ZimmCast 657 – 2020 Hunting John Deere Gator Style

Chuck Zimmerman

Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast.

This is an exciting time for deer hunters. The season is about to get started for those of us who hunt in Georgia. So, preparations are being made for a great opening day at the Crystal Pig Hunt Club.

John Deere Gator XUV855MMy preparation includes getting to test drive a new John Deere Gator XUV855M S4. This crossover utility vehicle will take us out into the woods over some tough terrain and hopefully to include transporting some of our harvest. I’ll be documenting our experience but thought I’d kick start things with an interview with Mark Davey, John Deere Marketing Manager.

There are many features on these new Gators that make them ideal for hunting. Some of those include easier shifting and instant engagement of 4-wheel drive, better power steering and a digital display panel to see important indicators. In this week’s program Mark and I talk about the new Gator models and what the key updates are. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.

Listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 657 - 2020 Hunting John Deere Gator Style (15:57)

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Audio, Equipment, Hunting, John Deere, ZimmCast

EPA Administrator Wheeler Visits Ohio Farm

Cindy Zimmerman

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler kicked off a swing through northeast Ohio Tuesday which included attending an Ohio Farm Bureau event on a dairy farm in Stark County where he highlighted EPA’s commitment to working with Ohio’s farmers on a number of environmental issues.

During the event, Administrator Wheeler delivered remarks to a group of farmers highlighting President Trump’s commitment to the agriculture community, and the Trump EPA’s efforts to strengthen partnerships with farmers and rebuild trust with rural America. Additionally, Administrator Wheeler discussed EPA’s Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR) that replaced the overreaching Obama Administration’s Waters of the United States rule that lacked clarity. He reiterated that NWPR provides clarity on waters that are federally regulated, specifically noting they no longer include farm ditches or stock water ponds.

Administrator Wheeler also touted how EPA is ensuring crop protection tools are made available for the agriculture community. For example, following the 9th Circuit of Appeals decision in June that threatened to upend the growing season for many farmers, the Trump Administration fought to ensure farmers were able to use already-purchased dicamba.

Listen to Wheeler’s press gaggle in Ohio here:
EPA Admin Andrew Wheeler in Ohio 4:42

Audio, EPA

Animal Ag News 10/5

Carrie Muehling

  • The National Cattlemen’s Foundation is now accepting applications for 2021-2022 beef industry scholarships sponsored by CME Group. Ten scholarships of $1,500 each will be awarded to outstanding students pursuing careers in the beef industry. Online applications should be submitted by Nov. 13, 2020 at midnight Central Time. To apply, or learn more about the scholarship, click here.
  • Twelve U.S. Senators, led by John Hoeven (R-ND) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) sent a letter to USDA Under Secretary Greg Ibach urging approval of the National Bison Association’s request for a $17 million purchase of bison meat under the Section 32 surplus removal program.
  • About three dozen farmers, cheese processors and others got the undivided attention of the country’s top agricultural official when Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative hosted a meeting with Sonny Perdue to discuss challenges facing farmers. The setting was a 250-cow dairy farm in eastern Wisconsin run by Edge President Brody Stapel, his brother, Jory, and his father, Rudy.
  • The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the Public Lands Council released the following statement in response to the House of Representatives passing bipartisan legislation to protect livestock from predation, compensate livestock producers who experience depredation by federally protected species, and fund methods to reduce conflicts between humans and predators. Introduced by Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Ranking Member Tom Carper (D-Del.), the America’s Conservation Enhancement Act contains a number of provisions designed to address impacts that wildlife and wildlife management can have on livestock production.
  • The International Dairy Foods Association applauded the joint announcement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Food and Drug Administration that they agencies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to ease U.S. dairy exports, in which each agency’s roles and responsibilities are clearly delineated.
  • Tailgating season is officially here and while fans are missing from the parking lots and stands of their favorite stadiums, the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council and National Pork Board have teamed to create the Ultimate Homegating Guide, which focuses on the versatility and flavors of that gameday favorite, sausage. October is National Sausage Month, and while sausage is a craveable favorite any time of year, it’s a guaranteed crowd pleaser the day of the big game.
  • The dairy checkoff has awarded 12 academic scholarships to students enrolled in programs that emphasize dairy and who have shown potential to become future dairy leaders. The National Dairy Promotion and Research Board, through Dairy Management Inc., which manages the national dairy checkoff, annually awards $2,500 scholarships to 11 students. In addition, the NDB awards a $3,500 James H. Loper Jr. Memorial Scholarship to one outstanding scholarship recipient.
  • The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, is announcing an exciting slate of speakers and topics for their renowned Stockmanship and Stewardship program. With the COVID-19 pandemic causing industry meetings to shift how they meet and learn, the Stockmanshp and Stewardship program will be going virtual this fall. For more information and to register visit, www.StockmanshipandStewardship.org.
  • The 19th Annual MILK Business Conference, the only event that focuses exclusively on every business aspect of progressive dairy operations, will go virtual Nov. 16-17, 2020, to ensure the health, safety and accessibility of participants.
  • WATT Global Media announces the launch of the website www.WATTPoultry.com, formerly WATTAgNet.com, as the industry’s source for solutions to current challenges and preparation for future opportunities.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

New NCGA President Starts New Year

Cindy Zimmerman

It’s a new year for the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) with new president John Linder of Edison, Ohio who took over the post on October 1.

