NDSU Bison Win Student NAMA Competition

Cindy Zimmerman

Congrats to the North Dakota State University Bison team for their first place win in the Student NAMA Competition at the Agri-Marketing Conference in Kansas City this week.

Team President Thomas Konetschka says it was the greatest experience of his collegiate career. “We’ve been close a lot of years, been in the finals a lot, so this is for all the teams that were a part of this in the last four years.”

Listen to Konetschka and his teammates talk about the experience and be sure to check out the photo album for more pictures of the finalist teams – Texas A&M, Kansas State, Iowa State, University of Nebraska, and University of Guelph. Congrats to all of the students!

Interview with NAMA Student Competition Winners - NDSU

2019 National Agri-Marketing Conference Photo Album

Audio, NAMA

Register for Ag Media Summit/IFAJ Congress

Cindy Zimmerman

Join us for the 21st annual Agricultural Media Summit in Minneapolis/Bloomington, Minnesota. This is the largest gathering of agricultural writers, editors, photographers, publishers and communication specialists in the U.S.

This year’s event will take place in conjunction with the International Federation of Ag Journalists (IFAJ) Congress, with over 150 international ag communications colleagues expected to attend. The dates are July 26-31 for the Congress with AMS overlapping on July 27-31.

The event will encompass the membership of AAEA The Agricultural Communicators Network, Livestock Publications Council and the Connectiv Agri-Media Committee. With the addition of IFAJ, more than 700 media and communications professionals are expected to attend.

Registration is open now – information is available from Ag Media Summit and on the IFAJ website.

Ag Media Summit, IFAJ

Zimfo Bytes 4/12

Carrie Muehling

  • The Funk Companies announced the purchase of the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network from the owners, Watermark Farm Company. Tim West, the former owner of the network and General Manager, will remain on with the company in his present role. Legendary Director of Farm Programming, Ron Hays will also remain with the company in his present role. Hays, in his 45th year of farm broadcasting, will be backed up by Associate Director of Farm Programming Carson Horn and Market Specialist Dave Lanning.
  • The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center announces the formation of a line-up of agricultural experts to advise the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator as it deploys up to $2.25 million in technical assistance for agtech startup companies.
  • North Dakota Corn Growers Association President and Risk Management Action Team Chairman Randy Melvin has been named a member of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Agricultural Advisory Committee.
  • At the Farm Foundation Forum on Tuesday, April 23, a panel of educators and industry leaders will discuss the innovative approaches they are taking to meeting the sector’s human capital needs, as well as further steps needed to enhance agriculture’s labor pool. The Forum, entitled Human Capital Challenges in the Food and Agriculture Sector, will originate from the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center in Columbus, Ohio. A free live webcast will also be available.
  • Farm Foundation‘s Food and Agricultural Trade Resource Center has added four new papers, all of which focused on two topics that frequently are part of trade discussions-the World Trade Organization and sanitary and phytosanitary challenges.
  • The quality of corn assembled for export early in the 2018-2019 marketing year was rated at U.S. grade No. 2 or better on all grade factors, based on the U.S. Grains Council’s Corn Export Cargo Quality Report.
  • Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture launched two new features on farmers.gov to help customers manage their farm loans and navigate the application process for H2A visas.
  • The Southern Peanut Growers Conference will be held July 18-20 at Edgewater Beach and Golf Resort,Panama City Beach, Florida. Click here to register online.
  • New Holland Agriculture has announced that Brett Davis will assume the role of Brand Leader for North America.
Zimfo Bytes

Pork Producers Talk Trade and Animal Disease

Cindy Zimmerman

National Pork Producers Council officials held a press conference Thursday, the day after announcing World Pork Expo is cancelled this year due to concerns about African swine fever.

More than 100 pork producers from around the country were in Washington D.C. this week for the Spring Legislative Action Conference to meet with their representatives in Congress to discuss issues such as trade, animal disease preparedness and agriculture’s labor shortage.

“Prevention is our best defense against an animal disease like African swine fever for which no vaccine exists,” said NPPC president David Herring of North Carolina. “For a disease like Foot-and-Mouth disease, which would also close U.S. pork’s export markets, prevention is also critical. Should an outbreak occur, a vaccine bank will allow us to quickly contain the disease.”

Producers also discussed two solutions to mitigate the risk of animal disease in the United States: 1) appropriations funding for 600 new U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture inspectors to further strengthen defenses against African swine fever (ASF) and other animal diseases and 2) to sign a letter of support that calls for the USDA to implement the Farm Bill as intended, including development of a Foot-and-Mouth Disease vaccine bank.

