The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International has announced the appointment of the newly formed Agricultural Aerial Remote Sensing Council to serve on a steering committee and as brand ambassadors who will help develop the Trusted Operator Program for remote pilots and unmanned aircraft systems training organizations that serve the agriculture community.- Billi Hunt has been named the Executive Director of the Cultivation Corridor. Hunt brings 20 years of experience working for one of the leading agriculture companies in the state. Hunt joins the Cultivation Corridor after working as the Government Affairs Manager — U.S. Central Region for DuPont.
- Case IH and The Climate Corporation, a subsidiary of Monsanto Company, have announced a new partnership that will extend and develop a portfolio of data sharing capabilities to help farmers with real-time agronomic visualization and decision-making solutions. Case IH will provide customers two-way data connectivity between the AFS Connect™ precision farming platform and The Climate Corporation’s industry-leading Climate FieldView™ digital agriculture platform.
- The National Association of Conservation Districts swore in First Vice President Tim Palmer as the next president-elect at the member organization’s 72nd Annual Meeting Appreciation Banquet in Nashville, Tenn. The NACD Board of Directors elected Palmer to serve as the organization’s next president-elect where he will serve a one-year term alongside President Brent Van Dyke.
- AgGateway’s ADAPT Framework, which is designed to make it easy for various hardware and software systems that growers use in their businesses to “talk to each other”, now has a new tool to help developers: the ADAPT ISO Plugin. AgGateway has released Version 2 of the ADAPT ISO Plugin, making it easier for Farm Management Information Systems to read and write data to/from displays and terminals that use the ISOXML specification.
- Vinduino and eVineyard will announce two new products at the World Ag Expo 2018 in Tulare, Calif. The new eOrchard grove management application optimizes the use of scarce resources, saving time and cost. The Vinduino wireless irrigation valve controller is optimized for working with the eVineyard and eOrchard applications, and accurately and securely controls irrigation for optimal water use and achieving the desired crop targets.
Scouting With Aerial Precision Imagery
Jeff Buyck and Mark Grout, Jr.
“It’s really being able to detect an issue before you can see it,” said Buyck. “By the time you see it, it’s too late. Farming is very visual. You drive down the road, my crop looks good, it doesn’t look good. I see an issue here. When we fly over with near infrared optics, it’s what the naked eye can’t see.”
Buyck said a manned aircraft can also get from field to field much more quickly than scouts traveling over the road. The dealership partners with Aerial Precision Imagery out of St. Paul, Minnesota, which provides the high resolution photography. After the data is processed, it can be uploaded to the John Deere Operations Center.
You can here Chuck’s interview with Jeff here: Interview with Jeff Buyck, C&B Operations
You can find conference photos here: 2018 Develop with Deere Conference Photo Album
CIRB is Focused on the Farm Bill
Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) was in the neighborhood so he stopped by to say hello at the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau (CIRB) annual meeting in Scottsdale last week and posed for a photos with members, including chairman Ron Rutledge, Farmers Mutual Hail.
Rutledge says this year is an important one for the crop insurance industry in Congress with a new farm bill being written and they will have to rely more than ever on their champions in Congress like Sen. Moran. “Our theme this year is Meeting the Challenge,” said Rutledge in his chairman’s address. “I want to take this theme to heart as we head into a farm bill where we know we will be challenged to protect and defend crop insurance as the lynch pin of the farm safety net.”
Rutledge was pleased to see new faces at this year’s annual meeting because they will need boots on the ground in Washington more than ever. “Crop insurance is a complicated topic and this is a great place for people to get information, to learn and to network,” he said.
Listen to Ron’s opening remarks and interview below:
Chair Ron Rutledge Welcome Remarks
Five Mineral Myths Busted
Alltech did some myth busting at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Cattle Industry Convention & Trade Show with regards to the latest strategies and newest technologies in trace mineral supplementation.
A panel discussion including Dr. Vaughn Holder, ruminant research director with Alltech, conducted a forum where they busted five mineral myths relating to ruminant nutrition. Holder said producers should get help when determining the correct mineral balance for their cattle.
