Zimfo Bytes 2/7

Carrie Muehling

  • Throughout February, FFA chapters can apply for the 2020-21 Turn the Bag Blue & Gold program. Sponsored by Mycogen Seeds, this fundraising opportunity with the National FFA Organization is in its fourth year and has raised more than $93,000 for local FFA chapters, state FFA associations and the National FFA Organization. FFA chapters can apply for the program by visiting Mycogen.com/FFA and submitting the online form by March 2, 2020.
  • Del Norte County native, Rose Tryon is a passionate advocate for agriculture and has officially stepped into her new role as president of the California Women for Agriculture.
  • The Agricultural Relations Council is in year four of the ARC/Gardner & Gardner Communications internship program. The 2020 intern host will be Charleston|Orwig in Hartland, Wisconsin. Students interested in applying for the ARC Internship should fill out the 2020 ARC Intern Candidate Application and submit it to sandraorourke@gandgcomm.com by February 21, 2020.
  • The American Farm Bureau Federation is partnering with INTL FCStone to offer Farm Bureau members exclusive discounts on FCStone’s catalog of agricultural risk management tools, which range from customized commodity marketing plans to data management solutions and educational seminars and cover an extensive range of agricultural commodities, from grains and oilseeds to dairy and livestock.
  • The Soil Health Partnership is pleased to introduce Dr. Carrie Roever as the new Data Manager.
  • The National Corn Growers Association’s Annual Report for the 2019 fiscal year is now available online. The report highlights memorable events and victories accomplished in a year characterized by weather and policy challenges.
  • Wayne Stoskopf has joined NCGA’s Washington, D.C. office as Director for Public Policy for Risk Management and Tax. Stoskopf will also serve as lead staff for the Risk Management and Transportation Team.
  • The American Soybean Association is pleased to announce Kyle Kunkler will join ASA’s policy team Feb. 20 as director of government affairs, with a focus on the biotech and crop protection portfolio.
  • The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research and the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance are establishing an Agriculture-Climate Partnershipto unlock the climate-solving potential in farmlands.
  • Two central Florida agriculture industry leaders will be inducted into the 2020 Florida Agriculture Hall of Fame next week. Both men are champions of UF/IFAS Extension and research. John Jackson served Florida agriculture for more than five decades with 38 of those years as a leader in UF/IFAS Extension. Robbie Roberson played a pivotal role in the creation of the UF/IFAS Mid-Florida Research and Education Center in Apopka, including leading efforts to secure funding for the consolidation of research centers throughout the region into one state-of-the-art facility.
  • Ambassador Kip Tom, Permanent Representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture, will speak at the annual dinner of USDA’s 96th Agricultural Outlook Forum, USDA’s largest annual meeting, slated for Feb. 21-22, 2019 in Arlington, Va.
Zimfo Bytes

NCBA Announces 2020 Beef Quality Assurance Award Winners

Cindy Zimmerman

Winners of the 2020 Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Awards were announced this week during the 2020 Cattle Industry Convention in San Antonio, Texas. The awards recognize outstanding beef and dairy producers and marketers who demonstrate high-quality animal care and handling principles and express a strong desire to improve their operations through BQA.

2020 BQA Cow-Calf Award – IX Ranch in Big Sandy, Montana
2020 BQA FARM Dairy Award – Boadwine Farms, Baltic, South Dakota
2020 BQA Feedyard Award – Bledsoe Cattle Company of Wray, Colorado
2020 Marketer BQA Award – Western Video Market (WVM)
2020 BQA Educator Award – Curt Pate

Also announced at the convention this week, five event locations on the Stockmanship & Stewardship Regional Tour, with the next stop in Ontario, Ore. Dates for that session and sessions in Bowling Green, Ky., Durango, Colo., Danville, Ind., and Elko, Nev. have not yet been determined.

In other BQA news from #CattleCon20, the program has updated its online training modules to make them more realistic and useful. The new modules are now available to those who are first becoming BQA certified online and those who are getting re-certified as required after three years.

