Industry Ag News 6/12

Carrie Muehling

  • Beck Ag, Inc. is bringing its U.S.-recognized experience and expertise for creating and executing data-driven go-to-market strategies in the agriculture space north of the border. The announcement from Beck Ag CEO Richard Bettison coincides with the appointment of David Webb as the General Manager of Beck Ag Canada.
  • Alabama Peanut Producers Association donated 14,400 jars of peanut butter to the Alabama Food Bank Association to assist eight regional food banks with feeding their communities. The COVID-19 pandemic has put a strain on hunger-relief efforts around the state, and peanut butter is a favorite item for food banks.
  • At its monthly meeting, the Farm Credit Administration board received a quarterly report on economic issues affecting agriculture, together with an update on the financial condition and performance of the Farm Credit System as of March 31, 2020.
  • Leading soil scientist Dr. Rattan Lal was announced as the 2020 World Food Prize Laureate for developing and mainstreaming a soil-centric approach to increasing food production that conserves natural resources and mitigates climate change.
  • The National Cotton Council is grateful for EPA’s quick action enabling cotton producers to use existing stocks of three dicamba formulations this season following the recent court decision to vacate the products’ registrations.
  • Joshua Bell, cotton grower from West Texas, is recognized for his idea in response to an invitation from BASF for cotton growers to share their best on-farm innovations. The idea was first inspired by the chemical tank blocking the tractor headlights and making it difficult to work at night. Bell decided to use material he already had on the farm to make a brace to mount on the tractor weight instead of changing the tractor lights. The innovation also gives him the ability to “grab and go” with a chemical tank – significantly decreasing the amount of time needed to change tanks or using one specific tractor for a particular job.
  • National Farmers Union Foundation announced the 2020 recipients of the Hubert K. & JoAnn Seymour and Stanley Moore Scholarship awards. Applications for the 2021 scholarship awards will be available through NFUF in December 2020. More information about the scholarships is available on the NFU website at NFU.org/education/scholarships.
  • The arrival of Coronavirus/COVID-19 changed the outlook of conferences and meetings for 2020. Soon after people started getting seriously ill and the WHO declared a pandemic in early March, events started to rapidly change into virtual formats. Join Hannah Thompson-Weeman (Animal Agriculture Alliance), Kristy Mach, (Gardner & Gardner Communications), and John Blue (Truffle Media Networks) for an Agricultural Relations Council webinar to learn about how events handled the shift and how events through early 2021 will most likely have some form of virtual included.
  • Agriculture investment platform Harvest Returns has reached the milestone of raising over $5 million in global private placement farming opportunities.
  • Glen Albert Brandt, founder of BRANDT, Inc., passed away peacefully at Memorial Medical Center in Springfield, IL early Sunday morning. He was 94.
  • In one of the first nationwide seed giveaways of its kind, HiLo Seed Co. will award 1 million hemp seeds to U.S. farmers by the end of 2020. The first round of winners were selected on March 31, and each will receive at least 15,000 HiLo Autopilot 1.0 hemp seeds. HiLo Seed Co. was an exhibitor in the inaugural Hemp Pavilion at the 2020 World Ag Expo® in Tulare. To enter the Million Hemp Seed Giveaway or to see a list of winners, visit hilohempseed.com/million-hemp-seed-giveaway.
  • An overwhelming majority of Midwest producers are choosing propane for grain drying compared with other energy options, according to a new survey from the Propane Education & Research Council. The survey also revealed the widespread use of propane among producers on their farm and in their homes.
  • Farm Journal announced the launch of a major new “COVID-conscious” farm show experience called Farm Journal Field Days, set for Aug. 25-27, 2020, on farms in eastern Iowa and northwest Ohio. The interactive Farm Journal Field Days includes a three-day Virtual Pavilion that runs concurrent with full-day on-farm demonstrations and programming.
Zimfo Bytes

COVID Cuts Revenue Prospects for Corn Crop

Cindy Zimmerman

A new analysis from the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is projecting a drastic drop in 2020 revenues as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic with impacts persisting into 2021.

NCGA President Kevin Ross says the latest analysis projects a $59 per acre average revenue decline for the 2019 corn crop and an $89 per acre average revenue decline for 2020, compared to pre-COVID-19 projections. “It equates to the lowest crop revenues since 2006 for corn farmers,” said Ross.

