It is Vidalia Onion Season Time

Chuck Zimmerman

For foodies everywhere this is good news. I like all kinds of onions and have always loved Vidalia onions. I cook with them whenever I can. Over the course of a year I use a lot of red, white and yellow onions. But in season, I always select Vidalias.

Get ready to celebrate “The Sweet Life,” Vidalia onion fans! The 2019 Vidalia Onion season has officially begun for the renowned vegetable adored by the world’s best chefs and home cooks alike for its sweet and crisp flavor.

A rite of passage every spring, the sweet juicy bulbs are cultivated by 50 registered growers and are available for a limited time each year from April to August. One of the world’s mildest onions, the way Vidalia onions are grown and raised enhances the onion’s unique taste, sweetness and texture.

“We have had a strong harvest this year and consumers can look forward to a bountiful supply of Vidalia onions to spice up their favorite dishes from salads to desserts,” said Troy Bland, chairman of the Vidalia Onion Committee (VOC), which oversees marketing for the hand-planted and hand-harvested vegetable.

According to Bland, 9,356 acres of Vidalia onions will be harvested this year. Vidalia onions comprise 62 percent of sweet onion sales in the United States and 22 percent of total onion sales.

This year, the VOC is launching a new marketing campaign, “The Sweet Life,” to highlight the unique role Vidalia onions play as a tasteful addition to a dish that help consumers elevate their cooking and entertaining style to make life sweeter and more enjoyable.

Food

Pig Farmers Make 55 Years of Sustainability Progress

Cindy Zimmerman

Just in time for Earth Day, the National Pork Board has released a new study from the University of Arkansas confirming that “today’s pork is more earth-friendly than ever thanks to great progress in multiple key sustainability metrics over more than five decades.”

According to the new study, A Retrospective Assessment of U.S. Pork Production: 1960 to 2015, the inputs needed to produce a pound of pork in the United States have become more environmentally friendly over time. Specifically, 75.9% less land is needed, 25.1% less water and 7% less energy. This also has resulted in a 7.7% smaller carbon footprint (see infographic.)

To save as much water as today’s pig farms do over their predecessors of 50-plus years ago, the average American would have to take 90 fewer showers per year. Likewise, to understand the energy savings accomplished by pig farmers during the study period, a typical household would need to eliminate the use of a refrigerator altogether.

This new Pork Checkoff-funded study used a comprehensive life-cycle assessment approach with a field-to-farm gate approach, including material and energy flows associated with the full supply chain, beginning with extraction of raw materials through production of live, market-weight pigs, including marketed sows.

AgWired Animal, Food, Livestock, Pork, Pork Checkoff, Sustainability

Animal Ag Bites 4/22

Carrie Muehling

  • Vita Plus Loyal has selected a high school senior as a recipient of the 2019 “Our Future is Agriculture” scholarships. This year’s recipient of the Vita Plus Loyal scholarship is Katerina Kolzow of Colby High School.
  • The 68th annual National Breeders Roundtable agenda will include topics addressing Genomic Selection in Turkeys: Conceptual, Theoretical and Applied Aspects; Consumers Flocking Online: Social Media’s Impact on Poultry Breeding; An Introduction to Artificial Intelligence: Applications in Animal Breeding; Precision Feeding: Measuring and Modeling Feed Efficiency; Improving Accuracy of Genome Breeding Values Using a Selected Small Data Set; and more. Registration is now open for the conference, which will be held May 16 -17 at the Hilton St. Louis Airport hotel in St. Louis, Missouri. To view the agenda, register and reserve hotel rooms, visit www.uspoultry.org.
  • The Pork Checkoff has awarded 20 scholarships to college students around the United States as part of its strategy to develop the pork industry’s future human capital. This year’s top scholarship recipients are Jenna Chance and Jadelyn Stewart, who will receive a $5,000- and $3,500-scholarship, respectively.
  • The American Feed Industry Association announced that John Stewart, AFIA’s manager of government affairs for the past two years, will transition to the newly created role of director of membership and stakeholder engagement in early May.
  • The Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER) is proud to celebrate a decade of service to the animal food industry, conducting many high-priority research and education projects that protect the animal food industry’s license to operate and provide scientific-based information to decisionmakers and consumers so they can make informed policy and purchasing decisions.
  • U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that the government of Tunisia and the United States have finalized U.S. export certificates to allow imports of U.S. beef, poultry, and egg products into Tunisia.
  • The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the Public Lands Council announced the launch of a campaign to celebrate the conservation success story of the gray wolf.
AgWired Animal, Animal Bites

Joyn Bio Joins Bayer Facility and Adds Reiter to Board

Cindy Zimmerman

Ag-biotech company Joyn Bio has signed a long-term lease to locate its plant sciences team within Bayer’s Vegetable Seed Facility in Woodland, California to accelerate ongoing research. In addition, the company has appointed Bayer Head of Research and Development for Crop Science, Dr. Robert Reiter, to its board of directors.

The Joyn R&D team in Boston has developed microbial leads engineered to reduce the amount of traditional chemical fertilizer required for growing crops like corn, wheat and rice. Joyn’s microbes enable plants to partially fulfill their nitrogen needs, offering growers a reliable and sustainable alternative. The Woodland site offers the resources, capacity and scale needed to evaluate microbe performance in commercial crop plants.

The new facility – with 12,500 square-feet of lab, office and greenhouse space – is a significant expansion from Joyn’s current tenancy in the Bayer CoLaborator in West Sacramento. The Woodland location complements Joyn’s existing operations at Ginkgo Bioworks in Boston, where Joyn uses the Ginkgo foundries for biological engineering to develop nitrogen-fixing bacteria based on Bayer’s library of more than 100,000 proprietary microbial strains. Between Northern California and Boston, Joyn is now better equipped to leverage the unique resources of its two parent companies, Bayer and Ginkgo, respectively.

Joyn is pleased to welcome Dr. Reiter as its newest board member. “This technology is expanding the way the industry thinks about sustainable agricultural and the deep expertise Joyn’s team brings to the table, coupled with Bayer’s extensive knowledge in microbial products, gives them a real advantage in this space,” said Reiter. “The need for agricultural practices that are good for both the planet and farmers is coming into clearer focus every day. I’m thrilled to be a part of building those solutions.”

Reiter brings nearly 30 years of experience in discovering, developing and delivering innovative R&D approaches in crop science. As a member of Bayer’s executive leadership team, Reiter oversees the crop science research and development pipeline, leading thousands of scientists in building world-class agricultural solutions with the goal of helping farmers grow enough safe and affordable food while protecting the planet.

Agribusiness, AgWired Precision, Bayer, Biotech

Dominate With SEO Meets #GoldenMic

Chuck Zimmerman

One of the folks who stopped by the ZimmComm booth during the Agri-Marketing Conference Connection Point was Sam Romain, Dominate With SEO. Sam’s company is in the Minneapolis area but he has staff working remotely in various places around the country.

His company started out working on search engine optimization but has been moving more into content creation. He says he’s employing the services of more than 30 writers at any given time cranking out 100,000 words/week. As he adds more services for his customers he still goes back to SEO and organic traffic which he says converts better. The company has a three word slogan, “Learn, Rank, Dominate.” In just a few weeks the company will be announcing a new look and brand so keep your eye out for that.

To learn more about Dominate With SEO listen to my interview with Sam here: Interview with Sam Romain, Dominate With SEO

2019 National Agri-Marketing Conference Photo Album

Audio, Internet, Marketing, NAMA

NAFB Grave Markers Available

Chuck Zimmerman

The National Association of Farm Broadcasting has a way to honor deceased members.

NAFB honors deceased members by offering a token of appreciation for their membership and service to farm broadcasting. NAFB members and guests may order grave markers to display on their own gravestones or the grave of a loved one.

These markers also may be displayed in an office, flower garden, or other prominent locations. NAFB grave markers are available in two styles as seen in the image.

Orders may be placed on the NAFB website. The price for either option is $100 each, which includes shipping & handling. Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover are accepted payment methods.

NAFB

Zimfo Bytes 4/19

Carrie Muehling

  • Wrangler® partnered with cotton growers in five states to create a locally-sourced denim collection that honors land stewardship and champions state pride. The Wrangler Rooted Collection™ is a limited, premium line made from 100 percent sustainable, traceable-to-the-farm cotton. Each piece is grown, milled, cut and sewn in the United States, helping to ensure America’s denim heritage for future generations.
  • To help residents, farmers, and ranchers affected by the devastation caused by recent flooding, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has directed the U.S. Department of Agriculture to aid Iowans in their recovery efforts. USDA staff in the regional, state, and county offices are providing a variety of program flexibilities and other assistance to residents, agricultural producers, and impacted communities at large.
  • UnitedHealthcare brought its 4-H Food Smart Families program to the Florida Capitol Courtyard in Tallahassee on April 5. More than 700 4-H youth from across the state, including 4-H Health Ambassadors, participated in the event by motivating Floridians to adopt healthy lifestyles and become ambassadors for better health in their communities.
  • The Collaborative for Fresh Produce is a new non-profit organization that is partnering with commercial farmers and food banks to fight hunger by fighting food waste.
  • AdFarm has been selected as the new North American agency of record for New Holland, a brand of CNH Industrial. AdFarm will serve as the marketing and communications partner for New Holland North America, including their agriculture and construction products.
  • The American Farm Bureau Federation has promoted Paul Schlegel to vice president, public affairs. Schlegel has been handling interim duties in this role since October, overseeing the Public Policy, Economics, Communications and Advocacy & Political Affairs teams.
  • The American Farm Bureau Federation is accepting speaker proposals for the 2020 AFBF Annual Convention & Trade Show in Austin, Texas this January, 17-22, 2020. Submit your proposal by Friday, May 24, 2019.
  • Starting with the May 10 issue, changes will be made to the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates Report (WASDE). To learn more, please see a detailed list of changes and tables that will be modified.
Zimfo Bytes

ZimmCast 614 – Golden ZimmComm Mic Interviews

Chuck Zimmerman

This week’s program features interviews that Cindy and I did during the 2019 Agri-Marketing Conference in Kansas City. The Golden ZimmComm Microphone got a workout!

At the beginning of this episode you can hear from Sheri Seger, DTN/The Progressive Farmer, outgoing NAMA President and Scott McClure, Brighton, incoming NAMA President. After that I’m sharing all of the other interviews we did in our Connection Point booth, which can also be found on the AgNewsWire page for the Conference.

The interviewees include:
Richard Bettison, Beck Ag
Peggy Findlay, Commodity Classic
Kevin Lind, Cornstalk LLC
Marilyn Cummins, Cummins Consulting
Craig Dick, Cropstream
Sam Romain, Dominate with SEO
Gardner Hatch, Woodruff
Janet Adkison, RFD-TV
Greg Lammert, Rhea and Kaiser
John Rozum, AEM
Sally Behringer, New Leaf Marcom
Tom Slunecka, MN Soybeans

We offered free Golden Mic Interviews to whoever stopped by and had quite a few take us up on the offer. You may know some of them and if not, you’ll get to meet them now. And, yes, we were giving away foam Gold Mics!

The winner of our booth drawing for a flex bluetooth keyboard from Zagg was Hanna Plants, Two Rivers Marketing. The winner in the NAMA Foundation Silent Auction for the Beats Pill+ custom colored by Colorware was Brittany Hanson, Bayer CropScience. We thank her for supporting the Foundation.

I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.

Listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast - Golden Mic Interviews From #NAMA19

2019 National Agri-Marketing Conference Photo Album

Audio, Marketing, NAMA, ZimmCast

2019 IFAJ/Alltech Young Leaders Announced

Cindy Zimmerman

The International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) has announced the recipients of this year’s IFAJ/Alltech Young Leaders in Agricultural Journalism Award. The program honors 10 young agricultural journalists and communicators who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in reporting as well as excellent potential as leaders of the industry in the years to come. The honorees were chosen by an international jury among applicants from many of IFAJ’s 50 member countries.

This year’s IFAJ/Alltech Young Leaders are:

Prince Appiah, Multimedia Group, Ltd., Ghana
Moses Bailey, Radio Gbarnga/The Bush Chicken, Liberia
Kasey Brown, Angus Media, United States of America
Marzell Buffler, Landmedien Deutschland, Germany
Melissa Dahlqvist, Swedish Agro Machinery, Sweden
Seedy Darboe, Network of Ag Communicators, The Gambia
Louise Denvir, RTÉ, Ireland
Abi Kay, Farmers Guardian, United Kingdom
Samantha Tennent, Dairy NZ, New Zealand
Angus Verley, Australian Broadcasting Company, Australia

The 10 honorees will attend the 2019 IFAJ Congress in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, in July. The Young Leaders will also participate in a Boot Camp in the days prior to Congress, which includes professional development and networking workshops and farm visits in southern Minnesota.

AgWired Animal, Alltech, IFAJ

GROWMARK FS Expands Reach into Northern New York

Cindy Zimmerman

GROWMARK FS has just acquired Miller Spraying in Lowville, NY, expanding its footprint in the northern regions of New York.

Aaron Miller, who launched Miller Spraying in 2001, will continue in a consultation role and his team will stay on as GROWMARK FS employees.

“As GROWMARK FS explored the opportunity of expanding its reach into the North Country and beyond, we became excited to continue the customer focus that Aaron and his team have fostered,” said GROWMARK FS Atlantic Region Manager John A. Richman. “The customer focused and team-oriented nature of Miller Spraying fits perfectly with that of GROWMARK FS.”

GROWMARK FS is reaching out to customers of Miller Spraying, and looking forward to providing expanded solutions for current and future customers in New York’s North Country.

GROWMARK FS operates more than thirty full service agricultural retail locations throughout New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and Virginia. GROWMARK FS is part of the larger network of GROWMARK, Inc., an agricultural cooperative with annual sales of $8.5 billion providing agronomy, energy, facility planning, and logistics products and services, as well as grain marketing and risk management services throughout North America.

GROWMARK