Hemp Seed is a Hot Topic for ASTA

Cindy Zimmerman

American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) chairman Wayne Gale, Stokes Seeds, spent a lot of time answering questions about hemp seed at the recent National Association of Farm Broadcasting Trade Talk.

Gale says ASTA’s role is to provide information for the growing hemp industry to help the seed industry identify sources of quality seed “to ensure that the growers that the crop that they want.”

Seed industry interest in hemp is high and the upcoming ASTA CSS and Seed Expo 2019 will feature a session on Hemp Seed Opportunities & Challenges.

Learn more in this report from NAFB with Gale:
NAFB19 Wayne Gale, American Seed Trade Association (3:02)

2019 NAFB Convention Photo Album

Content Creation from the NAFB Convention Thanks to
Coverage of the NAFB Convention is sponsored by FMC
ASTA, Audio, Cannabis, hemp, NAFB, Seed

Corn Harvest Still Unfinished

Cindy Zimmerman

The USDA crop progress report out yesterday afternoon should have been the last one for the 2019 season. But with 16 percent of the nation’s corn crop still in the field, NASS will continue to evaluate harvest progress for all crops each week to determine how long to continue the report.

As of Sunday, 84 percent of the corn crop was harvested, compared to 96 percent for the five year average, with Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin trailing furthest behind. North Dakota still has 70 percent of the corn crop in the field. Normally, the state should be 91 percent complete.

Meanwhile, the soybean harvest is 94 percent complete nationwide, just a few percentage points behind average, but basically normal for the country and all of the states running behind on corn.

NASS is now gearing up for the annual December crops and livestock. During the first two weeks of December, NASS will survey over 81,000 United States producers to obtain final information about 2019 U.S. row crops focusing on harvested acreage, production, and storage.

The survey will also be used to help establish county level estimates used by the Farm Service Agency for the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) program and the Risk Management Agency to administer insurance programs. In addition, hog producers will be asked about their current inventory, pig crop, and farrowing intentions for the next six months. The results will be available beginning with the Hogs and Pigs report on December23, followed by the Annual Crop Production Summary and other reports on January 10.

Corn, Harvest, USDA

Precision Ag Bytes 11/26

Carrie Muehling

  • The Soil Health Partnership and the National Corn Growers Association co-hosted a field day for U.S. Senate and House Agriculture Committee staff at Harborview Farms in Rock Hall, Md. Staffers had the opportunity to learn more about soil health management practices being implemented at Harborview Farms.
  • Syngenta and Simplot Grower Solutions are working together to increase efficiencies for growers through software integration. Growers can now pull recommendations from Simplot’s centralized agronomic data hub, Simplot Advisor®, and insert them directly into the Land.db® software provided with AgriEdge®, Syngenta’s whole-farm management system.
  • Golden Harvest corn beat key competitors in 2019 trials across the Midwest. For example: In the upper Midwest, Golden Harvest corn G02K39-5122 E-Z Refuge® brand outyielded Pioneer® products by 10.4 bu/A in 84 comparisons. In Nebraska, Golden Harvest corn G11B63-3010A brand outyielded Pioneer products by 9.9 bu/A in 70 comparisons. In central Illinois, Golden Harvest corn G13Z50-3220 E-Z Refuge brand outyielded Pioneer products by 3.5 bu/A in 87 comparisons.
  • FMC Corporation took top honors in the Best New Biological Product category of the 2019 Agribusiness Intelligence Crop Science Forum & Awards for its Presence® and Quartzo® bionematicides. FMC was also commended for Best R&D pipeline, Best Application Technology Innovation and Best Stewardship Program.
  • To give farmers the best control of tough and resistant weeds, Corteva Agriscience and BASF are recommending the use of Liberty® and Enlist One® herbicides on Enlist E3™ soybean and Enlist™ cotton acres. These two leading herbicides offer exceptional control of broadleaf weeds including waterhemp, pigweed, kochia, marestail and ragweed species.
  • Granular, a leading agriculture software and services company, announced that it has released 67 new or improved features to its software in 2019 to-date, in addition to its field agents having logged over 1 million miles helping farmers to improve their profit margins by better using their on-farm data.
  • Old World Specialty Products, LLC, a subsidiary of Old World Industries, LLC, has announced a joint venture with Meristem Crop Performance, LLC — a provider of specialty crop products designed specifically to drive both yield and value for corn, soybean and wheat farmers. The joint venture will be called Meristem Crop Performance Group, LLC.
  • At its annual conference in New Orleans, AgGateway honored exemplary individuals who have made outstanding contributions in advancing the industry’s transition to digital agriculture. Eric Hoefing, Manager of Applications Development at ACS, received AgGateway’s Ron Storms Leadership Award, the organization’s top honor.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes

New Soy Based Motor Oil Now Available

Cindy Zimmerman

Soy-based motor oil is a new opportunity to drive demand for U.S. soybeans in almost any vehicle on the road.

