Water for Food Global Conference Proceedings Available

Cindy Zimmerman

The full proceedings of the ninth global conference produced by the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska are now available in print and online.

More than 400 international experts and organizational leaders convened in Lincoln, Nebraska, April 29-30, to discuss “Water for a Hungry World: Innovation in Water and Food Security,” focusing on the next generation of research, smart technology, policy development and best practices that are achieving breakthroughs in this vitally important mission. The conference sessions covered a range of topics focused on ways to approach the global challenge of feeding nearly 10 billion people by 2050, while maintaining freshwater supplies for urban, rural and environmental needs.

The comprehensive proceedings publication includes lots of images from the 2019 Water for Food Global Conference photo album. Great example of how to use content created by ZimmComm at an event!

Water for Food

National Pork Board to Host Swine Innovation Summit

Carrie Muehling

The National Pork Board will host allied industry partners at its first-ever Swine Innovation Summit in Indianapolis on Sept. 17, 2019. The inaugural event is designed to help pork producers and food influencers learn more about emerging technology trends facing today’s food production systems. National Pork Board leaders will then attend the Forbes AgTech Summit, held on Sept. 18 and 19, in ongoing support of AgTech innovation and the THRIVE Midwest Challenge.

Forbes and SVG Ventures-THRIVE are founding partners of the AgTech Summit and partner with AgriNovus Indiana, Corteva, Elanco Animal Health, Land O’Lakes and Purdue University to provide networking and showcase opportunities in the Midwest.

The Summit will focus on emerging technology, new and dynamic business models and consumer behaviors which impact shopping preferences and food choices.

“Today’s consumers literally carry supercomputers in their pockets and have access to information – both accurate and misleading – that they leverage in making on-the-spot purchase decisions,” said Andy Brudtkuhl, National Pork Board’s director of emerging technology. “In the span of a few short hours, we intend to educate today’s pig farmers on what they need to know and how they must adapt to the changing world in which we live.”

As part of its mandate to support pork research, promotion and education, the National Pork Board is offering the conference free of charge to pig farmers, swine veterinarians, authorized academics and allied industry. Interested attendees can see the agenda of the Swine Innovation Summit and register here.

AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Pork, Pork Checkoff, Swine

USMCA by the Farming People

Cindy Zimmerman

Missouri Farm Bureau Federation president Blake Hurst stars in a new video from the organization urging passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Get ready to dance, this one is going viral!


Trade, Video

Precision Ag Bytes 9/4

Carrie Muehling

  • Three Iowa FFA chapters were awarded bragging rights and cash prizes in the Pioneer® brand A-Series Soybeans Big A Challenge. The winning chapters were recognized and their statues displayed prominently at the 2019 Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Illinois. Judges selected Mount Ayr FFA of Mount Ayr, Iowa, as the overall winner of the $2,500 top prize. North Tama FFA of Traer, Iowa, won $1,500 for second place and Wayne FFA of Corydon, Iowa, earned $1,000 for third place.
  • Share the story of how conservation is part of your farm operation and you could be recognized with a Conservation Legacy Award. The awards recognize farm management practices of U.S. soybean farmers that are both environmentally friendly and profitable. More information on past winners of the award and how to submit your application is available in the “About” section under “Awards” on the ASA website. All applications must be submitted by Friday, Sept. 13, 2019.
  • Syngenta and The Cropio Group announced that Syngenta has completed the acquisition of all relevant assets of The Cropio Group, an Ag Tech company with a presence in over 50 countries, but with a primary focus in Eastern Europe. The Cropio platform is an equipment-integrated, end-to-end software solution that provides imaging, recordkeeping, and equipment tracking. Approximately 10 million hectares of crops are currently managed using Cropio.
  • CNH Industrial N.V. announced its agreement to acquire AgDNA, a leader in Farm Management Information Systems.
  • BASF is adding 43 new varieties to their 2020 Credenz® seed lineup. Credenz is now the 10th most planted soybean seed in the U.S., offering over 75 varieties nationally and over 45 varieties for Midwest growers.
  • Syngenta introduced a new $30 million Trait Conversion Accelerator – a highly-automated “controlled environment” corn breeding facility – at its Nampa R&D and seed production facility.
  • Premier Crop Systems® launched their new Data Visualization platform, a part of their three-tier technology strategy. This new platform allows growers to gain key insights that give them the ability to make informed decisions based off economics, seed, crop protection, fertility, operations and management.
  • Valley® Irrigation announced another industry first: the ability to push updates “over the air” to their ICON® control panels. This ag tech advancement is available automatically through the built-in Valley ICON Link.
  • Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc. announced that Dr. Pam Marrone, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, has received the 2019 American Chemical Society Award for Innovation in Chemistry of Agriculture, sponsored by the Agrochemical Division of ACS and BASF Corporation, in honor of outstanding achievements in the discovery, development and commercialization of biopesticides.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes

FieldView Data Drives Better Decisions

Carrie Muehling

Bayer is working to help farmers make better decisions using data with the FieldView platform.

