Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue visited Florida and Georgia to participate in roundtable discussions on USMCA and disaster aid signed by President Trump yesterday.
At his first stop in Tallahassee, Perdue participated in a short press conference with Governor Ron DeSantis after the roundtable.
Listen here:
USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue presser in Florida on disaster aid
A new product from Hubbard Feeds will help with vice behavior in pigs. The AllBite™️ block, officially launched at ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference, helps to stabilize the mood of the pig and also modifies the actual behavior and social aspects of that pen to keep them more comfortable and help them not to pick on each other, said Jamie Pietig, swine nutritionist with Hubbard Feeds.
“What it does is it gives them a behavioral aspect to take their aggression out on something other than a pig. And then the ingredients are also in there to help calm pigs down and it actually kind of moderates neurotransmission in the pigs with what we have in there,” said Pietig, who noted the problem is a production issue, a cost issue and a welfare issue that seems to be gaining in the industry.
He said the product will help in the case of tail biting or ear biting and should be introduced as soon as these types of behavior are displayed. Pietig recommends one block per 25 pigs, and said that should last from one to two weeks in most cases.
Listen to Chuck’s interview with Jamie here: Interview with Jamie Pietig, Hubbard Feeds
Intouchgo came to the market six years ago, pioneering innovations in feed management and dairy herd production.
But the Irish company had begun to see inconsistencies in the data they had built up that were costing farmers production and money. As a result, they’ve made significant changes that make the company more relevant to farmers and add real value throughout the supply chain.
“We are taking milk production data directly in real time, coming from the milking parlor each morning at 9 a.m. We’re getting that data coming in, we’re matching that with our feed ingredient database and we are triggering alerts. So we have built in algorithms and some smart formulas that if milk production or butterfat or protein drops by a certain percentage, we will trigger an automatic alert and that will be sent directly to the farmer’s smartphone. So, it’s a decision making tool in real time and driving real value,” said Martin Minchin, Intouch Marketing Manager, Alltech.
Minchin said a farmer can now look at a notification to see what it means, immediately accept the recommended ration and send that command directly to the mixer wagon for feeding.
“We’ve taken a process, in that case, from 14 days all the way down to five minutes,” explained Minchin, who appreciated the opportunity to be part of Alltech’s Pearse Lyons Accelerator program.
The company hopes to remove costly inconsistencies from milk production using real time data that can drive decisions on the farm.
Listen to Chuck’s interview with Martin here: Interview with Martin Minchin, Intouchgo
This week we’re going to learn all about a new book from Damian Mason titled “Do Business Better – Traits, Habits and Actions to Help You Succeed.” Here’s an excerpt from the book description to get us started.
After speaking to companies such as Merck, Land O’Lakes, and Cargill, and 2,000 audiences across the world, Damian Mason, successful businessman, agriculturalist, podcaster, and writer, wants to help you achieve your entrepreneurial goals and live a better life. While other business books claim to tell you how to reach success, they fall short because they don’t address the fact that success is different for each of us. Do Business Better helps you define success on your terms, then shows you how to achieve it.
AgWired regulars might remember that we’ve featured Damian at several events in the past like the Agri-Marketing Conference, O.H. Kruse customer event, Southern Peanut Growers Conference and Potato Expo. The two subjects he knows best are business and agriculture. He does a great job of mixing those in his stage presentations.
Damian and I not only talk about his new book but some other subjects like how farmers are doing on social media and his thoughts on the current farm economy. He’s also a podcaster with two programs, The Business of Agriculture and just launched in conjunction with his new book, Do Business Better, a Podcast to Help You Succeed. I think you’ll find a lot of common sense in what Damian has to say. We need more of that in today’s world!
You can find Damian’s new book on Amazon or through his website.
That’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Listen to the ZimmCast here: Do Business Better
On Monday the separation of Corteva, Inc. from DowDuPont became official. The photo below is courtesy of the National Corn Growers Association. NCGA President Lynn Chrisp and other commodity group leaders joined Corteva at the New York Stock Exchange to ring the opening bell Monday.