Here is the first part of the press conference with Herring and other NPPC representatives:
NPPC press conference 4-11-19

AgWired Animal, Audio, NPPC, Pork

#NAMA19 is Onward and Upward

Cindy Zimmerman

The 2019 Agri-Marketing Conference is officially underway in Kansas City with the theme “Onward Upward.” The annual event is a meeting of the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA), the nation’s largest association for professionals in marketing and agribusiness.

Last night was the Best of NAMA awards celebration and today will honor the NAMA Marketer of the Year, Agribusiness Leader of the Year, and Ag Association Leader of the Year.

ZimmComm is here with the Golden Mic interview station at our booth in the Connection Point trade show where National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) outgoing president Sheri Seger with DTN/Progressive Farmer stopped by for a chat yesterday.

Sheri talked about how her year as president of the organization has been and what’s new at #NAMA19 this year.

Interview with NAMA president Sheri Seger, DTN/Progressive Farmer

2019 National Agri-Marketing Conference Photo Album

Audio, NAMA

FMC’s Kasper to Retire, Coen Named Successor

Cindy Zimmerman

FMC has announced that U.S. Commercial Director, John Kasper, is retiring in June and Christina Coen, currently North America marketing director, will assume the role effective May 1.

“We thank John for his years of service. He built key strategic relationships that drove outstanding results for the region. John has also been a mentor to many and set the bar high for our organization,” says Amy O’Shea, vice president and North America business director for FMC.

Coen leads marketing for the full FMC portfolio of herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, plant health and technology products. She joined FMC in 2017 from The Dow Chemical Company where she held operations, marketing and licensing leadership positions and was the North America crop protection project success leader.

We interviewed John at last year’s Commodity Classic, and Christina this year. We also talked with Christina at the 2018 Ag Retailers Association conference. Listen and watch below.

Classic18 Interview with John Kasper, FMC

ARA18 Interview with Christina Coen, FMC


AgWired Precision, Audio, FMC, Video

The Improving GHG Benefits of Corn Ethanol

Carrie Muehling

The lead researcher of a USDA study on the improving greenhouse gas benefits of ethanol compared to gasoline has shared more details about the agency’s findings.

Dr. Jan Lewandrowski of USDA’s Office of the Chief Economist said the study grew out of September 2017 report released by the USDA regarding 11 different emissions categories related to corn ethanol production and combustion originally studied by the EPA in 2010. Earlier numbers showed a 21% reduction in emissions relative to gasoline. New numbers from the USDA show a 39 percent improvement over gasoline on average. Other factors can raise that number to anywhere from 42 to 46 percent or more. One area addressed in the study is international land use change.

“As U.S. corn ethanol production increases, we divert more corn to ethanol. It raises pressure on prices and commodity markets, and in some international markets, world farmers respond by bringing new land into production. That’s the logic behind the numbers in the EPA. And that happens a little bit,” said Lewandrowski. “But what we have found is over time, the main reaction of global agriculture was not bringing new land into production, but using existing cropland more intensely – double cropping, triple cropping, bringing fallow and other idle land back into production. And when you use existing land more intensely, your land use change emissions are going to be a lot less than if you’re converting new land like forest or wetlands into agriculture production.”

In addition, the USDA study found that ethanol plants continue to become more efficient. Most have switched from using coal to natural gas as their process fuel. Many are investing in more efficient energy use technologies. Plants are getting more ethanol out of each bushel of corn, and corn yields per acre continue to rise.

Hear more from Dr. Lewandrowski here: Dr. Jan Lewandrowski, USDA (Audio courtesy of Gary Crawford, USDA Radio)

Audio, Ethanol, USDA

2019 World Pork Expo Cancelled

Cindy Zimmerman

The threat of African swine fever is forcing the cancellation of the world’s largest pork industry-specific trade show this year.

The National Pork Producers Council‘s board of directors today announced its decision to cancel World Pork Expo 2019 out of an abundance of caution as African swine fever (ASF) continues to spread in China and other parts of Asia. World Pork Expo, held each June at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, hosts approximately 20,000 visitors over three days, including individuals and exhibitors from ASF-positive regions. African swine fever affects only pigs and presents no human health or food safety risks. There is currently no vaccine to treat the swine disease.

“While an evaluation by veterinarians and other third-party experts concluded negligible risk associated with holding the event, we have decided to exercise extreme caution,” said David Herring, NPPC president and a producer from Lillington, North Carolina. “The health of the U.S. swine herd is paramount; the livelihoods of our producers depend on it. Prevention is our only defense against ASF and NPPC will continue to do all it can to prevent its spread to the United States.”

The decision to cancel this year’s World Pork Expo comes as more than 100 U.S pork producers gather in Washington this week to meet with their members of Congress during NPPC’s Legislative Action Conference. To augment the USDA’s efforts to protect the United States from ASF and other animal diseases, U.S. pork producers are asking Congress to appropriate funding for 600 new U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture inspectors to further strengthen our defenses against African swine fever.

