RFA Ethanol Podcast

AgTech PR Introduces Advisory Board

Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

AgTech PR, a global communications firm specializing in agriculture technology, has announced its inaugural Advisory Board of women leaders driving transformative change in agriculture who will provide AgTech PR with industry insights and strategic guidance to help advance the organization’s purpose.

“When I founded AgTech PR, I set out three objectives: to champion technology that adds tangible value to our food system; to collaborate with smart, passionate people; and to help lift up women in agriculture,” said Jennifer Goldston, AgTech PR founder and CEO. “As the agtech landscape advances, the know-how and experience of these advisors will help us continue to build and protect our clients’ brand reputation.”

AgTech PR represents a range of start-ups and scale-ups in ag and food technology. With an ag tech-savvy team skilled in PR, marketing, and digital communications, the company remains steadfast in its commitment to supporting entrepreneurs at every stage of their journey.

Comprised of four independent and diverse members representing the global agriculture and agtech community, the composition of the Advisory Board mirrors the distinct ethos of the company:

Julie Borlaug, Borlaug Foundation & Borlaug Consulting
Bonnie Brayton, Fulcrum Global Capital
Erin Fitzgerald, Erin Fitzgerald Consulting
Sherry Frey, NielsonIQ

“There is a great need for clarity at a time when investments are not yet in line with demand by farmers and consumers,” Goldston said. “With our inaugural Advisory Board, we are creating the freedom and space to learn, adapt and grow as communicators and discover innovative ways to support the future of ag tech.”

AgWired Precision, people, Precision Agriculture, Technology

Liechtenstein Group Invests in PowerPollen

Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

International investment company the Liechtenstein Group, known for its commitment to sustainable agriculture and innovative technologies, is leading a funding round in Iowa-based company PowerPollen, which has developed a unique technology that allows pollen to be collected, preserved, and applied on-demand.

PowerPollen’s patented technology and hardware collects pollen from male plants, and then preserves the viability of the pollen up to four years for future application. Using a custom applicator, the pollen can be applied precisely at the right time and under ideal conditions in the fields. Yield improvements of over 20 percent with corn seeds significantly contribute to improving global food security. Targeted pollination “on demand” reduces the need for male plant rows, leading to reduced land use, as well as lower water and resource consumption.

In recent years, PowerPollen has proven its technology through successful partnerships with industry leaders, such as Bayer and Corteva for corn, and BASF for wheat, and underscores the value of leveraging scale-up innovation, like PowerPollen, to meet the world’s goals for more sustainable food production.

In addition, the Liechtenstein Group has also established a promising joint venture between PowerPollen and RiceTec to advance PowerPollen hybrid rice

Hybrid rice, with a 20 percent or higher yield advantage over conventional pure line varieties, remains a cornerstone of global food security. Traditional rice cultivation poses escalating environmental and economic risks, including groundwater depletion, methane emissions and labor challenges. Enabling better hybrid rice pollination systems has the potential to increase the global rice value and sustainable production.

“We are absolutely convinced of the technology and its importance for more sustainable agriculture and global food security. For RiceTec, our rice seed company, the technology also has enormous potential to further increase the efficiency of this staple food crop for billions of people worldwide,” said Johannes Meran, CEO of the Liechtenstein Group. “Through RiceTec genetics and PowerPollen’s technology, we can unlock untapped efficiencies in hybrid rice production, setting the stage for a significant leap forward in global food security and climate change mitigation.”

pollinators, Rice, Sustainability, Technology

ZimmCast 730 – AWIS and Nitrogen Pulse

Chuck Zimmerman Leave a Comment

ZimmCastHello and welcome to the ZimmCast.

Cindy and I celebrated our 20th anniversary of ZimmComm at the Agri-Marketing Conference in KC, MO. We got to see and talk to many of our friends and clients and talk about the “old” days and what we think is on the horizon. We’ve needed to make changes, go in different directions and learn new skills as so much has changed, most especially just before and through the pandemic years. We’re looking ahead to the future discussing some new ideas and making some changes once again.

