EPA Approves Sorghum Oil as Biofuels Pathway

Cindy Zimmerman

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler yesterday announced the approval of sorghum oil as an eligible feedstock under the Renewable Fuel Standard during a signing event at EPA headquarters in Washington, D.C., with sorghum farmers and other stakeholders.

In December 2017, the EPA released a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) concerning renewable fuels produced from sorghum oil under the RFS program followed by a 30-day comment period. EPA’s analysis showed biodiesel produced from sorghum oil has greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions savings of 82 percent. This will give ethanol plants extracting oil from sorghum access to sell into the biodiesel market.

In addition to the nine ethanol producers already extracting oil from sorghum, several other facilities will now be able to purchase and use sorghum.

Among those present for the signing who made comments were Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE), National Sorghum Producers CEO Tim Lust, American Farm Bureau Federation president Zippy Duvall, and sorghum farmers Dan Atkisson of Kansas, Bobby Nedbalek of Texas, and Kody Carson of Texas.

Sorghum farmers comment on biofuels pathway

Sen. Fischer comments on biofuels pathway

NSP CEO Tim Lust comments on biofuels pathway

AFBF president Zippy Duvall comments on biofuels pathway
AFBF, Audio, Biodiesel, Biofuels, EPA, Ethanol, NSP, sorghum

USDA Announces Trade Disruption Relief for Farmers

Cindy Zimmerman

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will take several actions to assist farmers negatively impacted by recent trade actions.

President Trump directed Secretary Perdue to craft a short-term relief strategy to protect agricultural producers while the Administration works on free, fair, and reciprocal trade deals to open more markets in the long run to help American farmers compete globally. Specifically, USDA will authorize up to $12 billion in programs, which is in line with the estimated $11 billion impact of the unjustified retaliatory tariffs on U.S. agricultural goods. These programs will assist agricultural producers to meet the costs of disrupted markets.

Secretary Perdue held a press conference with USDA Chief Economist Robert Johansson to announce the aid.

USDA announces trade disruption relief for farmers

Agricultural group leaders are thankful for the aid but interested in a more long-term solution.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall said, “This announcement is substantial, but we cannot overstate the dire consequences that farmers and ranchers are facing in relation to lost export markets. Our emphasis continues to be on trade and restoring markets, and we will continue to push for a swift and sure end to the trade war and the tariffs impacting American agriculture.”

“NCGA appreciates the Administration’s recognition of the harm to producers caused by tariffs and trade uncertainty,” said National Corn Growers Association president Kevin Skunes. “The fine print will be important. We know the package won’t make farmers whole but look forward to working with USDA on the details and implementation of this plan.”

Kent Bacus, Director of International Trade for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, said they look forward to reviewing the details of the trade relief package. “Trade agreements and trade enforcement are the most effective long-term solutions to the challenges faced by U.S. beef producers. For many years, U.S. beef has been a target of high tariffs and restrictive trade policies from notorious actors like China and the European Union. We support a vigorous approach to tearing down trade barriers, including non-tariff barriers that are not based on science.”

AFBF, AgWired Animal, AgWired Precision, Audio, NCBA, NCGA, Trade, USDA

Growth Energy Ad Stresses Ethanol’s Importance to Farmers

Cindy Zimmerman

Growth Energy has a new television ad running that casts a spotlight on the repeated calls from rural America for pro-biofuel policies from President Trump and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

“Rural America is hurting, and these communities are counting on President Trump and his administration to uphold his promise to support biofuels,” said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor. “The EPA could immediately restore hundreds of millions of bushels of demand to the agricultural market by unleashing more homegrown biofuels. American farmers are ready to compete, and the biofuels produced from their crops will revitalize rural growth, increase American energy security, and provide much-needed relief from rising gasoline prices.”

The ad is airing on Fox News and gives voice to many Midwest farmers who have been hardest hit by the ongoing agricultural crisis and attacks on crop-based biofuels. They ask President Trump to ensure that new EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler reverse the demand destruction caused by federal waivers, restore integrity to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), and lift outdated restrictions on the sale of ethanol blends, namely E15 – regulations that President Trump called “unnecessary and ridiculous.”

