Japan Deal is Good for Grains and Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

The U.S.-Japan trade agreement signed by President Donald Trump this week “will solidify our longstanding partnership for the future and create a platform for growth into new sales and new sectors, including the potential for sales of U.S. ethanol,” according to the U.S. Grains Council (USGC)

Japan is one of the largest and most loyal U.S. corn customers, having bought more than $2 billion of U.S. corn in the most recent marketing year. It is an important market for food and feed barley and sorghum. And as a country looking to improve the environmental impact of its fuel, it is an important future market for U.S. ethanol products.

USGC chairman Darren Armstrong, a farmer from North Carolina, was on a grower panel at the BASF Agricultural Solutions Media Event this week and he talked about the impact that trade negotiations have had on farmers over the past two years, but said the Japan agreement and USMCA are bright spots in the picture, and so is ethanol.

“There are so many new markets that we can move ethanol in that would really use up a lot of corn, and that’s what we’re after,” said Armstrong.

This interview with Armstrong was done the day before the Japan deal was signed, but he said they were looking forward to it because Japan has been a good customer in the past and they were hoping to increase ethanol exports under the agreement.

Interview with USGC chair and NC farmer Darren Armstrong

BASF Ag Solutions Media Event photos

Audio, BASF, Ethanol, Exports, Grains, USGC

Ag Groups Cheer Japan Agreement

Cindy Zimmerman

Representatives for farmer and rancher organizations were present for a meeting with President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Abe in New York City as the two signed a trade deal Wednesday worth billions for U.S. agricultural producers.

Under the market access agreement, Japan will open the market to approximately $7 billion in American agricultural exports, eliminating or significantly lowering tariffs for U.S. beef, pork, poultry, wheat, cheese, wine, certain nuts and berries, cherries, ethanol, and more. “So it’s a tremendous trade deal. It’s a very big trade deal,” said President Trump.

Agricultural group leaders in attendance were invited by President Trump to make comments. While National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) President Jennifer Houston was busy testifying about the current state of the cattle industry before the Senate Agriculture Committee, President-Elect Marty Smith of Florida was speaking to the president on behalf of beef producers. “We asked for a level playing field, and you delivered that to us, and we thank you for that,” said Smith. “And it’s a great day too for, we think, for the Japanese people. This will enable them to buy more American beef, more American agricultural products.”

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall said that farmers and ranchers are thankful for the new agreement “and what we need in the future is more agreements like this all around the world.”

National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) President David Herring of North Carolina, said the agreement provides new opportunities for the 60,000 pork producers across the country. “We’ve seen market share declines in Japan, historically our largest value export market, since the start of the year when international competitors gained more favorable access through new trade agreements. Once implemented, the agreement signed today puts U.S. pork back on a level playing field with our competitors in Japan.”

The Japanese Parliament is expected to approve the agreement later this fall and it could be implemented as early as Jan. 1, 2020.

Listen to these comments and those from others present at the meeting below – watch it on the White House YouTube channel.
President Trump, farmers and ranchers on Japan deal

White House transcript

AFBF, AgWired Precision, Audio, Beef, Biofuels, Corn, Ethanol, NCBA, NPPC, Pork

Precision Ag Bytes 9/25

Carrie Muehling

  • Farm Market iD’s updated, in-season data now includes this season’s “lost acres”. In total, 17.4 million crop production acres have been lost in key broad-acre states compared to 18 million acres reported by USDA in the same states. Lost acres include fields and acres that are normally planted and now have a failed crop, were never planted or contain a cover crop.
  • New and emerging mycotoxins can now be analyzed by the Alltech 37+® Laboratory. In total, five new mycotoxins have been added to the testing panel, bringing the total number of detectable mycotoxins to 54.
  • SVG Ventures and Forbes announced SwineTech, an Iowa-based startup, and BinSentry, a Canadian-based startup, are both winners of the THRIVE Midwest Challenge and recipients of the 2019 THRIVE-Forbes Innovation Icon Award at the Forbes AgTech Summit in Indianapolis.
  • Registration is now open for AgGateway‘s Annual Conference, November 4-6 at the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans. More information is available on AgGateway’s 2019 Annual Conference webpage, found under “Events” at www.AgGateway.org.
  • BRANDT, a leading manufacturer of agriculture specialty products, helped Randy Dowdy break the world record for soybean yield at 190.23 bushels per acre using BRANDT’s proprietary nutritionals. This surpasses his previous record of 171 bushels per acre in 2016.
  • The Yield Lab Institute announced Brandon Day as the new Chief Operating Officer effective September 13th, 2019.
Precision Ag Bytes

BASF Launches Operation Weed Eradication

Cindy Zimmerman

It’s time to change the conversation from weed control to on-farm eradication, according to a new strategy announced this week by BASF Agricultural Solutions.

