U.S. Wheat Associates Introduces New Website

Chuck Zimmerman

U.S. Wheat Associates introduced a new look and organization to its website this week.

“The new website emphasizes the importance of the U.S. wheat farmers we represent, their overseas customers and the reputation of U.S. wheat as an essential ingredient in hundreds of wheat foods around the world,” said USW Assistant Director of Communications Amanda Spoo. “The site is now organized to make it easier for visitors to access many of the site’s most popular sections and to improve access from mobile devices.”

“How we communicate with our customers and stakeholders needs to reflect the high quality and reliable performance of U.S. wheat and build trust in U.S. wheat farmers,” said Vice President of Communications Steve Mercer. “We believe the new site does that effectively.”

Ag Groups, Wheat

Southern Peanut Growers Celebrating 20 Years

Cindy Zimmerman

The 2018 Southern Peanut Growers Conference is celebrating 20 years this week, July 19-21 at the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, Miramar Beach, Florida. The gathering brings together peanut farmers and industry partners from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi.

The three-day event provides farmers with information about peanut production, legislative issues, marketing and promotions. In addition to the conference sessions, the event features family activities and a golf tournament. Farmers are also able to visit with many of the conference sponsors throughout the event.

Georgia Peanut Commission Executive Director Don Koehler helped to organize the first conference 20 years ago with his counterparts in Alabama and Florida. “I’m excited that this conference has grown and happy that we’ve seen 20 years of success,” said Koehler.

Among the timely topics that will be addressed at the conference is the 2018 farm bill and House Agriculture Committee member Rep. Neal Dunn (R-FL) will be attending to provide farmers with an update.

In this interview, Koehler provides look back on 20 years of the Southern Peanut Growers Conference and a preview of this year’s conference this week. Interview with Don Koehler, Ga Peanut Commission

Vantage Southeast is once again sponsor of the official conference blog, where you can find photos, interviews and news about the meeting, as well as archives going back to 2008.

Audio, Peanuts, SPGC

Animal Ag Bites 7/16

Carrie Muehling

  • Holstein Association USA recognizes David Harvatine of King Ferry, New York, as the 2018 Distinguished Young Holstein Breeder. Havartine is co-owner and dairy manager of Aurora Ridge Dairy, located north of Ithaca, New York, in the heart of the Finger Lakes region. Aurora Ridge Dairy is owned by four partners: Bill Cook, Dan Westfall, Jason Burrows and Harvatine.
  • The Washington State Conservation Commission has awarded a $930,305 grant to install and operate a clean water membrane technology system provided by Regenis, an agricultural waste solutions company, to be located at Coldstream Farms in Deming, WA. This state-of-the-art system will generate 12,000 gallons of clean water daily from the 22,000 gallons of cow manure the farm produces through a unique combination of nanofiltration and reverse osmosis. Once treated, the water is suitable for farm animals to drink or even to benefit local salmon runs by increasing streamflow.
  • The American Feed Industry Association is pleased to announce the addition of Louise Calderwood as its director of regulatory affairs, effective July 2.
  • Hiland Dairy Foods Company continuously seeks new ways to recycle, reduce and reuse at its production plants. Hiland Dairy’s most extensive effort to date took years to reach its current magnitude as a closed-loop sustainability initiative at the company’s plant in Chandler, Oklahoma. At last month’s ProFood Live conference in Chicago, Hiland’s initiative received a ProFood World 2017 Sustainability Excellence in Manufacturing Award.
  • The USPOULTRY Foundation awarded a $20,345 student recruiting grant to the University of Georgia. The grant was made possible in part from an endowing Foundation gift from the Leland Bagwell Education & Innovation Fund, named in honor of the founder of American Proteins.
  • The automated milking trend continues to tick upwards in the U.S. GEA introduced the first fully automated robotic rotary parlor, DairyProQ, and installations quickly gained momentum with two completed at the end of 2017 and beginning of 2018, and four on track for completion by end-of-year.
  • Idaho Lieutenant Governor Brad Little, University of Montana Professor Dr. Dave Naugle, and Arizona Farm Bureau President Stefanie Smallhouse provided testimony to the Subcommittee on Federal Lands hearing entitled “The Essential Role of Livestock Grazing on Federal Lands and Its Importance to Rural America” during a recent House Natural Resources subcommittee hearing.
  • Already bearing the brunt of global trade retaliation against American agriculture, U.S. pork producers now face additional headwinds in the form of a regulatory land grab by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The National Pork Producers Council called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to assert its proper oversight of two emerging issues critical to the future of animal agriculture: laboratory-produced cultured protein and gene editing in livestock production.
  • U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that the government of Japan has finalized technical requirements that will allow U.S. sheep and goat exports into the country for the first time in more than 14 years.
  • Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has announced the appointment of 13 members to fill vacancies on the 37-member National Dairy Promotion and Research Board. More information about research and promotion programs is available on the Research and Promotion Programs page on the AMS website.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites, NPPC

