Alltech ONE July Virtual Experience Session – Ag-Tech

Chuck Zimmerman

Alltech Virtual Experience - AgTech SessionThis month the Alltech ONE Virtual Experience focuses on the topic of Ag-Tech. To preview the program I spoke with Robbie Walker, European Growth Officer at Alltech and CEO of KEENAN.

Sessions include: The Ag-Tech Effect: Turning Ideas Into Reality; Tech for Tomorrow: Sustainable Ag-Tech; Farming the Future: The Alltech 2020 Ag-Tech Insights Report; Planet of Plenty Award Presentation; Accelerating Innovation and a closing panel discussion on Ag-Tech’s Impact on the Agri-Food Supply Chain. The Alltech 2020 Ag-Tech Insights Report includes key findings of an in-depth analysis of more than 1,600 ag-tech startups from more than 35 sectors.

Resilience and efficiency within the global food supply chain have never been more crucial. How will technology shape the future of our industry and our ability to feed the world? Join us for a look at the next era of agriculture through the lens of ag-tech.

In you have registered previously then you have access to this fresh batch of presentations. If you have not registered you can still do so on the Alltech ONE website.

You can listen to my conversation with Robbie here: Interview with Robbie Walker, Alltech

Agribusiness, Alltech, Audio, Technology

2020 Sunbelt Ag Expo Cancelled

Chuck Zimmerman

Sunbelt Ag ExpoI was going to the Sunbelt Ag Expo Field Day last week but had interview appointments get scheduled that day. Oh well. So now the show itself has been cancelled. Here’s to looking ahead to next year!

North America’s Premier Farm Show, the Sunbelt Ag Expo, has provided a venue for the agricultural industry to conduct business for 42 years. For the first time, since its beginnings in 1978, the gates at Spence Field will not open the third week in October to welcome farmers, their families, and loyal exhibitors as the Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition Board of Directors voted to cancel the 43rd Annual show scheduled for October 20-22, 2020.

Plans for the selection of the 2020 Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Ag Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year Winner and the Southeastern Hay Contest Award Winners are still being finalized. As these plans are confirmed, information will be released on our web site and social media channels. In addition, the Holiday Arts and Crafts Show, hosted by the Sunbelt Ag Expo, is still scheduled at this time for November 14-15, 2020.

Farm Shows, Sunbelt Ag Expo

Industry Ag News 7/24

Carrie Muehling

  • UnitedAg is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its founding in 1980. In celebration of its achievements, UnitedAg will host a series of virtual events throughout the year to share with its members the challenges and milestones of the last 40 years.
  • The National Corn Growers Association remains hard at work to help improve the economic situation for corn growers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. On the heels of NCGA’s first Virtual Corn Congress, the organization hosted a virtual fly-in to Capitol Hill July 22-23.
  • The U.S. Wheat Associates Board of Directors seated new officers at a virtual annual meeting July 17, 2020. USW is the export market development organization representing U.S. wheat farmers. USW officers for 2020/21 are: Chairman Darren Padget of Grass Valley, Ore.; Vice Chairperson Rhonda Larson of East Grand Forks, Minn.; Secretary-Treasurer Michael Peters of Okarche, Okla.; and Past Chairman Doug Goyings of Paulding, Ohio.
  • United Fresh Produce Association announced the promotion of Dr. Jennifer McEntire to the position of Senior Vice President, Food Safety & Technology. Dr. McEntire joined the association four years ago, bringing her extensive background in food safety, regulatory issues, and association management to the United Fresh Team.
  • Bayer recently launched a high-level podcast, The Tomorrow Farm. The Tomorrow Farm convenes academics, scientists, farmers, NGOs, industry leaders and decision makers from around the globe to explore key issues which are impacting the sector – from the Green Revolution and how efficiencies in agriculture can help farmers feed more people using less energy to what gene editing really is and how it can bring life-changing solutions to the developing world.
  • The American Seed Trade Association‘s PLDC Virtual conference, held between May 19 and July 16, broke new records for the association’s summer conference participation with over 560 registered participants from 15 countries. The recorded series of sessions is available for viewing on the PLDC Virtual website.
  • On Thursday, July 30th, Iowa and national ag commodity leaders will hold a virtual town hall to discuss the future of Iowa agriculture, with a focus on trade and supply chains. With major in-person state agriculture town halls postponed beyond 2020, this conversation will help state farmers learn and share their views with commodity association leaders. The conversation, which is part of the AgTalks town hall series focusing on key U.S. ag states, comes at a time when Iowa’s competitiveness in agriculture is being impacted by the trade war, COVID-19 and the increase in non-US trade agreements with overseas customers that Iowa has traditionally served.
  • Register now for the Agricultural Media Summit Leadership Webinar on dealing with different personalities July 28 at 11:00 EDT. Inspirational speaker and farm boy Matt Rush will give insight into who others are and share tools to build connections with the people you meet every day.
  • Land O’Lakes, Inc. announced Heather Malenshek will join the organization as Chief Marketing Officer effective September 8, 2020. In this capacity, Heather will oversee B2C and B2B branding and marketing strategy and is responsible for building marketing competencies across all businesses and geographies. She also will have oversight for FLM Harvest, a wholly owned subsidiary of Land O’Lakes, Inc.
Zimfo Bytes

2020 Ag Relations Council Golden ARC Awards Announced

Chuck Zimmerman

Golden ARC AwardsZoom provided the platform for this year’s virtual presentation of the Agricultural Relations Council (ARC) Golden ARC Awards. Getting us started was John Blue Truffle Media, ARC President and the awards were announced by Kristy Mach, ARC Executive Director.

Congratulations to all the winners including Padilla for receiving the Golden ARC de Excellence with its “A Recipe for Success: Fruits and Vegetables are Key Ingredients for Healthier, Happier Lives” entry. You can see a full list of winners here (pdf).

You can listen to the presentation of awards here: Golden ARC Awards

Padilla Golden ARC AwardThis year’s Golden ARC Awards program drew a record number of campaign and tactics entries from more than 20 contestants. “2019 was a great year for work in ag PR and the number of entries is proof of that. The deadline for entries hit right when people were transitioning to working from home due to the pandemic, but that didn’t stop our members from wanting to show off their hard work,” said ARC Executive Director Kristy Mach. “The important work communicating agriculture’s story continues and we are seeing the pay off during these times as more people are cooking at home and connecting to the important role agriculture plays in their daily lives.” Golden ARC Award judges selected 24 entries as Golden ARC Award winners and gave Merit Awards to 19 entries.

FLM Harvest took home the most “hardware” by winning four Golden ARC Awards and three Merit Awards. Kansas Farm Bureau won four Golden ARC Awards; Padilla received three Golden ARC Awards and two Merit Awards; and Bader Rutter earned four Golden ARC Awards.

ARC, Public Relations

2020 NAFB Convention Will Be Virtual

Cindy Zimmerman

The National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) has joined the 2020 virtual meeting club. The 2020 NAFB Convention, scheduled for November 18-20 will now held virtually.

“We know the importance of our annual Convention to both our members as well as exhibitors and participants in Trade Talk – it provides opportunities to conduct business and to network with industry colleagues,” said 2020 NAFB President Rita Frazer, RFD Radio Network, Bloomington, Illinois. “However, with COVID-19 spikes and various unknown health factors throughout our country, the board has decided to transition the 2020 NAFB Convention to a virtual event to ensure the safety and health of all participants. In the spirit of this annual event, the NAFB team will work to provide a valuable virtual experience from their own homes or offices.”

The NAFB board and staff members currently are working to transition this year’s Convention to its virtual representation. Additional information on the virtual set-up and registration for both Convention registrants and Trade Talk exhibitors will be announced no later than Tuesday, September 1, 2020.

“This year’s Convention will offer many of the components our members have come to expect from their annual November trip to Kansas City: professional-development sessions, the all-member meeting, Trade Talk, and other popular components of this showcase event,” said NAFB Executive Director Tom Brand. “We appreciate input from members and the support of sponsors as we adapt to the fast-changing professional landscape during the current global pandemic.”

NAFB

ZimmCast 650 – Preview of Virtual Agri-Marketing Conference

Chuck Zimmerman

Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast, featuring weekly interviews with agribusiness industry leaders and all about what’s new, with a focus on agricultural marketing.

This week’s program provides a preview of the National Agri-Marketing Association’s Virtual Agri-Marketing Conference which will be held August 11-13. Conference Chair Rebecca Ivey, Case IH, gives us a preview of the program.

Following that I’m sharing conversations with several of the NAMA Sustaining Partners starting with Susan Rhode, Farm Journal, followed by Doug Reynolds, Corteva Agriscience and then Amy Bradford, GROWMARK. They talk about their companies, how they’ve dealt with the effects of the pandemic and why they support NAMA. I will be featuring more of these in future episodes of the ZimmCast.

Register for the Virtual Agri-Marketing Conference now.

So, that’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.

Listen to the ZimmCast here: Virtual Agri-Marketing Conference

Subscribe to the ZimmCast in:

Ag Groups, Agribusiness, Audio, GROWMARK, Marketing, Media, ZimmCast

Farm Progress and Husker Harvest Days Go Virtual

Cindy Zimmerman

Two of the country’s largest farm shows are combining for the first ever Farm Progress Virtual Experience, or FPVX. The dual event – Farm Progress Show and Husker Harvest Days – will run Sept. 15 to 17.

“The beauty of a virtual event is that we will open the virtual gates on Sept. 15 with a slate of field demos and rich content, but once live, farmers can engage the content all year long,” says Don Tourte, senior vice president, Farm Progress. “With this event the farmer can virtually stroll through more than 500 exhibits in their own time, and each exhibitor will have valuable new information to share.”

“We’re going to have what may be the most extensive field demonstration program we’ve ever conducted with corn harvest, tillage, hay and cattle equipment,” says Matt Jungmann, events manager, Farm Progress. “And we’ll include a first-look at a range of autonomous tools.”

