Ethanol Report on 2019

Cindy Zimmerman

No one in the ethanol industry will be sorry to see 2019 in the rear view mirror. To say it has been a rough year would be an understatement. Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Geoff Cooper says it was one of the worst years – if not the worst – the industry has seen in its relatively short history.

The best news of 2019 came at the beginning of June with the approval of year round E15 and President Trump’s visit to an Iowa ethanol plant. Besides that, in addition to weather woes and trade wars, the bad news of the year centered around the impact of small refinery exemptions on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), a battle between the industry and EPA that just culminated this week in a rule that Cooper says fails to deliver on President Trump’s commitment to farmers and producers.

In this edition of the Ethanol Report, Cooper takes a look back at 2019 for one last time before focusing forward on the future.

Ethanol Report on 2019 (17:50)

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 2009. Click here to subscribe.

Audio, Ethanol, RFA

Put 2019 in the Rear View Mirror

Cindy Zimmerman

2019 may not have been the best of years for agriculture, but there’s always 2020.

ZimmComm spent the year as usual, traveling along the Agriblogging Highway to nearly 40 events around the country from Beltwide Cotton Conferences in January to American Seed Trade Seed Expo in December. Click on the photo below to see where we have been and some of our favorite people we have seen in 2019.

2019 in Pictures by ZimmComm

Top Viewed AgWired Posts of 2019

Passing of Dr. Aoife Lyons
AgGrad 30 Under 30
Legendary Seedsman Don Funk Relaunches NC+
FMC Growing US Biologicals Portfolio
Ag Aviation Industry Still Soaring
Hemp Farming is Getting Real
2019 Develop With Deere Conference
FMC Launches Lucento for 2019
New Cotton Varieties for 2019 from BASF
Bayer Commits Funding to 4H and FFA
ASTA Announces Student Video Contest Winner
Enogen Feed Energizing Livestock Rations

ZimmComm Announcement

Zoom Farm Podcaster Tool

Chuck Zimmerman

Zoom LiveTrak L-8Hey Farm Podcasters. Here’s a new item that might make your production process more simple. It has been a while since I’ve written about some new technology that will improve the production and communication value of podcasting. I just haven’t seen much to impress me.

However, this caught my eye.

THE BOARD FOR CREATORS – LIVETRAK L-8
Podcasting, Music and Beyond

Creators are evolving—and so are we. Zoom LiveTrak L-8 makes it easier than ever to mix, monitor and record professional-sounding podcasts and music performances in one portable, affordable package.

If you have already used one of these mixers please feel free to add your comments. I have not used the new Zoom product but hope to have an opportunity to do so soon.

Gadgets, Podcasts

Animal Ag Bites 12/23

Carrie Muehling

  • The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the Public Lands Council’s Government Affairs office in Washington, D.C., is accepting internship applications for the Fall 2020 semester. Positions for next fall include public policy interns and a law clerk. The deadline to apply for either position is March 6, 2020.
  • For decades USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation have provided critical support to the UGA Department of Poultry Science in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. This funding has been crucial for research and student recruitment. Since 1993, more than $6,164,000 has been provided in research funding to UGA, with another $396,340 provided for student recruitment since 1994.
  • The National Dairy Council and the U.S. Dairy Export Council came together to tackle a challenge: spore contamination in powders that are shipped internationally. The effort spanned seven years and included 33 projects conducted at 10 universities. USDEC reports that since 2000, the U.S. has grown NDM/SMP exports from just over 100,000 metric tons in 2000 to more than 700,000 in 2018. In 2002, the U.S. accounted for less than 7 percent of total SMP trade. Today, that number hovers between 25 and 30 percent annually.
  • A new video demonstrates the value of GENYOUth, which brings money, resources and influence to help support dairy farmer priorities around youth wellness and Fuel Up to Play 60.
AgWired Animal, Animal Bites

Next Generation Wheat Markets

Carrie Muehling

Jeffrey Koscelny – Bayer; Mark Gold – Top Third Ag Marketing, LLC; Jody Pollok-Newsom – MI Wheat Program

A panel at the 2019 American Seed Trade Association CSS & Seed Expo dove deeper into the subject of next generation wheat markets.

Mark Gold of Top Third Ag Marketing discussed wheat trends, while Jeff Koscelny of Bayer tackled adding value to wheat. Jody Pollok-Newson with the Michigan Wheat Program shared more information about private/public wheat partnerships.

Listen to each presentation here:
ASTACSS19 Mark Gold, Top Third Ag Marketing (22:21)

ASTACSS19 Jeffrey Koscelny, Bayer (20:06)

ASTACSS19 Jody Pollok-Newsom, MI Wheat Program (23:18)

2019 ASTA CSS & Seed Trade Expo Photo Album

ASTA, Audio, Wheat

Happy Holidays for Hemp

Cindy Zimmerman

The burgeoning hemp industry got some early Christmas gifts last week as it celebrated the one year anniversary of the 2018 Farm Bill which legalized hemp farming in the U.S.

EPA approved adding hemp to the use sites of 10 pesticides. Nine of the products are biopesticides and one is a conventional pesticide. As EPA receives additional applications to amend product labels to add use on hemp, the agency will process those applications on an ongoing basis and update this list.

The new budget passed by the U.S. House includes $16.5 million for the USDA to implement the hemp provisions and another $2.5 million for the research of hemp production systems through Agriculture Research Service (ARS) sites nationwide. Also included are measures urging the FDA to issue formal enforcement discretion guidance for CBD products and directing the Farm Credit Administration to offer services to hemp producers and businesses.

In addition, USDA extended the public comment period for the Interim Final Rule (IFR) for Establishment of a Domestic Hemp Production Plan by 30 days until January 29, 2020. Vote Hemp requested the extension in conjunction with the American Herbal Products Association and Hemp Industries Association, along with other stakeholders that had expressed the need for an extension of time. USDA published the interim final rule on Oct. 31.

Cannabis, hemp

Zimfo Bytes 12/20

Carrie Muehling

  • The American Soybean Association Board of Directors elected the leaders who will guide the organization through its 100th year during its annual meeting in St. Louis. Bill Gordon of Minnesota will serve as 2020 ASA president.
  • Hemp Industry Daily is now the exclusive hemp and cannabis media partner of World Ag Expo®, focusing on the Hemp Education & Marketing Pavilion and Hemp Innovation Challenge in Tulare, CA, February 11-13, 2020.
  • Results are in for World Ag Expo’s® Top-10 New Products Competition, sponsored by Bank of America. The winners will be showcased February 11-13, 2020, during the World Ag Expo® in Tulare, California.
  • Kelly Registration Systems, a leading provider of essential information and automation solutions to the agribusiness and pesticide industry, recently announced it has extended its existing contract with the South Carolina Department of Agriculture to build the software system that will manage and automate the state’s hemp licensing program.
  • Farm Foundation is pleased to announce that it is partnering with the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) to create the new Farm Foundation Agricultural Scholars Program that will take 10 graduate-level students of agriculture through a year of programming.
  • The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture has recognized the winning teams in the fall 2019 Purple Plow Challenge, Growing Green. Each team received a 3-D printer and a $100 gift card for their class.
  • The inaugural Board of Directors has been named for the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, a new standard developed to help the U.S. cotton production sector further reduce its footprint by enabling producers to assess their performance against specific sustainability goals.
  • UnitedAg celebrated the graduation of the 3rd Leadership Class of the WomenAg Leadership Academy and the 2nd Emerging Leaders Academy.
  • The Board of Directors of the Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service (MOSES ) just announced the promotion of Lauren Langworthy to executive director.
  • BigIron Auctions announced that on Dec. 26-27, 2019 it will hold its largest ever online auction increasing the number of equipment items it is selling to more than 3,300 over the two-day event.
  • The American Farm Bureau Federation has appointed farmer and rancher members to the organization’s Young Farmers & Ranchers and Promotion & Education committees. National committee members are nominated by their respective state Farm Bureaus. Learn more online: Young Farmers & Ranchers, http://www.fb.org/programs/young-farmers-and-ranchers/ and Promotion & Education, http://www.fb.org/programs/promotion-education/.
Zimfo Bytes

SAGE says Let’s Go Chiefs

Chuck Zimmerman

Sage Let's Go ChiefsI missed the SAGE party again this year. But they always seem to have something to share to get us in the Christmas spirit.

How about a little Let’s Go Chiefs love? Featuring a certain quarterback who has helped bring the Kansas City Chiefs the excitement and success fans have been aching for.

It was an ugly sweater party just in case you were wondering.

In 2015, Sage evolved from BCS Communications, which has been helping companies and organizations with their marketing communications efforts since 2003. Leigh Ann Cleaver and Kelly Schwalbe left years in the big-agency world to create a more nimble, responsive, cost-effective agency model where they have more direct day-to-day contact with clients.


Agencies

U.S. Hemp Growers Association Launched

Cindy Zimmerman

The U.S. Hemp Growers Association (USHGA) was announced this week in Indianapolis as the “only national farmer-directed hemp trade association.”

Founding partners that came together to create USHGA include U.S. Hemp Farming Alliance, First Crop, International Hemp Solutions, HiLo Seed, GenCanna and Farm Journal. At launch, more than 300 farmer-members of U.S. Hemp Farming Alliance will fold into USHGA.

Caren Wilcox will serve as the inaugural USHGA executive director. Wilcox is a well-known ag and food leader who has held executive roles at Hershey, the USDA and the Organic Trade Association. USHGA will meet in late February 2020 in San Antonio to secure founding partners and to install an initial board of directors. A majority of the board leaders will be active hemp farmers.

Learn more from USHGA.

Cannabis, Farming, hemp