Watch the ad here:


Ethanol

NewLeaf Symbiotics Offers New Class of Biologicals

Cindy Zimmerman

NewLeaf Symbiotics launched a new class of agricultural biologicals this year.

Terrasym™ nutrient-enhancing products are natural, beneficial biologicals called M-trophs. Terrasym 401 is a seed treatment for soybeans that maximizes the yield potential by enhancing plant nutrition and Terrasym 402 is a bio-complement applied to peanuts that provides season-long performance and significantly higher yields. Both products are marketed through a network of strong regional partners.

NewLeaf Symbiotics exhibited at the Southern Peanut Growers Conference this year where “Chuck interviewed Vice president for business development Mike McFatrich about this new technology.

SPGC18 Interview with Mike McFatrich, New Leaf Symbiotics

2018 Southern Peanut Growers Conference Photo Album

AgWired Precision, Audio, Biologicals, Peanuts, Soybean

Animal Ag Bites 7/23

Carrie Muehling

  • Phibro Animal Health Corporation has introduced the new Animate app, a free mobile app for Animate® anionic mineral supplement customers that allows dairy producers to track critical prefresh metrics over time and identify trends by prompting them to enter data including: urine pH, bunk space, stocking density, dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) levels, temperature humidity index (THI), dry matter intake and other factors. The innovative app aggregates this data to project trends in herd productivity and gauges the performance of their pre-partum feeding and management program.
  • Seasonality of US lamb production is an issue that causes inefficiencies and market volatility for all segments of this industry. A new white paper pulls together information on the topic so that members of the industry can understand it in more depth and make informed decisions about management alterations to better supply a more consistently available product. “Seasonality of the US Lamb Industry: A Review of Current Information” is now available for download at LambResourceCenter.com in its Production Resources section.
  • Newtrient LLC published its inaugural progress report, reporting on its advancements in nutrient management, manure-based products and market-driven solutions. Newtrient's founding members recognize the environmental benefits that dairy farmers deliver to society — far beyond milk and meat. The opportunity now is to create positive, economic incentives that benefit farmers, communities and society. The full report can be viewed online at http://www.newtrient.com/About/Membership-Report.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Dairy, Lamb

New FMC Fungicide for Peanuts Coming Soon

Cindy Zimmerman

FMC Agricultural Solutions joined the Southern Peanut Growers Conference family this year as a new sponsor.

Regional sales rep Cindy Kurtz was pleased to attend the event and talk about what they have to offer peanut farmers, including a new fungicide with expected registration in 2019. “Lucento is going to be a fantastic product for peanut farmers in the southeast to address one of the major diseases, white mold,” said Kurtz.

Learn more about Lucento here:

SPGC18 Interview with Cindy Kurtz, FMC

2018 Southern Peanut Growers Conference Photo Album

AgWired Precision, Audio, FMC, Fungicide, Peanuts, SPGC

FAPRI Looks at Peanuts

Cindy Zimmerman

Established in 1984 by a grant from the U.S. Congress, the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) uses comprehensive data and computer modeling systems to analyze the economic impact of policy decisions on the food and agriculture industry. FAPRI director Dr. Pat Westhoff shared some of his insights on the economic impact of the farm bill at the Southern Peanut Growers Conference last week in Miramar Beach, Florida.

Dr. Westhoff talked about how FAPRI’s projections earlier this year are being impacted by the uncertain trade situation with China and how it all can impact peanuts.

Listen to Dr. Westhoff’s presentation and an interview with him below:

SPGC18 Interview with Dr. Pat Westhoff, FAPRI

SPGC18 presentation Dr. Pat Westhoff, FAPRI

2018 Southern Peanut Growers Conference Photo Album

Audio, Peanuts, SPGC

The Cake is Cut at 20th #2018SPGC

Chuck Zimmerman

Cindy and I are peanut grower blogging from the Sandestin Resort in Miramar Beach, FL where peanut farmers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi have gathered for the 20th annual Southern Peanut Growers Conference.

Of course we’re taking photos, doing interviews and posting content onto the Southern Peanut Growers Conference Blog. While families were rolling in yesterday to register I got some great cute baby photos.

