Vice President Visits Sunbelt Ag Expo

Cindy Zimmerman

Vice President Mike Pence spoke to farmers at the Sunbelt Ag Expo in Moultrie, Georgia Tuesday and toured agricultural damage caused by Hurricane Michael.

“A once-in-a-generation storm that dealt a direct and devastating blow to Florida’s panhandle and Sunbelt’s farm country,” said Pence, who visited Decatur County and toured a feed mill damaged in the storm.

Listen to the Vice President at Sunbelt –
VP Mike Pence addresses 2018 Sunbelt Ag Expo

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, former governor of Georgia, accompanied Pence and his wife Karen on their tour of the state. Pence was briefed on the agricultural damage by Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black, who was interviewed by Randall Weiseman of Southeast AgNet about the extent of the hurricane’s destruction.

Listen to that interview here –
Southeast AgNet interview with Gary Black, GA agriculture commissioner

Randall also caught up with Alabama Farmers Federation President Jimmy Parnell at Sunbelt and asked him about the damage in the Southeast corner of Alabama.

Listen to that interview here –
Southeast AgNet interview with Jimmy Parnell, ALFA president

Audio, Sunbelt Ag Expo

Precision Ag Bytes 10/17

Carrie Muehling

  • Headed into the last quarter of 2018, U.S. sales of tractors and combines were in the plus column overall, according to the latest report from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.
  • The American Society of Agronomy will provide a corn nitrogen use efficiency webinar sponsored by Verdesian Life Sciences on Tuesday, December 4, 2018 from 11 am – 12 pm Central, 12 pm – 1 pm Eastern. Register here.
  • Backed by research and development from the Propane Education & Research Council, the 2Fuels dual fuel system technology allows producers to bring diesel engines into compliance with ever-increasing emissions standards without purchasing new equipment. Producers purchasing dual fuel systems can also qualify for the Propane Farm Incentive Program for additional savings of up to $3,000. More information about this program is available at www.propane.com/farmincentive.
  • USDA’s National Organic Program is working to make it a little easier for certifiers and businesses to export organic products to Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, and Mexico. The organic industry may now utilize the USDA Electronic Trade Document Exchange System (eTDE) to submit and approve organic export certificates and send them to participating foreign trade partners. Foreign trade partners can electronically review information about shipments leaving the U.S., validate printed export certificates, and pull electronic certificates directly into their own systems.
  • As part of Get To Know GMOs Month, GMO Answers created a new graphic that explains what the term GMO stands for. Recent research shows that Americans don’t know that much about GMOs, and want to know more about the technology, and the new graphic focuses on the basic of GMOs.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes

Manito Transit acquires Baucom Truck Service

Cindy Zimmerman

Manito Transit is continuing its expansion effort with the acquisition of Baucom Truck Service, a trucking company based in Camp Point, Illinois.

General Manager Jim Bobitt says the acquisition will improve capacity in southern Illinois and southeastern Missouri. “We’re here to support our FS member network and service is definitely a priority,” said Bobitt. “We’re not trying to grow for the sake of growth. We’re growing where it does support our members.”

Baucom has 27 drivers (a combination of company drivers and owner/operators) that haul propane and anhydrous ammonia, adding to the current Manito Transit fleet of nearly 150 trucks serving customers in 13 states. The company distributes fuel oil, bio diesel, soybean oil, ethanol, chemicals, lubricants, grain and fertilizer for farm, commercial, and industrial use.

Learn more in this interview with Bobitt. Interview with Jim Bobitt, Manito Transit

Audio, FS System, GROWMARK, transportation

Alltech Trace Minerals Optimize Animal Health

Carrie Muehling

Alltech is having great success with its organic trace mineral products that mimic nature’s organic trace minerals but are better absorbed by the animal.

“We make the trace minerals in a way that they’re more absorbed and more retained in the body so we have better mineral status,” said Brad Rortvedt, Regional Sales Manager with Alltech. “By having better mineral status in the animal, or in humans, we can have better immunity and better overall performance.”

Research shows using these trace minerals with mature females improves the lifetime performance of their offspring. This could mean seeing heifers reach first sign of estrus more quickly and having a better first service conception rate, for example. Rortvedt was at the 2018 World Dairy Expo, talking with producers about the importance of trace minerals and optimizing performance in today’s dairy industry as genetics continue to improve.

Listen to Jamie’s interview with Brad here: Interview with Brad Rortvedt, Alltech

2018 World Dairy Expo Photo Album

AgWired Animal, Alltech, Audio, Dairy, World Dairy Expo

Insight FS Launches New Website

Cindy Zimmerman

Insight FS launched the new InsightFS.com website this week to better communicate its products, services and customer connection capabilities.

“We have a broad base of customers, from homeowners looking for home heating solutions to farmers looking for seed, feed and energy,” said Insight FS Marketing Specialist, Angie Greving. “We built a site that could address the needs of each of our audiences and get them to the right contacts for better customer experience.”

The new website utilizes contact forms within each of its divisions to better address the unique needs of customers in agronomy, precision farming, grain marketing, agri-finance, animal nutrition, turf, propane and fuels and lubricants. The site also clearly shows the scope of products and services that are offered at the 22 Insight FS locations throughout Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Insight FS, part of the GROWMARK system, is headquartered in Jefferson, Wis., serving customers in Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

AgWired Precision, FS System, GROWMARK

ZimmCast 600 – John Deere at World Dairy Expo

Chuck Zimmerman

The ZimmCast hits another milestone today with episode number 600! This podcast started in April 2005, making it not only the first agricultural podcast, but one of the earliest ever started. In fact, ZimmCast predates the June 2005 release by Apple iTunes 4.9, which added formal support for podcasts. Funny thing is that it has only been in the last couple of years that podcasts have really become mainstream, with the latest numbers showing over 525,000 active shows and over 18.5 million episodes!

In this week’s program we’ll hear several John Deere representatives talk about the company’s newest forage harvester, the self-propelled 9,000 Series. I spoke to these folks on the morning the product was launched at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin.

You will hear from John Thomassen, Global Director – Hay & Forage Harvest; Dan Paschke, Director of Marketing – Hay & Forage; Jarrod McGinnis, Dairy & Livestock Production System Manager; and Matt Hatcher, Territory Sales Manager.

You can find more about the new John Deere 9000 Series Self-Propelled Forage Harvesters on AgWired.com. Just click on the John Deere category and you’ll see some other interviews I’ve already published from the product launch.

You can also find a virtual news rooms from the event on AgNewsWire with more interviews and photos: John Deere at World Dairy Expo

Listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 600 - John Deere at World Dairy Expo

The ZimmCast

sponsored by
The ZimmCast podcast is sponsored by GROWMARK
Locally owned, globally strong.
Audio, Dairy, Equipment, Forage, John Deere, World Dairy Expo, ZimmCast

Nature Conservancy Backs Farm Bill Conservation Programs

Cindy Zimmerman

As House and Senate Agriculture leaders keep working toward passing a farm bill yet this year, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is urging Congress to approve legislation that will continue to provide farmers and ranchers with the tools to conserve our nation’s land and water resources.

“The farm bill is the most important legislation for conserving private lands in America,” said Larry Clemens, TNC agriculture director for North America. He adds that voluntary conservation programs in the bill promote healthier soil, cleaner water, enhanced wildlife habitat, increased flood control, and lowered risk of damage from natural disasters.

TNC notes that all of those benefits are now at risk since Congress allowed the current farm bill to expire on September 30 without passing a new one, so they are urging all people involved in agriculture to contact their lawmakers, “and focus on getting Congress to pass us a good, solid farm bill that will give us some stability for the next five years,” Clemens said.

Soil health is of particular interest to the Conservancy, which provides technical support to the Soil Health Partnership, which fosters transformation in agriculture through improved soil health, benefiting farmer profitability, a stable food supply, and the environment.

