Cattle Industry Jazzed to Meet in New Orleans

Cindy Zimmerman

#CattleCon19 is ready to Laissez Le Bons Temps Roulez (Let the Good Times Roll) in New Orleans this week at the 2019 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show!

The 2019 event will be one of the largest on record with over 9,000 cattlemen and women expected in the Crescent City for 3.5 days of education, fellowship, networking, business and plenty of fun. The convention is the largest gathering of cattle industry professionals in the country, and the NCBA Trade Show will feature more than 350 exhibitors on 7+ acres. The annual meetings of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, American National CattleWomen, CattleFax and National Cattlemen’s Foundation will also be held at this event.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue will speak at the Closing General Session on Friday at the New Orleans Convention Center. He will address the farm bill, trade and other issues affecting the state of American agriculture.

NCBA President and California cattleman Kevin Kester says the industry is honored to host Secretary Perdue at the Convention. “There are many issues facing those who make their livings in the cattle industry, so It’s great that Secretary Perdue will share his thoughts and his agency’s plans with us at the Convention,” Kester said. “We have more than 7,000 people already pre-registered for the event, and we should have a record turnout. Those in attendance at the Closing Session will benefit from hearing what we an industry can expect from government in the coming months and years.”

Keep up with all the action on the official 2019 Cattle Industry Convention virtual newsroom where all photos, audio and video content will be posted.

AgWired Animal, Beef, Beef Checkoff, Cattle Industry Conference, NCBA

Partnerships Help Farmers Handle Digital Information

Carrie Muehling

Helping farmers to solve challenges that exist with precision agriculture and large amounts of data is a constant focus for Lane Arthur, who leads the Digital Solutions group for John Deere. Arthur said once data leaves one of the company’s machines, it is his group who manages that information.

“The reality is, farmers don’t farm alone. They need a lot of partners. They need a lot of people to work together,” said Arthur. “Long term, the way we see this is farmers will be able to customize their software the way they want through these connected software companies.”

Arthur said the Develop with Deere conference continues to grow in a couple of ways. The first is the actual number of connected software companies attending. The second is the depth of knowledge and the value of information that they bring to John Deere customers.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Lane here: Interview with Lane Arthur, John Deere

2019 Develop with Deere Conference Photo Album

AgWired Precision, Audio, John Deere

Corn and Ethanol Co-Sponsor 2019 Crappie Masters Tournament

Cindy Zimmerman

The 2019 Crappie Masters Tournament Trail is about to begin a new year of showcasing the benefits of 10 percent ethanol blends for fishing and boating. The first of 16 tournaments begins Friday, February 1 in Deland, Florida on the St. Johns River.

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) are co-title sponsors of the tournament for the third consecutive year to help fuel the knowledge of participants.

“We have done significant education outreach to the boating community on the benefits of 10 percent ethanol blends (E10), and have helped push back on misinformation on higher blends like E15,” said Crappie Masters President Mike Vallentine. “Every Crappie Masters tournament winning team for the past four years has safely used E10 fuel with no reported engine issues.”

RFA Vice President of Industry Relations Robert White says they have seen the partnership pay off as boaters become more educated and, in turn, educate others. “The winners of the 2018 season highlighted the numerous environmental and performance-related benefits of using E10 in their boat. For nearly 30 years, E10 has been used in all types of marine engines and the fuel blend is approved for use by all major marine engine manufacturers, helping to clean the air and water,” he added.

“This season, we are excited about continuing to engage with boaters and anglers about the benefits of the renewable corn ethanol they fill up their boats with throughout the tournament trail,” said NCGA Ethanol Action Team Chair and Missouri farmer Jay Schutte. “Not only are there a number of environmental benefits to fuel blended with 10 percent ethanol, but as the world’s cleanest and most affordable octane source, ethanol helps maximize engine performance.”

Crappie Masters Television will also highlight each tournament. The weekly show can be found on the Pursuit Channel, which is on DIRECTV 604, Dish Network 393, Verizon, CenturyLink and Roku.

The 2019 Crappie Masters Tournament Trail season runs through September 28. Click for the full schedule.

Listen to an interview here with Robert White and Missouri Corn Director of Market Development Bradley Schad from last year’s tournament about why this has been such a good educational opportunity for corn farmers and ethanol producers.
Interview with Robert White, RFA, and Bradley Schad, MO Corn

Audio, Corn, Ethanol, NCGA, RFA

Develop with Deere Conference Still Growing

Carrie Muehling

Organizers of the Develop with Deere Conference in Chicago had a goal of pulling the entire “agriculture digital ecosystem” – everyone that helps growers feed and fuel the world – together, according the Pete Kasap, who manages the ISG Business Segment Strategy for John Deere.

“We have to adopt this technology. It’s going to help everybody,” said Kasap. “And it’s just figuring out how to get all of the pieces together, and an event like this really helps.”

Kasap welcomed attendees at the opening general session of the conference, which added retailers and input providers along with customer software houses this year. Kasap said dealers recognize they need more help in this area, and the conference is a great way to make connections. This year’s event saw nearly 80 connected software companies and representatives attend, along with more than 150 John Deere dealers.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Pete here: Interview with Pete Kasap, John Deere

2019 Develop with Deere Conference Photo Album

AgWired Precision, Audio, John Deere

Ethanol Report from Biodiesel Conference

Cindy Zimmerman

The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) has played the most important role in the adoption of biofuels in the United States, both ethanol and biodiesel, making allies of both industries.

At last week’s National Biodiesel Conference in San Diego, Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Geoff Cooper was part of a panel discussion on the future of the RFS and how ethanol and biodiesel can continue to work together to keep the program strong.

In this Ethanol Report, Cooper talks about how the two industries are coordinating with each other, what set and reset means as far as the RFS is concerned, how the government shutdown may impact the year round E15 rulemaking, and plans for the upcoming National Ethanol Conference next month in Orlando.

Ethanol Report from Biodiesel Conference

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Audio, Biodiesel, Biofuels, Ethanol, National Biodiesel Conference, National Ethanol Conference, Podcasts, RFA

2019 Biodiesel Conference Wrap Up

Cindy Zimmerman

Hundreds of biodiesel leaders from across the country gathered for the 2019 National Biodiesel Conference in San Diego to ENGAGE in thought provoking discussions to help advance America’s advanced biofuel.

Among the highlights of this year’s conference were the annual Eye on Biodiesel industry awards for Initiative, Impact and Innovation; the biodiesel vehicle showcase, and discussions on the future of the Renewable Fuel Standard.

NBB CEO Donnell Rehagen wraps up the conference in this interview:
NBB19 Wrap up interview with CEO Donnell Rehagen

The conference may be over but coverage on the
Biodiesel Conference Blog continues, so check there for more audio and video content being posted.

2019 National Biodiesel Conference Photo Album

Audio, Biodiesel, Biofuels, National Biodiesel Conference

Animal Ag Bites 1/28

Carrie Muehling

  • The results of a new survey show that customers are confused about whether plant-based imitation dairy products are indeed dairy foods and whether they carry the same nutritional value. The research evaluated three plant-based foods that mimic dairy cheese to understand if the packaging and descriptions are confusing. The survey, conducted by Ravel, was commissioned by Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association, Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin and Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, based in Wisconsin.
  • Marin Western was recently named a Vita Plus dairy specialist based in central Michigan. Western will work closely with a team of nutritionists to provide farm-specific nutrition and management strategies.
  • The National FFA Officer Candidates will be attending the International Poultry Expo (IPE), 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 students will receive an all-expense paid trip to IPE in Atlanta, Georgia, and this opportunity is made possible in part by an endowing Foundation gift from Tyson Foods.
  • Kemin Industries, a global ingredient manufacturer with a focus on improving the quality of life for more than half the world’s population, has appointed Haley Stomp, a 16-year company veteran, to lead its worldwide marketing as Senior Vice President, effective immediately.
  • Kent Nutrition Group launched their NutriVantage® Nutrition Optimizer® products for swine at the Iowa Pork Congress in Des Moines, Ia.
  • Vytelle™ announced Jared Knock has joined the team as national sales manager. In this role he will work alongside veterinarians, reproductive specialists and producers to grow Vytelle’s IVF business.
  • Vytelle™ announced the addition of Michael D. Bishop, Ph.D., as director of strategy. In this role he will be responsible for helping set the direction for Vytelle, growing partnerships globally and increasing market penetration.
  • A diverse, ad hoc coalition of more than 45 groups representing many sectors of the U.S. economy joined the National Pork Producers Council in calling for an end to U.S. tariffs on Canadian and Mexican aluminum and steel imports so that America can take advantage of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
AgWired Animal, Animal Bites

2019 Develop with Deere Conference

Chuck Zimmerman

The 2019 Develop with Deere conference is number six and “the largest one yet.” That’s according to Kayla Reynolds, Digital Business Development Manager, John Deere Intelligent Solutions Group. There are 588 people registered.

