AEM Releases Precision Agriculture Study

Chuck Zimmerman

AEM Precision Ag StudyAs the use of precision agriculture techniques and technology grows, so do the benefits to the the environment. Here’s a new study showing those benefits.

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), in partnership with the American Soybean Association, CropLife America, and National Corn Growers Association, released a study quantifying how widely available precision agriculture technology improves environmental stewardship while providing economic return for farmers.

Precision agriculture leverages technologies to enhance sustainability through more efficient use of critical inputs, such as land, water, fuel, fertilizer, and pesticides. Farmers who use precision agriculture equipment use less to grow more.

The Environmental Benefits of Precision Agriculture study highlights how policies and technological advancements can help farmers increase these outcomes.

“We are living in a new age of agriculture, and today’s precision technology on equipment can have an enormous positive impact on farmers and the environment,” said Curt Blades, Senior Vice President of Agriculture at the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. “One of our goals at AEM is to encourage the adoption of these technologies by more farmers, so they can all reap the benefits as we continue to focus on sustainability.”

Ag Groups, Precision Agriculture

Daugherty Water for Food Podcast Episode 5

Cindy Zimmerman

This episode of the Daugherty Water for Food podcast features a discussion on water law with the Nebraska Governance and Technology Center. Water regulations, and the subsidies and penalties that follow them, are not easy to change when a major weather event impacts water storage and use. As more and more weather events occur due to climate change, some advocates are suggesting that laws need to be more flexible and adaptable to promote equity.

DWFI executive director Peter McCornick co-hosts with Gus Hurwitz, the Menard director of the Nebraska governance and technology center at the University of Nebraska. Their guests include: meteorologist Rob Cifelli; water policy expert Felicia Marcus; UNL Associate Professor of Hydroinformatics and Integrated Hydrology Francisco Muñoz-Arriola; and UNL law professor Anthony Schutz.

Daugherty Water for Food Podcast Episode 5 53:59

How to subscribe:

Audio, Podcasts, Water, Water for Food

Industry Ag News 1/29

Carrie Muehling

  • Family farms comprise 96% of all U.S. farms, account for 87% of land in farms, and 82% of the value of all agricultural products sold, according to the 2017 Census of Agriculture Farm Typology report released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Access the full farm typology report and additional information such as maps and data highlights on the NASS website.
  • Organizers of the 2021 Mid-South Farm & Gin Show announced the show would not be an in-person event but will move solely to its new online virtual show site for this year.
  • The Missouri Corn Growers Association and Missouri Corn Merchandising Council board of directors announce Bradley Schad as the organizations’ incoming chief executive officer.
  • Learfield IMG College is pleased to announce the addition of Mark DePrez to the Brownfield Ag News Sales Team.
  • Marcy Tessmann is the new chief executive officer of C.O.nxt. She succeeds Mark Gale, who continues as C.O.nxt chief growth officer and chairman of the agency’s employee stock ownership plan board.
  • AAEA/The Agricultural Communicators Network is excited to announce that it is accepting applications for four scholarship opportunities for 2021. Applications are due on or before Monday, February 22, 2021.
  • USDA has released the annual count of certified organic operations calculated from the USDA National Organic Program Organic INTEGRITY Database. The number of certified organic operations worldwide grew to 45,578 in 2020 with 28,454 — more than 62 percent — located in the United States. California remains the leader domestically with more than 5,000 certified operations. The Great Lakes Region, Pacific Northwest, and Iowa continue to round out the top ten.
  • Register now for the Agri-Pulse Ag & Food Policy Summit. Click here to register and see the speaker lineup for the virtual event March 22-24.
  • Floyd Gaibler, the U.S. Grains Council’s longtime director of trade policy and biotechnology, passed away Jan. 21 following complications during surgery.
Zimfo Bytes

National Farm Machinery Show Postpones to 2022

Chuck Zimmerman

National Farm Machinery ShowI was really hoping this would not happen but considering what other shows are having to do it is not surprising. I’ve learned that virtual trade shows are pretty expensive and time consuming to put together. I would think the National Farm Machinery Show would be a massive effort to try to do for a show like this. And this includes the Championship Tractor Pull too.

National Farm Machinery Show (NFMS) and Championship Tractor Pull announced scheduled events will be postponed until February 16-19, 2022. Despite initially planning to continue the shows this March, the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic has led show management to make the difficult decision to postpone events until next year.

“The health and safety of our guests, exhibitors and coworkers is our highest priority and unfortunately the best way to keep them safe is to postpone the show. Postponing the National Farm Machinery Show and Championship Tractor Pull was not made lightly , but in consultation with exhibitors, pullers, sponsors, and attendees who are a valuable part of our decision-making process” said President and CEO of Kentucky Venues David S. Beck.