In the meantime, I’ll be on my annual retreat the end of the week and right on to Washington, DC for The Future of Food & Farming: The Modern Celebration of Ag on the National Mall, working with AEM. After that I’ll be on the road to the AgGateway Mid-Year Meeting in Des Moines, IA.

So, let’s dive in to this episode with Karl Harker, AWIS and Scot Benson, Nitrogen Pulse. These companies are cooperating on tools for farmers to better manage their nitrogen use, tied into weather data. You can learn more about it in our discussion.

Listen to the episode here:ZimmCast 730 - AWIS and Nitrogen Pulse (33:33)

That’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.

Subscribe to the ZimmCast in:

Agribusiness, Audio, Fertilizer, ZimmCast

Animal Ag News 4/29

Carrie Muehling Leave a Comment

  • To further protect the U.S. livestock industry from the threat posed by highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza, USDA is sharing a number of actions that we are taking with our federal partners to help us get ahead of this disease and limit its spread. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced a Federal Order requiring the following measures, effective Monday, April 29, 2024: Mandatory Testing for Interstate Movement of Dairy Cattle and Mandatory Reporting. The Federal Order may be viewed here.
  • As the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a nationwide order including requiring lactating dairy cows to test negative for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) before interstate transport, the Meat Institute said that properly prepared beef remains safe to eat and called for USDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide worker safety guidance specific to beef processors to ensure workers are protected from infection.
  • National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) President Mark Eisele, a Wyoming rancher, issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) final traceability rule: “USDA’s final traceability rule updates the existing requirement for animal identification that has been in place since 2013, switching from solely visual tags to tags that are both electronically and visually readable for certain classes of cattle moving interstate. Many producers are already familiar with using these visual tags and under the new rule, they will instead use electronic tags. NCBA has worked hard to secure $15 million in funding for producers to reduce the cost of implementing this change. We also remain committed to safeguarding producers’ private data and continuing to reduce the cost of ear tags for farmers and ranchers. Our industry faces a tremendous threat from the risk of a future foreign animal disease on American soil. To avoid devastating financial losses during a potential outbreak and to help producers quickly return to commerce, we need an efficient animal disease traceability system.”
  • The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) announced that applications are now open for two internships that give students an opportunity to support the cattle industry and gain valuable experience. The programs include a public policy internship and a meetings and events internship.
  • The Dairy Business Association, Wisconsin’s leading dairy advocacy organization, announced its 2023-24 legislative awards. More than two dozen lawmakers earned the association’s recognition for their commitment to the state’s nearly $50 billion dairy industry. Representative Travis Tranel, R-Cuba City, received DBA’s 2023-24 Legislative Champion Award, the association’s highest honor, for leading the effort to create the state’s Agriculture Roads Improvement Program.
  • Get ready for a fish-out-of-water journey into the world of dairy farming with Emmy-nominated sketch comedian and actress Vanessa Bayer. Brought to you by U.S. dairy farmers, processors and importers, “Dairy Diaries” premieres on April 22 exclusively on the Roku Channel in the U.S. and takes viewers behind the scenes at Beck Farms, a fourth-generation dairy in upstate New York. Dairy Diaries will be available to stream for free on a Roku device, the Roku mobile app, therokuchannel.com, plus Samsung Smart TV, Amazon Fire TV and Google TV.
  • The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed again that pasteurization of milk consistent with the federal Grade “A” Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO) destroys harmful pathogenic bacteria and other microorganisms, including Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) and other viruses. The data cited by FDA is consistent with many other studies demonstrating that the legally required temperature and time for milk pasteurization will readily inactivate HPAI. Viral fragments detected after pasteurization are nothing more than evidence that the virus is dead; they have zero impact on human health. Further, the federal PMO prohibits milk from sick cows from entering the food supply chain. Milk and milk products produced and processed in the United States are among the safest in the world.
  • FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative proudly announces Mick Homb as the newly appointed General Manager, bringing expertise and a proven track record to lead the cooperative into its next chapter of growth and success.
  • A checkoff-led pilot in Cincinnati schools that offered lactose-free chocolate milk increased consumption and reached students who weren’t drinking milk because of real or perceived lactose intolerance. National Dairy Council (NDC) and American Dairy Association Mideast worked with Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) to offer the country’s first single-serve lactose-free chocolate milk package to six elementary and four high schools in the fourth quarter of 2023. Because of the program’s success, it was expanded to include all 15 CPS high schools through June of this year.
  • Alltech and Archbold formed a strategic research alliance in 2019 to jointly develop beef management approaches, specifically to increase the quality and quantity of beef produced in subtropical regions while maintaining and enhancing the environment. The Archbold–Alltech Alliance brought together scientists from two different disciplines — ecologists from Archbold and ruminant nutritionists from Alltech — to understand the impact that cattle production at Archbold’s Buck Island Ranch has on the ecosystem and the ability to sequester carbon.
    • AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

    DWFI Podcast 35 – Nebraska’s Agtech Innovation Ecosystem

    Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

    Farmers are the original agtech innovators. As the population grows, and water resources become scarcer, there is a need for continued innovation in agricultural technologies, and a ready network to foster and accelerate them.

    The 2024 Nebraska Agtech Innovation Ecosystem Map, jointly published by Water for Food and The Combine AgTech Incubator by Invest Nebraska, outlines the ecosystem for entrepreneurs and all actors to connect with resources in the agtech community.

    In this podcast episode, DWFI Communications Specialist Arianna Elnes talks to program manager for The Combine, Josh DeMers and research program manager Water for Food, Ankit Chandra about Nebraska’s distinct and evolving agtech innovation ecosystem.

    View and download the map at https://waterforfood.nebraska.edu/news-and-events/news/2024/03/dwfi-invest-nebraska-release-2024-nebraska-agtech-innovation-ecosystem-map

    Upcoming Agtech Connect: https://www.agtechconnect.co/

    Listen here or subscribe on your favorite podcast platform:
    DWFI podcast episode 35 23:08

    The Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute (DWFI) at the University of Nebraska was founded with the mission to have a lasting and significant impact on achieving more food security with less pressure on scarce water resources by conducting scientific and policy research, using the research results to inform policy makers, and sharing knowledge through education and communication.

    How to subscribe:

    AgWired Precision, Audio, Precision Agriculture, Technology, Water for Food

    Passing of the NAMA Gavel

    Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

    Outgoing NAMA president John Rozum welcomes new president Laura Svec

    John Rozum, AEM, officially passed on the gavel of National Agri-Marketing Association President to Laura Svec, Corteva Agriscience, at the end of the 2024 National Agri-Marketing Conference last week.

    Thanks to COVID, Rozum ended up serving a record seven years on the NAMA executive committee. “We just held over the board for 2020-2021,” he said. “COVID was a real challenge.”

    Svec, who has conquered some daunting health challenges in the past year, says she has been blessed with work with an amazing executive team. “My personal goal is I would like to find some of that next generation to fall in love with NAMA as our group has,” she said.

    Outgoing NAMA president John Rozum, AEM
    NAMA24 John Rozum, AEM - remarks 3:04
    NAMA24 John Rozum, AEM - interview 7:49

    New NAMA president Laura Svec, Corteva Agriscience
    NAMA24 Laura Svec, Corteva - remarks 6:26
    NAMA24 Laura Svec, Corteva - interview 2:44

