ZimmCast 617 – Farmer Veteran Coalition

Chuck Zimmerman

I first heard of the Farmer Veteran Coalition in 2014 but until now, haven’t had an opportunity to learn more and talk with anyone involved. That changed this week when I spoke with founder/director, Michael O’Gorman. 

The Mission of Farmer Veteran Coalition is Mobilizing Veterans to Feed America

We cultivate a new generation of farmers and food leaders, and develop viable employment and meaningful careers through the collaboration of the farming and military communities. We believe that veterans possess the unique skills and character needed to strengthen rural communities and create sustainable food systems. We believe that agriculture offers purpose, opportunity, and physical and psychological benefits.

Michael talks about what motivated him to start the organization and how it has developed. He has examples of individuals who have developed successful farming operations with support from the Coalition. Many farm organizations and agribusinesses are providing assistance and there is room for more.

I think you’ll find Michael very well-spoken and you might want to consider him for your next conference as a speaker.

That’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.

Listen to the ZimmCast here: The Farmer Veteran Coalition

Audio, Farming, ZimmCast

EPA Approves Year Round Sales of 15% Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

Ethanol industry stakeholders are thrilled with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) final rule allowing retailers to sell gasoline containing 15% ethanol (E15) year-round.

“E15 already has a proven track record for saving drivers money at the pump and reducing emissions, and today’s action will ensure that more Americans are able to enjoy those benefits. Year-round E15 will also provide a badly needed long-term demand boost for our industry and America’s farmers, who face a number of daunting challenges today,” said Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Geoff Cooper.

The second part of the rule proposed by EPA regarding Renewable Identification Number (RIN) transparency was scaled back from the original proposal and will now require “public disclosure when RIN holdings exceed specified thresholds” while collecting “additional data to improve market transparency and enhance EPA oversight.”

RFA CEO Geoff Cooper comments on E15 rule

National Corn Growers Association President Lynn Chrisp said, “Farmers are facing some tough times which makes this announcement particularly welcome. We thank President Trump for following through on his promise to rural America and USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue and supporters in Congress for their outspoken commitment to year-round E15.”

“This move to approve the year-round use of E15 in time for the summer driving season provides consumers with more choices when they fill up at the pump, driving demand for our farmers and improving the air we breathe. While the Trump Administration and USDA are expanding the ethanol market in the United States, we continue to fight for more export markets in Brazil, Mexico, China, and other countries across the globe,” said Secretary Perdue.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall says they are also pleased with the EPA action. “Removing outdated barriers and regulations is a commitment that this Administration continues to make good on. As our country has worked on breaking our dependency on foreign oil, our farmers have played a major role in helping us become more energy independent. After years of declining farm income, opening up markets to additional fuel choices for consumers helps create new demand that farmers desperately need.”

American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) CEO Brian Jennings said, “We’re grateful EPA kept the President’s promise to get the rulemaking done on time and we will work to ensure retailers understand their hands are no longer tied by red tape preventing them from offering a lower priced, higher octane E15 fuel to their customers all year starting this summer. For the ethanol industry and farmers, this means greater market access — more ethanol demand over the long term as additional retailers begin offering E15.”

ACE CEO Brian Jennings interview on E15 rule
ACE, AFBF, Audio, Ethanol, RFA

Zimfo Bytes 5/31

Carrie Muehling

  • American Farmland Trust launched the first group of certified Land Access Trainers from the Farms for the Next Generation initiative, which is a nationwide project to address the critical issue of success for the next generation of farmers and ranchers — securing suitable land to start and expand their operations.
  • The Center for Dairy Excellence has named Emily Barge as communications and marketing manager to support the work of both the Center and the Center for Dairy Excellence of Pennsylvania. Isaac Clements, a senior at Penn State University, also joined the Center as an education and communications intern.
  • Women from all walks of life with a passion for agriculture will converge on America’s heartland to be inspired and empowered at this year’s ‘I am FarmHer’ event June 17-19 at the Embassy Suites in Des Moines, IA. Tickets will be available for purchase through June 7 or while supplies last. Registration is now open at IamFarmHer.com.
  • Fifteen agriculture students have been selected as the third class of recipients of the GROWMARK Foundation scholarship. They include: McKenzie Carvalho of Maxwell, Calif.; Michelle Cooney of Deer Grove, Ill.; Tyler Ditchfield of Ottawa, Ill.; Shane Douglas of Waterloo, Ill.; Rebecca Dwyer of Eureka, Ill.; Abigayle Endress of Pearl City, Ill.; Ashley Hagenow of Poynette, Wisc.; Rachel Lokai of Urbana, Ohio; Kendall Lovejoy of Archbold, Ohio; Abbey Schiefelbein of Kimball, Minn.; Jenna Straub of Mahomet, Ill.; Lynne Thomas of Fallston, Maryland; Collin Weltzien of Arcadia, Wisc.; and Courtney Wiedenmann of Coal Valley, Ill.
  • Acting Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Joel Baxley announced that USDA is providing $858 million in loans to upgrade rural electric systems in 17 states. The funding includes $64 million to finance smart grid technologies that improve system operations and monitor grid security.
Zimfo Bytes

