Adding Value with Identity Preservation

Carrie Muehling

Identity preservation (IP) is a popular way to add value to a grower’s corn crop, but it takes some attention to detail.

“Identity preservation is a mindset,” said Chuck Hill, specialty products manager for AgriGold Hybrids. “You’re not producing corn. You’re producing an ingredient that goes into a variety of things, and that’s what the buyer wants.”

Hill presented at the 2018 Corn Utilization and Technology Conference in St. Louis, where he told corn growers that consumers want consistency and no surprises. That, in turn, is what buyers are looking for as they source ingredients for products from tortilla chips to barbecue to whiskey and even ethanol. He said preventing and managing contamination is one of the biggest challenges for IP growers, but there are lots of tools available. Keeping track of every step in the growing process is key.

“And now in this day and age of the consumer that really is demanding to know where their food comes from, now more documentation, more traceability is out there,” said Hill. “If you’re an IP grower, you’re going to have to be willing to document what you’re doing and answer a lot of questions and even some of those questions go outside of what you did in that field, but that’s the world that we’re in now.”

While many growers are already working under contract with specific identity preservation specifications, even those who are not might be able to sell products at a premium if the demand is there. Hill recommended documenting everything and keeping hybrids separated in different bins to be ready for the potential of selling that product for added value.

Interview with Chuck Hill, Specialty Products Manager, AgriGold at CUTC 18

2018 Corn Utilization & Technology Conference Photo Album

AgWired Precision, Audio, Corn, CUTC

ZimmCast 589 – Incredible Eggs & New CEO of USFRA

Chuck Zimmerman

In this week’s program you’ll hear mostly from Cindy and the people she interviewed recently. So, let’s get started by thanking our sponsor, GROWMARK, Locally Owned, Globally Strong.

First up will be an interview Cindy did with American Egg Board Marketing Communications Manager Marc Dresner. They discuss the AEB’s eggciting promotional sponsorship of Disney-Pixar’s “Incredibles 2” that has audiences scrambling for new “How Do You Like Your Eggs?” recipes reflecting each of the film’s character’s unique personality or super power. The film has made the Incredible Egg into a nutrition super hero!

Then you’ll get to meet Erin Fitzgerald, the new CEO of the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance starting in July. Fitzgerald previously served as Senior Vice President, Global Sustainability for the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy®, a part of Dairy Management Inc. (DMI).

Listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 589 - Incredible Eggs & New CEO of USFRA

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, Food, USFRA, ZimmCast

GROWMARK Wants More Interns to Stay

Carrie Muehling

GROWMARK would like to see more of their interns to choose a full-time career at the cooperative after completing the internship experience.

The Exploring Agriculture program is geared towards community college students and those with an interest in the operational side of GROWMARK’s business. This year a total of 32 interns joined that program, being placed throughout the cooperative’s core territory of Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin. Some completed internships as a part of the spring class and others are working through the summer. The Exploring Agriculture program is in its sixth year, and it’s growing.

GROWMARK also hired 41 students for its traditional internship program, with six working at the home office and the rest spread throughout the core territory this summer. Interns work in a variety of areas including agronomy, energy, accounting, finance, marketing, communication and human resources. Students are usually given a specific project to focus on in addition to daily responsibilities.

“It gives them something to work on outside of their actual tasks and day to day things that they can kind of own,” said Kayla Portwood, university relations manager. “It’s something that’s of a business need to GROWMARK or their member company or retail division, which is exciting for them because they’re actually contributing to real world work that their companies need, and it’s of value to the company and to the interns.”

One of the company’s goals right now is to increase the conversion rate of interns to full-time employees. By 2020, the cooperative hopes to hire 40 percent of interns into full-time positions each year. Currently, 26 percent of last year’s interns are working at GROWMARK full-time. The Exploring Agriculture program has a higher conversion rate because many students are graduating right after the internship experience or have already graduated when they completed the internship.

Portwood said GROWMARK is also recruiting more students without an agriculture background, as they can learn many aspects of agriculture and the other skills required on the job.

Check out the list of this year’s GROWMARK interns.

Learn more in this interview – Interview with Kayla Portwood, GROWMARK

AgWired Precision, Audio, Education, GROWMARK

IFIC Foundation Survey Results on Bioengineered Food Labeling

Chuck Zimmerman

As a foodie kind of person a new survey by the International Food Information Council Foundation (IFIC) has some very interesting results. There is a lot of information in the report. It is titled, “Research with Consumers To Test Perceptions and Reactions To Various Stimuli and Visuals
Related to Bioengineered Foods.”

