Animal Ag Bites 8/5

Carrie Muehling

  • Zoetis has signed an agreement with Colorado State University (CSU) to establish a research lab at CSU that will explore the livestock immune system and target new immunotherapies – paving the way for new alternatives to antibiotics in food-producing animals. The new 3,000-square-foot Zoetis Incubator Research Lab will operate at the Research Innovation Center on CSU’s Foothills Campus starting in early 2020.
  • Dr. Sacit “Sarge” Bilgili, interim department head of Auburn University’s Department of Poultry Science, was recently recognized with the 2019 Poultry Science Association Distinguished Poultry Industry Career Award, sponsored by U.S. Poultry & Egg Association.
  • USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation announce the completion of a funded research project at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, in which researchers found a practical method to reduce litter moisture. A complete report, along with information on other Association research, may be obtained by going to www.uspoultry.org.
  • Dairy farmers and allied members of the dairy community will join together to cheer on the Green Bay Packers as they take on the Kansas City Chiefs, Aug. 29 at the annual Packer Tailgate Party which is being coordinated by the Dairy Business Association.
  • Vets Plus, Inc., in conjunction with the University of Wisconsin-Stout, recently presented the first-ever international conference on the growing use of nutraceuticals to benefit companion and production animal health. The International Conference on Animal Health Nutraceuticals, or ICAHN 2019, was conducted July 17-19 at UW-Stout’s Memorial Student Center conference facility in Menomonie, WI.
  • Farmers are invited to submit nominations for the 2020 Farm Bureau Farm Dog of the Year contest, brought to you by Purina. The grand prize winner – Farm Bureau Farm Dog of the Year – will win a year’s worth of Purina dry dog food and $5,000 in prize money for his or her farmer to offset travel costs to attend the American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention in Austin, Texas, Jan. 17-22, 2020. The winner will be recognized at the Farm Dog of the Year award ceremony at the convention. Up to four runners-up will win $1,000 each in prize money.
  • While producers have traditionally participated in Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) because it’s the right thing to do, there is sound research that indicates BQA certified producers can benefit financially as well. According to a recent study by the Beef Checkoff-funded BQA program and conducted by Colorado State University, results show a significant premium for calves and feeder cattle sold through video auction markets.
  • The American Feed Industry Association honored Peter Ferket, Ph.D., with the AFIA-Poultry Science Association Poultry Nutrition Award at the PSA Annual Meeting last week in Montreal, Quebec.
  • Jennifer Houston, President of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, joined President Trump and other NCBA officers at a White House signing ceremony for an agreement that will establish a duty-free quota for high-quality American beef in the European Union.
  • The 2019 Cattle Industry Summer Business Meeting in Denver wrapped up with a meeting of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Board of Directors. This year’s meeting saw the rollout of a new NCBA podcast, Cattlemen’s Call, which focuses on the people who make up the beef industry. The podcast is hosted by ag broadcaster Lane Nordlund and can be accessed at https://www.ncba.org/CattlemensCall.aspx.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

Trump Announces Deal to Expand U.S. Beef Exports to EU

Cindy Zimmerman

President Donald J. Trump congratulated members of the nation’s beef cattle industry Friday as the United States and the European Union signed an agreement that is expected to nearly triple the duty-free access for high quality U.S. beef exports to Europe. .

“This is a tremendous victory for American farmers, ranchers, and, of course, European consumers because American beef is considered the best in the world,” said President Trump during the signing ceremony at the White House on Friday. “In year one, duty-free American beef exports to the EU will increase by 46 percent. Over seven years, they will increase by another 90 percent. In total, the duty-free exports will rise from $150 million to $420 million, an increase of over 180 percent.”

Among other beef industry representatives, the president was joined by National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) president Jennifer Houston. “For many years it has been difficult for us to sell our high-quality U.S. beef to European consumers because of the restrictive tariff and non-tariff barriers, but the establishment of this 35,000 metric ton duty-free quota sends the signal to America’s cattle industry that Europe is ready for U.S. beef,” said Houston.

Listen to comments from President Trump, Houston and other participants at the signing ceremony:
US-EU Beef Trade Deal signing

AgWired Animal, Audio, Beef, Exports, NCBA, Trade

GROWMARK Moves Forward with AgValidity

Carrie Muehling

GROWMARK is helping member customers to wade through the new technology available in agriculture with its AgValidity platform.

“Ag Validity is really what we’re calling a platform to test and vet out a lot of this new technology,” said Chris Grogan, GROWMARK media relations manager. “So there are upstart companies, there are companies that have been around, and they are just bombarding the agricultural market with all of these new products, which is great. There’s a ton of new technology out there. What we saw as an opportunity was to use our member companies and all of the experience that we have across our large geographic footprint to really vet out some of these new products and new technology.”

