USDA Secretary Chats with NCBA President

Cindy Zimmerman

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue sat down with National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Jennifer Houston on Wednesday to talk about issues important to the thousands of cattle industry representatives attending the 2020 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show, in San Antonio, TX.

The new trade deal with China and the signing of USMCA were big topics of discussion, both on stage and with reporters during a press availability afterward. Secretary Perdue also shared his views on the future of “fake meat” and his preference for a “good old juicy beef burger any day of the week.”

Listen to their conversation.
CIC2020 Secy Perdue and NCBA President Chat

During a press availability, Secretary Perdue answered reporter questions on topics including China and coronavirus, reaction to SOTU, European market potential for beef, USMCA, and more.
CIC2020 Secy Perdue press conference

2020 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show Virtual Newsroom

AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Audio, Beef, Cattle Industry Conference, NCBA, USDA

NCBA Unveils Top Policy Priorities For 2020

Cindy Zimmerman

Top policy priorities for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) in 2020 are focused on implementing and protecting regulatory and trade gains made in 2019, while further advancing progress into new territory.

This year’s priorities include an emphasis on climate policy and policy such as the proposed Green New Deal. NCBA plans to “Continue to push back against misguided climate policies while advancing the U.S. cattle industry’s tremendous environmental record, upholding the U.S. cattle industry as the global model for sustainable beef production.”

NCBA environmental counsel Scott Yager says they also adopted a policy regarding Proposition 12 in California which regulates the size of pens for breeding pigs and veal calves. “It’s concerning on a national level because it effectively regulates other states outside of California,” said Yager. The NCBA Executive Committee approved the filing of an amicus brief to support a lawsuit by American Farm Bureau and National Pork Producers.
CIC2020 Interview with Scott Yeager, NCBA Environmental Counsel 8:40

In the year ahead, NCBA also plans to prioritize the importance of cattle markets — specifically promoting “policy that creates markets free from unfair practices and manipulation both in the fundamental markets and the cattle futures markets.” NCBA Associate Director of Legislative Affairs and Market Regulatory Policy Darryl Blakey discusses that and some other regulatory issues.

CIC2020 Interview with Darryl Blakely, NCBA Legislative Affairs 5:57

2020 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show Virtual Newsroom

AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Audio, Beef, Cattle Industry Conference, NCBA

Precision Ag Bytes 2/5

Carrie Muehling

  • Locus Agricultural Solutions and Nori announced a partnership that provides a pathway for payments to farmers harvesting carbon.
  • GROWMARK recognized several award winners at its 2020 Cooperative Leadership Conference. Lucknow District Co-operative Inc., based out of Lucknow, Ontario, took home the Management Excellence Award. based out of Harriston, Ontario, took home the first-place Performance Improvement Award.
  • Netafim, the global leader in precision irrigation, and Arable Labs, the leader in innovative field-sensing and analytics, have announced collaboration in integrating Arable’s data into Netafim’s automated irrigation and fertigation cloud-based platform, NetBeat™.
  • TerrAvion and Ninja Ag are pleased to announce their partnership combining TerrAvion imagery data in the Ninja Ag system.
  • Reinke Manufacturing, a global leader in irrigation systems and technology, announced the acquisition of Ace Irrigation & Manufacturing to expand its manufacturing operation.
  • Luxxur™ herbicide from Bayer is now available to cereals growers in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming for the 2020 growing season. Classified as a Group 2 herbicide, Luxxur herbicide is formulated with a precise combination of active ingredients optimized to control many grass and broadleaf weeds in spring, winter and durum wheat fields.
  • John Deere held its 7th annual Develop with Deere Conference last week in St. Louis, bringing together nearly 700 Deere dealers, software companies, ag service providers and others from 13 countries to share ideas and learn about the latest digital tools and applications in agriculture.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes

#CattleCon20 Kicking Off

Cindy Zimmerman

Meetings have been underway for two days already in San Antonio as cattle industry representatives have been gathering for the 2020 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show this week. But today is the day it officially gets underway with the opening general session and trade show welcome reception this afternoon.