The Beef Quality Assurance program continues to grow significantly, with more than 100,000 cattle producers now certified through its online learning system. The online option was introduced by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, in early 2017. Since the BQA program was initiated in the early 1990s hundreds of thousands have become BQA-certified through in-person and online training, with an estimated 85 percent of the U.S. fed beef supply now touched by BQA-certified operations.

NCBA Director of Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Chase DeCoite provides an update on the program in this interview.
CIC2020 Interview with Chase DeCoite, Beef Quality Assurance 8:09

Multi-media content from the convention can be found here:
2020 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show Virtual Newsroom

Audio, Beef, Beef Checkoff, Cattle Industry Conference, NCBA

USDA Announces Hemp Crop Insurance Details

Cindy Zimmerman

USDA has announced the availability of two programs that protect hemp producers’ crops from natural disasters.

A pilot hemp insurance program through Multi-Peril Crop Insurance (MPCI) provides coverage against loss of yield because of insurable causes of loss for hemp grown for fiber, grain or Cannabidiol (CBD) oil and the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) coverage protects against losses associated with lower yields, destroyed crops or prevented planting where no permanent federal crop insurance program is available. Producers may apply now, and the deadline to sign up for both programs is March 16, 2020.

“We are pleased to offer these coverages to hemp producers. Hemp offers new economic opportunities for our farmers, and they are anxious for a way to protect their product in the event of a natural disaster,” said Farm Production and Conservation Undersecretary Bill Northey.

Get the details from USDA.

Learn more about the challenges and opportunities of industrial hemp farming in the Midwest in our series of feature interviews from the recent “Heart of America – Agricultural Hemp Classic.”

Cannabis, hemp, USDA

USDA Secretary Chats with NCBA President

Cindy Zimmerman

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue sat down with National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Jennifer Houston on Wednesday to talk about issues important to the thousands of cattle industry representatives attending the 2020 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show, in San Antonio, TX.

The new trade deal with China and the signing of USMCA were big topics of discussion, both on stage and with reporters during a press availability afterward. Secretary Perdue also shared his views on the future of “fake meat” and his preference for a “good old juicy beef burger any day of the week.”

Listen to their conversation.
CIC2020 Secy Perdue and NCBA President Chat

During a press availability, Secretary Perdue answered reporter questions on topics including China and coronavirus, reaction to SOTU, European market potential for beef, USMCA, and more.
CIC2020 Secy Perdue press conference

2020 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show Virtual Newsroom

AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Audio, Beef, Cattle Industry Conference, NCBA, USDA

NCBA Unveils Top Policy Priorities For 2020

Cindy Zimmerman

Top policy priorities for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) in 2020 are focused on implementing and protecting regulatory and trade gains made in 2019, while further advancing progress into new territory.

This year’s priorities include an emphasis on climate policy and policy such as the proposed Green New Deal. NCBA plans to “Continue to push back against misguided climate policies while advancing the U.S. cattle industry’s tremendous environmental record, upholding the U.S. cattle industry as the global model for sustainable beef production.”

NCBA environmental counsel Scott Yager says they also adopted a policy regarding Proposition 12 in California which regulates the size of pens for breeding pigs and veal calves. “It’s concerning on a national level because it effectively regulates other states outside of California,” said Yager. The NCBA Executive Committee approved the filing of an amicus brief to support a lawsuit by American Farm Bureau and National Pork Producers.
CIC2020 Interview with Scott Yeager, NCBA Environmental Counsel 8:40

In the year ahead, NCBA also plans to prioritize the importance of cattle markets — specifically promoting “policy that creates markets free from unfair practices and manipulation both in the fundamental markets and the cattle futures markets.” NCBA Associate Director of Legislative Affairs and Market Regulatory Policy Darryl Blakey discusses that and some other regulatory issues.

