Seed Industry Focused on Trade, Innovation and Regulations

Cindy Zimmerman

Trade challenges, regulatory issues, and innovation top the list of seed industry concerns in 2020.

Attendees at the virtual American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) CSS and Seed Expo this week have the opportunity to participate in round table discussions on domestic policy and phytosanitary issues as well as innovation and trade.

ASTA Vice President of Scientific Affairs & Policy Fan-Li Chou joined the staff of the organization in June of this year, replacing the retiring Dr. Bernice Slutsky. Chou comes to ASTA direct from USDA where she served as Agricultural Biotechnology Advisor to the Secretary. In this interview, she discusses regulatory issues and innovation, and elaborates on USDA’s Secure Rule introduced in May.
ASTA Interview with Fan-Li Chou (10:21)

Abigail Struxness is ASTA’s Senior Director for International Programs and Policy and represents the organization on USDA’s Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade (ATAC) in Grains, Feed, Oilseeds, and Planting Seeds. In this interview, she discusses trade challenges and opportunities for the seed industry in 2020 including, COVID impacts, USMCA, and China.
ASTA Interview with Abigail Struxness (7:33)

Find more content from ASTA CSS here:
2020 ASTA CSS & Seed Expo Virtual Newsroom

ASTA, Audio, Seed, Trade

Syngenta Sets New Goals for Good Growth Plan

Carrie Muehling

After launching the original Good Growth Plan in 2013, Syngenta has met the initial goals and is looking further into the future of sustainability in agriculture.

The company has four new commitments they will focus on through the year 2025, including accelerating innovation for farmers and nature.

“It’s really around helping farmers deal with some of the extreme weather conditions that we’re seeing emerge globally,” said Liz Hunt with Syngenta’s Business Sustainability Team.

That includes investing $2 billion in sustainable agriculture breakthroughs and striving for the lowest residues in crops and the environment. The company also plans to work toward carbon neutral agriculture by measuring and enabling carbon capture and mitigation, enhancing biodiversity and soil health, and reducing the carbon intensity of operations by 50 percent by the year 2030. Keeping people safe and healthy is a third initiative, focusing on fair labor, training farm workers on safe use, and a goal of zero incidents in operations. Finally, Syngenta will partner for impact with others and publish sustainability objectives.

“From our perspective, we look at this as conducting production and business in a way that meets our current needs, but also provides for future generations to meet their needs, too,” said Hunt, who participated in the National Association of Farm Broadcasting virtual Trade Talk event.

2020 NAFB Interview with Liz Hunt, Syngenta sustainability 10:15

Audio, Sustainability, Syngenta

Animal Ag News 12/7

Carrie Muehling

  • On November 5-6, the virtual California Dairy Sustainability Summit welcomed 900+ registrants, with more than 600 tuning in live throughout the two-day online event. All session recordings from the virtual event can now be accessed here using the password, CDSSV20.
  • The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association‘s (NCBA) Vice President of Government Affairs, Ethan Lane, issued the following statement in response to U.S. Representative GT Thompson’s (PA-15) nomination by the Republican Steering Committee to serve as the next Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee: “Cattle producers in Pennsylvania and across the country are well represented by Congressman Thompson. From his long-standing track record of bipartisan legislative victories to his work mentoring the next generation of agriculture leaders, GT does it all. He is an exemplary choice to guide the Committee for years to come and we are excited to work with him and his team in the next Congress.”
  • The U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, National Chicken Council, National Turkey Federation and United Egg Producers have released an updated economic impact study that highlights the positive impact the poultry industry has on jobs, wages, and federal and state revenue in the United States. A dynamic and integral part of the national economy, the U.S. poultry industry provides 2,139,617 jobs, $121.1 billion in wages, $576.6 billion in economic activity and $41.9 billion in government revenue. Since the last study conducted in 2018, the poultry industry has created 154,833 additional jobs, and the economic impact has increased by more than 15 percent.
  • The 2021 Latin American Poultry Summit will be held virtually Monday, Jan. 25, and Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021 from 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. each day, with a Q&A session after each presentation. This year’s theme, “Examining Key Growth Parameters for the Future,” will be explored through an online platform, making it accessible for participants from all over North and South America.
  • Hamlet Protein, global leader in the production of soy based protein ingredients, announced a sales team expansion. Chelcee Hindman and Lamar Rider are joining the Findlay (Ohio) headquartered North America organization.
  • Bison business leaders hailed an announcement from U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service that the agency had approved the National Bison Association’s request for a $17 million purchase of ground bison under the Section 32 Surplus Removal program.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

ASTA CSS and Seed Expo Offers Future Outlook

Cindy Zimmerman

American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) Chair John Latham with Latham Hi-Tech Seeds kicked off the virtual 2020 ASTA CSS and Seed Expo Monday with nearly 1000 attendees from around the world registered to participate.

