Ag Groups Form Farmers for a Sustainable Future Coalition

Cindy Zimmerman

More than 20 farm and ranch groups representing millions of U.S. farmers and ranchers are launching Farmers for a Sustainable Future (FSF), a coalition committed to environmental and economic sustainability to serve as a primary resource for lawmakers and policymakers as they consider climate policies.

The coalition will share with elected officials, media and the public U.S. agriculture’s commitment to sustainability and the incredible strides already made to reduce agriculture’s environmental footprint. As policy proposals are developed and considered, the goal is for the coalition and its guiding principles to serve as a foundation to ensure the adoption of meaningful and constructive policies and programs affecting agriculture.

Representatives from five of the FSF founding organizations announced the new coalition in Washington, D.C. yesterday.
• Zippy Duvall, American Farm Bureau Federation
• Ethan Lane, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
• Ben Mosely, USA Rice
• Michael Formica, National Pork Producers Council
• Robbie Minnich, National Cotton Council

Learn more about the new coalition at SustainableFarming.us.
Farmers for a Sustainable Future launch 21:16

AFBF, Ag Groups, Audio, Environment, Sustainability

CIRB Emerging Leaders Class Grows

Carrie Muehling

The Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau (CIRB) named 13 industry professionals to its 2019-2020 Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) class. In its 5th year, this is the largest class to date, with participants selected from CIRB’s membership. The program gives the opportunity for selected professionals to increase their knowledge of advocacy and communications while providing networking experiences with industry leaders.

Most members of the current class attended the 2020 Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau Annual Meeting in Bonita Springs, Florida and we got to interview a few of them. Take a listen to these future crop insurance industry leaders:

Interview with Zach Allsup, Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance (2:03)

Interview with David Stewart, Crop Risk Servies (2:55)

Interview with Neely Phelps, American Farm Bureau Insurance Services (1:54)

Interview with Jaya Hahn, Hudson Crop Insurance Services (1:35)

Interview with Lexi Schroeder, Hudson Crop Insurance Services (2:02)

Interview with Craig Conroy, COUNTRY Financial (1:42)

2020 Crop Insurance & Reinsurance Bureau Annual Meeting Photo Album

Audio, CIRB, Crop Insurance

NAMA 2020 Agribusiness Leader of the Year is Scott Druker

Cindy Zimmerman

The National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) 2020 Agribusiness Leader of the Year is Scott Druker, General Manager, Arm & Hammer Animal and Food Production. Now in its 20th year, the award will be presented at the 2020 Agri-Marketing Conference, April 15-17, in San Diego, California.

Druker joined the Arm & Hammer Animal Nutrition business unit of Church & Dwight Co., Inc. as senior business manager in November 2009. He was promoted to director of animal nutrition in 2012 and to his current position of general manager in 2017.

During these years, Druker led Church & Dwight through multiple acquisitions in the livestock and food safety sector, transforming the company’s focus from a primarily North American dairy feed ingredient business to a global, multi-species and multi-channel livestock production and food safety enterprise. Under his leadership, Arm & Hammer Animal and Food Production has met its business vision of becoming the only food chain partner integrating diverse technologies for animal and food production systems, providing solutions from on-farm through processing to improve the safety and reliability of the world food supply.

Today, Arm & Hammer Animal and Food Production is the industry’s only comprehensive animal nutrition, food production and food safety solutions provider, employing about 130 across the globe—and still growing—compared with 19 employees in North America before 2015.

NAMA

2020 #RFANEC is a Wrap

Cindy Zimmerman

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) just concluded an annual meeting that will be remembered for many reasons, including an appearance by the 43rd President of the United States, and the celebration of recent significant victories for the ethanol industry as it focuses forward on the future.

RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper says there is a lot of optimism and inspiration coming out of the 25th National Ethanol Conference. “I just continue to be very bullish about the intrinsic value proposition that comes with our product,” said Cooper in a wrap-up interview.

RFANEC Geoff Cooper wrap up interview 6:18

This episode of The Ethanol Report features some of the highlights of the conference, with a particular focus on the recent 10th Circuit Court decision regarding EPA’s Small Refinery Exemption program and what it will mean for the ethanol industry.