The analysis was conducted by Dr. Gary Schnitkey of the University of Illinois using projections for 2019, 2020, and 2021 for pre-COVID and post-COVID scenarios. It follows previous analysis built on market numbers to date, along with estimates of state-level impacts, conducted as part of NCGA’s efforts to better understand the economic impact of the global pandemic on the corn industry and work to create solutions to help corn farmers and their customers recover from the financial impacts of this crisis.

The analysis was shared with Congressional leaders this week to help them in the development of future legislative efforts to mitigate the pandemic’s impact and help farmers and their customers recover.

Ross commented on the analysis during a press call with the Renewable Fuels Association about the one year anniversary of President Trump’s visit to an Iowa ethanol plant.

NCGA president Kevin Ross on revenue loss analysis for corn crop 1:33

Audio, Corn, Ethanol, NCGA

President Trump at Iowa Ethanol Plant – One Year Later

Cindy Zimmerman

SIRE CEO Mike Jerke, President Trump and RFA CEO Geoff Cooper on June 11, 2019

It was one year ago today that President Donald Trump made a victorious visit to Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy (SIRE) ethanol plant in Council Bluffs, Iowa, to celebrate regulatory changes that would finally allow year-round retail sales of 15% ethanol (E15). At the event, the President also heard from farmers and ethanol industry leaders about the devastating impact of RFS compliance exemptions being granted to small refineries.

In an open letter to President Trump on today’s anniversary, the Renewable Fuels Association called on him to reject attempts to grant the oil industry more waivers from renewable fuel obligations.

“Mr. President, we need your help,” wrote RFA CEO Geoff Cooper. “We ask that you stand up for the Renewable Fuel Standard. Please direct your EPA to abide by the January court ruling and end the abuse of the refinery waiver loophole. You stood by us, farmers, and consumers when you directed EPA to allow year-round E15. Now, we humbly ask that you stand with us again and ensure ethanol demand is not eroded by illegal refinery waivers.”

In a press call today, Cooper was joined by SIRE CEO Mike Jerke, and National Corn Growers Association president and Iowa farmer Kevin Ross to reflect on the past 12 months and where the industry is now.

Along with RFA economist Scott Richman, they discuss the successful increase in sales of the E15 blend, along with the continuing demand destruction from small refinery waivers despite successful court challenges, continued attacks against the Renewable Fuel Standard and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the ethanol industry.

Trump ethanol plant visit anniversary press call 37:26

Audio, Corn, Ethanol, NCGA, RFA

Precision Ag News 6/10

Carrie Muehling

  • The Agricultural Retailers Association and the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives called on the Environmental Protection Agency to further clarify the agency’s cancellation order on use and distribution of dicamba products. A copy of the letter can be found here.
  • The agenda for this year’s Soil Health Institute virtual Annual Meeting, Soil Health: The Foundation for Regenerative Agriculture, is now available online.
  • BioLumic Ltd. announced the appointment of Steve Sibulkin as Chief Executive Officer. Based on decades of experience in the agriculture and technology industries, Sibulkin will lead the company’s global expansion and accelerate its UV light treatment innovation based on the groundbreaking BioLumic photogenics platform.
  • John Deere announced it has enhanced the integrated technology of its new 5R and 6M Utility Tractors to give customers an easy, cost-effective way to view AutoTrac™ Automated Guidance System information without having to purchase a separate display.
  • TerrAvion’s high-resolution imagery data that powers digital agronomy announces that its data now lets growers do stand counts on corn, soybean, and other analytics on the Agremo platform. The ability to use TerrAvion’s cost-effective imagery for stand counts with a high confidence rate, enables farmers to know exactly what is going on in their whole field versus the traditional way of stand counts by spot-checking.
  • Calyxt, Inc. announced that its high oleic low linolenic soybean has been deemed a non-regulated article under the “Am I Regulated?” process by Biotechnology Regulatory Services of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture.
  • Cover crop application company GO SEED has developed the Cover Crop Information Map to provide a free, centralized platform for knowledge exchange.
  • American Farmland Trust and its partners have developed a new and innovative model to reduce nutrient and soil sediment runoff on leased farmland in the Great Lakes region. By engaging women landowners, their operators and farm retailers, the team is expanding the use of conservation practices to improve soil health and reduce runoff in the Great Lakes Basin. Pilots for the model took place in the Portage and Toussaint River Basins in northwestern Ohio and the Genesee River Basin in western New York.
  • Ag Property Solutions announced it has entered into an agreement with Agrimesh Technologies, a Canadian livestock production and technology equipment provider, to distribute its Seelow product, a laser sensor Feed Monitoring System. This partnership will allow APS to offer a cost-effective feed bin inventory solution to its customers.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

Farm & Biofuel Groups Challenge Retroactive RFS Waivers

Cindy Zimmerman

Nine leading biofuel and farm organizations sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler Tuesday asking him for answers on what is seen as a new effort to undermine the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

During a Senate hearing last month, administration officials confirmed their consideration of retroactive small refinery exemptions (SREs) covering previous years. The “gap-filings” are designed to reconstitute a continuous string of exemptions for select oil companies “to be consistent with the Tenth Circuit decision,” thus circumventing court limits on new oil industry handouts at the expense of farmers and biofuel producers.

“These ‘gap filings’ appear to be little more than the latest in a string of oil industry tactics designed to subvert the law and sidestep a court order to uphold the RFS,” wrote the Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy, the National Biodiesel Board, the National Corn Growers Association, the American Farm Bureau Federation, the American Soybean Association, the National Farmers Union, the American Coalition for Ethanol, and Fuels America.

The letter notes the devastating impact coronavirus restrictions have had on both the biofuels industry and farmers. “Backfilling SREs to circumvent a court decision would exacerbate market uncertainty at a time when rural communities already face unprecedented economic challenges.”

Read the letter.

ACE, AFBF, Ag Groups, Biodiesel, Biofuels, Ethanol, RFA

EPA Issues Order on Dicamba Registrations

Cindy Zimmerman

Late last night, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued an order on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision on dicamba registrations regarding the sale, distribution, and use of existing stocks of the three affected dicamba products – XtendiMax with vapor grip technology, Engenia, and FeXapan.

According to EPA, distribution or sale of the products is “generally prohibited except for ensuring proper disposal or return to the registrant.”

With regard to existing stocks:
Growers and commercial applicators may use existing stocks that were in their possession on June 3, 2020, the effective date of the Court decision. Such use must be consistent with the product’s previously-approved label, and may not continue after July 31, 2020.

However, the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) is asking for clarification from EPA.

“ARA is concerned with these details, as it appears inconsistent with EPA’s long-standing existing stocks practice following registration invalidation,” said ARA Senior Vice President of Public Policy and Counsel Richard Gupton. “The current order will create confusion, especially since it is being issued at the end of (Monday June 8) with the June 3, 2020, cut-off date and after many individual states publicly authorized the continued sale and use of these products over the weekend and through today.”

Gupton adds that ARA is seeking clarification on the impact on agricultural retailers that do not provide commercial application services.

ARA, Crop Protection, EPA, Herbicide

NAMA Adds Virtual Option to Agri-Marketing Conference

Cindy Zimmerman

The National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) is now offering the 2020 Agri-Marketing Conference as both a live and virtual conference, August 11-13, 2020.

The virtual conference will be offered for $495 and $635 for members and non-members, respectively. The non-member rate includes one free year of NAMA membership.

Features of the virtual conference include a virtual trade show, virtual happy hours, special chat rooms and on-demand playback. There will be a number of opportunities for on-site and virtual attendees to network.

“We are confident that whether you are live with us in Kansas City or attending the virtual event, you will have a terrific NAMA experience,” said Jenny Pickett, CEO, National Agri-Marketing Association.

NAMA

Farmfest and Dakotafest Canceled for 2020

Cindy Zimmerman

Both the Minnesota Farmfest and Dakotafest have been canceled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

IDEAg Group LLC., which is owned by American Farm Bureau Federation, made the decision to cancel with great disappointment according to AFBF President Zippy Duvall. “We understand the impact this has on the ag community, but simply put, it is the right decision to make in these uncertain times.”

Farmfest, scheduled for Aug. 4-6 in Redwood County, Minnesota, has served farmers and the agriculture community for 38 years. Dakotafest, scheduled for Aug. 18-20 in Mitchell, South Dakota, was set to celebrate its 25th anniversary.

IDEAg management confirms that aspects of each show will be made available to attendees virtually this year, including the Farmfest Political Forums.

Read more from AFBF

AFBF, Farm Shows

Ag Retailers Urge Immediate Stay of Dicamba Order

Cindy Zimmerman

The Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) is urging EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler to seek an immediate stay of federal court order and appeal the ruling “using all legal avenues available.”

President and CEO Daren Coppock says part of the problem is the order itself, but a bigger part is the timing to hand it down right in the middle of the application season.

“This decision by the Ninth Circuit is an overreach and must be corrected immediately,” Coppock said in a letter to Wheeler. “This will have a major impact on this year’s crops if not handled very soon. The farm economy has already experienced major struggles this year and this is one that can easily be avoided.”

Administrator Wheeler agreed in a statement that the decision creates an undue burden for farmers. “This ruling implicates millions of acres of crops, millions of dollars already spent by farmers, and the food and fiber Americans across the country rely on to feed their families,” said Wheeler. “EPA is assessing all avenues to mitigate the impact of the Court’s decision on farmers.”

Coppock says they were on the phone to EPA officials over the weekend discussing options and he hopes that means they will make a quick decision. In this interview, Coppock talks about how the decision impacts retailers and farmers, what they would like to see EPA do, and how different states are responding to the ruling.

Interview with ARA CEO Daren Coppock on dicamba ruling 8:42

ARA, Audio, Crop Protection, Herbicide

Animal Ag News 6/8

Carrie Muehling

  • The annual Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course is going virtual this year due to COVID-19 restrictions. The three-day online event is set for Aug. 3-5. Cost will be $99 before July 1, $129 after July 1 and $149 after the conference is over. Registration is open now as well as the opportunity to join the mailing list for continual updates.
  • National Cattlemen’s Beef Association applauded the introduction of the bipartisan, bicameral PASTURE (Pandemic Authority Suitable To Utilize Reserve Easements) Act of 2020 by U.S. Representatives Roger Marshall (R – 1st Dist., Kansas) and Angie Craig (D – 2nd Dist., MN). Companion legislation was introduced in the Senate by Sens. John Thune (R-SD) and Tina Smith (D-MN). For more information read NCBA’s letter to Congress on this issue here.
  • The Dairy Business Association and Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative have hired Dale Beaty, an experienced farm organization leader, to be director of member relations. Nicole Barlass, who had been director of member relations, has been named director of corporate relations, a new position.
  • Leading academics across four continents have joined U.S., Canadian and international organizations representing millions of farmers, producers and veterinarians to sign an open letter pushing back against misinformation around animal agriculture during the pandemic. Signatories — including the Animal Agriculture Alliance, World Veterinary Association, and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) — clarified that domestic livestock production is safe and has not played a role in the spread of COVID-19, despite recent unfounded claims. The letter calls for governments and authorities to reassure consumers around the safety of meat, milk, eggs and fish while also working with farmers and veterinarians to share lessons and expertise around animal health.
  • The American Feed Industry Association depends heavily on the dedication and involvement of members who volunteer annually to serve on committees. These committees further the success of the association’s mission, objectives and programs and AFIA thanks these volunteer members and the companies they represent for their service.
  • The International Dairy Foods Association, the nation’s largest trade association representing all segments of the dairy industry, and ABB, a global technology leader that is driving the digital transformation of industries, have partnered to offer IDFA members a suite of automated systems, applications and integrated solutions that will help them to advance digitalization within their plants and facilities.
  • Dairy Calf and Heifer Association members elected Clint Al-Ag, Blue Sky Farms, Friona, Texas; Emily De Benetti, Oxford Cattle Co., Woodstock, Ont., Canada; and Jorge Delgado, dairy specialist with the Alltech On-Farm Support team; to the organization’s board of directors. Al-Ag represents the Southwest; De Benetti represents the Northeast; and Delgado serves as an allied industry director. Tamilee Nennich Adolph retired as a DCHA board member.
  • State beef councils around the country are joining forces to invest state-controlled Beef Checkoff dollars in Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. digital advertising campaigns. These efforts will significantly expand beef promotion in their own states as well as in consumer-abundant U.S. regions. The councils are working with the staff at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a Beef Checkoff contractor, to provide reach to about 70 million consumers, creating more than 733,000 visits to the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. website through Google advertising, generating an estimated 56 million national and state video views on YouTube and producing more than 2.3 million radio listens through Spotify.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites