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

Precision Ag Bytes 9/18

Carrie Muehling

  • Precision Laboratories expands its offering of Irrigation Water Optimizers with the introduction of Stretta™. Stretta is the first plant-derived Irrigation Water Optimizer with fertilizer compatibility. It improves the availability and performance of irrigation water, nutrients, and other soil-applied products throughout the plant root zone, optimizing the growing environment.
  • ADAMA Ltd. and Taranis, announced their global partnership to develop a full service package solution to optimize farming practices and decrease costs through precision agriculture.
  • The Ecosystem Services Market Consortium has received $255,500 from the United Soybean Board to help develop an ecosystem service protocol for the Soy and Corn Belt. In addition to the partnership with USB, ESMC has added six new members to its Consortium. Nestle is joining as a Founding Circle Member, and the American Soybean Association; NativeEnergy; Newtrient, LLC; the Conservation Technology Information Center and World Wildlife Fund are joining as Legacy Partners.
  • AgLaunch will host the Future of Ag Field Day on Thursday, Sept. 19 in Memphis, Tenn. Register here.
  • NRCS is investing in four projects in eight states to protect, restore and enhance over 15,000 acres of wetlands in critical watersheds across the nation.
  • The Soil Health Institute and the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition released the Impact of 2018 Farm Bill Provisions on Soil Health, a comprehensive review of each new provision and its role in advancing soil health, the foundation for regenerative and sustainable agriculture. The report also compares funding for soil health in the 2014 and 2018 Farm Bills.
  • Featuring Charlie Arnot, CEO of The Center for Food Integrity, and Amy te Plate-Church with CFI’s Coalition for Responsible Gene Editing in Agriculture, “Trust in Gene Editing: Your Company’s Future Depends On It,” is scheduled for Wed., Sept. 25, from 1 to 2 p.m. CDT. Registration is free. To register, visit foodintegrity.org.
  • Marrone Bio Innovations Inc. announced the closing of the previously announced acquisition of Finland-based Pro Farm Technologies OY, adding proprietary nutrient and biostimulant technology and products for seed and foliar treatments to its portfolio. In addition, Pro Farm and Corteva Agriscience announced a strategic, long-term exclusive commercial agreement in Europe as part of Pro Farm’s expansion plans.
  • Integrated CBD, an institutional scale and quality supply chain leader for hemp-derived CBD, announced the installation completion of plant-based sensor technology, powered by ag-tech company Phytech, on their approximately 10,000 acre industrial hemp farm in Yuma County, Arizona.
  • SVG Ventures, a Silicon Valley-based venture and innovation firm, announced that Valley® Irrigation, a Valmont® Company, has become the latest Corporate Partner to join its THRIVE Venture & Innovation Platform.
  • The John Deere 6M Tractors, one of the company’s most versatile tractor series in the 110-195 hp range, is getting a significant makeover for 2020.
  • EOS Earth Observing System, the leading retailer for remote sensing satellite data has launched its digital agri platform – EOS Crop Monitoring – for the North American market.
  • Paine Schwartz Partners announced that it has made its first growth equity investment through its Paine Schwartz Food Chain Fund V in Advanced Agrilytics, an agronomics services business with advanced precision analytics capabilities. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes

Can-Am Shows Off New Products at #FPS19

Carrie Muehling

Two 6X6 models were front and center at the Can-Am display during the 2019 Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Ill. Visitors to the show responded positively to both the Defender and Outlander 6X6 vehicles as they saw what the company has to offer in both the agriculture and hunting sectors.

“I think what people really appreciate is the utility function of the new Defender 6X6. You can turn that six foot long bed into a flatbed… just the versatility that it offers over really anything else that we offer,” said Andrew Howard, Can-Am media relations.

Howard said the utility market continues to be a huge focus for Can-Am, and the accessories available are one of the best selling points because they are designed specifically for these machines and are often interchangeable with other Can-Am models.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Andrew here: Interview with Andrew Howard, Can-Am

2019 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

Audio, Can-Am, Farm Progress Show

FMC 3RIVE 3D Update at #FPS19

Cindy Zimmerman

We’ve been following the development and adoption of the 3RIVE 3D® application system from FMC since it was first introduced nearly five years ago and we got the latest update at Farm Progress Show from Nolan Paxton, Precision Platforms regional rep for FMC. Hear it and watch it below.

This revolutionary technology delivers a continuous Zone of Protection™ into the furrow for seedling defense and yield enhancement. Designed with convenience in mind, this precision ag system combines the right amount of product and water, eliminating the need for mixing, measuring and tank agitation. One fill protects up to 480 acres, while using 90 percent less water than traditional liquid systems and carrying 50 percent less weight than granular systems. Fewer refills and less weight translate to consistent high-speed coverage and less risk of compaction.

Interview with Nolan Paxton, FMC Precision Platforms Manager

Audio, Farm Progress Show, FMC, Video

Golden Harvest Announces 2020 Lineup

Carrie Muehling

With full approval of its Agrisure Duracade trait, Syngenta continues to expand the number of choices available to its farmer customers. That’s going to be important for the 2020 growing season, according to Dave Young, head of marketing for the Golden Harvest brand.

“It’s going to be an awful tough economic environment. We all know that and understand it in the seed business,” said Young. “As you’re making your cropping plans for next year, make sure you’re taking a look at what you really need out there. Don’t under trait yourself in the interest of just trying to save some money. Make sure you’re truly giving yourself the protection, as well as the top end yield potential that you really need.”

Young encouraged farmers to reach out to a Golden Harvest seed advisor for help with decisions about the 2020 growing season.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Dave here: Interview with Dave Young, Golden Harvest


Syngenta at 2019 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

AgWired Precision, Audio, Farm Progress Show, Syngenta, Video

GROWMARK Urges Congress to Ratify USMCA

Cindy Zimmerman

Because GROWMARK is a farmer-owned cooperative, its priorities reflect the interests of its farmer members, and right now that number one priority is trade in general and the U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) in particular.

“Having the assurance of the United States Mexico Canada trade agreement passed will be an ultimate priority, hopefully it won’t go much past October,” said Chuck Spencer, GROWMARK/FS Executive Director of Government Relations. “We obviously need to make sure that we do whatever we can to keep the farm economy moving in a very positive direction.”

Spencer says it’s been a rough year for agriculture and getting USMCA passed sooner rather than later will help. He also says that it is more important to work on USMCA than China right now because it is most achievable.

In this interview, Spencer talks about other key issues for agriculture in Congress, including rural broadband internet access and renewing the biodiesel tax incentive.

Interview with Chuck Spencer, GROWMARK government relations

AgWired Precision, Audio, FS System, GROWMARK, Trade

Animal Ag Bites 9/16

Carrie Muehling

  • On September 28 and 29, alpaca business owners throughout North America will celebrate the 12th annual National Alpaca Farm Days. Alpaca Owners Association, Inc. invites you to visit participating member farms and ranches during this fun-filled family event. For a complete list of participating farms and ranches, visit www.AlpacaFarmDays.com.
  • Just 10 years after its inception, the Beef Checkoff-funded Masters of Beef Advocacy (MBA) program celebrated its 15,000th graduate in August. The program was created to equip and engage beef industry advocates to communicate about beef and beef production. It is one of the strongest beef advocacy efforts in the industry.
  • The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, which brings the dairy community together to advance a shared social responsibility platform, is accepting nominations for the ninth annual U.S. Dairy Sustainability Awards. Nominations are open through Nov. 15 and there is no fee to enter.
  • Cargill is joining forces with dairy farmer Tara Vander Dussen, also known as New Mexico Milkmaid, to get more milk to families in need. Inspired by September being Hunger Action Month, Vander Dussen is using her social media following to encourage participation in a fun and light-hearted milk chugging challenge. For every person who posts a video or picture of themselves chugging milk on Instagram, with the hashtag #MilkChugChallenge, and tagging New Mexico Milkmaid, Vander Dussen will donate $1 (up to $500) to www.giveagallon.com throughout the month of September and Cargill with match her donation dollar for dollar.
  • The Archer Daniels Midland Company announced a $2.5-million gift to assist with funding construction of the Feed Technology Center, a key asset that will advance educational and research opportunities within the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois, and will advance animal agriculture and companion animal nutrition across the globe.
  • The time-tested Purina® Omolene® horse feed lineup now contains Outlast® Gastric Support Supplement. This addition to the Omolene® feed line provides gastric support in every meal.
  • The American Feed Industry Association is pleased to announce Joe Harris, Ph.D., executive vice president of Westway Feed Products, as its 2019 Liquid Feed Hall of Fame inductee.
  • R & D Life Sciences, LLC announces it has tapped Nathan Hillis to fill the position of National Sales Director.
  • The National Pork Board announced plans to migrate Pork Checkoff remittances to its online platform. The online Checkoff remittance system is designed to significantly reduce the processing time, paper and other expenses for the Pork Board, while also providing pork producers flexibility with payment options, improve operational efficiencies and create cost savings.
  • Hiland Dairy‘s Strawberry Yogurt made in Wichita, Kansas, Whole Chocolate Milk made in Little Rock, Arkansas, Bulgarian Buttermilk made in Chandler, Oklahoma, Natural Sour Cream made in Norman, Oklahoma, Sassy Salsa Dip made in Omaha, Nebraska and Vanilla Ice Cream made in Tyler, Texas were first-place winners, or “Best of the Best” at the 2019 World Dairy Expo (WDE) Championship Dairy Product Contest.
  • To gather real-world insights into the professional landscape for women in agriculture, Alltech has announced its support of an industry-wide survey. Launched on Sept. 10, this global survey aims to collect feedback about the barriers that impede progress and to identify the resources needed to ensure workplace equality. The survey is open to women and men across all sectors of the agri-food industry, and the results will be revealed at the Women in Food & Agriculture Summit, to be held Dec. 3–4, 2019, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
  • Congressional ratification of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA), allowing the U.S. pork industry to maintain zero-duty market access to two of its largest export markets, remains a top priority for the National Pork Producers Council. More than 120 pork producers from across the country helped spread this and other messages on Capitol Hill this week during NPPC’s Fall Legislative Action Conference.
  • The Dairy Business Association, Wisconsin’s largest dairy lobbying group, applauds three state lawmakers for a new legislative effort to stop the use of misleading labels on imitation milk and other “dairy” products. Legislation proposed by Sen. Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, and Reps. Travis Tranel, R-Cuba City, and Loren Oldenburg, R-Viroqua, would ban the labeling of products as milk or as a dairy product or ingredient if the food is not made from the milk of a cow, sheep, goat or other mammals.
  • To help producers meet the unique nutritional needs of lactating sows, Nedap Livestock Management has introduced Nedap Activator, an add-on to Nedap Farrowing Feeding that automatically drops feed when sows trigger an electronic sensor with their snouts.
AgWired Animal, Animal Bites

Extending the Xtend Soybean Platform

Carrie Muehling

Farmers can look forward to the next generation of the Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System, with approval of Roundup Ready Xtend Flex Soybeans expected in 2020. The current system has helped growers maintain clean fields even in a challenging year, according to Ryan Rubischko, Soybean Portfolio Lead for Bayer Crop Science.

“We know across the Midwest many farmers have had some challenges,” said Rubischko, who was at the 2019 Farm Progress Show. “Planting got delayed because of the wet conditions, and then as planting got delayed, weeds became more of a challenge to deal with. And I think what farmers have really seen is what the value that Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System can provide them in terms of weed control.”

Rubischko said farmers can anticipate wider availability of the next generation system for the 2021 growing season.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Ryan here: Interview with Ryan Rubischko, Bayer

Bayer at 2019 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

AgWired Precision, Audio, Bayer, Farm Progress Show, Soybean

Farmers for Free Trade Rally for USMCA

Cindy Zimmerman

Farmers for Free Trade brought its #MotorcadeForTrade to Washington D.C. Thursday to highlight the importance of ag trade with Canada and Mexico and the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) that Congress will consider to upgrade NAFTA.

Members of Congress and farm leaders discussed how USMCA provides farmers with new market access while maintaining a zero-tariff platform, and stressed the need for Congressional leaders move forward with consideration of the agreement without further delay.

Among those who spoke were House Agriculture Committee Chair Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN) and Ranking member Rep. Mike Conaway (R-TX); U.S. Dairy Export Council CEO Tom Vilsack, AFBF president Zippy Duvall, and National Association of Wheat Growers president Ben Scholz.

