Animal Ag News 11/22

Carrie Muehling

  • US Representatives Cindy Axne (IA-03) and Randy Feenstra (IA-04) – both members of the House Agriculture Committee – led the introduction of bipartisan legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives that will return fairness to the cattle marketplace dominated by four major meat packers. Identical legislation was introduced in the Senate by Iowa Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst along with Sens. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and is also supported by Sens. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.). The following groups have endorsed the bill: American Farm Bureau, U.S. Cattlemen’s Association, National Farmers Union, and National Grange. A one-pager summary of the bill is available HERE. A section-by-section summary is available HERE.
  • Congratulations to the 2022 National Anthem singing contest winner Stephanie Nash from Tennessee! Join us February 1-3, 2022 in Houston, Texas to hear Stephanie sing the National Anthem during the 2022 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show Opening General Session AND the NCBA Thursday Night Event.
  • The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association criticized the Biden administration’s repeal of the Navigable Waters Protection Rule, which provided regulatory certainty to farmers and ranchers and limited federal overreach.
  • Driving the demand for beef starts at the grassroots with a strong network of advocates willing to share beef’s positive message. The new Trailblazers program, developed by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, takes advocacy to the next level by giving participants the tools and training they need to promote beef to new audiences while addressing and correcting myths.
  • Purdue University’s Department of Animal Sciences in the College of Agriculture will provide a home and care for the National Thanksgiving Turkey and alternate following this week’s National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation at the White House. The turkeys will live at Purdue’s Animal Science Research and Education Center, where they will reside in a separate enclosed indoor setting with access to a shaded grassy area.
  • Vietnam has confirmed it will lower its Most Favored Nation (MFN) tariff on imported frozen pork to 10 from 15 percent. The reduction is expected to be implemented on July 1, 2022. Getting better market access to Vietnam, a major pork-consuming country, has been a top trade priority for the National Pork Producers Council.
  • The National Dairy Promotion and Research Board honored Kenton Holle as the 2021 recipient of the Richard E. Lyng Award for his contributions and distinguished service to dairy promotion.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

Helena Offers Soil Health Solution to Rising Fertilizer Costs

Cindy Zimmerman

With fertilizer prices hitting record highs this month, it’s not surprising that was a major topic of discussion last week at the National Association of Farm Broadcasting annual Trade Talk.

Helena Agri-Enterprises had a message to take home to farmers that the solution to high fertilizer prices lies beneath the surface. Since soil health is one of the main factors influencing fertilizer efficiency, making it a priority will help farmers with fertilizer efficiency.

“Any time you make a financial investment, you’re looking for quality and a positive return,” says Mike Powell, Senior Brand Manager of Helena’s BioScience Portfolio. “It’s the same when you buy fertilizer. The difference is, for fertilizer to work, it has to get to the crop, and there are a variety of soil quality issues that can get in the way of that.”

Powell says now’s the time to solve that problem. He recommends blending a high-quality humic granule with dry fertilizer, and with good reason. Past research in corn showed Helena’s humic ore source combined with urea increased productivity even with a 15% reduction in nitrogen. While Helena encourages farmers to use optimal fertilizer rates, this creates options for those tightening their budgets. Its ability to provide greater benefits from early-season nutrition also helps farmers tailor fertility programs throughout the season.

Derek Emerine, Helena’s National Agronomist, credits this gain in efficiency to the high concentration of humic acids in Helena’s exclusive ore source. He says it takes more than just an increase in soil nutrient availability to boost growth and yield potential. “In a typical dry fertilizer application, not all of the nutrients that go out are going to make it into the plant on their own,” says Emerine. “Our plants can’t absorb them, they get tied up in the soil or they’re lost to leaching. By delivering the right humic compounds to the soil, we not only protect fertilizer and hold it in the root zone longer, but we also deliver vital elements to help plants take up more nutrients.”