“Work with your nutritionist. Ask the questions that you need to ask about quality versus quantity of trace minerals. Talking about using a lot less of something of high quality than a lot more of something of low quality. These are important concepts,” said Holder.
Listen to Dr. Vaughn Holder bust the five mineral myths with Jamie here: Dr. Vaughn Holder, Alltech
Dr. Matt Hersom is an associate professor and extension beef cattle specialist at the University of Florida Department of Animal Sciences and also sat on the panel. He has conducted research on organic vs. inorganic minerals and you can learn more about that in this interview: Interview with Dr. Matt Hersom, University of Florida
New Pig Farmer of the Year Appointed
The National Pork Board has named Leon Sheets from Ionia, Iowa as America’s Pig Farmer of the Year® for the remainder of 2017-18 program year. He was selected to replace Leslie McCuiston, who had to step down from the role after taking a new position in the agricultural industry where she will not directly work with pigs, which is obviously the main requirement for Pig Farmer of the Year!
“With the unexpected change, the National Pork Board reached out to our America’s Pig Farmer of the year judging panel,” said Terry O’Neel, a pig farmer from Friend, Nebraska, and president of the National Pork Board. “The panel unanimously voted to elevate Sheets, a finalist from last fall, with the move adopted and supported by all members of the National Pork Board.”
Sheets started farming with his grandfather when he was a child and currently raises 33,000 pigs on his farm in northeast Iowa, where he focuses on animal care and environmental sustainability. With the help of his employees, son and wife, Sheets also grows corn, soybeans, hay and cover crops. Leon will serve in the role until a new America’s Pig Farmer of the Year is announced in October 2018.
Water For Food Charts the Way Forward
The Water for Food International Forum last week ended on a high note as more than 40 high-level participants from around the globe shared their vision for and commitment to how the private and public sectors can work toward expanding access to irrigation.
Kicking off the very large round table discussion was World Food Programme Ambassador Ertharin Cousin, Distinguished Fellow Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Cousin gave a passionate address about the critical importance of irrigation. “When asked what keeps me up at night, I talk about irrigation,” she said. “Because to achieve the outcome of ending hunger, irrigation is manifest.”
Cousin says she is pleased to see the partnership between the Daugherty Global Institute at the University of Nebraska and The World Bank. “What (they) have done is catalyze the conversation,” said Cousin. “This conference began the dialogue amongst leaders about what’s already happening and what we need to do differently.
“We will end hunger and we will make agriculture productive across the global community,” Cousin says confidently.
Listen to Cousin’s inspiring address and my interview with her by clicking on the links below:
WFF18 Ertharin Cousin, Ambassador World Food Programme Interview with Ertharin Cousin, Ambassador World Food ProgrammeWater for Food Virtual Newsroom
2018 Water for Food Forum Photos
Adams Joins American Ag Network
Our favorite Mike will soon be back behind the mic.
The American Ag Network is excited to announce Mike Adams is joining the network team with a new hour-long weekday show, Adams on Agriculture. This national agricultural talk radio show will feature a mix of commentary on agricultural issues and interviews with decision makers such as members of Congress, USDA personnel and leaders of agricultural organizations. In-depth topics of discussion include Farm Bill, trade and new technology as well as important issues facing rural America such as infrastructure, immigration and health care.
Adams has been in the business for 44 years, with the past 16 of those spent as host for the nationally-syndicated Agri-Talk radio show. Farm Journal chose to replace him with Chip Flory as host of the program starting this year, but their loss is definitely American Ag Network’s gain and we are looking forward to hearing Mike back on the air next month.
Mike joins the American Ag Network team led by Farm News Director Rusty Halvorson, and Digital Director/Farm Broadcaster Sabrina Hill who was brought on board earlier this year, as well as network general manager Lance Knudson.
Sustainability a Focus for Beef Supply Chain
Many of those gathered at this year’s Cattle Industry Convention and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Trade Show in Phoenix are working toward sustainability within the beef industry at all levels of the supply chain.
“Sustainability, as defined by NCBA, is about producing safe and nutritious beef with economic viability, environmental stewardship and social responsibility,” said Dr. Sara Place, Sr. Director, Sustainable Beef Production Research at NCBA. Place said consumers often have misconceptions about things like greenhouse gas emissions when it comes to beef production.