Listen to Rep. Peterson kick off the rally here:
Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN) at USMCA Rally

AFBF, Ag Groups, AgWired Animal, AgWired Precision, Audio, Trade

Zimfo Bytes 9/13

Carrie Muehling

  • Corteva Agriscience, together with Des Moines Area Community College, has awarded the first of 25 scholarships created as part of a pilot program announced June 5 to train rural-based students in high-value, high-demand software development and technology skills. Corteva contributed $187,500 to fund 25 scholarships of up to $7,500 each.
  • The National Science Teaching Association and Corteva Agriscience have collaborated to bring new, science-based lesson plans and resources to elementary teachers nationwide. A series of 10 teacher-reviewed lesson plans exploring food and agricultural themes are now available at https://www.nsta.org/corteva.
  • American Vanguard Corporation and AMVAC, an American Vanguard company, welcome Nathaniel Quinn as the marketing manager for the corn, soybean and sugar beet portfolio. In addition, Director of Portfolio and Marketing Communications Management Neil DeStefano has added business development to his responsibilities.
  • The Renewable Fuels Association is pleased to announce that The Greenbrier Companies has joined the organization.
  • Now that sign-up for the 2018 farm law has begun, National Cotton Council staff will be conducting
    farm law education webinars. The dates and times (all Central) are: Thursday, September 19, 8:00 a.m.; Monday, September 23, 8:00 a.m.; Wednesday, September 25, 8:00 a.m.; and Thursday, September 26, 10:00 a.m. For this webinar, guests will need to use Zoom software. To connect, click https://cotton.zoom.us/j/589146147.
  • For the last six years, Culver’s and its Thank You Farmers Project have teamed up with farms from across the country to create beautiful, elaborate corn mazes. This year’s corn maze is at Feltz’s Dairy Store in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, with a design featuring iconic images like a windmill, barn and tractor among the winding maze. Since the creation of the Thank You Farmers Project in 2013, Culver’s has donated over $2 million to advancing agricultural education for FFA and other agricultural organizations. Learn more about this year’s mazes and the Thank You Farmers Project at http://www.culvers.com/thankyoufarmersproject.
  • Learfield IMG College is pleased to announce the addition of Ted Bright to the Brownfield Ag News Sales Team.
  • UPL announced that Adrian Percy is joining the company as Chief Technology Officer for the Crop Protection Business. Percy previously served as Head of Research and Development for the Crop Science division of Bayer, where he held responsibility for internal and open innovation activities in the areas of crop protection chemistry, biologicals, seeds, and traits.
  • The National FFA Organization is answering the need for more highly skilled graduates to fill job openings in the field of agriculture, and nowhere is this more evident than in the organization’s growing membership. The organization announced a record-high student membership of 700,170, up from 669,989 in 2018.
  • National Farmers Union proudly recognized 26 outstanding U.S. Senators and Representatives who have demonstrated leadership and support at the federal policymaking level for family farmers, ranchers and their rural communities. The Golden Triangle Award, the family farm organization’s highest legislative honor, was presented to each recipient this week during NFU’s Fall Legislative Fly-In.
  • Tate & Lyle PLC and Land O’Lakes SUSTAIN announced a major new initiative to help bolster sustainability on 1.5 million acres of U.S.-grown corn. Using best-in-class technology and sustainability solutions from Land O’Lakes SUSTAIN, U.S. Midwest corn farmers will be helped to more effectively target and measure the impact of efforts to protect the environment.
  • To gather real-world insights into the professional landscape for women in agriculture, Alltech has announced its support of an industry-wide survey. Launching on Sept. 10, this global survey, which will be conducted in partnership with AgriBriefing, aims to collect feedback about the barriers that impede progress and to identify the resources needed to ensure workplace equality. The survey is open to women and men across all sectors of the agri-food industry, and the results will be revealed at the Women in Food & Agriculture Summit, to be held Dec. 3–4, 2019, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
  • The theme for the 2020 GROWMARK Essay Contest is: “Describe the ‘Farmer of the Future.’ What tools or skills will he or she need to be successful?” The contest is open to all high school FFA members in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
  • The Ecosystem Services Market Consortium has received $255,500 from the United Soybean Board to help develop an ecosystem service protocol for the Soy and Corn Belt. In addition to the partnership with USB, ESMC has added six new members to its Consortium. Nestle is joining as a Founding Circle Member, and the American Soybean Association; NativeEnergy; Newtrient, LLC; the Conservation Technology Information Center and World Wildlife Fund are joining as Legacy Partners.
Zimfo Bytes