AMVAC® Releases Two New Products for Weed Control in Corn

Cindy Zimmerman

American Vanguard® company AMVAC® has announced two new herbicide products for corn available for the 2021 growing season.

IMPACT CORE™: A postemergence corn herbicide that controls grass and broadleaf weeds with punishing takedown and lasting residual.

SINATE™: Controls herbicide-resistant and important driver weeds in LibertyLink® corn with outstanding crop safety.

IMPACT CORE field studies have shown extended residual weed control and control of emerged annual grass and broadleaf weeds, including several herbicide-resistant weeds.

“IMPACT CORE delivers postemergence control of the toughest weeds and grasses in corn with the active ingredient found in Impact®Herbicide, along with an industry-leading level of acetochlor for extended residual control,” said Marketing Manager for Corn, Soybean and Sugar Beets, Nathaniel Quinn. “IMPACT CORE provides growers the flexibility of use across a wide range of field conditions to achieve needed control in their corn.”

SINATE is the first herbicide of its kind to combine another effective mode of action with glufosinate for postemergence weed control in LibertyLink corn.

“SINATE provides a needed one-two punch of the active ingredient found in Impact Herbicide plus glufosinate on herbicide-resistant weeds like waterhemp, Palmer amaranth and giant ragweed in LibertyLink corn,” Quinn said. “The fast acting and wide spectrum of weed control with this product is undeniable.”

AMVAC introduced the new products during a virtual press conference last week. Listen to Nathaniel Quinn discuss here.
AMVAC's Nathaniel Quinn introduces new products (4:12)

AgWired Precision, AMVAC, Audio, Corn, Crop Protection, Herbicide

Ag Committee Leaders Share Farm Policy Concerns

Cindy Zimmerman

During the Agri-Pulse virtual Ag and Food Policy Summit on Monday, leaders of both the House and Senate Agriculture Committees talked about, well, food and ag policy. The summit was held with the backdrop of drama in the House over a Continuing Resolution (CR) that does not provide the $30 billion for the USDA Commodity Credit Corporation requested by the Administration, and the President’s announcement last week of an additional $14 billion dollars in relief funds for farmers and ranchers impacted by coronavirus.

In separate interviews with Agri-Pulse reporter Phillip Brasher, House Agriculture Chairman Collin Peterson (D-MN) and Ranking Member Mike Conaway (R-TX) talked about the impact of coronavirus on farmers and ranchers, while at the same time expressing concerns that getting back into the habit of ad hoc disaster aid for agriculture could be detrimental to farm policy going forward.

AgriPulse Summit Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN) (27:18)

AgriPulse Summit Rep. Mike Conaway (R-TX) (18:03)

Agri-Pulse founder and president Sara Wyant conducted the interviews with Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). Sen. Stabenow gave her opinion on whether the CR should include the CCC funding, and voiced her concerns about reports that the administration wanted to use some of the money under the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP 2) to pay oil refineries denied waivers from the Renewable Fuel Standard. Sen. Roberts talked about the brand new Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial and his fellow Kansan’s contributions to food security, as well as his thoughts on farm policy in a COVID world.

AgriPulse Summit Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS) (28:41)

AgriPulse Summit Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) (23:45)

Agri-Pulse, Audio, Farm Policy

ZimmCast 656 – Virtual ASTA CSS and Seed Expo

Cindy Zimmerman

Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast.

This week, we check in with the American Seed Trade Association to see how they have adapted to the reality of a virtual world and taken its annual conferences to a new level. Founded in 1883, ASTA is one of the oldest trade organizations in the United States and they conduct four regular events each year, culminating in December with the huge ASTA CSS and Seed expo in Chicago drawing thousands of participants from around the world.

Needless to say, that event will be virtual this year – but they definitely have the right person in charge. I talked with Jennifer Crouse who is senior director of meetings and services for ASTA and one of the best in the business, planning meetings for ASTA since 2003. She has become a pioneer in this virtual meeting business as the CSS and Seed Expo will be the largest agricultural event to go virtual yet. What is great about this event going virtual now is that many ag media who have never been able to attend this conference will be able to do so.

Listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 656 - ASTA CSS and Seed Expo (19:40)

Subscribe to the ZimmCast in:

ASTA, Audio, Podcasts, Seed, ZimmCast

Benson Hill Builds a Home for the Future of Food

Cindy Zimmerman

Benson HillSt. Louis-based food tech company Benson Hill, held a ribbon cutting for its new state-of-the-art headquarters on Monday, joined by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. The 160,000 square foot headquarters will house a diverse and growing team focused on innovation of better food and ingredient options from plant to plate.

“Today celebrates a milestone on our journey to move food forward,” said Matt Crisp, CEO of Benson Hill. “While this new space provides our growing team with a safe, collaborative and inspiring workspace, it is also a visible symbol of our commitment to, and collaboration with, the broader innovative community working to advance food production. It reflects our ability to turn promise into progress and make more healthy, great-tasting and sustainable food choices accessible to everyone.”

“I’m intrigued by what Benson Hill is doing to link production and consumption in a transparent way. Consumers are becoming more sophisticated – and we must continue to develop more products that meet their needs for flavor as well as health to benefit the whole body. It was fascinating to see all the talent Benson Hill has convened here and I’m excited to see where they will go from here,” said Secretary Perdue.

In March 2020, Benson Hill commercialized the first ultra-high protein soybeans with the potential to replace soy protein concentrate, reducing costly and water-intensive processing steps to improve the sustainability of feed and food ingredients.

Also in attendance for the grand opening ceremony was Missouri Director of Agriculture Chris Chinn. Listen to remarks from all at the event on Monday, starting with Matt Crisp and including Benson Hill co-founder Todd Mockler, in addition to Perdue and Chinn.

Benson Hill grand opening (15:53)

Benson Hill Press Release

Agribusiness, AgWired Precision, Audio, Food

Animal Ag News 9/21

Carrie Muehling

  • The National Bison Association welcomed USDA’s announcement that bison producers are now eligible for relief under the second round of Coronavirus Food Assistance Program payments.
  • The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) released a statement in response to the United States Department of Agriculture’s announcement that additional support would be made available to cattle producers through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program.
  • NCBA also released a statement to highlight federal programs that are available for cattle producers across the country who are being impacted by wildfires, hurricanes, drought, and other natural disasters. NCBA supports local assistance efforts that allow producers, communities, and the public to support affected producers.
  • For more than three decades cattle producers have been able to simplify their record keeping with a handy booklet from the NCBA. Soon the 2021 version of the Redbook will be ready to help cattle producers effectively and efficiently record their daily production efforts, which can help enhance their profitability and reduce their stress levels. Redbooks can be purchased after Oct. 5, 2020, for $7.00 each, plus shipping and handling. To order, visit store.ncba.org.
  • The U.S. Poultry & Egg Association has awarded the 2020 Clean Water Award to Tyson Foods in New Holland, Pennsylvania, and Tyson Foods in Robards, Kentucky. The award is presented annually to poultry facilities that go above and beyond in their commitment to sustainable wastewater treatment and water reuse.
  • The International Dairy Foods Association and Blimling and Associates are partnering to produce “The Dairy Download,” a new podcast for anyone who follows the twists and turns of the U.S. dairy industry.
  • The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) is bringing a new, online program to the animal food industry, offering industry leaders the opportunity to learn about current market fluctuations taking place and their impact on future business. The new AFIA Digital Dialogues will specifically focus on the current issues affecting the liquid supplement, feed, ingredient and equipment manufacturing sectors.
  • The World Forage Analysis Superbowl will once again provide educational opportunities with its Dairy Forage Seminars, held virtually in 2020 on the new World Forage Analysis Superbowl YouTube channel.
  • Ag-tech company Consumer Physics is teaming up with Dairy Farmers of America, Vita Plus and Feed Supervisor to market its SCiO Cup – an instant, portable, lab-grade forage dry matter analyzer. The partnerships with three of the leading dairy industry players in the U.S. are expected to enable the company to reach the 75,000 American farmers with approximately 9 million milk producing cows.
  • R-CALF USA, through attorneys at Public Justice, has filed a new lawsuit over amendments the U.S. Department of Agriculture made to the operation of the federal Beef Checkoff program in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The new lawsuit builds on R-CALF USA’s Montana litigation, which challenged the constitutionality of the use of Checkoff funds by private state beef councils to fund speech that is harmful to independent, domestic producers. That litigation is now on appeal to the Ninth Circuit, where R-CALF USA appeals the Montana District Court’s ruling that the U.S. Department of Agriculture had corrected its 35-year violation of the U.S. Constitution by entering memorandums of understanding with the 15 private state beef councils subject to R-CALF USA’s lawsuit.
  • September 26 and 27, alpaca business owners throughout North America will celebrate the 14th annual National Alpaca Farm Days. Alpaca Owners Association, Inc. invites you to visit participating member farms and ranches during this safe, fun-filled family event. Alpaca owners will welcome the public, while following state and local safety regulations, to meet their alpacas.
  • For years, beef and pork that was born, raised, and slaughtered in another country but processed in the United States has legally been labeled as a “Product of the U.S.A.,” a claim that misleads consumers and puts American ranchers at a disadvantage. National Farmers Union (NFU) has long advocated clear and accurate labeling, for the sake of farmers and consumers alike. As part of those efforts, the organization supports a rule proposed by the Federal Trade Commission that would strengthen voluntary U.S. origin claims on labels and penalize those who incorrectly label products. NFU President Rob Larew urged the FTC to swiftly finalize the rule and “vigorously enforce it.”
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