Emerine is hopeful the renewed focus on soil health will continue far beyond this critical moment to improve efficiency for years to come. Through routine soil testing, farmers can identify deficiencies in the field and target the true needs of their crop. For additional information and fertility recommendations, farmers can visit helenaagri.com to learn more and to find their local Helena retailer.

Listen to interviews with Emerine and Powell recorded at NAFB last week.
Helena interview with Derek Emerine (3:35)

Helena interview with Mike Powell (5:13)

Audio, Fertilizer, NAFB, Soil

Industry Ag News 11/19

Carrie Muehling

  • The American Farm Bureau Federation sent a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives stating its opposition to the Build Back Better Act, also known as the reconciliation package.
  • With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, it’s time to give thanks for each other and what we have…and to show our gratitude for the farmer veterans who once protected us and now put food on our plates. This Thanksgiving season, the Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC) wants Americans to support farmer veterans by including one Homegrown By Heroes branded item in their Thanksgiving dinner. The logo is used to designate veteran-produced commodities across the country.
  • GROWMARK, Inc. announced that Mark Orr will become Chief Executive Officer of the North American agriculture and energy cooperative effective March 1, 2022. Orr will succeed Jim Spradlin, CEO since September 2014, who retires February 28, 2022.
  • GROWMARK and CHS announced the formation of Cooperative Ventures, a new capital fund that will focus on creating advancements in breakthrough technologies for the agriculture industry. The fund will provide differentiated value to startups in the agricultural ecosystem by leveraging the expansive, connected networks, unparalleled access to the farmgate and proven success of the two agricultural cooperatives.
  • The Northern Soy Marketing group has announced that Katelyn Engquist has been elevated to serve as the organization’s Market Development Program Manager. Engquist assumes the role after serving as Communications Specialist for NSM and Ag Management Solutions (AMS), which oversees NSM’s daily operations. Engquist has also worked with other AMS clients, including the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council, Minnesota Soybean Growers Association and Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance.
  • The Renewable Fuels Association welcomed Clariant as its newest associate member. The global company recently completed a biorefinery in Romania that will use its sunliquid technology to convert straw into cellulosic ethanol.
  • CHS Inc. announced the appointment of Kirstie Foster as senior vice president, marketing communications.
  • The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture is expanding the lineup of popular educational games on its My American Farm platform with a new game that introduces players to how cotton is planted, grown, cared for, harvested and turned into clothes. The game, titled “From Seed to Shirt,” is generously sponsored by Nichino America and encourages players to solve math problems to earn clothes for their in-game character. From Seed to Shirt is best for students in third through fifth grade.
  • Bayer announced a strategic partnership with Microsoft to build a new cloud-based set of digital tools and data science solutions for use in agriculture and adjacent industries, bringing new infrastructure and foundational capabilities to accelerate innovation, boost efficiency and support sustainability across value chains.
  • UPL has named Bryan Brochin as Commercial Head of U.S. Agriculture, leading the U.S. Agriculture sales team.
  • National Farmers Union has announced the 2022 Women’s Conference to connect women in agriculture and provide education on applicable business skills and innovative marketing tactics.
Zimfo Bytes

NAFB Awards and Stuff

Cindy Zimmerman

The usual awards and honors were handed out at the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) annual convention this year, but since we were only on-site for 24 hours this year, we have no photos to share of our own. This one is from Brownfield Ag News of Cyndi Young-Puyear who was inducted into the Hall of Fame, along with Jim Evans with the University of Illinois.

(Just for the record, ZimmComm has not been the official photographer for NAFB in a very long time. They hire their own photographer, so if you want any photos, you have to contact them.)

Here are some other winners, according to the NAFB Convention Chronicles.

