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

AMVAC and Verdesian Life Sciences Expand Relationship

Cindy Zimmerman

AMVAC® and Verdesian® Life Sciences are expanding their relationship to include MicroSync® IronClad IDC micronutrient along with MicroSync® ZINC micronutrient among crop inputs available through the SIMPAS® system.

MicroSync® ZINC supplied by Verdesian was made available for the 2021 planting season through SIMPAS-applied Solutions™ (SaS™), which are products prescriptively applied with patented SmartCartridge® container technology to address unique agronomic needs. With SmartCartridge technology, farmers can apply the precise rate of Zinc that their trusted advisor prescribes, by management zone. Multiple SaS products, such as insecticides, fungicides, nematicides and micronutrients, are delivered simultaneously in-furrow during planting using the SIMPAS Application System available through Trimble® dealers.

MicroSync IronClad IDC will be available as a SaS product for the 2022 planting season. MicroSync IronClad IDC is a granular fertilizer designed to supply increased available iron to crops. The focus crop for IronClad IDC is soybeans grown in areas with high pH and a history of iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC).

Current SaS products also include AZTEC® HC SmartCartridge Insecticide, COUNTER® 20G SmartCartridge Insecticide / Nematicide, and Force® 10G HL SmartCartridge Insecticide.

“We’re pleased to continue expanding the SaS family of products, each of which has been carefully selected to address farmers’ most pressing agronomic challenges and needs,” said Jim Lappin, Director of SIMPAS Portfolio and Alliances at AMVAC. “Additionally we’re pleased to welcome Verdesian to our growing roster of SIMPAS partners and collaborators which also includes Trimble® and Corteva Agriscience®. We look forward to making additional announcements regarding SaS products and partnerships in the weeks and months to come.”

AgWired Precision, AMVAC, Crop Protection, Insecticides, Precision Agriculture, Verdesian

Bayer Anticipates ThryvOn Approval by 2023

Cindy Zimmerman

Bayer’s ThryvOn™ technology cotton trait for control of tarnished plant bugs and thrips is getting closer to full regulatory approval.

“ThryvOn is industry’s first Bt trait that controls thrip species and tarnished plant bug species,” said Bayer Cotton Traits and Agronomic Systems Manager Tim Dabbert at last week’s Beltwide Cotton Conferences. “We’ve put it into cotton and we’re going to offer it pending regulatory approval in 2023.”

Dabbert says they have spent the past several years educating consultants and growers about the technology and how it works and there is a lot of excitement about it within the cotton industry.

Learn more in this interview:
BWCC22 Interview with Tim Dabbert, Bayer (5:36)

Audio, Bayer, Beltwide Cotton, Cotton

Animal Ag News 1/10

Carrie Muehling

  • Until Jan. 17, nominations are being accepted for Certified Angus Beef (CAB) producer awards, which recognize cattlemen and women raising beef to the highest standards. There are three categories of awards to nominate someone you know. Visit www.cabcattle.com/nominate to nominate someone who deserves to be recognized.
  • The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), the International Cheese Council of Canada (ICCC), the Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand (DCANZ), and Eucolait applaud the findings of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s (USMCA) dispute panel on Canada’s administration of its dairy tariff rate quotas (TRQs). The USMCA panel – the first dispute panel to be established under the Agreement – found elements of Canada’s TRQ administration to be in breach of commitments under the Agreement and has recommended Canada amend its TRQ allocation regulations consistent with USMCA. Canada has until February 3, 2022 to respond to the panel’s findings and make its TRQ regulations consistent with USMCA.
  • The Animal Agriculture Alliance announced that registration is now open for the 2022 Stakeholders Summit, themed “Come Together for Animal Ag: Be Informed, Be Ready, Be Here!” The Alliance’s annual event brings together thought leaders from all links along the food supply chain to discuss hot-button issues and out-of-the-box ideas to connect the farm and food communities, engage influencers and protect the future of animal agriculture.
  • Kiera Leddy, Drake University Law School, and Maci Mueller, University of California (UC) Davis, have each been awarded a $15,000 W.D. Farr Scholarship by the National Cattlemen’s Foundation (NCF). The annual W.D. Farr Scholarship program, established by NCF in 2007, recognizes outstanding graduate students who plan to pursue careers furthering the beef industry.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

Mid-South Farm & Gin Plans Hybrid Show

Cindy Zimmerman

The 70th Annual Mid-South Farm & Gin Show will be held live and in-person this year, February 25-26 at the Renasant Convention Center in Memphis, Tennessee.

Tim Price, show manager and executive vice president of the Southern Cotton Ginners Association, says they will be both live and virtual this year because last year’s virtual experience opened up a whole new world for the show. “One of the things we found out is just how great the reach is,” said Price during an interview at the Beltwide Cotton Conferences last week. “Last year we had in excess of 15 to 20 international countries that listened in…and so we broadened through our virtual presence.”

Learn about the plans for this year’s show in this interview.
BWCC22 Interview with Tim Price, Mid-South Farm and Gin (10:58)

Audio, Cotton, Farm & Gin Show

Vilsack Stresses Climate Smart Agriculture at #AFBF22

Cindy Zimmerman

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack stressed the role of farmers and ranchers in addressing climate change issues during an address Monday at the American Farm Bureau Convention in Atlanta, Georgia.

Vilsack said he is excited about a new partnership between USDA and Farmers For Soil Health, an initiative of the United Soybean Board, National Corn Growers Association and National Pork Board. “We’re announcing a goal of doubling the number of cover crop acres to 30 million acres by 2030,” said Vilsack.

To complement the new partnership, NRCS is investing $38 million through the new targeted Cover Crop Initiative in 11 states to help agricultural producers mitigate climate change through the widespread adoption of cover crops. States include Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and South Dakota.

The secretary also addressed trade issues and livestock marketing concerns.

Listen to Vilsack’s remarks, preceded by recorded comments from President Joe Biden.
AFBF22 Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack remarks (33:45)

AFBF, Audio, USDA

Farm Bureau Honors Former Ag Secretary

Cindy Zimmerman

The American Farm Bureau Federation honored former Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue with its annual Distinguished Service Award yesterday at the annual convention in Atlanta, Georgia.

Perdue was honored for his seven decades of service to agriculture including serving as secretary of agriculture from 2017-2021, where he led USDA’s implementation of the 2018 farm bill. Under his leadership, the department’s notable accomplishments included launching the Market Facilitation Program to provide financial assistance to farmers during trade disputes, development of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program and the Farmers to Families Food Box Program during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the creation of ReConnect, a rural broadband initiative.

Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) sat down for a chat with the former Secretary Perdue Sunday on the Cultivation Center Stage at the convention trade show. Sen. Marshall discussed a number of topics with the former secretary, including one of his latest ventures as an investor and board member in the indoor vertical farming company Kalera. “Kalera is part of a new era of controlled-environment agriculture,” said Perdue. “This idea is to take industrial sites and do a controlled inside agriculture and grow lettuce and micro greens around metro areas.”

The two also discussed the Farm Bureau convention, farm bill implementation, and President Trump.
AFBF22 Sen. Roger Marshall and Sonny Perdue (21:49)

AFBF, Audio

Industry Ag News 1/7

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. To register, click here.
  • Farmers are encouraged to respond to the USDA’s Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS). Phase II of the work has been extended to January 14. The survey asks about production practices and data from corn producers. Your response helps ensure corn growers are represented in key research and analysis by USDA. This portion of the survey asks questions about fertilizer, pesticide, cropping practice and technology management.
  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture released the details and coverage of the new crop insurance Post Application Coverage Endorsement, or PACE, for non-irrigated corn. Farmers in select counties in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin are eligible for the endorsement.
  • Farmer-leaders of the United Soybean Board (USB) announced a new strategic plan that prioritizes sustainable soy solutions for global and domestic customers while ensuring value and profitability for U.S. soybean farmers. The seating of the new Chair and Executive Committee at its December meeting included appointments of the Supply and Demand Action Team leads, Priority Area coordinators and Communication & Education Committee chair, among other key roles within the organization.
  • Farmers and people in rural areas are more comfortable talking about stress and mental health challenges with others, and stigma around seeking help or treatment has decreased in rural and farm communities but is still a factor, according to a new research poll from the American Farm Bureau Federation.
  • Clariant, a focused, sustainable and innovative specialty chemical company, announced that it has signed definitive agreements to acquire BASF’s U.S. Attapulgite business assets for USD 60 million in cash, including the signing of a long-term supply agreement for attapulgite-based products to BASF. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in summer 2022.
  • Spaces are marked, pavilions are built, and World Ag Expo® is ready to be “Back in AgTion” February 8-10 in Tulare, CA. Tickets are on sale now at https://bit.ly/WAE22Tickets. Show officials note confidence in the event with 94% of spaces sold as of January 3 and domestic and international ticket sales trending at 2020 levels.
  • The Propane Education & Research Council is offering double incentives of up to $10,000 toward eligible propane-powered equipment for agricultural operations directly impacted by the Kansas wildfires or December tornado outbreak — reaching Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. For a limited time, affected producers who apply for the Propane Farm Incentive Program can earn double the incentive amount for qualifying propane-powered equipment—including irrigation engines, building/water heating systems, power generators, and flame weeding systems.
Zimfo Bytes

BASF Honors Cotton Specialist of the Year

Cindy Zimmerman

Kansas State University Extension Specialist Stu Duncan was presented with the Cotton Specialist of the Year Award by BASF this week at the Beltwide Cotton Conferences.

Voted on by cotton specialists in the 17 states where cotton is grown, this highly-esteemed award is based on several considerations, including exceptional leadership and outstanding industry service.

“Saw my first cotton plants in my aunt’s garden in the ’60s,” said Duncan. “Really, my specialty was wheat and soybeans, row crops in Kansas.” But once Kansas cotton production started taking off, Duncan dove right in and became part of the cotton family and just retired last year.

BASF is proud to sponsor the award to honor the work of outstanding cotton specialists. “Over the years that I have gotten to know these guys, they are a tight knit group,” said Tim Culpepper, BASF Regional Agronomist. “It’s like his family saying we love you and respect you.”

Listen to interviews with Stu and Tim below:

BWCC22 Interview with Stu Duncan, Cotton Specialist (2:47)

BWCC22 Interview with Tim Culpepper, BASF (2:19)

2022 Beltwide Cotton Conferences Photo Album

Audio, BASF, Beltwide Cotton, Cotton

Passing of Ed Czerwien

Cindy Zimmerman

Well-known cattle market analyst Ed Czerwien, 70, Amarillo, passed away January 3 after fighting ALS for more than three years.

Ed is an emeritus member of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) and was a Livestock & Grain Market News Reporter for the USDA in Amarillo, TX until he retired. After retiring, he started up CZ Cattle Market Analytics and also wrote articles for a couple of publications. Throughout his long career, he received numerous FFA and National Market News Association awards, as well as awards from the USDA and the State of Missouri Department of Agriculture.

Ed is survived by his wife, Mary, sons Terry (Ivy) and Kurt (Sharon) Czerwien, daughter Christy Czerwien, and four grandchildren. According to the family, a memorial service will be held at a later date.

Livestock, NAFB, obituariess