Managing Costs During Tight Margins

Carrie Muehling

Margins are tight in the ethanol industry, and for a number of reasons from political to regulatory to economic. John Christianson, Principal, Christianson PLLP, told those attending the 2019 American Coalition for Ethanol Conference that successful plants have to be strategic and focused.

“It really comes down to leadership and it comes down to a laser focus,” said Christianson. “The management and boards of directors that are laser focused on the direction of their company and where they need to go. That leadership is something that we’re seeing is separating the top producers from the people that are struggling right now.”

Christianson said he believes that industry has what it takes to survive, in part because of commitment and innovation.

“This industry is transforming and evolving from an ethanol industry to really a biorefinery industry and the multiple innovations and new markets and new products that are coming out of the plants are really going to be the direction that this industry is going to be heading in the future,” he said.

Listen to Cindy’s interview with John here:ACE Conference interview with John Christianson, Christianson PLLP

2019 American Coalition for Ethanol Conference Photo Album

ACE, Audio, Ethanol

FMC and AgNet Media Launch Citrus Scholarships

Cindy Zimmerman

FMC and AgNet Media have teamed up to help the future of the citrus industry by launching a scholarship program for citrus and horticulture degrees.

Launched at Citrus Expo 2019 last week in North Fort Myers, the FMC Citrus Ag Production Scholarships (FMC CAPS) will award five $5,000 scholarships to students interested in pursuing a degree program in citrus and horticultural sciences, two for Florida Southern College students and three at the University of Florida.

“FMC understands how important the next generation is to the citrus industry in Florida,” said Eric Johnson, FMC retail marketing manager. “We hope this scholarship will encourage college students to pursue careers related to citrus.”

Florida’s citrus crop has dwindled to about one-third the size it was 20 years ago, primarily due to losses from citrus greening, which has no cure, but controlling Asian citrus psyllid populations is a key management strategy.

“We believe investing in citrus education programs is one avenue to help revitalize the Florida citrus industry after the devastating impacts from citrus greening disease,” said Ryan Osborn, the southeast region business manager for FMC.

“To grow citrus successfully in Florida takes education, tenacity and resolve, as the industry stands at the threshold of a new beginning,” said Gary Cooper, president and founder of AgNet Media. “The FMC Citrus Ag Production Scholarship will help attract a new crop of committed growers.”

Applications for FMC CAPS are due December 1 and require a video essay submission. Those interested in learning more can go to citrusindustry.net for details. Winners will be announced at Citrus Expo 2020.

Citrus, Education, FMC, Media

FMC Working on New Herbicide Modes of Action

Chuck Zimmerman

It’s been a long time since the industry has seen a new mode of action in herbicides, so FMC is excited to be working on some they hope to launch in five to ten years.

“We haven’t had a new mode of action in herbicides in 30 years,” said FMC Field Development Representative Scott Swanson at the recent Ag Media Summit expo. “Advancing chemistry to advance agriculture is what we are doing.”

Swanson says they are looking at a compound for hard-to-control grass species in rice, as well as one for corn and soybeans to control Palmer amaranth.

Learn more in this interview from AMS: Interview with Scott Swanson, FMC, on new herbicide MOAs


2019 AMS/IFAJ Congress Photo Album

Ag Media Summit, AgWired Precision, Audio, FMC, Herbicide, Video

Precision Ag Bytes 8/21

Carrie Muehling

  • EFC Systems, Inc. announced Steve Dietze has joined EFC Systems as Senior Vice President, Business Development effective August 14th.
  • Syngenta and the Analytics Society of INFORMS launched the 2020 Syngenta Crop Challenge in Analytics, a competition that seeks analytical approaches to improve complex crop breeding processes. Data analytics, mathematics and statistics students, as well as professionals worldwide are invited to enter by Jan. 21, 2020. Using real-world crop data, entrants are tasked to develop models that can predict the performance of potential corn products.
  • Aided by a $480,000 cooperative agreement with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Ecosystem Services Market Consortium (ESMC) will expand its ecosystem services markets protocol and pilot efforts to four additional regions beyond its first project in the Texas/Oklahoma Southern Great Plains area.
  • Ag Leader announces GPS 7500 receivers will now support TerraStar-X, providing centimeter-level accuracy to customers across the Midwestern United States, with additional coverage areas coming soon. TerraStar-X delivers RTK From the Sky™ performance, and convergence in under one minute with two centimeter accuracy.
  • John Deere recently opened its new Intelligent Solutions Group (ISG) facility in central Iowa. The 134,000 square-foot facility in Urbandale is devoted to problem solving with technology, collaboration, testing and development for John Deere precision products and services.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes

Ethanol Industry Has What It Takes

Cindy Zimmerman

It was a somber yet determined group of ethanol industry representatives that met last week in Omaha for the American Coalition for Ethanol 32nd annual conference, in the wake of the EPA granting another 1.43 billion gallons of refinery waivers.

ACE CEO Brian Jennings says they had a tough and honest board meeting prior to the start of the conference. “People are generally optimistic, but there’s going to be some pain here for a while,” he said.

Jennings says the board approved a new growth strategy combining octane with low carbon. “Refiners can’t show meaningful reductions in greenhouse gas emissions,” said Jennings. “The more ethanol you add to a gallon of gasoline, the better you make it in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. So we think it’s that double barrelled strategy.”

If the refinery waiver announcements had not been made the Friday before the conference, Jennings says it might have been a very different meeting. “But now we know what we are dealing with,” said Jennings.

The theme of the conference this year was “What it Takes” and Jennings says it takes a lot of “grit and toughness and determination” for ethanol producers to keep going in the face of great challenges “but that really epitomizes who these people are.”

ACE Conference wrap up interview with CEO Brian Jennings

2019 ACE Conference Photo Album

ACE, Audio, Ethanol

Intergro Launches Innovative Line of Bioenhancers

Cindy Zimmerman

Agricultural Solutions, a subsidiary of Intergro, Inc., is launching a new portfolio of products. Registrations are being obtained in the U.S. for patent-pending microbial-based formulations that help improve soil and plant health, as well as stress resistance.

NutriBoom™:
A line of natural fertilizers (NutriBoom, NutriBoom Powder and NutriBoom Plus) scientifically proven to stimulate the soil microbiome, particularly microbes associated with the biological control of plant pathogens and parasitic nematodes, to improve soil health for greater root and plant vitality.

PreBiotech™:
A foliar application that enhances biological fungicide programs by facilitating the establishment and persistence of biocontrol organisms on the surface of plant tissue to boost defense mechanisms against stress and disease.

The active ingredient in the products is chitin, a natural material derived from crustacean meal, which Agricultural Solutions sources from North, Central and South America. Unused crab and/or lobster shells are milled to various levels of fineness, depending on their application. When used within an integrated systems-based approach, chitin-based amendments provide a food source for beneficial microbes, altering the microbial community composition in the soil or on the plant in favor of those associated with improved plant growth and vitality, as well as disease and pest suppression.

Agricultural Solutions products may be applied to a variety of conventional and organic crops, including fruiting vegetables, nuts, stone fruit, hemp, berries, grapes, commodity crops, roots and tubers, pome fruit, citrus, specialty crops and leafy greens. Learn more at agricultural.solutions.

AgWired Precision, Biotech, Precision Agriculture, Soil

USFRA “30 Harvests” Focuses on Farmers and Climate Change

Cindy Zimmerman

The U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) has unveiled a short film called “30 Harvests” that highlights agriculture’s role in battling climate change for the next 30 years. Thirty harvests quantifies the crop cycles left before 2050, the year the global population is expected to be 9 billion people.

The docudrama follows the plight of farmer Jay Hill of Dell City, Texas and farmer and soil scientist Meagan Kaiser of Bowling Green, Missouri. In the short film, they articulate the challenge farmers face while embracing the opportunity to meet the increasing demands for food, and ultimately help solve one of the greatest challenges of this generation: climate change.

Watch it on YouTube.