Biosynthetic Technologies’ high-performing biobased synthetic motor oil, using high oleic soybean oil from soybeans grown by U.S. farmers, is now on commercial shelves, thanks to a partnership with the United Soybean Board (USB).

Both USB and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have supported the soy-based, drop-in synthetic alternative to petroleum-based motor oil. The biobased alternative is well-suited for high-temperature automotive and industrial applications. Biosynthetic Technologies’ motor oil is also recognized as a USDA Certified Biobased Product in the agency’s BioPreferred Program.

“Our motor oils are certified by the American Petroleum Institute, and not only do they reduce sludge and varnish, they improve fuel economy and provide environmental benefits for renewability and biodegradability as well,” said Biosynthetic Technologies Executive Vice President Jakob Bredsguard. “Our revolutionary new class of biobased synthetic compounds have enabled us to commercialize an automotive engine oil that is biodegradable while delivering the highest levels of performance.”

The company will market both 5W-20 and 5W-30 through Amazon.com and direct from their website.

Biosynthetic is also offering farmers a limited-time 20% discount to purchase the synthetic oil. They can use code BioTrialFarm available only at motoroil.biosynthetic.com through January 31.

Learn more about Biosynthetic® Performance motor oil powered by soybeans in this interview:
Interview with Jakob Bredsguard, Biosynthetic Technologies

Audio, Soybean, USB

Inaugural Heart of America Agricultural Hemp Classic Announced

Chuck Zimmerman

Heart of America Agricultural Hemp ClassicThe inaugural Heart of America Agricultural Hemp Classic has been announced for January in Independence, MO. The event is organized by the Missouri Hemp Association which formed earlier this year.

Bill Cook is the Executive Director of the Missouri Hemp Association and he is calling hemp a potential “miracle crop.” I spoke with him to get a preview of the event and will be working with the organization at the first time conference helping promote it and create some great content using our AgNewsWire service.

Missouri Hemp Association LogoBill has extensive experience in crop production including corn and soybeans. Speaking about growing hemp he says, “Of all the commodities it has the most opportunity of any commodity that I’ve seen in my lifetime.” He also says they’ve coined a phrase, “The hemp highway, which you can enter and exit and every piece of that elevates your community, the end user, the grower and the environment.”

The Missouri Hemp Association was started about nine months ago by some business entrepreneurs who want to help farmers and others involved in the business to obtain the best laws and regulations to be successful. He says it’s a new frontier which some people call the gold rush or hemp rush. Membership is available in several categories. The organization intends to be a resource for farmers to network and become actively involved in the development of the business.

Registration for the Heart of America Agricultural Hemp Classic is scheduled to start on Black Friday, November 29. You’ll be able to register online. There is a trade show component of the event and companies and other organizations need to contact the association office for more information on that.

The Classic is scheduled for January 15 and 16 with the 15th being open for members and the 16th to anyone who would like to attend. The location is the Stoney Creek Hotel & Conference Center in Independence, Missouri.

You can listen to my interview with Bill here for more information, including the tentative agenda: Interview with Bill Cook, Missouri Hemp Association

Audio, hemp

What’s New With FMC

Chuck Zimmerman

FMC had a lot to talk about at the recent National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) Trade Talk.

Matthew Wiggins, FMC Technical Services Manager, had a couple of new products to discuss.

Authority Edge herbicide expected to be approved in 2020; and a new in-furrow fungicide called XY Way 3D. Wiggins also talked about how Lucento fungicide performed in 2019.

