Animal Ag News 1/2

Carrie Muehling

  • Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association announced registration for the 2024 Cattle Raisers Convention & Expo taking place March 22-24, 2024 in downtown Fort Worth opened Jan. 1.
  • AgTech Insight is delighted to support the Animal AgTech Innovation Summit on March 18-19, 2024. Over 500 international animal ag tech leaders will engage in business critical discussions on implementing climate-smart farming practices, extracting the most value from animals through PLF platforms, and investigating the right funding models for innovators in the meat and dairy sectors.
  • The Animal Agriculture Alliance has concluded the release of reports from four prominent animal rights extremist conferences held throughout 2023. The conferences included: Direct Action Everywhere’s Animal Liberation Conference (ALC) (held June 9-14), The Animal and Vegan Advocacy Summit (held July 27-30), Humane Society of the United States’ Taking Action for Animals (TAFA) Conference (held August 5-6), and Animal Legal Defense Fund’s Animal Law Conference (held October 20-22). The Alliance also released a report from The Reducetarian Summit (held October 27-29).
  • The U.S. Poultry & Egg Harold E. Ford Foundation (USPOULTRY Foundation) and the Poultry Science Association Foundation (PSA Foundation) are pleased to announce the jointly sponsored Ph.D. and Vet Student Career Fair which will be held during the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE), scheduled for Jan. 30 – Feb. 1, 2024, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.
  • Smithfield Foods donated 64,576 hams in December to food banks in six states through its Helping Hungry Homes hunger relief program.
    • AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

    ZimmComm 2024 Preview

    Chuck Zimmerman

    It’s hard to believe that it was 20 years ago this year that we started ZimmComm but here we are. While we are not as busy as we once were pre-COVID, we have a good line up of events on our calendar for the year.

    We are hitting the agriblogging highway already this week for the Beltwide Cotton Conferences in Fort Worth, TX. There are several different technical conferences that take place during the three days. We’ve been covering this event for the National Cotton Council since 2021.

    After that, we head to the VISION Conference, now in its seventh year, January 22-24 at the Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel & Spa, brought to you by Meister Media Worldwide and the Global Ag Tech Initiative. Co-locating with The VISION Conference and kicking off on January 21, the second in-person meeting for Women in Ag Tech will provide a vital platform for women in the industry to connect, engage, and build a community. This will be our third VISION Conference.

    Next it will be Onward to Orlando for the 2024 Cattle Con January 31 – February 2. Only at CattleCon will you find education, networking, business, advocacy, and fun for the whole family under one roof. We have been covering the Cattle Industry Conference & NCBA Trade Show since 2013.

    It’s back to Fort Worth February 5-8 for the Clean Fuels Conference, formally the National Biodiesel Conference, which has the distinction of being the first event blog we ever started back in 2006. The Clean Fuels Conference connects key players of the biodiesel, renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel industry for a week of expert sessions, exhibits and showcases.

    The 2024 National Ethanol Conference is February 19-21 in San Diego with the theme “Powered by Partnerships” and we are proud to continue our partnership with the Renewable Fuels Association since 2008.

    We will join Syngenta again this year for Commodity Classic in Houston at the end of February, and head to Washington DC in March once again to visit Capitol Hill with our friends at the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE).

    So, that’s a good start for 2024 – hope to see you on the Agriblogging Highway this year!

    ZimmComm Announcement

    Passing of Cliff Becker

    Cindy Zimmerman

    The American Royal Association shared some very sad news today for those in the agricultural marketing community that Cliff Becker, Vice President of New Campus Development, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, December 30th.

    Cliff Becker was a fourth-generation agriculturalist that always put his passion for food and food production into supporting his clients’ needs for over 39 years. Cliff’s prior experience included serving as the Executive Vice President at Farm Journal for over 10 years and a 23-year career with Vance Publishing Corporation, where he served as the Senior Vice-President and Publishing Director for their food360 Division. Cliff also served on many boards of several diverse food and agriculture organizations.