More information will be available as the show date nears.

Farm Progress Show

Precision Ag News 7/22

Carrie Muehling

  • The National Association of Conservation Districts announced the award of $6.5 million in new technical assistance grants to nearly 400 conservation districts in 36 states and territories.
  • Agriculture may now have another solution to positively impact climate change thanks to a new initiative launched by Bayer. Beginning this month, Bayer will start rewarding farmers in Brazil and the U.S. for generating carbon credits by adopting climate-smart practices – such as no-till farming and the use of cover crops – designed to help agriculture reduce its carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Following action by the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation reauthorizing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards program for three years, which was set to expire on July 23, 2020. Agricultural Retailers Association President and CEO Daren Coppock released a statement celebrating this action.
  • HELM Agro US, Inc., a global manufacturer of high quality crop protection and fertilizer products announces Reviton™ as the name of its new herbicide, which is currently under EPA regulatory review. Reviton is a PPO-inhibitor herbicide with a novel active ingredient called Tergeo™. A non-selective herbicide for the preplant burndown and desiccation segments, Reviton will be one of the first new PPO herbicide to be introduced in the U.S. in more than a decade.
  • The National Institute for Food and Agriculture and the National Science Foundation has awarded Nadia Shakoor, Ph.D., senior research scientist at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, a three-year, $1.4 million grant to develop FieldDock, an integrated smart farm system. The technology will collect and analyze real-time data from the field, allowing for effective tracking of crop performance.
  • Farmers in the U.S and Canada can leverage on-farm data in new ways through the recent addition of Climate FieldView™ to the WinField® United Answer Tech Data Silo®, a cloud-based data-management system.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

Pork Producers Facing $5 Billion in Losses

Cindy Zimmerman

With an estimated two million hogs still backed-up on farms, the nation’s pork producers are facing $5 billion in losses and the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) is urging Congress to act swiftly to preserve their livelihoods.

“Many U.S. hog farmers will not survive this crisis,” said NPPC President Howard “AV” Roth, a hog farmer from Wauzeka, Wisconsin, during a press call on Monday. “As the Senate begins work on the next COVID relief package, we urge lawmakers to provide a critical lifeline to hog farmers across the nation to minimize what has already been significant damage to our producers.”

According to an analysis by Dr. Steve Meyer, an economist with Kerns & Associates, based on lean hog futures prices on March 1 and July 10 and actual hog prices in the interim, potential 2020 revenue from hog sales has been reduced by roughly $4.7 billion. Other losses associated with euthanasia, disposal and donation of pigs with no market outlet and insufficient space to hold them mean U.S. pork producers have lost nearly $5 billion in actual and potential profits for 2020 and those losses are expected to continue into 2021.

Earlier this month, Sens. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) introduced the RELIEF for Producers Act of 2020, providing compensation for farmers who are forced to euthanize or donate animals that can’t be processed into the food supply as a result of COVID-19, among other provisions. NPPC strongly supports this legislation, as well as additional federal assistance championed by Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), and urges Congress to quickly address this unprecedented crisis plaguing pork producers.

Roth and Meyer participated in a press conference on Monday, with additional comments from NPPC CEO Neil Dierks and Nick Giordano, NPPC Vice President and Counsel, Global Government Affairs.

Listen to the call:
NPPC press call 7-20-20

Audio, NPPC, Pork

Animal Ag News 7/20

Carrie Muehling

  • The National Cattlemen’s Foundation announced its partnership with Cargill to provide funding to North American cattle producers to provide practical tools to help manage market shifts, reduce costs, manage finite natural resource availability and withstand extreme weather events. The four-year strategic partnership, which was funded by a $3 million contribution from Cargill’s protein business, establishes a professional development scholarship program, and provides educational resources through the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef and experiential learning in partnership with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).
  • The NCBA and the Public Lands Council celebrate landmark improvements to environmental policy through finalization of the Trump Administration’s rulemaking on the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The NEPA updates make the process more efficient and timely, while also laying the groundwork for healthy and resilient open spaces and pastureland.
  • The International Dairy Foods Association released a statement in response to the federal Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee final scientific report.
  • Kemin Industries, a global ingredient manufacturer that strives to sustainably transform the quality of life every day for 80 percent of the world with its products and services, has acquired a U.S. patent application for a method to control African Swine Fever virus in feed and feed ingredients using Sal CURB® Liquid Antimicrobial – a global pathogen control product manufactured by Kemin.
  • The Animal Agriculture Alliance announced the launch of the Animal Ag Allies program to empower farmers, ranchers and practicing veterinarians to be outspoken advocates for agriculture online and within their communities. The Alliance is currently seeking participants to enroll by August 7.
  • Thanks to dairy checkoff support, Taco Bell recently unveiled the Grilled Cheese Burrito, its cheesiest new offering of the year, and a Pineapple Whip Freeze beverage that contains real dairy.
  • Vytelle and GrowSafe Systems, Ltd. announced the combining of their companies with the aim of accelerating genetic advances in bovine biotechnology.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites