CIRB Annual Meeting was Virtual Success

Cindy Zimmerman

The 57th Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau (CIRB) Annual Meeting was a virtual success.

Michael Torrey, CIRB Executive Vice President, said they were pleasantly surprised to have a record turnout for their first ever virtual meeting, which gave many more a chance to participate. “Allowing several individuals within companies, and participants from overseas, and even a lot of non-members, to be exposed to the CIRB program,” said Torrey.

The program featured an agricultural economic outlook, policy forecast, and a timely panel on the role of crop insurance in climate change policy. Audio recordings of the meeting presentations and interviews are available on the CIRB Annual Meeting virtual newsroom.

CIRB is co-hosting a virtual 2021 Crop Insurance Convention tomorrow, along with National Crop Insurance Services (NCIS) and American Association of Crop Insurers (AACI). The virtual joint convention will be held February 9 from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM CST.

In this interview, Torrey talks about the CIRB annual meeting and the state of the crop insurance industry.
Interview with Michael Torrey, CIRB 11:06

Audio, CIRB, Crop Insurance

Industry Ag News 2/5

Carrie Muehling

  • Many rural counties are still struggling with COVID-19, high unemployment and the environmental impact from natural disasters and wildfires. How will all these competing, and often complex factors be addressed in a new congress? Those are some of the topics Agri-Pulse plans to explore during a webinar discussion “Top rural issues in the New Congress: A discussion with Rep. Dusty Johnson, Rep. Abigail Spanberger and AEM’s Kip Eideberg” on Feb. 12 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. EST. Click here to see more information & register for this free webinar.
  • Armond Morris, peanut farmer from Tifton, Georgia, was elected chairman of the Georgia Peanut Commission during the monthly board meeting in January. This is Morris’ twentieth term as chairman of the commission. He has also served as chairman of the board previously in 1996 and 1997, 2003 and every year since 2005.
  • Bridging the rural-urban divide can’t just happen by having a small number of people sitting in on an occasional keynote. And yet, that divide may be one of agriculture’s most daunting challenges. That is what led to the creation of a new community called Grounded and Rising. Grounded and Rising is the brainchild of Janice Person, one of the industry’s most active advocates. According to her, the divide has grown in 2020, and she wants to help reverse that trend.
  • Colleen Callahan, director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, was honored during the 2021 annual meeting of the Illinois Society of Professional Farm Managers by being named the 2021 recipient of the organization’s Outstanding Service to Agriculture award.
  • Agri-Pulse is pleased to welcome Nutrien as the Platinum sponsor for the 2021 Ag & Food Policy Summit. This year’s virtual summit will feature three half-day sessions, March 22-24, with the theme: “Climate Risks, Rewards and Uncertainties.”
  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture announces details of the 97th annual Agricultural Outlook Forum, which will be held virtually on February 18-19, 2021. The 2021 Forum, themed “Building on Innovation: A Pathway to Resilience,” will focus on the central role science and innovation have played in helping the agricultural sector overcome challenges and build resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Once again, during National FFA Week, individuals will have an opportunity to step up and support FFA and agricultural education through Give FFA Day on Thursday, Feb. 25. This year, the organization has a goal of getting 1,500 donors during the 24-hour period. To prepare for Give FFA day, visit FFA.org/GiveFFADay.
Zimfo Bytes

Role of Crop Insurance in Climate Change Policy

Cindy Zimmerman

The Role of Crop Insurance in Climate Change Policy was the theme for the closing panel of the 57th annual Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau meeting held virtually Thursday.

The panel included Bruce Knight, Strategic Conservation Solutions, LLC; Callie Eideberg, Environmental Defense Fund; Jonathan Coppess, University Of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, College of Agricultural & Consumer Economics; and Josh Tonsager, National Association of Wheat Growers.

Listen to their conversation here:
CIRB Climate Change Panel 51:46

Audio, CIRB, climate, Conservation, Crop Insurance

Virtual CIRB Meeting Gets Ag Economic Update

Cindy Zimmerman

The food and agriculture economies are continuing to feel the impact of COVID-19 as the pandemic enters a second year of global disruption.

“Beginning in mid-March, when it was declared a pandemic in the United States…the impact on agriculture was immediate,” said American Farm Bureau Federation chief economist John Newton, speaking today at the virtual 57th annual Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau Annual meeting.

That impact hit nearly every sector of food and agriculture, with ethanol and meat production hit particularly hard, and recovery continues to be slow.

Listen to Newton’s presentation here:
2021 CIRB presentation - John Newton, AFBF 55:30

2021 CIRB Annual Meeting Photo Album

Audio, CIRB, Crop Insurance

Truterra Launches First Farmer-Owned Carbon Program

Cindy Zimmerman

Truterra today announced the launch of TruCarbon, the first farmer-owned carbon program.

Truterra is the sustainability business subsidiary of Land O’Lakes, one of America’s largest farmer-owned cooperatives, and TruCarbon is a new program that will help farmers generate and sell carbon credits to private sector buyers. The program is designed to provide both the best experience for farmers and a novel approach for carbon credit buyers to incentivize change at scale.

TruCarbon offers buyers carbon credits that are created using leading soil and conservation science, and precision data and verification methods. The program offers farmers a streamlined experience, making it easier for them to develop and sell carbon credits so that they can focus on crop production and caring for the land. Through the Truterra Insights Engine data platform, the new TruCarbon program provides farmers and their trusted ag retailer advisors a powerful soil health planning suite of tools to help them decide what is best for their business while optimizing their fields’ carbon credit potential. TruCarbon also maximizes the value and return for farmers with premium carbon credit value.

TruCarbon is launching with Microsoft as its first secured buyer to purchase carbon in 2021 to help meet their commitment to be carbon negative by 2030. For this initial launch, participating farmers may receive $20 per ton of carbon with payments this summer. Qualifying farmers may be compensated for carbon sequestration retroactively up to five years based on the soil health practices they adopted in prior growing seasons. Truterra will handle soil testing and other activities designed to ensure maximum credit quality and value. Farmers can begin the information and enrollment process by visiting https://www.truterraag.com/CarbonSurvey.

For more information about TruCarbon and how to get involved, visit: https://www.truterraag.com/Carbon.

Read more here.

AgWired Precision, Cooperatives, Environment, Precision Agriculture

Senators Question EPA Nominee on RFS and WOTUS

Cindy Zimmerman

The Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule and the Renewable Fuel Standard were two topics Environmental Protection Agency nominee Michael Regan addressed during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Wednesday.

Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) called WOTUS the “one that everyone ought to be concerned about because that’s the number one issue.”

Regan, who currently serves as North Carolina Secretary of Environmental Quality, said he hopes we can learn from both the Obama-era and Trump-era WOTUS rules. “As a state secretary, I’ve been on the receiving end of both. I’ve had conversations with farmers about both and I think that we do have a clear opportunity to look at how we protect our water quality while not overburdening our small farmers.”

Regan hearing - Sen. Inhofe 1:33

Regan promised that the RFS will be a priority for the new administration. “You have my commitment that we will look at the RFS program and we will introduce some transparency into that program. We will let science lead us and we will follow the letter of the law as it was intended for that program.”

Listen to Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) question Regan about biofuels and water issues.
Regan hearing - Sen. Duckworth 1:51

Regan hearing - Sen. Ernst 5:38

Audio, Biodiesel, Biofuels, climate, EPA, Ethanol, Water

Precision Ag News 2/3

Carrie Muehling

  • CommoditAg has added two new suppliers, YieldMaster Solutions and Attune Agriculture, to further expand its line of high-quality farm products. CommoditAg now offers new biostimulants and biologicals from YieldMaster Solutions and an adjuvant system from Attune.
  • Syngenta Crop Protection is collaborating with artificial intelligence and deep learning company Insilico Medicine to accelerate the invention and development of new, more effective crop protection solutions that protect crops from diseases, weeds and pests, while also protecting ecosystems.
  • February 3rd marks the 40th anniversary of Exacto, Inc., an innovative turnkey chemical manufacturer with roots in agriculture, turf and ornamental, and industrial vegetation management sectors.
  • AGCO has joined the NEVONEX partner network as part of AGCO’s continued strategy to make it easier for farmers to work seamlessly across their farm.
  • Syngenta Group achieves milestone of 125 million acres of farmland actively managed by growers using the Group’s digital services. Syngenta Group is the only agricultural company to have leading digital service platforms in the top four agriculture markets: The United States, Brazil, China and Eastern Europe.
  • The National Corn Growers Association is launching the Consider Corn Challenge III open-innovation contest, looking for participants to answer the call and submit proposals for new uses of field corn as a feedstock for producing sustainable chemicals and products with quantifiable market demand.
  • Ag-Analytics and Davide Cammarano, Purdue associate professor of agronomy, have announced a recently established research partnership. Using precision agriculture data, Cammarano’s research team will develop farm management strategies that optimize economic outcomes for businesses and individuals.
  • Agri-Pulse’s eBook, “Agriculture’s Sustainable Future: Feeding more while using less” seeks to answer common questions and where the industry might be going regarding sustainability.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

Preview of the 57th CIRB Annual Meeting

Chuck Zimmerman

2021 CIRB Annual MeetingThe Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau is holding its virtual 2021 CIRB Annual meeting tomorrow February 4, hosted on Zoom. CIRB’s 57th Annual Meeting will feature distinguished speakers, such as Dr. John Newton from American Farm Bureau Federation and Jim Wiesemeyer from Pro Farmer, to provide updates for the crop insurance industry.

You can find the agenda here.

A virtual newsroom has been started on AgNewsWire to host content from the event. To start, I spoke with Perry Harlow, CIRB’s new Manager of Membership & Events, to get a preview.

Interview with Perry Harlow, CIRB (7:10)

Coming up next Tuesday, February 9, CIRB will co-host a virtual joint convention with National Crop Insurance Services (NCIS) and American Association of Crop Insurers (AACI). The agenda includes dynamic speakers from the crop insurance industry and recognize those individuals who have served the industry for many years.

Click for more information on the joint agenda.

Ag Groups, Audio, Insurance, Virtual

AgWiki Launches Equity Crowdfunding Campaign

Cindy Zimmerman

AgWiki, a new tech company in the field of agriculture information, announces the launch of its equity crowdfunding campaign on StartEngine. AgWiki’s mission is to have a central place where everyone in food production around the globe can connect and exchange ideas, information, and expertise. The platform already boasts nearly 3000 active users.

AgWiki CEO Randy Krotz said it has been an exciting year for the startup. “We have completed dozens of enhancements to the online platform while bringing together farmers and researchers from 19 countries,” said Krotz. “We are pleased to be part of an SEC-regulated crowdfunding initiative enabling us to connect with potential investors who share our vision and commitment for growing food sustainably through the sharing of agricultural techniques and practices.”

Krotz says the timing for AgWiki’s crowdfunding campaign is critical. “We were sought out by StartEngine, which felt like a shot of adrenaline for our funding efforts. StartEngine provides exposure to pre-IPO companies like AgWiki and allows investors a straight-forward path to owning stock in the company.”

The funds from the crowdfunding campaign will be used to accelerate user growth and facilitate the continued development of the online platform. “Connecting the entire world of agriculture is a monumental and necessary task,” said Krotz. “As farmers and ranchers, researchers, agronomists, and dieticians build relationships and continue to educate each other, all food producers and consumers will benefit.”

To learn more about AgWiki and the opportunity for equity investment during the current limited-time funding round, visit https://startengine.com/agwiki.

Agribusiness, Farming, Food

Vilsack Ready to Return to Old Job in New Times

Cindy Zimmerman

Former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack appeared before the Senate Agriculture Committee Tuesday to be questioned about his goals if confirmed to return to his old job as the new Secretary of Agriculture.

Joking that he realized it was Groundhog Day and he was “back again,” Vilsack noted that “this is a fundamentally different time.”

In his opening statement, Vilsack outlined four “why not? moments” or areas where agriculture can make a difference for the future – climate change, food security and nutrition insecurity, market openness and competitiveness, and inequities in USDA programs.

Vilsack hearing - opening statement (4:36)

Vilsack discussed his plans for the biofuels industry in response to a question from Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).

Vilsack hearing - biofuels (1:37)

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) asked Vilsack how he will support biofuels in the White House when the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is up for re-authorization in 2022 amidst a strong push for electric vehicles.

Vilsack hearing - EVs (3:05)

Audio, Biodiesel, Ethanol, USDA