Grogan shared the initiative with participants at the 2019 Ag Media Summit in Minneapolis, and said the company is currently working on more than 20 projects with various businesses around the world to find products and services that will save their members time and money.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Chris here: Interview with Chris Grogan, GROWMARK

2019 Ag Media Summit Photo Album

Ag Media Summit, Audio, GROWMARK, Technology

Zimfo Bytes 8/2

Carrie Muehling

  • Dorothy “Dot” Hubbard was honored posthumously at the 2019 USA Peanut Congress with the American Peanut Council‘s Lifetime Achievement Award.
  • IDEAg Minnesota Farmfest, slated for Aug. 6-8 at Gilfillan Estate in Redwood Falls, Minnesota, will feature a multitude of forums on key ag policy issues including trade, the farm economy and pandemic livestock diseases.
  • BRANDT welcomed Kelley Earnhardt Miller, one of the most prominent women in NASCAR and co-owner of JR Motorsports, and Chris Harbourt, Ph.D., assistant professor at the University of Illinois, to its board of directors.
  • CHS Inc. announced that Tim Skidmore, executive vice president and chief financial officer, is retiring effective December 31, 2019.
  • Invenergy recently announced a historic sponsorship of the National FFA Organization. Invenergy is the first sustainable energy company to establish a nationwide investment of this scale with the organization.
  • Six Mid-South and four Western cotton producers will see cotton and other agricultural operations in Virginia and North Carolina on August 11-15 as part of the National Cotton Council’s 2019 Producer Information Exchange.
  • The delegates of the U.S. Grains Council elected Darren Armstrong, a farmer from North Carolina representing the Corn Growers Association of North Carolina, as chairman of its Board of Directors at its 59th Annual Board of Delegates Meeting.
  • Kubota North America Corporation, the parent for Kubota Tractor Corporation, and Kubota Canada Ltd., previewed the all-new M8 Series. The M8 Series is Kubota’s breakthrough tractor line boasting over 200 horsepower.
  • Registration is now open for the 2019 NAFB Convention. Join more than 650 agricultural industry leaders November 13-15 in Kansas City for three days of learning, newsmaker sessions, networking, and more.
  • The World Food Prize Foundation announced that Dr. Elsa Murano, the Director of the Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture at Texas A&M University, has joined the Council of Advisors.
  • John Deere has added three products to its Frontier equipment lineup including a new rotary tiller portfolio, skid steer carrier adapter and overseeder.
  • Tonya Amen, PhD – Animal Breeding, has been named Executive Director of the non-profit National Center for Beef Excellence in Kansas City, Missouri.
Zimfo Bytes

FMC on Timely Topic of Managing Prevent Plant Acres

Chuck Zimmerman

Brandon Schrage, FMCPrevent plant acres may be record high this year and farmers are having to decide now how to manage that land.

FMC Agricultural Solutions Regional Technical Service Manager Brandon Schrage was at the 2019 Ag Media Summit Info Expo earlier this week talking about how the company is helping farmers managing prevent plant acres with weed control and soil protection. “Cover crops help in a big part but we also want to make sure we manage those cover crops effectively,” said Schrage. “We need to make sure we are controlling those weed species looking forward to the spring.”

Schrage provides more information in this interview which you can watch below or listen to here: IFAJ/AMS19 Interview with Brandon Schrage, FMC


2019 AMS/IFAJ Congress Photo Album

Ag Media Summit, AgWired Precision, Audio, cover crops, FMC, Video

NCBA Launches Cattlemen’s Call Podcast

Cindy Zimmerman

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association launched a new podcast this week during the 2019 Summer Business Meeting to focus on the stories and producers that make the beef industry great.

“Cattlemen’s Call,” hosted by Montana rancher and farm broadcaster Lane Nordlund, will provide an inside look at the issues cattle producers are facing while sharing the stories of their lives and businesses. The first episode focuses on young producers entering into the family farm or ranch and the challenges that come with it.

“Cattlemen and women of all generations have stories to tell and advice to share. The podcast is capturing the conversations that happen each day down at the local café, the stockyards or at the kitchen table,” said Nordlund. “By sharing real, authentic stories of our peers in the cattle business, listeners will no doubt relate to what’s discussed. We can all learn from the guests on the show, share a laugh with them and know that we are all facing challenges in the countryside. There are many stories out there and we can’t wait to share them with you.”

For more information, to listen and subscribe to the podcast, go to NCBA.org/CattlemensCall.aspx.

AgWired Animal, Beef, NCBA, Podcasts

IFAJ in the USA

Cindy Zimmerman

IFAJ officers Lena Johansson, Adrian Bell, Owen Roberts, and Steve Werblow

Some members of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) are continuing their U.S. journey today with tours in California, South Dakota and Minnesota, but most are on their way back to their home countries after the 2019 IFAJ Congress officially concluded Tuesday evening. The international gathering was held in conjunction with the annual Ag Media Summit this year in Minneapolis/Bloomington, MN.