“Farmers today have got tremendous amounts of information whether it’s about what they planted, what they sprayed, the yield that they received and many other aspects of that field and/or the environment,” said John Raines, Global Commercial Lead for The Climate Corporation. “We want to help bring that information together and analyze it to bring back to the farmer information or insights that will help them drive yield or productivity or limit their risk.”

Raines said farmers are adopting data driven technology rapidly, and proprietary algorithms can help them to bring information together and solve problems based on the results. Raines encouraged farmers to get connected with FieldView in order to take advantage of things like seed advisor services, as well as artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with John here: Interview with John Raines, The Climate Corporation, Bayer

Bayer at 2019 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

AgWired Precision, Audio, Bayer, Farm Progress Show

Trade Dominates the Conversation at #FPS19

Cindy Zimmerman

From China and Japan, to Canada and Mexico, trade dominated the conversation at the 2019 Farm Progress Show last week.

It was all President Trump talked about when he spoke with Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on stage with Max Armstrong and Orion Samuelson.

“I can make a quick deal with China, and I can carry that deal into a tremendous amount of agriculture products. Immediately I would be a hero, I would easily win the election. And that would be that, but it would be the wrong deal.” said President Trump. “China targeted our farmers thinking they can get to me because they knew I loved the farmers.”

Listen here:
FPS19 President Trump by phone with Sec. Perdue

Sec. Perdue talked about trade at every stop during Farm Progress Show. Here is a video of a press gaggle after the Illinois listening session.


2019 Farm Progress Show photo album

Audio, Farm Progress Show, Trade, Video

Animal Ag Bites 9/3

Carrie Muehling

  • Amy Kyllo, a 19-year-old college student from Byron, Minn. representing Olmsted County, was crowned the 66th Princess Kay of the Milky Way in an evening ceremony at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds on Aug. 21.
  • A team of food science students from Utah State University won the 2019 Idaho Milk Processors Association new product competition Aug. 10. They not only earned some serious bragging rights, but $10,000, too, at IMPA’s annual meeting in Sun Valley, Idaho, for their grand-prize-winning new product idea — Moogets, a delectable meatless chicken nugget substitute made with breaded, deep-fried paneer cheese. Supported by Dairy West and judged by leading dairy farmers and industry experts, the annual contest challenges universities with strong nutrition and food science programs to create the most promising new food product containing at least 50 percent dairy ingredients.
  • The global outbreak of African swine fever, a disease affecting only pigs with no human health or food safety risks, is growing, with new cases appearing throughout Southeast Asia and China. While there are no reported cases in the U.S., a grant recently awarded to the Swine Health Information Center, with active support from the National Pork Producers Council, aims to start a dialogue between the two regions, sharing veterinary knowledge and ways to prevent the disease from further spreading.
  • Since the installation of its first system in 2002 at Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic in Kent, U.K., the mission of Hallmarq Veterinary Imaging has been to improve the safety, accuracy and availability of MRI diagnostics for the care of recreational and performance horses around the world. Almost two decades later, the world’s first manufacturer of MRI for the standing, sedated horse has installed its 100th system, with more than 100,000 horses scanned at private practices, universities, racetracks and research centers around the world.
  • Industry safety professionals recently gathered in Destin, Florida, to discuss best practices and challenges facing those involved in poultry production and processing. The National Safety Conference for the Poultry Industry, held Aug. 12-14, meets on an annual basis and is sponsored by the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association and the Agriculture Technology Research Program at the Georgia Tech Research Institute.
  • National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Jennifer Houston issued the following statement regarding U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue’s call for an investigation into cattle markets following the recent fire at a Tyson beef processing facility in Kansas. “Today’s announcement by Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue demonstrates the government’s understanding of the extreme strain placed on the cattle industry by the plant fire in Holcomb, Kansas. We encourage USDA to look at all aspects of the beef supply chain and to utilize internal and external expertise in this investigation. We believe it adds transparency that will help build confidence in the markets among cattlemen and women.”
  • The American Dairy Coalition sent a letter to EPA Director Andrew Wheeler requesting he submit a flawed and damaging 2013 EPA nitrate report to attain the science review it never received. The ADC is concerned for the farmers that have already been severely affected by this so called scientific research study report and believes EPA must stop a dangerous precedence from being set which could impact other farmers throughout the U.S. Director Wheeler was also urged to remove the study from further enforcement action and litigation pending the review.
AgWired Animal, Animal Bites

New NK Seed Selection Tool From Syngenta

Chuck Zimmerman

Syngenta Seeds launched a new NK® seed selection tool at the Farm Progress Show that combines artificial intelligence, two decades of agronomic information and a simple user interface, to provide farmers with data-driven seed recommendations.

The NK® Seed Analyzer allows retailers and farmers to proactively plan for weather volatility, soil variability and planting specifications by seeing actual results from numerous sources.

“While you can never control all the factors that affect a growing season, you can set yourself up for the best chance of success by choosing hybrids that perform well in fields like yours, regardless of the weather,” said Joe Bollman, NK corn product manager. “The NK Seed Analyzer injects some much-needed predictability into a process that otherwise is anything but predictable.”

We talked with Bollman about the new tool at FPS. Listen to the interview here or watch it below: Interview with Joe Bollman, NK corn product manager


Syngenta at the 2019 Farm Progress Show photo album

Agronomy, AgWired Precision, Audio, Corn, Farm Progress Show, Sheep, Syngenta, Technology, Video

Biodiesel Industry Seeking Relief

Cindy Zimmerman

Soybean farmers and biodiesel producers are both being impacted by small refinery exemptions (SREs) and the uncertainty of no biodiesel tax credit yet. Illinois farmer Rob Shaffer, American Soybean Association (ASA) director and chair of the organization’s Biodiesel and Infrastructure Committee, brought up the issue during a Farm Progress Show listening session with USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue last week. He also asked about the biodiesel tax credit, which is now lapsed 20 months ago, and got an answer from Rep. Darin LaHood (R-IL-18).
Illinois farmer Rob Shaffer at FPS19 Ag Forum

Leaders of both the National Biodiesel Board and ASA have requested a meeting with President Donald Trump to discuss small refinery exemptions and the RFS but Shaffer said as of last week they had not heard back on that.

In this interview, Shaffer talks about how biodiesel producers have suffered the greatest impact from the administration’s small refinery exemptions and plants from Pennsylvania to Iowa to Georgia and Texas are closing as a result of demand destruction.
Interview with ASA director Rob Shaffer, Illinois

2019 Farm Progress Show photo album

ASA, Audio, Biodiesel, Biofuels, Soybean

Hemp Industrial Park Debuts at #FPS19

Cindy Zimmerman

Hemp has officially arrived as an agricultural commodity with its inclusion as an exhibit at the 2019 Farm Progress Show.

The Hemp Industrial Park featured hemp company and organization exhibitors, daily educational presentations, and examples of products made from hemp. “It’s been an amazing experience all around,” said Erica Stark, executive director of the National Hemp Association. She says that interest in hemp farming has skyrocketed since it was included in the 2018 Farm Bill. “Our phone literally rings off the hook every day,” Stark said.

Stark says they are not sure what the final acreage numbers will be this year, but they expect it to be at least 200,000 – up from 80,000 last year. Listen to my interview with her here:
Interview with Erica Stark, National Hemp Association

Hemp was also a big topic at the Ag Policy Forum listening session with USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue and members of the Illinois Congressional delegation. First generation farmer and executive director of the Illinois Hemp Growers Association Rachel Berry asked about encouraging growth of the hemp fiber market, as opposed to the CBD market. “I’m hopeful we can develop a lot of uses for fiber because otherwise the productivity of the American farmer will crash this market for CBD oil before it gets off the ground,” said Perdue.

Listen here:
Sec. Perdue answers hemp questions during Ag Forum

Also in hemp news during the FPS, USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) announced coverage for hemp grown for fiber, flower or seeds, which will be available to producers who are in areas covered by USDA-approved hemp plans or who are part of approved state or university research pilot programs. RMA Administrator Martin Barbre, an Illinois farmer, was at the show the day the announcement was made.

USDA-RMA Administrator Martin Barbre on hemp crop insurance

2019 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

Audio, Farm Progress Show, hemp, USDA