Agri-Pulse Moves Ag & Food Policy Summit to Sept. 21

Cindy Zimmerman

The 2020 Agri-Pulse Ag & Food Policy Summit has been postponed for a second time due to COVID-19 and is now scheduled for Sept. 21 at the National Press Club, “for what will hopefully be a live, in-person event that follows appropriate federal guidelines.”

“We realize that a lot can change between now and September due to COVID-19,” explained Sara Wyant, Agri-Pulse Editor. “We are keeping all of our options for hosting the meeting – both in person and via video conferencing – under consideration so there will not be the need to delay this event again.

The event was originally planned for March 23 and first postponed to June 22. “Given the uncertainty about reopening in the Washington, D.C. metro area, we decided that June 22 was still too soon,” Wyant said. “Some parts of the U.S. are starting to reopen, however, Washington, D.C. may not reopen until later in May, Virginia is not scheduled to reopen until June 10 and currently, there is no scheduled reopening date for Maryland.”

In preparation for the new date, Agri-Pulse is working with the National Press Club to provide additional sanitization, more physical separation and in some cases, videos of speakers rather than all-live presentations.

Agri-Pulse

USDA Announces Funds for Biofuels Infrastructure

Cindy Zimmerman

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is making up to $100 million in competitive grants available to help expand the availability and sale of renewable fuels.

“American ethanol and biofuel producers have been affected by decreased energy demands due to the coronavirus, and these grants to expand their availability will help increase their use during our economic resurgence,” said Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue.

The Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP) consist of up to $100 million in funding for competitive grants or sales incentives to eligible entities for activities designed to expand the sales and use of ethanol and biodiesel fuels. Funds will be made directly available to assist transportation fueling and biodiesel distribution facilities with converting to higher ethanol and biodiesel blends by sharing the costs related to and/or offering sales incentives for the installation of fuel pumps, related equipment, and infrastructure.

Once the pandemic is over and fuel markets are showing signs of recovery, expanding infrastructure via the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program will be important to the long-term future of the ethanol industry and rural America. We thank the USDA for its efforts to support the future of renewable fuels,” said Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) President and CEO Geoff Cooper.

Biodiesel, Biofuels, Ethanol, RFA, USDA

Animal Ag News 5/4

Carrie Muehling

  • House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson issued a statement supporting efforts to create local task forces to provide a framework to safely and efficiently reopen meatpacking facilities in a way that protects worker health and safety and begins to reduce the backup of hogs for processing in Minnesota and nationwide.
  • The California Cattle Council, in conjunction with the California Cattlemen’s Association, launched Resilience 2020. The combined effort seeks to reassure consumers that California ranchers, in this time of adversity, are well-positioned to produce an ample supply of the safest, most sustainable beef anywhere in the world.
  • The Cowboy Channel is excited to stream its western lifestyle content to audiences on any device with the launch of The Cowboy Channel Plus app. As the world’s destination for all things rodeo, The Cowboy Channel Plus app will offer fans lifestyle shows and keep them up-to-date with their favorite Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) competitions and athletes, as well as behind-the-scenes access to livestreamed PRCA rodeo events for subscribers to the channel’s premium content.
  • Due to the uncertainty that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought and to ensure that everyone is able to attend and enjoy the event, the Art of Cheese Festival has been moved to April 30 – May 2, 2021. The first ever Art of Cheese Festival is a three-day celebration of all things Wisconsin Cheese, including educational classes, excursions, an exclusive farm dinner, The Cheese Ball, and more. Visit ArtofCheeseFestival.com for updates on the schedule of events and ticket sales.
  • Cargill announced it is launching a series of plant-based products in China, bringing more quality protein options to the Chinese market. The launch includes products for foodservice and a consumer-facing brand PlantEver™. PlantEver™ is expected to debut in the Chinese market at the end of June and be available online and offline.
  • This year’s Alltech ONE speaker lineup includes thought-leaders from the agriculture and business sectors who will explore solutions for some of today’s biggest challenges. Focus session topics include agribusiness, aquaculture, beef, crop science, dairy, pig, poultry and sustainable agriculture. Explore all the thought-provoking focus sessions, available on-demand beginning May 18.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

World Press Freedom Day

Chuck Zimmerman

World Press Freedom DayMay 3rd was World Press Freedom Day. This year’s theme is Journalism Without Fear or Favour. Here in the U.S.A. most people take the press for granted. Well, generally. Lately with state of political discourse being so divided it is unfortunate that the press have come under increasing fire for their reporting, which in my mind has become less about the facts and story as about how their reporting can influence public opinion. I say this of the press in general. We have very good journalists and especially those reporting on anything to do with agriculture. Not that I’m biased or anything. LOL.

I do have some concerns though about how social media has impacted the press and our ability to keep a free press. Although political differences among people and parties is evident in our “traditional” press, the impact of social media can not be ignored. How often have you heard the phrase, “We are all press/media.” When almost everyone can create a communications channel (blog, podcast, Twitter, FB and so many more) then you have a situation where anyone can write or say anything they want and it can be shared to millions of people. There is a great positive side to this but also a very negative one as very unqualified people pretend to be experts and those with political agendas espouse opinion like it’s fact. The COVID-19 situation is highlighting the best and the worst of this. Let’s hope it doesn’t result in the loss of freedoms here in our country.

Owen Roberts, University of Guelph Canada and President of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists, wrote a nice thought piece for the day. You can find the full version here.

Agricultural media has always been a reliable source of information for farmers. Although agriculture is a huge industry, the media community that serves it is too small for unreliable sources to flourish for long.

And I expect one of the agricultural media’s role, that of knowledge provider and mobilizer, will become increasingly important as food insecurity intensifies.

UNESCO describes World Press Freedom Day like this:

World Press Freedom Conference3 May acts as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom and is also a day of reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics. Just as importantly, World Press Freedom Day is a day of support for media which are targets for the restraint, or abolition, of press freedom. It is also a day of remembrance for those journalists who lost their lives in the pursuit of a story.

Later this year the Netherlands will host the World Press Freedom Conference 2020 which has been postponed from April to October.

The Netherlands is the host for 2020. UNESCO and The Netherlands had planned to hold the Conference from 22 to 24 April at the World Forum in The Hague. It is now scheduled for 18 to 20 October at the same venue. It will be a joint celebration of World Press Freedom Day (3 May) and the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists (2 November). The decision to postpone the conference has been taken to minimize costs and risks for all involved, in the wake of the decision by the World Health Organization declaring COVID-19 a global pandemic.

You can find more information here.

