Industry Ag News 4/3

Carrie Muehling

  • MGEX announces its best March and the fifth best overall month in MGEX history with a total of 277,629 contracts. This new record shatters the previous record by 37%, previously set in 2017. March’s volume is also 6% higher than February 2020.
  • The House Agriculture Committee has launched a resources page for food and agriculture and COVID-19.
  • CNH Industrial announces the temporary appointment of Brad Crews as General Manager North America. In this role, Mr. Crews will ensure cross-functional governance and coordinate all North American regional efforts during the COVID-19 situation. He will also temporarily join the Company’s Global Executive Committee, an operational decision-making body of CNH Industrial, which is responsible for reviewing the operating performance of the segments and making decisions on certain operational matters.
  • American Farmland Trust started taking applications for its Farmer Relief Fund last week with Farmland®foods giving $25,000 and individual donors another $35,000 within the first 48 hours. The fund launched Tuesday and will award eligible farmers with cash grants of up to $1,000 each to help them weather the current storm of market disruptions caused by the COVID-19 crisis. The initial focus will be on farms that sell at farmers markets or to restaurants, caterers, schools, stores, or makers who use farm products. That focus could change over time as the negative impacts of the crisis become more widespread within U.S. agriculture. All monies raised will go directly to farmers.
  • The farm and ranch families of Farm Bureau donated 26.3 million pounds of food and raised more than $494,000 to assist hungry Americans in 2019 as part of the organization’s “Harvest for All” program. Combined, the monetary and food donations totaled the equivalent of 24.5 million meals.
  • American Agri-Women’s President, Karolyn Zurn, stresses that America consists of farmers and ranchers from all over the U.S. and most are in very rural areas. Zurn says, “American Agri-Women is concerned that even though 5G implementation seems forthcoming to rural America where 3G and 4G services are now, there are still farmers and ranchers unable to get any coverage. We ask that Chairman Pai move forward making 5G connectivity and coverage available for all rural America.”
  • Swanson Russell welcomes four new employees in its Lincoln office: Justin Anthony, Lana Erickson, Stephanie Havranek and Ryan Holt.
  • To further the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) work on the Agriculture Innovation Agenda (AIA), USDA announced it is seeking public and private sector input on the most important innovation opportunities to be addressed in the near and long term. Using input provided, USDA will identify common themes across the agriculture customer base to inform research and innovation efforts in the Department, the broader public-sector, and the private sector.
  • U.S. soy is now available in Skechers footwear, thanks to their collaboration with The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company — opening the door to a new market for U.S.-grown soybeans. To learn more about these innovations and soy-based products, visit soynewuses.org or unitedsoybean.org.
Zimfo Bytes

Important Info About PPP for Farmers

Cindy Zimmerman

The Georgia Peanut Commission hosted a webinar discussion on Friday with U.S. Congressmen Sanford Bishop (D-GA) and Austin Scott (R-GA) and Bob Redding, The Redding Firm, to learn more about the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, signed into law March 27.

The discussion includes important information for farmers and ranchers about the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) that is applicable nationwide.

GA Peanut Commission webinar with GA Reps Austin Scott and Sanford Bishop (40:50)

Audio, Peanuts

Dairy Groups Call for Direct Aid

Cindy Zimmerman

Groups representing dairy farmers and cooperatives in the Midwest are urging the federal government to provide direct aid to farmers and to expedite the purchase of additional dairy foods due to unprecedented disruptions in supply and demand due caused by the COVID-19 national emergency.

In a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the groups cited the mass closure of restaurants, schools and other food service outlets, decimated export markets and a sharp drop in prices farmers are being paid for their milk.

The Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association, Dairy Business Association and Edge Farmer Cooperative held a media conference call Thursday to discuss the current situation being experienced in the dairy industry and to call on USDA for direct aid to farmers and a massive dairy commodity purchase.

Participating in the press conference were:

• John Umhoefer, Executive Director, Cheese Makers Association
• Tim Trotter, Executive Director, Dairy Business Association and Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative
• Gordon Speirs, Farmer/Owner of Shiloh Dairy in Brillion, Wisconsin

Listen here:
Dairy industry calls for direct aid (13:57)

Audio, Dairy

AMVAC® Closes Agreement With Clean Seed Capital Group

Cindy Zimmerman

AMVAC®, an American Vanguard® company, today announced a strategic license and investment agreement with Clean Seed Capital Group Ltd.

The relationship results in Clean Seed licensing to AMVAC certain intellectual property rights for an initial investment of US$2,500,000, plus an undisclosed royalty that will be payable to Clean Seed by AMVAC in conjunction with AMVAC’s future SIMPAS™ hardware sales. AMVAC will invest an additional US$2,500,000 through the purchase of shares of Clean Seed stock, bringing the total AMVAC investment to US$5,000,000.

“AMVAC is investing in this strategic technology relationship in order to leverage the superior prescriptive at-plant application technology of both companies. We believe our organizations are truly symbiotic,” said Chief Operating Officer Dr. Bob Trogele. “By combining Clean Seed’s leading-edge ability to prescriptively plant and apply high-dose rate crop inputs like N, P, and K, with AMVAC’s low-dose rate SIMPAS application technology, farmers will realize prescriptive application capabilities that simply are not presently available.”

AMVAC’s patented SIMPAS (Smart Integrated Multi-Product Prescription Application System) enables simultaneous, prescriptive application of multiple crop protection and nutritional inputs and runs parallel with Clean Seed’s patented SMART Seeder™ and SMART Planter™ technologies.

Read more from AMVAC.

AgWired Precision, AMVAC, Planting, Precision Agriculture, Seed

Lower Ethanol Demand Could Impact Planting Decisions

Cindy Zimmerman

USDA’s 2020 Prospective Plantings report released Tuesday estimates planted acres for corn this year at 97.0 million acres, up 8 percent or 7.29 million acres from last year. But when farmers were surveyed a month ago, coronavirus had yet to have the impact it is now having on ethanol demand and prices thanks to a drastic cut in demand for gasoline with millions of Americans staying at home.

Top ethanol producer POET last week stopped buying corn at seven of its 27 plants and Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper says there are many more. “There are probably close to three dozen ethanol plants that have completely idled their capacity, we think there’s another two or three dozen facilities that have greatly reduced their output,” said Cooper. “If we get up close to three billion gallons of capacity that is coming off line, we’re talking about a billion bushels of corn.”

Listen to Cooper’s comments here:

RFA CEO Geoff Cooper discusses drop in ethanol demand (2:24)

Audio, Corn, Ethanol, RFA

Summit Agro USA Launches New Website, Products

Cindy Zimmerman

Summit Agro USA today announced the launch of a new website designed from the ground up to be a solutions-centric tool with a robust database that catalogs multiple diseases, insects and weeds for over 600 crops.

“We surveyed our customers and distribution partners about website resources. What we found was that these other sites tend to be product-focused in their approach,” said Bill Lewis, Summit Agro CEO. “We wanted our website to be an easily searchable tool that allows users to quickly and simply get answers for the control of the specific pests threatening their particular crops. This mobile-friendly website fits with Summit Agro’s overall strategy of bringing the market a unique mix of conventional and biological offerings.”

In addition to the launch of the new website, Summit Agro is introducing two new products – Verdepryn 100SL insecticide and Timorex Act fungicide.

Verdepryn insecticide allows growers to maximize both yields and crop quality by providing exceptional broad-spectrum insect control in pome fruit, stone fruit, grapes, berries, tree nuts and citrus. “We have been pleased with the results seen with Harvanta insecticide in vegetable crops. Now we can bring that same successful active ingredient – Cyclapryn – to additional crops in the form of Verdepryn,” said Mary DeMers, Summit Agro marketing manager for insecticides and fungicides. “Verdeprynis a Group 28 insecticide with a control spectrum that is competitive with, or better than, most currently available diamide insecticides and does so with much less active ingredient.”

A purely organic formulation, Timorex Act is a botanical broad-spectrum fungicide with preventative and curative activity based on an extract of the tree tea plant. “An OMRI-listed product, Timorex ACT is poised to meet the rigorous standards for sustainable agriculture,” said Fred Yates, Summit Agro marketing manager for biologicals.

Learn more at www.summitagro-usa.com.

Agronomy, AgWired Precision, Crop Protection, Fungicide, Insecticides, Precision Agriculture

Precision Ag News 4/1

Carrie Muehling

  • A new soybean variety – with resistance to soybean cyst nematode (SCN) derived from the breeding line PI 89772 – is being released by Syngenta in small quantities in 2020. Syngenta is sharing seed with university researchers and farm cooperators now, and full commercial launch is coming next year.
  • The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the registration of the use of isoxaflutole on genetically engineered soybeans, providing soybean farmers with a new tool they can use to control weeds that have become resistant to many other herbicides.
  • BASF has received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registration of Alite™ 27 herbicide for use in select counties across Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, South Dakota and Tennessee. Alite 27 herbicide is the first and only group 27 herbicide (4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase, HPPD) available for use in soybeans as part of the LibertyLink® GT27™ soybean trait system.
  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will host its annual USDA Data Users’ Meeting on Tuesday, April 21st as a virtual meeting. To participate in the 2020 USDA Data Users’ Meeting, please register online at www.nass.usda.gov/Education_and_Outreach/Meeting/.
  • The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) announced the award of $8.5 million in new technical assistance grants to over 300 conservation districts in 49 states and territories.
  • Farm Market iD announced that it is making its data accessible to clients in real-time through the launch of its new API (application programming interface).
  • The Mosaic Company announced Ben Pratt has been named SVP-Government and Public Affairs and will join the company’s Senior Leadership Team effective April 1.
  • SVG Ventures-THRIVE in partnership with Forbes Live is delighted to announce the release of the 2020 THRIVE TOP 50 AgTech and TOP 50 FoodTech Research Reports. For the past three years, SVG Ventures has compiled a list of the TOP 50 AgTech growth stage companies and new this year, have introduced the TOP 50 FoodTech companies.
  • A strategic partnership between Specialty Granules LLC, Monty’s Plant Food Company and OrganoCat has developed MagmaHume™, a mineral-rich soil and plant fortifier, that shows promise in boosting crop yield while having potential to reduce a farmer’s carbon footprint.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes

USDA Forecasts Increased Corn and Bean Acres

Cindy Zimmerman

USDA’s 2020 Prospective Plantings report released Tuesday forecasts eight percent more corn acres this year compared to 2019 and ten percent more soybean acres.

Corn planted area for all purposes in 2020 is estimated at 97.0 million acres, up 8 percent or 7.29 million acres from last year. Compared with last year, planted acreage is expected to be up or unchanged in 38 of the 48 estimating States. Soybean planted area for 2020 is estimated at 83.5 million acres, up 10 percent from last year. Compared with last year, planted acreage is expected to be up or unchanged in 22 of the 29 estimating States.

Wheat and cotton estimates are about one percent less than last year, which for wheat represents the lowest all wheat planted area since records began in 1919.

Importantly, the acreage estimates in the report are based primarily on surveys conducted during the first two weeks of March, when it was an entirely different world. Brian Basting of Advance Trading says USDA’s corn estimate was about three million acres higher than the average trade guess, and he says the impact of coronavirus on ethanol production may be offset by higher feed demand.

Listen to Basting’s analysis from the MGEX crop call on the plantings report.
Brian Basting, Advance Trading, MGEX Crop Call (3:38)

Audio, Corn, Planting, Soybean, USDA

Animal Ag Alliance Primed & Prepared for Virtual Summit

Chuck Zimmerman

2020 Animal Ag Alliance Stakeholders SummitVirtual conferences are on the rise. The 2020 Stakeholders Summit for the Animal Agriculture Alliance is a perfect example. If you’ve never physically attended one this is your chance to do so without traveling.

Current trends in animal rights activism and farm security will be addressed at the Animal Agriculture Alliance’s 2020 Virtual Stakeholders Summit, themed “Primed & Prepared.” The Summit is set for May 7-8, 2020, and registered attendees will also receive exclusive access to a series of pre-conference webinars.

Virtual Summit registration is now open at Summit.AnimalAgAlliance.Org. Registration will give attendees exclusive access to 13 hours of live, dynamic content spread out among a series of preconference webinars and the two-day virtual event. Recordings from each session will also be available only to confirmed virtual attendees through the end of 2020. The Alliance team is working to ensure attendees enjoy digital networking opportunities that are more valuable than ever in today’s challenging environment.

Farmers and ranchers interested in attending the Virtual Summit are encouraged to enter the Alliance’s photo contest. To enter, competitors need to post their favorite farm photo on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook with the hashtags #PrimedAndPrepared and #AAA20 and tag the Alliance (Facebook: @animalagalliance, Instagram: @animalagalliance, Twitter: @animalag). Participants should be sure to include a caption about why they want to be primed and prepared to protect animal ag. Entries must be posted by April 10. Top entries will win a free registration to the Virtual Summit.

Ag Groups, Animal Agriculture

World Pork Expo Cancelled

Cindy Zimmerman

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) announced that the 2020 World Pork Expo in June will be cancelled due to COVID-19 human health concerns.

“While deeply disappointed to cancel this year’s Expo, NPPC’s board of directors unanimously agreed it was prudent to make this decision now,” said NPPC President Howard “A.V.” Roth, a pork producer from Wauzeka, Wisconsin. “By eliminating COVID 19-related uncertainty surrounding the event, we allow producers and others across the industry to focus on the essential role we play in the nation’s food supply system at this critical time.”

World Pork Expo 2019 was cancelled last year due to concerns about African Swine Fever in China. World Pork Expo 2021 is scheduled for June 9-11 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.

NPPC, Pork, World Pork Expo