Precision Ag Bytes 2/13

Carrie Muehling

  • Marrone Bio Innovations Inc., a leading developer of biological crop protection and plant health solutions, is offering a pair of products – Haven® for Plant Health and Regalia® Biofungicide – to serve California almond growers as market demand for almonds continues to boom around the globe.
  • Valent U.S.A. LLC announced the launch of MycoApply® EndoPrime® SC – a liquid formulation of the company’s leading soil enhancement product, MycoApply EndoPrime. Applied in-furrow, MycoApply EndoPrime SC contains four unique species of mycorrhizal fungi that help improve soil health, nutrient efficiency, drought tolerance and maximize yield potential throughout the season.
  • January 2019 saw increases in U.S. sales of self-propelled combines and 4-wheel-drive tractors as well as total U.S. 2-wheel-drive tractor sales compared to January last year, according to the latest data from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. U.S. 4-wheel-drive tractor sales gained 38.2 percent in January compared to last year and U.S. January self-propelled combine sales grew 14.5 percent. View the full report here.
  • Results are in for World Ag Expo’s® Top-10 New Products Competition, sponsored by Bank of America. The winners will be showcased February 12-14, 2019, during the World Ag Expo® in Tulare, California.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes

National Cotton Council Announces Leaders, Intentions

Carrie Muehling

The National Cotton Council (NCC) named its leaders for 2019 and also shared planting intentions for the coming growing season at the group’s annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas.

The group announced results of its 38th Annual Early Season Planting Intentions Survey, which show that U.S. cotton producers intend to plant 14.5 million cotton acres this spring. That number is up 2.9 percent from USDA’s December 2018 estimate.

Mike Tate of Huntsville, Ala., will serve as NCC chair and Kent Fountain of Surrency, Ga., will be vice chair for 2019.

Elected as NCC vice presidents are Kirk Gilkey, ginner, Corcoran, Calif., and Ron Harkey, warehouser, Lubbock, Texas. Re-elected as vice presidents are: Robert Lacy, Jr, cottonseed processor, and Kevin Brinkley, marketing cooperative executive, both from Lubbock, Texas; Joe Nicosia, merchant, Cordova, Tenn.; and David Hastings, textile manufacturer, Mauldin, South Carolina. Re-elected as secretary-treasurer is Barry Evans, a producer from Kress, Texas.

Elected to the NCC Board during segment caucuses were: Producers – Neal Isbell, Muscle Shoals, Ala.; Patrick Johnson, Tunica, Miss.; Shawn Holladay, Lubbock, Texas; Doyle Schniers, San Angelo, Texas; and Mark McKean, Riverdale, California. Ginners – Wesley Morgan, New London, N.C.; Curtis Stewart, Spade, Texas; George LaCour, Morganza, La.; Tom Pires, Riverdale, Calif.; and Drake Perrow, Cameron, South Carolina. Warehousers – Joe Tillman, Memphis, Tenn.; Jay Cowart, Altus, Okla.; Coalter Paxton, Wilson, N.C.; Joe Cain, Bakersfield, Calif., and Robert Swize, Corpus Christi, Texas. Merchants – Jordan Lea, Greenville, S.C.; Raymond Faus, Plano, Texas; William Barksdale and Jeff Johnson, both of Cordova, Tenn.; and Bobby Walton, Memphis, Tennessee. Cottonseed – Paul Scruggs, Overland Park, Kan.; Sammy Wright, Tifton, Ga.; Austin Rose, Altus, Okla.; and John Chisum and Jerrod Drinnon, both of Lubbock, Texas. Cooperatives – Keith Lucas, Lubbock, Texas; Hank Reichle, Greenwood, Miss.; Paul Bush, Glendale, Ariz.; Wayne Boseman, Garner, N.C.; and Reid Nichols, Altus, Oklahoma. Manufacturers – Anderson Warlick and James Martin, both of Gastonia, N.C.; William Bowen , Inman, S.C.; Robin Perkins, Sanford, N.C.; and Owen Hodges, Columbus, Georgia.

AgWired Precision, Cotton

2018 was Tough Year With Big Wins for Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) President and CEO Geoff Cooper told nearly 1,000 National Ethanol Conference attendees today that while the U.S. ethanol industry had a “tough year” in 2018, it “continued to deliver huge wins for consumers,” including lower gas prices, cleaner air, a more secure energy supply, and increased job creation. As part of his State of the Ethanol Industry report, Cooper also outlined RFA’s plans driving future growth and creating new market opportunities for American-made ethanol.

Looking at the long term, Cooper outlined that the RFA’s vision for the future includes not only strengthening the RFS, but also pursuing a high-octane fuel standard. “The RFS and a high-octane, low carbon fuel program are not mutually exclusive,” he said. “Rather, they can work in concert, not in conflict, to assure air quality improvements, carbon emissions reduction, and consumer savings for decades to come.”

Read it here, listen to it and watch it below

RFA president and CEO Geoff Cooper Industry Address

2019 RFA National Ethanol Conference Photo Album


Audio, Ethanol, RFA, Video

Welcome to the 2019 National Ethanol Conference

Cindy Zimmerman

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) 2019 National Ethanol Conference is kicking off today in Orlando with the theme “Powered with Renewed Energy.”