IFAJ, International, Media

Industry Ag News 5/1

Carrie Muehling

  • Farm Foundation, an accelerator of practical solutions for agriculture, is now accepting nominations for its Young Farmer Accelerator Program, aimed at helping young farmers grow their knowledge, experience and network. The deadline to nominate a young farmer is May 15, 2020.
  • The Alabama Peanut Producers Association and its farmer members have donated 5,760 jars of peanut butter to regional food banks across Alabama to help with the demand for food due to COVID-19. The peanut butter was provided by Peanut Proud, Inc., the non-profit industry organization dedicated to humanitarian efforts.
  • The American Soybean Association (ASA) COVID-19 Task Force conducted a survey in April regarding the effects of COVID-19 on soy growers, their operations, employees, and families. Stress reported by the 86 farmer respondents from across the soy-producing states was high. ASA, state soybean affiliates, and the United Soybean Board (USB) want to help. This May, during Mental Health Month, ASA is launching a proactive communications campaign to combat #FarmStress and offer #SoyHelp.
  • The Nebraska Power Farming Show is now called the Nebraska Ag Expo and the Iowa Power Farming Show is the Iowa Ag Expo. The Nebraska Ag Expo will be held December 8-10, 2020 at the Lancaster Event Center in Lincoln, NE. The Iowa Ag Expo will be held February 2-4, 2021 at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, IA.
  • House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson of Minnesota and Ranking Member K. Michael Conaway of Texas, issued a statement Wednesday commemorating the 200th anniversary of the establishment of the House Committee on Agriculture.
  • The Chicago Farmers presented 2019-2020 scholarships to: Caroline Treadwell, Iowa State University; Noah Poynter, Purdue University; John Searl, University of Illinois; Ben Mrotek, University of Wisconsin-Madison; and Joliet Junior College students Brooklyn Tice, Abigail Wagner, and Jillian Camp.
  • American Farmland Trust’s Farmer Relief Fund started sending out $1,000 grant checks to 1,000 farmers across the country as Americans witnessed unprecedented disruptions to the food system. A huge thanks goes out to donors, members and the host of corporate contributors who stepped up when farmers needed it most. The funds are going to help small to mid-size producers that sell direct to consumers, to food services businesses, or to institutions. All funds raised by AFT are being put in the hands of farmers with no restrictions on use, only that they use the money to support modifications to their business model that will get them through until their normal markets return.
  • Thirty-eight agriculture groups and businesses including the American Farm Bureau Federation sent a letter to congressional leaders requesting changes to the Paycheck Protection Program. Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting sectors received only 1.3% of the original $349 billion in approved funding.
  • The deadline to submit entries for the Golden ARC Awards is May 4. Put together your best work from 2019 and enter today! If you have any questions, please contact Sandra O’Rourke at sandraorourke@gandgcomm.com.
  • Calyxt, Inc. has launched a retail offering of Calyno® cooking oil, the company’s first commercial product, a premium, high-performing oil, through the company’s newly launched e-commerce website calyno.com.
  • Save the date for two special events honoring 100 years of the American Soybean Association. A celebration on the Indiana farm where it all began will take place on August 4, 2020, at Fouts Farm in Camden, Ind. Or, attend the Next Soy Century Symposium on August 5, 2020, at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind.
Zimfo Bytes

Farmobile Unveils Crowd-Sourced Index

Cindy Zimmerman

Farmobile LLC is announcing the launch today of the Farmobile Index – “a crop progress and benchmarking tool that leverages crowd-sourced data to deliver planting and harvest insights to farmer-customers.”

The Farmobile Index provides users with a daily view into aggregate, state-level crop results, ahead of USDA-NASS reported survey estimates. This allows farmer-customers to glean crop progress insights which the rest of the marketplace may not realize for up to a week.

The Index provides farmers with state-level, aggregated totals of planted and harvested acres (plus yield) while contributing their anonymized, ground-truthed data to enrich the accuracy of the data set. Users can create customized views by selecting state(s) and date ranges, and compare what is happening in-field to USDA/NASS reported estimates.

“We created the Farmobile Index exclusively for our farmer-users to bridge the gap in data reporting that currently exists in ag, and ultimately help reduce market volatility,” said Jason Tatge, CEO of Farmobile. And, as always, the privacy and security of farmers is paramount to Farmobile. Only data totals, aggregated at the state-level, are used for Farmobile Index insights. Only Farmobile customers, who agree to the Equipment Lease and Data Upload Agreement, are able to access the data, and they can call us to opt-out their data from the Index.

Learn more from Farmobile.

AgWired Precision, data, Farming, Precision Agriculture

ZimmCast 643 – COVID-19 Impacts on Ag Communications

Chuck Zimmerman

Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast.

This week’s program is part one of at least two that feature conversations with the leadership of agricultural media and marketing associations. This week I’m sharing conversations with Jenny Pickett of the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA), Tom Brand with the National Association of Farm Broadcasting, and Hugh Maynard of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists/Canadian Farm Writers.

Each of these organizations has had to cancel or postpone important annual events and the staff has had to deal with that as well as looking at alternative communications methods and what plans look like going forward.

How has your company or organization has been affected and what are you learning during this trying time?

Listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 643 - COVID-19 Impacts on Ag Communications

Subscribe to the ZimmCast in:

Audio, IFAJ, NAFB, NAMA, ZimmCast

Preview of the Alltech ONE Virtual Experience

Cindy Zimmerman

Alltech has always been ahead of the curve as an animal health company and they are leading the way when it comes to response to COVID-19. The global company was the first to make changes in a conference by announcing on March 9 that its annual ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference (ONE) would go on as a virtual event.

The annual event was scheduled for May 17–19 in Lexington, Kentucky, and typically assembles more than 3,500 attendees from 70 countries. The Alltech ONE Virtual Experience will begin on May 18 with livestreamed keynote presentations and on-demand video content from some of the world’s leading industry experts will launch on the event website.

“Our first priority remains the health and safety of attendees, our colleagues and the communities in which we live and work,” said Dr. Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech. “With that in mind, we decided to host this year’s international conference on a virtual platform, allowing registrants from around the world to engage in industry-leading content in a way that is accessible for everyone.”

Alltech has also created a special discussion series, Forging the Future of the Farm & Food Chain.

Learn more about both in this interview with Dr. Lyons.

Interview with Alltech CEO Dr. Mark Lyons (16:30)

Learn more about Alltech ONE and register here.

AgWired Animal, Alltech, Animal Agriculture, Animal Health, Audio

Precision Ag News 4/29

Carrie Muehling

  • The Soil Health Institute announced its 5th Annual Meeting will go virtual. As previously announced, the annual meeting will be July 30-31. An agenda and more information on how to register will be available in early May.
  • Golden Harvest is expanding its product portfolio for the 2021 growing season with the release of 12 new corn hybrids and 22 new soybean varieties.
  • The National Association of Conservation Districts applauded the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for announcing nine conservation district-led projects as part of this year’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program awards. To learn more about this year’s RCPP projects, visit NRCS’s storymap webpage.
  • NRCS also announced a $15 million investment through the Conservation Innovation Grants program to help support the adoption of innovative conservation approaches on agricultural lands.
  • Radicle Growth, an acceleration fund, and Syngenta, a leading agriculture company helping to improve global food security, today announced the launch of The Radicle Protein Challenge by Syngenta. Together, Radicle and Syngenta will identify two companies with novel solutions to support the future of protein (which could include new or experimental protein sources, or protein conversion technologies) that are solving challenges spanning from plant-based ag to the regenerative side of agriculture, to invest $1.25m in. For more information on The Radicle Protein Challenge by Syngenta, visit radicle.vc/the-radicle-challenge/.
  • The current COVID-19 pandemic is continuing to wreak havoc on our industry’s business operations, as well as our families and communities, but we’re heartened by the glimmers of good news now being reported. We are proceeding as planned to hold a safe, productive, and successful 2020 event, and registration remains open. We encourage you to check InfoAg.org often and sign up to receive updates.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

Koch Agronomic Services Offers New Educational Tools

Cindy Zimmerman

Koch Agronomic Services (Koch) is breaking down the science and technology behind nitrogen loss and soil health. Field Notes, an online educational platform from Koch, will help arm growers and retailers with the knowledge to increase their operational efficiencies.

Throughout the year, Koch will release new Field Notes content from crop science and industry experts in the form of videos, articles and podcasts to be released onto KASFieldNotes.com.

“We wanted to offer growers and retailers a series of in-depth tools that could help explain the complexities of agronomic processes,” says Steve Coulter, senior vice president at Koch. “In the situation we’re currently facing with COVID-19, most people aren’t able to have their usual face-to-face meetings. We believe Field Notes will be extremely valuable in assisting producers determine what’s best for their operations.”

The third episode of the Field Notes podcast series from Koch Agronomic Services was just posted yesterday featuring Retailer Perspectives on Nitrogen Loss. The series has already featured episodes on Understanding Nitrogen, and spring weather’s impact on nitrogen and input issues growers could face.

Agronomy, Koch Agronomic Services, Nutrient Management, Podcasts