Linder, along with his brother, Mike, and wife, Cheryl, run a fifth-generation farm raising corn, soybeans, soft red winter wheat and soybeans for seed in central Ohio. In addition to traditional row crop farming, he also has livestock experience. Previously, Linder served as the Corn Board liaison to the Market Access Action Team, on the Resolutions Committee and chaired the Finance and Engaging Members Committees. Additionally, he represented NCGA at the National Coalition for Food and Agriculture Research and the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center.

Linder took questions from the ag media during a virtual press conference last week.
NCGA president John Linder press conference


Corn, NCGA, Video

Industry Ag News 10/2

Carrie Muehling

  • This week, the National FFA Organization shared with colleagues and stakeholders the new Agricultural Education for All roadmap, which outlines the strategies the organization is taking to support inclusion, diversity and equity. FFA is taking steps to ensure the organization is a bully-free zone that reflects society’s demographics in membership, leadership and staff, and celebrates individuality.
  • The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative formally requested that the U.S. International Trade Commission initiate a Section 201 global safeguard investigation regarding imports of blueberries into the United States. The American Blueberry Growers Alliance applauds USTR’s request and expects that the investigation will result in a remedy that allows the domestic industry to recover from the harmful effects of surging blueberry imports.
  • Barn Media and J.L. Farmakis, Inc. have entered into a partnership for J.L. Farmakis, Inc. to become Barn Media’s national sales partner.
  • The next Farm Foundation Forum on Tuesday, Oct. 13 will examine the farm policies and positions from the campaigns of President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, including agricultural trade, environmental policy, land management and other issues. Register here.
  • The National Cotton Council will conduct the 2021 Beltwide Cotton Conferences virtually on January 5-7 (Tuesday-Thursday) due to continued concerns regarding COVID-19’s spread.
  • U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that more than 100 million food boxes have been distributed in support of American farmers and families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farmers to Families Food Box Program. Earlier this month, the Department announced it had entered into contracts with 50 entities for the third round of food box deliveries, which include contracts to purchase up to $1 billion authorized by President Donald J. Trump.
  • Register your company today for the first Ag Media Summit Virtual Career Fair on October 16, hosted by LPC and AAEA. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with current ag communications students, grad students, and young professionals and find your next intern or full-time employee.
  • The combination of crops, livestock and aquaculture products lost as a result of Hurricane Sally will likely be valued between $55 million and $100 million, University of Florida economists predict. The estimate was released as part of a new document, “Preliminary Assessment of Agricultural Losses and Damages resulting from Hurricane Sally,” from the UF/IFAS Economic Impact Analysis Program.
  • The Best of NAMA Call for Entries is live on the web now. View all the rules online and print out a PDF of the Call for Entries. The deadline is October 23. You must be a NAMA member to enter.
  • MGEX announced the results of its annual Board of Directors election, held on October 1, 2020. Re-elected to the Board were Christopher T. Matzdorf and Kerry L. Melius. Both were elected to serve two-year terms.
  • The Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City looks forward to welcoming Ryan LeGrand, President & CEO, U.S. Grains Council to the Council’s October webinar meeting. As corn exports are off to a strong start, Ryan will share the latest with regards to China as well as exports to Mexico, and what he sees as the challenges and opportunities looking ahead.
Zimfo Bytes

Daugherty Water for Food Podcast Episode Two

Cindy Zimmerman

Daugherty Water for Food PodcastThe second episode of the Daugherty Water for Food Podcast is now live.

This episode spotlights another amazing woman making waves in the food and water space. Lizz Ellis, CEO of International Development Enterprises (iDE), recently participated in the recent Women Leaders in Water for Food webinar focused on empowering women in ag and water management. She is interviewed by Naisargi (Naisi) Dave, who is Program Coordinator at the Daugherty Water For Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska.

You can listen to episode two here: Daugherty Water for Food Podcast Episode 2

How to subscribe:

Audio, Food, Podcasts, Water, Water for Food

Precision Ag News 9/30

Carrie Muehling

  • AgBiome® and Tropical Melhoramento e Genética (TMG), a Brazilian breeding company with state of the art breeding technologies for developing soy and cotton cultivars with high productive potential, announced a new global R&D collaboration. The goal is to discover and develop traits with novel modes of action to combat the cotton boll weevil.
  • Case IH announces the launch of Case IH VX — a virtual platform and immersive brand experience for producers to see and learn about the latest equipment solutions and technology at any time, from anywhere.
  • Bayer announced that the European Commission has authorized XtendFlex soybean technology for food, feed, import and processing in the European Union. This milestone represents the final key authorization for XtendFlex soybeans. With this approval in hand, Bayer can now look forward to a full launch in the United States and Canada in 2021 and expects to be in a strong position to supply 20 million U.S. soy acres when the selling season arrives.
  • The 2,4-D Research Task Force is launching two new websites with all of the latest information on 2,4-D. 24d.org is a revamped website with accessible infographics which summarize the research and benefits of the product. 24d.info is a technical website that catalogues the regulatory decisions and scientific studies supporting the continued use of the molecule.
  • Pro Farmer, a division of Farm Journal, announced that it has entered into a multi-year relationship with Farmobile and the two companies will jointly release the Pro Farmer Harvest ReportTM powered by the Farmobile IndexTM. The weekly updated report is announced following the recent Pro Farmer Crop Tour with attention shifting to how crops finish through harvest.
  • American Farmland Trust announces it has received a $2.6-million grant through the USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service On-Farm Conservation Innovation Trials, a component of the Conservation Innovation Grants program to fund its “Conquering Cover Crop Challenges Coast to Coast” project. Through 20 on-farm demonstration trials across the nation and a comprehensive soil, economic, and social evaluation system, AFT will test innovative solutions and generate five years of results that will help overcome regional and crop-specific barriers to cover crop adoption.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

Secretary Perdue Tours Hurricane Sally Damage

Cindy Zimmerman

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue took a tour of crop damage from Hurricane Sally in Alabama and Florida on Monday. He visited the Jenkins Farm in Jay, Florida and heard from farmers in the panhandle of the state who suffered damage to cotton and peanut crops.

“What I’ve seen is crops that have probably been cut in half,” said Sec. Perdue. “Cotton that was virtually ready to be harvested, peanuts that were ready to be harvested down to half a crop. And there’s not that kind of margin in agriculture.”

Sec. Perdue acknowledged that all of the ad hoc disaster aid lately for farmers and ranchers could be detrimental to farm policy going forward. “We would love to move away from any kind of ad hoc disaster (aid) but also building a robust program within USDA through crop insurance and other means,” said Perdue.

Talking about the latest round of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP 2), the secretary confirmed that he believes Congress has to approve any aid for ethanol producers or meat processors because USDA does not have the authority to allocate payments through the Commodity Credit Corporation. “Collin Peterson is chairman of the House Agriculture Committee and it’s up to him,” said Perdue. “Congress through a majority vote could change it at any time.”

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who represents the 1st district of Florida, joined Secretary Perdue at the farm.

Secretary Perdue visits Florida panhandle photo album

Press availability with Secretary Perdue – comments on storm damage, disaster aid, CFAP2 and more
Secretary Perdue press avail (5:34)

Rep. Gaetz and Secretary Perdue hear from farmers and answer questions during roundtable discussion.
Secretary Perdue visits Florida panhandle (46:21)

Florida Peanut Producers Executive Director Ken Barton
Interview with Ken Barton, Florida Peanut Producers (2:40)

WUWF reporter Jennie McKeon interviews farm owner Ryan Jenkins about crop damage
Interview with Florida farmer Ryan Jenkins (5:48)

Audio, Cotton, Ethanol, Peanuts, Pork, USDA

Register Now for ASTA CSS & Seed Expo Discount

Cindy Zimmerman

Wednesday, September 30 is the final day to take advantage of an 80% “First Access” discount for the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) Virtual CSS & Seed Expo Virtual, December 7-9.

ASTA is looking forward to the opportunity in 2020 to bring our membership and seed industry community together for a time-honored tradition this December. Come together with seed professionals from around the world for four days of networking and education – with the biggest audience we have convened in the show’s 70+ year history.

This year’s virtual conference offers the opportunity to:
• Network with match-made attendees and exhibitors through easy-to-schedule video business appointments;
• Visit and see the latest innovations from over 70 virtual exhibitors; and
• Keep current on the latest economic, policy and industry developments that will affect you and your business in 2021 and beyond

Find out more in this video


ASTA, Seed, Video

Ambassador Doud Proud of Trade Accomplishments

Cindy Zimmerman

The chief agricultural negotiator for the U.S. Trade Representative gave an update on the phase one agreement with China, and talked about what he believes are the major trade accomplishments of the Trump administration for the nation’s farmers and ranchers during an appearance at the 2020 Agribusiness Council of Kansas City Ag Outlook Forum on Monday.

“How many of you have ever read the agricultural section of the China Phase One agreement?” Ambassador Gregg Doud asked the live and virtual audience for the event. “What you will see if you ever do read it is that there are some 57 different structural changes that (both countries) agreed to make…I’m here to report to you today – 50 of those are done.”

Listen to Ambassador Doud’s remarks:
KC Ag Outlook Forum - USTR Chief Agricultural Negotiator Gregg Doud (35:01)

Agri-Pulse, Audio, Exports, Trade