Water for Food Podcast Episode 3

Cindy Zimmerman

Daugherty Water for Food PodcastEpisode number three of the Daugherty Water for Food Podcast spotlights another woman making waves in the food and water space.

Felicia Marcus has been making waves in California water management and regulation for more than three decades. She most recently served as Chair of the State Water Resources Control Board, with responsibility for drinking water, water quality, and water rights. Prior to that, as Regional Administrator of the U.S. EPA Region IX she was responsible for the range of environmental issues under EPA’s jurisdiction. Earlier, Marcus headed the Los Angeles Department of Public Works dealing with wastewater, water and solid waste recycling, stormwater management, and other environmental issues. She is currently the Landreth Visiting Fellow at Stanford University’s Water in the West Program.

In addition, she is active on numerous volunteer boards, including the Daugherty Global Water for Food Institute and the Sustainable Conservation Advisory Board, and has received many awards for her work and approach.

Learn more about Felicia Marcus and her work with farmers in California on water issues in this podcast: Daugherty Water for Food Podcast Episode 3

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Audio, Food, Podcasts, Water, Water for Food

Agriculture Mourns Loss of Dr. Flinchbaugh

Cindy Zimmerman

Barry Flinchbaugh (left) with Charlie Stenholm at 2012 Ag Media Summit

Dr. Barry Flinchbaugh, whose remarkable career in agricultural policy at Kansas State University spanned nearly a half-century, died Nov. 2 in Topeka. He was 78 years old.

The charismatic Flinchbaugh was well known as one of the United States’ leading experts on agricultural policy and agricultural economics. For more than four decades, he was a top adviser to politicians of both major political parties, including secretaries of agriculture, chairs of the U.S. House and Senate Agriculture committees, and numerous senators and state governors.

Flinchbaugh was involved to some degree in every U.S. farm bill written since 1968, and served on many national boards, advisory groups and task forces, providing input on domestic food and agricultural policy.

Flinchbaugh was also a big supporter of the Farm Foundation and served as chair of that organization in 2009. His Great Debates with former Texas Congressman Charlie Stenholm were a feature at Ag Media Summit for a couple of years.

Listen to Dr. Flinchbaugh here during a Farm Foundation Forum last year on implementing the 2018 Farm Bill.

Barry Flinchbaugh at 2019 Farm Foundation Forum
Audio, Farm Foundation, Farm Policy

Heliae® Agriculture Offering Soil Productivity Webinar

Cindy Zimmerman

Heliae® Agriculture will offer an in-depth two-day soil health webinar on November 17th and 18th on Rethinking Soil Productivity to showcase soil health opportunities for farmers in every geography.

“Soils are becoming severely degraded. It’s our mission at Heliae® Agriculture to help change that and provide growers with returns that deliver more than yield,” says Heliae President and CEO, Eric Lichtenheld. “We focus on changing soil through a regenerative approach and share our approach and solutions with growers nationwide to help aid their long term success.”

The live webinar experience will kick-off on November 17th at 10 a.m. central standard time with an in-depth discussion with renowed Rutgers University plant pathology professor, Dr. James White, who will be joined by Heliae Chief Revenue Officer, Norm Davy and Vice President of Agriculture Science, Dr. Karl Wyant. The trio will explore the soil’s microbiome through discussion and the examination of Dr. White’s research on the Rhizophagy Cycle. The session promises to offer insight into the newly discovered process of a plant’s ability to “farm” the beneficial microbes it needs and fundamental management strategies that can be implemented within any production model.

Day two, November 18, brings the Heliae® Agriculture science, research and sales team together in a discussion that focuses on the creation of a healthy soil biome. Here, the team will take a deeper look at the multitude of benefits that come from improving your soil, sharing the timeline of the PhycoTerra® Soil Amendment team’s research and discovery, and the efficacy and return on investment a regenerative approach brings to any farming operation. Both sessions will feature a dedicated live Q&A segment to allow viewers to submit questions to the panels of professionals for real-time answers.

Both sessions will feature a dedicated live Q&A segment to allow viewers to submit questions to the panels of professionals for real-time answers, and offer 4 Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) continuing education units (CEUs). Each day will also feature breakout sessions that focus on showcasing regional PhycoTerra® trial results. (Link to news release).

For more information on the 2-Day Webinar experience: Rethinking Soil Productivity or to register CLICK HERE.

AgWired Precision, Farming, Nutrition, Precision Agriculture, Soil

Animal Ag News 11/2

Carrie Muehling

  • The U.S. Trade Representative announced it is suspending $817 million in trade preferences for Thailand under the Generalized System of Preferences program because the country hasn’t made sufficient progress providing the United States with “equitable and reasonable market access” for pork products. The decision follows a 2018 petition by the National Pork Producers Council asking the USTR to review Thailand’s eligibility for the GSP program, one that offers duty-free treatment to certain goods entering the United States.
  • Marshall Reece, Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Associated Milk Producers Inc. of New Ulm, Minn., has been named the new president of the American Butter Institute, gaining the position during the organization’s annual meeting, held this year virtually.
  • Addressing dairy farmers and industry representatives, Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) leaders reflected on strategically adjusting business plans due to the impacts of COVID-19, and attributed this year’s results to industry unity, agility, speed and relentless relationship building. DMI CEO Tom Gallagher said one of the year’s highlights was USDA’s per capita report that showed consumption reached 653 pounds per person in 2019, a 60-year high for dairy.
  • Vets Plus, Inc. announces it has hired Adam Yankowsky as Director of Sales. Mr. Yankowsky will oversee sales and marketing activities for the Merrick’s Blue Ribbon® line of livestock health products, the Pets Prefer® line of companion animal products and the Probios® line of probiotics. He will also supervise private label and other business development initiatives.
  • Five years after launching its initial Accelerator program, Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) is gearing up for its 2021 program with the announcement of a new name, DFA CoLab Accelerator, and continued focus on helping accelerate and grow ag-tech and dairy food product companies.
  • In 2019, Lely announced plans for its new North American campus, furthering its commitment to Pella, the state of Iowa and the dairy producers across North America.
  • The American Feed Industry Association named Cassie Jones, Ph.D., an associate professor in animal sciences and industry at Kansas State University, as its Member of the Year during the AFIA’s fall Board of Directors virtual meeting.
  • The International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) is pivoting the Young Leaders Under 30 Program to an online format for 2021. The program will be called ‘IPPE Linked In With Tomorrow’s Leaders’ and is designed to recognize leadership qualities in young professionals. The program’s goal is to engage and invest in the next generation of young professionals, between the ages of 21 and 29, who work for companies directly involved in the production and processing of poultry and meat or in the production of animal food.
  • CowManager launches a new Nutrition module that provides actionable insights regarding feed and transition management on dairy farms. The module has been expanded with clear graphs and user-friendly comparison functionality. Timely notifications regarding cows at risk during the transition period, heat stress, low feed intake, and herd health help to focus a producer’s attention where it is needed most. These notifications allow the producer to approach herd management in a preventive, proactive, and precise manner, resulting in better cow health and a more productive herd.
  • The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is announcing the release of a comprehensive industry feedyard audit tool. The Cattle Industry Feedyard Audit will serve as a standardized audit tool based on the sound science and common sense established in the Beef Quality Assurance program. Though the audit tool is owned by NCBA, auditing of feedyards will only be conducted through business-to-business activity within the cattle industry. NCBA will be maintaining the tool with updates as science dictates.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

Virtual 93rd National FFA Convention One to Remember

Cindy Zimmerman

It may have been virtual, but over 217,000 viewers tuned in for the 93rd National FFA Convention & Expo last week. Convention attendees had the opportunity to view the live general sessions on RFD-TV, The Cowboy Channel and streaming on FFA.org, where they saw peers from across the country receiving recognition for their hard work, heard from this year’s national officer team, and even saw the FFA Band and Chorus perform.

The convention concluded on Thursday evening with the election of the new National FFA Officer team.

Students from Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois and Missouri were elected by National FFA Delegates to serve as 2020-21 National FFA Officers.

Doster Harper, an agriscience and environmental systems major at the University of Georgia, was elected national president.

Anna Mathis, an agricultural communication major at the University of Arkansas, was elected national secretary.

Paxton Dahmer, an agricultural education and leadership major at the University of Missouri – Columbia, was elected central region vice president.

Miriam Hoffman, an agribusiness economics major at Southern Illinois University, was elected eastern region vice president.

David Lopez, an agricultural communications major at California Polytechnic State, was elected western region vice president.

Artha Jonassaint, a government and global health major at Harvard, was elected southern region vice president.

FFA

Agri-Pulse Hosts National Pork Board Webinar on Trade

Cindy Zimmerman

Agri-Pulse president Sara Wyant moderated a discussion last week with USDA Trade Undersecretary Ted McKinney, North Carolina hog farmer Jan Archer, and Iowa State University economist Dermot Hayes on how exports add value for pork producers and support U.S. jobs. The event was sponsored by the National Pork Board.

Watch the webinar here.

Listen to the audio here:
Agri-Pulse webinar on pork exports (1 hour)

Agri-Pulse, AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Audio, Exports, Pork, Pork Checkoff, USDA

Industry Ag News 10/30

Carrie Muehling

  • Commodity Classic has announced it will transition its annual conference and trade show, originally scheduled for March 4-6, 2021, in San Antonio, Texas, to an alternative digital format. The change was necessary due to restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The new format is expected to be offered the first week in March 2021.
  • Camso is actively working to drive farming forward, offering a new level of roading performance for Trailed Track Systems used on farm implements, such as planters, fertilizer carts, sprayers, and harvest carts. Designed to meet the challenges that today’s farmers face, 5 new models in the TTS 35, 40, and 45 series were introduced in early 2020 that allow farmers to travel up to 20 mph, that’s 30% faster than previous models, for up to two continuous hours. In 2021, Camso’s larger TTS models will also include 30% higher roading speed and extended duration capabilities for the 70, 80, 100, and 110 series.
  • Ground was broken in Crookston, MN for the long-awaited Ag Innovation Campus’s 67,000-square-foot soybean crush facility. The project is supported by Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council (MSR&PC) and the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association (MSGA).
  • The Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City’s November 12 webinar will look at the results of the November 3 election and the implications for agribusiness. The panel will feature veteran farm policy reporter and analyst Sara Wyant who is editor-in-chief of Agri-Pulse Communications. She will be joined by Blake Hurst, president, Missouri Farm Bureau Federation and Ron Seeber, president and CEO, Kansas Grain and Feed Association and Kansas Ag Retailers Association. The panelists will share their views on the Federal elections and key state-wide races and how those results may translate into policy directions affecting agribusiness.
  • Students from Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois and Missouri were elected by National FFA Delegates to serve as 2020-21 National FFA Officers.
  • CNH Industrial actively engages with start-ups around the world in an effort to identify new and innovative solutions. One of its ag machinery brands, Case IH, is currently working in Australia with an emerging company focused on solving the issue of poor network coverage on farms by developing technology that enables power-efficient broadband connectivity across vast distances. The partnership between Zetifi and Case IH Australia/New Zealand has resulted in a series of trials of a portable Wi-Fi repeater fitted to a tractor, that effectively creates a ‘bubble of connectivity’ around it, enabling a machine’s telematics, remote support and data transfer capabilities, along with Wi-Fi calling, messaging, email and internet access for the machine’s operator.
  • Jacquelyn Howard, vice president of food supply chain sourcing for The Starbucks Coffee Company, is the newest addition to The Center for Food Integrity board of directors. Howard joins the 22-member board, which represents the full diversity of today’s food and agriculture industries and brings unique perspectives to CFI’s mission of earning trust in today’s food system.
  • Green Point Research completed the largest hemp harvest in the State of Florida in over 80 years. The multi-day, 110-acre harvest in North Florida reaped over 500,000 hemp plants and is part of a broader 150-acre fall hemp harvest for the company.
  • Farm Foundation and USDA’s Economic Research Service announce the confirmed speakers for the opening keynote panel at the upcoming Emerging Research on Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Conference. The keynote, “USDA’s Vision for Beginning Farmers and Ranchers,” will take place at 9:00 a.m. CT on the first day of the conference, November 9, 2020.
  • The first ever commercial shipment of U.S.-grown rice was recently unloaded in China, following more than a decade of regulatory and political effort by USA Rice to establish a two-way trading relationship with the nation. The premium, medium grain Calrose rice was grown in California and sold by ADM Rice, Inc. to a private importer under the ‘Sungiven’ brand for retail distribution.
  • To help shoppers plan ahead and find a location that fits their shopping preferences, the Christmas Tree Promotion Board is debuting a new zip code-based retailer locator at ItsChristmasKeepitReal.com. An interactive map and search filters allow users to narrow the field by location and retail type, including choose and cut farms, seasonal lots, garden centers, general retailers, and home improvement stores.
  • AgCareers.com, in partnership with CareersinFood.com, is proud to announce the launch of the national Feed Your Future campaign. Maintaining a strong supply chain is more important than ever during COVID-19, and careers in the agri-food industry are essential.
  • United Fresh Produce Association is launching the United re- Fresh Experience, a monthly series of events in January 2021 to re-Fresh your business, re-Fresh your company, and re-Fresh your life.
Zimfo Bytes