Here is a short note about the findings to start with.

Labels proposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to disclose “bioengineered” (BE) foods dramatically increase a wide variety of consumer concerns, especially regarding human health.

Those are among the findings of new research by the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation into areas where AMS sought comments on its proposed BE labeling standards, as well as consumers’ views generally of genetically modified foods, or GMOs.

Based on what I’ve read there is a significant need for more and better public education about these topics. It is amazing how little people know or how much they think is true that is not when it comes to food. The graphic with the canola oil bottle shows how consumers were presented information (labeling) and what the results were. Basically, as information that was shown on the label increased, respondents fears about human health increased. That certainly brings up concerns regarding the USDA-AMS July 3 deadline to comment on the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Law.

So, what do you do about labeling? What is proper and enough? What do you do when consumers don’t know what the label actually means?

You can read the full report here or download the .pdf here.

Food, GMO, Marketing, USDA

Alltech Crop Science Receives Organic Certifications

Cindy Zimmerman

Alltech Crop Science has attained organic certification in North America for two of its micronutrient fertilizers – Grain-Set® and Agro-Mos®.

The two products are based on amino acid and fermentation technology and join the company’s other Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI)-certified products, including Soil-Set®, Crop-Set® and Galvanize® Contact, increasing options for organic growers to meet the nutritional needs of their crops.

“Consumers are demanding more natural products that are sustainable and traceable, and we’re excited to be able to offer an expanded organically certified line to our growers who are looking to meet those demands,” said Dr. Steven Borst, Alltech Crop Science general manager, who notes that the company now offers a certified organic product for every stage of a plant’s growth cycle.

This certification further solidifies Alltech Crop Science’s commitment to Alltech’s founding ACE principle, the promise that in doing business, the company has a positive impact on agriculture, the consumer and the environment.

Alltech, Fertilizer, Organic

Precision Ag Bytes 6/27

Carrie Muehling

  • The Soil Health Partnership embarks on its fifth year of participating in dozens of field days across 12 states this summer and fall. For a list of field days and to register, visit www.soilhealthpartnership.org.
  • The 14th International Conference on Precision Agriculture (ICPA) is wrapping up in Montreal, Quebec. The conference is presented by the International Society of Precision Agriculture. The final Oral and Poster programs are posted on the 14th ICPA website, including over 250 oral presentations, 30 industry talks, and 20 plenary session talks.
  • Exporting tree nuts and other specialty crops to EU countries has just gotten simpler for growers in California and throughout the US with an increased maximum residue level (MRL) limit EU ruling based upon residue data developed by IR-4 and almond, pistachio, and walnut grower groups under a USDA grant with support from Verdesian Life Sciences.
  • FMC has received confirmation from the EPA that Anthem®MAXX herbicide has been cleared for inclusion with XtendiMax® with VaporGrip® Technology and Engenia® herbicides. FMC herbicide tank-mix options now include the following herbicide products: Anthem MAXX, Authority® First DF, Authority® Elite, Authority® XL, Authority® MAXX, Authority® MTZ DF and Authority® Assist.
  • AMVAC Chemical Corporation has announced the purchase of the Bromacil herbicide business in the United States and Canada from Bayer Crop Science. This transaction is unrelated to the acquisition of Monsanto by Bayer, and financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
AgWired Precision, AMVAC, FMC, Precision Ag Bytes, Soil Health Partnership, Verdesian

EPA Releases 2019 Biofuel Proposal

Cindy Zimmerman

The Environmental Protection Agency released its proposal for 2019 biofuel obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Tuesday, maintaining the statutory level for corn ethanol while increasing advanced biofuels, but failing to address the small refinery exemptions that have decimated demand and effectively lowered the required amount of biofuels to be blended.

Under the proposed rule, conventional renewable fuel volumes would be maintained at the implied 15-billion gallon target set by Congress for 2019, the advanced biofuel standard would be increased by almost 600 million gallons over the 2018 standard – including an increase of 100 million gallons for the cellulosic biofuel standard and a 330 million gallon increase for the biomass-based diesel standard for 2020.

EPA is also “taking comment on a host of ways to improve market transparency, including by limiting who can participate in the Renewable Identification Number (RIN) market and the length of time a RIN can be held.”