Corteva, Inc. (NYSE: CTVA) successfully completed its separation from DowDuPont, becoming a leading, global pure-play agriculture company that offers the complete solutions farmers need to maximize yield and profitability. Corteva Agriscience launches today with global scale and a balanced offering across seed and crop protection, underpinned by expanding digital capabilities and powered by the broadest and most productive innovation pipeline in the industry.
The distribution of Corteva common stock was completed on June 1, with each DowDuPont stockholder of record receiving 1 share of Corteva common stock for every 3 shares of DowDuPont common stock held as of the close of business on May 24, 2019. DowDuPont stockholders will also receive cash in lieu of any fractional Corteva shares. Corteva common stock begins trading today on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under its new ticker symbol “CTVA”.
“Today marks the launch of a new kind of agriculture company, well positioned to compete and win by providing farmers the complete solution they need for sustainable, long-term growth and improved profitability,” said Jim Collins, Chief Executive Officer of Corteva Agriscience. “As a global leader in the combined $100 billion seed and crop protection market, Corteva Agriscience has the most robust pipeline in the industry, a world-class innovation engine, and advantaged routes to market that provide us with unparalleled customer relationships – all of which will fuel our growth as an independent company and drive value for stockholders. Our more than 21,000 dedicated employees are committed to fulfilling our purpose to enrich the lives of those who produce and those who consume, ensuring progress for generations to come.”
You can find the full announcement about the separation here.
BASF opened its new global Agrochemical Application Research Center (AARC) in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. The facility will help to further optimize stewardship guidelines regarding on-target application of BASF crop protection products used worldwide. Research conducted at the facility will also address application buffer zones for the company’s products as well as specific tank mix combinations.
“The new Research Center will help us bring new technologies to growers that reduce drift, use rates and fulfill required regulatory testing,” said Paul Rea, Senior Vice President North America, BASF’s Agricultural Solutions division. “Additionally, research from the facility will provide our Technical Service teams with guidelines to help educate our customers on proper application and stewardship best practices.”
A tech company based in the United Kingdom is moving into the food and agriculture sector to help improve profit and efficiency in supply chains.
“What Colabriq is doing is helping businesses in food and agriculture make better decisions by having the right information at the right time,” said Jason Cresswell, CEO. “So the key problem every business faces is all that data is spread across lots of different computer systems and a ton of spreadsheets. What we do is we connect all of that data together and connect that data across the end to end supply chain, allowing businesses in the supply chain to coordinate the supply chain from end to end.”
Colabriq has partnered with retailers and processors to form the Poultry Data Alliance, and soon hopes to build out the same sort of collaboration in other areas like dairy and beef. Cresswell said this type of information can help retailers to have a clearer view of what product will be available, and it can also help to eliminate waste that currently exists within the supply chain.
Colabriq is a current participant in the Alltech Pearse Lyons Accelerator.
Listen to Chuck’s interview with Jason here: Interview with Jason Cresswell, Colabriq
Updates to John Deere just announced updates to its Model Year 2020 S700 Series combines including improved automation and data management.
Combine Advisor™ and HarvestSmart™ have been updated to further automate these machines. Combine Advisor uses ActiveVision™ cameras and sensors to identify changes in crop conditions and automatically adjust the combine to maintain the operator’s settings for optimal performance in varying conditions. “In addition, the user interface has been improved, simplifying control for the operator,” Matt Badding, harvesting product manager for John Deere, said.
HarvestSmart feedrate control automatically regulates ground speed during harvest and adjusts settings on-the-go while it maintains a consistent crop load and responds to crop variations. It has been updated to enable the combine to run closer to its power limit by analyzing engine power, load and rotor pressure for optimal efficiency.
To improve data quality and management for customers, John Deere replaced the S700 Series Combines’ moisture sensor with a new sensor that enables improved accuracy for higher-quality data owners can use in their management decisions.
For more information about the latest John Deere S700 Series Combine updates, visit JohnDeere.com or see your local dealer.
