FMC Offers Season Long Disease Protection

Cindy Zimmerman

Kyle Bauer, KFRM, visits with FMC’s Matt Wiggins at Commodity Classic

FMC ever-growing portfolio of products offers corn, soybean and wheat farmers season-long protection from the top disease threats.

At Commodity Classic, FMC Technical Service Manager Matt Wiggins was talking about the three primary solutions they offer for diseases such as Northern corn leaf blight, grey leaf spot, frog-eye leaf spot, target spot, and white mold in soybeans, rust and head scab in wheat. “Number one would be just Topguard®, single mode of action triazole for corn, soybeans and wheat,” said Wiggins. From that, they have Topguard EQ that combines a strobilurin fungicide with FMC’s patented flutriafol, and Preemptor® SC.

Wiggins says FMC has other fungicides in the pipeline going forward. Learn more in this interview –
Interview with FMC's Matt Wiggins on fungicides

FMC at 2018 Commodity Classic Photo Album

Commodity Classic coverage made possible by
Commodity Classic coverage made possible by FMCCommodity Classic coverage made possible by John Deere
AgWired Precision, Audio, Commodity Classic, Corn, FMC, Fungicide

New Toy KEENAN MechFibre365 Mixer Wagon

Carrie Muehling

Farm toy enthusiasts can add a new implement to their collections with the KEENAN MechFibre365 Mixer Wagon.

“What we normally see is if the real thing sells in the real world, then we see a similar thing in the toy,” said Natalie Frow, European Brand Manager for Tomy Britains. “So we work together with them, we get the 3D data with them, we work with our engineers in China and we produced prototypes which we then adapted to make it look like the real thing.”

KEENAN invited local school groups to the company’s headquarters in Dublin for factory tours to celebrate the release of the toy, which will be available beginning in April from KEENAN and toy retailers throughout Europe, primarily in the United Kingdom.

Listen to Jamie’s interview with Natalie here: Interview with Natalie Frow, Tomy Britains

Alltech KEENAN Great Green Getaway Photo Album

 

Great Green Getaway Coverage Sponsored by Alltech & KEENANKeenan logo

 

AgWired Animal, Alltech, Audio, KEENAN

Animal Ag Bites 3/26

Carrie Muehling

  • The 2018 World Pork Expo will mark its 30th anniversary by presenting the world’s largest pork-specific trade show with more exhibit space and featuring more U.S. and international companies than ever before. Presented by the National Pork Producers Council, the world’s largest pork-specific trade show takes place Wednesday, June 6, through Friday, June 8, at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. Online registration is now open.
  • Directors of Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative have elected a new president and vice president. Brody Stapel, who farms at Double Dutch Dairy along Lake Michigan in Cedar Grove, Wis., was elected president at a meeting March 7. His election as president comes after John Pagel, who had been Edge’s president, passed away in late February as the result of a plane crash. The board also elected Todd Doornink as vice president. Doornink, who farms at Jon-De Dairy in Baldwin in northwestern Wisconsin, has been on the board since 2011.
  • Join Dr. Shelby Roberts, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Alltech Center for Animal Nutrigenomics and Applied Animal Nutrition, for a live webinar on Tuesday, March 27 at 2:00 ET, to take a closer look at calf gut health and the importance of nutrition during the first weeks of the calf’s life. Reserve a spot now via this link. If you are unable to attend the live webinar, you can register via the link to receive the recording.
  • Award applications for the 12th annual National Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Awards now are being accepted. The 2019 National BQA Awards recognize five winners in the areas of beef, dairy, marketing and education. Find the application and nomination requirements here. Applications are due by June 1, 2018.
AgWired Animal, Animal Bites

Liberty Weed Control Guarantee Returns

Cindy Zimmerman

For the second year, Bayer is offering the Liberty® Weed Control Guarantee on the effective weed control of Liberty herbicide.

Heading into the 2018 season, growers who use Liberty can look forward to clean fields, thanks to the herbicide’s effective weed control and the guarantee. To qualify, growers must talk to their retailer about local requirements and S.T.O.P. Weeds with Liberty application guidelines.

“I have been using Liberty herbicide for two years,” said Mark Tuttle, a grower from Somonauk, Ill. “I’m always impressed by how Liberty controls some of the most challenging weeds like waterhemp and giant ragweed. But, every season is different, and weeds are always one of my greatest concerns. The Liberty Weed Control Guarantee helps make the decision to use Liberty each year easy. It’s a great added benefit.