Pork Expo has only been cancelled once before in its 30 year history – in 2001 due to the outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth disease in Europe.

AgWired Animal, NPPC, Swine, World Pork Expo

Precision Ag Bytes 4/10

Carrie Muehling

  • April 5 marked the 100th anniversary of the European Biological Control Laboratory, operated in Montpellier, France, by the Agricultural Research Service to find, describe and evaluate natural enemies of invasive pests and weeds that arrived in the United States from abroad.
  • The American Seed Trade Association welcomes the decision by the Commission of Phytosanitary Measures to develop a Systems Approach for seed as an Annex to ISPM 38 on the International Movement of Seed.
  • The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center announces the formation of a line-up of agricultural experts to advise the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) as it deploys up to $2.25 million in technical assistance for agtech startup companies.
  • Having succeeded in protecting funding for the Conservation Title in the 2018 Farm Bill, more than 140 leading farm, conservation, and wildlife groups are once again joining together to protect those hard-fought conservation funds and programs in the fiscal year (FY) 2020 appropriations process. In a letter, the groups called upon appropriators to respect the funding decisions made in the 2018 Farm Bill and reject any cuts to farm bill conservation funding through the appropriations process.
  • The National Corn Growers Association – in partnership with the Honey Bee Health Coalition – is releasing new best management practices to protect bees and other pollinators in and around cornfields.
  • The Climate Corporation, a subsidiary of Bayer, and Lindsay Corporation, a leading global manufacturer and distributor of irrigation technology, announced a platform agreement that will establish two-way data connectivity between The Climate Corporation’s Climate FieldView™ digital agriculture platform and Lindsay’s FieldNET platform. Through the collaboration, mutual farmer customers will be able to make faster, more-informed field and irrigation management decisions.
  • The editors of Farm Equipment magazine announce the release of the first-ever Ag Equipment Intelligence Audio Edition — an audio version of their monthly newsletter that is delivered to Ag Equipment Intelligence VIP subscribers. To listen to the complimentary March 2019 Ag Equipment Intelligence Audio Edition, visit AgEquipmentIntelligence.com/March2019.
  • For her outstanding contributions to food science and processing, Agricultural Research Service scientist Tara H. McHugh is the agency’s Distinguished Senior Research Scientist of the Year for 2019.
  • 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. Online applications are due by 5:30 p.m., Saturday, June 1, 2019, and must designate the primary presenter, author(s), primary contact information, and affiliation(s).
  • The Yield Lab is pleased to welcome Allan Harari and Juan Ferreira to the team. Allan is joining the team as a Managing Director and Juan as a Venture Partner.
  • The next deadline for Conservation Stewardship Program applications to be considered for funding this year is May 10.
  • TerrAvion is excited to be integrated with the Agrian platform, the largest most widely adopted agricultural software in the United States.
  • The National Association of Conservation Districts announced it was selected as the recipient of the David Rockefeller Fund Pollinator Education Initiative Grant through an agreement with the Pollinator Partnership.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes

Trials Show At-Plant Nematicide Increases Cotton Yield Potential

Cindy Zimmerman

Recent university trials show that an at-plant nematicide application can help Southern cotton growers who are battling nematodes increase their yield, which gives cotton fields treated with Velum® Total an advantage, according to Bayer.

Keith Rucker, Bayer senior technical service representative, says at-plant application reduces the nematode population density, protects the root system and increases the opportunity to develop a larger root mass, spurring strong early-season growth. “When nematodes attack the plant from day one, they can stunt the root system and the plant is never able to really overcome it. With Velum Total, it’s all about getting the plant off to a good start.”

Trials across the South show consistent yield advantage when Velum Total is applied at-plant. In trials at Auburn University in 2016, Velum Total, on average, increased yield by 1,355 lb/A of seed cotton in reniform nematode-infested fields. In fields with root-knot nematode, Velum Total provided an average yield bump of 127 lb/A of seed cotton. Trials at the University of Georgia showed similar results with fields treated with Velum Total yielding higher than fields only planted with a base seed treatment.

“If Velum Total is used in a field with a nematode problem, we can expect less damage to the plant,” said University of Georgia Extension Plant Pathologist Bob Kemerait. “We can also expect better growth and better yields.”

In addition to nematodes, Velum Total controls other early-season pests, such as thrips, and helps suppress diseases, such as Fusarium wilt, which can reduce the need for foliar sprays, saving growers time and money.

Listen to an interview here from the 2018 American Seed Trade Association CSS and Seed Expo with Chip Graham, Bayer Seed Treatment Technician, who explains more about how Velum Total is helping cotton growers, particularly in Texas and Georgia where nematode pressure is also high. Interview with Chip Graham, Bayer Seed Treatment technician

Bayer, Cotton, Crop Protection