Corteva Agriscience Making a Name at Ag Media Summit

Carrie Muehling

Corteva Agriscience continued the longstanding partnership of its legacy companies with the Ag Media Summit as a gold sponsor this year.

The company is working to ensure all agriculture stakeholders know the new business name and what it stands for.

“[It’s] very important for us as Corteva Agriscience in our first year to get our name out there and talk to a lot of these great ag journalists and explain to them who we are and what we’re going to be, and just get out there and make sure that we’re connecting with everyone,” said Gregg Schmidt, head of external communications.

The company’s name combines “cor” meaning heart and “teva” meaning earth, celebrating a rich agricultural history for both Dow and DuPont, the companies that merged to form the new venture.

“We’ve got a presence all around the world, but we are excited to connect with our consumers and customers and be the only pure play agriculture company in the world when we eventually spin off in 2019,” said Schmidt, who noted that senior leaders at Corteva have been meeting with farmers, customers and ag journalists to be sure the Corteva name is one everyone understands.

Listen to Cindy’s interview with Gregg Schmidt here: Interview with Gregg Schmidt, Corteva Agriscience

2018 Ag Media Summit Photo Album

Ag Media Summit, AgWired Precision, Audio

Animal Ag Bites 8/20

Carrie Muehling

  • The IDEAg Group LLC announces a new partnership with Sioux Nation Ag Center at Dakotafest 2018. Dakotafest takes place Aug. 21-23 at Schlaffman Farm in Mitchell, South Dakota. Over 500 exhibitors will offer trade show booths, educational sessions and family-friendly offerings. Download the Dakotafest mobile app at www.dakotafest.com for show information.
  • The challenges and questions generated by market and regulatory changes regarding the use of antibiotics in food animals will be discussed by industry stakeholders, policy makers, academics and federal analysts at a workshop Sept. 6-7, 2018, in Washington, D.C. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service is organizing this workshop in collaboration with Farm Foundation. There is no charge to participate in this workshop, however, registration is required by close of business on Aug. 30, 2018.
  • Horse owners are relying on their veterinarians more and more for vaccination and deworming program recommendations, according to the 2018 American Horse Publications online survey, sponsored by Zoetis. Survey respondents said equine veterinarians are the No. 1 influence on horse-owner product purchase decisions for both vaccines and dewormers.
  • A team of food science students from Brigham Young University won the 2018 Idaho Milk Processors Association new product competition Saturday. They earned $10,000 at IMPA’s annual meeting in Sun Valley, Idaho, for their first-place-winning new product idea — Sparkling Scoops, a carbonated, hard-pack ice cream, sold in single-serve, pull-top cans.
  • The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) and FAMI-QS, the Quality and Safety System for Specialty Feed Ingredients, renewed the strategic agreement of cooperation for the development of specific certification programs for the expansion of the FAMI-QS Code in the U.S. animal food manufacturing industry. For more information on the program, visit safefeedsafefood.org.
  • The CattleFax Trends+ Cow-Calf Webinar on Sept. 12, 2018, will address escalating trade tensions with China, renegotiating NAFTA, and continued expansion across all three U.S. protein sectors, subjects which add to market uncertainty and shape market expectations for the future. Producers and industry leaders can visit https://www.cattlefax.com to access program details and register for the webinar.
  • Arizona native Chad Page has been selected as the winner of the 2018 Sheep Heritage Foundation‘s Memorial Scholarship.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites, Dairy, Horses, Sheep

Pork Checkoff Makes Big Pig Impression

Cindy Zimmerman

The National Pork Board is making a big impression with a new “virtual pig experience” – first debuted at World Pork Expo and on display last week at Ag Media Summit.

“Our pig experience includes about 1100 pounds of a display and the pig head comes down and it gives you the Google “nap pod” experience,” said Kylee Deniz, NPB Director of Marketing and Producer Outreach, who came up with the idea and had it developed. Once participants settle into the pod they get to view short, informational and totally adorable video featuring a little boy talking about how pig farmers care for their animals.

Deniz says there are two of these pig heads, which they affectionately call Kelly and Dan, after the designers who developed them.

Learn more about Kelly and Dan in this interview: Interview with Kylie Deniz, National Pork Board

2018 Ag Media Summit photo album

Content creation at Ag Media Summit is sponsored by
Coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by FMC
Ag Media Summit, AgWired Animal, Audio, Pork Checkoff

Ethanol Industry Loses Pioneer Merle Anderson

Cindy Zimmerman

Merle and Lee Anderson at 2012 ACE Conference

Back in 1987, a man by the name of Merle Anderson saw the need for a grassroots organization to support a new use for corn that would help farmers as well as the entire country. His vision became the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) and members of the organization are celebrating Merle’s long and wonderful life this week at the 31st annual meeting after his passing just days ago.

Some of us were hoping to see him one last time this year, since it was back in his home state of Minnesota, but he passed away Monday August 13 at his home in Climax, Minnesota with his sweet wife Lee by his side. He was 96 years old.

Besides being an ethanol industry pioneer and visionary, Anderson was a local and national leader for the Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association and The Red River Valley Potato Growers Association, with appointments to the National Potato Council and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Potato Advisory Committee. He served 42 years on the Red River Valley Cooperative Power’s board of directors. He is also a recipient of the Nikola Tesla Award for his service to the electric power industry and most recently, he received the Meritorious Service Award from Farmer’s Union.

Among the many honors he received in his lifetime from numerous organizations, Merle had the distinction of having the highest award given by the American Coalition for Ethanol named after him. The Merle Anderson Award was first given in 1997 and has been bestowed on presidents, members of Congress, and many others who have helped promote ethanol. This year it was presented to one of Merle’s long time friends in the industry, Owen Jones.

We interviewed Merle several times over the years, but my favorite was in 2012, when I interviewed both him and Lee. Listen to that here: Interview with ACE Founder Merle Anderson

Services for Merle will be at Climax Lutheran Church in Climax, MN.
Visitation: from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm with a 6:30 pm prayer service on Sunday, August 19
Funeral Service: 10:30 am on Monday, August 20

Read more from the Grand Forks Herald.

2018 ACE Conference Photo Album

ACE, Audio, Ethanol

Zimfo Bytes 8/17

Carrie Muehling

  • Three sponsors will be honored with the Distinguished Service Citation during an onstage ceremony at this year’s National FFA Convention & Expo, held in Indianapolis Oct. 24-27. Culver Franchising System of Prairie Du Sac, Wis.; DFA – Dairy Farmers of America of Kansas City, Mo.; and Lincoln Electric/The James F. Lincoln Arc Welding Foundation of Cleveland, Ohio, will receive the citation for their outstanding contributions to FFA and agricultural education on the national level.
  • If you’re thinking about how to pay for college next year — Think Rice — because the National Rice Month Scholarship video contest is here. Entries are due October 31. For more information and to submit an entry, visit the NRM scholarship page.
  • Potatoes USA welcomes its newest team member, Kendra Keenan, as an Assistant Marketing Manager. Kendra brings a background in food marketing to her role at Potatoes USA including time at Sun World International, The Spice Way San Diego and at Fresh Origins Microgreens.
  • The Iowa Biodiesel Speakers Bureau is now live on the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association website. It is a collection of biodiesel experts from across the state who share the goal of educating Iowans about the benefits of using biodiesel.
  • Start making your plans for the 2018 NAFB Convention today. Join more than 650 agricultural industry leaders November 7-9 in Kansas City for three days of learning, newsmaker sessions, networking, and more.
  • Hemp Geo Institute will host “Growing Hemp for Yield,” their seventh Industrial Hemp Symposium, on August 25 in Oklahoma City, OK.
  • U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced further reorganization of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), intended to improve customer service, strengthen offices and programs, and save taxpayer dollars. The Economic Research Service (ERS), currently under USDA’s Research, Education, and Economics mission area, will realign once again with the Office of the Chief Economist (OCE) under the Office of the Secretary. Additionally, most employees of ERS and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) will be relocated outside of the National Capital Region. The movement of the employees outside of Washington, DC is expected to be completed by the end of 2019.
  • Kris Folland, Pat Sullivan and Craig Bangasser are ready for their close-ups. The Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council directors (Bangasser’s term ended in 2017) will appear on the second of a pair of episodes of Discovery’s “Diesel Brothers” show. The second episode chronicling the build of “Indomitus” will air 9 p.m. CDT on Monday, Aug. 20.
FFA, NAFB, Potato, Rice, USDA, Zimfo Bytes

2018 ACE Conference Kicks Off

Cindy Zimmerman

The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) kicked off its 31st annual conference at the Renaissance Depot Hotel in Minneapolis discussing some of the challenges and opportunities facing the industry.

The theme of the 2018 conference is “Grit Wins” and ACE CEO Brian Jennings commended attendees for staying strong in the face of attacks oil refiners have launched on ethanol this year. “Wrangling over market share with the most profitable companies in the world has always required our industry to be resourceful — to punch above our weight,” Jennings said. “But we have leverage before the midterm election. Candidates need your vote. Rural America needs to speak out about the fact that farmers are losing money while refiners have the best of both worlds — fat profit margins and minimal RFS compliance costs.”

“Enlisting the help of our allies in the Senate, the many Governors who support us, and through candidates who need our vote this fall, we must keep grassroots pressure on the White House and EPA to make good on President Trump’s promises to maintain 15 billion gallons in the RFS, which means reallocating the small refinery exemptions, and to issue a clean RVP rulemaking for E15 and higher blends,” Jennings added.

Listen to Jennings’ comments here: ACE18 Opening remarks from CEO Brian Jennings

You can also watch the opening general session in this video:


2018 ACE Conference Photo Album

ACE, Audio, Ethanol, Video

Saving the Orange

Carrie Muehling

The American Seed Trade Association and CropLife International have launched the first video in a new series about gene editing in plants.

The video focuses on the very-real challenge of citrus greening—a devastating disease which has led to a nearly 80-percent decrease in Florida citrus production over the past 12 to 15 years.

Profiled in the video, Dr. Fred Gmitter, University of Florida Citrus Research and Education Center, calls citrus greening “the worst possible nightmare imaginable.” By using innovative breeding methods like gene editing, Dr. Gmitter and his team are working to improve orange trees, making them more resistant to the disease.

Click here to watch the video.

AgWired Precision, ASTA, Citrus, Video

Case IH Improves Steiger and Magnum Series Tractors

Carrie Muehling

Case IH announces updates to both its Steiger® Series and Magnum™ Series tractor lines for 2019.

The Steiger® Quadtrac® and Rowtrac™ tractor lineup includes new features that reinforce the series’ already proven performance. Several drive system advancements, including a new high-speed Rowtrac design, join a factory-fit enhanced telematics offering that increases management capability and flexibility. In addition, all Model Year 2019 tractors used in agriculture applications now include an industry-exclusive warranty and a one-year advanced subscription to Advanced Farming Systems (AFS) Connect™. These innovations help ensure that Model Year 2019 Steiger tractors will deliver even more power, productivity and efficiency for producers.

“For more than 20 years, we have been relentless in refinement of our track technology, giving us a head start and allowing us to lead the pack,” said Mitch Kaiser, Case IH Steiger tractor marketing manager. “This series of tractors is already strong, smart and simple, and these advancements are helping producers get even more power, performance and productivity that leads to lower total cost of ownership.”

Model Year 2019 Steiger tractors also feature an improved track design for high-speed roading, capable of up to 25 mph.

Model Year 2019 Magnum tractors also include a new warranty program, factory-fit telematics, and advanced subscription to Advanced Farming Systems (AFS) Connect™ farm management system, along with a new 21-inch track option and factory-installed Goodyear® LSW® tire options.

For more information, visit your local Case IH dealer or www.caseih.com.

AgWired Precision, Case IH, Equipment, Tractor

AEM’s Ag Equipment Sales Numbers Remain Strong

Carrie Muehling

Self-propelled combines and 4-wheel-drive tractors lead the way in a July 2018 report by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), reflecting continued strong U.S. sales.

July U.S. sales of self-propelled combines gained 37 percent compared to last year, with year-to-date growth of nearly 24 percent compared to last-year’s January-July numbers. U.S. sales of 4-wheel-drive tractors jumped 77.5 percent for July compared to July 2017, and grew nearly 13 percent year-to-date over January-July 2017. For July, total U.S. sales of 2-wheel drive tractors grew 12 percent over last year. Sales in the 100-plus HP category led the way with 31-percent growth, followed by gains of 16 percent for under-40 HP tractors, and a dip of 1.5 percent for the 40-100 HP category. For January-July 2018, all categories of 2-wheel drive tractors were still positive compared to 2017 YTD: under-40 HP tractors grew 9.5 percent, 40-100 HP 2-wheel drive tractors increased 2.5 percent and 100-plus HP 2-wheel drive tractors gained 5 percent.

“Seven months into the year, we’re still looking at favorable numbers. Surveys of our membership show a good majority feel the market has been strong this year but are beginning to have concerns about the second half of the year. Tariffs and trade continue to dominate the conversation, with the lingering uncertainty of their impact on current positive market performance,” said Curt Blades, AEM senior vice president, AG services. “While sales of small equipment such as less than 40 HP tractors continue their growth trends over the last few years that had made them a bright spot, they have been joined by a softer upward movement started in 2017 for the larger production ag equipment such as 100+ HP 2WD tractors, 4WD tractors and self-propelled combines,” said Benjamin Duyck, AEM director, market intelligence.

Here is link to the full report online: https://www.aem.org/AEM/media/docs/Statistics/18-07-USAG_1.pdf.

AEM, AgWired Precision, Equipment