Yara North America Launches Irrigation Solution for CA Farmers

Cindy Zimmerman

Yara North America today launched Farm Water Advisor, an irrigation solution now offered free of charge for all California growers and advisors for immediate use. Developed in partnership with The Weather Company, an IBM business, Farm Water Advisor uses a range of data to provide hyper-local weather forecasts and recommend the best schedule for maximum yields.

“We have focused on some of the largest acreage crops in California, including nut trees, citrus, grapes and olives,” said Scott Warr, commercial manager for digital farming at Yara North America. “We knew there was a need for a simple and accurate solution that any grower could use with or without other scheduling tools. Farm Water Advisor puts this power in the palm of your hand.”

Farm Water Advisor advises farmers when, where and how much to irrigate for the coming seven days, and allows them to fine-tune their crop performance. The most effective irrigation schedules begin with accurate evapotranspiration forecasts, field-specific soil infiltration models, crop water demand curves and irrigation application rates.

The irrigation scheduling solution is currently available for California growers and advisors working with almonds, walnuts, pistachios, grapes, mandarins, oranges, lemons, grapefruit and olives. This free solution is available as a native smartphone application (iOS and Android) and as a desktop web application.

To learn more about Farm Water Advisor, visit: farmwateradvisor.com. To read up on Yara North America and its many accomplishments over the last 75 years, visit: www.yara.us or www.yara.ca.

AgWired Precision, Apps, Precision Agriculture, Produce, specialty crops, Water

Precision Ag News 2/24

Carrie Muehling

  • Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 10th International IPM Symposium has been postponed from March 2021 to February 28 – March 3, 2022, in Denver, Colo.
  • Kubota Tractor Corporation announced an update to its wheel loader lineup with the launch of the new R540 and R640 models. The next-generation wheel loaders are available in both canopy and cab models and feature improved visibility, enhanced operator comfort and increased performance over the previous R30 Series models.
  • PureAcre™ is expanding their team by hiring Brandon Badgley as Account Director. The Texas-based agricultural innovation company provides high-performance, Earth-friendly nutritionals and biostimulants that maximize plant performance and fertilizer efficiency; and Badgley will oversee sales and account relationships and introduce new products to the row crop and specialty crop markets.
  • A&L Biological Inc., a subsidiary of A&L Canada Laboratories Inc., announced it will research and develop products from cricket frass, a by-product of the Aspire Food Group’s future cricket production and processing facility in London, Ontario.
  • Corn weed control gets a fresh take this season as production starts on three Empyros™ corn herbicides from Helena Agri-Enterprises, LLC. Empyros, Empyros Triad and Empyros Triad Flex recently received federal registration from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. These groundbreaking pre- and early post-emergence herbicides provide excellent control of broadleaf weeds and grasses with novel combinations of the newest HPPD inhibitor to hit the U.S. corn market.
  • Responding to strong farmer demand and proven performance, Kinze will expand its True Speed high-speed planting technology to five more planter configurations for the 2022 season. The company is also introducing several new features to enhance its innovative Blue Vantage planter display.
  • Gradable™, a leading technology and services provider for scoring, sourcing, and pricing Low-Carbon Grain from farm-to-fork, announced it has launched Gradable Carbon, a groundbreaking offering that empowers farmers to generate carbon credits, and gives them flexibility over when and where they sell them.
  • Azotic North America announces the addition of John Squire to lead their agronomic programs in the United States and Canada. Squire brings decades of experience and deep expertise in crop science to helping farmers take advantage of Envita’s revolutionary nitrogen-fixing mode of action.
  • Precision Tank launched its first e-commerce website, making it easier than ever to choose, order and purchase agriculture equipment parts. Precision Tank’s online store includes thousands of parts in inventory that are ready to ship with just a few simple clicks.
  • The Pesticide Stewardship Alliance recognized several recipients recently during the 2021 virtual conference for their stewardship work. The recipients include: Program Excellence – Dr. Don Renchie, Texas Agri-life Extension Service, Texas A&M University; Program Innovation Award – Schuetz Container Systems, Plainfield, IN; and Leadership in Product Stewardship – Private or the “Pizzy” Award – Scott Birchfield, Syngenta Crop Protection.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

Land O’Lakes Reports Strong Earnings Increase for 2020

Cindy Zimmerman

2020 was a pretty good year for Land O’Lakes, Inc., reporting a 29 percent earnings increase over 2019.

The farmer-owned cooperative reports net sales of $13.9 billion and net earnings of $266 million for the year ending December 31, 2020, compared to net sales of $13.9 billion and net earnings of $207 million in 2019. Net Earnings improved $59.1 million compared to the prior year despite the economic challenges and volatile market conditions due to impacts of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

President and CEO Beth Ford said, “We focused on growth in a challenging environment by standing up e-commerce across the business units as everyone moved online, developing revenue options for farmers and working to offset significant market declines.”

2020 earnings strength was driven by improved performance in our core Dairy Foods and Animal Nutrition businesses. Dairy Foods earnings were higher due to strong sales of our retail products including butters and spreads and our Kozy Shack product lines, which more than offset volume declines in Food service and the impacts of commodity market volatility.

Animal Nutrition earnings were also higher due to growth in all lifestyle species – animals like backyard flock and horse – and improved performance in Premix. Crop Inputs earnings were lower as Crop Protection margins were compressed due to unfavorable product mix driven by grower buying decisions and basic manufacturers lowering prices. Crop Inputs showed improved performance in both its Crop Nutrition and International businesses while leveraging its investment in digital sales platforms to help its network of brick-and-mortar retailers avoid service disruptions throughout the pandemic.

More information about the company’s 2020 performance can be found at www.landolakesinc.com/investors.

Agribusiness, Cooperatives, Farming

TN Farm Bureau Expands Shooting Hunger Fundraiser

Cindy Zimmerman

A high-powered program developed to take aim at food insecurity in Tennessee is expanding its sites to the entire state.

During what was one of the hardest years for the U.S. due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the state of Tennessee saw a 26.6% increase in food insecurity with every 1 in 6 adults needing food support. Shooting Hunger, an annual fundraising event that helps feed hungry Tennesseans through regional food banks, raised $222,000 for Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle TN and Mid-South Food Bank, and provided more than 2 million meals to those in need in 2020, recognizing the urgent need to provide for those gone hungry.

This year, Shooting Hunger plans to expand its reach by distributing the funds raised evenly among all 95 counties in the state. A majority of the funds raised will be used to provide weekly backpacks full of food for school children without access to school lunch, with an overall goal to provide 100,000 backpack meals.

Shooting Hunger was started by Tennessee Farm Bureau and Farm Credit Mid-America in 2015 as a way to bring Tennessee agriculture and Tennessee businesses together and provide for hungry Tennesseans. This year, in addition to expanding its monetary contributions across the state, Shooting Hunger is adding a third sporting clays shooting event in East Tennessee, in addition to the events in West and Middle Tennessee The events are hosted by Tennessee Farm Bureau, Farm Credit Mid-America, Rural 1st and Tennessee Farmers Coop.

Donations to Shooting Hunger are accepted year-round, and can be made on shootinghunger.com.

Farming, Food, Hunting

Animal Ag News 2/22

Carrie Muehling

  • The 2021 Cattle Industry Convention Winter Reboot is a two-day virtual event and will be held Feb. 23-24, featuring 15 unique educational sessions. The title sponsor of the event is Corteva Agriscience.
  • Registration is now open for the Animal Agriculture Alliance’s 2021 Virtual Stakeholders Summit, themed Obstacles to Opportunities. To register, visit http://bit.ly/AnimalAgSummit.
  • The Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame has announced its 2021 inductees and award winners who will be recognized at its 12th annual banquet to be held Aug. 9, 2021, in Nashville, Tennessee. Johnny Trotter, president and CEO of Bar-G Feedyard in Hereford, Texas, and Steve Gabel, founder of Magnum Feedyard in Wiggins, Colorado, are the newest inductees into the Hall of Fame, which annually honors two leaders who have made lasting contributions to the cattle feeding industry. Gary Smith, visiting professor in the Department of Animal Science at Texas A&M University, is the recipient of the Leadership Award. George Eckert of Green Plains Cattle Company in Leoti, Kansas, and Gaspar Martinez of Harris Feeding Company in Coalinga, California, were named Service Award winners.
  • The Minnesota Turkey Growers Association and the Minnesota Turkey Research and Promotion Council are excited to reveal their new website, www.minnesotaturkey.com/ to turkey farmers, agriculture stakeholders, and the general public. Resources to help farmers, educators, and consumers were added to the user-friendly site.
  • Leaders of Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board (NDB) and the United Dairy Industry Association (UDIA) recently announced election results to lead national dairy checkoff strategies and programs to protect and grow sales.
  • While schools are closed and millions of kids learn virtually at home, Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin (DFW) and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) share a unique opportunity for kids to visit a farm without leaving the house. The two groups joined forces to create and launch a virtual farm tour of Scientific Holsteins in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, hosted by Julia Nunes, Wisconsin’s 73rd Alice in Dairyland. The virtual farm tour is geared toward grades 3-5 with an emphasis on fourth grade and is available for download at WisconsinDairy.org/Farm-Tour.
  • Cattle producers Hugh Sanburg, Norman Voyles, Jr. and Jimmy Taylor are the new leaders of the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion & Research Board (CBB). This officer team is responsible for guiding the national Beef Checkoff throughout 2021.
  • A series of videos developed and released through a new partnership between the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, and Chef’s Roll, Inc., reached more than 1.3 million viewers in its initial launch. The videos highlight the importance of the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program for the ranchers who raise the cattle, and the chefs who serve high-quality beef to their customers. Each video follows a chef as they visit a local cattle operation to learn about how BQA practices are used to sustainably and responsibly raise high-quality beef. The beef farmer or rancher then visits the chef’s kitchen to gain an understand of how beef is prepared and featured on the chef’s menu. The experience is rounded out with a shared beef meal.
  • Applications are being accepted for college scholarships that are awarded by America’s dairy farmers and importers through the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board (NDB). Eleven scholarships worth $2,500 each will be awarded, as well as a $3,500 James H. Loper Jr. Memorial Scholarship to one outstanding recipient. NDB funds, in part, Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), which manages the national dairy checkoff program. Applications can be found at www.usdairy.com/about-us/dmi/scholarship. Completed applications must be received no later than May 7 at 11:59 p.m. CST.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

Trust In Food Symposium Theme is Regenerative Reset

Cindy Zimmerman

The annual Trust In Food Symposium is being held this week with the theme Regenerative Reset and a focus on trends in carbon and climate, animal ag and innovation.

Trust In Food, a Farm Journal initiative, has a record-setting audience of leaders from across the food value chain, the conservation community and public agencies registered for the event, which is being held entirely online this year on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, February 23-25. Keynote speakers will include Dr. Jonathan Foley of Project Drawdown; Dr. Temple Grandin of Colorado State University; Dr. Frank Mitloehner of the University of California-Davis; and Rachel Stroer and Tim Crews of The Land Institute.

“Now is a moment unlike any in recent memory,” said Amy Skoczlas Cole, executive vice president of Trust In Food. “Against this backdrop, our country’s food system – from producers to consumers – are rapidly evolving. How are U.S. farmers and ranchers responding, and what’s ahead for agriculture? Out of the disruption of 2020, can a new system emerge that helps farmers move toward more regenerative practices and add revenue streams from carbon markets and other ecosystem services? Those are the questions our speakers will address, and we look forward to engaging a broad cohort of leaders in farming, agribusiness, environmental stewardship, agencies and food manufacturers and retail in the conversation.”

To register for the Trust In Food Symposium, go to www.trustinfood.com/symposium.

Animal Agriculture, Environment, Farm Journal, Farming, Food

Webinar Explores Lessons Learned from 1980s Farm Crisis

Cindy Zimmerman

AEI Premium is holding a virtual event to explore lessons learned from its “Escaping 1980” podcast on March 3. Farmers, agribusiness leaders, farm policy wonks, and students are invited click here to register for the free webinar. The “Escaping 1980” podcast, launched in November, explores the causes, impacts, and lasting effects of one of the most infamous events in American agriculture history – the 1980s farm crisis.

Agricultural economists Brent Gloy and David Widmar will join host and rural journalist Sarah Mock to go behind the scenes of the podcast and unpack the applications for producers and agricultural professionals in 2021.

“We launched “Escaping 1980″ to see if the next farm crisis is actually avoidable,” said AEI Premium co-founder and “Escaping 1980” co-host David Widmar. “This special event will dig even deeper into actionable ways agriculture decision makers can apply lessons learned during the ’80s to navigate farm economics more effectively in the 21st century.”

The webinar will explore if the ’80s farm crisis is still impacting us today, how producers should best capitalize on market swings without ‘betting the farm’, what the future of federal farm policy will look like, and much more.

The “Escaping 1980: Beyond the Podcast” webinar will be held at 1:00 pm Eastern time on Wednesday, March 3. If you have not heard the podcast yet, stream all seven episodes at aei.ag/escaping1980. Listeners can connect with AEI Premium on Twitter and Facebook to provide feedback.

Farming, Podcasts

Daugherty Water for Food Podcast – Episode 6

Cindy Zimmerman

This episode of the Daugherty Water for Food podcast features a discussion on nitrates in Nebraska groundwater.

Crystal Powers, research and extension communication specialist with the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute (DWFI) and Nebraska Water Center, interviews University of Nebraska-Lincoln communications professor Jessica Walsh about her 2019 project Nitrates in Nebraska: A Multimedia Journalism Project on the Impact of Nitrate Contamination in the Groundwater. Walsh is a former newspaper reporter and a new DWFI Faculty Fellow.

Daugherty Water for Food Podcast Episode 6 13:26

How to subscribe:

Audio, Podcasts, Water, Water for Food

Industry Ag News 2/19

Carrie Muehling

  • The importance of social responsibility and fresh produce companies’ efforts to achieve it are firmly planted in the spotlight, as the COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced that the food industry is vital, and a healthy workforce is essential for a healthy business. To bring this topic to the forefront with in-depth and relevant content, The Packer has partnered with Equitable Food Initiative to present People First: A Spotlight on Social Responsibility, Feb. 22 to March 16, 2021.
  • GROWMARK is making it easier for its thousands of customers to interact, and to deliver upon its renowned unsurpassed customer experience digitally, with the launch of myFS Solution Center.
  • A very different World Ag Expo® opened February 9, 2021. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the annual international Ag trade show was held entirely online for the first time in show history. The new online show boasted 752 exhibitors and an impressive 24,639 visits over three days from users in 70 countries, 49 states, and the District of Columbia. The seminars are now available on-demand at https://bit.ly/WAE21Seminars
  • The American Soybean Association (ASA) is now accepting applications for the Valent Ag Voices of the Future program, which will be held July 19-22, 2021, in conjunction with the summer ASA Board meeting and Soy Issues Forum in Washington, D.C. The Ag Voices of the Future program is for students interested in improving their understanding of major agricultural policy issues, the importance of advocacy and careers that can impact agricultural policy. Class size is limited and students must be at least 18 years old to apply.
  • More than 760,000 FFA members across the country will share the story of agriculture as part of National FFA Week. This year, the week kicks off on Feb. 20 and culminates on Saturday, Feb. 27.
  • Aimpoint Research®, a global, strategic intelligence firm, welcomes former U.S. Ambassador Gregg Doud as Vice President of Global Situational Awareness & Chief Economist. Doud most recently served as Chief Agricultural Negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and is one of the primary architects of the U.S.-China “Phase One” trade agreement.
  • The Association of Equipment Manufacturers and the Equipment Dealers Association are sponsoring continuing education scholarships for Agricultural teachers. For the fourth consecutive year, AEM is sponsoring the 2021 National Association of Agriculture Educators Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education Institute Scholarship for agriculture educators. Applications for 2021 scholarships are now being accepted. The deadline is Feb. 28, 2021.
Zimfo Bytes

Top Producer of the Year Award – Longview Farms

Chuck Zimmerman

Top Producer of the Year Award WinnerDuring the 2021 Top Producer Summit several awards were presented. A big congratulations goes to the Henry family and LongView Farms. They are the recipients of the 2021 Top Producer of the Year Award.

Accepting the award were Scott and Eric Henry, sons of Steve and Laurie Henry who started the farm. The sons are now the primary managers of the farm and are looking at new farming alternatives to grow the business. The farm was not originally named Longview Farms. In my interview with Eric he tells the story of the name change and what it means.

You can listen to acceptance remarks from Scott Henry here: Remarks from Scott Henry 1:15

You can listen to an interview with Eric Henry here: Interview with Eric Henry 3:34

You can learn more about the farm here.

Audio, Farm Journal, Farming, Media