S.T.O.P Weeds with Liberty application guidelines

Start clean and stay clean – Start clean with a burndown herbicide prior to planting and stay clean by controlling escapes
Target weeds under three inches tall – Small weeds are easier to control and Liberty should be applied on less than 3 inch weeds.
Optimize coverage – Use appropriate rates, a minimum of 15 gallons of water and medium to coarse droplet size.
Pair with residuals – Apply labeled rates of pre-residual herbicide with two effective modes of action.

Local Bayer representatives can provide requirements for specific regions.

Listen to Mark Tuttle at Commodity Classic talk about why he uses Liberty: Interview with Mark Tuttle, Illinois Grower

Learn more about Liberty from Jody Wynia and David Tanner: Interview with Jody Wynia & David Tanner, Bayer

Photos, video, and audio interviews from Bayer at Commodity Classic Bayer sponsor logo
AgWired Precision, Audio, Bayer, Commodity Classic, weed management

Ethanol and Pork on China’s Draft Retaliation List

Cindy Zimmerman

Following action by President Trump yesterday to impose tariffs on up to $60 billion in Chinese imports, China is making its list of what U.S. products will be the target of retaliation. The list reportedly includes agricultural products such as U.S. pork, modified ethanol, wine, fruits and nuts, and soybeans are expected to be as well.

“We sell a lot of pork to China, so higher tariffs on our exports going there will harm our producers and undermine the rural economy,” said National Pork Producers Council President Jim Heimerl of Ohio. “No one wins in these tit-for-tat trade disputes, least of all the farmers and the consumers.”

Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob Dinneen says they expected ethanol would be on the list. “China’s response was entirely predictable, given recent actions by our administration to implement new tariffs. It is my fervent hope that the White House now fully understands the impact these actions will have on America’s ethanol industry and farmers, and we urge the administration to redouble its efforts to expand demand for ethanol here at home.”

China was the third-largest market for U.S. ethanol exports in 2016, accounting for almost 20% of total exports, but Dinneen says the country imposed a 30% tariff on U.S. ethanol last year, bringing sales down to almost nothing until recently when they have started to tick back up despite the tariff. “But a 15% additional tariff, on top of the 30 percent that’s already there will clearly prohibit any sales to that country,” Dinneen says.

Audio file – RFA CEO Bob Dinneen reacts to potential China retaliation tariffs

AgWired Animal, Audio, Ethanol, Exports, Pork, RFA, Soybean

Reaction to Presidential Trade Tariff Actions

Cindy Zimmerman

Exports are literally the life blood of U.S. agriculture, so it is not surprising that reaction to President Trump’s trade tariff actions this week from agricultural groups has been largely negative and fearful that it will lead to retaliation.

U.S. Grains Council (USGC) President and CEO Tom Sleight says they are dismayed by the tariffs against China announced yesterday by the Trump Administration. “For every action there’s an opposite and equal reaction,” said Sleight. “Agriculture is usually at the front of the line when it comes to retaliatory action.”

Thanks to Tony St. James, All Ag Radio Network, for these comments from Sleight:
USGC CEO Tom Sleight comments on China tariffs

“We know that China is a bad actor, there’s no doubt about that, but we have to be very thoughtful when it comes to trade policy,” said Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) in an interview yesterday. “Just by knee-jerk reaction with any sort of tariffs could create problems for our agricultural industry.”
Sen. Ernst comments on China tariffs

U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS), chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, commented on the potential harm tariffs could cause for farmers and ranchers during the Agri-Pulse policy summit on Wednesday. “Agriculture producers are understandably concerned about trade and the effects of recent actions taken by the administration,” said Roberts. “China is one of the United States’ top agriculture markets and damage to that market in any form will likely result in a significant harm to the U.S. agricultural economy.”

Sen. Pat Roberts comments at Agri-Pulse summit

More audio to come – stay tuned!

Audio, Exports, Trade

Meeting Demand for Soy in Southeast Asia

Carrie Muehling

The Southeast Asian region represents a large part of the world’s soy consumption, and a significant market for U.S. soy products. While dietary needs and preferences are changing in that region, U.S. soy is still an important part of meeting the region’s demand.

“Southeast Asia is a very traditional soy food consumption region,” said Boon Yee Yeong, Senior Technical Consultant for Human Utilization in Southeast Asia for the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC). “A quarter of the world’s soy food is actually consumed in Southeast Asia. Over the past 25 years, definitely we are moving away from a lot of the old traditional soy food into the new modern trait. I think it can be seen through a lot of the new innovation in terms of soy products, and even the traditional soy food is actually taking a new life. They are much more attractive to the younger generation. And, of course, people are recognizing the functional benefit of eating soy, so definitely there is a movement of the producers and manufacturers to capture this new identity of soy.”

Education programs coordinated by USSEC have been instrumental in promoting U.S. soy to the region, which imports American soy products for use in every sector, from traditional to new foods and from high value ingredients to generic products.