BASF launched Operation Weed Eradication, which calls on growers and partners to take action against troublesome weeds in their fields, through cultural practices, chemical control and enhanced diligence.

“Our approach to on-farm eradication will uproot problem weeds and help secure a sustainable farming future that builds a successful legacy for seasons and generations to come,” said Scott Kay, Vice President U.S. Crop, BASF Agricultural Solutions. “Weed eradication will be a personalized, tailored journey for each grower with different start and end points. BASF will support growers with expertise and continuous innovation to support this journey.”

Operation Weed Eradication takes a balanced approach of utilizing cultural practices such as conventional tillage, chemical control such as rotating chemistries, and eradication diligence such as hand weeding to help growers eradicating troublesome on-farm weeds.

In the coming months, BASF will assemble a coalition of industry leaders, develop a specific eradication customer offering and launch an educational initiative to support its efforts with Operation Weed Eradication.

In this interview, Kay explains why they are taking this approach and how they plan to implement it.
Interview with Scott Kay, BASF Vice President U.S. Crop

Find more photos of Scott Kay and other BASF execs from the Agricultural Solutions Media Event this week in Research Triangle Park, NC in this photo album.
BASF Ag Solutions Media Event photos

Audio, BASF, weed management

ZimmCast 626 – Meet the new Executive Director of the LPC

Chuck Zimmerman

In this week’s program let’s meet Lindsay Graber Runft, Executive Director, Livestock Publications Council, pictured on the left with the LPC Board at the 2019 Ag Media Summit. Lindsay started with LPC in July this year and I met her at the AMS.

Livestock Publications Council BoardLindsay has a solid background in livestock production and association management. As an example, she served as director of marketing and communications of the Livestock Marketing Association (LMA) from 2013 to 2018. She has been principal of Prairie Public Relations since 2018.

“I am incredibly excited, and honored, to accept the role of Executive Director for Livestock Publications Council,” Runft said. “It will be a privilege to further LPC’s purpose of serving the livestock communications industry through collaborative work with Board leadership and membership service.”

You can learn more about Lindsay in the program. I’m looking forward to working with her in the future as she takes over the helm from retired long time friend and director of the LPC, Diane Johnson.

I hope to see you there. Thank you for listening.

Listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 626 - New LPC Executive Director
Subscribe to the ZimmCast by clicking here.