    2024 National Agri-Marketing Conference Photo Album

    Audio, NAMA

    Industry Ag News 4/26

    Carrie Muehling

  • Nominations are now open for the Dr. Norman E. Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application, Endowed by The Rockefeller Foundation. This accolade acknowledges exceptional achievements in international agriculture and food production based on scientific research and application. With a focus on individuals under the age of 40, the award comes with a $10,000 prize. Nominations close on June 15, 2024.
  • American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) final rule to designate perfluorooctnoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), the two most common per- and polyfluoralkyl substances (PFAS), as hazardous materials under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA).
  • America’s farmers and ranchers are leading the way in greenhouse gas emission reduction through voluntary conservation efforts and market-based incentives. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2022. The report shows American agriculture reduced emissions by almost two percent from 2021 to 2022, the largest decrease of any economic sector.
  • American Agri-Women (AAW) announced the success of the 2024 Mid-Year Meeting in the beautiful hills of Manhattan, Kansas. Each year in April, American Agri-Women hosts a Mid-Year Meeting for those interested in discussing current agricultural issues and policies and voting to create AAW’s Position Statements for that upcoming year, which is the basis for American Agri-Women Fly-In to Washington, D.C. in June each year.
  • The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) hosted a contest at the 2023 National FFA Convention. As part of this event, students could enter to win the opportunity to have agriculture influencer Rob Sharkey, known to many as “The SharkFarmer,” visit their school. This year’s winner was Dayton High School, located in Dayton, Oregon.
  • Firestone Ag, a business of Bridgestone Americas, has opened entries for its 2024 Rock the Crop Sweepstakes exclusively to chapters of the National FFA Organization (FFA) in celebration of the 80th anniversary of Firestone Ag partnership with FFA. In its third year, the Rock the Crop Sweepstakes will bring a private concert with Nashville-based country artist Hailey Whitters to one lucky FFA chapter.
  • U.S. Wheat Associates and the National Association of Wheat Growers are pleased that U.S. wheat farmers can help increase global food assistance under a new U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funding program announced.
  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the appointment of 32 members to Potatoes USA’s Board of Directors. The appointees include 30 producer members and two importers, each filling three-year terms that will expire Feb. 28, 2027.
  • Sunsweet Growers Inc. has announced a significant change in its leadership. Brad Schuler, a highly accomplished veteran of the company, has been elevated to the role of Chief Executive Officer. This promotion marks a pivotal moment for Sunsweet as it nears its 110th anniversary and seeks to aggressively widen the margin of its position as the world’s premier dried fruit brand.
  • Recently the Food and Agriculture Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) at the University of Missouri released its outlook for U.S. agriculture. The projection is that American sugar production remains strong and is expected to grow, despite challenges seen over the past couple years including factory closures in Sidney, MT, and Santa Rosa, TX. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) continues to update forecasts for this year’s production. USDA currently forecasts a near-record 9.215 million tons of sugar will be produced in the U.S. this year, meeting about 74 percent of U.S. demand with made-in-America sugar supplies. That would keep America the fifth largest producer of sugar in the world, and the third largest sugar importer.

    • 

    Zimfo Bytes

    The Best of NAMA 2024

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Grand Champion: John Deere and Signal Theory

    John Deere was the big winner at the National Agri-Marketing Association “Best of NAMA” awards ceremony at the annual conference this week in Kansas City.

    The Best of NAMA awards program honors the best of the best work in agricultural communications with national winners chosen from regional competitions. There are 63 categories ranging from print to broadcast to social and winners are judged by a panel of agri-marketing professionals.

    Here are the Best of NAMA national winners:

    Grand Champion
    John Deere
    Agency – Signal Theory
    Entry title: Women In Ag “A Different Kind Of Crown” campaign

    Public Relations
    Channel – a Bayer seed brand
    Agency – HLK
    Entry title: Seedsmen Ignite 2023

    Digital
    BASF
    Agency – VML
    Entry title: Layered Residuals Keep Pigweed Away

    Consumer
    IL Farm Families Coalition – IL Beef Assn, IL Corn, IL Farm Bureau, IL Pork Producers, IL Soybean Assn and Midwest Dairy
    Agency – MorganMyers
    Entry title: Illinois Farm Families We Are The 96: The Corporation.

    Specialty
    Environmental Sciences U.S., Inc.
    Agency – HLK
    Entry Title: Share The Spark Project Campaign

    2024 National Agri-Marketing Conference Photo Album

    NAMA

    NAMA Presents Highest Honors

    Cindy Zimmerman

    The National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) presented its three highest honors Thursday for Agribusiness Leader of the Year, Marketer of the Year, and Ag Association Leader of the Year.

    Laura Svec and John Rozem present award to Todd Frazier

    Todd Frazier, Vice President of U.S. Marketing for Corteva Agriscience, is the 2024 Agribusiness Leader of the Year.

    Frazier credits his success to a listening first approach, using each day as an opportunity to strive for newer, better solutions. His career is highlighted by unique experiences with industry-leading companies, including American Cyanamid, DuPont Pioneer and Corteva, lending a broad and diverse perspective that serves him well in his current role as Vice President of U.S. Marketing at Corteva.

    NAMA24 Todd Frazier, Corteva 2:54

    Brian Torrey, Advertising & Marketing Communications Manager at John Deere, is this year’s Marketer of the Year award recipient.

    Torrey has held three key roles in his time at John Deere, overseeing both creative and media activities. During his tenure in these roles, he’s demonstrated a passion for customers that is consistently reflected in the creative work produced, and the relationships he’s built with industry professionals and social media influencers — all while keeping John Deere’s customers and marketing goals top of mind.

    NAMA24 Brian Torrey, John Deere 3:32

    Richard Guebert Jr, Illinois Farm Bureau, is NAMA’s Ag Association Leader of the Year.

    In December 2023, Richard Guebert Jr. took a step back from a 40-plus-year career serving agriculture when he wrapped up the end of his decade-long term as Illinois Farm Bureau President. Guebert spent the last 20 years at the highest level of IFB, serving maximum terms of 10 years as Vice President and 10 more as President. He also served as President of Country Financial, Illinois Agricultural Service Company and the IAA Foundation.

    NAMA24 Richard Guebert Jr, Illinois Farm Bureau 3:35

    2024 National Agri-Marketing Conference Photo Album

    Ag Groups, Agribusiness, Audio, NAMA

    First Golden Mic Awards Presented at NAMA

    Cindy Zimmerman

    AEM’s Curt Blades and John Rozem

    In honor of ZimmComm’s 20th anniversary, we decided to recognize some of the people who have spent the most time talking into the Golden Microphone. Since we have somewhere in the neighborhood of 12,000 interviews from over the years, we narrowed it down to just NAMA members and we still had lots of candidates. Our judging criteria was based on both number of interviews and being among our earliest interviews.

    We will be giving out more Golden Mic awards later this year because there are lots of people we have interviewed even more than the individuals on this first list – such as Bob Dinneen, former President and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association, who we interviewed over 300 times between 2005 and 2019!

    Chuck interviews Tom Slunecka at the 2007 NAMA conference

    Ag Management Solutions and Minnesota Soybean CEO Tom Slunecka was the very first person to be interviewed with the ZimmComm Golden Microphone at the NAMA conference in 2007 and deserves some of the credit for making that our trademark since he encouraged Chuck to use the gold windscreen on the new Heil mic we had just gotten. Slunecka and Curt Blades with the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) received the highest of this first batch of Golden Mic Awards – the coveted gold mic trophy. An additional ten NAMA members received the Golden Mic gold medal. Next we need to come up with some kind of award for the people we have the most photos of in our photo albums! Pretty sure Tom Vilsack would win that one.

    Beth Burgy, Kenna Rathai, and Amy Bradford proudly display their Golden Mic medals

    Here is the complete list of all the 2024 ZimmComm Golden Mic Awards presented at NAMA:

    Tom Slunecka – 26+ interviews since 2005
    Curt Blades – 19 since 2009
    Amy Bradford – 20 since 2011
    Beth Burgy – 12 since 2008
    Sara Steever – 11 since 2010
    Matt Coniglio – 10 since 2007
    John Rozum – 10 since 2008
    Don Tourte – 10 since 2008
    Lynn Henderson – 9 since 2007
    Kenna Rathai – 8 since 2007
    Stephanie Gable – 7 since 2007
    Gardner Hatch – 4 since 2006

    Media, NAMA, ZimmComm Announcement