Animal Ag News 12/4

Carrie Muehling

  • U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced that Nevada has met USDA’s rigorous “at least equal to” food safety standard and will be joining the State Meat and Poultry Inspection (MPI) Program. Nevada’s participation expands local inspection capacity, food safety oversight, and boosts market access for small and very small processors. This vital partnership builds on USDA’s recently released suite of actions to strengthen the American beef industry.
  • Kent Bamford with Bamford Feedyard in Haxtun, Colorado, and Bob Foote with Foote Cattle Company in Bucyrus, Kansas, are the 2026 inductees in the Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame. Honorees will be recognized at the 17th annual banquet on Feb. 4 during CattleCon 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee.
  • The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) announced that Chelsie Keys has been named senior vice president, government relations, succeeding a position held by Dave Carlin who announced his retirement from IDFA earlier this year. Keys comes to IDFA from the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, where she served as policy director for Chairman John Boozman of Arkansas. Keys has been with the Senate Agriculture Committee for a decade.
  • TARGAN, an animal AgTech company delivering next-generation solutions for the global protein production industry, has appointed Lily Parshall Wachter as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). The new leader will direct the company’s financial strategy as TARGAN advances its technology priorities and expands commercially.
  • Creekstone Farms, in conjunction with Marble, is revolutionizing the meat industry’s processing capability using AI-powered automation within their Kansas facility. The addition of Marble’s Pack-Off and Box Verification technologies is reducing inefficiencies, allowing for increased sales opportunities, better decision-making with product-level analytics, and improved customer satisfaction with ​​​​automated ​sorting, ​box verification​,​ and claim traceability.
  • Holstein Association USA’s Board of Directors has approved several updates for the 2026 National Holstein Shows, following recommendations presented during the Association’s Board Meeting held November 19–20 in Louisville, Kentucky. As part of the Show Committee Report, the Board approved a newly developed Holstein Association USA Judges List Code of Conduct. This document provides guidance for all judges who are on the Holstein Association USA Judges Lists and establishes a clear process for addressing ethical matters should they arise. It will be distributed to all judges currently listed on the lists and is available online at holsteinusa.com/shows/judges.html.
  • As disease challenges like highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1), New World screwworm (NWS) and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) continue to mount, biosecurity remains a critical concern for the U.S. dairy industry. A survey of U.S. dairy farms conducted by Farm Journal gives the industry a chance to elevate its overall biosecurity standards. Read the full story about Farm Journal’s biosecurity research here.
  • The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) testified before the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) during a public hearing on the operation of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Becky Rasdall Vargas, senior vice president for trade and workforce policy at IDFA, called on U.S. negotiators to preserve the benefits of USMCA while rectifying violations and operational challenges. In addition to Rasdall Vargas’s oral remarks, IDFA submitted more detailed written comments to USTR in November, providing further recommendations for strengthening enforcement mechanisms, modernizing specific USMCA chapters, and addressing operational shortcomings that have limited the Agreement’s effectiveness. IDFA also continues to provide USTR with ongoing feedback related to U.S. dairy’s concerns with USMCA and participate in coalitions aimed at preserving a trade agreement within North America.
  • The USPOULTRY Foundation has awarded over $330,000 in student recruiting grants to 27 colleges and universities across the U.S. with poultry science or industry-related programs. Among the awardees are Cleveland Community College (CCC) in Shelby, N.C, University of Delaware, Wilkes Community College (WCC) in Wilkesboro, N.C., and Sam Houston State University (SHSU) in Huntsville, Texas.
    • AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

    The Latest from AgGateway

    Cindy Zimmerman

    The AgGateway annual meeting last month in Clearwater, Florida was a great time for members to get caught up on what the organization has accomplished in the past year.

    Chief Technology Officer Jim Wilson says a big focus of AgGateway in the past year has been the growth of the ADAPT Standard, which is being adopted throughout the industry. “We are producing resources that can benefit anybody trying to make data flow better throughout the industry,” said Wilson.

    Interview with Jim Wilson (2:27)

    AgGateway Portfolio Manager Ben Craker provided an update at the meeting on all things MODUS. “Since AgGateway took over stewardship of that, we’ve been working on updating a bunch of the controlled vocabularies in there,” said Craker. “So the main idea is when you send a soil sample into a lab, you know exactly what test the lab used to get the results for how much phosphorus was in your soil. That way when you come back three years later, you make sure you’re getting an apples-to-apples comparison.”

