Industry Groups Anxious About White House RFS Meeting

Cindy Zimmerman

Biofuels and agricultural groups are anxiously awaiting the outcome of a meeting today between President Trump and four Republicans senators over the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS)

Trump will be meeting with Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Pat Toomey (R-PA), who want to see changes in the RFS to protect refiners, and Iowa Sens. Charles Grassley and Joni Ernst, who want to protect the RFS. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue are also expected to attend the meeting.

In advance of the pow-wow today, a group of six leaders from farm and commodity organizations sent a letter to President Trump yesterday voicing support for the Renewable Fuels Standard. “The RFS, which sets targets for blending ethanol and biodiesel into our nation’s fuel supply, created new markets for our farmers, created new jobs in rural America, gave consumers more fuel choices, and improved our nation’s air quality,” reads the letter. It is signed by the leaders of the American Farm Bureau Federation, National Farmers Union, National Corn Growers Association, American Soybean Association, National Sorghum Producers, and National Association of Wheat Growers. The commodity organizations are all meeting this week for the annual Commodity Classic in Anaheim, where the White House meeting will be a major topic of discussion today.

The Renewable Fuels Association will be holding a press conference today at the Classic trade show to address the meeting.
American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) CEO Brian Jennings said he was pleased to see the agricultural groups’ support. “Never before have U.S. farm groups spoken with such a unified and clear voice that they don’t want EPA or Congress messing with the Renewable Fuel Standard,” he said. Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor is optimistic the industry will prevail, “Refinery owners are circulating the same old wish list, but their proposals to undermine our agricultural economy will never fly under a president who is truly committed to policies that protect America’s hardworking farmers.” And Fuels America has been running a television ad on FOX News this week urging ethanol supporters to thank President Trump for his promise to protect the RFS.

AFBF, Corn, Ethanol, NCGA, RFA

30 Second Oil Change on John Deere 100 Series Mowers

Chuck Zimmerman

John Deere has just released a new line-up of 100 Series Lawn Tractors. The new models provide side-by-side pedals and other operator convenience upgrades. Especially notable, some of the new models offer a revolutionary 30-second oil change system that makes machine maintenance easy for every owner.

That 30-second oil change is what caught my attention. So, I spoke with Melissa Lycan, Customer Segment Manager at John Deere, who walked me through the process to make a chore into a very simple process.

Learn more in the video below:


2018 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by
Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by FMCCoverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by John Deere
Equipment, John Deere, National Farm Machinery Show, Video

Sustaining Ag’s Future at #AgVocate 2018

Jamie Johansen

The 2018 Bayer AgVocacy Forum in Anaheim, CA, held February 25-26, sets the stage for conversations centered around food and agriculture. Global Head of R&D, Crop Science division of Bayer, Adrian Percy, kicked things off by discussing ‘Sustaining Ag’s Future’ and acceptance of digitalization.

“The innovation space in agriculture is really exciting. There is a lot of investment coming in from the outside via venture capital, private equity. These are companies who have never associated with agriculture,” Adrian said.

He also added that collaboration and innovation go hand in hand. However, the latest innovations in agriculture are for nothing if we don’t have the trust of the public. #AgVocate is just one way Bayer is elevating the voice of the farmer.

Listen to his complete remarks here: Remarks from Adrian Percy, Bayer CropScience

Listen to our complete interivew here: Interview with Adrian Percy, Bayer CropScience

View and download photos here: 2018 Bayer AgVocacy Forum Photo Album


Photos, video, and audio interviews from Bayer at Commodity Classic Bayer sponsor logo

Agribusiness, Audio, Bayer, Crop Science, Farming, Food, Video

Farm Economist On Future of Ag

Chuck Zimmerman

Prior to the start of Commodity Classic, Bayer is holding its AgVocacy Forum. This event has been held for over ten years now with the goal of stimulating thoughtful discussion about the food and agriculture industry. This year’s program has added some new features like Ag Tech Talks on drones and new soil nutrition technology.

As you might guess, using a hashtag like #AgVocate, there is a big focus on social media here. Lots of tweeting going on.

One of our first keynote speakers was Jayson Lusk, Farm Economist, Professor and Head of Agricultural Economics Department, Purdue University. His topic: Outlook for Agriculture: 2018 Farm Bill and the Need to AgVocate. I visited with him after his talk to get a few take aways.

One that intrigued me was the subject of how effective memes and messages on the need to “feed the world” are, especially on influencers of consumer/public perceptions. It doesn’t seem like there is a very clear answer to this or even who the actual influencers are. You can probably think of a number of these messages that have been developed by farm groups and agribusinesses that have invested heavily in them to help communicate the message of the importance of agriculture. Which ones do you think have been effective?

You can listen to my interview with Jayson here to learn more: Interview with Jayson Lusk

Remarks from Jayson Lusk, Purdue University at Bayer Forum

2018 Bayer AgVocacy Forum Photo Album

Photos, video, and audio interviews from Bayer at Commodity Classic Bayer sponsor logo

Audio, Bayer

Generating D3 RINS from Corn Kernel Fiber

Carrie Muehling

Producing cellulosic ethanol from corn kernel fiber is where many ethanol plants are heading. But getting EPA approval on that type of project is not always easy. Jim Ramm of EcoEngineers explained why he believes this is the future of the industry at the 2018 National Ethanol Conference.

“It makes sense as an industry to maximize the return on the bushel of corn coming into the plant. It just makes sense. So to be able to take the lowest value feedstock coming in, which is the kernel fiber, and turn it into high value products on the back end, which is cellulosic ethanol, or additional cellulosic ethanol, makes sense. It also makes sense in terms of getting extra corn oil, and it makes sense in terms of creating high protein feeds,” said Ramm. “The other reason that it makes sense is just bringing down the carbon intensity of the ethanol over all.”

Ramm said the expansion to include this process is already happening in some areas.

Listen to Jim Ramm’s entire session from the National Ethanol Conference here: Generating D3 RINS From Corn Kernel Fiber, Jim Ramm, EcoEngineers

2018 National Ethanol Conference Photo Album

Audio, Ethanol, National Ethanol Conference

Animal Ag Bites 2/26

Carrie Muehling

  • Jack Welch will share his groundbreaking management practices with the attendees of ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference. The celebrated former CEO of General Electric is highly regarded for his track record of success and his commitment to building leaders and teams. Learn more and register at one.alltech.com for a savings of $400 before March 31.
  • A new study published in the American Journal of Hypertension showed that eating two or more cups of yogurt a week is associated with a lower risk for developing cardiovascular disease in adults who already have high blood pressure. The large-scale observational study, funded by the dairy-farmer-founded National Dairy Council (NDC) and others, is the first of its kind to examine the relationship between eating yogurt and reduced risk in hypertensive adults.
  • Zoetis has developed the first complete Holstein de novo reference genome, giving geneticists the ability to map regions of the genome influencing a range of health and disease outcomes.
  • As the dairy industry evolves and modernizes, dairy companies across the U.S. are looking to capitalize on increasing milk production through international joint ventures with companies that have significant manufacturing, networking and marketing expertise, according to a new report from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange Division. A video synopsis of the report, “Mutual Benefit: JVs with Foreign Dairy Companies on the Rise” is available here and the full report is available at CoBank.com.
  • The Joint Poultry Industry Safety Award Program is accepting applications from poultry industry facilities with outstanding safety programs. The program is open to National Chicken Council, National Turkey Federation and U.S. Poultry & Egg Association members with poultry processing plants, further processing facilities, egg processing plants, hatcheries, feed mills and rendering facilities that, through the implementation of innovative and effective programs, have injury and illness rates below the industry average for three consecutive years.
  • Dr. Stewart Galloway, senior swine nutritionist at Hubbard Feeds, will discuss how gut health strategies implemented early in the pig’s life affect its performance and how it can affect producer profitability during a live webinar on Tuesday, Feb. 27. Reserve a spot at the webinar here.
  • The Integrity Beef Alliance is now accepting Hereford bulls as the newest breed sire in the program, which simplifies cow-calf producer management decisions and increases the marketability of calves through the production of high quality, uniform, preconditioned cattle.
  • Leaders of Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board and the United Dairy Industry Association announced new officers following elections held during the February board meeting of DMI. Visit dairy.org for more information.
  • The World Brangus Congress will be Feb. 27 – March 3 in Houston, Texas. The Post-Tour will depart from Houston on March 4, and guests will travel across Texas until March 8. For more information or to register, click here.
AgWired Animal, Animal Bites

FMC Focused on Crop Protection After DuPont Acquisition

Carrie Muehling

Since FMC completed its acquisition of a portion of DuPont’s crop protection business last year, integrating the two groups has been a high priority.

“It’s been a monumental task to integrate all the people and the processes and things of that nature, but I think it’s gone very smoothly,” said David Wheeler, technical services associate director for DuPont integration, agronomic and product development. “We did a great job planning for that integration at closing, and we’ve hit the ground running. We’ve got all our folks cross trained across the product lines, so we’re all speaking this same language when it comes to the product lines.”

Wheeler said the two groups complement each other well, with each sharing different strengths that contribute to the overall goal of providing solutions to growers. He said DuPont’s presence in coastal markets helps to expand the FMC footprint beyond its traditional areas in the Midwest. He is even more excited about the future of the company and its focus on crop protection.

“I think the most exciting part of it is that discovery and development pipeline and the resources that we have to put into discovery today,” said Wheeler. “That’s something that FMC hasn’t had. We’ve sourced from other discovery pipelines to create our own, but we didn’t have the freedom to operate that we have today. And, just the sheer focus that we have on crop protection is something that’s not seen around the industry anymore today. I think that’s going to give us a competitive advantage in the discovery business, which, in turn, will give us a competitive advantage in the market going forward.”

Listen to Chuck’s interview with David Wheeler here: Interview with David Wheeler, FMC

2018 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by
Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by FMCCoverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by John Deere
Audio, FMC, National Farm Machinery Show

Commodity Classic Opens Next Week in Anaheim

Carrie Muehling

Farmers and others in the agriculture industry are gearing up for this year’s Commodity Classic next week in Anaheim, Calif. The annual gathering of corn, soybean, sorghum and wheat growers will start a day early this year, kicking off with the official welcome reception on Monday evening instead of Tuesday and wrapping up with entertainment on Thursday night.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue will keynote the general session on Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 9:00 a.m. at the Anaheim Convention Center. Secretary Perdue is expected to share his vision for the U.S. Department of Agriculture including thoughts on a new Farm Bill, international trade, rural development and the role of agriculture in America’s food security and economic vitality.

The conference is also an opportunity for farmer led organizations like the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) to hear from their members concerning policy priorities.

“It’s exciting to be in Anaheim, to bring our farmers together to craft the direction of our organization through the policy process. There’s learning and education opportunities where farmers can look at the profitability challenges that we’re facing right now and pick up new tools, tips, tricks that they can use to be more successful on their farms,” said Chris Novak, NCGA CEO.

Commodity Classic will also partner with Feeding America again this year. Feeding America works with U.S. food banks to distribute food to more than 60,000 food pantries. Secure donations can be made by visiting CommodityClassic.com and clicking on the Feeding America logo on the home page.

Although pre-registration is now closed, walk-in registration for single day attendance or the entire event is available on-site when the Commodity Classic opens on Tuesday.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Chris Novak here: Classic interview with Chris Novak, NCGA

AgWired’s coverage of Classic this year will start with the Bayer Agvocacy Forum on Sunday afternoon, and include all the latest from John Deere and FMC, as well as AMVAC, Farm Credit, and AEM.

Agribusiness, ASA, Commodity Classic, NAWG, NCGA

Water Management a Focus for Deere Award Winner

Carrie Muehling

John Deere presented an Australian company with the inaugural Outstanding Utilization of APIs Award at the 2018 Develop with Deere Conference in Kansas City.

Stu Pocknee with Precision Terrain Solutions said he believes his company is doing things that are innovative and different and interesting. Terrain-based water management is the focus of the applications, from building levies to terraces to better drainage.

“We all know that water is the major vector for pollutants traveling off the farm, and the better job we do of managing water, using more efficiently, limiting leaching, limiting runoff, it’s good for the environment, it’s good for the sustainability of farms,” said Pocknee. “There’s no rocket science involved. It’s purely doing a better job with water management, and that has so many positive implications down the track for the profitability of farmers, for the sustainability of their operations, and the water community. It’s hard to see who can lose out of that. It’s a good situation.”

Pocknee described the future of the API as a “big, blue sky ahead of us.”

Listen to Chuck’s interview here: Interview with Stu Pocknee, Precision Terrain Solutions

You can find conference photos here: 2018 Develop with Deere Conference Photo Album

AgWired Precision, Audio, John Deere, Precision Agriculture

Agri-Pulse Announces 2018 Ag & Food Policy Summit

Carrie Muehling

International trade, regulatory challenges and a new farm bill will be topics of discussion at the 2018 Ag & Food Policy Summit, scheduled for March 21 at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill in Washington.

“In a year that has the potential to transform agriculture in so many ways, from regulatory reform and trade policy to the farm bill and finding a solution to our labor shortage, it is important that we equip ourselves with knowledge and all the advocacy tools at our disposal,” said American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall.

Agri-Pulse Editor Sarah Wyant said the Summit is designed to harvest perspectives and foster a well-rounded discussion about the top issues confronting the future of food production and U.S. agriculture.

Watch a short video introduction to the event here.

Click here to register.

Agri-Pulse, Agribusiness