The annual golf tournament and networking tour are underway first off this morning. The tour is visiting Leu Gardens, an amazing 50-acre botanical oasis recognized as an historical landmark in Orlando. The venue includes palms, flowering trees, azaleas, vines, bromeliads and tropical philodendrons.

The annual golf tournament is sponsored this year by Bioleap, which provides innovative technical solutions and complete engineering services to the renewable fuels industry.

RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper got the golf tournament off on a shotgun start and in this interview he talks about what is in store when the conference officially gets underway with the general session on Tuesday morning, including the annual State of the Industry report, which he will be delivering for the first time. Interview with Geoff Cooper, RFA CEO

2019 RFA National Ethanol Conference Photo Album

Audio, Ethanol, National Ethanol Conference, RFA

Animal Ag Bites 2/11

Carrie Muehling

  • The American Feed Industry Association and Feedstuffs announced four category winners for the 2018 Feed Facility of the Year program. AFIA congratulates Famo Feeds of Freeport, Minn., as the winner of the commercial dry livestock feed plant category; Koch Foods of Morton, Miss., as the winner of the integrator category; Quality Liquid Feeds of Clovis, N.M., as the winner of the liquid feed plant category; and Trouw Nutrition of Highland, Ill., as the winner of the premix manufacturing plant category.
  • The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Center for Public Policy released new Cost/Benefit Principles that will help guide its decision-making process on various policy proposals regarding climate change.
  • The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff Program, has announced the winners of its 2019 Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Awards at the 2019 Cattle Industry Convention in New Orleans, La. You can read more on each of the award winners’ operations at https://www.bqa.org/about/bqa-awards.
  • Linda Davis, a cattlewoman from Cimarron, N.M., has received the respected 2019 Swan Family Leadership Award for her decades of service to the cattle and beef industry. The award was made at the Best of Beef Breakfast Feb. 1 during the 2019 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show in New Orleans, La.
  • CattleFax has introduced its annual Cow-Calf Survey. Information requested in the survey provides participants and the rest of the industry with valuable information regarding industry benchmarks and trends. The survey can be accessed here. The deadline to complete the survey is Feb. 28, 2019.
  • CattleFax elected a new slate of officers at this year’s annual business meeting Jan. 31, 2019, in New Orleans, La., held in conjunction with the 2019 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show. The new CattleFax president is Don Quincey of Chiefland, Fla., a 5th generation rancher and cattle feeder in Florida and past president of the Florida Cattlemen’s Association.
AgWired Animal, Animal Bites

New Holland Roll-Belt Balers at NCBA Trade Show

Chuck Zimmerman

During the NCBA Trade Show I visited with New Holland which was just releasing new and improved Roll-Belt Round Balers. Improvements came from a recent Penn State University study on “Bale Density Effects on Baleage Quality.” I talked to Curt Hoffman, New Holland and Jessica Williamson, Extension Forage Specialist, Penn State. Jessica was one of the authors of the Penn State study.

A recent study completed by Penn State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences confirms round bale density leads to improved cattle nutrition and producer return on investment. In the study, New Holland Roll-Belt™ round balers produced the highest-density bales in all tests compared to three leading competitors.

“This research affirms the many benefits of denser bales we have discovered through years in the field,” says Curt Hoffman, hay and forage crop packaging and marketing manager for New Holland, North America. “Not only does higher bale density improve feed quality and lower costs, it improves producer ROI through a variety of efficiency gains.”

The study found that denser bales had greater total acid production and stayed cooler through the fermentation process. This increases the whole-bale bunk life of round bales through reduced spoilage, allowing for the feeding of larger-diameter bales to the same number and size of cattle without waste. Penn State observed up to 25 more hours of bunk life due to higher bale density.

“What research has shown in the past is that with any fermented forage or any ensiled forage, typically the denser you can pack that forage, the better fermentation you’re going to have,” says Jessica A. Williamson, Ph.D., extension forage specialist for Penn State University. “[Better fermentation] overall is going to give you a better-quality product to feed your animals.”

Higher density equates to up to 39 percent fewer bales, resulting in less twine or net wrap used as well as plastic silage film, reduced labor, and less overall baling and bale-moving time in the field.

Learn more in my interview with Curt and Jessica here: Interview with New Holland

2019 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show Photo Album

Official Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show virtual newsroom

Ag Groups, AgWired Animal, Audio, Cattle Industry Conference, New Holland

Ag Retailers Have Busy Week on the Hill

Cindy Zimmerman

The Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) held its annual Board of Directors and Committee Meetings in Washington, D.C. this past week, which included an intense day of visits with Congressional representatives.

ARA also presented its Legislator of the Year award to members of Congress who champion legislation important to the agricultural retail industry and this year the organization recognized Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) with its 2018 Legislator of the Year award. Sen. Wicker is pictured here receiving his award from ARA President and CEO Daren Coppock (left) and chairman Troy Johnson of Wilbur-Ellis.