    Cliff had been recognized with several awards including the National Agri-Marketing Association’s Career Achievement Award and the Livestock Publication Council’s Distinguished Service Award. Along with these accomplishments, Cliff was a nationally recognized speaker on food and agriculture related issues.

    Since joining the American Royal team, Cliff expressed his excitement for the future of the new American Royal campus and its impact to the agricultural and food community and the nation. Cliff has been instrumental in the success of the organization and always jumped in to help with all events. He was a dedicated member of the team and was passionate about the mission of the American Royal. Cliff Becker will be deeply missed by all.

    He is survived by his wife Kristine and two children.

    Media

    Precision Ag News 12/27

    Carrie Muehling

  • A webinar hosted jointly by the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute and One CGIAR (through the International Potato Center’s Andean Initiative) will explore the nature of water-food interactions and the challenges posed by climate change in mountain environments by considering several agricultural production systems from the Andes and the Hindu Kush Himalayas, two of the world’s largest mountain chains. Register here.
  • The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) recognized Case IH for outstanding agricultural innovation across product lines with AE50 awards for the Steiger 715 Quadtrac, Model Year 2024 Steiger 425-645 tractors, AFS Furrow Command for Precision Disk Drills and toolbar lift system for 2120 Early Riser rigid trailing split-row planter. The awards highlight the continuous focus on technological innovation at Case IH designed to improve and enhance farmers’ efficiency across the globe.
  • The National Corn Growers Association applauds the sustained reductions in nutrient losses reaching the Gulf of Mexico and the resulting reductions in the average size of the hypoxic zone, as recently documented in the 2023 Report to Congress by the Hypoxia Task Force.
  • OPI, the global leader in grain storage management, announced that Adam Weiss has taken on the new role of Chief Executive Officer, stepping in as former CEO Dave Crompton begins his retirement.
  • The Biden-Harris Administration is taking critical steps to advance the American Climate Corps, a landmark initiative announced by President Biden earlier this year to train the next generation of clean energy, conservation, and climate resilience workers, while putting them on a path to good-paying union jobs. As part of this commitment, seven federal agencies – the Departments of Commerce, the Interior, Agriculture, Labor and Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and AmeriCorps – are formally entering into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will serve as a blueprint for the multiagency program. The MOU lays out the mission, goals, priorities, and next steps for implementing President Biden’s American Climate Corps.
  • The 2024 class of Brevant brand soybeans is the largest to date, with 24 new Enlist E3 soybean varieties featuring elite genetics from Corteva Agriscience and a focus on consistent performance in any growing season.
  • Results are in for World Ag Expo’s 2024 Top-10 New Products Competition. The winners will be showcased February 13-15, 2024 during the World Ag Expo in Tulare, California.
  • Alex Forsbach, an AgLaunch farmer and small business owner from Savannah, Tennessee participated in a special White House Rural Roundtable discussion in Washington, D.C., alongside business and entrepreneurship advocates from across the country. The event, hosted by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), focused on the agency’s Community Navigator Pilot Program — an initiative under the American Rescue Plan aimed at breaking down barriers for underrepresented entrepreneurs seeking support to start, grow or recover their businesses. Forsbach, representing AgLaunch, expressed gratitude for the support received from the SBA’s Community Navigator Pilot Program. He emphasized the program’s tangible impact on their ability to support agtech entrepreneurs, facilitating their scalability and business growth.
  • Sentera, a leading provider of AI-powered tools for food and agriculture customers, announced the appointment of Michael Stern and Anthony Osborne to key advisory and director roles on its Board of Directors, respectively.
  • CropX Technologies, a global leader in digital agtech solutions, including the CropX agronomic farm management system, announced its acquisition of Green Brain, a prominent digital irrigation management solutions provider based in Adelaide, Australia. The acquisition significantly expands CropX’s reach in Australia and strengthens its position as a global leader in digital precision agriculture.
    • AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

    Animal Ag News 12/26

    Carrie Muehling

  • This December through July 2024, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS) National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) are partnering to conduct a national study focusing on sheep and lamb health and management in the United States. This study, conducted approximately every 10 years, consists of two phases and includes biological sampling and two questionnaires.
  • Beef processor Swift Beef Company will pay $275,000 in civil penalties to resolve alleged violations of the federal Clean Water Act. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the company – a subsidiary of JBS, one of the largest meat processors in the world – failed to comply with Clean Water Act permit limits for numerous pollutants at its facility in Grand Island, Nebraska.
  • Two unique sessions during CattleCon24 in Orlando, Florida, provide opportunities to share ideas and continue conversations about the importance of continuous improvement. For attendees arriving early at CattleCon24, there is an engaging half-day Grazing Management Workshop on Tuesday, Jan. 30. Dr. Myles Allen, professor at the University of Oxford, will be the keynote speaker during the Sustainability Forum, sponsored by Elanco, on Thursday, Feb. 1.
  • Respect for animals, respect for the land and respect for each other – the foundation of a new campaign from Sysco, the global leader in foodservice distribution, and Certified Angus Beef (CAB), a brand known for its commitment to quality beef. The campaign, Raised with Respect, centers on the common ground found between cattle producers and beef consumers, with a focus on animal welfare and beef sustainability.
  • In a year marked by significant challenges for small family farms and rural communities, Organic Valley, the largest cooperative of organic farmers in the nation, is not just seeking more milk but actively welcoming more farmers. The cooperative has brought 84 family farms into its fold in 2023, demonstrating a robust response to the trend of farm loss and agricultural consolidation.
  • Molly Pelzer, the current Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Midwest Dairy, has officially announced her retirement from the organization effective in March of 2024. Midwest Dairy’s board has engaged a search firm to guide the selection of the next CEO for the organization.
  • As of Dec. 1, there were 75 million hogs and pigs on U.S. farms, up slightly from December 2022 and down slightly from Sept. 1, 2023, according to the Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).
  • Smithfield Foods distributed 7,300 free Smithfield Spiral Quarter Hams to brighten the holidays for individuals and families in the St. Charles, Illinois, area.
  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences awarded Nicolas DiLorenzo one of two grants totaling $10 million to reduce livestock methane emissions. DiLorenzo’s grant is for $5 million and focuses on reducing the amount of methane cows produce. DiLorenzo, Animal Sciences professor at North Florida Research and Education Center in Marianna, is heading a multidisciplinary team including livestock nutritionists, chemists, and microbiologists. Their work will create livestock feed additives to reduce the amount of methane produced during the digestive process.
  • The U.S. Poultry & Egg Association’s Harold E. Ford Foundation again sponsored the National 4-H Poultry and Egg Conference at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center in Louisville. The Conference recognizes 4-H members who have excelled in their states in poultry learning experience activities.
    • AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