IFAJ started off a week ago with the Young Leaders and Master Class Boot Camp, sponsored by Alltech and Corteva, before welcoming delegates from around the world and getting down to business.

IFAJ president Owen Roberts with the University of Guelph provided his report on the state of the organization and how it has grown. “We’ve gone from 33 member guilds in 2015, changed the constitution, and now we have 50,” said Roberts.

Listen to Owen’s remarks here: 2019 IFAJ President's Report, Owen Roberts

2019 AMS/IFAJ Congress Photo Album

Ag Media Summit, Alltech, Audio, IFAJ

InfoAg Featured Exhibitor – Iteris ClearAg

Cindy Zimmerman

As a global leader in applied informatics for transportation and agriculture, Iteris ClearAg is in the “e-intelligence business,” according to Joel Lipsitch, vice president of sales for the company’s Agriculture and Weather Analytics.

“That means we bring data and analytics of weather and soil to help our customers understand how to manage those variables and optimize their business around those variables,” says Lipsitch. “By managing the environment better and understanding it better we can help with product development, product positioning, risk management, logistics…key parts of their businesses.”

As a B2B company, Iteris ClearAg works with some of the biggest names in agribusiness, including BASF, Syngenta, and Bayer who use their solutions to make farmlands more sustainable, healthy and productive.

Learn more in this interview from last week’s InfoAg Conference. 2019 InfoAg Conference - Interview with Joel Lipsitch, Iteris/ClearAg

2019 InfoAg Conference Photo Album

AgWired Precision, Audio, Info Ag, Precision Agriculture

Coalition Goes to Court Over Biofuel Waivers

Cindy Zimmerman

A coalition of seven agricultural and biofuels organizations is seeking court action to force the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to account for lost biofuel volumes resulting from small refinery exemptions granted by the agency.

The coalition consisting of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), Growth Energy (Growth), National Biodiesel Board (NBB), National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), and National Farmers Union (NFU) had petitioned EPA for redress on this issue in June 2018 but has received no response from the agency. In the petition filed this week, they are asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to lift a stay it placed on the joint 2018 petition asking the court to protect the renewable fuels industry from undue harm caused by EPA.

The coalition had asked for the stay to give EPA time to review its request to reconsider its current regulations. EPA’s response never arrived, but EPA’s statements and actions over the past 13 months indicate that EPA has effectively denied the request. Not content to wait further, the coalition asked the court to step in and restart proceedings.

“Thirteen months have passed since the filing of the petition, without even a proposed substantive response from EPA,” the motion states. “Meanwhile, the Agency has shown through various actions that it is not genuinely considering the Coalition’s administrative petition and has in effect denied it.”

Most of the organizations in the coalition were represented at a public hearing Wednesday in Ypsilanti, Michigan on the proposed rule to set 2020 renewable volume obligations (RVOs) and the 2021 RVO for biomass-based diesel under the Renewable Fuel Standard. Much of the comments from both sides of the issues centered on whether or not EPA should account for renewable fuel volumes waived under small refinery exemptions.

Among those who testified was Renewable Fuels Association chief economist Scott Richman, American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) Communications Director Katie Fletcher, and National Biodiesel Board Chairman Kent Engelbrecht, Vice President of Federal Affairs Kurt Kovarik, and Chief Operating Officer Doug Whitehead.

RFA chief economist Scott Richman hearing testimony

ACE Communications Director Katie Fletcher hearing testimony

National Biodiesel Board hearing testimony

ACE, Audio, Biodiesel, Biofuels, Corn, Ethanol, NCGA, RFA

Companies Partner to Expand Corn Hybrid Choices

Cindy Zimmerman

Benson Hill Biosystems has entered into a partnership with Brownseed Genetics, a Wisconsin-based seed breeder of new corn hybrids that are higher in both oil content and essential amino acids.

The new Brownseed hybrids, developed through conventional breeding methods, yield about 9 percent corn oil – nearly triple the normal production – and are rich in the amino acids lysine and methionine, offering added value for growers, livestock, and ethanol and biodiesel producers.

“Brownseed’s focus on varieties with both quality and productivity benefits can generate greater profitability for growers, livestock producers, and the ethanol industry,” said Matt Crisp, CEO and co-founder of Benson Hill. “Together, through this partnership, we will broaden the Brownseed portfolio so these hybrids can be grown across the Corn Belt.”

“For a small, family-owned company like ours to have access to the powerful technologies that Benson Hill offers would have been unthinkable only a few years ago,” said Charles Brown, CEO, Brownseed Genetics. “These advanced capabilities in predictive breeding and gene editing would have been available only to very large players in the seed industry, I’m pleased that Benson Hill is working with partners like us, across the food chain, regardless of size.”

Benson Hill’s CropOS™ enables researchers to predict, select and secure desirable traits quickly to bring crop and ingredient improvements to market faster.

AgWired Animal, AgWired Precision, Biodiesel, Biofuels, Corn, Ethanol, Feed, Seed