Caterpillar Inc. is using AT&T Internet of Things (IoT) services to connect and manage heavy machines and engines around the globe. The new multi-year, global deal connects Caterpillar products to the AT&T 4G LTE network.- MKC, a full-service farm cooperative offering a complete line of products, programs and services for both farm and urban customers throughout Kansas, has joined the CommiditAg network, where farmers can browse farm input products and view its transparent pricing.
- CLAAS of America has reorganized its Dealer Council to represent the full CLAAS product line: combines, forage harvesters, balers, hay tools and tractors. The council consists of 10 newly appointed members representing the company’s diverse sales channel.
- Natalie Shuman, a fresh produce marketing and communications professional, has joined Inocucor, the Denver-based developer and producer of biological crop inputs for agriculture, as director of marketing. Shuman will be responsible for brand management, communications, product management, trade marketing and product lifecycle management for Inocucor’s microbial and plant nutrient technologies.
Northey Takes Oath of USDA Office
It was a long time coming, but finally Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue administered the oath of office to Bill Northey to serve as the Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Service (FFAS) at USDA. Northey has served as Iowa’s Secretary of Agriculture, and is a former president of the National Corn Growers Association.
“After months of waiting, I’m thrilled to finally have Bill on board at USDA,” Secretary Perdue said. “The patience he displayed throughout this process is an indicator of what kind of steady leader he will be on our team, and we are eager for him to get to work. Bill comes to us at an important time, as farm incomes are down and expected to fall further. Additionally, with work on the 2018 Farm Bill already underway, Bill will play an integral role in the advice we offer to Congress.”
However, there is still a little work to do when it comes to that title, and it is a little confusing right now. Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC), the position for which Northey is intended, is a new position created by the realignment of agencies to encompasses the Farm Service Agency, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Risk Management Agency. The realignment was necessitated by the creation of Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, as directed by the 2014 Farm Bill. So USDA is working with Congress to formally change the name of Northey’s mission area to FPAC. One step at a time.
Welcome to ‘The New FMC’
FMC is now the fourth largest chemical producer in the world after its purchase of assets from DuPont back in November. That gives the company a much larger reach globally, and particularly in the United States, said John Kasper, U.S. Commercial Director for FMC.
“It is the new FMC. We’re much larger. We’re on a wider range of crops and within those crops we have an increased portfolio, so it truly is a new FMC,” said Kasper, who noted customers are looking forward to the impact of the acquisition. “We’ve heard from customers that they are really excited about this new company, and it secures FMC’s future in the global marketplace, specifically innovating new products for the market needs.”
Kasper said the company already had a very robust pipeline, but this integration will allow for more internal synthesis and discovery. He said there are also more opportunities within the company as it grew from five sales regions to nine regions after the acquisition.
Listen to Chuck’s interview with John here: Interview with John Kasper, FMC
FMC at 2018 Commodity Classic Photo Album
Commodity Classic coverage made possible by
Delaro Fungicide Shows Yield Advantage in Corn, Soybeans
Bayer has released results from 500 DelaroTM field trials which took place in 20 states. Across two years of trials, Delaro averaged a 12 to 18 bushel-per-acre increase in corn and a four to five bushel-per-acre increase in soybeans compared to an untreated check. In these trials, Delaro had a 90 percent win rate over the untreated check.
The recent Bayer AgVocacy Forum and Commodity Classic allowed us to talk with growers who participated in these field trials and have seen the results first-hand. Beau Morris, grower from Stewardson, Ill., said the results convinced him to use Delaro again for the 2018 crop year. “I saw an eight bushel per acre increase with Delaro on soybeans, compared to untreated acres,” said Morris. “That’s huge in soybeans. During the season you could see a noticeable difference in the areas treated with Delaro. The plants were much greener, and we didn’t have the dropped leaves or pods we had in the untreated acres. Honestly, Delaro is my preferred soybean fungicide right now.”
Randy Myers, product development manager, Bayer CropScience, said Delaro performed consistently in the trials. “The 90 percent win rate Delaro has over the untreated check is a great illustration of the consistent performance Delaro provides,” Myers said. “In fact, across weather conditions and geographies, this is the highest win rate I have seen on corn and soybeans in my 30-plus years in the industry.”
In this audio and video you will hear from both Beau and Randy share more about Delaro: Interview on Yield Advantage in Corn, Soybeans
2018 Bayer AgVocacy and Commodity Classic Photo Album
Photos, video, and audio interviews from Bayer at Commodity Classic 
FMH Celebrates 125 Years of Protecting Farmers
FMH CEO Ron Rutledge and COO Shannon Rutledge
“Farmers Mutual Hail continues to thrive after 125 years because of our mutual heritage that puts the policyholders first, because of the conservative management which has spanned six generations, and because of the continuous commitment of our employees who are proud to be a part of the FMH family,” said President and CEO Ron Rutledge. “Crop insurance is – and has always been – our main business. As others were leaving the industry, we invested in it by purchasing John Deere Insurance Company, further proving our commitment to protecting farmers. We are proud to call ourselves ‘America’s Crop Insurance Company.’”
Since forming in 1893, FMH has remained committed to providing America’s farmers with comprehensive risk management solutions, including private and federal crop insurance, reinsurance products and services, as well as farm and ranch insurance, serving a national writing area of 41 states. The 2015 acquisition of John Deere Insurance Company also allowed FMH to enter the precision ag space by offering Precision Crop Insurance Solutions, which provide farmers the ability to use precision data for crop insurance claims adjustments and required reporting.
