Farm Credit System Outlook on Agriculture Credit Conditions

Cindy Zimmerman

Three Farm Credit CEOs briefed the media Wednesday on credit conditions and the general agricultural economy.

Below are links to audio files of the remarks from each CEO representing different parts of the country. Click here for supporting materials.

Kathy Heustess, CEO, ArborOne Farm Credit – South Carolina/Southeast
Farm Credit Outlook, Kathy Heustess

Mark Jensen, CEO, Farm Credit Services of America/Frontier Farm Credit – NE/IA/SD/WY
Farm Credit Outlook, Mark Jensen

Marc Knisely, CEO, AgCountry Farm Credit Services – ND/MN/WI
Farm Credit Outlook, Marc Knisely

Audio, Crop Insurance, Farm Credit

BASF Expanding Cotton Weed Control Choices

Carrie Muehling

Weed control was among topics discussed at the 2019 BASF APT Summit in New Orleans. BASF Technical Service Representative Alvin Rhodes presented an overview of current crop protection products available to cotton growers.

“Well, we at BASF are, of course, very excited that now we have such a broad list of products that we can help the cotton farmer with,” said Rhodes. “Having a spectrum of products to help those growers is very important and we are planning for the future for the pipeline of things that may even be needed further down the line.”

Rhodes said weed control is imperative as even highly productive varieties won’t produce if challenged by pests or weeds. He said overlapping modes of action will help the long-term survival of crop protection tools, but noted there have not been many new modes of action for herbicides recently. He said trait technology is now beginning to include weed control, and growers are eager to learn about their options.

“I think it is going to be a great 2019,” said Rhodes. “I think cotton acres are going to be up, and our goal is to help those growers who are planting cotton that they can utilize the best technology available and use it timely and properly so they can get the best weed control opportunities they have over the course of the season.”

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Alvin here: Interview with Alvin Rhodes, BASF

Listen to Alvin’s presentation here: Presentation by Alvin Rhodes, BASF

2019 BASF APT Summit Photo Album

Audio, BASF, Cotton, Herbicide

Farm Bureau Adopts Policies

Cindy Zimmerman

As the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 100th Annual Convention wrapped up yesterday in New Orleans, member delegates adopted policies on key topics such as farm bill implementation, cell-cultured food products, trade, rural broadband access and rural mental health programs.

“As our organization has done for the last 100 years, grassroots delegates from across the nation came together to express a unified voice on issues vital to the success of our farms, ranches and rural communities,” American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall said. “We continue to face a challenging farm economy and we stand ready to work with Congress and the Trump administration to address the issues important to our farm and ranch families.”

Delegates urged the administration and Congress to work together to end the government shutdown as soon as possible. Delegates voted to favor negotiations to resolve trade disputes, rather than the use of tariffs or withdrawal from agreements. They also voted to support the United States’ entry into the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Regarding cell-based food, delegates adopted a comprehensive policy to support innovation in cell-based food products while ensuring a level playing field for traditional protein. The policy also calls for complete and accurate product labels to ensure that consumers have all the pertinent information they need.

Listen to Duvall’s closing remarks to the press – AFBF19 Pres Duvall closing press conference

Press releases, audio downloads, video, and photos from the entire convention can be found in the AFBF Newsroom.

2019 AFBF Annual Convention photo album

AFBF, AgWired Animal, Audio

Guess Whose Boots

Chuck Zimmerman

It has been a while since I’ve lightened things up with a guessing game about boots. So, here we go again.

The first person who posts the correct answer in comments will be the winner. Simple, right? If it gets to be too tough I’ll add some hints but I’m betting I won’t have to.

There will be a prize for the winner but I don’t know what that is yet. I’ll come up with something that will make it worth your while though. When we get a winner I’ll update this post so you’ll know who knew!

Now, GO.

Uncategorized

Biodiesel Conference Next Week in San Diego

Cindy Zimmerman

America’s largest celebration of all things biodiesel returns to San Diego next week for a record fifth visit in the Golden State. Local residents are invited to join in the festivities at no cost during the National Biodiesel Conference and Expo kick off at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina on Tuesday, January 22.

The conference, which runs through Thursday the 24th, will offer a diesel-vehicle ride-and-drive opportunity and dozens of demonstrations and presentations on the latest in public policy under the Trump Administration and a new Congress; the environmental and commercial benefits of biodiesel use; and more focus on California and Western carbon markets.

National Biodiesel Board CEO Donnell Rehagen says California is the largest market for renewable fuels, driven by the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). “Biodiesel and renewable diesel have been the real stars of the LFCS,” Rehagen said. “Since 2011, biodiesel and renewable diesel use in California has grown from 14 million gallons to more than 500 million gallons today. That represents a compounded annual growth rate of 89 percent and was nearly 20 percent of the national market for biodiesel last year.”

And the future looks even brighter. According to targets set by the state, biodiesel and renewable diesel use could reach one billion gallons by 2021 and as much as two billion gallons by 2030.

NBB Director of Communications Kaleb Little provides a preview of the conference:
NBB conference preview with Kaleb Little

Follow the action next week on the Biodiesel Conference Blog for the 14th year!

Audio, Biodiesel, National Biodiesel Conference

5th Soil Health Summit Biggest Yet

Cindy Zimmerman

The 2019 Soil Health Summit kicked off Tuesday in St. Louis with a record number of attendees. This is the 5th Summit and the program has grown tremendously in a very short time.

Soil Health Partnership Executive Director Shefali Mehta says this year’s program is the most diverse in terms of presentations and breakout sessions and the attendees, partners and speakers are also more diverse than in previous years. This is the first year that the event has been opened up to all interested parties, where it has previously been limited to partners in the program.

The number of farmer partners in the Soil Health Partnership program has grown from 16 to well over a hundred. This surprising growth has fueled a need for more organizational resources and interest from companies like McDonalds.

Mehta discusses this year’s event in this interview – Interview with Shefali Mehta, Soil Health Partnership

2019 Soil Health Summit Photo Album

As in previous years, all content from the Summit is being aggregated onto the Soil Health Summit blog site, so check there to catch all the action.

AgWired Precision, Audio, Conservation, NCGA, Soil, Soil Health Partnership

Eco Agro Resources Files Suit Over Contract Violations

Cindy Zimmerman

Eco Agro Resources LLC has filed a lawsuit against Hocking International Laboratories LLC alleging contract violations and asking for damages in an amount of at least $2.5 million dollars.

In the complaint filed to commence the lawsuit, Eco Agro Resources, LLC claimed it granted a sublicense to Hocking International LLC allowing Hocking to sell certain products in the United States market only.

Eco Agro Resources, LLC alleges that Hocking exceeded the scope of that sublicense by selling outside of the U.S. and by refusing to adhere to the clear labeling requirements provided for in the license, further inducing infringement by third parties.

Eco Agro Resources LLC also claims that Hocking sold products in territories that were specifically not allowed under the contract. The case has not yet been given a trial date.

AgWired Precision, Nutrient Management, Precision Agriculture

Precision Ag Bytes 1/16

Carrie Muehling

  • Ceres Imaging has announced the release of results of a new rice imagery study showing successful prediction of rice nitrogen uptake at panicle initiation. The study validates the possibility of generating nitrogen topdressing recommendations directly from remotely-sensed data with reduced or no physical sampling.
  • John Deere was presented with six AE50 Awards for outstanding innovations that improve production agriculture. Each year the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers recognizes 50 of the most innovative product-engineering designs in the food and agriculture industry, with its AE50 Awards, as chosen by international engineering experts.
  • Pollination Network, a mobile app that helps local farmers and growers find bees and beekeepers, launched this week in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. The app helps beekeepers to find jobs with nearby growers, and it allows growers to post public listings and hire beekeepers within the app.
  • EFC Systems, Inc. announced the 3rd generation planning functionality with the AgSolver engine is now available as part of the enterprise FieldAlytics platform for Field Data Management.
  • Alltech Crop Science, the agronomic division of Alltech, announced the winner of The Grain Escape sweepstakes: Mr. Ray Tucker. The contest, which ran through December 9, 2018, was open to any grower in the United States who farmed at least 10 acres of land and was at least 18 years of age. The winner was chosen in a random drawing on December 14.
  • Birko launches its Elite 360® Precision Application Technology at the International Production and Processing Expo, held Feb. 12-14, 2019, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.
  • HELM Agro US, Inc. has added Zone Elite to the company’s ‘ZONE’ herbicide family for U.S. soybean growers.
  • Speakers, panels and exhibitors at the 2019 Salinas Valley Ag Technology Summit on March 26-27 will highlight how industry players can leverage innovation for increased productivity and strategic advantage in an era of rapid change. With a theme of “Tomorrow’s Technology You Can Use Today,” the summit at Hartnell College in Salinas will focus on how to incorporate emerging technologies in all aspects of fresh produce growing, processing, sales, marketing and distribution.
  • Valent U.S.A. LLC announced the launch of Fierce® MTZ Herbicide – a stand-alone liquid formulation that combines the company’s leading herbicide, Fierce Herbicide, with the added benefit of metribuzin. The company has received U.S. EPA approval, and first sales are expected in the 2019 growing season.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes

BASF Presents Cotton Research Award

Carrie Muehling

Dr. Gaylon Morgan of Texas A&M University received the Outstanding Career Research for Cotton Agronomy Award at the 2019 Beltwide Cotton Conference. Morgan said he was honored by the recognition.

“Everything that we do within my program, the end goal is to improve things for the farmer,” he said. “A lot of that is working with allied industry to bring new products to the industry, provide an unbiased approach in looking at those and then provide that information to those growers that ultimately will make them money and keep them sustainable.”

Award sponsor BASF is a company Morgan works with closely. He said they are very supportive of applied research within the field.

“We were really happy to be able to sponsor this award for him,” said Dr. Kenny Melton with BASF. “Gaylon has been really important in the industry for many years now, not just in Texas, but across the Cotton Belt. He has participated in a lot of projects that have really been beneficial to the industry.”

Melton called Morgan an integral part of the cotton community.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Dr. Gaylon Morgan here: Interview with Dr. Gaylon Morgan, Texas A&M University

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Dr. Kenny Melton here: Interview with Dr. Kenny Melton, BASF

2019 BASF APT Summit Photo Album

Audio, BASF, Cotton

GROWMARK Announces 2019 Essay Contest Winners

Cindy Zimmerman

GROWMARK has named state winners of the 2019 essay contest for FFA members. The theme of the contest was “What does the future of agriculture look like to you, and what skills will you need to play a part in it?”

The winners are John Schubbe of Peotone, Illinois; Tyler Tessman of Audubon, Iowa; Taylor Case of Russellville, Missouri; Cori Lee of Marysville, Ohio; and Marie Hamlin of Roberts, Wisconsin. Each state’s contest winner receives a $500 award from GROWMARK at their state FFA convention. The winner’s FFA chapter also receives a $300 award in honor of their accomplishment.

This is the 26th year for the program, sponsored by the GROWMARK System and FS member cooperatives, in conjunction with state FFA leaders, to help young people develop their writing skills, learn about current issues in agriculture, and understand the unique role of cooperatives.

AgWired Precision, FS System, GROWMARK