Zimfo Bytes 7/13

Carrie Muehling

  • Farmers Union youth members from across the country gathered last week for the 82nd annual National Farmers Union (NFU) All-States Leadership Camp. Hosted each June at the NFU Education Center, All-States Camp encourages youth to explore their leadership potential, discuss issues important to their generation, learn more about the power of cooperatives, and identify ways to affect positive change in their communities.
  • FLM Harvest announces Jeff Nawn, an expert on global agricultural trade, regulation and technology, has joined the agency’s Board of Advisors. Nawn, most recently with Corteva Agriscience as global grain trade and biotech affairs lead, will support FLM Harvest’s clients in a variety of policy, regulatory and trade-related issues critical for maintaining and growing market access.
  • American Vanguard Corporation announced the promotion of Scott Hendrix to Senior Vice President of U.S. and Canada Crop Sales and Application Technology, that includes the development and launch of AMVAC’s SIMPAS system.
  • Rhea + Kaiser (R+K) announces the promotion of Sara McClendon from Account Manager to Senior Account Manager in Public Relations. R+K welcomes Susie White as Account Manager in Account Management + Planning.
  • Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has announced the appointment of four members to serve on the United Sorghum Checkoff Program Board. More information about the board is available on the National Sorghum Board website.
  • Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has also announced the appointment of four members and four alternates to serve on the National Peanut Board. More information about the National Peanut Board, including a roster of members, is available on the National Peanut Board website.
  • The Great Falls Montana Development Authority announces that Pardue Grain has broken ground on a new $6.5 million pulse crop processing facility in Great Falls, MT. The company’s new 32,000 square-foot building will create a dozen jobs and expand its pulse processing operation including sorting, sizing, cleaning and bagging capabilities. The expansion is expected to open in August 2018.
  • Alltech Crop Science, the agronomic division of Alltech, is proud to announce the addition of three new products to its Canadian line. Natures Basics®, Liqui-Plex® Cu and Liqui-Plex® Zn join the company’s other offerings, which include Crop-Set®, Soil-Set®, Grain-Set® and Agro-Mos®.
  • Nutrien Ltd. has officially rebranded its retail business to Nutrien Ag Solutions, aligning the company’s retail operations across the globe. The rebrand also features the roll out of an integrated digital platform designed to empower growers to effectively manage their agronomic and commercial needs. The new brand initiative kicked off as of July 1, 2018.
AMVAC, Zimfo Bytes

ZimmCast 591 – From the Tailgate

Chuck Zimmerman

Tailgates are the perfect places to share stories, whether in a cow barn or the parking lot of a football game. That’s why Jamie Johansen named her new weekly television show From the Tailgate, which just started airing on KOLZ, Ch. 27 Springfield, MO, Nexstar Media Group.

The show is hosted by Jamie and a product of her company Honey Creek Media, which she started with her sister Joanna. ZimmComm was Honey Creek’s first client and Jamie is like the poster child for what we encourage all of our freelancers to do – start your own business and do what you enjoy.

In this ZimmCast, we talk about how the show came about, what kinds of topics Jamie is covering and some of her philosophy about the need for this kind of programming. Jamie is putting her farming background to good use in her agricultural communications career! She is still raising cattle with her husband Kevin and this week helping four-year-old daughter Harper get on the livestock show circuit.

You can watch the show each Sunday at 5:30pm and it is repeated Saturday at 5:30am and 9:30pm. Jamie promises the show will also be available online very soon.