    Craker says they just this year kicked off a working group on Field Operations Controlled Vocabulary. “Everybody’s got their own crop list, nobody’s is the same. One combine might call it maize, one combine might call it corn. Then you got different levels of specificity in there. We came up with a way to really kind of share that crop information and we’re now trying to apply that same component model to field operations,” Craker said.

    Learn more in this interview.
    AgGateway Portfolio Manager Ben Craker (6:35)

    2025 AgGateway Annual Meeting Photo Album

    AgGateway, AgWired Precision, Audio, Precision Agriculture, Technology

    Industry Ag News 12/1

    Carrie Muehling

  • U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) intent to purchase up to $30 million in fresh fruit from American farmers and producers to distribute to food banks and nutrition assistance programs across the country. These purchases are being made through USDA’s authority under Section 32 of the Agriculture Act of 1935 and will assist producers and communities in need. With this action, the Trump Administration is bolstering American prosperity by supporting American agriculture, rural communities, and those in need of nutrition assistance.
  • The National Agri-Marketing Association‘s next webinar is titled Growing Possibility: Building Resilient Leaders – Practical Tools for Addressing Mental Health, Burnout & Leadership with Joe Roberts. Register now for the program on December 4, 2025 at 11 a.m. central.
  • The Renewable Fuels Association announced the addition of two companies, CFO Services and Zero Industrial, as new associate members. Their specialization in incentives and credits and industrial low-carbon electrification, respectively, will give ethanol producers access to cutting-edge financial tools and clean energy technologies that support ongoing decarbonization and operational efficiency efforts.
  • Make plans to attend the 49th annual Georgia Peanut Farm Show and Conference scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, from 8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. at the University of Georgia Tifton Campus Conference Center in Tifton, Georgia. The one-day show is free and open to all farmers and industry representatives to attend.
  • As extreme cold events become more frequent and strain aging electrical grids, farmers and agricultural operations are turning to propane as a reliable, on-farm energy solution. Propane’s ability to operate independently of the grid makes it especially well-suited for winter use, from heating barns and greenhouses to powering backup generators. Severe winter weather is a major driver of U.S. power outages, and the risks are mounting. According to a 2025 Department of Energy Report, blackout risks could grow 100-fold by 2030. Visit Propane.com/Agriculture or contact your local propane supplier to develop a customized winter-readiness plan.
  • In celebration of the International Year of the Woman Farmer, Farm Credit Council has announced an initiative to provide leadership development training to women leaders across the Farm Credit System: Advancing Women in Agriculture through Resilience & Distinction (AWARD). Participants will take part in a groundbreaking leadership experience at Gettysburg in the summer of 2026. Each of the 55 Farm Credit Associations and four banks, representing all 50 states and Puerto Rico, will be invited to nominate one female leader for this distinguished honor. Applications for Farm Credit institutions will open on December 1, 2025, with a nomination deadline of February 28, 2026.
  • New consumer research from The Center for Food Integrity (CFI), and FMI – The Food Industry Association, provides details on how consumers perceive gene editing in food and agriculture and what drives their willingness to buy. The research, “Consumer Acceptance of Gene-Edited Foods,” found that consumers are significantly more open to gene-edited products when the benefits are clear, personal and values-based. When informed about the purpose and process of gene editing purchase intent rose across all categories tested: pork, eggs, tomatoes and bananas.
  • Great leaders build a bridge for future leaders and agriculturists. The Agriculture of America (AFA) Bridge Builder Award recognizes alumni committed to strengthening the future of food and agriculture through connection, collaboration and mentorship. Elizabeth Galbreath garnered her unwavering dedication to shaping the future of agriculture, driven by a passion for investing in the next generation and ensuring emerging talent has a meaningful seat at the table. Galbreath is a dynamic advocate for future talent and serves as a Professional Development Program Manager at BASF, leading initiatives to connect students and emerging professionals to meaningful careers. The Maryland native and proud Virginia Tech graduate pairs deep rural roots with a lifelong passion for service. Galbreath embodies what it means to build bridges that last and uplift the future of agriculture.
  • The American Soybean Association (ASA), the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC), and ASA’s World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) expressed strong support for the America First Trade Promotion Program (AFTPP) recently announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). This initiative, which establishes an estimated $285 million in funding for 2026, offers a timely and strategic opportunity to bolster U.S. soybean export development in non-traditional markets for American farmers.
  • The Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City is honored to welcome Governor Kehoe for remarks on Missouri’s economy, workforce, and the pivotal role of agriculture in the region on Thursday, December 11, 2025 at 11:00 AM at Grand Street Cafe in Kansas City. Seating is limited; advance registration is required.
  • The Georgia Peanut Commission is pleased to announce the hiring of Taylor Arnold as its new executive director, succeeding longtime director Don Koehler, who is retiring after more than four decades of dedicated service to Georgia’s peanut industry.
    • Zimfo Bytes

