Precision Ag Bytes 11/20

Carrie Muehling

  • A modified JCB Fastrac has set a new world tractor speed record of 135.191 mph, which was the average of two high-speed runs conducted at Elvington Airfield in the United Kingdom and ratified by Guinness World Records. On its way to establishing the record, the machine known as Fastrac Two achieved a remarkable top speed of 153.771 mph.
  • Valent BioSciences officially launched its new biorational soil health initiative at the 4th Biostimulants World Congress in Barcelona. The launch follows more than four years of strategic investment including the acquisition of Mycorrhizal Applications in 2015, research and development, and business development to expand the company’s leading position in biological solutions for agriculture into the soil microbiome.
  • Italpollina, a world leader in the production of organic fertilizers, natural biostimulants and beneficial microbials for use in agriculture is pleased to announce a new global initiative – the launch of www.biostimulant.com.
  • 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.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes

Grains Council Talks Trade at NAFB Trade Talk

Cindy Zimmerman

Trade was probably the top topic at NAFB Trade Talk last week and the U.S. Grains Council was more than ready to talk about it.

Darren Armstrong, a North Carolina farmer who is currently serving as chairman of the council, discussed the need for Congress to ratify USMCA, the new agreement with Japan, potential for ethanol in China, and some of the other markets where the council is very active promoting U.S. exports.

The first time Chuck interviewed Darren was in 2009 on a USGC trade mission to Morocco, Egypt and Jordan so they enjoyed catching up and reminiscing about that trip.

NAFB19 Darren Armstrong, US Grains Council (4:26)

2019 NAFB Convention Photo Album

Content Creation from the NAFB Convention Thanks to
Coverage of the NAFB Convention is sponsored by FMC
Audio, Corn, Ethanol, Exports, Grains, USGC

Ethanol Report from #NAFB19

Cindy Zimmerman

The Renewable Fuels Association was pleased to be able to once again be a part of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) annual convention in Kansas City this past week. RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper and Vice President of Industry Relations Robert White were interviewed by dozens of farm broadcast reporters from around the country about the latest ethanol news.

In this edition of The Ethanol Report podcast, we hear from both Cooper and White who discuss topics such as small refinery waivers, exports, and the new custom design Flex Fuel Jeep Wrangler being showcased in a new Hauk Machines Amazon Prime video series.

Ethanol Report from NAFB (20:29)

Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes

Audio, Ethanol, NAFB, Podcasts, RFA

#NAFB19 Awards and Honors

Cindy Zimmerman

Two more names were added to the NAFB Hall of Farm last week at the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) convention.

Both past presidents of NAFB, the new Hall of Famers are Max Armstrong, Farm Progress/WGN Radio, and Tom Steever, Brownfield Ag News. They were recognized during the Thursday night banquet. Russ Parker, with J.L. Farmakis, received the 2019 Dix Harper Meritorious Service Award.

Also presented Thursday were the Plambeck Awards For Creative Excellence –
Single Entry Winner – Y-Tex Corporation, Engle Creative Solutions
Series Entry Winner – Cenex (CHS), Colle McVoy

The 2019 Awards Luncheon on Friday recognized the Farm Broadcaster of the Year and Horizon Awards sponsored by Syngenta, as well as NAFB News Service winners.

Clinton Griffiths, anchor and executive producer for AgDay Television, was named Farm Broadcaster of the Year. Shannon Yokley, Digital Products Coordinator at Brownfield Ag News, was selected as the 2019 Horizon Award winner.

2019 NAFB News Service Awards, sponsored by John Deere, recognized Max Armstrong, for Excellence in Ag Reporting, and Editor’s Choice for Exceptional Merit, Brian Winnekins, WRND Radio.

2019 NAFB Broadcast Contest Awards, sponsored by Mahindra Ag North America, recognized Rob Winters, WOWO Radio, with first place in both Marketcast and Newscast Awards, while AgDay TV was first in both categories for video. Sarah Heinrich, KFRY/KBMR Radio won first place in the Feature/Commentary Award category, U.S. Farm Report was first in Video Feature Awards, and Christina Loren, RFD-TV, came in first place for Video Interview Awards.

2019 NAFB Convention Photo Album

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

FMC Out in Front at #NAFB19

Chuck Zimmerman

The FMC and FLM/Harvest team was out in force at the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) annual convention last week in Kansas City. FMC has been a long time sponsor of NAFB’s centerpiece event Trade Talk and always a great supporter of farm broadcasting.

At the FMC Trade Talk booth this year, Brandon Schrage and Matthew Wiggins were busy doing interviews about weed control, trending insects and diseases in 2019, and what’s new with FMC. You can find interviews with both of them on the AgNewsWire virtual newsroom from NAFB.

In this video from NAFB, Schrage discusses how growers can regain the upper hand on weeds in 2020; and what insect and diseases were trending in 2019, including tar spot and soybean gall midge.