Ethanol Report 2-14-20 (26:12)

The Ethanol Report is a podcast about the latest news and information in the ethanol industry that has been sponsored by the Renewable Fuels Association since 2008.

Photos, audio and video from the 2020 National Ethanol Conference, including presentations, can be found here:
2020 National Ethanol Conference Virtual Newsroom

Audio, EPA, Ethanol, Podcasts, RFA

‘Nicely Done, Beef’ Ads Address Misconceptions

Carrie Muehling

A new series of ads from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) shares facts about beef with consumers in an open, transparent and conversational way.

“For the first time, we’re really getting out there and being more aggressive in defending beef, and specifically addressing some of those myths and common misconceptions when it comes to beef,” said Season Solorio, NCBA Brand Marketing and Communications.

The ad campaign is running on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, as well as on BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com.

CIC2020 Interview with Season Solorio, NCBA 3:48

2020 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show Photo Album

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

Precision Ag News 2/19

Carrie Muehling

  • The non-profit Soil Health Academy announced it has received a $1.65 million grant from global food company General Mills to educate and mentor wheat and oat producers in targeted regions of the U.S. and Canada as they transition from conventional agricultural practices to soil health-focused regenerative agriculture practices.
  • Bayer announced pipeline project advancements and newly unveiled research in a dedicated research and development (R&D) pipeline update for the Crop Science Division. In 2019, Bayer’s pipeline delivered 55 key project and formulation advancements while providing farmers around the world with more than 450 newly commercialized hybrids and varieties of corn, soybeans, cotton and vegetables.
  • December 2020 saw mixed results in overall U.S. sales of tractors and self-propelled combines. Total farm tractor sales grew compared to January of last year while combines fell by a quarter, according to the latest data from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.
  • Kubota Tractor Corporation unveiled its newest compact tractor, the B2401, adding two new models to its popular B01 Series of compact tractors – the new B2401DT and the B2401DT Narrow.
  • Kubota Tractor Corporation also unveiled its new LX Series to the company’s compact tractor line.
  • The National Association of Conservation Districts recognized winners of its national service awards at the organization’s 2020 Annual Meeting Appreciation Banquet.
  • The Southern Weed Science Society recognized University of Florida professor Stephen Enloe with its 2020 Outstanding Educator Award at the organization’s 73rd annual meeting in late January in Biloxi, Mississippi.
  • With the recent launches of the Speed-Tiller™ high-speed disk and AFS Soil Command™ seedbed sensing technology, and a new configuration for the Ecolo-Til™ 2500, Case IH is continuing its commitment to develop and provide agronomically correct soil management solutions for use in the 2020 season.
  • The Soil Health Institute has made significant enhancements to its Soil Health Research Landscape Tool, an online library and search engine of soil health-related research papers, reports, and other publications.
  • Valley® Irrigation is announced a partnership with Cordoba Technologies, Inc., an innovator in automated, high-precision application systems for crop protection products.
  • Florida blueberry growers can now use an updated web-based tool to fight anthracnose fruit rot (AFR) with more precision, thanks to work by UF/IFAS experts. The weather-based Blueberry Advisory System, released on Jan. 31, sends growers alerts that tell them when environmental conditions favor the development of AFR, a fungus that can severely damage blueberries.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes

Energy Ag News 2/18

Cindy Zimmerman

  • Minnesota’s ethanol industry contributed $2.31 billion to the state’s gross domestic product (GDP) last year, according to a new study by ABF Economics. In 2019, the industry produced 1.31 billion gallons of ethanol, 3.6 million tons of dried distiller’s grains with solubles (DDGS) and 327 million pounds of corn oil. This generated $6.7 billion in gross sales for Minnesota businesses and supported 18,974 jobs last year.
  • The Nebraska Ethanol Board invites fuel retailers to E15 Workshop Feb. 20 at Hyatt Place in downtown Lincoln, from 1:30 to 5 p.m. The workshop is free thanks to the event sponsors.
  • During the National Ethanol Conference, NextChem and Saola Energy announced a new collaboration to license technology for the production of Renewable Diesel from vegetable oils and residual fats to the international market.
  • According to EIA data analyzed by the Renewable Fuels Association for the week ending Feb. 7, ethanol production dropped 4.4%, or 48,000 barrels per day (b/d), to 1.033 million b/d—equivalent to 43.39 million gallons daily. The four-week average ethanol production rate declined 1.4% to 1.048 million b/d, equivalent to an annualized rate of 16.07 billion gallons.
  • The Renewable Fuels Association has released its 2020 Ethanol Industry Outlook and handy Pocket Guide. Both contain key statistics, trends, insight, and analysis on the latest developments in the U.S. renewable fuels industry, as well as commentary on what to expect in 2020.
  • The Nebraska Ethanol Board will hold a board meeting in Lincoln on Wednesday, March 4 at 9:00 am. Agenda is posted on NEB website.
    • Uncategorized

    Kansas Rancher Named Beef Advocate of the Year

    Carrie Muehling

    The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association named Brandi Buzzard Frobose, a Kansas rancher, the 2019 Advocate of the Year.

    Early in 2019, Buzzard Frobose wrote a letter to New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in response to the proposed Green New Deal, which contained negative connotations towards cattle and misinformation about cattle’s effects on climate change and the environment.

    She explained more about her advocacy for the beef industry that led to interviews on national television networks including CBS, FOX, and MSNBC. You can follow Brandi Buzzard Frobose’s advocacy efforts online at BuzzardsBeat.com or on social media at @BrandiBuzzard.

    CIC2020 Beef Advocate Brandi Buzzard Frobose 4:10

    2020 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show Photo Album

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

    Cotton Council Annual Meeting News

    Cindy Zimmerman

    News from the National Cotton Council 2020 Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.

    NCC Survey Suggests U.S. Producers to Plant 13.0 Million Acres of Cotton in 2020 – U.S. cotton producers intend to plant 13.0 million cotton acres this spring, down 5.5 percent from 2019 (based on USDA’s February 2020 estimate), according to the National Cotton Council’s 39th Annual Early Season Planting Intentions Survey. Upland cotton intentions are 12.8 million acres, down 5.6 percent from 2019, while extra-long staple (ELS) intentions of 224,000 acres represent a 2.7 percent decline.

    Kent Fountain to Lead NCC in 2020 – Kent Fountain, a Surrency, Ga., ginner, was elected National Cotton Council (NCC) chairman for 2020. Ted Schneider, a Lake Providence, La., producer, was elected as NCC vice chairman.

    Summary of NCC 2020 Cotton Economic Outlook – The NCC prepared a summary of its 2020 Cotton Economic Outlook that was presented at the NCC’s 2020 Annual Meeting on February 15.

    Cotton Achievement Award Honors Earl Sears – The late Earl Sears, a former NCC executive vice president whose core belief was that “devotion to service is fundamental to success” received the 18th Oscar Johnston Lifetime Achievement Award.

    Cotton Service Award Honors Bill May – Bill May, former president of the Memphis-based American Cotton Shippers Association, received the 2019 Harry S. Baker Distinguished Service Award.

    Cotton

    CIRB Still Growing Together After 56 Years

    Cindy Zimmerman

    The 56th annual Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau (CIRB) ended on a high note Friday after an informative two days of presentations on important industry topics such as the farm economy, trade, climate change, and hemp.

    The theme of the meeting this year was “Together we Grow” and CIRB Executive Vice President Mike Torrey says one area where the organization is really growing is the Emerging Leaders Program. “We in our fifth year, it’s a huge class, just really impressive men and women from the industry who want to be active,” said Torrey.

    Listen to Torrey’s wrap up interview here:
    Interview with Mike Torrey, CIRB (5:16)

    All photos and audio from the CIRB Annual Meeting, including presentations, can be found here:
    2020 Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau Annual Meeting Virtual Newsroom

    Audio, CIRB, Crop Insurance