    Giving Thanks – ZimmComm 2025

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Giving Thanks from ZimmComm 2025Dear Friends,

    We are grateful this year more than ever for the wonderful friends we have made over the years and our travels.

    May God bless you with all good things in abundance during this holiday season, the new year and beyond.

    Peace and glad tidings,

    Chuck and Cindy Zimmerman

    ZimmComm Announcement

    Congrats to NAFB Winners

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Meghan Grebner, NAFB Farm Broadcaster of the Year

    The National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) handed out a ton of awards during the 82nd annual convention last week.

    Meghan Grebner was named Farm Broadcaster of the Year. Grebner, an 18-year media veteran, is broadcast supervisor at Brownfield Ag News, where she oversees the quality and content of the network’s news and radio programming.

    C.J. Miller, assistant news director for Hoosier Ag Today and Michigan Ag Today, received the Horizon Award, which annually recognizes an outstanding broadcaster in his or her first five years of professional broadcasting work.

    Winning the prestigious Doan Award was Michelle Rook, national news and market reporter for Ag Day TV and U.S. Farm Report at Farm Journal.

    Gale Cunningham and Janet Adkison

    Veteran broadcasters Janet Adkison and Gale Cunningham were honored on Thursday evening as 2025 NAFB Hall of Fame inductees. Adkison, a longtime broadcaster who is now director of public affairs and advocacy for the Missouri Farm Bureau, served as NAFB president in 2014. Cunningham, ag director for the Central Illinois Multimedia Group, was the association’s president in 2021.

    · Herb Plambeck Award, recognizing top creative farm broadcast advertising, went to Mick Kjar, AgNews 890 (single ad category) for the North Dakota Livestock Alliance Annual Summit; and Susan Littlefield, American Ag Network (series), for Farming Minds: Mental Health in Agriculture.

    · Broadcast Contest Awards (Audio) first-place winners: Marketcast (Susan Littlefield, American Ag Network); Newscast (Bryce Doeschot, Nebraska); Feature (Bryce Doeschot, Nebraska); Interview (Parker James).

    · Broadcast Contest Awards (Video): First-place winners: Marketcast (AgDay TV); Newscast (Tyne Morgan); Feature (Tyne Morgan); Interview (AgDay TV).

    · NAFB News Service Awards: Editor’s Choice (Joanna Guza, Midwest Communications); Editor’s Choice for Exceptional Merit (Jesse Allen, Agriculture of America); Excellence in Ag Reporting (Parker James, Your Ag Network).

    NAFB

    Precision Ag News 11/25

    Carrie Muehling

  • Mitch Eviston, Meristem Crop Performance founder and CEO, was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2025 National Award winner in the category of Industrials and Energy by Ernst & Young LLP.
  • CEAg World, a Meister Media Worldwide brand and a leading media and events brand in the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) space, announced the winners of the inaugural CEAg World Impact Awards, recognizing individuals driving real progress in Advancing Food Under Cover.
  • Progressive Crop Solutions, a leading agronomy consulting company, announced the successful launch of 21AG, an advanced data synthesis and action planning tool. Available exclusively through Progressive Crop Solutions’ integrated consulting service, 21AG is designed to solve the critical challenge of data fragmentation, enabling farmers across the United States to significantly boost profitability and increase crop yields.
  • The Seed Innovation and Protection Alliance (SIPA) is pleased to announce that Chris Reat assumed responsibilities as Executive Director effective 11/15/2025 to drive expanded business opportunities in the U.S. seed market. A 30-year veteran of the agriculture industry, Chris brings deep expertise in crop inputs, seed, biotechnology, intellectual property protection, and strategic partnerships.
  • From coast to coast, U.S. farmers are finding it increasingly difficult to find reliable labor sources. Our nation’s specialty crop growers are especially challenged to find the right people at critical times for planting, weeding and harvesting fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts. In a new four-part video series, “Agri-Tech Unleashed: Smart Solutions for Global Food Challenges,” Agri-Pulse explores how entrepreneurs and ag tech companies are developing new ways to overcome some of these challenges, while also providing opportunities to upskill their existing workers into even better jobs.
  • CNH’s iconic agriculture brand New Holland has once again set the benchmark for excellence. The New Holland T4.120F Auto Command earned top honors in the Specialized category at the prestigious 2026 Tractor of the Year (TOTY) awards.
  • Nov. 6 marked the official launch of Insure.ag, a next-generation crop insurance agency built to put farmers first. After three years building Aerobotics Crop Insurance Solutions (ACIS), the business has been established as its own independent entity, combining deep expertise in crop insurance, with advanced technology from Aerobotics and CropGuard. Insure.ag’s mission is simple: to make insurance smarter, service sharper, and outcomes stronger for growers across the country. Using aerial data, AI-driven analytics, and historical insights, Insure.ag’s platform helps farmers insure precisely what they grow, creating cleaner policies, fewer disputes, and reduced claim risk.
  • Amidst global challenges — including the escalated need for food and nutrition security under mounting population pressure – the mission of the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute (DWFI) at the University of Nebraska has never been more vital. The institute’s recent annual report marks a year of critical research, capacity building and global thought leadership, and details significant progress across the Institute’s three core focus areas.
    • AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

    GROWMARK Brings Leadership to AgGateway

    Cindy Zimmerman

    As one of North America’s agricultural cooperative systems, serving more than 250,000 individual farmers, GROWMARK is one of the most active companies involved in AgGateway.

    GROWMARK Senior Agronomy Portfolio Technology Manager Zach Leiser says AgGateway’s work is critically important to what they are able to do for their farmer members. “Because our network of companies is so vast, we’ve got a lot of different colored equipment within companies, across companies, and we want to do everything we can to make sure that if we capture something in one piece of equipment, that we can easily transfer that to another one to be utilized for whatever operation needs to take place,” said Leiser during an interview at the recent AgGateway annual meeting.

    Leiser has been personally involved at AgGateway over the years with field boundaries and the new Field Boundary: Obstacles working group. And so it’s trying to help better define what are the things that are going to impact that operation? And what can we do to help facilitate conversations to make sure that we’ve got the big OEM manufacturers working together so ultimately our lives become easier?”

    GROWMARK has a number of staff members involved in AgGateway, including Jacob Crow, GROWMARK’s IT Portfolio Director, who was just elected Chair of the AgGateway Board of Directors at the annual meeting.

    Listen to an interview with Leiser:
    Zach Leiser, GROWMARK (4:54)

    2025 AgGateway Annual Meeting Photo Album

    AgGateway, AgWired Precision, Audio, GROWMARK, Technology

    Animal Ag News 11/24

    Carrie Muehling

  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is excited to highlight the launch of the NEW Unified New World screwworm website, screwworm.gov. This dynamic new site centralizes NWS information available across the federal government and reflects our whole-of-government effort to fight this pest through implementation of Secretary Rollins’ comprehensive five-pronged plan.
  • Gracyn Stevens of Kirklin, Indiana, is the winner of the 13th annual NCBA National Anthem Contest, sponsored by Norbrook®. Stevens will sing the “Star-Spangled Banner” at CattleCon 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee, Feb. 3-5. Online voting by the public determined the winner.
  • More than 270 leaders from across the dairy value chain gathered Nov. 18 for the 2025 Dairy Sustainability Alliance® Fall Meeting, sending a clear message: progress happens faster when the community moves forward together. The meeting drew 28 dairy farmers as well as representatives from cooperatives, processors, brands, research institutions and NGOs, underscoring the strength of collaboration in advancing U.S. dairy’s sustainability leadership. The meeting’s opening session highlighted the release of the 2023-2024 U.S. Dairy Sustainability Report, which tracks industry-wide performance across three priority areas: Advance Well-being, Regenerate the Environment and Care for our Animals and Communities.
  • U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, released a statement expressing disappointment after Tyson Foods announced it will close the beef processing plant located in Lexington.
  • The Meat Institute released an economic study that found the meat and poultry processing industry contributes $57.3 billion to the US economy and provides 584,000 jobs. The entire meat and poultry industry, including livestock production, animal feed, equipment manufacturing, transportation and more contributes $347.7 billion in value to the nation, supporting 3.2 million jobs. The Meat Institute commissioned Decision Innovation Solutions to conduct the economic contribution study. The complete analysis is here. The study and data searchable by state and Congressional district is here.
  • Integrity, ingenuity and the pursuit of excellence earned three farms and one program evaluator this year’s National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program’s Excellence Awards. The awards recognize participants who uphold program values by demonstrating U.S. dairy farmers are committed to producing high quality, wholesome milk. The 2025 FARM Excellence Award recipients are: Animal Care & Antibiotic Stewardship — Bar E Dairy (Land O’Lakes Inc.); Environmental Stewardship – Five Star Dairy Farm LLC (Associated Milk Producers Inc.); Workforce Development — Glezen Farms, LLC (Maola Local Dairies); Evaluator of the Year — Lisa Ford (Cayuga Marketing).
  • Athian announced that it has facilitated $18 million in payments to farmers since 2024, financially rewarding them for implementing emissions-reducing practices, including innovative feed ingredients and alternative manure management. Athian, which was founded in 2022 to connect food companies with farmers in their supply chains to achieve Scope 3 goals, also announced it successfully completed a $4 million Series A funding round. These milestones not only signal the food industry’s continued commitment to sustainability goals but also demonstrate the credibility of Athian’s unique, technology-driven model.
  • The Dairy Business Association announced its 2026 Dairy Strong conference agenda, highlighting impactful session topics and speakers. The conference is set to take place in Green Bay at the KI Convention Center, Jan. 14-15. Dairy Strong will feature keynote speakers: Brett Sciotto, CEO of Idealyst Innovation, and Ben Leibl, Public Relations Specialist for Kwik Trip, Inc., as well as a variety of breakout sessions that explore current topics shaping the future of the dairy community.
  • The U.S. Poultry & Egg Harold E. Ford Foundation, in collaboration with the Poultry Science Association, is pleased to announce the Ph.D. and Vet Student Career Fair, taking place during the 2026 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE). The Career Fair will be held Tuesday, Jan. 27, from 8 – 11:30 a.m. in Room B-401 at the Georgia World Congress Center, in conjunction with the International Poultry Scientific Forum.
    • Uncategorized

    AgGateway Brings Students to Annual Meeting

    Cindy Zimmerman

    L-R: William Leiva-Mercaod, Jenna Kirkland, Omar Abdelmawgoud, Patton Simbeck, Emma Koger, and Tristan Cravens

    Six students from four different universities across the country were able to attend the recent AgGateway Annual Meeting in Clearwater, Florida to learn more about the many career opportunities that agriculture has to offer. AgGateway’s Gateway to Ag Careers program is sponsored by the AgCIO Roundtable with additional support from Syngenta. The students came from schools in Arizona, Illinois, Iowa, and Mississippi and brought a wide range of interests and disciplines to the program.

    The following students participated in the 2025 Gateway to Ag Careers program:
    · Omar Abdelmawgoud, Arizona State University
    · Tristan Cravens, Illinois State University
    · Jenna Kirkland, Arizona State University
    · Emma Koger, Mississippi State University
    · William Leiva-Mercaod, Iowa State University
    · Patton Simbeck, Mississippi State University

    Hear what they thought of the experience:
    Interview with Gateway to Ag Careers Students (4:07)

    2025 AgGateway Annual Meeting Photo Album

    AgGateway, AgWired Precision, Audio, Education

    Progressive Crop Solutions Launches 21AG

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Agronomy consulting firm Progressive Crop Solutions has announced the launch of 21AG, an advanced data synthesis and action planning tool designed to solve the critical challenge of data fragmentation, enabling farmers to boost profitability and increase crop yields.

    Available exclusively through Progressive Crop Solutions’ integrated consulting service, 21AG has the ability to compile all layers of agronomic data, including soil health and weather patterns, variety performance and application history, and study the complex interactions between them.

    “The volume of data farmers collect is immense, but if that data doesn’t translate into clear, profitable action, it’s just noise,” said Lewis Stearns, Founder and Lead Agronomist at Progressive Crop Solutions. “21AG enables our team of agronomists to quickly arrive at the factors most important to improving your farm operation. Powerful software and data science is one piece, but developing a management plan and execution are just as important. Our agronomists are there every step of the way to oversee your path to success.”

    21AG is designed for farmers across the United States and is available exclusively as part of a service package from Progressive Crop Solutions.

    Read more here.

    Agronomy, AgWired Precision, data, Precision Agriculture, Technology