Farming, Sustainability, USFRA

Animal Ag Bites 8/19

Carrie Muehling

  • AlzChem Animal Health is expanding their sales team with the addition of Kevin Miller as Regional Sales Manager for the USA. Miller joins AlzChem from Merck Animal Health having previously worked with a number of leading animal health and feed companies.
  • The overall economic impact of Wisconsin’s dairy industry is bigger than ever, according to new research conducted by the University of Wisconsin—Madison. Dairy continues to lead Wisconsin agriculture, the new report shows, generating nearly half of Wisconsin’s annual industrial agricultural revenue – and represents 16.4% of the state’s total. To see the full report, visit WisconsinDairy.org/impact.
  • The American Feed Industry Association is pleased to announce the addition of Lynette Tucker as its meetings and events specialist and Daisy Rodriguez as its meetings and events coordinator.
  • USPOULTRY’s 2019 Environmental Management Seminar provides a unique learning opportunity for professionals concerned with the environmental challenges facing the industry today. Sponsored by USPOULTRY, the seminar will be held Sept. 19-20, at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa in Destin, Florida.
  • Zoetis announced that it will expand its portfolio of products and services for horses with the Stablelab® hand-held, point-of-care diagnostic blood test, which provides veterinarians critical information related to equine inflammation in 10 minutes.
AgWired Animal, Animal Bites

Ethanol is Number One Priority for Grains Council

Cindy Zimmerman

Ethanol is the number one priority for the U.S. Grains Council today, according to USGC CEO Ryan LeGrand, who spoke at the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) conference last week in Omaha.

“There’s nothing more important to us right now than ethanol,” said LeGrand.

The council has seven priority markets, with Mexico being one of the most significant. While the three major metropolitan areas of Mexico still prohibit ethanol blends, which is expected to change soon, LeGrand says it is still a 720 million gallon market now – with the potential of 1.2 billion gallons.

Listen to his remarks here:
ACE Conference Keynote - USGC CEO Ryan LeGrand

ACE Senior Vice President Ron Lamberty has been playing an active role in USGC efforts to educate Mexican retailers about ethanol blends. He hosted a panel at the conference with USGC Mexico Director Stephan Wittig and consultant Jorge Lerdo to talk about the ethanol technical information forums they have been hosting for Mexican petroleum equipment installers and retailers, and their optimism for increased use of ethanol blends around the country.

Listen to their conversation here:
ACE Conference Mexico Market Update

2019 ACE Conference Photo Album

ACE, Audio, Ethanol, Exports

Zimfo Bytes 8/16

Carrie Muehling

  • John Ochs, a 35-year honorary member of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB), passed away August 6, 2019, in Ann Arbor, Michigan at the age of 68. John was Special Assistant and Press Secretary to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture John Block and helped cultivate the relationship between farm broadcasters and USDA during the Reagan administration. After his career at USDA, John worked for Ford Motor Company. Online Memories and Condolences may be posted via Cole Funeral Chapel.
  • Save the date for the Ag Outlook Forum, coming September 23 to the Kansas City Marriott Downtown. Early bird pricing ends August 23. Register here.
  • Tractor Supply Company announced the launch of a new exclusive apparel line, Ridgecut Toughwear. Ridgecut features workwear apparel and insulated outerwear created especially for people who regularly put their clothing through conditions that go beyond normal wear and tear.
  • The 2020 Beltwide Cotton Conferences, set for January 8-10 at the JW Marriott in Austin, Texas, will update attendees on the latest research and technology.
  • CommoditAg, announced that John Demerly has joined the organization, assuming the role of Chief Executive Officer.
  • Land O’Lakes International Development announced a new brand and a new name – Land O’Lakes Venture37 – to further bolster its strong reputation for global leadership in helping businesses grow, linking farmers to markets and empowering communities to thrive.
  • IDEAg Dakotafest takes place in Mitchell, South Dakota, Aug. 20-22, celebrating its 24th year with a robust program of activities offering opportunities for entertainment, education and networking for farmers and families alike.
Zimfo Bytes