Besides this beautiful cake, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the conference, attendees got to sit down and relax with some peanut butter gelato and selection of toppings. Of course, Tyron Spearman was grilling PBJ sandwiches. You can see the cake being cut in the video below.

As always, we started the conference by interviewing each of the state executive directors about current issues, including the farm bill, trade and the state of this year’s crop. Listen to or download those below:

SPGC18 Interview with Caleb Bristow, Alabama
SPGC18 Interview with Ken Barton, Florida
SPGC18 Interview with Don Koehler, Georgia
SPGC18 Interview with Malcolm Broome, Mississippi

Check out the photo album, which will continue to be updated through the conclusion of the conference on Saturday.

2018 Southern Peanut Growers Conference Photo Album


Ag Groups, Audio, Peanuts, SPGC, Video

Ethanol Report on RFA Leadership Succession

Cindy Zimmerman

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) has announced a change in leadership for the ethanol industry’s leading trade association. Executive Vice President Geoff Cooper will assume the position of president and CEO in October 2018, while current President and CEO Bob Dinneen will transition into the role of RFA’s Senior Strategic Advisor.

In this edition of The Ethanol Report, Dinneen talks about why he made the decision to step down after 30 years, and Cooper discusses how the organization will transition to new leadership.

Ethanol Report on RFA Changes

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Audio, Ethanol, RFA

Zimfo Bytes 7/20

Carrie Muehling

  • The National Cotton Council has scheduled tour dates and locations for the 2018 Producer Information Exchange (P.I.E.) Program. Now in its 30th year, the program has enabled more than 1,100 U.S. cotton producers to go to Cotton Belt regions different than their own where they learn about their peers’ innovative production practices.
  • Clover Chang, the longtime director of the U.S. Grains Council’s office in Taiwan, will retire effective Aug. 10, with Michael Lu hired to take on the role as of Aug. 6.
  • The IDEAg Group LLC recently announced John Hendel as director, event sales. In this sales leadership role, Hendel is responsible for leading exhibit sales, sponsorships and marketing programs for all IDEAg events including the Amarillo Farm and Ranch Show, Dakotafest, Minnesota Farmfest, Northern Illinois Farm Show and the IDEAg Trade Show at the American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention.
  • Save the date for the 2018 Ag Outlook Forum September 27, 2018 from 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at the Kansas City Marriott Downtown. Visit the Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City website for event registration.
  • The American Farm Bureau Federation has announced two staff promotions, for Dr. John Newton and Sarah Brown Dirkes. Newton has been promoted from director, market intelligence to chief economist. Dirkes has been promoted to a new role, executive director of industry relations.
  • Agri-Pulse announces the promotion of Paige Dye to Circulation Manager. Dye had been serving as Assistant Marketing Manager for the company.
  • BRANDT has opened a 42,000 square foot production facility for specialty formulations products in Visalia, CA. The new location will expand production capabilities, serve as another hub for formulation development and testing, and house BRANDT Hydrology water quality analysis.
  • Michelin and Camso join forces to create the leader in off-the-road (OTR) mobility solutions. The result of a genuine strategic partnership in the OTR segment, the new division will be managed from Quebec, Canada.
  • Syngenta announces the five finalists in its #RootedinAg contest. These finalists, who will each receive a mini touch-screen tablet, will now compete for the grand prize – $500, plus a $1,000 donation to the winner’s favorite local charity or civic organization. The competition, which began in April, invited growers and other ag professionals to describe the person who helped inspire their agricultural roots. Syngenta will feature the winning story in an upcoming issue of its Thrive magazine.
  • Kindergarten through fifth-grade educators working in schools are encouraged to apply by Aug. 15 for resource kit grants courtesy of sponsor John Deere and the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture. John Deere is sponsoring the distribution of 300 kits, each containing one copy of the Foundation’s 2018 Book of the Year, “John Deere, That’s Who!,” an educator guide and a classroom set (30-pack) of Ag Innovation ag mags.
  • Conference registration and hotel block reservations for the American Seed Trade Association‘s CSS 2018 & Seed Expo are opening August 1. Make plans to attend America’s largest seed industry convention, December 3-6 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. For more information, click here.
AFBF, Agri-Pulse, ASTA, John Deere, Syngenta, USGC, Zimfo Bytes