MN Soybean Council Promotes Superhero Biodiesel

Cindy Zimmerman

Biodiesel is on a mission to save the planet from carbon and other evil greenhouse gases and the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotional Council (MSR&PC) has kicked off a new campaign that highlights the super powers of biodiesel.

Throughout the spring and summer, biodiesel’s carbon-reduction message will be splashed across dozens of Minneapolis Metro Transit buses in a colorful comic book-themed campaign sponsored by MSR&PC. Earlier this spring, the Metropolitan Council approved a measure to invest $122 million in adding 143 new biodiesel buses to the Metro Transit’s fleet, or about 15% of the fleet. A total of 46 buses will be wrapped with the biodiesel superhero message.

MSR&PC CEO Tom Sluencka says the intent of the biodiesel bus wraps is to show Minnesotans that renewable fuels are already packing a serious punch when it comes to cutting greenhouse gas emissions. “Biodiesel is reducing greenhouse gas emissions by over 80 percent, reducing particulate matter by over 47 percent, and that’s what we consider smog, and we’re doing it with a fuel that’s raised and produced right here in Minnesota,” said Slunecka.

At a time when there is a strong push for electric vehicles, Slunecka says they are proud that the Metro Transit system chose biodiesel to reduce emissions. “They realized that with the cold temperatures in Minnesota and the length of some of their routes that big, heavy batteries in their buses were just not going to get the job done,” he said. “So, instead they decided to use the original advanced biofuel, which is biodiesel.”

Slunecka discusses the new campaign and the superhero benefits of biodiesel in this interview.
MN Biodiesel Superhero Campaign - MSR&PC CEO Tom Slunecka (9:33)

Learn more about this super new campaign.

Audio, Biodiesel, Soybean

Precision Ag News 5/26

Carrie Muehling

  • Soil Health Partnership – a project of the National Corn Growers Association – will close its doors on May 28, 2021. SHP has accomplished its original mission of determining the economic and environmental impact of conservation practices and communicating the importance of soil health to farmers and the agriculture community.
  • OnePointOne and Sakata Seed America announced a large-scale vertical farming research collaboration. Their 25-foot vertical structure uses LED lights, advanced aeroponics and a fleet of robotic growers to perform most of the day-to-day production.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

Dairy Checkoff Reaches Out to Gen Z

Cindy Zimmerman

A new strategy to reach Gen Z during June Dairy Month was unveiled by Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) on Monday.

DMI is partnering with YouTubers and gaming influencers Captain Sparklez and Rosana Pansino to share how dairy helps them “Beat the Lag,” and enlist Gen Z to hack the ultimate gaming snack. DMI has also partnered with GoNoodle to develop Coach Terry’s Touchdown, an interactive game led by GoNoodle and the NFL’s PLAY 60 character, Coach Terry.

DMI held a press webinar to discuss the new strategies with:
Barbara O’Brien, President, Dairy Management Inc.
Anne Warden, Executive Vice President of Strategic Integration, Dairy Management Inc.
Popular Minecraft gamer Jordan Maron (aka “CaptainSparklez”)
California Gen Z dairy farmer Nevin Lemos

Dairy Checkoff Reaches Out to Gen Z (26:12)

AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Audio, Dairy

ARISE USA, Milton, FL – Interview with Robert David Steele

Chuck Zimmerman

ARISE USA The Resurrection TourARISE USA The Resurrection Tour stopped in Milton, FL this past Saturday. The event was set up at Jernigan’s Landing right on the Blackwater River. It was a beautiful day and people seemed to be having a lot of fun. There was live music on stage and then speakers, including Robert David Steele, who masterminded this 84 stops in 50 states tour. I spoke with Robert before the program started. He describes how the tour has been put together and what he hopes to accomplish as a result of this grass roots movement. And, yes, that’s the Golden ZimmComm Microphone being put to use.

This tour is all about faith, family and freedom and embraces a diversity of people who share the vision of local support to get our country back to the values that made it the great nation it is.

You can listen to my interview with Robert here: Interview with Robert David Steele (5:49)

Robert says the tour is entirely dependent on donations which can be made here.

You can find plenty of photos from the event here: 2021 ARISE USA The Resurrection Tour – Milton, FL Photo Album

Audio, Education

Animal Ag News 5/24

Carrie Muehling

  • The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) is proud to announce four awards honoring those who have supported the animal food industry over the past year and throughout their careers. The AFIA congratulates all AFIA members for receiving the AFIA 2021 Member of the Year Award; Rurik B. “R.B.” Halaby, formerly with AgriCapital Corporation, for receiving the 2021 Distinguished Service Award; Bill McLean, of The Essmueller Company, for receiving the 2021 AFIA-Kansas State University Feed Manufacturing Lifetime Achievement Award; and Steve Kopperud, of SLK Strategies, for being named posthumously an AFIA Honorary Board Director.
  • The University of Minnesota invites you to attend the 2021 Precision Dairy Conference, June 22-23, 2021. The event will be a ‘neutral space’ where many technologies come together to be discussed and learned about. Producers, consultants, veterinarians, industry representatives, and researchers are all part of the program, which is more end-user focused this year. The in-person capacity is limited due to pandemic restrictions, but the virtual experience will be unique as you will be able to see the presenters in the room as they present and are recorded live.
  • National Farmers Union recently joined with five other organizations that represent cattle producers to agree to work jointly on issues in the cattle marketplace. On Monday, May 10, 2021, member leaders of American Farm Bureau Federation, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Farmers Union, R-CALF USA, and the United States Cattlemen’s Association met in Phoenix, Arizona. These groups convened at the request of Livestock Marketing Association to discuss challenges involved in the marketing of finished cattle with the ultimate goal of bringing about a more financially sustainable situation for cattle feeders and cow-calf producers.
  • Taco Bell is unveiling its second frozen beverage featuring dairy at all participating U.S. locations for a limited time, thanks to checkoff support. The Mtn Dew® Baja Blast® Colada Freeze features a dairy-based creamer made from real heavy cream, with pineapple and coconut flavors to give it a tropical feel. The drink will be available May 20 on a limited-time basis or until supplies run out.
  • Join the Dairy Calf & Heifer Association for its next one-hour webinar set for May 25 at 1:00 p.m. Central time. During this webinar, Gerald Mechor, a distinguished technical consultant at Elanco Animal Health, will discuss the importance of a thorough examination and diagnostic testing to help confirm a positive case of coccidiosis, as well as prevention tips to keep calves healthy during this critical growth stage.
  • Traceability in the Livestock Sector will be the topic of a panel discussion Thursday, June 10, 2021 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. CST presented by the Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City. Register here.
  • FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative is awarding $14,250 in scholarships to 13 deserving individuals this year. Over the past nine years, FarmFirst has generously provided scholarships to 205 individuals, awarding more than $180,000.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

Industry Ag News 5/21

Carrie Muehling

  • KCoe Isom, a food and agriculture consulting and accounting firm, will be holding a webinar for corn growers on News and Perspective on Tax Planning and Priorities on Wednesday, May 26 at 8:00 AM central. The webinar will address questions farmers have been asking around legislative tax proposals and potential impacts to businesses.
  • The GROWMARK/FS System welcomes 85 interns from across North America into its storied internship program. GROWMARK made it a point to continue its internship program last year through the pandemic by adapting to a virtual format with socially distant hands-on experience in the field. This year, GROWMARK is building upon that hybrid model with even more opportunities for its interns.
  • The National Coalition for Food and Agricultural Research (National C-FAR) has selected Laura Peterson – Laura Wood Peterson Consulting – as its new Executive Director. Peterson succeeds Tom Van Arsdall, who retired after nearly two decades leading the organization.
  • Syngenta Group announced that Daniel Vennard, former Global Director at the World Resources Institute, will join as Chief Sustainability Officer on July 26, 2021. He will be based in Basel, Switzerland, reporting to CEO Erik Fyrwald.
  • Time is running out to submit an application for the National Corn Growers Association’s Consider Corn Challenge III. The contest, aimed at establishing novel biomaterials, products, and technologies utilizing corn, closes June 3, 2021.
  • This summer, the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council is Driving Soy. Minnesota soybean farmers – driven by farmer-led checkoff dollars – are turning the key and hitting the highway, rolling out a win-win campaign that gives traction to the broad benefits and uses of soybean oil. Throughout the spring and summer, the MSR&PC and its 44 organized counties are utilizing Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company’s line of soy-oil tires to shine a light on value-added products and give back to their communities by donating sets of soy-based tires to their local law-enforcement agencies.
  • Agri-Pulse welcomes the Almond Board of California as the Platinum sponsor for the 2021 Agri-Pulse Food & Ag Policy Summit West. This year’s theme is “How Can California Agriculture Remain Competitive?” The event will offer participants a full day of presentations and panel discussions at the Sheraton Grand Sacramento on July 12, 2021. Virtual attendance options are also available.
Zimfo Bytes

Choose Real Leather to Reduce Waste

Chuck Zimmerman

Leather and Hide Council of AmericaThe Leather and Hide Council of America has just released an infographic that highlights the issue of how the use of products made from plastics and other non-renewable sources is harming the environment. Real leather made from livestock hides is one of the oldest forms of recycling and can help play an important part in solving this problem.

Zero-waste pledges and concepts like upcycling, while seemingly novel, long predate their widespread adoption. In fact, our ancestors demonstrated most clearly their commitment to the environment and the preservation of our planet by following these practices even before they were in vogue. This is perhaps best exemplified in their conversion of hides and skins – byproducts of meat and dairy production – to beautiful, durable, and sustainable leather products. Now, a new infographic from the Leather and Hide Council of America (LHCA) shines a light on the environmental costs of using imitation products and synthetics, mostly made from plastics and other non-renewable sources, as opposed to real leather in finished consumer goods.

“The fast versus slow fashion debate has reached a critical inflection point, as consumers, brands and retailers increasingly take stock of their purchasing decisions, and the broader societal impact of those choices,” said LHCA President Stephen Sothmann. “In the race to develop a greener supply chain and reduce waste, the fastest way to ensure defeat is to doubt leather’s durability and sustainability, which have been proven over millennia.”

Ag Groups, Environment, Livestock, Sustainability

Report Shows How U.S. Farmers Can Fight Climate Change

Cindy Zimmerman

A new report commissioned by Farm Journal Foundation finds U.S. farmers have the potential to significantly reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and become part of the global solution to climate change.

U.S. agriculture contributes about 10% of the total greenhouse gas emissions of the entire national economy, but farmers could greatly reduce those emissions if they were provided with the right government incentives, according to the report, which was co-authored by Dr. John Reilly of MIT’s Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change and Dr. Stephanie Mercier, senior policy adviser at Farm Journal Foundation.

Joining Farm Journal Foundation in releasing the report Thursday were Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Bill Hohenstein, director of the USDA’s Office of Energy and Environmental Policy.

Sen. Stabenow addressed how the report ties in with the Growing Climate Solutions Act and the importance of increased funding for conservation programs.
Farm Journal Foundation climate report - Sen. Stabenow (2:52)

Bill Hohenstein discussed what USDA is doing to address climate change priorities and the latest progress report on Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry.
Farm Journal Foundation climate report - Bill Hohenstein, USDA (8:18)

Report co-author Dr. John Reilly explained how agriculture has the greatest stake in climate change, but also the greatest ability to reduce emissions in a variety of ways.
Farm Journal Foundation climate report - Dr. John Reilly, MIT (7:04)

Dr. Stephanie Mercier talked about policies that can help agriculture be part of the climate change solution.
Farm Journal Foundation climate report - Dr. Stephanie Mercier (8:46)

Audio, carbon, climate, Environment, Farm Journal, Farming, USDA

Precision Ag News 5/19

Carrie Muehling

  • The Stoller Group, a world leader in nutrition, plant physiology and biological nitrogen fixation, has acquired a stake in Cromai, an Agri-Tech startup which is one of the five most promising in the world in terms of computational vision for agriculture, according to a survey by Startup Insights.
  • Innoquest Inc., the designer and manufacturer of precision meters for the agriculture industry since 1993, has released the SpotOn® Sprayer Calibrator Model SC-2 (SC-2). Set to replace SpotOn®’s flagship product, the Sprayer Calibrator Model SC-1 (SC-1), the SC-2 is sure to impress both new and established users with its advanced features and improved functionality.
  • Inari, the SEEDesign company, and Beck’s, the largest family-owned, retail seed company and the third largest seed brand in the United States, have announced a business and R&D collaboration – reinforcing their respective missions to provide more diverse, sustainable and competitive choices for farmers.
  • Western Growers has selected 13 innovators for the inaugural cohort of its Global Harvest Automation Initiative, a groundbreaking project that aims to automate 50 percent of specialty crop harvest within 10 years by accelerating the commercialization of harvest automation innovations.
  • Arva Intelligence announced it has integrated Planet imagery into their CropForce data analytics platform.
  • Bushel, an independently owned software company and leading provider of software technology solutions for growers, grain buyers, ag retailers, protein producers and food companies, was featured during Google I/O, Google’s annual developer conference.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

Alltech ONE Ideas Conference Moves to June

Cindy Zimmerman

Alltech is moving the 2021 Alltech ONE Ideas Conference (ONE) into June to ensure that attendees have the best virtual experience the company can provide.

Alltech’s commitment to delivering advanced innovation and exceptional quality extends to our world-class events, particularly the Alltech ONE Ideas Conference (ONE). Having transitioned to a virtual event in 2020, we applied our entrepreneurial spirit to building our own event platform this year for an even more robust and interactive attendee experience.

As we approach the May 25 launch date, however, it has become apparent that the digital technology necessary to support our ambitious goal is not quite ready. We have, therefore, decided to wait to open the virtual doors on ONE until we are able to deliver the outstanding attendee experience that we envision, including networking and additional engagement features.

The new event dates of the Alltech ONE Ideas Conference are June 22-24, 2021.

AgWired Animal, Alltech, Animal Agriculture