    Industry Ag News 12/22

    Carrie Muehling

  • Upon the completion of the Census of Agriculture every five years, the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service conducts a thorough review of its estimating programs. The goal of the review is to ensure that the annual estimating programs target the commodities and states most relevant to U.S. agriculture. In addition to ag census data, NASS will consider all available information, including public input, when determining whether to add or remove specific programs and when selecting the individual states included in each commodity program. With data collection for the 2022 Census of Agriculture now complete, NASS is beginning the program review process and is now seeking public feedback. Please send comments or other information for consideration about a specific NASS program, along with contact information, to nass@nass.usda.gov with NASS Program Review in the subject line by Jan. 5, 2024.
  • Farm Progress welcomes four new editorial team members who will continue to build on its strong momentum and commitment to agriculture media. Pam Caraway has been named the new executive editor of Farm Futures, the company’s flagship business brand. Gil Gullickson has been named senior editor of Wallaces Farmer, the premier Farm Progress media brand covering Iowa’s agriculture. Allison Lund joins Indiana Prairie Farmer as staff writer. She has spent the past year freelancing for the publication while working toward her bachelor’s degree at Purdue University. Finally, Andy Castillo will fill the new role of Farm Progress digital editor of technology and equipment.
  • Save your spot at the 2024 Agri-Marketing Conference April 24-26 in Kansas City, MO. When you register by December 31, you’ll be entered to win a free 2024 NAMA Fall Conference registration.
  • The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) is pleased to announce the addition of Taylor Lekin as its marketing and program development coordinator, effective Dec. 11.
  • Koch Ag & Energy Solutions, a global provider of solutions for the agriculture, energy and chemical markets, today announced an agreement to acquire OCI Global’s fertilizer plant in Wever, Iowa for $3.6 billion.
  • Farm Foundation, an accelerator of practical solutions for agriculture, has named Dr. Sandro Steinbach as its 2024 Agricultural Economics Trade and Sustainability Fellow. Steinbach is an associate professor of agribusiness and applied economics at North Dakota State University with primary research interests in international trade and agricultural policy. His most recent work is focused on the implications of market and policy shocks on global supply chains and investment activities.
  • Mana Nutrition makes a peanut butter-based product, fortified with protein and vitamins, called Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) and ships the ready-to-use therapeutic food mainly to Africa via direct ocean carrier connections at the Port of Savannah. The peanut-based food supplement can save the lives of malnourished children. About 1,000 boxes of RUTF packets are loaded into each shipping container that Mana exports via Georgia Ports Authority.
  • Applications are now available for the 17th annual “We Believe in Growing” scholarship, presented by E.M. Tharp and World Ag Expo. The scholarship was created to support agriculture education and encourage students from the Central Valley to pursue a career in agriculture.
  • Farm Journal’s 27th Annual Top Producer Summit, agriculture’s premier educational and networking event, is set for Feb. 5-7, 2024, at the Loews Hotel in Kansas City, Mo. The event will bring many of the nation’s top farmers and ranchers together to share business opportunities and ideas to take their operations to the next level.
  • Kubota Tractor Corporation announced that it is returning as the presenting sponsor for another round of country music superstar Blake Shelton’s “Back To The Honky Tonk” Tour, which kicks off Feb. 22, 2024, in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and ends March 29, 2024, in Wichita, Kansas. Along with the tour sponsorship, Kubota is also launching the Kubota Blake Shelton VIP Concert Sweepstakes to provide customers and fans a chance to win tickets to see Blake Shelton perform at one of five tour venues.
  • The Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute (DWFI) is uniquely positioned to advance water management for greater food security. By leveraging the world-class research at the University of Nebraska; the state’s expertise in agricultural and water resource management; and private sector partnerships, DWFI is making real progress on a more water- and food-secure future. In its recent annual report, DWFI demonstrates the impact this effective combination has achieved in the state of Nebraska and around the world.
  • The Minnesota Soybean Growers Association supports seven directors on the American Soybean Association, the most in the organization’s history. One of those directors, Jim Kukowksi of Strathcona, was elected to serve on ASA’s Executive Committee during the organization’s December board meeting in St. Louis.
    • Zimfo Bytes

    ZimmCast 723 – 2023 Events Compilation

    Chuck Zimmerman

    ZimmCastHello and welcome to the ZimmCast.

    As we come to the end of 2023, we already have dates on the calendar going into the new year for about the same events we did this year, most of which we have been doing for about 15 years. From Beltwide Cotton Conferences right after new years to the American Seed Trade association Field Crops seed convention, we stayed busy all year. Here is a compilation of interviews from 2023.
     
    And that will wrap it up for 2023 – see you somewhere on the agriblogging highway in 2024.

    Listen to the episode here:ZimmCast 723 - 2023 Events Compilation (47:16)

    That’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.

    Subscribe to the ZimmCast in:

    Audio, ZimmCast

    Quality Roasting Announces New CEO

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Wisconsin-based soybean meal and oil manufacturer Quality Roasting has appointed Erin Davis to be the company’s new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective January 1, 2024.

    Davis has been instrumental in leading the growth of the company since she joined Quality Roasting in 2016. With two soy processing plants in Wisconsin, Davis led the expansion of Quality Roasting’s footprint with the addition of a third plant in Reese, Michigan in 2019. She also led the design and commissioning of a state-of-the-art food-grade oil refinery in Valders, WI in 2018, and is overseeing the construction of a new refinery currently being constructed in Reese, MI. The company is also adding a third Wisconsin soy processing plant in Reedsville, WI, which is planned to be in full operation before Spring 2024.

    “With her proven track record of effective decision-making, strategic planning and fostering collaboration among team members, we have complete confidence that Erin will build on our current successes and drive the company forward”, said Owners and Board of Directors of the company, including Mike Herzog-President, Jim Fitzgerald-Vice President, Scott Rabe-Treasurer, and Dr. Lynn Davis-Secretary.

    Davis is the daughter of Dr. Lynn Davis, and she is excited to take on this new role as a second-generation family member. She shared, “I could not be more thrilled to take on the honor of being Quality Roasting’s CEO. Quality Roasting has proven to add value to our local soybean farmers and be the choice supplier of soybean products to both the feed and food industries. With the support of our dedicated team, I look forward to utilizing our past success to continue the company’s growth.”

    Scott Rabe, current CEO and one of four owners of the company, has been the core of Quality Roasting’s operations since its early beginnings in 1991 and has played a pivotal role in the company’s success. Rabe will maintain his ownership in the company and will transition into a role as Executive Advisor and Director of Grain Merchandising where he will utilize his wealth of experience and passion as the cornerstone of Quality Roasting’s partnership with our suppliers.

    Feed, Food, people, Soybean

    Tackling the Podcast Download Numbers Challenge

    Chuck Zimmerman

    “There are three types of lies — lies, damn lies, and statistics.”
    ― Benjamin Disraeli

    Providing audience numbers for media has never been an easy task, but when it comes to online metrics, it is a challenge that has been getting increasingly difficult. Let’s just look at podcasting, which has skyrocketed in popularity since we first started doing it in 2005.

    When we first started ZimmCast in 2005, there were no podcast hosting services, so we had to host it on our own server and get statistics by manually putting our codes into a tracking system. Eventually, we moved to Libsyn about ten years ago. Using Libsyn provides hosting of the audio files which is good for our own server storage and they provided more information about the podcast episodes than we were getting. They provided not only download numbers, but also geographic data and more.

    A few years ago Libsyn started tracking two different sets of numbers for podcasts – Unique and IAB, with IAB being Internet Advertising Bureau Podcast Measurement Compliance Guidelines. The difference between the two metrics was generally pretty significant in our case, with the unique being by far the largest of the two numbers. The difference could be in the thousands.

    As far as IAB is concerned, they work for the advertisers who want to make sure they are getting a true measure of the audience for a podcast they might want to sponsor. So they filter out any suspicious IP addresses that might be linked to bots or web crawlers and essentially report almost exclusively downloads tied to subscriber apps like Apple Podcasts. In our case, most of our podcasts are downloaded via a url on a web page, social media post or email, so we can have very high unique numbers.

    But IAB has started cracking down on reported podcast download statistics and in October Libsyn made a major reporting change that resulted in the Unique numbers suddenly dropping to mirror the IAB numbers within a few downloads. An audio file that would have had 1000 unique downloads in September may now only get about 100!

    Why were the Unique downloads so high before and now almost the same as the IAB numbers? Were they ever accurate in the first place and are they now? How do we know and how do we explain it to our clients?

    I have been back and forth with Libsyn technical support and management and discussed it with other podcast producers and providers – what do you think?

    Podcasts