“We are pleased to honor two very deserving Senators this year with our Legislator of the Year award,” said Coppock. “We are grateful for their dedication and continued support of the agriculture industry.”

Senator Wicker was honored for his support on important industry issues, such as promoting precision agriculture and rural broadband deployment. Sen. Grassley was recognized for his leadership as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. A longtime supporter of agriculture and agriculture retail, this is the second time Sen. Grassley has been honored as ARA Legislator of the Year.

The big news of the week for ARA was the formalizing of an alliance between ARA, The Fertilizer Institute and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to enhance workplace and community safety. “Safety is much larger than one person or one company,” said Coppock. “Safety also means being a good steward – a good steward of the land, business, employees, and the communities in which we operate. This alliance is a positive step for ARA, TFI, and OSHA to work together on an issue that is top of mind for ag retailers.”

Coppock talks about the new alliance and ARA’s week on the Hill in this interview.

Interview with Daren Coppock, ARA CEO
AgWired Precision, ARA, Audio, Precision Agriculture

2019 IFAJ and Ag Media Summit Registration Open

Chuck Zimmerman

Registration is now open for the 2019 International Federation of Agricultural Journalists Congress. This year the theme is “Global Connections in America’s Heartland.” The location is Minneapolis/Bloomington, Minnesota and the dates are July 27-31. You can find information and register here.

Once again the international event will overlap the annual Agricultural Media Summit in the same location and hotel venue. This allows some fantastic networking time between U.S. ag journalists and their counterparts throughout the world. You can just register for the Ag Media Summit if you so choose or better yet do a combined registration from the page I linked to above.

This is an action packed agenda with tours, professional development sessions as well as business meetings and award ceremonies for the participating organizations – AAEA/LPC/IFAJ.

I’ve written about the value to an agricultural journalists that comes from attending an IFAJ Congress before. Nothing has changed. Even though we’ll be right here in the U.S. of A, I have learned so much from interaction with other journalists not only on a professional level but also a cultural one as well. If you have not attended please consider doing so this year. You don’t even have to be a member to register!

So, take a look at the budget and get your registration in for a memorable experience.

ACN, IFAJ, LPC, Media

Zimfo Bytes 2/8

Carrie Muehling

  • Agricultural Research Service (ARS) molecular biologist, Elizabeth Ainsworth, is receiving the National Academy of Science’s Prize in Food and Agriculture Sciences.
  • U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer announced that the USDA, in cooperation with the Office of the United States Trade Representative, is accepting nominations for new members to serve on its agricultural trade advisory committees. Nominations received by Friday, March 1, 2019, will be considered for the next round of appointments.
  • EFC Systems, Inc. announced that Jeremy Wilson has joined EFC Systems as Senior Vice President, Field Data Solutions effective February 1st. In his role Jeremy will lead the division of EFC Systems responsible for the FieldAlytics and AgSolver solutions.
  • UnitedAg, a leader in providing healthcare for the agricultural industry, has officially announced Mike Davidson as the new Associate Vice President of Sales.
  • Evogene Ltd. announced the appointment of Dr. Adrian Percy to its board of directors.
  • The American Soybean Association is now accepting applications for the Ag Voices of the Future program, sponsored by Valent USA. For more information, visit the Ag Voices of the Future page under the “Learn” tab on the ASA website.
  • The American Farm Bureau Federation recently announced Heather Gieseke as managing director, business development. In this role, Gieseke is responsible for establishing and building industry partnerships with agriculture companies and associations, leading the IDEAg sales and marketing teams, and building industry recognition of the various programs and brands brought forth by AFBF.
  • National Farmers Union (NFU) announced the opening of the application period for its Beginning Farmer Institute program class of 2019-2020. NFU encourages new farmers of any age from operations of any size, type or geography to apply for the class.
  • The Farm Credit Council joined with the Rebuild Rural Coalition in sending a letter to Congressional leadership on behalf of rural communities, U.S. agricultural producers, rural businesses and rural families urging them to “move quickly to pass bipartisan legislation to strengthen our nation’s infrastructure.”
  • The Association of Equipment Manufacturers will continue its participation in Commodity Classic, now as a partner and member of the event’s new management committee.
  • This week the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) recognized Senators Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Roger Wicker, R-Miss., with its 2018 Legislator of the Year awards.
  • Oklahoma farm broadcaster Mike Dain passed away February 2. He was 71 years old.
Zimfo Bytes

ZimmCast From Cattle Industry Convention

Chuck Zimmerman

This week’s program contains some audio from last week’s Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show.

After looking at what’s coming up on our calendar I share a couple of excerpts from the press conference with Secretary of Ag Sonny Perdue and then from Terry Bradshaw’s speech. Sonny talks trade and Terry talks cows. I had no idea he had cattle and horses.

After that you can listen to my wrap up interview with Kendall Frazier, CEO, NCBA. Kendall reviews the process NCBA goes through during the year for the business of the organization and talks about priorities for the coming year as well as how this year’s convention wound up. 

I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.

Listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 608 - Cattle Industry Convention

Ag Groups, Audio, Beef, Cattle Industry Conference, ZimmCast