Precision Ag Bytes 1/9

Carrie Muehling

  • Syngenta has joined the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research’s (FFAR) Crops of the Future Collaborative as an executive committee participant.
  • Legion Bio Chem recently announced the launch of its newest product, EnduraSeed™, adding to the robust EnduraGro™ biologicals product line. Legion’s GroWell™ Solutions include FasGro™ starter fertilizers, ZenaGro™ micronutrients, FortiGro™ foliar nutrients, and EnduraGro microorganisms and bio-stimulants.
  • 2019 U.S. EPA regulations require all applicators of dicamba herbicide products to complete dicamba-specific training even if you took it last year. Register now to complete the training requirement while at the Farm Futures Summit or Boot Camp. Participants completing this training will receive a certificate following the session. Farmers can get free dicamba training January 23 or 24 as part of their Farm Futures Ag finance Boot Camp and Farm Futures Business Summit registrations. The Farm Futures Boot Camp held January 23, and the Summit, held January 24 -25 at the Coralville Marriott Conference Center in Iowa City, Iowa.
  • South Dakota State University (SDSU) Extension will host 2019 No-Till event, titled Integrating Livestock, Building Soil January 17, 2019 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Wall at the Wall Community Center, Grand Hall (501 Main St.). The event is free. However, pre-registration is requested because a lunch will be served. Certified Crop Advisor credits will be available. To register, contact Ruth Beck, SDSU Extension Agronomy Field Specialist at ruth.beck@sdstate.edu or 605-773-8120.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes

Animal Ag Bites 1/8

Carrie Muehling

  • Thanks to new sponsorship from Merck Animal Health, up to six regional Stockmanship & Stewardship events will be coordinated by the producer education team at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association throughout the United States in 2019. Additional funding and support for the program is provided by the beef checkoff-funded Beef Quality Assurance program. More information on upcoming Stockmanship & Stewardship events will be announced at the 2019 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show in New Orleans, La.
  • Idaho dairy farmers are pioneering a new program to educate and train employees on workplace safety and awareness on the job. Ryan DeWit joined the Idaho Dairymen’s Association in 2017 to develop and implement an on-farm training program dairy farm owners can apply with their employees. The training, which is done in person in Spanish or English, is provided on iPads to provide individual pace and learning. The National FARM Program (Farmers Assuring Responsible Management) has partnered with IDA to create a safety manual resource for dairy producers across the country. FARM is a program managed by the National Milk Producers Federation based in Washington, D.C.
  • The top 11 teams of the National FFA Poultry Evaluation Career Development Event are again invited to attend the International Poultry Expo, part of the 2019 International Production & Processing Expo, as a result of the USPOULTRY Foundation’s ongoing initiative to further attract students to the poultry and egg industries. The opportunity for teams of the Poultry Evaluation CDE to attend is made possible in part by endowing Foundation gifts from Prestage Farms and Sanderson Farms. The following Poultry Evaluation CDE teams have been invited to attend IPPE. Their awards were presented by John Starkey, USPOULTRY president, and Ed Scott, director of corporate recruiting for Cal-Maine Foods, and are listed in their order of finish: Katy FFA, Texas; Farmington FFA, Arkansas; Prairie Central FFA, Illinois; Coweta FFA, Oklahoma; Brantley County FFA, Georgia; Caney FFA, Kansas; Assumption FFA, Louisiana; North Clackamas FFA, Oregon; Paris FFA, Missouri; Hillsdale FFA, Ohio; and Manor FFA, Pennsylvania.
  • Aptimmune Biologics announces the addition of two members to the company’s management team to start the New Year. Heather Bessoff, DVM, has joined the company as chief executive officer. Perry Harms, DVM, has been named technical consultant for Aptimmune.
AgWired Animal, Animal Bites

Welcome to the Inaugural BASF APT Summit

Chuck Zimmerman

It’s the first show of 2019 for ZimmComm. BASF is holding an inaugural APT (Agronomic Performance Trials) Summit just prior to the Beltwide Cotton Conferences. To learn what this means and get an overview of the Summit I spoke with Kenny Melton, BASF Western Region Agronomic Manager.

Kenny says the breeding group for BASF will hand off varieties for the field trials that make up this program. He says that from there the varieties are further developed and support is provided to the farms taking part in the program. The APT trials are all conducted using the farm’s equipment and systems. Data is collected throughout the season and shared with the farmer. In fact, here at the APT Summit the 2018 trial data is being shared with farmers who will have an opportunity to interact with each other and the BASF field representatives from regions throughout cotton belt.

You can listen to my interview with Kenny here: Interview with Kenny Melton, BASF

I will be conducting more interviews with the attendees here at the Summit and will share when time allows. BASF is also announcing new cotton varieties for 2019 and I’ll have that information too.

