Commodity Group Presidents on Stage at #Classic18

Chuck Zimmerman

Each year at the Commodity Classic general session the presidents of the participating organizations are invited on stage to talk about their priorities and challenges.

This year the participants were Kevin Skunes, NCGA, John Heisdorffer, ASA, Gordon Stoner, NAWG, Don Bloss, NSP and Bill Hurley, AEM. Moderating the session again this year was Mark Mayfield. The session is not only informative but also entertaining.

Listen to the organization leaders here: Commodity Group President Panel

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Zimfo Bytes 3/2

Carrie Muehling

  • The Agriculture Division of DowDuPont has announced the name of the intended company once it is spun-off, which is expected to happen by June 1, 2019. The intended Agriculture company will become Corteva Agriscience, which is derived from a combination of words meaning “heart” and “nature”.
  • The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) has announced the selection of Des Moines, Iowa, as the location for the 2019 BIO World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology. The event will be held July 8-11, 2019
  • Citing harm to the nation’s agriculture economy, Judge William Shubb of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting California from implementing its “false and misleading” Prop 65 labeling requirement for the herbicide glyphosate. The injunction was sought by more than a dozen leading agriculture groups and supported by eleven attorneys general across the U.S. The preliminary injunction will halt California’s labeling requirement until a final ruling on the matter is issued by the court.
  • Just over one month after its national launch, Americans for Farmers & Families (AFF) has secured its hundredth member organization. AFF is a broad-based coalition of growers, refiners, producers, transporters, retailers and consumers that is working to ensure President Donald Trump and Congressional leaders understand the importance of preserving and modernizing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to America’s agricultural and retail economies.
  • U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has announced the appointment of 30 members to serve three-year terms on the National Potato Promotion Board beginning March 1, 2018. More information about the board is available at PotatoesUSA.com, the National Potato Promotion Board’s website.
  • One of NAFB’s most decorated award winners, Tony Purcell, has passed. Tony was the recipient of four ‘Oscars® In Agriculture,’ and over a dozen NAFB Marketcast, Newscast, or News Service Awards. Since 1998, Tony had been the voice of the Texas State Networks’ Lone Star Farm and Ranch Report; his prior NAFB membership was with the Mid-America Ag Network from 1983 to 1988.
  • TOMRA Food has engaged Porter Novelli as its new global public relations agency. Porter Novelli is an award-winning and leading agency, serving agriculture, food, consumer and technology clients worldwide.
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Buy Two, Save 3 with AMVAC

Carrie Muehling

AMVAC Chemical Corporation is offering growers a Buy 2 Save 3 = $3/acre rebate when they choose a qualifying granular or liquid insecticide and pair it with Impact or ImpactZTM corn herbicide.

“We have a wide range of insecticide options familiar to growers,” said Jim Lappin, AMVAC crop marketing manager for corn and soybeans. “Depending on your weeds and your needs, you can combine one of our insecticides with one of our herbicides, fit the way you farm, and save some money.”

Qualifying granular and liquid insecticides include the following:
– Aztec®HC Higher Concentration Granules
– Aztec 4.67G SmartBox®
– Aztec 4.67 Bags
– SmartChoice®HC Higher Concentration Granules
– Counter® Insecticide
– Force® 3G SmartBox
– IndexTM Liquid At-Plant Insecticide
– Xpedient® Plus™V Insecticide

Growers can learn more at http://www.buy2save3.com/.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Jim Lappin here: Interview with Jim Lappin, AMVAC

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Meet the 2018 Pig Farmers of Tomorrow

Cindy Zimmerman

LtoR – Leon Sheets, Christine Snowden, Adam Krause, Emma Lasco

America’s Pig Farmer Leon Sheets had the pleasure of introducing the new Pig Farmers of Tomorrow at the National Pork Forum this week, appropriately on National Pig Day, March 1.

Adam Krause from South Dakota and Emma Lasco and Christine Snowden, both from Iowa, have been named for the honor, which recognizes farm leaders, ages 18-29, who intend to make pig farming their life’s work and who are committed to raising pigs using the pork industry’s We CareSM ethical principles. The winners will speak at Pork Checkoff events and provide content on #RealPigFarming, which is the pork industry’s social media program.

Krause is the fourth generation on his family farm near Clear Lake, South Dakota who owns a pig nursery barn and grows corn, soybean and wheat. Lasco is a territory manager for Smithfield Foods Midwest Production in Roland, Iowa and assists growers with implementing Smithfield’s industry-leading animal care standards on their farms. Snowden is an assistant farrowing manager for AMVC, located in Audubon, Iowa where she works with other employees to care for piglets from birth until they are weaned.

Learn more about them in their remarks to Pork Forum attendees. 2018 Pig Farmers of Tomorrow

Download and view photos from the event here: 2018 Pork Forum Photos

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Farm Credit: What’s on the Horizon for Rural America

Carrie Muehling

Farm Credit discussed “The Rise of Rural America: What’s on the Horizon” during a learning session at Commodity Classic in Anaheim.

At a time when the rural footprint is shrinking based on growing urban and suburban population centers, farmers and the business people who support them may need new strategies to stay politically engaged. The lack of available broadband connectivity across rural America continues to be a serious challenge.

But contrary to popular belief, there is a new generation of farmers setting out to make a living in production agriculture, and there is reason for optimism, according to Gary Matteson, Vice President of Young, Beginning, Small Farmer Programs and Outreach for the Farm Credit Council.

“I’d like to think that rural entrepreneur is the new name for a beginning farmer,” said Matteson. “I would expect, statistically speaking, looking at what farmers do and off-farm income, that beginning farmers that are starting now are going to have an ag production career, and over the course of their career they’re going to own two or three other businesses that are non-farm businesses that are part of using their skills that they learn through farming – their financial skills, their business analysis skills – and be able to use that in creating rural wealth.”

Matteson said according to the most recent USDA Ag Census, a quarter of all farms have a beginning farmer on them. And while the average age of the primary farm operator continues to rise, adding in secondary and tertiary operators will lower that average age significantly. He said in addition to broadband connectivity, important challenges faced by beginning farmers include finding and seeking out new markets in order to diversify risk.

Matteson presented the session along with Brian Cavey, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for CoBank.

Listen to the learning session here or watch the video below: Farm Credit Learning Session

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John Deere Receives JB Davidson Award at #Classic18

Chuck Zimmerman

John Deere’s Matt Badding was on stage at the Commodity Classic to receive a special inaugural award from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. The John Deere S700 Series Combine was recognized by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) and Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) as one of the best among the 50 products that received the AE50 Award earlier this year. This first-time JB Davidson award for engineering excellence was presented to John Deere at a special ceremony on February 27 during the 2018 Commodity Classic.

The new Davidson Prize is being presented to just three elite AE50 winners who best exemplify the spirit of JB Davidson, the father of modern agricultural engineering. The Davidson award represents the best of the best in new technologies as carefully evaluated and judged by an all-star panel of industry experts.

The John Deere S700 Series Combine was recognized by the Society for its significant innovations in “smart” technology, improved operator comfort and data capabilities for more efficient grain harvesting, said Matt Badding, John Deere marketing manager for harvesting equipment.

“We are honored that the Society and AEM selected the John Deere S700 Series Combine as one of three recipients for their inaugural engineering award and chose to present it in front of thousands of our customers at Commodity Classic,” said Badding. “The new technologies engineered into every S700 Combine represents the level of innovation that the Society looks for and that provides real value to our customers.”

Listen to Jamie’s interview with Matt here: Interview with Matt Badding, John Deere

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ZimmCast from #Classic18

Chuck Zimmerman

In part this week’s program was sort of hijacked by the Shark Farmer and Farmer Derek. But there is so much more than that.