2021 Commodity Classic Will Be Virtual

Cindy Zimmerman

Even though we all expected it, the news is still sad. Commodity Classic will be virtual in 2021.

The annual conference and trade show was originally scheduled for March 4-6, 2021, in San Antonio, Texas. The new format is expected to be offered the first week in March 2021. The 2022 Commodity Classic will be held in New Orleans on March 10-12, 2022.

The transition to an alternative experience is already underway and more information will be available in the coming weeks. To keep up to date, sign up for email updates at CommodityClassic.com.

Commodity Classic is presented annually by the American Soybean Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Association of Wheat Growers, National Sorghum Producers and Association of Equipment Manufacturers.

AEM, Commodity Classic, Corn, NAWG, NCGA, sorghum, Soybean, Virtual, Wheat

EPA Finalizes Pesticide AEZ Rules

Cindy Zimmerman

EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler visited another farm this week to make an agricultural announcement. At Overman Farms in Goldsboro, N.C., Wheeler announced finalized improvements to requirements for the pesticide application exclusion zone (AEZ), the area surrounding pesticide application equipment during outdoor production pesticide applications.

EPA’s targeted changes improve the enforceability and workability of the AEZ requirements, decrease regulatory burdens for farmers, and maintain critical worker protections. Today’s revisions are consistent with the 2018 Pesticide Registration Improvement Act (PRIA). The AEZ requirements are part of EPA’s agricultural Worker Protection Standard (WPS) regulations.

“Since day one, the Trump Administration has been committed to protecting the health of all our citizens,” said EPA Administrator Wheeler. “The changes to the AEZ requirements make it easier to ensure people near our nation’s farms are protected, while simultaneously enhancing the workability of these provisions for farm owners and protecting the environment.”

This final action balances the input EPA received from a wide range of stakeholders during the proposed action’s 90-day comment period. EPA has clarified and simplified the AEZ requirements based in part on input from state pesticide regulatory agencies and agricultural stakeholders after the adoption of the 2015 WPS rule. Consistent with PRIA, EPA is only implementing changes related to the AEZ requirements in the WPS.

Listen to Wheeler’s announcement below and read more about the changes from EPA.

EPA AEZ Rules announcement (6:33)

Audio, EPA, pesticides