The National Farm Machinery Show is held annually at the Kentucky Exposition Center and is the largest indoor farm show in the country consisting of 1.2 million square feet of sold-out exhibit space. The show is a key player in the global agriculture industry featuring the most comprehensive display of equipment, services, and technology.

Held in conjunction with the farm show, Championship Tractor Pull draws more than 70,000 fans in person and online from across the globe to watch five action-packed pulls over the course of four days. Sponsored by Syngenta, the event draws the nation’s top drivers as they compete for the title of grand champion and a prize pool of over $200,000.

Farm Machinery, National Farm Machinery Show

Professional Development Webinars for Ag Journalists

Chuck Zimmerman

AAEA & LPC WebinarThis is not a new thing. However, for members of the AAEA, the Ag Communicators Network and LPC, the Livestock Publications Council, the frequency and diversity of topics has grown. I participated in yesterday’s Leading with Focus webinar that featured, Beth Z, Your Nerdy Best Friend (pictured). It was all about leading your team to be more efficient and effective with their time, instead of being stuck in front of a monitor on never-ending video conferences.

I learned a lot from the presentation and the agnerd in me was most interested is a variety of computer and mobile applications that would be very helpful to anyone. If you are a member of one of these organizations and missed it, or previous webinars, you can find them online and on-demand.

Just a couple of interesting apps mentioned include:

Have I Been Pwned? – You might be surprised where your email address has been included in data breaches

Comeet.me – Record short videos to put on your calendar and share with other people.

ACN, LPC, Media

China Starting to Buy U.S. Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

Reports that China is buying U.S. ethanol again sent a positive message to the industry Tuesday that the Phase One trade agreement promises may yet be met.

During an investor call, Archer Daniels Midland Co-Chief Financial Officer Ray Young said they believe China has already made commitments “in the first half of the year for U.S. ethanol equal to the previous all-time high for the calendar year, roughly 200 million gallons.”

During a panel discussion at the Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit, former Ambassador to China and Iowa Governor Terry Branstad said Chinese purchases of U.S. ethanol are long overdue. “We need to hold their feet to the fire and keep the pressure on for them to fulfill the commitments they made under the Phase One trade agreement.”

Also on the panel with Branstad were U.S. Grains Council CEO Ryan LeGrand and Hagan Rose with Eco-Energy, with Absolute Energy CEO Rick Schwarck moderating the discussion. Listen to some of their comments here about the potential for China to buy more ethanol and DDGs.

IRFA Summit Trade panel segment (7:36)

Audio, Corn, Ethanol, Exports, Trade

Precision Ag News 1/27

Carrie Muehling

  • Cotton Farmer Showcase is part of the Healthy Soils for Sustainable Cotton project, which provides farmer-focused education and training events delivered by Soil Health Institute scientists, partnering with local soil health technical specialists and farmer mentors who have implemented successful soil health management systems. Sign up today to receive timely notifications and attend the conversations.
  • AgGateway and the Agricultural Industry Electronics Foundation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on initiatives to increase the seamless exchange of information in farm operations, supporting the goals of growers in managing and using farm data. The agreement allows the two global, non-profit organizations to share information as needed to pursue agreed-upon projects, and to share the rights for resources they develop together.
  • Heliae® Agriculture announced a new strategic collaboration with Rizobacter, a subsidiary of Bioceres Crop Solutions Corp., a global leader in sustainable solutions for agriculture.
  • Merge Marketplace, a new platform designed to connect organic producers with buyers of organic products, is now live. Buyers can list what they are in search of, while sellers can list their crops, livestock, and land. This new marketplace is hosted by Merge Organics, a consulting company that helps farmers establish organic, regenerative systems and field-level transparency to organic food supply chains. To mark the launch, Merge Marketplace is offering anyone who signs up before the end of January 2021, 90 days free access. With a subscription you get unlimited listings, and there are no fees associated with buying, sourcing or selling on Merge Marketplace.
  • CommoditAg has added Alta Seeds, the US brand for Advanta, as its newest product supplier. Expanding on its variety of seed products, CommoditAg now offers grain sorghum hybrids with seed treatment options to meet every farmers’ needs.
  • Precision Planting experts shared six planter upgrades and customizations that farmers can make to their existing planters to help them achieve a good stand and profitable crop in 2021 at the company’s 19th annual Winter Conference for farmers. Sessions from Precision Planting’s Winter Conference are available online as of Monday, Jan. 25. Farmers can visit planterexpert.com to learn more or find a Precision Planting dealer near them.
  • Deere & Company announced the companies that will be part of the 2021 cohort of the Startup Collaborator program. These startups are Nori, NVision Ag, Scanit, and Teleo. This program was launched in 2019 to enhance and deepen its interaction with startup companies whose technology could add value for John Deere customers.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

Former Sen. Daschle Comments on Split Senate

Cindy Zimmerman

Tom Daschle at 2019 National Ethanol Conference

Former South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle shared his thoughts on a 50-50 split Senate during an appearance on a panel at the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Summit Tuesday. He offered advice from his own experience in the 107th Congress in 2001, the only other time in history there was a split Senate.