Agribusiness, Audio, Crop Protection, FMC, NAFB, Video

Animal Ag Bites 11/18

Carrie Muehling

  • The first-ever Sioux Falls Dairy Crawl was held on October 28, 2019, at three downtown restaurants. Five dairy farm families, along with dietitians and other ag professionals served as hosts to approximately 40 consumers.
  • Cattle feeders will honor their own Feb. 4, 2020, during their 11th annual banquet, held for the second year in conjunction with the nation’s largest annual cattle industry gathering. The Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame banquet will precede the 2020 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show, to be held in San Antonio, Texas, Feb. 5-7.
  • United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue released a statement on China’s decision to lift its ban on poultry imports from the United States. China has banned all U.S. poultry since January 2015 due to an avian influenza outbreak in December 2014, even though the United States has been free of this disease since August 2017. The United States exported over $500 million worth of poultry products to China in 2013. The U.S. is the world’s second largest poultry exporter, with global exports of poultry meat and products of $4.3 billion last year.
  • Vets Plus, Inc. announces that the Wonewoc, WI facility of its subsidiary Merrick’s Animal Health, LLC has received a Certificate of Compliance from the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) under its Safe Feed/Safe Food Program.
  • A new white paper detailing the minimal environmental footprint of beef production in the U.S. was recently published by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff. The white paper, authored by Sara Place, PhD, senior director of sustainable beef production research at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, highlights why and how the U.S. is the leader in sustainable beef production.
  • America’s 60,000 pig farmers are dedicated to raising healthy animals to ensure a safe food supply. Today, that commitment means placing a high priority on using antibiotics responsibly for the health of people, pigs and the planet. As this year’s U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week and World Antibiotic Awareness Week, Nov. 18-24, gets underway, America’s pig farmers want to highlight their ongoing efforts to achieve excellent antibiotic stewardship and their determination to always seek improvement.
AgWired Animal, Animal Bites

House Ag Committee on Feral Hogs & Swamp Rats

Chuck Zimmerman

At least one House committee dealt with a real issue for a change. This is from the @HouseAgDems Twitter feed and was emailed out by the House Ag Committee. Invasive species are a real problem which needs attention and solutions.

Yesterday, our Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture held a hearing on Safeguarding American Agriculture from Wild, Invasive, and Non-Native Species, and we covered a whole range of topics.

Just about every single member of the Subcommittee had a question about feral hogs, but it was Rep. Josh Harder from California that got everyone’s attention with his chart on Nutria – or Swamp Rats as he calls them.

We had witnesses from all over the country that deal with plant and animal health, and there was some serious discussion about the threats America faces when importing foreign ag products, and how we work near and around our northern and southern borders. You can watch the full hearing right here.


Video

Fireside Chat with Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue

Chuck Zimmerman

Fireside Chat with Secretary SonnyOur U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, visited farm broadcasters on Friday. It was a fireside chat visit with now past-president of NAFB, Lorrie Boyer, KSIR. Members could submit questions for Lorrie to ask during the session.

China was a major topic as USDA officially announced that the second tranche of 2019 Market Facilitation Program (MFP) payments aimed at assisting farmers suffering from damage due to unjustified trade retaliation by foreign nations will begin the week before Thanksgiving. Secretary Perdue also talked about the opening of the Chinese market to U.S. poultry.

Other topics addressed by the Secretary included USMCA, the state of the farm economy, the moving of some USDA offices to Kansas City, and ethanol. Listen here:
Interview with Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue

2019 NAFB Convention Photo Album

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

Zimfo Bytes 11/15

Carrie Muehling

  • Premier Crop Systems announced that the Board of Directors has appointed Darren Fehr as President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors effective immediately. Fehr previously held the position of Director, Sales & Marketing with Premier Crop Systems and will succeed Dan Frieberg.
  • Minneapolis-based ag-tech company Calyxt joined Agtegra Cooperative to celebrate the revival of the St. Lawrence Grain Elevator and recognize Midwest farmers for doing their part to make the foods consumers love a healthier choice.
  • In a move designed to bring additional synergy to Bayer‘s agency relationships, Crop Science U.S. Marketing announced it has named three firms its Agencies of Record beginning in the 2021 crop year: BBDO, HLK, and OBP. BBDO Atlanta will support the Bayer Crop Protection portfolio, including herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides for row crops and horticulture, as well as the company’s new Bayer PLUS Rewards program. HLK, which is based in St. Louis, will support Channel brand seed, regional seed brands, Bayer’s trait portfolio, and integrated systems such as the Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System. St. Louis-based OBP will support DEKALB, Asgrow, Deltapine and WestBred seed brands.
  • The World Food Prize Foundation announced that Barbara Stinson has been named President of the organization, effective January 4, 2020.
  • Farmers looking to capitalize on sustainability for their cotton farms should make plans to attend the first ever Cotton U on Dec. 5 at the Amarillo Farm & Ranch Show in Amarillo, Texas, to learn about a new pilot program initiated by the National Cotton Council.
Zimfo Bytes

CARBO Ceramics Signs Agreement With INNOVAR AG

Cindy Zimmerman

CARBO Ceramics and INNOVAR AG, LLC have just signed an agreement that combines CARBO’s manufacturing and material science expertise with INNOVAR’s new Encapsulated Infused Fertilizer (“EIF”) technology, and extensive experience with Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizers (“EEF”), with benefits for both the agricultural and turf markets.

The companies have worked together on a new product that reduces nitrogen loss, increases microbial populations, and enables phosphorus, potash, sulphur and micro nutrients to be released from the soil profile and become better utilized by plants.

CARBO CEO Gary Kolstad says the partnership is another step in their strategy to utilize the company’s core strengths in the fast-growing agriculture technology space. “INNOVAR AG is a leader in developing EEF technology, which ultimately helps to make crops more productive to better serve the increasing global demand for food products, but also reduces the environmental impacts associated with the inefficient fertilizers used today,” Kolstad said. “We will continue to look for more client opportunities to grow our presence in EEF technologies and agriculture.”

“Combining our knowledge and experience in EEF technologies with CARBO’s extensive material science and precision manufacturing capabilities was critical in allowing us to develop InnoSolve 45NTM,” said INNOVAR AG CEO Andrew Semple. “We expect strong adoption of this product based on positive research studies that support its efficacy. As an example, one research study performed on corn crops with InnoSolve 45N components showed an approximate 24% increase in yield, with an approximate 5-to-1 return on investment.”

Learn more at www.carboceramics.com and www.innovarag.com.

Uncategorized