Listen to the ZimmCast here to learn more about the show: ZimmCast 591 - From The Tailgate

I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.

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.
Audio, Media, Podcasts, ZimmCast

Ag Equipment Sales Higher at Mid-Year

Cindy Zimmerman

All categories of agricultural machinery sales are in the plus column so far this year compared to last, according to the latest data from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM).

“We view 2018 as a rebuilding year for agriculture; we’ve experienced a steadily improving economy, tax reform provides incentives and machines need to be replaced,” said Curt Blades, AEM senior vice president, AG services. “We’re still concerned with the impact of tariffs and trade wars on continued stability for manufacturers and their customers.”

AEM reports that U.S. sales of self-propelled combines are up 20.5 percent compared to 2017 January-June; U.S. sales of the machines in June grew 4 percent compared to June 2017. January-June U.S. sales of 4-wheel-drive tractors gained 5 percent over 2017 year-to-date sales; June sales jumped 23 percent compared to last year. Total U.S. sales of 2-wheel drive tractors at mid-year grew 6.5 percent over the same time period in 2017; all categories were positive, with strongest gains in the under-40 HP category at 8 percent.
For 2-wheel drive tractors, June U.S. sales in the 100-plus HP category increased 16 percent, under-40 HP tractors grew 15 percent, and 40-100 HP 2-wheel drive tractors gained 4 percent.

AEM, AgWired Animal, AgWired Precision, Equipment, Tractor

IFAJ Congress 2018 Begins

Chuck Zimmerman

The International Federation of Agricultural Journalists kicked off their 2018 Congress today in the Netherlands. The theme is Dutch Roots, Small Country Big Solutions. We have a group of U.S. ag journalists participating as always. Wish I was with them. But next year the Congress will be back in the USA!

Thank you to Josephine van Gelder for this photo of the delegates meeting that is kicking off the Congress. Besides this business session of the association there will be awards and each day different farm tours. The tours are one of the best parts of the Congress. I’ve learned a lot about farming in countries all over the world from my attendance in past years. It serves to make you a better ag journalist in my opinion. Additionally, you have the chance to meet with ag journalists from lots of countries and talk about your work and the challenges and benefits you enjoy.

Follow the Congress on Twitter or on Facebook.

IFAJ, International, Media

Precision Ag Bytes 7/11

Carrie Muehling

  • Golden Harvest is growing its strong portfolio for the 2019 planting season with the release of 37 new corn hybrids—21 of which are from our 16 new genetic families—and 17 new soybean varieties. Earlier this year, Golden Harvest announced it would benefit from an incremental $400 million investment. The breadth and quality of its 2019 seed portfolio showcases that pledge.
  • USDA has launched a new soil health webpage with the needs of America’s farmers, ranchers and foresters in mind. Visit today to learn more about the principles of soil health, and give feedback.
  • A novel gene editing approach could hold the key to broad-spectrum disease resistance in certain staple food crops without causing physical detriment to the plants, said a Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientist. Dr. Junqi Song, AgriLife Research plant pathologist in Dallas, explores how a “knock-in” gene editing approach might achieve better disease resistance in a wide range of crop plants. His team places special focus on addressing late blight disease in tomato and potato.
  • Nutrien Ltd. has officially rebranded its retail business to Nutrien Ag Solutions, aligning the company’s retail operations across the globe. The rebrand also features the roll out of an integrated digital platform designed to empower growers to effectively manage their agronomic and commercial needs.
  • Nutrien Ltd. has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Waypoint Analytical, Inc. and its operating subsidiaries. Waypoint is the largest agriculture laboratory group in the U.S. and among the top 25 U.S. environmental lab groups.
  • Tate Mesbergen of Mesbergen Farms feels the need for speed — and so do his customers. On July 1, Mesbergen put the hammer down on his DISCO 1100 RC triple mower, behind the wheel of an AXION 880 tractor, both made by CLAAS. Exactly eight hours later, he stepped out of the cab of his tractor as a new world record holder. A survey crew and independent witnesses would later confirm that Tate had cut a total of 348.7 acres in four different fields, beating the previous record by more than 100 acres.
  • NewLeaf Symbiotics has announced that Aaron Kelley, Ph.D. has joined the company as Vice President of Manufacturing.
  • American Farmland Trust joins other major agriculture and conservation organizations at a “Learning Lab” for the U.S. Climate Alliance Natural and Working Lands Initiative. A team of over 50 technical experts from government, academia and industry will provide technical assistance to state governments on how to draw down carbon from the air and sequester it in the soil across diverse systems such as farms, rangelands, forests and wetlands. The lab also will help states develop strategies related to policy development and funding projects.
  • The replacement for the AyrMesh IndoorAP is now available. The AyrMesh IndoorHub is a tiny but powerful indoor 2×2 access point with meshing.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

Animal Ag Alliance Responds to Animal Rights Groups

Carrie Muehling

The Animal Agriculture Alliance has shared reaction to the most recent gathering of the Animal Rights National Conference, held June 28 through July 1 in Los Angeles.

The event was organized by the Farm Animal Rights Movement and sponsored by Mercy for Animals, The Save Movement, Compassion Over Killing and The Humane League, along with other animal rights extremist groups. According to conference organizers, the Animal Rights National Conference is the world’s largest and longest-running gathering of animal rights activists with the shared belief that “animals have the right to be free from all forms of human exploitation.”

“We believe it is important for everyone in animal agriculture to stay informed of how animal rights extremists plan to target us next,” said Kay Johnson Smith, Alliance president and CEO. “That’s why we release reports from major activist conferences every year. If your livelihood depends on animals, whether for food, research, transportation, or any other purpose, you need to review this report and prepare for what strategies and tactics these groups and individuals will use in their increasingly aggressive efforts to take meat, poultry, dairy and eggs off of our plates.”

This year’s conference speakers focused heavily on the “reproductive rights” of animals, an apparent new focus area for the movement. The 2018 Animal Rights National Conference Report, which includes personal accounts of speaker presentations and general observations, is available to Alliance members in the Resource Library on the Alliance website. The Alliance also has reports from previous animal rights conferences accessible to members on the Alliance website.

Ag Groups, AgWired Animal, Animal Activists, Animal Agriculture

Alltech Founder Honored by Irish-U.S. Business Group

Cindy Zimmerman

Alltech founder, the late Dr. Pearse Lyons was honored on the 4th of July with the Kennedy-Lemass Medal by the American Chamber of Commerce Ireland. The award honors U.S. leaders of Irish heritage who have helped to strengthen the Irish-U.S. relationship. Pictured with the award here are Dr. Lyons’ wife Deirdre and son Mark.

Chamber president Barry O’Sullivan described Dr. Lyons, who passed away in early March of this year, as someone who “truly lived the American Dream,” who “had the courage and skills to turn a vision into a reality.”

In the late 1970s Dundalk-born Dr. Lyons emigrated to the United States, where in his Kentucky garage, he established Alltech with an initial investment of $10,000. Focused on improving animal, crop and human health and performance, Alltech today has a global team of more than 6,000 people. In Ireland, Alltech has its European Bioscience Centre in Dunboyne, Co. Meath, the Pearse Lyons Distillery in the Liberties, Co. Dublin and Stations Works Brewery in Dr. Lyons’ hometown of Dundalk, Co. Louth.

“My father was passionate about Ireland and the United States and spent his life promoting both countries around the world,” said Dr. Mark Lyons, president of Alltech. “He had an extraordinary ability to bring people from all walks of life together to make a difference in the world, this was especially true when it came to cultivating and supporting scientific, ag tech and agricultural endeavours between the U.S. and Ireland.”

During his lifetime Dr. Lyons was awarded many honours, including the Ireland-U.S. Council Award for Outstanding Achievement and the 2017 St. Patrick’s Day Science Medal in recognition of the creation of a global business based on scientific research. Dr. Lyons also received the RDS Gold Medal Award for Enterprise for his contribution to Irish business.

“Pearse was passionate about his heritage and making a difference in the world,” ,” said Mrs. Deirdre Lyons, Alltech co-founder and head of corporate design. He used his boundless philanthropic spirit to inspire those around him. For Pearse and me, making a difference in the world by empowering others has been an everyday reality of our personal and professional lives.”

Alltech