Photos from the BASF APT Summit and Beltwide are online here: 2019 BASF APT Summit Photo Album

Audio, BASF, Beltwide Cotton, Cotton

Zimfo Bytes 1/4

Carrie Muehling

  • The American Farm Bureau Federation is accepting online applications through Jan. 7, 2019, for five paid summer internships. The dates of AFBF’s internships are between mid-May and mid-August, depending on schedules, and will last 8 to 10 weeks. Visit https://www.fb.org/about/careers/category/internship for information on how to apply. Applications will be accepted through Jan. 7, 2019.
  • MGEX, a Designated Contract Market and Derivatives Clearing Organization, concludes 2018 with a total of 2,335,284 contracts traded, which is the second highest calendar year volume in history.
  • The National Corn Growers Association Nominating Committee reminds interested members that it is accepting applications for the 2020 Corn Board through January 11. Click here for the application, which provides complete information on requirements, responsibilities and deadlines.
Zimfo Bytes

Ethanol Report for the New Year

Cindy Zimmerman

Will 2019 be a happy new year for the ethanol industry?

In this first Ethanol Report podcast for 2019, Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) president and CEO Geoff Cooper comments on some of the challenges and opportunities for the industry in 2019, including getting year-round E15 approved before summer, and dealing with the continuing consequences of the small refinery waivers.

RFA’s annual National Ethanol Conference is coming up next month in Orlando and Cooper urges everyone in the industry to attend.

Listen here – Ethanol Report for the New Year

Subscribe to the podcast via RSS
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Audio, Ethanol, RFA

DigestData Launched for Bio-based Start-ups

Cindy Zimmerman

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) has joined with Biofuels Digest to create and launch DigestData, an online database to help facilitate networking and the transfer of information between interested parties working in the bio-based industry. NCGA’s sponsorship provides DigestData users with free access to search research and pilot scale facilities along with facility details such as certifications, available equipment, and primary contact information.

“The goal was to bring more visibility to these facilities and projects in the United States,” said Feed, Food and Industrial Action Team Chair Dan Wesely. “We want companies to recognize the number of facilities that are located right here in the Midwest, close to the untapped potential that corn can provide as a feedstock. DigestData provides a service that NCGA believes will help facilitate networking and communication across the bio-based materials industry.”

DigestData includes a messaging platform, allowing outreach to occur directly between interested parties within the online platform. The database will continue to evolve as new facilities and projects are added, or existing entries are updated in real-time at the request of their respective owners. There’s also a search by keyword function to help users quickly find information of interest.

AgWired Precision, Corn, NCGA

Secretary Sonny to Address 100th AFBF Convention

Cindy Zimmerman

Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue will be joining more than 6,000 farmers and ranchers in New Orleans later this month to speak at the 100th American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention & IDEAg Trade Show. Secretary Perdue will address Farm Bureau members during the closing general session, scheduled to take place Monday, January 14 at 11:15 a.m.

“We are honored that Secretary Perdue will join us as a keynote speaker,” said fellow Georgian and AFBF President Zippy Duvall. “We are excited to kick off Farm Bureau’s 100th year hearing from such a strong advocate for agriculture in the administration. He truly understands how trade, regulations and labor shortages affect a farmer’s bottom line and ability to stay in business from one season to the next.” Perdue spoke at the convention last year to introduce his boss, President Donald Trump, who is not expected to attend this year.

The organization’s centennial annual convention will run January 11-16 and Online registration is still available.

AFBF, USDA

The Best of 2018

Cindy Zimmerman

Here are some of our favorite photos and links to our top viewed posts on AgWired for 2018. We covered nearly 50 events around the world in 2018, from the American Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting in January to the American Seed Trade Association Seed Expo in December, and we are grateful to all of our friends and fans for making it possible. See you down the Agriblogging Highway starting January 7 in New Orleans at the Beltwide Cotton Conferences!

2018 in Pictures

Top Viewed AgWired Posts of 2018

The John Deere API Evangelist at #DevelopWithDeere
Farm Credit: What’s on the Horizon for Rural America
President Trump at 91st National FFA Convention
Major Seed Companies after the Mergers
BASF Takes Over Bayer Assets
Alltech Honors Company Founder’s Legacy
Bayer Outlines Vision for Future of Farming
Trump Discusses E15 and Agricultural Trade Issues
Gene Editing is Disruptive Innovation for Agriculture
Inari Aims to Transform Agriculture

AgWired Animal, AgWired Precision, ZimmComm Announcement

Growers Pleased With Bayer’s Fluency Agent Advanced

Carrie Muehling

Response has been positive to Bayer‘s Fluency Agent Advanced, a seed lubricant the company introduced last year. The product helps not only with seed lubricity, but also with reducing dust that may escape during the planting process.

“It’s primarily for corn and soybeans,” said Bayer’s Bill Striegel. “We introduced it for corn, but it works just as good for soybeans. It’s a good replacement for either talc or talc-/graphite or graphite. It will work on all types of planters.”

Striegel said more information about the product is available from local dealers or at cropscience.bayer.us. Striegel was at the American Seed Trade Association CSS 2018 and Seed Expo in Chicago.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Bill here: Interview with Bill Streigel, Bayer Fluency Agent Advanced

Bayer at ASTACSS18 Photo Album

2018 ASTA CSS Photo Album

AgWired Precision, ASTA, Audio, Bayer