Learn more about FMH from Ron and his nephew Shannon, FMH COO, in this interview:
Interview with Ron and Shannon Rutledge, Farmers Mutual Hail
Cotton Market Update from Mid-South Farm & Gin Show
A larger cotton crop than expected sets tone for an unusual year for the cotton market. Senior Cotton Analyst, Informa Economics, Kip Butts, was on hand at the recent Mid-South Farm & Gin Show to shed light on the current cotton market, where cotton stands with farm bill changes and what 2018 will look like.
“I think we will find out the latest USDA number will be a little lower in the near term. We have the second largest export sales on record. Those shipments are a little behind. Part of that is due to logistic problems, warehouse delays, trucking issues which have occurred this year…it is divided on if we will ship out as much as we thought,” Butts said.
Many cotton growers have had some challenges over the course of the year, but Butts said overall a great crop year as fair as production is concerned. However, challenges are expected throughout Texas with very dry conditions in the West. Timely rains could solve those predictions.
The cotton industry has needed more price security and the recent budget agreement provided just that. “It’s not the know all end all, but it’s certainly an improvement. And it helps the cotton farmers quite a lot,” Butts said.
Listen to my complete conversation with Kip to learn more about the current market and the impact future trade deals would have on cotton: Interview with Kip Butts, Informa Economics
View and download photos from the event here: 2018 Farm & Gin Show Photo Album
Coverage of the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show is sponsored by
Pork Industry Honors Tom Baas with Award
The National Pork Board last week awarded former Iowa State University animal science professor at Tom Baas the Distinguished Service Award during the National Pork Industry Forum in Kansas City. The award is presented each year to recognize an industry leader’s lifelong contribution to the pork industry.
“Tom has provided extraordinary leadership to the pork industry,” said National Pork Board President Terry O’Neel, a pork producer from Friend, Nebraska. “Through the years, he worked tirelessly for the advancement of the pork industry and mentored numerous students at Iowa State University.”
Baas grew up in Kossuth County, Iowa, graduating high school in West Bend. He earned his bachelor’s degree in animal science and later his master’s and Ph.D. all from Iowa State University. Baas worked in various aspects of the pork industry, including with the Duroc Swine Registry and on his own farm raising pigs, before he became a mainstay at Iowa State University as an animal science professor and advisor.
Learn more about Tom in this interview from Pork Forum:
Interview with NPB Distinguished Service Award winner Tom Baas
(photo courtesy of National Pork Board)
Corn Growers Care About RINs
The vast majority of people know nothing and care less about Renewable Identification Numbers, or RINs, the multi-digit code created under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) as a way to encourage refiners to blend more biofuels. But corn farmers both know and care what RINS are and why they are important.
As U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue took questions on the main stage in the Commodity Classic Trade Show Thursday, former National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) president Pam Johnson of Iowa wanted to know specifically if the secretary supported a cap on RIN prices. “Because as a farmer, I do care about RINs, because we would be limited to the demand we have now,” said Johnson.
“No, I don’t think a cap on RINs is the solution, but we’ve got to engage in how to use this opportunity to grow demand…we can’t sit back and just say no, no, no, no,” Perdue answered. “My goal is to get the RVP waiver in a way where we can have E15 pumps be the norm by 2022.”
Audio file: Pam Johnson/Secretary Perdue
After two meetings on the issue at the White House last week, NCGA president Kevin Skunes said the corn growers don’t understand the problem. “Farmers care about RIN values, not because we want them to be high, but because we want the RIN market mechanism to work freely to incentivize blending. Increased blending will, in turn, lower RIN values, exactly the way the RFS is intended to work. Government manipulation of the RIN market, on the other hand, disrupts the incentive to blend.”
NCGA passed a resolution asking President Trump to retain the current RIN system without change.
2018 Commodity Classic Photo Album
Commodity Classic coverage made possible by
Animal Ag Bites 3/5
Dairy checkoff partner Pizza Hut has increased the amount of cheese on its pan pizzas by 25 percent, a move that will require an additional 150 million pounds of milk annually to meet the change. The project was made possible thanks to dairy scientist Nitin Joshi, a Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) employee who works onsite at Pizza Hut’s headquarters in Plano, Texas. Pan pizza is the chain’s signature product offering and the new formulations are now available at more than 6,000 restaurants nationwide.- The Dairy Calf and Heifer Association (DCHA) is now accepting applications for its annual scholarship program. The annual DCHA scholarship is awarded to a student currently enrolled in an agriculture-related program at an accredited college or university. Applicants must have completed at least one year of post-high school education. An individual may only receive the scholarship once. Download the application here. Applications are due March 30, 2018.
- The 2018 National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Legislative Conference is scheduled for April 10-12 in Washington, D.C. To register, click here.
Secretary Perdue Announces Cotton Assistance at #MSFGS2018
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue visited the annual Mid-South Farm and Gin Show in Memphis for the first time Saturday and brought good news for cotton growers.
“We are announcing a Cotton Ginning Cost Share (CGCS) program,” Perdue said to applause from a large crowd at the show, adding that it took longer than he wanted to get the assistance for the industry. “I had to look in between every cushion in every couch in USDA,” he said. The program will assist growers from the Southeastern U.S. to the San Joaquin Valley of California as they prepare to plant this season’s crop.
The National Cotton Council says the program will offset part of a cotton producer’s 2016 crop season ginning cost to help fill the safety net void until the seed cotton ARC/PLC program is implemented beginning with the 2018 crop year.
The sign-up period for the CGCS program runs from March 12, 2018, to May 11, 2018.
Audio file: Secretary Perdue at Mid-South Farm and Gin Show
Thanks to the “retired” Forrest Laws on hand for the announcement Saturday morning for helping us out with this content.
2018 Farm & Gin Show Photo Album
Coverage of the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show is sponsored by