One way the industry is working toward better educating and communicating with all members of the beef supply chain, as well as consumers, is through the formation of the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef. NCBA Sr. Director of Sustainability Ashley McDonald said the Roundtable is clarifying things across the industry when it comes to sustainability.
“Everybody has made a commitment that they understand that they have an impact and that we have challenges and every sector is responsible for addressing concerns in their sector,” said McDonald.
Chairman of the Roundtable Rickette Collins agrees. She is Sr. Director for Beef/Pork/Fish in the Global Supply Chain and Sustainability with McDonald’s Corporation.
“Being able to see the programs and the practices and the policies that are already in place and implemented… while I think we all knew they were there, getting to that level of detail and granularity and really seeing it firsthand has been a really big help and I think has helped shape actually the way that the Roundtable has developed,” said Collins.
The Roundtable plans to release Sustainability Assessment Guides for all sectors of the beef industry in May of 2018.
Listen to Jamie’s interview with Dr. Sara Place here: Dr. Sara Place, NCBA
Listen to Jamie’s interview with Rickette Collins here: Rickette Collins, McDonald's
Listen to Jamie’s interview with Ashley McDonald here: Ashley McDonald, NCBA
Animal Ag Bites 2/5
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has announced the appointment of five members to serve on the American Lamb Board. A list of board members is available on the AMS American Lamb Board webpage.- Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has also announced the appointment of three members to serve on the National Sheep Industry Improvement Center Board of Directors. Additional information can be found on the National Sheep Industry Improvement Center Website at www.nsiic.org.
- Elanco Animal Health, a division of Eli Lilly and Company announced the launch of its U.S. Salmonella 360 platform at the 2018 International Production & Processing Expo. Salmonella 360 is an innovative, holistic approach to Salmonella control which utilizes food safety resources and experience from across the poultry industry.
- As interest in phytogenics, commonly defined as plant-based feed additives, has grown in the United States, Delacon recognizes a need for education around the role of phytogenics in nutrition. In late 2017, Delacon launched the “Guts to Grow” marketing platform, urging livestock and poultry producers to consider phytogenics in their approach in a post-AGP, and increasingly antibiotic-free, era. For more information, visit www.gutstogrow.com.
- Angus Genetics, Inc. has announced the release of two new foot score research EPDs, the first of its kind in the U.S. for beef cattle. For more information about foot score guidelines, click here. You also can find the How to Foot Score video here.
- The National Pork Board will host its annual Pork Management Conference, April 17-20, in Hilton Head, South Carolina. The registration fee is $425 per person through March 23 and increases to $475 beginning March 24. No refunds after March 30. A registration form and a detailed list of events are available at pork.org/pmc.
Cattlemen Release 2018 Policy Priorities
A number of topics are priorities for cattle producers in the coming year, beginning with the passage of a new Farm Bill.
“Everybody is trying to push completion of the Farm Bill before the current one expires, and we are no different,” said Colin Woodall, senior vice president of government affairs with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. “We want to make sure we get it done. We don’t like the uncertainty of extensions. We want to make sure that we know what the programs are going to look like.”
NCBA Policy Chair Joe Guild shared the group’s highest concern within the Farm Bill discussion.
“Our highest priority is creation of a Foot and Mouth Disease vaccine bank,” said Guild. “We are asking for $140 million a year to fund that bank and to make sure that it’s viable and continues. It’s a defensive tool. We don’t want Foot and Mouth Disease to come back to this country. Right now the vaccine bank is inadequate for the potential defenses that we’d need to implement. So that’s the highest priority in the Farm Bill.”
Other significant items NCBA will be addressing in 2018 include immigration law, transportation concerns over electronic logging devices, the Endangered Species Act, and Fake Meat – protecting terms like “beef” with the introduction of more and more plant-based protein products onto the market. Trade remains a focus for the group, as well.
Listen to Jamie’s interview with Colin Woodall here: Colin Woodall, NCBA
Listen to Jamie’s interview with Joe Guild and Jerry Bohn here: Joe Guild and Jerry Bohn, NCBA