Dix Harper Meritorious Service Award
Brenda Curtis, USDA (retired)

The 2021 Plambeck Award For Creative Excellence
Single Entry Winner – Selfina Insecticides, BASF, VMLY&R
Series Entry Winner – Wyffles Fall Radio Series, Wyffles Hybrids, O&H Brand Design

2021 NAFB Foundation Scholarship Recipients –
Rebel Sjeklocha, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Glenn Kummerow Memorial Scholarship
Katy Grant, Missouri State University, George Logan Scholarship
Taylor Hartke, Southern Illinois University, Orion Samuelson Scholarship – sponsored by CME Group
Ava Marshall, Illinois State University, Grow Smart™ Scholarship – sponsored by BASF
Dawson Schmitt, Iowa State University, Ken Root Memorial Scholarship (pretty sure Ken Root is still alive, right?)

We do have some photos and audio interviews from Trade Talk in the NAFB Convention Virtual Newsroom

NAFB

Former Senator Crashes Vilsack Presser at NAFB

Cindy Zimmerman

Now that Pat Roberts is retired from his long and illustrious 40-year career in Congress, he decided to try his hand at farm broadcasting during Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack’s virtual press conference at the National Association of Farm Broadcasting annual convention this week in Kansas City.

Standing up at the microphone to ask Vilsack a question, Roberts said, “I’m reporting for WIBW in Topeka, KFRM from Salina, KGNO from Dodge City, and KMAN out of Manhattan, home of the ever optimistic and fighting Wildcats.” The former Senator then proceeded to ask about exports under the Phase One trade deal with China.

Listen to the whole press conference here:
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack press conference 38:47

You can find photos and Trade Talk interviews from NAFB here.

Audio, NAFB, USDA

Farm Bureau Survey Shows Thanksgiving Dinner Cost Up 14%

Cindy Zimmerman

Your 2021 Thanksgiving dinner is more expensive this year than it was last year, but still a bargain, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.

Farm Bureau’s 36th annual survey indicates the average cost of this year’s classic Thanksgiving feast for 10 is $53.31 or less than $6.00 per person. This is a $6.41 or 14% increase from last year’s average of $46.90. The centerpiece on most Thanksgiving tables – the turkey – costs more than last year, at $23.99 for a 16-pound bird. That’s roughly $1.50 per pound, up 24% from last year, but there are several mitigating factors.

Farm Bureau “volunteer shoppers” checked prices Oct. 26 to Nov. 8, about two weeks before most grocery store chains began featuring whole frozen turkeys at sharply lower prices. Although the survey timeline is consistent with past AFBF Thanksgiving surveys, 2021 brought some unique differences. According to USDA Agricultural Marketing Service data, grocery stores began advertising lower feature prices later than usual this year. Also, the average per-pound feature price for whole frozen turkeys was $1.07 the week of Nov. 5-11 and 88 cents the week of Nov. 12-18, a decline of 18% in just one week. This means consumers who have not yet purchased a turkey should be able to find one at a lower cost than the Farm Bureau average.

“Several factors contributed to the increase in average cost of this year’s Thanksgiving dinner,” said AFBF Senior Economist Veronica Nigh. “These include dramatic disruptions to the U.S. economy and supply chains over the last 20 months; inflationary pressure throughout the economy; difficulty in predicting demand during the COVID-19 pandemic and high global demand for food, particularly meat,” she explained. Further, “The trend of consumers cooking and eating at home more often due to the pandemic led to increased supermarket demand and higher retail food prices in 2020 and 2021, compared to pre-pandemic prices in 2019.”

Meanwhile, USDA waited until November 12 to do its survey and came up with just a 5% increase, since the turkey was 88 cents a pound. Most of the other handful of food items USDA surveyed also cost less than the AFBF survey. Wonder where they are shopping?

Below are the average retail cost of Thanksgiving staples, based on AMS Market News Retail Reports for the week ending on 11/12/2021:
Frozen Turkey Hen (12 lbs.) – $0.88 cents per pound
Sweet Potatoes – $0.83 cents per pound
Russet Potatoes – $0.90 cents per pound
Cranberries – $2.22 per 12 oz. bag
Green beans – $1.64 per pound
Milk (1 gallon) – $3.75 per gallon
*Overall, this represents a 5.0% increase over last year for these selected items combined.

