Animal Ag News 6/1

Carrie Muehling

  • While nearly all livestock producers must contend with mycotoxin challenges, the prevalence of specific mycotoxins differs greatly by location. New technologies are available to help producers evaluate their feed for mycotoxins. Dr. Carlos Mallmann, Ph.D., MSc, MV and Professor, Federal University of Santa Maria, Brazil, is hosting a free webinar titled “New Methods Available for Evaluating Mycotoxin Mitigation Strategies,” which is now available at Phibro Academy.
  • Dairy West has hired Marissa Watson as its first vice president of sustainability, a position that underscores the importance of sustainability within the dairy community and all of agriculture, according to CEO Karianne Fallow.
  • Wes Ishmael, long-time cattle business journalist and communicator recently joined the American Hereford Association as Executive Editor of Hereford World magazine.
  • Dr. Roselina Angel, professor of monogastric nutrition at the University of Maryland, was recognized with the 2021 Poultry Science Association Distinguished Poultry Industry Career Award, sponsored by U.S. Poultry & Egg Association. The Distinguished Poultry Industry Career Award recognizes distinctive, outstanding contributions by an industry leader. In addition to sponsoring the award, USPOULTRY also makes an annual contribution to the Poultry Science Association Foundation on behalf of the award recipient.
  • The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA), in coordination with Feedstuffs, is relaunching its Feed Facility of the Year (FFY) program after a brief hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic with new changes expected to enhance the program for the future. Of note, the AFIA will be providing awards for each program category, to be recognized at AFIA events in front of industry colleagues, and discontinuing the overall award.
  • The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association led a letter with the support of 37 affiliate state cattle organizations, urging the leadership of the U.S. Senate and House Agriculture Committees to address critical areas of concern in the cattle and beef industry. Read the full text of the letter here.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

Industry Ag News 5/28

Carrie Muehling

  • Claire Dailey has joined FLM Harvest as vice president of public relations, leading the agency’s growing team of PR professionals while also serving as the senior PR strategist for clients.
  • Annie Deckey, a student at Claremont McKenna College with a background and interest in agribusiness and farm policy, is the newest member of the Agri-Pulse team.
  • The National Corn Growers Association welcomes two interns this summer thanks to the generous support of the Nebraska Corn Board and the Nebraska Corn Growers Association. Chloe Higgins, an ag economics major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, will be working in the NCGA office in Washington, D.C. Danie Brandl is interning with the NCGA office in St. Louis, Missouri. Brandl is majoring in agricultural education at UNL.
  • The National FFA Organization announced that they would hold their annual in-person convention this fall in the city of Indianapolis. The event, which traditionally brings more than 65,000 attendees, will take place Oct. 27-30.
  • Major League Baseball announced that the National Corn Growers Association has agreed to become an official partner of this summer’s MLB at Field of Dreams presented by GEICO event. The game will be played at a newly constructed ballpark adjacent to the Field of Dreams movie site in Dyersville, Iowa on Thursday, August 12th and will be broadcast nationally on FOX.
  • The American Seed Trade Association’s (ASTA) Policy & Leadership Development Conference will be June 20-23 at the Grand Hyatt Washington. With all Washington, D.C. COVID-19 restrictions set to be lifted just in time for the conference, ASTA is excited to offer both in-person and virtual options for attendees. Sessions will showcase policy and industry experts providing the latest updates and analysis of the critical current issues impacting seed, including trade, innovation, and domestic and international policy.
Zimfo Bytes

The Passing of Steve Drake

Chuck Zimmerman

Steve DrakeIt was with a great deal of sadness that I learned of the passing of Steve Drake. I considered him a good friend and someone I could easily talk to any time. He was always happy to offer ideas and suggestions. I’m going to miss him as so many people in the agricultural marketing business will. This is one of my photos of Steve from the Ag Media Summit in 2010.

You can learn more about Steve in a post on AgriMarketing.com which includes a tribute written by Den Gardner, Agricultural Relations Council senior consultant.

I had the opportunity to interview Steve on several occasions over the years. Here’s one from my ZimmCast podcast back in 2010 when he talked about his company, Drake & Company.

Ag Media Summit, Agencies, ARC

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