Listen to an interview with Clemens here: Interview with Larry Clemens, The Nature Conservancy

AgWired Precision, Audio, Conservation, Environment, Farm Bill, Soil, Soil Health Partnership

Alltech Launches #iamAG Photo Contest

Cindy Zimmerman

A picture is worth a thousand words — or a free trip to the ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference (ONE19) held in Lexington, Kentucky, May 19–21, 2019.

Alltech’s #iamAG online agvocacy photo contest invites American farmers, ranchers, producers and all agricultural workers to submit and share photos of their farms and ag lifestyle for the opportunity to win the trip. Photos must be submitted online by Nov. 30, 2018, at 9:00 a.m. EST. They will be judged by a panel, who will select the top photos as finalists, and those photos will be published on Alltech’s Facebook page (Facebook.com/AlltechNaturally).

Voting will open to the public on Dec. 3 at 3:00 p.m. EST and will close on Dec. 17 at 12:00 p.m. EST. Use the hashtag #iamAG to find the photos or visit the Facebook album to vote.

Winners will receive free registration for themselves and a guest to ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference (valued at $995) and $2,000 for travel expenses. To enter a photo and read the full contest details, including the rules and regulations, visit https://go.alltech.com/i-am-ag.

Registration is now open for ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference, which draws 4,000 attendees from nearly 80 countries to network and discuss world-changing ideas.

AgWired Animal, Alltech

On-Farm Audits Improve Dairy Profitability

Carrie Muehling

When Alltech On-Farm Specialist Jeff Johnson evaluates a dairy farm, he concentrates on three specific areas – the people, the cows and the milking equipment.

Johnson said all three factors have to be integrated together for the farm to work efficiently and effectively. He said there are some challenges to maintaining equipment and the milking environment, including weather that can’t be controlled. But other factors are things farmers can impact, like cow cleanliness and comfort.

Johnson also takes into account the other people interacting with the herd, including the veterinarian, equipment dealer and nutritionist, for example, to see if there are adjustments that can be made to improve profitability.

“Are there some different things we can provide from the standpoint of the Alltech products to help them improve, whether it be gut health, which would work its way to udder health, and things that also can help them be more profitable?” said Johnson, who spoke with farmers at the 2018 World Dairy Expo.

Johnson said having a comprehensive plan in place when it comes to nutrition, cow health and equipment maintenance is vital to herd health and profitability. Those factors also play a key role in assuring high quality milk for the consumer.

Listen to Jamie’s interview with Jeff here: Interview with Jeff Johnson, Alltech


2018 World Dairy Expo Photo Album

AgWired Animal, Alltech, Audio, Dairy, Video, World Dairy Expo

EDGE Dairy Cooperative Engaging in D.C.

Carrie Muehling

EDGE Dairy Cooperative has been focusing on engaging more actively for its members at the federal level, according to Mike Torrey with Torrey Associates.

Torrey said the cooperative has put together an effective effort in the nation’s capitol through fly in events, testimonies and social media campaigns to speak for America’s dairy farmers.

“We need to think long term,” said Torrey. “And oftentimes to win means that you just have to do the blocking and tackling day in and day out, and that hard work ultimately lays the foundation for when the opportunity in D.C. presents itself that the organization is in a good place and that their members are in a good place.”

Dairy farmers are watching trade talks and farm bill negotiations closely as they endure extremely low commodity prices for their products. Labor shortages also continue to present difficulties for dairy producers. Torrey said there do seem to be opportunities ahead with regard to global markets and farm bill provisions, and told farmers to take comfort in the fact that the cooperative is staying ahead of the curve when it comes to engagement and having a voice in Washington, D.C. Torrey was at the 2018 World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Mike here: Interview with Mike Torrey, Torrey Associates

2018 World Dairy Expo Photo Album

AgWired Animal, Audio, Dairy, World Dairy Expo