“This virtual format has been great,” said Latham. “I think we really hit it out of the park this week.”

Latham talks about how the industry faced the challenges of 2020 and what priorities are for 2021 in this interview.
ASTA Interview with Chair John Latham (6:58)

ASTA hit the ground running Monday morning with the “Majors Crystal Ball” featuring a panel of speakers from the industry’s largest companies, each presenting their company’s perspective on what lies ahead for the seed industry after a year of upheaval for the entire world. The panelists included Linda Trolinder of BASF, Michael Graham with Bayer, Neal Gutterson with Corteva Agriscience, Trevor Hohls of Syngenta.

After this year, predicting the future is less accurate than ever before, but the major seed company players took a stab at it. As Linda Trolinder with BASF said, “The most clever way to predict the future is to create it yourself.”

Here are a couple of the Majors’ comments from the session
ASTA CSS Majors' Crystal Ball sound bites (7:21)

Register here to see the whole session.

Find more content from ASTA CSS here:
2020 ASTA CSS & Seed Expo Virtual Newsroom

ASTA, Audio, Seed

National Ethanol Conference Going Digital

Cindy Zimmerman

One of the very last live, in-person events to be held this year in the agriculture industry was the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) 25th annual National Ethanol Conference in Houston. The 26th annual NEC however, will be an all digital format. Information about the conference can be found on the NationalEthanolConference.com website.

In this edition of the Ethanol Report podcast, we hear about the digital decision from RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper, who participated in the recent virtual National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) Trade Talk. RFA Director of Special Projects and Events Mary Giglio provides more details about the 2021 NEC, and RFA Vice President of Industry Relations shares some of the good news for ethanol in 2020.

Ethanol Report on 2021 NEC (25:56)

The Ethanol Report is a podcast about the latest news and information in the ethanol industry that has been sponsored by the Renewable Fuels Association since 2008.

Choose an option to subscribe

Audio, Ethanol, National Ethanol Conference, Podcasts, RFA

Benson Hill Expands Soybean Processing with Rose Acre Farm

Cindy Zimmerman

Benson Hill is collaborating with family-owned Rose Acre Farms to optimize its soybean processing capacity in Seymour, Indiana, and build out the supply chain for high-protein, high-oleic, low anti-nutrient soybeans. The partnership opens a new pipeline for plant protein ingredients and supports Benson Hill’s plans to scale soybean production and grower relationships.

This collaboration will allow local growers to tap into price premiums for food- and feed-grade identity-preserved, non-GMO soybeans, and support Benson Hill as it meets growing demand for high-protein animal feed and plant protein ingredients for plant-based foods. The new collaboration will also support jobs in the area and boost the local economy.

Benson Hill’s portfolio of high-quality soybean varieties delivers a full range of in-demand premium attributes, including better digestibility, heart-healthy omega fatty acids, and higher protein that serve the plant-based food, healthy oils, animal feed and aquaculture markets.

Benson Hill has partnered with growers to contract more than 30,000 acres of premium soybeans this growing season, including significant acreage in Indiana. To minimize cost and the carbon footprint of transportation, Benson Hill sought out Rose Acre Farms as a partner to develop a processing facility in close radius to its grower partners. This announcement will also support Benson Hill’s plans to significantly increase its future contract acres in the area. Benson Hill and Rose Acre Farms are now actively enrolling interested growers for the 2021 growing season.

Read more about this exciting new partnership.

Farming, Feed, Food, Soybean

Heliae Agriculture Partners with WinField United Canada

Cindy Zimmerman

Saturday, December 5, was World Soil Day and Heliae® Agriculture celebrated by announcing a new collaboration with WinField® United Canada to bring new value to ag retailers through assisting farmers’ transition to regenerative agriculture practices.

Through this collaboration, WinField United will integrate the PhycoTerra® soil microbe food into their comprehensive product and technology offerings, starting November 19, 2020.

“At WinField United, we are helping to shape the future of Canadian Agriculture, as we get started with regenerative agriculture,” says Greg McDonald, General Manager at WinField United Canada. “We believe this partnership with Heliae® Agriculture will allow us to support retailers and farmers in Canada with innovative new technology that will provide regenerative agriculture solutions, as well as benefits for farmers that extend far beyond yields.”

Heliae® Agriculture is focused on developing microalgae products and bringing them to the market. The groundbreaking development of PhycoTerra® provides a balanced food for the soil microbiome to improve plant vigour and crop performance, even under stressed conditions.

Eric Lichtenheld, President and CEO of Heliae remarked, “This partnership opens the doors to Canadian farmers for an opportunity to improve soil structure to see dividends today while building the soil for future generations.”

Read more about this collaboration

AgWired Precision, Precision Agriculture, Soil

ASTA CSS and Seed Expo Kicks Off Monday

Cindy Zimmerman

The biggest seed industry event of the year kicks off Monday, December 7, as the American Seed Trade Association presents the annual ASTA CSS and Seed Expo with a state-of-the-art virtual format that is almost like being there.

The organization has already conducted two virtual member meetings this year and Jennifer Crouse, ASTA Senior Director of Meetings and Services, says they have put a great deal of effort into making this event engaging for attendees. “What they are going to experience in our virtual event is geared toward as much interpersonal interaction and engagement as possible,” said Crouse.

She says they had some fun designing their custom platform to be like the Chicago Hyatt hotel where the meeting is normally held, but with some upgrades like putting the Big Bar right in the middle of the trade show and having fields of corn outside the windows instead of downtown Chicago. “But one of the biggest things strategically is that we are going to extend the life of this … there’s going to be several months where you can visit the trade show.”

Monday’s agenda starts with a general session featuring a panel of speakers from the industry’s largest companies, each presenting their company’s perspective on what lies ahead for the seed industry after a year of upheaval for the entire world. That sets the stage for three full days of informative sessions and trade show visiting.

Registration and more information can be found here. Learn more about what is in store next week in this interview with Jennifer.
ASTA Interview with Jennifer Crouse on Seed Expo (7:05)

Find more interviews and information from the expo on the AgNewsWire virtual newsroom.

ASTA, Audio, Seed

Beef Drool Log Returns for the Holidays

Carrie Muehling

Fans of the Hallmark Channel can look for the return of the popular Beef Drool Log as they watch holiday movies throughout the month December. The successful online video from last year is now also a 15-second television advertisement.

“The stars have kind of aligned for us,” said Alisa Harrison with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor with the Beef Checkoff. “It really came down to the right network, the right creative, the right time and the right price tag.”

More than 50 commercials will air during the 6-week timeframe, capitalizing on a time when consumers are cooking more meals at home due to the ongoing pandemic. Harrison said another exciting development is the fact that recipes found on the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. website are now shoppable, meaning consumers can click on any recipe and be taken to an online shopping cart for a local grocery store, where they can choose those ingredients and have them delivered or available for curbside pickup locally.

Harrison believes the trend towards home grocery delivery and online ordering of food is here to stay, and the beef industry wants to help consumers better understand how beef is produced and the value it brings to their tables.

“Our goal is to make sure that beef demand stays high and that consumers continue to love beef,” said Harrison, who participated in the National Association of Farm Broadcasting virtual Trade Talk event.

2020 NAFB Interview with Alisa Harrison, NCBA 13:14

Animal Agriculture, Audio, Beef, Beef Checkoff, Meat, NAFB, NCBA

Industry Ag News 12/4

Carrie Muehling

  • Brownfield Ag News is proud to partner with the University of Missouri Extension for their 2021 Agricultural Market and Policy Outlook Webinar.  The webinar is scheduled for December 8, 2020. The registration fee is $20 and a link to register can be found at www.brownfieldagnews.com.
  • The Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance added one new member to its Board of Directors, re-elected another and tabbed Bob Sinner of North Dakota-based SB&B Foods as new board chair during its 2020 Annual Meeting on Thursday. Raquel Hanson of Pipeline Foods was elected to one of two open seats on the board, and Keith Schrader of Wheeling Grain Partnership was re-elected to the other open seat.
  • Join us January 10-13, 2021 for the 2021 American Farm Bureau Virtual Convention. For the first time ever, registration fees are being waived to give you the opportunity to experience one of ag’s premier events from the comfort and safety of your home. Register now.
  • FLM Harvest has significantly expanded its global reach and ability to leverage local market insights from around the world by joining Worldwide Partners, the world’s largest and fastest growing network of independent advertising and marketing agencies.
  • For the first time in its history, GROWMARK, Inc. held its 2020 Annual Meeting in a virtual online event. Hundreds of people from across North America, including shareholders, boards of directors, and friends of the GROWMARK System all participated in the interactive live broadcast.
  • On Sat., Dec. 5, Discovery Park of America will open “AgriCulture: Innovating for Our Survival” in the museum and heritage park’s Simmons Bank Ag Center.
  • The NAMA Foundation Online Auction is open for bidding! The deadline to submit bids is December 31. Proceeds from the Online Auction support Student NAMA and the future of agri-marketing. The Online Auction can be accessed through the NAMA website. Click here to view the packages and start bidding!
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