The ethanol industry would be more pleased with the rule if it had addressed the gallons lost due to refinery waivers, according to Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen. “The agency had language in the proposal until about two days ago that would have, at least for future small refinery waivers, created a more transparent process by which those gallons would have been reallocated,” said Dinneen. The proposal was scheduled to be released last Friday but delayed at the last minute, reportedly because the oil industry was against the reallocation plan.

Listen to Dinneen’s reaction to the proposal: Interview with RFA CEO Bob Dinneen on EPA 2019 RVO proposal

Audio, EPA, Ethanol, RFA

Camso Hosts VIPs at Remanufacturing Facility

Chuck Zimmerman

The latest remanufacturing capabilities and Camso facility was showcased to customers, community leaders and media this month in Emporia, KS. Remanufacturing is available for tracks taken from friction drive tractors, and for midroller wheels of all tractors as shown in this image.

During the one-day premier, Camso welcomed guests and took them on an exclusive guided tour of the facility to witness firsthand the wheels and tracks remanufacturing process. Company executives and plant personnel provided an in-depth overview of this innovative program and explained the benefits of remanufactured agricultural tracks and wheels to customers and distributors as part of the company’s product lineup.

“Guests saw the high level of quality put into every Camso product, along with our extensive product testing and quality control processes,” said Martin Lunkenbein, Service and Aftermarket Sale​s Executive Director – Agriculture at Camso. “As the industry leader in tracks, Camso has the knowledge and technology to ensure the most effective remanufacturing of these agricultural products that is possible.” Lunkenbein said these events provide partners with an exclusive look at Camso’s level of product expertise, knowledge and technology, in addition to providing them with the evidence they are receiving the best value and customer support.

This past March Camso launched its certified remanufactured tracks and wheels program to help customers get multiple lives from their tracked machine’s used wheels and tracks. Camso tracks are remanufactured from the best, longest-lasting carcass in the industry and use the same Camso original materials and quality. Remanufacturing is available for tracks taken from friction drive tractors, and for midroller wheels of all tractors.

To give multiple lives to a product that they’ve always trusted, customers can call 1-844-CAMSOAG, email or visit Camso.co for more details about the certified remanufactured wheels and tracks program.

AgWired Precision, Tractor

Keeping Up With Corn Research

Carrie Muehling

While the content shared during sessions at the 2018 Corn Utilization and Technology Conference was very technical, it was valuable to Mark Sponsler, Executive Director of the Colorado Corn Growers Association.

“Behind any market development effort, and at the root or the base of any new technology that represents market demand, there has to be a foundation of solid research,” Sponsler said.

Sponsler uses the opportunity to learn where the research is headed and what the future holds for corn and potential markets for corn. Whether it is the future of cellulosic ethanol or the development of corn-based products to replace those currently derived from petroleum, it’s information that Sponsler wants to know.

He said Colorado is like many other states that are looking to redefine the focus of research investments and sometimes choosing between funding production technology or product development. Often the budget of one state association is not big enough to do both. Sponsler said many times several states will work together on projects that expand markets for corn, using ethanol production and promotion as a prime example of that kind of effort.

Interview with Mark Sponsler, Colorado Corn Growers Association

2018 Corn Utilization & Technology Conference Photo Album

AgWired Precision, Audio, Corn, CUTC

National FFA and AgriNovus Indiana Announce Blue Room

Cindy Zimmerman

The National FFA Organization and AgriNovus Indiana have joined together to announce the “Blue Room” will debut at the 2018 National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis Oct. 24-27.

The Blue Room is the kickoff to Blue 365, an initiative that will bring this same innovation into classrooms and impact more than 650,000 members nationwide. FFA student members are the future leaders of the food industry, which is relying on this generation to meet unparalleled challenges to feed a growing world population.

The 17,000-square-foot interactive Blue Room will center on the challenges facing our community—from respecting the planet to the urgent matter of feeding the world. This cutting-edge approach will focus on experiential learning and thought-provoking exposure to the convergence of agriculture, technology, human health, engineering, and more.

Corteva Agriscience, the agriculture division of DowDuPont, and Elanco are also proud participating sponsors of The Blue Room and supporting partners of AgriNovus Indiana.

Making the Blue Room announcement Monday in Indianapolis were National FFA CEO Mark Poeschl, AgriNovus Indiana president and CEO Beth Bechdol, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, and FFA alumnus Loren King. Listen to their remarks here: National FFA and AgriNovus Indiana Announce Blue Room

Agribusiness, AgWired Animal, AgWired Precision, Audio, Education, FFA