A Startup Story – Agrilyst

Carrie Muehling

Increased funding, new board members and a rebranding initiative are among announcements from the cultivation management platform company Artemis, formerly known as Agrilyst.

Founder and CEO Allison Kopf is excited about the $8 million Series A funding round co-led by Astanor Ventures and Talis Capital with participation from existing investors New York State’s Empire State Development Fund and iSelect Fund, which she said will support growth within the company.

“We’re also announcing a renaming of our company to Artemis, which is incredibly exciting,” said Kopf. “It sort of goes in line with the funding, in that we moved forward into the enterprise market around 12 months ago now, and have been growing really heavily with farms that have lots of operations across lots of states, and lots of countries. One of the challenges there is that, by nature, then your workforce is not only English speaking. So, Agrilyst as a name becomes really hard to pronounce in various languages. We wanted to come up with a name that more represented what we do as a business broadly, and also was accessible to our users.”

Kopf also touted the addition of two new board members: former Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Dr. Kathleen Merrigan and Brooklyn Bridge Ventures sole partner and founder Charlie O’Donnell. The company participated in the first Alltech Pearse Lyons Accelerator cohort two years ago.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Allison here: Interview with Allison Kopf, Agrilyst

Alltech Ideas Conference – ONE19 Photo Album

AgWired Precision, Alltech, Audio

RFA Welcomes New Communications Director

Cindy Zimmerman

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) welcomes new Communications Director Ken Colombini to its staff this week. Colombini will work out of RFA’s headquarters in suburban St. Louis and will be responsible for the development and implementation of a broad range of communications strategies and tactics to support RFA’s mission and objectives.

Colombini has been a free-lance communications consultant since 2016, after serving at the National Corn Growers Association for the previous nine years, where he led NCGA’s multiple-award winning communications team and also helped create and lead the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance. This was preceded by communications management experience at Anheuser-Busch and in California state government, where he served as a governor’s speechwriter and as chief communications officer for the California State Parks system. Colombini holds a bachelor’s degree in the liberal arts from Thomas Aquinas College in California.

“As someone who has worked closely with American farmers, I’m very much looking forward to this role, where I can help communicate the real, historic and measurable value of ethanol and other renewable fuels,” Colombini said. “RFA has been an industry leader for nearly four decades, and I’m proud to now be part of the team.”

To get the latest buzz on ethanol, follow RFA on Twitter at @ethanolrfa and Ken Colombini at @kencolombini.

Congrats Ken! We look forward to working with you again – it’s been a long time!

Corn, Ethanol, RFA

Alltech Accelerator 3 – Folium Science

Carrie Muehling

A company based in the United Kingdom is working to reduce the use of antibiotics when it comes to raising livestock.

“Folium’s reason for being is around removing the need for antibiotics in animal rearing,” said Edward Fuchs, co-founder of Folium Science, part of Alltech’s Pearse Lyons Accelerator. “And it’s because our industry is under pressure from the overuse of antibiotics over the last few decades. And this is driving bacterial resistance and could well be as big a problem as cancer in around 30 years time.”

Fuchs said current alternatives in the marketplace are actually driving up costs for our farmers, not allowing the feed efficiencies that they might want, and also increasing mortality. The new technology would not only look at removing the need for antibiotics, but also assist with resetting antimicrobial resistance. He said the technology is applicable across all species and also on plants. Currently the company is focusing its efforts in the poultry industry, and hopes to bring the technology to market sometime in 2020.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Ed here: Interview with Edward Fuchs, Folium Science

Alltech Ideas Conference – ONE19 Photo Album

AgWired Animal, Alltech, Animal Agriculture, Audio

GROWMARK Launches New Website Design

Carrie Muehling

A new website design is enhancing the user experience for GROWMARK customers.

“It is designed to help GROWMARK customers and prospects find the information they need quickly,” said Heather Thompson, manager of digital communications. “Useful tools on the new site include a directory of GROWMARK sales representatives and a locator for GROWMARK crop nutrients terminals.”