CIC2020 Interview with Darryl Blakely, NCBA Legislative Affairs 5:57

2020 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show Virtual Newsroom

AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Audio, Beef, Cattle Industry Conference, NCBA

Precision Ag Bytes 2/5

Carrie Muehling

  • Locus Agricultural Solutions and Nori announced a partnership that provides a pathway for payments to farmers harvesting carbon.
  • GROWMARK recognized several award winners at its 2020 Cooperative Leadership Conference. Lucknow District Co-operative Inc., based out of Lucknow, Ontario, took home the Management Excellence Award. based out of Harriston, Ontario, took home the first-place Performance Improvement Award.
  • Netafim, the global leader in precision irrigation, and Arable Labs, the leader in innovative field-sensing and analytics, have announced collaboration in integrating Arable’s data into Netafim’s automated irrigation and fertigation cloud-based platform, NetBeat™.
  • TerrAvion and Ninja Ag are pleased to announce their partnership combining TerrAvion imagery data in the Ninja Ag system.
  • Reinke Manufacturing, a global leader in irrigation systems and technology, announced the acquisition of Ace Irrigation & Manufacturing to expand its manufacturing operation.
  • Luxxur™ herbicide from Bayer is now available to cereals growers in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming for the 2020 growing season. Classified as a Group 2 herbicide, Luxxur herbicide is formulated with a precise combination of active ingredients optimized to control many grass and broadleaf weeds in spring, winter and durum wheat fields.
  • John Deere held its 7th annual Develop with Deere Conference last week in St. Louis, bringing together nearly 700 Deere dealers, software companies, ag service providers and others from 13 countries to share ideas and learn about the latest digital tools and applications in agriculture.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes

#CattleCon20 Kicking Off

Cindy Zimmerman

Meetings have been underway for two days already in San Antonio as cattle industry representatives have been gathering for the 2020 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show this week. But today is the day it officially gets underway with the opening general session and trade show welcome reception this afternoon.

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association president Jennifer Houston of Tennessee expects a big crowd at the convention this year. “We’re hoping over 9,000 if weather in the Midwest doesn’t affect it,” she said. While that seems like a lot, Houston says it’s really just one big family. “That sounds a little cliched but the beef industry and agriculture as a whole is a family and we’re so small a family compared to the rest of the world that we’ve got to stick together.”

Houston says the industry has had a number of policy and trade victories recently so the mood this week should be upbeat. This morning, the NCBA Executive Committee approved the organization’s top 2020 Policy Priorities, which include issues related to international trade, proper regulation of fake meat, and regulatory reform, and is focused on implementing and protecting the gains made in 2019 while further advancing progress into new territory.

CIC2020 Interview with Jennifer Houston, NCBA president

Press releases, photos, interviews and other audio from #CattleCon20 are all being posted on the official convention virtual newsroom.

2020 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show Photo Album

AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Audio, Cattle Industry Conference, NCBA

USDA Trains Dogs to Hunt Citrus Greening

Cindy Zimmerman

Dogs specially trained by Agriculture Research Service (ARS) scientists have proven to be the most efficient way to detect huanglongbing, better known as citrus greening.

Currently, the only solid hope of curtailing the spread of citrus greening is to eliminate trees with the disease as quickly as possible to prevent further spread. Early detection of the citrus greening pathogen is crucial because trees can be infected and act as a source to spread the disease months or years before showing symptoms that are detectable by the naked eye.

ARS plant epidemiologist Timothy R. Gottwald with the U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory in Fort Pierce, Florida, discovered that dogs can be trained to sniff out the presence of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, the bacteria that causes citrus greening, with greater than 99 percent accuracy.

“We found that, once trained, these dogs were able to identify infected trees within two weeks of the trees being inoculated,” Gottwald said. “The dogs also were able to distinguish the citrus greening pathogen from a variety of other citrus bacterial, viral, fungal, and spiroplasma pathogens, including closely related Liberibacter species.

So far, the program has trained 19 dogs obtained from European breeders of detection canines because of their keen abilities and drive. Learn more from USDA-ARS and watch the video.

Citrus, Research, USDA

Hemp Classic Speaks to ‘Hungry’ Audience

Carrie Muehling

The 2020 Heart of America Agricultural Hemp Classic provided some key information to an audience Missouri Hemp Association Executive Director Bill Cook described as “hungry” when it comes to learning more about the hemp industry.

“I think the big thing that stood out to me is that we have a pretty wise and cautious group of producers that are very proactive, very much want to be involved in the hemp business. They see the hemp plant as a long term play,” said Cook. “I really believe our Midwest growers are going to be up to the task to really make this hemp industry the miracle product that we believe it is. It was a very, very exciting conference.”

Cook said membership in the association has more than doubled in its first year of existence, and the group is expanding with its One Voice program to create a bigger footprint across the Midwest. He expressed excitement about the plan to move next year’s conference to the Western Farm Show for even more exposure.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Bill here: Interview with Bill Cook, Missouri Hemp Association

2020 Heart of America Agricultural Hemp Classic Photo Album

Audio, Cannabis, hemp

Animal Ag Bites 2/3

Carrie Muehling

  • An initial agenda is now available for the Animal Agriculture Alliance’s 2020 Stakeholders Summit, themed Primed & Prepared.
  • The turnout for the 2020 International Production & Processing Expo approached 32,000 poultry, meat and feed industry attendees from all over the world. This year saw an 8 percent increase in the number of buyers. In addition, the show has more than 573,000 square feet of exhibit space and 1,376 exhibitors. Sponsored by the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, American Feed Industry Association and the North American Meat Institute, IPPE is the world’s largest annual poultry, meat and animal food industry event of its kind.
  • U.S. Poultry & Egg Association presented the organization’s annual Lamplighter Award to six individuals at the International Poultry Expo, part of the 2020 International Production & Processing Expo. The award pays tribute to individuals for “sustained and exemplary service” to the poultry and egg industry.
  • Greg Hinton, vice president of sales, Rose Acre Farms, Seymour, Indiana, was elected chairman of the board of directors of U.S. Poultry & Egg Association.
  • MVP Dairy, LLC of Celina, Ohio was recognized as the 2020 Innovative Dairy Farmer of the Year during a special ceremony this week at the International Dairy Foods Association’s Dairy Forum in Scottsdale, Arizona. MVP Dairy is a partnership between two, fourth-generation farm families, the McCarty Family of Kansas and the VanTilburg Family of Ohio.
  • Producer delegates from across the United States will gather in Kansas City, March 4-6, for the annual National Pork Industry Forum. For the full agenda and to register, visit www.porkindustryforum.com.
  • The National Pork Board will host its annual Pork Management Conference, April 20-23, 2020, in Destin, Florida.
  • Strong Animals®, a brand of Ralco announced that its line of natural products designed to enhance the overall health of backyard chicken flocks is now available on Amazon.
  • Mile Four is a new eCommerce store shipping fresh, organic whole grain chicken feed nationwide. Offering subscription and one-time sales, the company is targeting the growing backyard chicken market. The feed starts at $9.00 and customers can save $10 off their first order: https://milefour.com/products/chicken-layer-feed.
  • The National Pork Board announced more than 2 million servings of pork have been donated in the last two months by pig farmers working together to help fight food insecurity in their local communities. The donations – made through the national Hams Across America effort – showcase the pork industry’s commitment to the We CareSM ethical principles, including a focus on community.
  • The American Feed Industry Association and Feedstuffs congratulate Koch Farms of Morton, Miss., for being named the 2019 Feed Facility of the Year.
  • The American Sheep Industry Association handed out a number of awards at its annual convention in Scottsdale, Ariz.
  • Legislation has been introduced in seven state legislatures which would completely prohibit the sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits. To date, these states include Washington, Colorado, New Hampshire, New York, Florida, and Virginia.
  • Nearly 500 ranchers convened at Denver’s Renaissance Hotel for the National Bison Association‘s 25th anniversary convention celebrating the organization’s accomplishments while planning for continued growth in the years ahead.
  • The National Buffalo Foundation has inducted Dave Carter, executive director of the Westminster, CO-based National Bison Association, as the 31st member of the National Buffalo Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame is housed in the National Buffalo Museum in Jamestown, ND.
  • The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and Public Lands Council announced opposition to H.R. 5737, the Voluntary Grazing Permit Retirement Act, introduced by Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA). The bill would require federal land management agencies to permanently end livestock grazing on any allotments where the current permittee has accepted a payout in exchange for relinquishment of their term grazing permit.
AgWired Animal, Animal Bites