AFBF, Food, USDA

NAFB Convention is Live and Large in KC

Cindy Zimmerman

The 78th NAFB Convention is back in person at the Westin Crown Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Every year, NAFB Convention brings together broadcast professionals, ag industry leaders, and students focused on the agriculture industry.

Last year’s event was virtual due to the pandemic, but this year it is business as usual with attendance just about normal and a full Trade Talk underway this morning.

NAFB President-elect Spencer Chase with Agri-Pulse discusses this year’s convention.
Interview with NAFB President-elect Spencer Chase, Agri-Pulse (8:57)

2021 NAFB Convention Photo Album

Audio, NAFB

Precision Ag News 11/17

Carrie Muehling

  • The Association of Equipment Manufacturers inducted Bryn Fosburgh, senior vice president of Trimble, into its Hall of Fame for a broad range of contributions in developing and advancing technologies that support the construction and agriculture industries worldwide. The AEM Hall of Fame recognizes the pioneers whose inventions, ideas, leadership and courage have contributed to the industry and our community’s quality of life. The award was presented to Fosburgh at AEM’s Annual Conference in Phoenix on November 12.
  • Dryland Genetics continues their expansion, appointing John Manuel as their new Chief Commercial Officer.
  • Meristem Crop Performance Group, LLC and Sean Rittinger of Stoutsville Seed Shed of Stoutsville, Ohio announced a new dealership agreement to serve farmers in South Central Ohio.
  • The 2022 lineup of Brevant® brand Enlist E3® soybeans offers new genetics from Corteva Agriscience, proven performance and improved agronomics. This year, Corteva Agriscience is launching the next generation of Enlist E3 soybean varieties, with Brevant seeds bringing them to market through ag retail. These soybeans feature the Enlist E3 trait with Corteva Agriscience germplasm and promise to help boost agronomic performance for farmers while providing retailers with a new and differentiated product.
  • Grower groups are expressing frustration that EPA recently did not use “the best available science and data,” as is required by law, in its endangered species biological evaluations (BE) for glyphosate, atrazine, and simazine released November 12. As a result, EPA’s final BEs for these chemistries vastly inflate the number of species and habitats found likely to be adversely affected. The American Soybean Association and American Farm Bureau Federation have sought to provide the EPA with better, real-world data sources, including in comments on the draft biological evaluations — comments that EPA opted not to incorporate into the final BE.
  • AgriThority® expands the U.S. team with the additions of a product development and regulatory senior manager and a project and market analyst. The LATAM team also adds a business development and sales lead. Solito Sumulong brings more than 20 years of experience to his role as Product Development and Regulatory Senior Manager at AgriThority®. AgriThority also welcomes two others: Horacio Buscaglia as business development & sales lead, LATAM, and Chase Beisly as project and market analyst.
  • Several national agriculture and business organizations have announced their support for U.S. Senator Deb Fischer’s (R-Neb.) Precision Agriculture Loan Act. Sen. Fischer, who is a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, introduced the bipartisan legislation in September.
  • Heliae® Agriculture announced that its flagship product, PhycoTerra® soil microbial food, has been approved for use in Mexico. PhycoTerra® is an intricately balanced formula sourced from nature, specifically produced to feed the active and dormant beneficial microbes already native in soil.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

Syngenta Partners With Dairy Industry and Nature Conservancy

Cindy Zimmerman

The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy has announced a partnership with Syngenta and The Nature Conservancy to help dairy producers “reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve water quality and strengthen farm resilience.”