It is probably the busiest week of the year for the ZimmComm Team.  From the Bayer AgVocacy Forum to Commodity Classic to Pork Industry Forum to Farm and Gin Show and to the American Association of Swine Veterinarians. We’re burning up the agriblogging and farm podcasting highway!

Lots of interviews, photos, videos and all of it can be found in our online virtual ag newsrooms on AgNewsWire.com.

So, this week’s program features what media representatives had to say about the Bayer AgVocacy Forum, having fun with at the Farmers Edge booth with some crazy lads and the general session speech by our U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue.

Listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 575 - From Commodity Classic

Subscribe to the ZimmCast podcast here. Use this url in iTunes or your favorite news reader program/app.

The ZimmCast

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Sonny Day at Commodity Classic

Cindy Zimmerman

A lot of drama and speculation preceded the appearance of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue at Commodity Classic, thanks to some reports questioning his support for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), so he wasted no time in stating his “unequivocal” support for the law.

“I have not and will not support any policies in this country that diminish the demand, undermine RFS and are harmful to our agricultural producers,” Perdue said in his address.

The secretary took additional questions about the issue, resulting from a meeting earlier this week during the press conference and even talked about a couple of other issues besides biofuels.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, speech:
Secretary Perdue Speech
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, press conference:
Secretary Perdue Press Conference

Post Update:

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue held a short town hall on the main stage in the Trade Show. He answered some direct questions about the RFS and RINS from corn growers: Secretary Perdue Main Stage Town Hall

2018 Commodity Classic Photo Album

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Panel Discusses Broadband Connectivity at Classic

Carrie Muehling

Visitors to the Commodity Classic Trade Show had an opportunity to listen to a panel assembled by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). The Agricultural Executive Panel: The Infrastructure for New Technology is part of the AEM’s Infrastructure Vision 2050 Initiative, recognizing the gap between broadband infrastructure and production agriculture. The group included Nebraska corn and soybean grower Brandon Hunnicut, who said connectivity is a huge challenge for many farmers.

“There’s so much communication going back and forth very quickly that we need to make sure that all the producers have the ability to make the same decisions in a rapid amount of time that everybody else does,” said Hunnicut.

Panelists agreed that broadband availability will be even more key in the future, as autonomous equipment will require full-time, consistent connectivity. Even now, while 70 percent of corn and soybean acres have a yield monitor collecting data during harvest, only 40 percent of that data gets transmitted for analysis. That’s largely due to a lack of connectivity on those farms, according to Darryl Matthews with Trimble Agriculture. Other panel participants included moderator Bill Hurley, AGCO Corporation; Sara Wyant, Agri-Pulse Communications, Inc.; and Dan Danford, Case IH.

Listen to the AEM Agricultural Executive Panel discussion here: AEM Agricultural Executive Panel

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Pork Forum Panel Focuses on Gene Editing

Cindy Zimmerman

The science of gene editing and its potential for the pork industry took center stage Wednesday at the opening session of the annual Pork Industry Forum in Kansas City.

Journalist and author Michael Specter keynoted the session and moderated the panel on gene editing, which included University of Missouri animal scientist Kevin Wells, The Maschhoffs president Bradley Wolter, NPPC director of science and technology Dan Kovich, and Center for Food Integrity CEO Charlie Arnot. “Gene editing is a potentially revolutionary tool that will improve the lives of humans in clear and tangible ways,” said Specter.

Wells was part of a team at the University of Missouri who developed a PRRS resistant pig, which was sold to a private company that is now working on bringing it to market. “With current technologies, the potential is unlimited…to make animals more efficient, that are healthier, that meet our needs and theirs,” he said.

“We have to start now by generating social acceptance of gene editing,” said Arnot. “That means opening a dialogue to build both acceptance and support.”

Listen to interviews with Specter, Arnot, and Wells, as well as the entire panel in the audio files here.

Pork Forum panel on gene editing Interview with Michael Specter, journalist/author Interview with Charlie Arnot, Center for Food Integrity Interview with Kevin Wells, University of Missouri

Download and view photos from the event here: 2018 Pork Forum Photos

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