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association president Jennifer Houston of Tennessee expects a big crowd at the convention this year. “We’re hoping over 9,000 if weather in the Midwest doesn’t affect it,” she said. While that seems like a lot, Houston says it’s really just one big family. “That sounds a little cliched but the beef industry and agriculture as a whole is a family and we’re so small a family compared to the rest of the world that we’ve got to stick together.”

Houston says the industry has had a number of policy and trade victories recently so the mood this week should be upbeat. This morning, the NCBA Executive Committee approved the organization’s top 2020 Policy Priorities, which include issues related to international trade, proper regulation of fake meat, and regulatory reform, and is focused on implementing and protecting the gains made in 2019 while further advancing progress into new territory.

CIC2020 Interview with Jennifer Houston, NCBA president

Press releases, photos, interviews and other audio from #CattleCon20 are all being posted on the official convention virtual newsroom.

2020 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show Photo Album

AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Audio, Cattle Industry Conference, NCBA

USDA Trains Dogs to Hunt Citrus Greening

Cindy Zimmerman

Dogs specially trained by Agriculture Research Service (ARS) scientists have proven to be the most efficient way to detect huanglongbing, better known as citrus greening.

Currently, the only solid hope of curtailing the spread of citrus greening is to eliminate trees with the disease as quickly as possible to prevent further spread. Early detection of the citrus greening pathogen is crucial because trees can be infected and act as a source to spread the disease months or years before showing symptoms that are detectable by the naked eye.

ARS plant epidemiologist Timothy R. Gottwald with the U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory in Fort Pierce, Florida, discovered that dogs can be trained to sniff out the presence of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, the bacteria that causes citrus greening, with greater than 99 percent accuracy.

“We found that, once trained, these dogs were able to identify infected trees within two weeks of the trees being inoculated,” Gottwald said. “The dogs also were able to distinguish the citrus greening pathogen from a variety of other citrus bacterial, viral, fungal, and spiroplasma pathogens, including closely related Liberibacter species.

So far, the program has trained 19 dogs obtained from European breeders of detection canines because of their keen abilities and drive. Learn more from USDA-ARS and watch the video.

Citrus, Research, USDA

Hemp Classic Speaks to ‘Hungry’ Audience

Carrie Muehling

The 2020 Heart of America Agricultural Hemp Classic provided some key information to an audience Missouri Hemp Association Executive Director Bill Cook described as “hungry” when it comes to learning more about the hemp industry.

“I think the big thing that stood out to me is that we have a pretty wise and cautious group of producers that are very proactive, very much want to be involved in the hemp business. They see the hemp plant as a long term play,” said Cook. “I really believe our Midwest growers are going to be up to the task to really make this hemp industry the miracle product that we believe it is. It was a very, very exciting conference.”

Cook said membership in the association has more than doubled in its first year of existence, and the group is expanding with its One Voice program to create a bigger footprint across the Midwest. He expressed excitement about the plan to move next year’s conference to the Western Farm Show for even more exposure.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Bill here: Interview with Bill Cook, Missouri Hemp Association