Ag Media Summit, Audio, LPC, Media, ZimmCast

Animal Ag Bites 9/23

Carrie Muehling

  • South Korea has now joined eight other Asian countries in becoming positive for African swine fever.
  • Attendee registration and general housing for the 2020 International Production & Processing Expo is now open. The IPPE trade show floor continues to grow with more than 545,500 square feet of exhibit space and 1,148 exhibitors. Register online and receive a discounted price of $75 through Jan. 10, 2020. Beginning Jan. 11, the registration rate will increase to $125.
  • A new study conducted by veterinary researchers at Kansas State University sheds new light on a threatening swine disease: African swine fever. The research team, headed by Megan Niederwerder, assistant professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine, looks at the degradation of African swine fever virus in animal feed ingredients to understand the potential for disease spread through contaminated feed.
  • U.S. Sens. John Hoeven (R-ND) and Michael Bennet, along with Mike Braun (R-IN) and Tina Smith (D-MN), introduced the Truth in Buffalo Labeling Act, which will provide the U.S. Food and Drug Administration with clear authority to stop water buffalo meat and ingredients from being marketed only as “buffalo” in the U.S. marketplace.
  • Lely North America is proud to present the Future of Dairy Scholarship Program for the fourth year. Five qualified students residing in either Canada or the United States are chosen annually to receive a one-year, $1,000 scholarship.
  • Complementing his many and varied achievements over the course of an extremely successful career, Dr. Karl Dawson, chairman of Alltech’s scientific advisory board, has been inducted into the Animal and Food Sciences Hall of Fame in the Department of Animal and Food Sciences at the University of Kentucky. The annual award, the highest that the department can bestow, recognizes someone who has made outstanding contributions to the department and to Kentucky animal agriculture.
  • The ninth annual National Dairy Council New Product Competition seeks the next innovative dairy product from college students across the United States and Canada. The competition provides a platform for students to bring their knowledge and expertise to dairy product innovation that aligns with current industry and consumer insights. The 2020 competition seeks to uncover ways that connect dairy to consumers’ desire to eat more plant-based foods.
  • The U.S. Poultry & Egg Association has awarded the 2019 Clean Water Award to Pilgrim’s in Sanford, N.C., and Tyson Foods in Seguin, Texas. The award is presented annually to poultry facilities that go above and beyond in their commitment to sustainable wastewater treatment and water reuse.
  • New and emerging mycotoxins can now be analyzed by the Alltech 37+® Laboratory. In total, five new mycotoxins have been added to the testing panel, bringing the total number of detectable mycotoxins to 54. These new additions further increase the understanding of mycotoxin occurrence and the potential risk to animal performance.
  • Visit Zoetis at the World Dairy Expo for a chance to win a grand prize Snap-on® tool chest, first prize Traeger® grill, or second prize $500 Cabela’s® gift card.
  • The National Pork Producers Council applauds the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service for finalizing its New Swine Inspection System.
  • The first FDA-approved generic monensin – available to U.S. beef, dairy, and goat producers as Monovet®90 from global animal health company Huvepharma® – has now also received FDA approval for combination use with other drug feed additive products in the manufacture of Type B and C medicated feeds.
Animal Bites

Past and Current Ag Secretaries Support USMCA

Cindy Zimmerman

All former U.S. Secretaries of Agriculture since President Reagan’s Administration this week announced their support for the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

In a letter to Congressional leaders, former Secretaries John Block (Reagan), Mike Espy (Clinton), Dan Glickman (Clinton), Ann Veneman (W. Bush), Mike Johanns (W. Bush), Ed Shafer (W. Bush), and Tom Vilsack (Obama) underscored the importance of passing USMCA saying, “We need a strong and reliable trade deal with our top two customers for U.S. agriculture products. USMCA will provide certainty in the North American market for the U.S. farm sector and rural economy. We strongly support ratification of USMCA.”

Former Secretaries Vilsack, Glickman, and Block joined Secretary Perdue at USDA for a press conference to talk about their support for USMCA. Watch the press conference by visiting the USDA Facebook page and download the audio here:
USDA Secretaries support USMCA

AgWired Animal, AgWired Precision, Audio, Exports, Trade, USDA

Zimfo Bytes 9/20

Carrie Muehling

  • A celebration of life service on October 26 at the Zionsville (IN) Lions Club will honor the life of Bill Stagg, former Director of Strategic Communications for the National FFA Organization. Bill passed Sept. 6 after a brave battle with esophageal cancer.
  • Syngenta congratulates Adrienne Blakey, bachelor’s student at Oklahoma State University, and Nick Lord, master’s student at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and University, as the national winners of the Syngenta Agricultural Scholarship. They will each receive $6,000 to help meet financial obligations as they pursue their academic and professional goals. As winners in their regions, both Lord and Blakey, as well as six other regional winners, will also each receive a $1,000 scholarship award to support their education. Syngenta selected this year’s winners out of more than 150 applicants who shared stories of how they became #RootedinAg and aspire to inspire future generations in the agricultural field.
  • The American Agri-Women Foundation recently named the recipients of its 5 academic scholarships. The recipients include Brea Hostert of Nebraska, Julie Ann Wadzinski of Wisconsin, Jacqueline Sue Taylor of California, Jenna Louise Le Blanc of Texas and Eliza Ann Hunzeker of Nebraska.
  • Fresh off an acclaimed 2018 national television profile on Discovery’s “Diesel Brothers,” the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council is set for another high-profile appearance, this time with the former star of “Cheers.” Scheduled to premiere on Sept. 24, an upcoming episode of “Advancements with Ted Danson” will spotlight the Council’s recent innovations. The series will air through December, with the first episode airing commercial-free on RFD-TV before being cut into segments for History, Discovery, CNN and CNBC. Check local listings for more information.
  • Nourish Food Marketing is joining forces with AdFarm, creating North America’s first agri-food platform to better serve clients at all steps of the food supply chain.
  • The Association of Equipment Manufacturers announced that it has joined the Tariff Reform Coalition, a new coalition with more than 20 organizations representing U.S. manufacturers, retailers, agricultural and food producers, and other supply chain stakeholders, who have been adversely affected by the increasing use of tariffs.
Zimfo Bytes

Enogen Feed Energizing Livestock Rations

Carrie Muehling

Beef and dairy producers are finding they can increase efficiency by feeding Enogen corn hybrids, which Syngenta originally developed for the ethanol industry.

Enogen hybrids change the corn starch into sugar more quickly and efficiently, and research has shown that it is a similar process that takes place in ruminant animals. Streamlining that process helps the animals to convert that sugar into energy more quickly, making them more efficient producers of beef or milk. That has proven to reduce feed costs for livestock producers.

“In a typical feedlot setting, we’re going to see a gain of about $25 to $27 per head in a finishing cycle in a beef feedlot system, and we’re going to see about a dollar per head per day in a dairy situation,” said Duane Martin, who manages the Agrisure traits portfolio for Syngenta.

Martin said Enogen hybrids are easy to manage compared to other specialty hybrids on the market today.

“That’s really the beauty of Enogen feed corn. You don’t have to manage it differently than another elite corn hybrid. These are excellent corn hybrids. We’ve got a full lineup and can likely find an excellent hybrid with the right trait package to fit every farmer’s needs,” said Martin. “Secondly, you plant these, manage them, and harvest them just like you would any other corn hybrid. You do not have to harvest them for grain or silage. You can do either. And then once you feed that corn either as grain or silage, you’re likely to see that five percent efficiency gain.”

He said Syngenta continues to invest about $1.3 billion each year in extensive research to continue to bring new products and technologies that will add value to the marketplace.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Duane here: Interview with Duane Martin, Enogen



Syngenta at the 2019 Farm Progress Show photo album

AgWired Animal, AgWired Precision, Audio, Beef, Dairy, Farm Progress Show, Syngenta, Video

NCBA Announces Leadership Changes

Cindy Zimmerman

After an exhaustive national search, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association has announced Colin Woodall will serve as the association’s new Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Kendal Frazier who announced his retirement earlier this year.

“Colin has served NCBA members for 15 years, and in that time, he has done a great deal for beef producers everywhere. Much of his work and many of the victories registered by NCBA in Washington, D.C., is the result of his ability to build coalitions and bring people together across political divides,” said NCBA president Jennifer Houston.

Woodall joined NCBA in 2004 and has been instrumental in ensuring the interests of NCBA members and the beef community are well represented in the nation’s capital as he has managed NCBA’s efforts in Washington, D.C., for more than a decade. “I am very thankful for the opportunity to lead NCBA and to serve the beef community as the next CEO of the association. American beef producers are the best people I know and although our industry faces many challenges, I am confident we can overcome them,” said Woodall.

NCBA also announced Wednesday that Ethan Lane will serve in the role of Vice President, Government Affairs. In his new role, Lane will guide NCBA’s policy efforts in Washington, D.C., where he has extensive experience advocating on behalf of cattle producers. Lane has been serving as Executive Director of the Public Lands Council and NCBA Federal Lands, which he will continue to do until a successor is in place.

“While this news may sound sudden or unexpected to some, please rest assured that it comes on the heels of a great deal of discussion, care, and planning,” said Lane. “For my part, I am not even planning to change offices during this transition. I’m taking on new responsibilities but I’m not going anywhere. I will have the same phone number, same email address, and same availability. Our industry’s substantive progress on issues will continue unhindered by this change.”

AgWired Animal, Beef, Beef Checkoff, NCBA