Listen to Jamie’s interview here: Interview with Boon Yee Yeong, USSEC SE Asia

USSEC SE Asia Buyers Conference Photo Album

Audio, Soybean, USSEC

Zimfo Bytes 3/23

Carrie Muehling

  • U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue issued a statement regarding the omnibus spending bill released by Congressional leaders:
    “The omnibus spending plan released last night contains a number of our priorities at USDA. Fixing the so-called ‘grain glitch’ 199A problem is simply an issue of fairness. We should not be picking winners and losers through the federal tax code by favoring one side over another.”
  • Meister Media has teamed with NXT Events Media Group of Norwalk, CT, to create a joint venture called Meister | NXT LLC. The new JV will focus on producing conferences and trade shows to help the many diverse segments of agriculture realize the promise of new systems, technologies, and alliances to meet the challenges of ensuring safe, reliable, and abundant food for our expanding world.The first event of the joint venture will be Growing Innovations, which will debut November 7-8, 2018 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV.
  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service announces the annual USDA Data Users’ Meeting. The meeting is free of charge and open to anyone interested in learning about recent and pending changes in various data and information programs important to agriculture. USDA and partner agencies will seek comments and input on these programs. The 2018 meeting will be held from 1:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. CDT on Tues., April. 24, 2018 at the University of Chicago – Gleacher Center.
  • To celebrate the 45th anniversary of National Ag Day, AGDATA hosted Feed + Kids Food & Fund Drive for two weeks in March 2018 at its headquarters in Charlotte, NC. All donations benefit Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina’s school-based program, Together We Feed. AGDATA’s employees collected 155 food items and enough money to purchase 900 pounds of food. According to Together We Feed, these food and financial donations will provide meals for approximately 550 children in our region.
  • The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) recently attended the Aquaculture America Conference to learn more about the industry and make connections with companies to discuss the benefits of corn and corn byproducts in aquaculture diets. NCGA met with a number of companies and representatives while at the conference, including tru SHRIMP of Minnesota, Prairie Aquatech of South Dakota, Eagles Catch of Iowa, and various feed mills and feed ingredient companies including Cargill, Zeigler, ADM, Blue Ridge Aquafeeds and BlueWater Feed Company.
Zimfo Bytes

Ag Day Essay Contest Winner

Cindy Zimmerman

Some 400 young people from around the country entered the National Ag Day written essay contest and the winning entry was Rio Bonham from Tishomingo, Oklahoma. He received a $1,000 prize and travel to Washington, D.C., for recognition during the National Press Club Event this week.

With the theme Agriculture: Food for Life, Rio’s essay highlighted job opportunities in an industry vital to everyone’s life.

“From the jeans they wear, to the E-10 they put in their car, to every single thing they eat or drink, high schoolers must not only understand but appreciate all that agriculture produces for them. In addition, agriculture has thousands of job opportunities for young adults if their eyes were just opened to them.”

Listen to Rio read his essay here: Ag Day Essay winner Rio Bonham

The national video essay winner for 2018 is Zoey McCormick from Carlisle, Indiana. She will win a $1,000 prize for her video.


The Ag Day Essay Contest is sponsored by CHS Inc., National Association of Farm Broadcasting and Farm
Progress.

2018 National Ag Day Photo Album

Ag Day, Audio, Video

Ethanol Supporter Optimistic About Industry

Cindy Zimmerman

Senator Joni Ernst has earned the title of “ethanol champion” for her work on behalf of the industry to protect the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), but she took the time today to visit with people she thinks are the real champions – the grassroots farmers, producers, retailers and investors who make up the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE).

“You are all out there making a difference,” said Sen. Ernst in her address to ACE members in Washington DC.

Her main remarks centered around the continuing debate over the RFS and Renewable Identification Number prices and her own discussions with Sen. Ted Cruz and others on the idea of a “win-win” solution for both ethanol and refiners. “Their ‘win-win’ is to cap RINs. That’s not a win for us,” said Ernst. “For us the “win-win” is the RVP waiver and going to E-15 year-round….The president thought that was a brilliant idea.”

During an interview, Sen. Ernst says she believes the White House is “backing away” from the RIN cap idea and leaning toward sending the whole issue to Congress to resolve. “We have had a strong coalition in Congress as well that pushes back against any efforts to weaken the RFS,” she said.

Listen to her remarks and my interview below where the senator also comments on the omnibus bill and trade issues.

Sen. Joni Ernst remarks to ACE

Interview with Sen. Joni Ernst

2018 ACE DC Fly-in Photo Album

ACE, Audio, Ethanol, Exports