2020 Heart of America Agricultural Hemp Classic Photo Album

Audio, Cannabis, hemp

Animal Ag Bites 2/3

Carrie Muehling

  • An initial agenda is now available for the Animal Agriculture Alliance’s 2020 Stakeholders Summit, themed Primed & Prepared.
  • The turnout for the 2020 International Production & Processing Expo approached 32,000 poultry, meat and feed industry attendees from all over the world. This year saw an 8 percent increase in the number of buyers. In addition, the show has more than 573,000 square feet of exhibit space and 1,376 exhibitors. Sponsored by the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, American Feed Industry Association and the North American Meat Institute, IPPE is the world’s largest annual poultry, meat and animal food industry event of its kind.
  • U.S. Poultry & Egg Association presented the organization’s annual Lamplighter Award to six individuals at the International Poultry Expo, part of the 2020 International Production & Processing Expo. The award pays tribute to individuals for “sustained and exemplary service” to the poultry and egg industry.
  • Greg Hinton, vice president of sales, Rose Acre Farms, Seymour, Indiana, was elected chairman of the board of directors of U.S. Poultry & Egg Association.
  • MVP Dairy, LLC of Celina, Ohio was recognized as the 2020 Innovative Dairy Farmer of the Year during a special ceremony this week at the International Dairy Foods Association’s Dairy Forum in Scottsdale, Arizona. MVP Dairy is a partnership between two, fourth-generation farm families, the McCarty Family of Kansas and the VanTilburg Family of Ohio.
  • Producer delegates from across the United States will gather in Kansas City, March 4-6, for the annual National Pork Industry Forum. For the full agenda and to register, visit www.porkindustryforum.com.
  • The National Pork Board will host its annual Pork Management Conference, April 20-23, 2020, in Destin, Florida.
  • Strong Animals®, a brand of Ralco announced that its line of natural products designed to enhance the overall health of backyard chicken flocks is now available on Amazon.
  • Mile Four is a new eCommerce store shipping fresh, organic whole grain chicken feed nationwide. Offering subscription and one-time sales, the company is targeting the growing backyard chicken market. The feed starts at $9.00 and customers can save $10 off their first order: https://milefour.com/products/chicken-layer-feed.
  • The National Pork Board announced more than 2 million servings of pork have been donated in the last two months by pig farmers working together to help fight food insecurity in their local communities. The donations – made through the national Hams Across America effort – showcase the pork industry’s commitment to the We CareSM ethical principles, including a focus on community.
  • The American Feed Industry Association and Feedstuffs congratulate Koch Farms of Morton, Miss., for being named the 2019 Feed Facility of the Year.
  • The American Sheep Industry Association handed out a number of awards at its annual convention in Scottsdale, Ariz.
  • Legislation has been introduced in seven state legislatures which would completely prohibit the sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits. To date, these states include Washington, Colorado, New Hampshire, New York, Florida, and Virginia.
  • Nearly 500 ranchers convened at Denver’s Renaissance Hotel for the National Bison Association‘s 25th anniversary convention celebrating the organization’s accomplishments while planning for continued growth in the years ahead.
  • The National Buffalo Foundation has inducted Dave Carter, executive director of the Westminster, CO-based National Bison Association, as the 31st member of the National Buffalo Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame is housed in the National Buffalo Museum in Jamestown, ND.
  • The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and Public Lands Council announced opposition to H.R. 5737, the Voluntary Grazing Permit Retirement Act, introduced by Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA). The bill would require federal land management agencies to permanently end livestock grazing on any allotments where the current permittee has accepted a payout in exchange for relinquishment of their term grazing permit.
AgWired Animal, Animal Bites

Becoming an Influencer and Content Producer

Chuck Zimmerman

Croncycle TweetI remember the first time my conference name badge said “Influencer” instead of “Media.” It was the 2017 Bayer Future of Farming Dialogue in Germany.

Basically, a social media influencer is someone who has established credibility in a specific industry, has access to a large audience in that industry, and has the tools and authenticity to attract followers and create engagement consistently on a specific platform, mostly Twitter or Instagram. My personal Twitter account @AgriBlogger was started in 2007 and has almost 20K followers.

According to Cronycle, I am one of the top 10 influencers of 2019 in the fertilizer industry.

Cronycle is a London-based service that allows users to monitor specific topics and share with others by annotating, tagging, and directly highlighting articles. They base their top influencer rankings on “technology analyzes networks to identify communities across 50k+ topics.”

Then, we identify influencers per Topic – such as the top influencers lists. For each Topic, we use machine learning, semantic analysis and natural language processing on unstructured data at scale.

Last but not least, they “surface content relevant to each topic, as an automated feed. To do this, we mine the web for content – around 600k articles, videos and Twitter conversations daily from around 2 million websites every month.” (I added the bold.)

Content is still incredibly important to marketers and most especially good content. We have been doing that here on AgWired for over 15 years. Almost 200,000 photos. 10s of thousands of podcasts, interviews and other audio files. Thousands of video clips on YouTube and Facebook. And thousands of tweets on @Agriblogger, @FarmPodcaster, @AgWired, @EnergyAgWired, and @AgNewsWire. Tweets on @AgWired frequently receive 1500+ impressions and engagement rates above one percent – an engagement rate between 0.33% and 1% is considered to be very high.

Content continues to reign as king according to this World Media Group study. “About 80% of marketing professionals worldwide surveyed in October 2019 said they expect content-led campaigns to grow over the next two years, with 19% saying they expect they would stabilize.” The study also showed that “Nine in 10 respondents said they planned to use audio/podcasts in 2020 . . .”

If you are in need of a good influencer and an experienced content producer – that’s what we do. I’m in the process of booking the Golden ZimmComm Microphone and ZimmCams to create content and publish it on our “influential” platforms at upcoming events, like Commodity Classic. Email me – chuck@zimmcomm.biz.

Internet, Social Media, Social Networking

Unifying the Voices for Industrial Hemp

Carrie Muehling

The U.S. Hemp Growers Association is unifying state and regional hemp associations, while looking to engage the farmer base that is already producing hemp or looking to do that in the near future.

“We see ourselves as advocates for the hemp farmer and those that are wanting to learn,” said Doug Edge, who serves on the U.S. Hemp Growers Association Board of Directors. “We know that there have been a lot of challenges, it’s now legal in many states to grow, and many states are still working through their permit process and all that, so there’s a lot to navigate as a farmer, and we’re here to help them do that.”

Edge said the group is active in Washington, D.C. advocating for local and national issues regarding the hemp industry. The organization is also focused on helping with research and data, and offers educational events around the country. Edge said the industry is experiencing some growing pains, especially as growers await the needed infrastructure for processing and marketing goods.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Doug here: Interview with Doug Edge, U.S. Hemp Growers Association

2020 Heart of America Agricultural Hemp Classic Photo Album

Audio, Cannabis, hemp

2020 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show Preview

Chuck Zimmerman

2020 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade ShowCattlemen and cattlewomen from around the nation are heading Deep in the Heart of Texas for the 2020 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show in San Antonio, Texas Feb. 5-7. The convention will feature business meetings of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Cattlemen’s Beef Board and the American National CattleWomen.

Kicking off the event at the Opening General Session Feb. 5 will be retired U.S. Navy Captain Scott Kelly, an astronaut who spent a record-breaking year in space, laying the groundwork for the future of space travel and exploration. The Closing General Session Feb. 7 will be a completely different experience, including a celebration of the industry’s Beef Quality Assurance Program. Sponsored by the Beef Quality Assurance Awards Program, the Closing General Session on Feb. 7 will be a fast-paced event that recognizes BQA award recipients, and highlights consumer-directed efforts promoting the BQA Program. New developments in BQA will also be introduced. A special reception for BQA award recipients will be held immediately following the closing session. Closing session speaker will be Kevin Brown, who for two decades was a successful executive helping grow a little-known family business into an industry giant with annual revenues reaching $2 billion.

CattleFax will present its CattleFax U.S. Global Protein & Grain Outlook Seminar; Dr. Art Douglas will present his 2020 weather forecast for the United States and the world, and a grain outlook will also be shared. And then there is the NCBA Trade Show featuring hundreds of companies providing all types of products and services and the latest in technology to the cattle industry.

Each year over 7,000 cattlemen gather together for this largest cattle industry event in the country and this year’s convention and trade show offers more education, entertainment and excitement than ever. Listen to a preview interview with Marvin Kokes, Senior Vice President, Corporate Relations and Events, NCBA to learn more: Interview with Marvin Kokes, NCBA

For the third year we will be helping NCBA get content out to media from the event on the official 2020 Cattle Industry Convention Virtual Newsroom.

Ag Groups, AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Audio, Beef, Beef Checkoff, Cattle Industry Conference, Meat