“It’s going to take good chemistry, it’s going to take communication between the two leaders in order to move what is basically an operating manual for the U.S. Senate for the next two years,” said Daschle, noting the good relationship he had with Mississippi Republican Sen. Trent Lott.

The former senator, who was instrumental in the development of the Renewable Fuel Standard, is now a strong advocate for higher blends of ethanol. “If we could get into orbit, E30 is going to take us there,” he said on the panel Biofuels Policy in 2021 and Beyond. “If we’re looking for solutions to carbon, ethanol provides it. If we need solutions for high octane, ethanol provides it. But we have to take it beyond E15 to get there.”

Listen to some of Daschle’s comments here:

IRFA Summit - Tom Daschle comments on split Senate (1:53)

IRFA Summit - Tom Daschle comments on higher ethanol blends (2:04)

Audio, Ethanol

Heliae® Agriculture Adds Seed Treatment Product

Cindy Zimmerman

Heliae® Agriculture has announced the introduction of PhycoTerra® ST, a new seed treatment formulation designed to help the soil provide necessary water and nutrients to the developing seed and ultimately improve crop yield.

PhycoTerra® ST has a unique formulation that allows growers to tap into the potential of this product with lower user rates without sacrificing performance, providing a more consistent return on investment. The product is aimed at providing a quality carbon source to the seed/microbe interaction, which is the first “real world” point of contact for a seedling. This carbon source drives optimal microbiome around the seed, improving grower results in the field.

“Our goal at Heliae® Agriculture is to provide growers with the most effective tools to get the job done, and that means offering a seed treatment product that best fits their needs,” said Norm Davy, Chief Revenue Officer at Heliae® Agriculture. “PhycoTerra® ST is an effective product that offers growers a proven increase in yield and return on investment.”

PhycoTerra® ST has proven results on a variety of crops through testing across the major crop growing regions of the United States and Canada with an average yield increase of 6% and a proven success rate, taking yields and return on investment to the next level. In addition, this new product was designed to work in synergy with PhycoTerra® in-furrow, Heliae® Agriculture’s existing product that provides a balanced food for the soil microbiome to improve plant vigor and crop performance, even under stressed conditions.

To learn more about PhycoTerra® ST, including where to buy, please visit PhycoTerra.com.

AgWired Precision, Biologicals, Precision Agriculture, Seed, Soil

Merge Organics Launches Marketplace

Cindy Zimmerman

Buyers and sellers in the organic food sector now have a new way to work together. Merge Marketplace, a new platform designed to connect organic producers with buyers of organic products, is now live. Buyers can list what they are in search of, while sellers can list their crops, livestock, and land. This new marketplace is hosted by Merge Organics, a consulting company that helps farmers establish organic, regenerative systems and field-level transparency to organic food supply chains.

“Our goal is to connect people in the organic farming and food space to help them grow their businesses,” says Ben Adolph, Principal at Merge Organics. “Think of Merge Marketplace as Craig’s List for organic producers and buyers. Connecting food companies and manufacturers, like mills, breweries, restaurants and more, directly with farmers, streamlines the process. It should also allow farmers to increase their margins. For buyers, it allows direct access for the crops they’re looking for, and the ability to connect with the source of those products… the farmer.”

When buyers and sellers sign up for Merge Marketplace they get immediate access to all opportunities hosted in the platform. Crop producers provide all relevant information with their “Crop for Sale” posting along with their “Producer Profile.” Buyers can decide which producer to buy from and engage directly with farmers.

In addition to listing crops or livestock for sale or wanted, landowners that are looking for organic farmers to rent their land can also list those opportunities on Merge Marketplace. “Everyday we talk with landowners who are looking for organic farmers, and with the increase for organic products, farmers are looking for more ground. Merge Marketplace gives landowners and farmers the ability to connect and work out rent/lease arrangements,” says Adolph.

To mark the launch, Merge Marketplace is offering anyone who signs up before the end of January 2021, 90 days free access. With a subscription you get unlimited listings, and there are no fees associated with buying, sourcing or selling on Merge Marketplace.

Visit https://marketplace.mergeorganics.com/classifieds/ to place or search posts.

Farming, Food, Organic