Biodiesel Board Now Clean Fuels Alliance America

Cindy Zimmerman

The National Biodiesel Board this week unveiled its new name and new brand, Clean Fuels Alliance America, during the opening session of the 2022 National Biodiesel Conference & Expo. The transformation to Clean Fuels helps the industry represent all its industry members: biodiesel, renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuels.

“Our industry has seen and will continue to see significant growth as the world around us focuses on clean energy,” said Donnell Rehagen, CEO of Clean Fuels. “We are an integral part of the solution for sustainable energy that’s not only affordable but also scalable and available now. Further, our new name and brand represents the connected energies of our members and positions our industry for a clean fuels future.”

The National Biodiesel Conference & Expo’s theme for 2022 is “All In” and represents the momentum being carried by all players in the biodiesel, renewable diesel, and sustainable aviation fuel industry. This year, more than 600 attendees are hearing from experts on supply and decarbonization and the opportunities ahead for the industry as a whole.

Listen to Donnell Rehagen, CEO, Clean Fuels Alliance America – Opening Speech
Donnell Rehagen Speech (24:22)

2022 National Biodiesel Conference Photo Album

Biodiesel Conference Blog

Audio, Biodiesel, National Biodiesel Conference

Animal Ag News 1/18

Carrie Muehling

  • The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association announced support for a report issued by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Advisory Committee.
  • In a move to enhance their focus on strategic priorities, the Dairy Business Association (DBA) and Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative announced the promotion of Tim Trotter to a new position of chief executive officer.
  • The North American Meat Institute is excited to announce Laurie Bryant, Executive Director of the Meat Import Council of America, Inc. from 2001 through 2020, was inducted into the Meat Industry Hall of Fame, Class of 2021.
  • The North American Meat Institute and Food Industry Association made the difficult decision to cancel the 2022 Annual Meat Conference out of respect for the health of our communities and due to the attention and consideration our respective members are putting into their operations.
  • The United States now can export sausage and similar products to Nigeria, which announced it is partially opening its market to U.S. pork. The National Pork Producers Council welcomed the move by the West African nation.
  • Alexis Glick will step down as CEO of the checkoff-founded GENYOUth organization on July 1 to pursue other opportunities. Glick, who has served in this role since GENYOUth was founded 10 years ago, has begun transitioning her day-to-day responsibilities to Ann Marie Krautheim, who has been with GENYOUth since 2012. Krautheim most recently served as GENYOUth president and chief wellness officer as a longtime registered dietitian.
  • Royal DSM announced a brand-new face to its Animal Nutrition and Health (ANH) business. Through these new and improved lines, ANH will be able to offer their customers a true end-to-end portfolio of products, solutions and services for sustainable and profitable animal farming.
  • Put away the hair dryers, clippers and brushes: the bison are coming to the National Western Stock Show this week. Roughly 100 head of North America’s top bison will be arriving at the Stock Show on Wednesday for the National Bison Association’s 40th Anniversary Gold Trophy Show. Those entries will be auctioned at the association’s Gold Trophy Sale at the new NWSS Sale Arena on Saturday.
  • African swine fever (ASF) was found in a wild boar in northern Italy this month — the first reported case on Italy’s mainland. One of National Pork Board’s top priorities is supporting a coordinated national strategy to prevent a foreign animal disease from reaching our shores. You can help prepare for an FAD by adopting AgView, which is a free, pig contact-tracing platform developed for producers using Pork Checkoff funds.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

SEED+™ GRAPHITE Shows Results

Cindy Zimmerman

Verdesian Life Sciences wants to show farmers how SEED+™ GRAPHITE with corn can average a 10% yield increase.

SEED+™ GRAPHITE is a nutritional seed treatment that improves germination, crop emergence, seedling vigor, and plant tolerance under abiotic stress, leading to higher yields.

Product Manager Joe Vaillancourt and Mike Canady, Director of Agronomy, held a virtual media day recently to introduce SEED+™ GRAPHITE, which gives a boost to conventional talc and graphite that improves flowability and dries the seed. “What it really brings to the table is a full micronutrient package and then biostimulants and metabolites as well that help improve photosynthetic activity and helps those young crops push through early season stresses,” said Vaillancourt.

“We’ve taken this basic carrier, the 80-20 talc-graphite mix, and added something extra,” said Canady. “We’ve combined plant extracts, which is seaweed, kelp, to help mitigate early season stress.”

Doug Seaman, an agronomist with Heritage Cooperative in Vincent, Ohio, says SEED+™ GRAPHITE is a very unique product in the cluttered biolostimulants market, and it gets results. “We’re retailing SEED+™ GRAPHITE at $3 an acre,” said Seaman. “So when we’re seeing a $3 an acre cost and we’re seeing 3.6 bushel average return on our data, then we feel very good about the return on investment with that.”

Verdesian sent SEED+ GRAPHITE Technology Demo Kits to all of the journalists participating in the media event and they want to send free kits to anyone interested in learning more about it. Just go to the SEED+ page on the Verdesian Life Sciences website and order one!

Listen to a couple of excerpts from the media event:

SEED+ Virtual Media Day - Vaillancourt/Canady 5:48

SEED+ Virtual Media Day - Doug Seaman, Heritage Cooperative 5:53

Agronomy, Audio, Biologicals, Seed, Technology, Verdesian

The VISION Conference Kicks Off Tuesday

Cindy Zimmerman

The way we produce and supply food around the world is changing fast and the voices driving this change are gathering this week at The 2022 VISION Conference, January 18 -19, in Arizona. The conference is now in its fifth year and the world of data and technology has grown rapidly since VISION last convened in 2020.

Eric Davis, Meister Media Worldwide Managing Director, says the development and adoption of regenerative agriculture practices are accelerating. “The 2022 VISION Conference provides an in-person forum to connect and engage with the innovators leading these industry advancements.”

“A couple years ago, the industry was focused on technologies that could be deployed to boost efficiencies within ag production. Today, the landscape has expanded significantly as agribusiness has moved into the mainstream media and new voices now have a direct impact. The entire food value chain needs to be responsive, integrating new systems and capabilities, to meet heightened consumer expectations,” says Richard Jones, Meister Media Worldwide Corporate Content Director and VISION Conference Chair.

The 2022 VISION Conference features one main track of programming, expertly focused on the timely top priorities for agriculture and technology: regenerative agriculture, automation, connectivity, and transparency. Attendees will engage with a mix of expert presentations, panel discussions, active Q&A and debate, small group roundtables, and high-value networking.

Learn more about the conference from Davis and Jones in this preview interview.
2022 VISION Conference preview 13:28

AgWired Precision, Audio, Media, Precision Agriculture

Passing of Lee Kline

Cindy Zimmerman

The National Association of Farm Broadcasting announces the passing of 58-year emeritus member Lee Kline at age 91.

Growing up on a farm near Conrad, Iowa, his first on-air experience came in the summer of 1950 at WMT Radio, where he had been awarded the WMT Farm Scholarship and later graduated from Iowa State University in 1951 with a degree in agricultural journalism. He married his high school sweetheart, Lila Jean Stackhouse, in 1952 and completed two years with the U.S. infantry. After a few years as a public relations specialist for the Chicago Stockyards, in 1954, Kline joined the growing farm department at WHO Radio in Des Moines, Iowa, his life-long career dream.

On the air for 41 years as a full-time farm broadcaster for WHO, Kline became known for his warm interviewing style, natural curiosity, recordings of unique sounds and an ability to prompt heart-felt stories from farmers, families, business people, celebrities, and politicians. Kline retired from full-time broadcasting in 1995, but continued his popular, weekly “Lee Kline’s Notebook” radio broadcasts on WHO and WMT (Cedar Rapids) for another 23 years until age 88 in 2018.

Kline was a two-time recipient of the Oscar in Agriculture, in 1985 and 1990, and received a Merit Award for the Oscar in Agriculture in 1993; he was recognized dozens of times throughout his career by agriculture organizations and associations.

Gifts may be made to Lee Kline Memorial, Living History Farms and EveryStep Foundation/Kavanagh House hospice.

Obituary

NAFB, obituariess

Industry Ag News 1/14

Carrie Muehling

  • Agri-Pulse is pleased to host a free webinar on “Digging into the ag export supply chain crisis and how to fix it” on Jan. 31, at 1 p.m. ET. Register here.
  • Brownfield Anchor/Reporter Meghan Grebner took over the duties of President of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) Foundation on January 1. The NAFB Foundation is the nonprofit charitable and educational arm of NAFB.
  • The American Agri-Women proudly presented South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem with the “Champion of Agriculture Award” at their recent convention in Phoenix, Arizona.
  • Producers can improve the bottom-line of their farming operation with knowledge, connections and information gained at the 45th annual Georgia Peanut Farm Show and Conference, held at the University of Georgia Tifton Campus Conference Center, Jan. 19-20, 2022. The show ­hours for Wednesday, Jan. 19, will be 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. and Thursday, Jan. 20, will be 8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
  • Perdue AgriBusiness, in partnership with the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council, announced plans to offer the first organic high oleic SOYLEIC® soybean grower contract program providing premiums to plant and deliver heart-healthy high oleic soybeans.
  • The Minnesota Soybean Growers Association is excited to announce the return of the “Spill the Beans” webinar series in 2022. Spill the Beans debuted in winter 2021, and this year will once again feature a roster of speakers covering an array of agriculture-related topics, from policy discussions to production practices.
  • The GROWMARK Foundation is once again offering a $1,500 scholarship program for students in the United States and Ontario, Canada, pursing two- or four-year degrees or trade school certification in an agriculture-related field. High school seniors or students at any level of higher education may complete the application, which can be found at www.growmark.com/about-us/corporate-commitments. Applications are due by midnight Central Time on April 14, 2022 and recipients will be notified by July 1, 2022.
  • The Renewable Fuels Association announces UGI Corporation and the Sorghum Checkoff as new associate members. UGI Corporation is an international distributor and marketer of energy products and services, including natural gas, LPG, electricity and renewable energy solutions.
  • The National Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow elected four student officers to serve until July of 2022. They include President Rachel McGreal (University of Illinois), Vice President Maren Boyer Charlton (Utah State University), Member Relations Coordinator Haley Bickelhaupt (University of Illinois), and Communications Coordinator Keegan Brumfield (Texas A&M University).
  • A new economic analysis released by researchers at Texas A&M University has corn growers raising concerns that pending tariffs on nitrogen fertilizers will create shortages and cause prices to increase even more for farmers, according to the National Corn Growers Association.
Zimfo Bytes

Farm Journal to Hold 25th Top Producer Summit

Cindy Zimmerman

Farm Journal’s 25th Annual Top Producer Summit is set for Feb.14-16, 2022, at the Grand Hyatt in Nashville with the theme “Business on Broadway.” The event will bring forward-thinking farmers and ranchers together to share business opportunities and ideas to take their operations to the next level.

Mixing business with pleasure, the 2022 Top Producer Summit will feature industry-leading speakers on finance, innovative management practices, human resources, technology and succession planning. Attendees will also enjoy a night out of networking at Ole Red, Blake
Shelton’s honky-tonk in downtown Nashville.

As it does each year, the event will recognize several of the nation’s most outstanding farm operations. Finalists for the 2022 Top Producer of the Year Award include:
• Malecha Enterprises, Todd and Louise Malecha, Villard, Minn.
• Clearwater Farms, Christopher Riggers, Nezperce, Idaho
• Seven Springs Farms, Joe Nichols, Cadiz, Ky.

Winners of the Executive Women in Agriculture Trailblazer Award and Tomorrow’s Top Producer Horizon Award also will be honored at the annual awards ceremony, which will be streamed live on Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. CST on AgWeb.com.
Get registration and more information from Farm Journal.

Events, Farm Journal

ZimmCast 683 – Wrap-ups and Previews

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCastHello and welcome to the ZimmCast.

This episode will be about a wrap-up and a couple of previews.

2022 got off to a fast start with our virtual newsroom production for the National Cotton Council and the Beltwide Cotton Conferences. You can find the interviews and photos on AgNewsWire.com which has a link to the custom page we created for this project. I’m going to share my wrap-up interview of the conferences with Gary Adams, President/CEO, National Cotton Council.

Next week both Cindy and I will be on the agriblogging highway to separate locations. Cindy will be in Glendale, Arizona for the PrecisionAg Vision Conference while I will be in Las Vegas for the National Biodiesel Conference. So, to preview these conferences I have my preview interview with Meister Media’s Eric Davis and Richard Jones. And then Cindy’s interview with Brad Shimmens, National Biodiesel Board.

So that’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.

Listen to the ZimmCast here:
ZimmCast 683 - Wrap-ups and Previews (25:36)

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.

Subscribe to the ZimmCast in:

Ag Groups, Audio, Biodiesel, Cotton, National Biodiesel Conference, Precision Agriculture, ZimmCast

Precision Ag News 1/12

Carrie Muehling

  • EPA is issuing seven-year registrations for two herbicide products, Enlist Duo and Enlist One, to ensure growers have access to effective pesticide tools for the 2022 growing season. The new product labels, which incorporate robust control measures to protect non-target plants and animals, meet Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) standards and comply with the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
  • Groups representing agricultural growers, retailers, landscaping, and golf course professionals responded with strong support for continued access to glyphosate following Monday’s oral arguments in litigation regarding the registration of glyphosate. The 10 groups are all parties in the case supporting glyphosate’s continued registration. Glyphosate remains one of the safest, most effective tools growers, landscapers, golf course professionals and other users have to manage economically-damaging weeds and maintain important conservation practices.
  • BRANDT, a leading agriculture retailer and manufacturer of specialty Ag products, has acquired a majority interest in Talc USA. Based in Page, North Dakota, Talc USA develops, manufactures and markets talc-based and related AG products that increase plant yield and improve soil health.
  • GROWMARK, Inc. is now the sole owner and operator of AgriVisor, LLC, a full-service agricultural risk management and marketing services firm. This comes after GROWMARK purchased Illinois Agricultural Association’s ownership interest in AgriVisor on December 30, 2021.
  • The recipient of the 2021 Cotton Genetics Research Award was announced in the 2022 Beltwide Cotton Improvement Conference — Dr. Vasu Kuraparthy, noted scientist and professor in North Carolina State University’s Crop & Soil Sciences Department.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

2021 Production Up for Corn, Soybeans and Cotton

Cindy Zimmerman

Corn, soybean and cotton production were all higher in 2021 compared to 2020, according to the 2021 Crop Production Annual Summary released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

U.S. corn growers produced 15.1 billion bushels, up 7% from 2020 and the second highest on record. Corn yield in the United States is estimated at a record high 177.0 bushels per acre, 5.6 bushels above the 2020 yield of 171.4 bushels per acre. Area harvested for grain, at 85.4 million acres, is up 4% from 2020.

Soybean production for 2021 totaled a record-high 4.44 billion bushels, up 5% from 2020. With record high yields in 21 states, the average soybean yield is estimated at 51.4 bushels per acre, 0.4 bushel above 2020 and the second highest on record.

For 2021, all cotton production is up 21% from 2020, at 17.6 million 480-pound bales. The U.S. yield is estimated at 849 pounds per acre, up 2 pounds from last year’s yield. Harvested area, at 9.97 million acres, is up 20% from last year.

Corn, Cotton, Soybean, USDA