Leaf Spot is FMC Disease of the Year

Cindy Zimmerman

If there were an award for crop disease of the year, it would be a tie between two types of leaf spot this year, according to FMC Technical Service Rep Nick Hustedde.

“In corn, we’ve had a tremendous amount of grey leaf spot…in soybeans, it seems like frogeye leaf spot’s the clear winner,” said Hustedde, adding that both are caused by the fungus Cercospora.

Hustedde says FMC’s new Lucento fungicide, which is expected to be approved for sale in the 2019 season, controls both grey leaf spot in corn and frogeye leaf spot in soybeans, as well as many other diseases. “It’s a premix of a new SDHI molecule that we’ve been developing for a number of years and it’s partnered with our in-house chemistry flutriafol, one of the most systemic triazoles on the market,” he said.

Listen to an audio interview with Nick here and watch the video below:
NAFB18 Interview with Nick Hustedde, FMC


2018 NAFB Convention Photo Album

AgWired Precision, Audio, FMC, Fungicide, NAFB, Video

Enogen Means Energy for Feed and Fuel

Cindy Zimmerman

The same trait that makes Enogen corn hybrids great for ethanol production is also good for livestock feed.

The higher levels of the alpha-amylase enzyme in these hybrids help break down sugar into energy more efficiently which benefits both ethanol producers and cattle. “The Enogen technology and how it gains efficiencies and makes the ethanol plant money is similar in the rumen of a cow,” said Chris Tingle, head of commercial operations for Enogen at Syngenta, at the 2018 NAFB Convention Trade Talk. He says recent data from Kansas State and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln shows about a five percent increase in feed efficiency. “Which is critical when we see the tensions of those markets now and every penny counts.”

Meanwhile, Enogen’s ethanol plant footprint continues to grow. Learn more in this interview –
NAFB18 Interview with Chris Tingle, Syngenta

2018 NAFB Convention Photo Album

AgWired Animal, AgWired Precision, Audio, Corn, Ethanol, Feed, NAFB, Syngenta

Farmers Mutual Hail Partners with Climate Corporation

Cindy Zimmerman

The Climate Corporation, a subsidiary of Bayer, is partnering with Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Company of Iowa (FMH) on a platform expanding Climate FieldView™ for crop insurance reporting.

“We are excited about working with The Climate Corporation to add an easy-to-use reporting option for our policyholders who use FieldView and agents utilizing FMH Precision Crop Insurance Solutions™,” said Ron Rutledge, FMH President and CEO. “Not only will connecting our two systems enhance reporting processes, the data collected through FieldView can be used for adjusting crop losses, resulting in an enhanced claim experience for our policyholders.”

With Climate FieldView, farmers across millions of acres are experiencing fast, easy field data collection and the ability to gain analytics-based insights from their data for increased productivity. With the addition of FMH as a partner, planting and harvest data captured in a farmer’s FieldView account will seamlessly flow into FMH systems at the farmer’s request for faster completion and delivery of planting and production reports. Ultimately, this will provide farmers and their agents a more simplified reporting experience, eliminating the need for manual data entry. In addition to enabling easy, digitized insurance reporting for farmers, Climate and FMH will be identifying further collaboration opportunities to partner in the area of digital risk management for farmers in the future.

AgWired Precision, Bayer, Crop Insurance, Precision Agriculture

FMC Wins Big at Agrow Awards

Cindy Zimmerman

FMC Corporation took top honors in several categories at the 2018 Agrow Awards, an international competition honoring the top advancements in agriculture.

FMC won Best R&D Pipeline and Best Application Technology for its at-plant 3RIVE 3D® application system. In addition, Dr. William E. Barnette, retired director of Discovery Chemistry for FMC, was recognized with the prestigious Agrow Lifetime Achievement Award.

Over his 30-year career with FMC and DuPont Crop Protection, Dr. Barnette has been an industry leader in identifying new crop protection active ingredient development candidates.

Dr. Kathleen Shelton, FMC chief technology officer and vice president, said the company is honored to be recognized for its crop protection discovery research which is critically important to helping farmers produce an abundant and safe food supply for a growing world population. “Our R&D pipeline is focused on new active ingredients and new modes of action to address growers’ insect, disease and weed challenges around the world, including resistant pests, which are a serious threat to crop production.”

Rick Ekins, FMC Precision Platforms lead, accepted the award for FMC’s patent-pending 3RIVE 3D® application system, designed to deliver low volumes of crop protection solutions to the furrow during planting. Currently used in corn and soybeans, 3RIVE 3D technology is being tested in sugar beets, cotton, dry beans, sunflowers and more. New 3RIVE 3D formulated products are in development, like Ethos® 3D insecticide/fungicide just introduced to the market this month.

AgWired Precision, Crop Protection, FMC

Corn Growers Request Changes in Trade Relief Package

Cindy Zimmerman

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is urging Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to consider changes to the Market Facilitation Program (MFP) ahead of the second round of payments.

In a letter to Perdue, NCGA president Lynn Chrisp said that many farmers are “disappointed in USDA’s approach to calculating the first round of MFP payments because it was too narrow in scope and did not capture the real-time impacts of trade disruptions on our markets.”

Producers of oybeans, sorghum, corn, wheat, cotton, dairy, and hogs impacted by retaliatory tariffs, resulting in the loss of traditional export markets are the commodities eligible for payments, with soybeans getting the majority of the compensation package in the first round.

NCGA is asking Perdue to add ethanol and distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) to the calculation of damages for corn. Using USDA’s methodology, gross trade damages for ethanol and DDGS amounts to $254 million, which was not accounted for in the first MFP payments. Chrisp also asked the Secretary to allow farmers who suffer production losses from disasters to use an alternative to 2018 production for their MFP calculation. This would ensure farmers suffering from drought, hurricane-related losses or other natural disasters would not be penalized twice.

Corn, Ethanol, Exports, NCGA, Soybean

Ethanol Report from 2018 NAFB Convention

Cindy Zimmerman

The new president and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) met with farm broadcasters from around the country recently at the annual National Association of Farm Broadcasting Trade Talk. While Geoff Cooper has been with RFA since 2008, it was the first time he had the opportunity to talk with the ag media as CEO.

Among the topics he discussed were the process of getting E15 approved year round, record production and exports for 2018, and the crazy year it has been for the industry.

Listen here – Ethanol Report from 2018 NAFB Convention

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Audio, Ethanol, NAFB, RFA

Zimfo Bytes 11/21

Carrie Muehling

  • The National Corn Growers Association welcomes back Robyn Allscheid, who rejoins the organization as the director of Research and Productivity in the St. Louis, Mo. office. Allscheid previously served at NCGA as manager of research and business development from 2008 to 2010. She will serve as staff lead for the Corn Productivity and Quality Action Team as well as leading NCGA’s research programs.
  • New Holland ended its two-year-long Survivor Tractor campaign the way it began: with an auction raising awareness and money for cancer research. A fully restored 1939 tractor, the Survivor Tractor was auctioned off for $8,000 to Mr. Joseph “Bubby” Knott, original tractor owner on Nov. 10 at the Mecum Auctions Iowa Premier 2018 in Davenport, Iowa. During the campaign, New Holland raised more than $100,000 with all funds being donated to the American Cancer Society and localized support organizations identified through participating New Holland dealers.
  • Hannah Pagel will join the Agri-Pulse editorial team in Washington, D.C. as an associate editor, handling writing and broadcast duties.
  • Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced the appointment of eight members, eight alternate members and two advisors to serve on the Cotton Board.
Zimfo Bytes

New NCGA CEO Talks Corn Issues at #NAFB18

Cindy Zimmerman

Jon Doggett participated in his first NAFB Trade Talk this year as CEO of the National Corn Growers Association.

Doggett is no stranger to farm broadcasters, having served as head of NCGA’s policy efforts in Washington D.C. since 2002 and becoming executive vice president in 2014. But he was just officially named CEO in September. “I thought I was traveling a lot before but I’m seeing a lot more of that,” he said.

The biggest issue on the plate for corn growers right now is getting a farm bill passed. “Farm prices are half of what they were a few years ago. We need to get a farm bill done now,” said Doggett.

Doggett comments on a number of issues in this interview, including the mid-term elections, trade policy, and getting year-round E15 approved. NAFB18 Interview with Jon Doggett, NCGA CEO

2018 National Association of Farm Broadcasting Convention Photo Album

Audio, Corn, NAFB, NCGA

Driving Ethanol Series on 10 Years of Growth Energy

Cindy Zimmerman

Growth Energy was created in November 2008 and so is celebrating ten years of advocating for ethanol this month. This edition of the Driving Ethanol podcast is the first in a series of three focusing on a decade of accomplishments for the organization.

This podcast includes historical comments from the early years with industry leaders, including Greg Krissek, who was with ethanol plant engineering firm ICM, Inc at the time, first Growth Energy co-chairs Ret. Gen. Wesley Clark and former Rep. Jim Nussle of Iowa, first CEO Tom Buis and current CEO Emily Skor, and President Barack Obama.

Listen here: Growth Energy Driving Ethanol podcast 11-19-18

Subscribe to the Driving Ethanol podcast

Audio, Ethanol