You can find audio interviews on each topic in FMC virtual newsroom from NAFB – watch the video below:


Agribusiness, Audio, Crop Protection, FMC, Video

Animal Ag Bites 11/25

Carrie Muehling

  • The National Pork Board has named two new executives to its leadership team. Bryan Humphreys has been named the vice president of producer, state and industry relations, and Jacque Matsen has been named vice president of strategic communications. Both will assume their new roles Dec. 16.
  • The American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians Accreditation Site Visit Committee completed its audit of the Louisiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in September 2019, and the AAVLD granted LADDL full accreditation through December 31, 2024.
  • Land O’Lakes Venture37 announced it has been awarded funding for seven new international development projects across the globe in 2019, further building the organization’s reach as it works to strengthen agricultural and food systems in developing nations. Funding for the new projects spans a range of governments, nonprofit and philanthropic leaders.
  • Just in time for the holidays, Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. is releasing a new craveable Beef Drool Log video sure to “spice up” any gathering and celebration. The Beef Drool Log is a two-and-a-half-hour video featuring a beautiful Prime Rib Roast cooking to perfection on a rotisserie over open flame. The video pays homage to the iconic Yule Log but puts a tasty spin on it like only beef can.
  • Public Lands Council President Bob Skinner and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Jennifer Houston released statements in response to markup of S. 1081, the Land and Water Conservation Fund Permanent Funding Act, by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
AgWired Animal, Animal Bites

GROWMARK/FS System Responding to Propane Issues

Carrie Muehling

The past six weeks have brought rolling outages of propane supply at pipeline terminals across the Midwest. A number of factors are contributing to propane shortages this year during a critical time for farmers.

“With delayed planting and, subsequently, delayed harvest, as well as high moisture corn, the demand has really been significantly more than we would have seen in the past, and at a later date,” said Carol Kitchen, Vice President of Energy and Logistics at GROWMARK. “And, we’re also starting to layer over top of the home heat season, or confinement livestock season, so it has really put a lot of pressure on the propane infrastructure across the Midwest.”

Kitchen said GROWMARK has reached out to points further away than ever before to help with propane supply this year, and continues to add new supply points to the cooperative’s network. GROWMARK’s recent acquisition of a terminal at Ft. Madison, Iowa, will help in the long run, although Kitchen said it will take some time to build supply there and won’t have much of an immediate impact on the current situation.

She said the situation is improving, although there are localized markets that continue to face challenges. The addition of the CN Rail strike in Canada further complicates movement of supply to the Upper Midwest and some Midwestern areas as a significant supply comes into those regions from western Canada. Kitchen praised the industry for serving farmers well during this year’s difficult circumstances.

“In our organization, in our local co-ops, and really across the industry, people have worked really hard to get service to customers, knowing that they’re in a tough situation. It’s stressful for everybody and we just want to recognize the hard work that’s been done to help farmers get through a very tough fall,” she said.

Listen to Carrie interview with Carol here: Interview with Carol Kitchen, GROWMARK

GROWMARK

Zimfo Bytes 11/22

Carrie Muehling

  • With the Caterpillar Development Bursary Fund, IFAJ encourages members to pursue the extraordinary in search of personal professional development and wider IFAJ progress. Scholars must complete their travel by May 31, 2020. They must also be prepared to make a presentation, send a poster or deliver a written report to the 2020 IFAJ Congress in Denmark in June 2020. Any member of an IFAJ member guild in good standing may apply. Visit the IFAJ website for rules, details and an online application today! Application deadline is December 20, 2019.
  • The National Pork Board has named two new executives to its leadership team. Bryan Humphreys has been named the vice president of producer, state and industry relations, and Jacque Matsen has been named vice president of strategic communications. Both will assume their new roles Dec. 16.
  • Some of the nation’s leading agriculture experts and well-known personalities will be featured on the Main Stage during the 2020 Commodity Classic held Thursday, Feb. 27 through Saturday, Feb. 29 in San Antonio, Texas. Registration and housing for the 2020 Commodity Classic are now available at www.CommodityClassic.com. A complete schedule of events and additional details are also available on the website.
  • United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue are pleased to announce that the Trump Administration has reached an agreement with the government of South Korea on market access for U.S. rice. Under the agreement, Korea will provide access for 132,304 tons of U.S. rice annually, with an annual value of approximately $110 million. Korea also agreed to important disciplines to ensure transparency and predictability around the tendering and auctioning for U.S. rice.
  • Yakima Chief Hops, the leading grower-owned hop supplier for the craft beer industry, welcomes four additional family farms to its list of owners – the first time the ownership group has expanded since 2014.
    • >Helena Industries, LLC is breaking ground on a 103,550 square foot chemical formulation and packaging facility at its plant in Des Moines, Iowa. The new facility is one of a multiphase, multimillion-dollar development project, which upon completion, will bring as many as 50 new jobs to the Des Moines area.
  • In a lead up to the Sustainable Agriculture Summit in Indianapolis, the Ecosystem Services Market Consortium (ESMC) and the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) jointly announced on November 19 the award of $10.3 million from FFAR to establish the research component of ESMC that supports the development of a national environmental credit marketplace.
  • AJ Cisney, Chair of the Board of Directors for UnitedAg and the Education Committee, announced that the Directors awarded 10 Vocational Scholarships for the 2019-2020 calendar year. For more information, visit www.unitedag.org.
  • Farmers and ranchers take home just 12.1 cents from every dollar that consumers spend on their Thanksgiving dinner meals, according to the annual Thanksgiving edition of the National Farmers Union Farmer’s Share publication.
  • Long-time independent agronomist Brock L. Taylor, of Clovis, has be named to the Nuffield International Farming Scholars – USA Board of Directors.
  • The Association of Equipment Manufacturers announces the newest inductee to the AEM Hall of Fame: Mary Andringa of Vermeer Corp.
  • The Association of Equipment Manufacturers announced its 2020 officers as well as directors elected to the AEM Board of Directors and AG and CE Sector Boards at its recent annual business meeting. The 2020 Chair is Jeffrey Reed, President & CEO, Reed International/VSS Macropaver.
  • EFC Systems, Inc. announced Amy Krauth has been named Vice President, E.R.P. Sales. In this new role, Krauth will lead the team dedicated to selling the Merchant Ag Enterprise Resource Planning solution.
  • Farm Foundation is pleased to announce the names of six exceptional students who have been named 2020 Farm Foundation Cultivators. The 2020 Cultivators are: Adam Bitnner, Iowa State University; Sara Gammon, Kansas State University; Sara Klopatek, University of California, Davis; Conner McDaniel, Oklahoma State University; Joni Shaffery, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; and Chloe Smith Lopez, University of Florida.
  • Lawain Biermann, farm manager at Hertz Farm Management in Cedar Falls, Iowa, was named the 2019 Professional Farm Manager of the Year. The award, co-sponsored by Syngenta, Farm Journal’s AgPro magazine and the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, recognizes farm managers who display excellence in client service and a commitment to agriculture.
  • The Agricultural Retailers Association commends the Environmental Protection Agency in its issuance of the Risk Management Program (RMP) Reconsideration Final Rule.
  • U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) recently seated its 2020 Board of Directors and elected members to the Executive Committee. Chip Bowling, representing the National Corn Growers Association, will serve as chairman of the organization for a second year.
Zimfo Bytes

NK Seeds Helping Farmers End Tough Year on Positive Note

Chuck Zimmerman

NK SeedsA tough season for corn and soybean growers like we’ve had in 2019 presents challenges to growers and an opportunity for companies like Syngenta and their NK Seeds brand, to showcase varieties and traits that help them overcome those challenges. NK Seeds says their investment in seed has helped farmers end the season on a positive note.

To learn more about their corn and soybean offerings and how they are helping growers I spoke with Mike Schultz, Regional Agronomist for NK Seeds in Minnesota and Wisconsin. He has advice and ideas for growers who are looking ahead to 2020.

NK hybrids and varieties combine the latest in seed technology with top-of-the-line genetics, producing crops that withstand some of the biggest in-field challenges. Even in a tumultuous year, characteristics like broad adaptability and disease tolerance have helped NK growers maintain maximum return on investment.

“The unpredictability of growing seasons like this one drive NK breeders to develop corn and soybean seeds that can deliver value for the farmer regardless of Mother Nature,” said Jim Shertzer, head of NK marketing. “Innovation has been at the core of our brand for 135 years, but we don’t innovate for innovation’s sake – we innovate so that farmers can maximize their profit potential no matter what. Farmers are telling us those efforts are paying off.”

Listen to my interview with Mike here: Interview with Mike Schultz, NK Seeds

You can find more information in the full news release here.

Agribusiness, Audio, Corn, Soybean, Syngenta