Kayla says the event is “all about industry collaboration around the digital ag ecosystem.” Attendees from ten countries include John Deere dealers, software development companies as well as John Deere representatives. Since John Deere opened up its APIs to third party application developers quite a few integrations and agreements have been formed. Seventy nine different companies were represented this year.

The program consists of three program tracks that include Technical, Business and Software. For dealers this allows for multiple attendees to sit in educational sessions targeted for their specific job duties. In addition to the sessions, there is an expo area where thirty four different companies set up displays to show and tell their applications and tools.

Listen to my interview with Kayla here: Interview with Kayla Reynolds

2019 Develop With Deere Photo Album

Find more information about the Develop with Deere conference in this virtual ag newsroom.

AgWired Precision, Audio, John Deere, Precision Agriculture

Biofuels Leaders Engage in RFS Discussion

Cindy Zimmerman

The 2019 National Biodiesel Conference concluded Thursday with a panel discussion entitled “To 2022 and Beyond: Renewable Fuels in the Next Decade,” featuring renewable fuel industry leaders discussing the Renewable Fuel Standard and what is on the horizon for 2020.

National Biodiesel Board chief operations officer Doug Whitehead moderated the discussion between NBB CEO Donnell Rehagen and his ethanol organization counterparts Emily Skor, Growth Energy and Geoff Cooper, Renewable Fuels Association.

Listen to their conversation here:
NBB19 RFS panel

2019 National Biodiesel Conference Photo Album

Audio, Biodiesel, Biofuels, Ethanol, National Biodiesel Conference, RFA

Zimfo Bytes 1/25

Carrie Muehling

  • Nineteen innovation pioneers were announced as the 2019 Class of the National Inventors Hall of Fame®. 2019 Inductee David Walt invented Microwell Arrays, which help to improve crop disease resistance.
  • The Corn Refiners Association announced that it has joined Farmers for Free Trade.
  • U.S. Representatives Mike Bost (R-IL) and Al Lawson (D-FL) introduced bipartisan legislation to make more United States Department of Agriculture apprenticeships available to veterans. The Veterans’ Agricultural Apprenticeship Act instructs the USDA to work with state departments of agriculture to identify farmers and ranchers eligible for a direct loan to train apprentice veterans. The loan would, in turn, be paid back to the USDA after the harvest season.
  • Implementing the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 will be the topic for the Farm Foundation® Forum on Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019.
  • HELM Agro US, Inc. announces the hiring of Craig Taylor as the company’s new Northern Corn Belt Regional Sales Manager.
  • Brownfield Ag News is pleased to announce Rhiannon Branch has joined the Brownfield team as Anchor/Reporter. She will be based in south central Illinois.
  • Breakfast Beyond the Bell, a new food initiative aimed at supplementing its current federally funded free and reduced breakfast program, is being piloted in the Cahokia School District. Breakfast Beyond the Bell is funded through a $30,000 grant from the Monsanto Fund, a philanthropic arm of Bayer.
  • American Farmland Trust (AFT) published its Women for the Land program report, “Testing the Women Landowner Conservation Learning Circle Model.” To help women landowners, AFT launched Women for the Land.
  • Rhea + Kaiser welcomes Gino Tomaro as Business Development Director.
  • More than 1,200 attendees participated in the 43rd annual Georgia Peanut Farm Show and Conference on Jan. 17, 2019, at the University of Georgia Tifton Campus Conference Center in Tifton, Georgia. The show is sponsored by the Georgia Peanut Commission.
  • Sakata Seed America recently announced a two-year donation of $15,000 each year ($30,000 total) to support Produce Marketing Association’s ‘Center for Growing Talent’ initiative through the company’s charitable giving program, Sakata Gives.
  • A new partnership will bring together TRACKER, part of Bass Pro’s White River Marine Group with Textron, a global leader in innovation and technology.
  • An updated version of the Financial Guidelines for Agriculture has been released by the Farm Financial Standards Council. With a January 2019 issue date, this 272-page edition replaces other versions of the document that have been in circulation since 1991. The most recent prior update was done in 2017.
  • House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member K. Michael Conaway (TX-11) announced the Steering Committee has made its recommendation of the Republican members to serve on the House Agriculture Committee for the 116th Congress. The new House Agriculture Committee members are as follows: Rep. Dusty Johnson (SD-AL), Rep. Jim Baird (IN-4) and Rep. Jim Hagedorn (MN-1).
  • The Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation board of directors has voted to maintain the insurance premium assessment rate on the adjusted insured debt of Farm Credit System banks at a rate of 9 basis points for 2019. FCSIC will continue to assess a 10-basis-point risk surcharge on nonaccrual loans and other-than-temporarily impaired investments.
Zimfo Bytes