Plenty Awards

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCastHello and welcome to the ZimmCast.

This week I was in Lexington, KY for the Alltech ONE Conference. It has been 3 years since Alltech created one of the very first virtual conferences in 2020. So you can imagine the excitement and joy of being with customers and friends from all over the world. That includes agricultural media who had a great press room to work out of as usual.

Dr. Mark LyonsYou can find our virtual newsroom for the event on AgNewWire.com. It includes links to the photos I took as well as many interviews. I figured out that this is my 16th Alltech conference, counting the two virtual ones. The first one I attended and that you can find on AgNewsWire, was held in 2007. Pictured is Dr. Mark Lyons, President/CEO, Alltech, on stage during this year’s opening plenary session.

So, for this week’s ZimmCast I’m going to share two interviews. First will be the 2021 Alltech Canada Planet of Plenty Award Winner, Andrea Stroeve-Sawa, Shipwheel Cattle Feeders, Alberta. Next will be the 2022 Alltech Canada Planet of Plenty Award winner, Jillian Byers, Blue Ridge Farms, Alberta.

Throughout the conference sessions, speakers and interviews I did, there was a consistent message focused on sustainability, concern for the environment and all of it is part of the Alltech Planet of Plenty. The three key pillars of sustainability for Alltech are social, environmental and economic.

If you did not attend this year’s conference you can still register for on-demand access to virtual sessions. You can find that link on the website – one.alltech.com.

Coming up next on the agriblogging highway will be a trip to Iowa for the AgGateway Mid-Year Meeting. You can find the initial agenda here.

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

Listen to the ZimmCast here:
ZimmCast 692 - Alltech Award Winners (19:36)

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.

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Agribusiness, Alltech, Audio, Sustainability

MyLand Expands Leadership Team

Cindy Zimmerman

Soil health company MyLand announces that Matt Kessel is the new Vice President of Operations, Environmental Health, and Safety. Matt will oversee MyLand’s in-field service operations in Arizona, California, Florida, and Texas and build the company presence nationally, as well as outline and implement safety programs throughout the organization.

“We are grateful to welcome Matt to the MyLand team as we continue to scale up our regenerative agriculture service with growers nationally,” said Sascha Welz, Chief Operating Officer at MyLand. “His passion for enhancing business performance through creative problem solving and striving for continuous improvement in operational efficiency, focus on delivering the highest quality service, and experience developing and implementing world class safety programs will be a great asset to the company.”

Matt brings over 15 years of engineering expertise, business administration, and operations experience to MyLand. He holds an MBA from McCombs School of Business and a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President, Regional Operations at RWE Renewables, formally known as E.ON Climate & Renewables, where he joined the company as an engineer.

AgWired Precision, Precision Agriculture, Soil

Precision Ag News 5/25

Carrie Muehling

  • Seeking to understand what advancements are needed, staff at the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute (DWFI) have completed a study which maps and analyzes the business ecosystem for smallholder irrigation in Rwanda.
  • AgGateway announced that Ben Craker is joining the organization as Portfolio Manager, effective June 12, 2022. Craker succeeds Dan Berne in this role, who retired from the organization on April 30.
  • The American Soybean Association (ASA) recently led an analysis of federal conservation programs to determine which programs were the most beneficial to farmers and led to greater adoption of conservation practices. The economic analysis showed that the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) funding to farmers increased cover crop acres more efficiently than the whole-farm Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). In addition, neither program moved the needle forward on no-till practice adoption.
  • New AG International brings the first ever Future AG: Sustainable Goals event, taking place in San Diego, CA, USA on 19 – 21 September 2022.
  • Vive Crop Protection has received distinction as one of Canada’s inaugural Sustainability Changemakers for 2022, as awarded by the Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) organization. Vive is one of 10 companies being honored with the distinction based on outstanding growth and a track record for delivering on SDTC’s mandate of sustainability and economic benefits for Canada.
  • As fertilizer prices hit record highs and are set to stay there into the 2023 season, one company is pushing in-field testing to extremes. Earlier in the season, Meristem Crop Performance sent each of 688 growers across the Corn Belt enough EXCAVATOR™ to treat 25 acres. Now soil tests will be collected at those locations with results posted online. EXCAVATOR is Meristem’s new patented, innovative, fast-acting biological that breaks down residue and releases nutrients.
  • Canadian farmers across cattle, swine, and poultry sectors are poised to benefit from an expanded availability of innovative feed technology solutions supporting animal health, performance, and profitability. U.S. based Advanced Ag Products has announced the official launch of a new Canadian division for the company out of Lethbridge, Alberta with a network serving farmers across key production regions.
  • AgriThority®, an agricultural product development company specializing in accelerating new technologies to commercialization around the world, announces the addition of new Associate Wally Palm, Ph.D., to deepen the AgriThority intellectual knowledge base in seed operations, traits and production.
  • 2022 Tech Hub LIVE Conference and Expo is the new and innovative center for the precision agtech industry. Come to Indianapolis in July for the full experience.
  • John Deere announced it has established an allied agreement with Mike and Jason Grady of Twin Pak to better serve existing and future John Deere small square baler customers in the United States.
  • NanoBio Designs LLC, a company that provides grain distributors and seed suppliers with onsite, rapid genetic detection solutions, has received a $100,000 investment from the Purdue Ag-Celerator, an agriculture innovation fund.
  • The SCN Coalition’s public relations campaign to move more soybean farmers to actively manage the soybean cyst nematode (SCN) was the recipient of the Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA) prestigious Silver Anvil Award in the “Issues Management” category. For more than 75 years, the Silver Anvil has been considered an icon of the communications profession.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

IFAJ Officers at the #AlltechONE

Cindy Zimmerman

IFAJ officers L-R: Adalberto Rossi, Adrian Bell and Steve Werblow at ONE with Chuck Zimmerman

Members of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) were happy to be able to meet up in person again at the Alltech ONE Conference this week in Lexington, Kentucky.

Like most other organizations, IFAJ has also been unable to meet in person since 2019, so it was great for officers from three different continents to be together again. Vice President Steve Werblow from here in the United States, Secretary General Adalberto Rossi of Argentina, and Treasurer Adrian Bell from the UK have all enjoyed meeting with their colleagues around the world and enjoying the hospitality of Alltech, which is a strong supporter of the organization.

Listen to Chuck’s conversation with the IFAJ officers here.
ONE22 Interview with IFAJ Officers (13:19)

Virtual Newsroom

2022 Alltech ONE Conference Photos and Audio

AgWired Animal, Alltech, Animal Agriculture, Audio, IFAJ