You can listen to an interview with Chris Cook, Head of Enogen, and Liz Hunt, Head of Sustainable & Responsible Business for Syngenta, who explain more about the initiative: Interview with Chris Cook & Liz Hunt, Syngenta

The collaboration aims to develop a replicable program and toolset to scale the adoption of best management practices in feed/forage production and feed efficiency. Since launching last spring, the group has been working with Wisconsin-based dairy farmers who belong to the Foremost Farms USA® dairy cooperative, which has approximately 1,000 member-owners across seven Midwest states, with support from Nestlé. The team is actively working to expand to more states, with the goal of increasing the number of participating farms each year.

This work is part of the U.S. Dairy Net Zero Initiative (NZI), a five-year, collaborative effort launched in 2020, which includes research, on-farm pilots and partner-based strategies to develop a pathway on-farm to reaching the 2050 environmental stewardship goals set by the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. NZI seeks to accelerate voluntary action to reduce environmental impacts by making sustainable practices and technologies more accessible and affordable to U.S. dairy farms of all sizes and geographies.

The effort includes opportunities to incorporate hybrid feeds that can improve the digestibility of starch in cattle feed. From a lifecycle analysis perspective, the potential environmental savings and benefits from increasing feed efficiency are significant for climate-impacting greenhouse gas emissions, as well as land, water and energy use.

Audio, Corn, Dairy, Feed, Livestock, Sustainability, Syngenta

Animal Ag News 11/15

Carrie Muehling

  • U.S. Senators Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) are announcing a compromise cattle market proposal, known as the Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act.
  • U.S. pork exports have experienced significant growth since 2010 — increasing more than 50% in volume and 60% in value. This substantial increase can be attributed to the fact that the U.S. is a low-cost consistent pork supplier in the global market. A new report from the National Pork Board details how U.S. pork can differentiate itself beyond these two attributes to continue to grow its global market share.
  • As friends and family gather for the holidays, Americans are expected to purchase 161 million pounds of butter from the second week in November through Christmas. While butter sales usually increase during the holidays, the pandemic, which spiked a rebirth of home cooking, has also caused butter sales to grow significantly year-round. According to Suzanne Fanning, Senior Vice President at Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, the organization saw a 400% spike in recipe searches during the pandemic.
  • The American Feed Industry Association’s Nutrition Committee is hosting a program focused on challenges and opportunities for the animal food industry in the face of disruptions, such as pandemics or foreign animal diseases. Titled, “Business Continuity in Times of Disruption: Lessons Learned,” the program will take place on Jan. 26, 2022, in conjunction with the 2022 International Production & Processing Expo, taking place Jan. 25-27.
  • Boehringer Ingelheim announces the appointment of Sharon Holt to Director of Marketing for U.S. Swine and Poultry. Holt has more than 19 years of leadership experience and an intrinsic knowledge of the Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health business across manufacturing, supply chain and commercial functions.
  • Three emerging livestock industry leaders received welcomed financial support this month as they were named recipients of the 2022 Throlson American Bison Foundation scholarship.
  • GO Topeka, the economic development group for Kansas’ Capital City, announced that 10 new startups have graduated from Plug and Play Topeka, an animal health and ag-tech incubator. The early- and mid-stage startups, selected after a pitch competition in late September, have successfully completed the three-month accelerator program.
  • The 138th Annual Convention of Delegates of the American Angus Association assembled November 8, 2021 in Fort Worth, Texas. Newly elected officers were Jerry Connealy, Whitman, Neb., president and chairman of the Board; and Chuck Grove, Forest, Va., vice president and vice chairman of the Board. Barry Pollard, Enid, Okla., will serve as the Treasurer for the 2021-2022.
  • The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association called on Secretary Vilsack to immediately suspend all imports of fresh beef from Brazil to the United States. In the letter to USDA, NCBA asked for a suspension until the agency conducts a thorough risk assessment and review of the processes that Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Food Supply (MAPA) uses to detect disease and other threats to consumers. NCBA also urged USDA to review Brazil’s veterinary diagnostic laboratory system.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites