ARA Announces Staff Promotions

Chuck Zimmerman

Agriculture Retailers AssociationCongratulations!

The Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) announced today several promotions effective July 1, 2021, to recognize the ongoing efforts of several staff members. Many ARA staff roles have adjusted and expanded in the last few years as the association met challenges from industry issues and member consolidation, changed work environments due to COVID-19, and the move to a new physical office.

ARA President & CEO Daren Coppock offered the following comments on the promotions:

“I am privileged to work alongside a small but mighty team of talented professionals. The ARA team gets a lot done with fewer people than most realize. The only reason we’re able to accomplish what we do is the high caliber of people dedicated to advancing the interests of our member agricultural retailers. These promotions recognize hard work, flexibility, performance and tenure of several key staff members.”

  • Bryna Hautau will be promoted to Senior Director of Operations & Events.
  • Hunter Carpenter will be promoted to Senior Director of Public Policy.
  • Melisa Augusto will be promoted to Vice President of Communications & Marketing, a title more in keeping with her leadership and supervisory responsibilities.
  • Donnie Taylor will be promoted to Senior Vice President of Member Services and Corporate Relations.


Click here to view the full ARA team.

ag retailers

Animal Ag News 6/28

Carrie Muehling

  • Led by the South Dakota Livestock Auction Markets Association and Steve Stratford of Kansas-based Stratford Angus, the National Beef Checkoff Petition Committee is nearing the deadline for obtaining signed petitions for a beef checkoff referendum from 10 percent of the nation’s cattle owners. Launched on July 2, 2020, in the wake of the economy-disrupting COVID-19 pandemic, the Petition Committee was given until July 2, 2021 to obtained signed petitions calling for referendum from 88,269 cattle producers. Due to near nation-wide pandemic-related restrictions, the year-long petition drive was principally relegated to an online electronic-based petition located at www.checkoffvote.com, which has gained considerable momentum during the past few weeks gathering about one hundred new petition signers each day.
  • LeRoy Butler, four-time pro bowl defensive back for the Green Bay Packers and seven-time cookbook author, is teaming up with Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin to help consumers better understand how dairy farmers care for their animals while preserving their family farmland for future generations. Follow @leap36 on Facebook and Twitter this year while Butler shares his on-farm adventures with friends and family or visit Wisconsin Dairy Buzz to catch some of his recent television appearances.
  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the creation of two new, competitive grant funding opportunities for small, regional, and independent meat processors using funds the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) worked to secure at the end of last year. After fighting hard for several key priorities for cattle producers in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, NCBA praised USDA for putting $55.2 million of those funds toward the critical need for greater beef processing capacity. Applications for funding must be submitted online at www.grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Monday, Aug. 2.
  • Online grocery and meal ordering grew tremendously throughout the pandemic, and this trend is only expected to continue growing. Today, 67 percent of consumers are buying groceries online for delivery or pickup. See how the Beef Checkoff implements e-commerce advertising campaigns with major retailers like Target, Sam’s Club, Kroger and more to accelerate sales of fresh beef.
  • Beef Checkoff-funded Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. launched an integrated campaign to share stories of real beef producers and their commitment to protecting the land for generations to come.
  • Vytelle, with their network partners, announce the release of the Top 150 Proven Bulls. These high accuracy bulls have risen to the top of more than 81,000 animals of 25 different breeds and more than 262,000 residual feed intake (RFI) EPDs.
  • Nestlé USA and the checkoff-founded Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy announced that California’s Trinkler Dairy Farm, a CARNATION® supplier, is the first pilot farm within the Net Zero Initiative (NZI).
  • Scientists with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have developed a new experimental vaccine to protect cattle from the bacterium that causes Johne’s disease, Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP).
  • The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association announced that Carrie Behlke is the winner of the 8th annual National Anthem Contest, sponsored by Norbrook. Behlke will sing the National Anthem at the 2021 Cattle Industry Convention in Nashville, Tenn., during the Opening General Session on Aug. 10, as well as at the Cowboy’s Night at the Opry event on Aug. 12. For convention information and to register, visit https://convention.ncba.org/.
  • Seventy lawmakers joined Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Reps. Jim Hagedorn (R-Minn.) and Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) in letters asking the administration to stop a recent court order from harming U.S. hog farmers. The letters call on Agriculture Secretary Vilsack and Acting Solicitor General Prelogar to appeal a recent federal district court striking down pork harvest facility line speeds allowed under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s New Swine Inspection System (NSIS). The court order, set to go into effect on June 29, will lead to pork industry concentration and increased market power for plant operators at the expense of small hog farmers. The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) is calling for a longer stay of the court order and/or waivers that would allow the six impacted plants to continue operating at NSIS line speeds until a long-term solution acceptable to all industry stakeholders can be established.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

Industry Ag News 6/25

Carrie Muehling

  • An advocate for sustainable agriculture with more than four decades of experience in the ag arena, Markus Heldt is joining the Biotalys Board of Directors effective July 5th.
  • WATT Global Media announces the addition of Chad Forster to its agrifood sales team and Emily Anderson to the marketing team. The company continues to build its resources for integrated client-focused solutions, including digital media and in-person and virtual events for the agrifood and pet food industries.
  • Launched in 2020, Livestock Publications Council is now awarding Writer, Designer and Photographer of the Year awards for LPC members as part of the Annual LPC Awards Contest. During the selection process, entrants will complete a portfolio critique with seasoned industry practitioners. The entry deadline is Monday, July 19 and the entry fee is $100.
  • The Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI), in partnership with the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council (MSR&PC), has released a third-party validation of the infrastructural and economic performance of an environmentally friendly USDA certified biobased road preservation product, RePlay™.
  • If you want to honor a cotton consultant, nominate him or her for the prestigious 2021 Cotton Consultant of the Year (CCOY) Award. Click here to access the 2021 nomination form. The deadline for nominations is July 31.
Zimfo Bytes

ASTA Announces New Leaders and Award Recipients

Cindy Zimmerman

New ASTA Chair Brad May thanks John Latham for his service as Chair

The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) announced its newly-elected officer team and honored industry award winners during its 2021 Policy & Leadership Development Conference this week in Washington, D.C.

Brad May of BASF will officially take office as ASTA Chair on July 1, taking over from outgoing chair John Latham, Latham Seeds. First Vice Chair for the coming year is Jim Schweigert, GroAlliance, and Second Vice Chair is David Armstrong, Sakata Seed America. May presented Latham with a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol in gratitude for his service to ASTA.

“It’s an honor to serve on behalf of this great industry, which has proven time and time again—especially this past year– just how resilient, and essential, we truly are. As we head into this new year, it’s my goal to ensure we’re prepared as an industry, and as an association, to continue leading and moving forward, to address whatever future challenges lie ahead,” said May.

The ASTA Distinguished Service Award was presented to two individuals this year – Chet Boruff, Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Official Seed Certifying Analysts (AOSCA) and Dr. Barb Glenn, Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA).

There were also dual recipients of the Lifetime Honorary Member Award. Tim Johnson, Illinois Foundation Seeds, Inc. and John Schoenecker, H.M.CLAUSE.

Listen to John Latham’s ASTA Chair report and Brad May’s introduction of new officers and remarks:

ASTA PLDC21 Chair Report - John Latham (6:12)

ASTA PLDC21 New Chair Brad May, BASF (3:36)

ASTA, Audio, BASF, Seed

Alltech ONE Wellness for Your Health

Cindy Zimmerman

Three months ago Alltech launched Acutia, a wholly owned subsidiary “that combines science and sustainability to provide high-quality supplements that enhance everyday nutrition and improve long-term wellness.”

Nikki Putnam-Badding is a registered dietitian nutritionist and director of Acutia, and she is also chair of the health and wellness track for this year’s Alltech ONE Ideas Conference. As one of the presenters for the conference, Nikki talks about how Alltech fosters the concept of intrapreneurship that leads to new growth and innovations, such as Acutia health supplements.

“Really what we are focusing on with this company is our tagline, the science of sustainable wellness,” said Putnam-Badding, which means both sustainability in packaging and sourcing, as well as long-term health and wellness.

Other presentations on-demand in the ONE Health and Wellness track include Grow Your Brain to Boost Your Memory, Gut Reaction: Feeding a Healthy Microbiome, Sleep Well and Wake Up to Better Brain Health, and Why Smart People Make Bad Food Choices: The Invisible Influences That Guide Our Thinking.

Learn more about Acutia and the Alltech ONE health and wellness track in this interview.
Alltech ONE - Nikki Putnam-Badding, Acutia (5:38)

Acutia has just announced the expansion of its product line with the launch of Acutia Brain Health, joining Acutia Selenium, which provides immune system support, antioxidant benefits and essential nutrition and helps maintain healthy thyroid function. Acutia Digestive Health will round out the initial offering from Acutia, with an expected launch slated for later this year.

During the session on intrapreneurship, Alltech CEO Dr. Mark Lyons has a conversation with Nikki about Acutia’s journey from an idea presented at the 2018 Alltech ONE to where the company is today. Here is part of that discussion.

Alltech ONE - Nikki Putnam-Badding and Mark Lyons, Acutia (4:50)

Alltech, Audio, Sustainability

MyLand Growing for a Regenerative Ag Future

Cindy Zimmerman

MyLand is growing as it focuses on soil health. The Arizona-based company continues to add expertise as it moves into the “next stage of growth for a regenerative future.” In the past month, MyLand has announced four new appointments.

Jonah Parker is Vice President of Operational Planning. In this role, he will oversee the development and roll-out of MyLand’s regional Soil Health Center network. The Soil Health Centers are key to MyLand’s soil health mission and will amplify the company’s next stage of growth for a regenerative future.

Joe Ruiz was named Director of Sales, Western Region, responsible for client expansion and new client acquisition in the important Western United States and Mexico. He will work with growers and partners in this region to implement MyLand’s cost effective and scalable regenerative agriculture solution, analyze soil health improvement, and deliver a seamless customer experience.

Dr. Pradeep Monga, former Deputy Executive Secretary, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) was appointed to the Board of Directors for MyLand. This appointment elevates the company as a global leader in soil health and regenerative agriculture and positions it at the forefront of the conversation around the impact of investing in land and soil health on decarbonization, climate resilience, water efficiency, food security, nature-based health solutions, eco-restoration and the economic security of farmers and local communities around the world.

Shelley Baugh joins the company as Senior Director of Marketing responsible for leading all marketing initiatives, communications, and public relations for the organization. She comes to MyLand with over 14 years of diverse experience in data driven marketing, most recently as Director of Marketing & Communications for Heliae where she led the planning and development of soil health marketing initiatives.

MyLand’s innovative and patented technology allows farmers to easily and rapidly implement regenerative agriculture practices and improve their soil health by harnessing the land’s own natural ecosystem. MyLand partners with farmers to infuse life into the soil, helping to return farms to their most fertile state, achieving greater productivity and enhanced profitability. For additional information on how MyLand is transforming soil health globally, visit MyLand.ag.

AgWired Precision, Soil, Sustainability

Senate Hearing Examines Cattle Markets

Cindy Zimmerman

The Senate Committee on Agriculture held a hearing Wednesday on “Examining Markets, Transparency, and Prices from Cattle Producer to Consumer” to address a wide range of issues, including the urgent need for robust price discovery and differing industry views on how to achieve it, greater market transparency and oversight, and expanded beef processing capacity.

Among the witnesses was Mark Gardiner, owner-operator of Gardiner Angus Ranch in Kansas, who testified on behalf of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).

In his opening remarks, Gardiner confirmed the importance of solutions that put producers in the driver’s seat. “Please do not create regulations and legislation that have the unintended consequence of harming value-based marketing. Doing so would undo many years of progress for producers such as my family and those of our customers,” said Gardiner. “Onerous legislation has the potential to result in a reversal of quality that is simply unacceptable to consumers.”

Earlier this month, NCBA and 37 affiliate state cattle organizations sent a letter urging the leadership of the U.S. Senate and House Agriculture Committees to address critical areas of concern in the cattle and beef industry. Multiple lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have written the U.S. Department of Justice calling for the swift conclusion of their investigation into whether or not anticompetitive practices have taken place in the meatpacking sector. NCBA was also at the forefront in 2019 of calling for an investigation after the “black swan” market event of a fire at Tyson Foods’ Finney County beef plant in Holcomb, Kansas.

Recent industry meetings in Phoenix, Arizona and Kansas City, Missouri have also brought together economists, associations, and market participants to discuss industry-led solutions.

Listen to Gardiner’s opening remarks here:
Mark Gardiner, Kansas, testifies for NCBA (5:12)

Last week in Washington DC, NCBA Directory of Market Regulatory Policy Tanner Beymer discussed the issue and said there is no one answer to the problem.
Tanner Beymer, NCBA (2:11)

AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Audio, Beef, Livestock, NCBA

Alltech ONE Loves Pets

Cindy Zimmerman

Pets have played a vital role in the mental health of millions during the past 18 months as COVID pandemic measures kept us home, but many are experiencing separation anxiety now that businesses are getting back to more normal and people are going back to work.

Dealing with the post-pandemic pet blues is just one of several interesting presentations on-demand for pet owners and industry representatives as part of the virtual Alltech ONE Ideas Conference debuting this week. Alltech Companion Animal Sales Manager Kami Grandeen says they have a great line up. “I really think this is probably the best track that we’ve put together so far because we are addressing a lot of different topics and trends that pet owners are concerned about,” said Grandeen. “We have a wide variety speakers and perspectives, including perspectives from China and Latin America.”

Other presentations include Supporting Cognitive Function in Pets, Minimizing the Environmental Pawprint of Your Brand, and What’s in Store for the Future of Brick-and-Mortar Retail. Learn more about what the ONE Pet Track offers this year in this interview with Kami.

Alltech ONE Pets - Kami Grandeen, Companion Animals (8:51)

AgWired Animal, Alltech, Animal Agriculture, Audio

Precision Ag News 6/23

Carrie Muehling

  • The Scoop and Trust In Food, a Farm Journal initiative, have been named exclusive media partners of the 2021 InfoAg Conference, presented by The Fertilizer Institute. The event is set for Aug. 3-4, 2021, at the St. Louis Union Station Hotel.
  • Join Farm Foundation on Tuesday, June 29 from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. CDT online via Zoom as we survey the landscape of biological crop protection (aka “biologicals”) in agriculture.
  • Indigo Agriculture announced plans to unveil a new brand identity for its carbon farming program: Carbon by Indigo. The refreshed identity will officially debut at the inaugural “Carbon Farming Connection” learning session on June 23. The session will bring together farmers with private industry and scientific experts supporting the development of a robust global market for agricultural carbon credits.
  • In a recent election at the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST), Dr. Sally Flis — Sustainable Ag Field Manager with Nutrien Ag Solutions — was chosen as the President-Elect for 2021-2022.
  • Bushel, an independently-owned software technology company for growers, grain buyers, ag retailers, protein producers and food companies, announced its acquisition of FarmLogs, a leading provider of technology farm management systems for row crop farms. The addition of FarmLogs’ technology and team to Bushel creates a stronger digital connection between growers, commodity buyers, ag retailers and consumer packaged goods companies.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

Alltech ONE Equine Track is a Winner

Cindy Zimmerman

Horses have a special place in the heart of Alltech and the equine track for this year’s ONE Ideas Conference offers six amazing sessions for horse lovers.

Alltech Lifestyle and Companion Animal Director Tim Karl just joined the company last August and he is very excited about the lineup, which includes a look at the new World Equestrian Center (WEC) in Ocala, Florida with Jim Wolf, president of Wolf Sports Group. “He’s going to share his insights into this unique venue and what it has to offer,” said Karl. Other topics include equine welfare, sustainable equine management, senior horse feeding, marketing, and trace mineral research.

Karl is also excited about Alltech’s new line of Lifeforce premium equine supplements. “We developed Lifeforce back in 2010 for the Alltech World Equestrian Games and we’ve built on that with this refreshed launch,” he said.

Learn more about the ONE equine track and Lifeforce in this interview.
Alltech ONE Equine - Tim Karl, Alltech (7:30)

AgWired Animal, Alltech, Animal Agriculture, Animal Health, Audio, Horses