Time to Register for CCA Professional Development Summit

Chuck Zimmerman

The early registration deadline for the Cooperative Communicators Association annual Professional Development Summit is fast approaching. In fact, it ends August 20.

Register today to attend the upcoming PDW in Denver & save $50! Conference registration increases to $199 after August 20, so make sure you sign up to attend today! Join us in Denver September 5-6.

Don’t miss hearing from the Otterbox Creative Team. Otterbox was named one of America’s most promising companies by Forbes, and they produce the number one-selling smartphone case in the nation. Hear how the mega-brand has balanced creative innovation with charitable giving through the OtterCares Foundation to become a lasting name in the technology industry.

The line-up also features speakers Mike Long, Stu Crair, Otterbox, Elaine Grant and Kari Knuston.

For more info on the conference visit www.communicators.coop/pdw2018.

During the CCA Institute earlier this year I spoke with Savannah Chandler, Communications Coordinator, Walton EMC. She is on the planning committee for the CCA PDW: Interview with Savannah Chandler

Audio, Media

Precision Ag Bytes 8/15

Carrie Muehling

    The PrecisionAg Awards of Excellence in the field of precision agriculture and farm technology were presented at the recent InfoAg Conference in St. Louis, MO. The awards are sponsored by the PrecisionAg Institute and presented every summer to individuals doing exceptional work in four distinct categories: Crop Adviser/Entrepreneur, Educator/Researcher, Farmer, and Legacy. Click here for a list of current and past winners.
  • International precision agriculture provider AgriTask has introduced the world’s first digital claims management system for insurance companies operating in the agricultural sector. After a comprehensive assessment of the requirements of several insurance companies, AgriTask teamed up with Mapfre, one of the largest Latin American insurance companies and the biggest in the agricultural sector. The first application was developed jointly with Mapfre’s subsidiary in Paraguay to manage inspections and claim reports directly with the use of AgriTask’s platform.
  • As harvest begins across the country, the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) reminds farmers about the importance of taking precautions to ensure treated seed does not enter the grain supply. ASTA and other stakeholder groups have developed a set of recommendations to assist those involved in the process of treating, handling, transporting, or planting treated seeds. For more information, visit: seed-treatment-guide.com/.
AgWired Precision, ASTA, Precision Ag Bytes

Industry Legend Don Lerch Passes Away

Cindy Zimmerman

A legend in the agricultural communications industry passed away last week age of 99.

Don Lerch was one of the first members of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB), back when it was still the National Association of Rural Farm Directors, and was a member of the organization for 72 years. Don began his farm broadcasting career at pioneer AM radio station KDKA in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. He then joined the War Food Administration in Washington, D.C. in 1943 before returning to the airwaves at WNBC in New York in 1946. Don’s career included working with CBS Director of News Edward R. Murrow as the producer of Columbia Broadcast’s Country Journal. Don stayed involved with NAFB as an associate member through his own firm, Lerch and Company.

Don was also a founding member of the Ag Relations Council (ARC) and was one of the first inductees to the Agricultural Public Relations Hall of Fame in 2012. At that time, Chuck interviewed Don and Paul Weller, Agri/Washington, who once served as ARC Executive Secretary.

Paul and Don talk about how ARC was founded to combat the very negative publicity that agriculture was receiving after World War II, due to the impact of science and technology on farming and a lack of understanding on the part of the consuming public. So ARC was formed to mount an effort to try and overcome this problem by getting positive and truthful information into the media – sound familiar?

Listen to that interview here: ARC History With Paul & Don

ARC, Audio, NAFB

Record Corn Yield and Soybean Crop Forecast

Cindy Zimmerman

A record high soybean crop and overall corn yield are expected this year, according to the latest Crop Production report from USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Up 4 percent from 2017, soybean production is forecast at a record 4.59 billion bushels, while corn growers are expected to decrease their production slightly from last year, forecast at 14.6 billion bushels. Average corn yield is forecast to be the highest on record at 178.4 bushels per acre, up 1.8 bushels from last year.

Wheat production is forecast at 1.88 billion bushels, up 8 percent from 2017. Growers are expected to produce 1.19 billion bushels of winter wheat this year, down 6 percent from last year.

Corn, Soybean, Wheat

Unique Field Showcases FS InVISION Hybrids

Carrie Muehling

A Central Illinois corn field has helped GROWMARK to shared excitement about the FS InVISION brand in a unique way during the 2018 growing season.

The field features two FS InVISION corn hybrids, planted with a multi-hybrid planter. The difference between the shorter-stature 61S variety and the taller 62Z plants, which also have a slightly different tassel color, brought out the image of the InVISION logo within the field near Pontiac, according to Brian Gulso, GROWMARK seed marketing manager.

Gulso said the InVISION brand is locally developed and specifically selected for the Midwest geography and particular soils found in these areas. He said even in the midst of depressed commodity prices, the company is excited about new products coming to market in 2019 that are already proven to perform well.

“The InVISION brand has offered another $50 million of additional yield to growers over the last five years. So that’s a four-bushel advantage over competitors. That opportunity to put to put those incremental dollars back into growers’ pockets, even going into what we’re saying is a slight depression in commodity prices, is extremely exciting,” Gulso said.

Products to watch for as 2019 approaches include 64S, 62Z and the brand new 60U, which Gulso calls “unbelievable.”

Listen to more with Brian Gulso here: Interview with Brian Gulso, GROWMARK

Audio, Corn, GROWMARK

Iowa Gov Grills Burgers with Acting EPA Admin

Cindy Zimmerman

Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler got a taste of the famous Iowa State Fair Monday as the guest of Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and while he had some fun, Wheeler was there to meet with farmers about critical issues.

“I enjoyed the round table we just had with different ag groups in the state…hearing what their concerns and problems are,” Wheeler told reporters as he left the meeting with Gov. Reynolds.

Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) is one of those concerns that EPA is in the process of fixing. “We have a proposal coming out in the next 60 days that will help provide more certainty to farmers and landowners everywhere as to what is a wetland and what is not a wetland,” said Wheeler.

The Renewable Fuel Standard and specifically what EPA plans to do to reallocate lost gallons of biofuels as a result of “small refinery exemptions” and when the agency will approve year round sales of 15% ethanol (E15) is a major concern to Iowa farmers right now but Wheeler would only say they are “looking at” the exemptions and trying to “provide more certainty around that” as well as “what we can do” regarding E15.

The audio is hard to hear because of background noise, but you can also see the video from the Des Moines Register.

Audio file – EPA Acting Admin Wheeler in Iowa

Audio, EPA, Ethanol

ZimmCast 594 – Ag Media Summit Recap

Cindy Zimmerman

The 20th annual Ag Media Summit was held Aug 5-8, 2018 in Scottsdale, AZ. This year the Association for Communication Excellence (ACE) in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Life and Human Sciences joined the American Agricultural Editors’ Association, Livestock Publications Council and the Connectiv Agri-Media Committee.

In this ZimmCast, we hear from outgoing AAEA president Julie Deering about how the industry is adapting to change, as well as AMS sponsors FMC product development manager Brent Jacobson, Cyndee Smiley with John Deere, and Neil DeStefano with AMVAC. We also look ahead to Farm Progress Show, and we have an interview with Tracy Mack, GROWMARK Director of Supply Chain Optimization and Logistics, about going solar.

Listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 594 - Ag Media Summit recap

Check out all the content from Ag Media Summit on AgNewsWire

Subscribe to the ZimmCast podcast here. Use this url in iTunes or your favorite news reader program/app.

The ZimmCast

sponsored by
The ZimmCast podcast is sponsored by GROWMARK
Locally owned, globally strong.
ACN, Ag Media Summit, AMVAC, FMC, GROWMARK, John Deere

FMC Updates from 2018 Ag Media Summit

Cindy Zimmerman

FMC is one of the many companies and organizations that provide support for the Ag Media Summit making it more affordable for everyone to attend. They also participate in the Info Expo to meet with editors and share their latest news.

FMC regional technical manager Gail Stratman (pictured left) was on hand to talk about fall weed control and the solutions that FMC offers for growers. “As we get toward the end of the 2018 growing season, it’s imperative for growers to take stock of where their weed issues were this year,” said Stratman. “Products like Panoflex® and Crusher® provide very good winter annual weed control in the fall and some residual control in the spring.”

Listen to my interview with Gail here: Interview with Gail Stratman, FMC, on fall weed control

Brent Jacobson, FMC product development manager, provided an update on Lucento fungicide for corn, soybeans, peanuts, and sugar beets. “We are expecting registration third quarter of this year so we’ll be launching it next year,” said Jacobson.

Jacobson adds that FMC has a strong pipeline of new active ingredients that are being developed that they are very excited about. Learn more in this interview. Interview with Brent Jacobson, FMC, on Lucento fungicide

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 Precision, Audio, Crop Protection, FMC

IFAJ 2019 in Minnesota is Getting Real

Cindy Zimmerman

Lots of planning time was spent at the 2018 Ag Media Summit last week to prepare for next year when AMS will host the 2019 International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) Congress July 24-31 in Bloomington, Minnesota.

An informational meeting included many who hope to attend and help host over 100 agricultural journalists from other countries. “To me the exciting thing about having the Congress in the United States is that more American ag editors than ever can take part,” said IFAJ president Owen Roberts, University of Guelph.

The 2019 Congress is less than one year away now, so volunteers and sponsors are needed now. Kurt Lawton with Corn and Soybean Digest is the chair for the event.

Learn more about IFAJ and the 2019 Congress in this interview:
Interview with Owen Roberts, IFAJ president

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
ACN, Ag Media Summit, Audio, IFAJ

Animal Ag Bites 8/13

Carrie Muehling

  • U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that the government of Morocco has agreed to allow commercial imports of U.S. poultry meat and products into Morocco for the first time.
  • The National Cattlemen’s Foundation is now accepting applications for the W.D. Farr Scholarships for the 2018-19 school year. Two annual $15,000 grants will be awarded to outstanding graduate students who demonstrate superior achievement in academics and leadership and are committed to beef industry advancement.
  • Wisconsin has created the World’s Largest Cheeseboard, officially setting a new GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS® title. The show stopper took over an entire street in downtown Madison, displaying over two tons of Wisconsin’s finest cheeses from across the state, topping the previous European record holder by over 1,000 pounds! Spanning 35 feet long and 7 feet wide, the custom board was officially adorned with 4,437 pounds and 145 different varieties, types and styles of Wisconsin’s unique specialty and artisan cheeses- including national and international award-winners. For more information, visit WisconsinCheese.com.
  • Milk Products, maker of Sav-A-Caf® products, is excited to introduce the 2018 Sav-A-Caf® Youth Impact Award. This award will recognize two leaders who encourage learning and a passion for agriculture in their communities’ youth. Milk Products is expanding the award in 2018 because of the quality candidates who applied in 2017. Apply online at savacaf.com/award.
  • U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, along with Field to Market, the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, the National Pork Board, the Stewardship Index for Specialty Crops and the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, is cosponsoring the upcoming 2018 Sustainable Agriculture Summit in Denver, Colo. The Summit will be held Nov. 14 – 15, at the Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center. This year’s theme is “Futurecasting Agriculture Sustainability” and will identify, navigate and futureproof opportunities for U.S. agriculture to drive tomorrow’s large-scale sustainability successes.
  • Allflex Livestock Intelligence, an Antelliq company, is proud of the inclusion of its smart collars for cows by SCR in the recently released “Israeli Innovation” book. The book, featuring the 100 Israeli innovations with the largest global impact, was published by the Israeli Ministry of Industry and the Economy and the National Innovation Authority.
  • A judge’s order that forbids farmers and their neighbors from discussing abusive and predatory litigation must be overturned, lawyers for the American Farm Bureau Federation and North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation wrote in a brief filed in federal court. Even though their law-abiding farms have been branded a “nuisance” by trial lawyers seeking multimillion-dollar verdicts from urban juries, the farmers and their neighbors are barred from publicly discussing the conditions and practices on the farms and the devastating effects of the lawsuits on their rural communities.
  • After leading a research initiative to explore the connection between swine disease and flies, Central Life Sciences has confirmed a groundbreaking revelation for the swine industry – flies can infect pigs with diseases including PEDV and Senecavirus A. ClariFly® Larvicide is feed-through fly control for swine that works to reduce flies around pigs and their associated risks. By stopping flies in the larval stage, ClariFly® Larvicide is proven to prevent the development of up to 96.7% of house flies in treated manure. To learn more, view the complete article from PORK Magazine.
  • Vytelle is the new company name for the business formerly known as Cogent® IVF. Vytelle (pronounced vy-tel-ee) comes from the bold union of VITAL, a powerful word denoting “essential to reproductive success” and the more feminine word ELLE, Greek for “sunray.”
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites, Beef, Poultry, Swine