The new GROWMARK.com is designed to help users find key sales contacts and locations easily on the home page. In addition, the Careers and News sections are located prominently near the top for ease-of-use.

“GROWMARK is committed to delivering solutions everyday,” said Krista Wolf, manager of brand strategy and marketing communication. “This new platform will help connect our customers to the products and brands they are looking for in an efficient manner.”

GROWMARK’s Digital Communications team designed and tested the site for several months before the launch. It follows the successful relaunch of FSSystem.com.

AgWired Animal, AgWired Precision, GROWMARK, Precision Agriculture, Technology

Alltech Accelerator 2 – Breedr

Carrie Muehling

A livestock company based in the United Kingdom will soon expand to include the American market, thanks in part to participation in the Pearse Lyons Accelerator, run by Alltech and Dogpatch Labs. Breedr Co-Founder Claire Lewis was at ONE19 – The Alltech Ideas Conference in Lexington, Kentucky.

“Breedr is a livestock trading platform, but it’s slightly different to lots of other livestock trading platforms in that we trade based on data,” said Lewis. “So we bring together data on farm to predict optimum sale dates, weights and peak profit so farmers have better understanding of when to sell, and then they can, on our platform, look into contracts with processors.”

Lewis said Breedr is a farmer-centric organization that keeps the farmer at the heart of everything they do. She said the company wants to be known for handling necessary data responsibly and maintaining farmer trust.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Claire here: Interview with Claire Lewis, Breedr

Alltech Ideas Conference – ONE19 Photo Album

AgWired Animal, Alltech, Animal Agriculture, Audio

Ag Aviation Industry Still Soaring

Cindy Zimmerman

The latest industry survey from the National Agricultural Aviation Association (NAAA) finds that aerial application is as important to modern agriculture as ever, and the industry’s footprint is expanding.

From 2012 when NAAA’s last industry survey was released to 2019, consider these growth factors:
• The number of agricultural aviation operations has grown 16% since 2012.
• Along with more operations, the number of hired pilots is up 42%.
• The average number of aircraft per operation is up nearly 10%.

Based on those increases NAAA estimates the agricultural aviation industry treats an estimated 127 million acres of cropland aerially annually. According to the 2017 USDA Census of Agriculture, there are 347 million acres of cropland used for crop production in the U.S. Considering some crops are treated more than once during a season, aerial application treats an estimated 28% of this cropland.

Read details of the 2019 Aerial Application Industry Survey from NAAA.

AgWired Precision, NAAA

Precision Ag Bytes 5/29

Carrie Muehling

  • The Soil Health Institute invites applications to give a poster presentation at its Fourth Annual Meeting “Soil Health: A Global Imperative” to be held July 16-18, 2019 in Sacramento, CA. Presenters should plan to be present from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., July 16, to discuss their work with other attendees.
  • The 2019 InfoAg Program is once again filled with industry experts willing to share their experience. Three keynote presentations will get participants thinking about the future of the industry. Ranveer Chandra from Microsoft will launch the conference with discussion of their FarmBeats, TV White Space and other initiatives followed by the PrecisionAg Awards of Excellence. Futurist Thomas Frey will be the Wednesday keynote. And Ivan Dozier of NRCS will close the conference with a close look at precision ag initiatives for environmental stewardship. Register online here.
  • The 2019 4R Summit agenda is now available, including Dorothy Pelanda, the Ohio Director of the Department of Agriculture as keynote speaker. Click here to register.
  • The National Corn Growers Association reminds farmers to register early for NCGA’s National Corn Yield Contest and save big on entry fees. Until June 30, fees will be reduced to $75. Enter today online.
  • The Iowa AgriTech Accelerator announces it has selected five agtech startups for this year’s program. The Accelerator’s Class of 2019 includes: Otrafy (Vancouver, Canada); droneSAR (Des Moines, Iowa); Vitalgia (Heerlen, Netherlands); Raks Agricultural Technology (São Leopoldo, Brazil); and FarmatroniX (College Park, Maryland).
  • New farm trial results for Mycogen® brand Unified™ corn silage with SilaSoft™ technology show the advantages can extend beyond improved digestibility and include significant feed cost savings and profit potential. Producers interested in learning more about Unified™ corn silage with SilaSoft™ technology should talk with their local Mycogen Seeds dealer, sales representative or nutritionist, or visit Mycogen.com/Unified.
  • Gin Out™, a leading cotton plant growth regulator brand from Nufarm Americas, has been approved for use as a tank mix partner for Enlist™ One and Enlist™ Duo herbicides.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes