Prospects for a Prosperous Dairy Economy

Cindy Zimmerman

Former U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who is now president and CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC), is hopeful about the future for the nation’s dairy industry despite current struggles.

“Domestic consumption of dairy products has, for the first time in a long while, equaled the production of dairy,” said Vilsack during a Newsmaker Session at the NAFB Convention in Kansas City Wednesday. “94 percent of American households have fluid milk in their refrigerator which suggests a continuation of a healthy 100 billion dollar industry.”

Dean Foods, the nation’s oldest and largest milk producer, filed for bankruptcy this week citing “challenging operating environment marked by continuing declines in consumer milk consumption.”

Listen to Vilsack’s remarks followed by questions from farm broadcasters:
NAFB19 Newsmaker Session with Tom Vilsack (58:00)

2019 NAFB Convention Photo Album

Content Creation from the NAFB Convention Thanks to
Coverage of the NAFB Convention is sponsored by FMC
Audio, Dairy, NAFB

#NAFB19 is 76th Annual Meeting of Farm Broadcasters

Cindy Zimmerman

“The Engine That Drives Agriculture” is the theme for the 76th annual convention of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) being held this week in Kansas City.

The 2019 Convention got underway Wednesday with three newsmaker sessions, various NAFB committee meetings, and the NAFB Scholarship Awards Luncheon.

Still lots more in store for the rest of this week, with Trade Talk, elections, awards and an appearance by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on Friday afternoon, and topping off with the President’s Banquet on Friday night.

The job of convention planner each year goes to the president-elect of NAFB, who this year is Rita Frazer of RFD Radio Network in Illinois. Chuck sat down with Rita to talk about this year’s convention and what her goals are in the coming year as president of NAFB.

Interview with Rita Frazer, RFD Radio

2019 NAFB Convention Photo Album

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

Survey: Women in Ag Seek Leadership Opportunities

Carrie Muehling

A recent survey by the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) confirms that a high percentage of women in agriculture already advocate for the industry, but they are looking for more leadership opportunities at all levels.

“There’s still quite a group out there that we need to engage to become involved and I think they just need to know that we want them to be involved and then also give them the training to have the confidence to get out and share their story,” said Sherry Saylor, chair of the AFBF Women’s Leadership Committee.

Saylor, an Arizona farmer, said 95 percent of women surveyed indicated they advocate for the agriculture industry frequently, but about 90 percent of respondents felt there should be more women in leadership roles. She said AFBF already provides training for media interviews, advocating politically and public speaking. She hopes the results of the survey will drive increased programming in the areas of leadership, advocacy and engagement training.

“I’m excited about the future and the fact that we can engage these other women who maybe haven’t been involved and know that there is a place for them to share their story about the wonderful job that farmers and ranchers are doing in this country,” said Saylor.

Complete results of the survey are available on the AFBF website under the Women’s Leadership Programs link.

Listen to the interview with Sherry here: Interview with Sherry Saylor, AFBF Women's Leadership Committee

AFBF, Audio

ZimmComm at #NAFB19

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmComm at NAFBThe ZimmComm Team is a little smaller than normal this year at the annual National Association of Farm Broadcasting convention. Cindy is staying home for the first time since 1987 to take care of our puppy who is recovering from some surgery. But, Jamie Johansen will join me tomorrow, Trade Talk day, to help me with interviews.

I have started a virtual ag newsroom on AgNewsWire.com which will include all the content we create this week here at the convention.

Of course you’ll be able to find a lot of photos over these few days and you can find them right here: 2019 NAFB Photo Album.

A big thank you goes to FMC for once again working with us and making it possible to attend and create some great content for broadcasters who can’t be here as well as all ag media. That’s what we do!

Media, NAFB

Precision Ag Bytes 11/13

Carrie Muehling

  • Syngenta announced that it has sued agrochemical maker Atticus LLC for patent infringement. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, alleges, among other things, that Atticus’ Acadia 2 SC, Acadia ESQ, Aquila XL, Artavia 2 SC and Artavia Xcel products each infringe certain Syngenta patents relating to the manufacture of azoxystrobin fungicide.
  • CLAAS has announced a global partnership with The Climate Corporation, Bayer’s digital farming arm, and its industry-leading FieldView™ digital farming platform, providing farmers with seamless connectivity and unlimited storage of machine-generated agronomic data directly to their FieldView account.
  • Marrone Bio Innovations Inc., an international leader in sustainable bioprotection and plant health solutions, announced positive results for the 2019 field trials for its novel bioherbicide, known as MBI-015.
  • Learn more about AgIntegrated by visiting the company’s new website. AgIntegrated builds APIs and tools for service providers and software vendors to help collect, clean, and move agronomic data to and from different agricultural related systems, software, and hardware solutions.
  • Pioneer® brand corn and soybean product yields across the country continue to set records thanks to rigorous research and testing programs. Despite what may be the most challenging growing season in recent history in terms of weather, yields from Pioneer brand corn and soybeans continue trending up.
  • USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service seeks public comments on its interim final rule for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). CSP is the nation’s largest conservation program, designed to help farmers have more robust conservation activities. The rule – now available on the Federal Register – takes effect upon publication and includes changes to the program prescribed by the 2018 Farm Bill.
  • October 2019 saw increases in U.S. sales of self-propelled combines while both 4-wheel-drive tractors and 2-wheel-drive tractor sales fell modestly compared to October of last year, according to the latest data from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.
  • Topcon Agriculture announces the Topcon Technology Roadshow for North America featuring the Topcon Agriculture Platform. Event stops are planned to showcase the cloud-based farm workflow improvement tool integrating state-of-the-art connectivity, cloud services and data analytics. Four stops are planned for November and December across Indiana, Iowa and Nebraska, with more on the way for the North American tour in 2020. The up-to-date schedule is available at topconagriculture.com/roadshow.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes

NPPC Launches Pork O’Clock Somewhere

Cindy Zimmerman

What would Jimmy Buffett do for a pulled pork sandwich in paradise?

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) has launched a new campaign, “It’s Pork O’ Clock Somewhere,” to highlight the importance and benefits of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade agreement. The campaign focuses on pork and the many ways it’s enjoyed across North America.

“Ratification of USMCA is the top priority for U.S. pork producers and there is no better way to highlight its importance than a campaign that illustrates how pork is enjoyed across United States, Canada and Mexico,” said David Herring, NPPC president and a pork producer in Lillington, N.C. “A USMCA agreement provides much-needed market certainty for U.S. pork producers, ensuring zero-duty market access to two of our largest export markets.”

Last year, more than 40 percent of U.S. pork exported went to Canada and Mexico. The campaign thanks lawmakers for making USMCA ratification this year a priority and highlights the history behind pork-related dishes in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

To learn more about NPPC’s campaign, visit www.porkoclock.org.

Exports, NPPC, Trade

WASDE Lowers Wheat, Corn and Soybean Forecasts

Cindy Zimmerman

The latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report from USDA has lower production and reduced use in the outlook for wheat, corn and soybeans.

Wheat supplies are decreased 42 million bushels, based on updated production estimates for the states resurveyed following the NASS Small Grains Summary, issued September 30. Adjustments to production in these States, where significant acreage remained unharvested in early September, lowers production estimates for Hard Red Spring wheat, White wheat, and Durum with most reductions occurring in North Dakota and Montana.

Corn production is forecast at 13.661 billion bushels, down 118 million from last month on a 1.4-bushel reduction in yield to 167.0 bushels per acre. Feed and residual use is down 25 million bushels based on a smaller crop and higher expected prices. Exports are reduced reflecting the slow pace of early-season sales and shipments. Corn used for ethanol is down 25 million bushels based on September data from the Grain Crushings and Co-Products Production report and weekly ethanol production data as reported by the Energy Information Administration for the month of October.

Soybean production is forecast at 3.55 billion bushels, down less than 1 million on fractionally lower yields and unchanged harvested area. Soybean crush is reduced 15 million bushels to 2.11 billion on lower-than expected early-season crush and reduced soybean meal export prospects.

Listen to commentary from Randy Martinson, Martinson Ag Risk Management, on MGEX Crop Call.
Crop Call 11-8-19

Audio, Corn, Soybean, USDA, Wheat

Opportunities Exist with Veterans for Cannabis

Carrie Muehling

The CBD industry is a significant opportunity for veterans, not only when it comes to treating medical challenges but also when it comes to finding purpose professionally after serving, according to Joshua Littrell, founder and CEO of Veterans for Cannabis.

Littrell was at the Inaugural Florida Industrial Hemp Conference in Orlando, where the group shared its purpose and product line with others in attendance. Veterans for Cannabis began in 2014 as an advocacy group and entered the industrial hemp business in 2015 with a product launch.

“The big purpose behind the product launch was to find a safe alternative to the pharmaceuticals that were killing us,” said Littrell, who believes the products can help to reduce accidental overdoses and mitigate suicides.

The product line is grown by veterans, for veterans, from seed to sale. Littrell encouraged people to begin the conversation about the potential benefits of medical cannabis with veterans in their own families. More information is available at www.vcfusa.com.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Joshua here: Interview with Joshua Littrell, Veterans for Cannabis

2019 Inaugural Florida Industrial Hemp Conference Photo Album

Audio, Cannabis, hemp

Animal Ag Bites 11/11

Carrie Muehling

  • GMO Answers has partnered with the American Feed Industry Association to create a new video that answers common consumer questions about GMOs, animal feed, and pet food.
  • The Animal Agriculture Alliance announced a new chair-elect and six new board representatives. The Alliance’s full board of directors, which includes representatives from all segments of animal agriculture, is listed on its website at: https://animalagalliance.org/about/board.
  • Leaders of Dairy Management Inc.™, the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board and the United Dairy Industry Association announced election results to lead national dairy checkoff strategies and programs to protect and grow sales. Marilyn Hershey, a farmer from Cochranville, Pennsylvania, was re-elected chair of DMI.
  • The National Dairy Promotion and Research Board honored William “Bill” Siebenborn as the 2019 recipient of the Richard E. Lyng Award for his contributions and distinguished service to dairy promotion.
  • A live look at innovative in vitro fertilization (IVF) technology will be on display when the 27th Cattlemen’s College is held in San Antonio, Texas, Feb. 4-5, immediately prior to the 2020 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show. Information about registration and the programs can be found at https://convention.ncba.org
AgWired Animal, Animal Bites

Intergro Helping Farmers Grow Their ‘Hempire’

Carrie Muehling

Farmers attending the inaugural Florida Industrial Hemp Conference in Orlando had lots of questions about growing hemp as a commodity crop. Intergro was one company providing some answers for them.

Intergro CEO Joe Gordhamer told farmers that if they have experience growing other crops, they can grow hemp. He said the potential use for the hemp is important, suggesting growing for CBD is more like growing vegetables, and growing for industrial hemp is more like raising row crops.

“Bottom line is, if you take care of the plants under drip and plastic, if you treat them carefully and give them what they need, you’ll get a good crop,” said Gordhamer.

He told farmers the growing environment is important, from raised beds to nutrition and protection from disease. Because the the list of crop protection products available for growing hemp is very restricted, Gordhamer said Intergro’s preventative prebiotic foliar spray is a valuable product to give leaves a protective coating.

“We have thousands and thousands of acres of vegetables on these products successfully defending against disease. And really it is just using these natural products, powered by nature, for hemp,” Gordhamer said.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Joe Gordhamer, CEO, Intergro
Interview with Intergro CEO Joe Gordhamer

2019 Inaugural Florida Industrial Hemp Conference Photo Album

Audio, hemp