EPA Announces Interim Approval of Atrazine

Cindy Zimmerman

EPA’s Wheeler (far right) meets with Missouri farmers (photo credit MCGA)

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler joined farmers and ranchers at an outdoor round table in Missouri where he announced the interim decisions for the triazine herbicides atrazine, propazine and simazine.

“The benefits of atrazine in agriculture are high,” said Wheeler. “If we were to lose that, it would cost the corn growers between 475 and 775 million dollars annually.”

EPA Admin Wheeler sound bite on atrazine (:17)

Atrazine, propazine and simazine are widely used in the United States to control a variety of grasses and broadleaf weeds. As the second most widely used herbicide in the United States, atrazine is used on about 75 million acres of agricultural crop land every year, including more than half of the nation’s corn crops.

According to the Triazine Network, a coalition of agricultural organizations that advocates for science-based regulatory decisions, this interim decision is a major milestone. “Today’s news provides much needed regulatory certainty for farmers during a time when few things are certain,” said Missouri Corn Growers Association CEO Gary Marshall, who chairs the Triazine Network.

National Corn Growers Association president Kevin Ross of Iowa notes that the review process is not over yet because atrazine must still undergo an Endangered Species Act review. “As a part of that review, EPA must publish a draft biological evaluation of atrazine. NCGA will continue to work with EPA and hold the agency to its promise to use the best available research when drafting and publishing atrazine’s biological evaluation.”

Audio, Corn, Crop Protection, EPA

So Long to Farm Broadcaster Evan Slack

Cindy Zimmerman

Heaven has gained another farm broadcaster.

The legendary Evan Slack passed away on Saturday, September 19, at the age of 86. His radio career spanned 68 years including most recently as owner of the Evan Slack Network based in Denver, Colo. During that time, he broadcasted from 45 states, 4 Canadian Provinces and Australia.

Russell Nemetz purchased Evan’s network earlier this year after helping him do the broadcasts for the past four years. “The agriculture and broadcast industries have lost one of their biggest advocates. Not only did he have a positive impact on me, but Evan touched the lives of millions of people during his amazing career and we can all be thankful for that.” Read Russell’s tribute to Evan.

Evan was a leader in the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) and served as president in 1987. He was inducted into the NAFB Hall of Fame in 2009 and won tons of other awards from various industry organizations. Evan was born in Missouri and received a degree in Agriculture with a minor in Journalism from the University of Missouri. After that, he moved westward, into the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, establishing Farm and Ranch departments at two different radio stations and eventually becoming a farm radio network pioneer in the west, working to establish network programming specifically targeted for the farmers and ranchers of that region in the early 1970s. After getting his pilot’s license in 1967, Evan was able to cover the entire western farm and ranch territory and quickly became a well-loved radio personality with the slogan On the Air and In the Air.

He was early to adopt new technology, taking his network on-line in 2006 to distribute his programming to radio stations. He was a Mac man and bought the first iPhone that came out and was quick to see its uses for broadcasting in the field.

He was also a very dear friend of ours and we will be missing that joyful greeting we always received from Evan when we met him at events like the Cattle Industry Conference and NAFB. So long, good friend. Fly high.


NAFB

Industry Ag News 9/18

Carrie Muehling

  • InfoAg Conference is Now All-Virtual for December. Content sessions will address blockchain and traceability; biostimulants and micronutrients; integrating big data into nutrient recommendations, carbon markets, soil health and more. Mark your calendar for December 15-17, 2020.
  • Michael Torrey Associates welcomed Brandon Barnett to its team as a Policy Coordinator. The Washington, D.C.-based firm offers government relations, strategic communications, and issue advocacy as well as full-service association management to a growing number of clients in the food, agriculture, and forestry sector.
  • AMVAC, an American Vanguard Company, is excited to announce the winners of the second annual Cotton Industry Advancement Scholarship. A total of seven students were selected from 26 qualified applicants. Each scholarship recipient was awarded $2,000. To learn more about AMVAC and the Cotton Industry Advancement Scholarship, visit www.AMVAC.com/scholarship.
  • GrainBridge, an ag technology joint venture of Archer Daniels Midland Company and Cargill Incorporated, announced the launch of a new digital platform focused on helping farmers streamline the grain marketing process to make more informed and profitable decisions.
  • As a global pandemic and extreme weather events batter an already weak agricultural economy, more than 400 farmers, ranchers, and rural residents are gathered online this week to speak directly with their elected representatives and administration officials as part of National Farmers Union’s fall legislative fly-in.
  • The theme for the 2021 GROWMARK Essay Contest is: “If you could invent a new technology to improve agriculture, what would it be?” The contest is open to all high school FFA members in Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
  • Abby Himburg has joined the Alabama Peanut Producers Association staff as the Communications Coordinator. Her project priorities will be print and digital publications.
Zimfo Bytes

USDA Undersecretary Censky to Return to ASA

Cindy Zimmerman

USDA Undersecretary Steve Censky gave one of his last addresses in his current role to the American Coalition for Ethanol virtual annual conference this week. It was announced this morning that Censky will be returning to his former job as CEO of the American Soybean Association in November as after serving with USDA since October 2017.

In his prerecorded remarks at the ACE conference this week, Censky accepted the organization’s Paul Dana Marketing Vision Award for his leadership on the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP).

“USDA received 121 applications from 27 different states for HBIIP,” said Censky. “We are reviewing those applications now and will be getting the money out the door starting (this month).”

Listen to his remarks here:
ACE 2020 USDA Deputy Secretary Steve Censky (7:42)

ACE, Audio, Ethanol, Soybean, USDA

ZimmComm Headquarters Hit by Hurricane Sally

Cindy Zimmerman

A generator and cell phone WiFi are keeping ZimmComm in operation here at world headquarters near Pensacola, Florida after being hit by Hurricane Sally yesterday.

We are very fortunate to only have some trees and branches down and a little tear in the pool screen, probably a few missing roof tiles. If you are seeing the pictures from the storm damage in Pensacola, that is not us, fortunately. But it is everywhere around us. We are just in a very sheltered spot away from the floodplains and very wind mitigated. Still, being without power and internet makes work pretty challenging. Cell phone WiFi is pretty slow because that’s what everyone is having to use!

This was my first ever hurricane and the first Chuck has been through since he was a kid in Sarasota, Hurricane Alma in 1966. Because of our location, we were able to stand out on the lanai and watch the awesome power of the storm. I even did a Jim Cantore impression in our front yard, stepping out briefly in 100 mph winds! I found it totally fascinating.

It was amazing that the storm stopped around noon yesterday as the eye came over us and Sally broke apart. Chuck fired up the grill and made some shrimp for dinner with stir fry over a propane fish cooker. He is smoking beef roast today! I think we will survive.

ZimmComm Announcement