AMVAC and Syngenta Team Up for Soybean Growers

Cindy Zimmerman

Syngenta Crop Protection and AMVAC, an American Vanguard® company have teamed up to promote the agronomic value of tank mixing Prefix® herbicide from Syngenta with FirstRate® herbicide from AMVAC for long-lasting and full-season weed control in soybeans.

The combination of Prefix and FirstRate herbicides provides unmatched flexibility and performance across all soybean trait platforms, including LibertyLink® GT27™, Enlist® and Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® soybeans. Together they provide unique flexibility and performance, resulting in better on-farm solutions for tough-to-control weeds.

Not only does Prefix plus FirstRate provide excellent crop safety with a flexible application window of preplant, preemergence and early postemergence, the combination delivers multiple modes of action to address tough-to-control weeds, such as waterhemp, Palmer amaranth, giant ragweed, common ragweed, morningglory, and marestail. Soybean growers should talk to their trusted retailer to further discuss the weed control benefits of Prefix and FirstRate herbicides.

AMVAC, Crop Protection, Soybean, Syngenta

Animal Ag News 4/20

Carrie Muehling

  • With the spread of COVID-19 and its impact on so many Americans, Zoetis is recognizing the resilience of cattle producers and initiating a special fundraising initiative to support those in need. Zoetis is asking cow/calf producers to submit inspiring pictures or videos at CalvingSeason.com to celebrate the commitment of cattle producers, and in turn, every submission will raise money to meet the challenges posed by this global crisis. For every photo or video submitted at CalvingSeason.com between April 17 and May 29, Zoetis will donate $1 to the COVID-19 Response Fund with Feeding America®.
  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a COVID-19 relief package that includes $3 billion in planned agricultural product purchases and $1.6 billion in direct payments to hog farmers, including payment limitations of $125,000 per commodity and $250,000 per individual. Industry economists conservatively estimate that hog farmers will lose $37 per hog marketed, or $5 billion collectively, for the remainder of the year. Howard “A.V.” Roth, president of the National Pork Producers Council and a hog farmer from Wauzeka, Wisconsin, responded on behalf of the organization.
  • National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Marty Smith issued a statement applauding the announcement related to USDA’s plan for distribution of CARES Act funding.
  • Promotion programs being managed by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association as a contractor to the Beef Checkoff have shifted and grown in response to the worldwide coronavirus pandemic. These efforts reflect a consumer population that is concerned for their day-to-day health and the availability of delicious, safe and wholesome food products, like beef.
  • GENYOUth, a nonprofit organization founded by dairy farmers through their checkoff to create healthier schools, named Maureen Bausch as Chief Development Officer – GENYOUth COVID-19 Emergency School Nutrition Fund.
  • ANIMART, LLC (Beaver Dam, WI), Animal Profiling International (Portland, OR), Midwest Supply & Distributing (St. Joseph, MN) and Stockmen’s Supply (Mandan, ND) have become Armor Animal Health.
  • Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection have been fielding calls from concerned consumers and farmers about retailers limiting the amount of dairy that shoppers can purchase. The two organizations have been working diligently to contact retailers in Wisconsin to understand why, to urge them to lift the limits, and to continue to drive consumer demand for dairy.
  • The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, which represents more than 250,000 meatpacking and food processing workers all across the country, announced an agreement with JBS — the leading processor of beef and pork in the United States — to increase wages for workers by $4 per hour and further strengthen safety measures in these plants.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

USDA Announces Coronavirus Food Assistance Program

Cindy Zimmerman

Late Friday U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced a new Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) to assist farmers, ranchers, and consumers in response to the COVID-19 national emergency.

President Trump directed USDA to craft this $19 billion immediate relief program to provide critical support to our farmers and ranchers, maintain the integrity of our food supply chain, and ensure every American continues to receive and have access to the food they need.

“During this time of national crisis, President Trump and USDA are standing with our farmers, ranchers, and all citizens to make sure they are taken care of,” Secretary Perdue said. “The American food supply chain had to adapt, and it remains safe, secure, and strong, and we all know that starts with America’s farmers and ranchers. This program will not only provide immediate relief for our farmers and ranchers, but it will also allow for the purchase and distribution of our agricultural abundance to help our fellow Americans in need.”

Secretary Perdue held a press conference to discuss details of the plan with the media.

USDA Coronavirus Food Aid Press Call (30:49)

AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Audio, Food, USDA

Industry Ag News 4/17

Carrie Muehling

  • American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall will join the Great American Economic Revival Industry Group focused on agriculture. President Donald Trump created 17 groups to help shape plans to reopen the economy following the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • As food banks struggle to keep up with dramatic increases in demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic, farmers and ranchers are eager to work with the Agriculture Department to bridge the supply gap and get farm products to those in need, according to a letter from the American Farm Bureau Federation and Feeding America.
  • The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture’s My American Farm STEM app, named a gold medal winner in the 2019 Horizon Interactive Awards, is just one of the ways the Foundation is helping parents and educators adapt to at-home learning.
  • North Hill Group is pleased to announce two staffing updates: the promotion of Greg Dana to vice president and the addition of Mary Locke as a senior advisor.
  • Volunteers at U.S. Sugar recently donned masks and carefully packed crates brimming full of green beans. Each crate full of fresh produce was destined for a local church or community group.
  • American Farmland Trust’s Farmer Relief Fund received a much needed infusion of cash over the last couple weeks, with corporations that rely on farmers making commitments to serve the growing number of applications. Anuvia Plant Nutrients, Cargill, Farmland®, Tito’s Handmade Vodka and Valent donations brought the total in the fund to $750,000.
Zimfo Bytes

ZimmCast 641 – CommiditAg App & COVID-19 Messaging

Chuck Zimmerman

Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast.

In this week’s program I’m featuring a conversation with John Demerly, CEO, CommoditAg, about the new app they launched during Commodity Classic. That was the last on location meeting either of us attended and it seems like a lot longer ago than it really is!

John says the app provides the opportunity for agricultural producers and farmers to research and order products anytime, anywhere with their mobile devices. He says they have a growing line-up of products available and just announced a “free shipping” program for the first time for customers.

To download the app, go to the Apple App Store for iOS devices and the Google Play Store for Android devices. To learn more about CommoditAg, visit commoditag.com.

If you’re interested to see what farmers think about regarding COVID-19 check out these survey results from Farm Market ID.

I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.

Listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 641 - CommoditAg App & COVID-19 Messaging

Subscribe to the ZimmCast in:

Agribusiness, Apps, Audio, ZimmCast

U.S. Soy is Open for Business

Cindy Zimmerman

The U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) held a webinar for the media Wednesday to provide an update on the industry and its continued resilience through this time.

Participating in the webinar were, USSEC CEO Jim Sutter, USSEC Chairman Monte Peterson, and Regional Directors Brent Babb and Rosalind Leeck. They discussed the industry’s response to COVID-19 in various export markets, how they are engaging customers virtually, and the upcoming U.S. planting season.

USSEC media webinar on COVID-19 (37:00)

Audio, Exports, Soybean

Agriculture Secretary Addresses U.S. Food Supply Issues

Cindy Zimmerman

The White House Coronavirus Task Force Update on Wednesday included comments from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue on the U.S. food supply. Secretary Perdue discussed the health and safety of essential food processing workers, praised those working in the food industry, and stressed that the food supply is “strong, resilient, and safe.” He also stated that there is plenty of food and that empty shelves are “demand issue, not a supply issue.”

President Trump followed up the secretary’s remarks with comments about direct payments that will be going out to farmers.

Listen here: USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue addresses U.S. food supply issues (5:54)

Audio, USDA

Relive NAMA Through the Years

Cindy Zimmerman

So many of us were planning be at the 2020 Agri-Marketing Conference in sunny San Diego right now, shaking hands and hugging old friends we have not seen since last year. While it has been rescheduled for August 11-13 in Kansas City, we put together a little slide show with a few shots from each NAMA since 2006 in case you are feeling a little nostalgic.

You can find all of the NAMA photo albums here.

NAMA Through the Years

NAMA

Precision Ag News 4/15

Carrie Muehling

  • The Partnership for Ag Resource Management, a nonprofit project, has been working with agricultural retailers for almost a decade to increase sales of products and services that retain nutrients on fields and out of waterways. For the first time this year, the annual survey report incorporated the economic savings of these loss reductions per practice. View the full report for details.
  • Agricultural Research Service scientists and their colleagues have discovered a gene that can be used to develop varieties of wheat that will be more resistant to Fusarium Head Blight, a disease that is a major threat both overseas and to the nation’s $10 billion annual wheat crop.
  • Growers and applicators who will be planting and spraying Enlist E3™ soybeans in 2020 can join an informational webinar from Corteva Agriscience. Available webinar options (the same content is repeated in each webinar): Friday, April 17 from 8 to 9 a.m. CDT or Monday, May 4 from 8 to 9 a.m. CDT.
  • A soil health webinar series has launched as part of the Soil Health Institute’s Healthy Soils for Sustainable Cotton project. New episodes will be offered weekly from now until mid-May on the Institute’s YouTube Channel and Soil Health Training webpage.
  • WaterBit, the agricultural technology company specializing in automated precision irrigation, announced that Tony Alvarez has been named the company’s new chief executive officer. Alvarez is an accomplished C-level executive in the IoT and semiconductor spaces. Most recently, he was CEO of Altierre, which specializes in IoT for retail stores.
  • IntelinAir is pleased to announce its partnership with the Wabash Heartland Innovation Network (WHIN), whose mission is to accelerate the adoption of IoT technologies in the Wabash Heartland region, support world-class research and education in agriculture and manufacturing technologies, and ultimately to establish the Wabash Heartland as the global epicenter of digital agriculture and next-generation manufacturing.
  • The National Association of Conservation Districts sent a letter to Congress requesting additional funding and legislative support for the nation’s nearly 3,000 conservation districts in the next stimulus bills.
  • BASF announced it will offer xarvio™ FIELD MANAGER free of charge to farmers in the U.S. and Canada for the 2020 season.
  • Crop Enhancement Inc., an innovator of sustainable agrochemical products that protect or enhance crop yields, has raised an $8M Series B financing round led by Spruce Capital Partners/MLS. The funding will be used to support strategic partnership development with agrochemical companies and regional distributors, broaden field trial targets in high-value fruit and vegetable segments, and advance regulatory efforts in the United States, European Union, Brazil, and Central America.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

Analysis Shows U.S. Agriculture Reducing Emissions

Cindy Zimmerman

American agriculture is more environmentally sustainably than ever.

A new analysis of updated data from both USDA and EPA shows U.S. farmers and ranchers continue to reduce per-unit greenhouse gas emissions. All told, the U.S. agricultural sector accounts for less than 10% of total U.S. emissions. That’s less than the emissions from the transportation, electricity generation and industrial sectors. Globally, agriculture accounts for about 24% of GHG emissions.

Meanwhile, American farmers are producing more crops on fewer acres, according to an analysis of USDA data. When compared to farm production in 1990, U.S. farmers would have needed almost 100 million additional acres to grow the same amount of corn, cotton, rice, soybeans and wheat they harvested in 2018.

“We’re doing more with less and proud to lead the world in agricultural advances,” said American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall. “Smarter farming, new strategies and technology are helping farmers reduce their environmental footprint and provide solutions.”

The analysis builds on data shared during the launch of Farmers for a Sustainable Future (FSF), a coalition of agriculture groups aimed at educating lawmakers and finding solutions to challenges posed by climate change. The gains farmers have made in reducing their environmental footprint have been significant, and FSF supports federal investment in innovation, science-based research, voluntary conservation programs, resilient infrastructure, and incentives to assist farmers in furthering these efforts.

Read more from AFBF

AFBF, Ag Groups, AgWired Animal, AgWired Precision, Animal Agriculture, Sustainability