Industry Ag News 6/4

Carrie Muehling

  • Register today for the June 7 webinar, “Sustainability in Agriculture: Moving from promise to practice.” This webinar will enable will take a closer look at the incredible progress that’s been made to date and the numerous challenges that remain. Plus, the webinar will explore what types of new federal programs and funding might be needed. Agri-Pulse is hosting this webinar which is sponsored by Corteva.
  • The National Biodiesel Board welcomes Jeff Earl as director of state regulatory affairs.
  • The USDA National Agricultural Statistic Service (NASS) has published the 2020 estimated peanut production for Alabama. NASS has estimated that Alabama peanut growers produced 637 million pounds of peanuts in 2020. That makes Alabama 2nd in the nation in peanut production, with Georgia ranking first. The U.S. produced 6.13 billion pounds of peanuts in 2020.
  • Signal Group announced the addition of five new hires to meet the demands of the firm’s growing Strategic Communications practice, including Chris Ortman, Executive Vice President; Jess McCarron, Vice President; Aisha Dukule, Senior Manager; Shane McCarthy, Senior Associate; and Will Burdulis, Communications Associate. The firm also announced that Managing Director Chelsea Koski, who has been with the firm for more than eight years, has been elevated to Chair of the Strategic Communications Practice.
  • Nufarm Americas Inc. announced that Tracy Rich has been appointed Vice President, Customer & Brand Marketing.
  • MGEX reports that this past month was the best May in MGEX history with a total of 261,078 contracts, which is 44% higher than the previous record holder, May 2018. This past month also entered the total monthly volume top-25 record book in the 17th position. Electronically, 242,120 contracts were traded in May 2021, which is the 13th best overall electronic month in MGEX history. Additionally, this was the best month for SPIKES Futures volume, closing at 4,256 contracts.
Zimfo Bytes

ZimmCast 672 – Farmers Edge Smart Carbon Program

Chuck Zimmerman

Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast.

Carbon seems to be the big (C) buzzword lately. In the last couple weeks I’ve lost count of how many announcements I’ve received on this subject in my inbox. One of those was from Farmers Edge that announced the company’s new Smart Carbon program. You can find the announcement and more about this program on their website. This week’s program features a discussion with Wade Barnes, founder/CEO, Farmers Edge.

Farmers Edge Smart Carbon ProgramI asked Wade where things stand on the subject of carbon in farming today and how this new program will help customers become more profitable. For starters, the availability of the new program is in Canada and California. But that will change as farmers start generating high-quality carbon credits and buyers become more available to purchase carbon offsets as part of their strategy to become carbon neutral. Other factors come into play too, like carbon taxes. Wade sees a bright future for their Smart Carbon program.

Listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 672 - Farmers Edge Smart Carbon Program (22:13)

That’s the ZimmCast for this week. In case you didn’t know it you can find more podcasts we produce in all your favorite podcast apps. That includes the Golden ZimmComm Mic Podcast, The Ethanol Report, Field Notes from Koch Agronomic Services and the Daugherty Water for Food Podcast. We hope you enjoy listening to them.

If you would like to advertise in the ZimmCast or become an on-going sponsor please let me know and we’ll work out a plan just for you.

Subscribe to the ZimmCast in:

Agribusiness, Agronomy, Audio, Environment, Soil, ZimmCast

Precision Ag News 6/2

Carrie Muehling

  • HOMESTRETCH HARVESTSHIELD™ is the new, unique biological and foliar nutrition product announced by Meristem Crop Performance as the latest addition to their robust HOMESTRETCH family of foliar nutrition products.
  • Register today for the June 7 webinar, “Sustainability in Agriculture: Moving from promise to practice.” This webinar will enable will take a closer look at the incredible progress that’s been made to date and the numerous challenges that remain. Plus, the webinar will explore what types of new federal programs and funding might be needed. Agri-Pulse is hosting this webinar which is sponsored by Corteva.
  • AGCO announced it has entered into a proof of concept collaboration agreement with Robert Bosch GmbH, BASF Digital Farming GmbH and Raven Industries Inc., with the objective of evaluating targeted spraying technology to make the application of crop protection products more effective and efficient by reducing crop input costs while driving farm and environmental sustainability.
  • Impetus Agriculture, Inc. has closed a $1 million follow-on equity investment seed round to continue development of a platform technology delivering proteins that enhance biological insect control. The company has demonstrated in the laboratory an ability to enhance the control of multiple economically important insects with multiple proteins. A co-development agreement is in place with a major multi-national agricultural company to advance the first concepts through product development and commercialization.
  • Bushel launched Bushel Fulfillment™ to its platform. Backed by the powerful Bushel platform, grain elevators now can receive accurate, same-day scale ticket information in the format needed to import into their accounting system for reconciliation. Commercial grain buyers will spend less time fielding clerical phone calls or emails and get down to business faster by streamlining paper-based processes.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

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