USFRA Continues to Grow and EngAGe

Carrie Muehling

Secretary Perdue visits with USFRA at #NAFB17

The U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) celebrated its seventh anniversary of helping provide a voice for agriculture on the national stage at the National Association of Farm Broadcasting convention in Kansas City last week.

“There were six original organizations…we’re up to over 100 now,” said USFRA CEO Randy Krotz. USFRA elected four new board members at the meeting – James Adams representing the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, Steve Geick with John Deere, DuPont Pioneer’s Amanda Rinehart, and Blair Van Zetten from the American Egg Board – to join the 18-member Board of Directors.

During the board meeting, USFRA showcased its consumer-facing activities in 2017, including SMART Farm, where USFRA used 360-degree video technology to bring the farm to the consumer at events like the Consumer Electronics Show and the South Beach Wine and Food Festival. “USFRA goes to places that a pork, or cattle, or corn or soybean organization would maybe not go by themselves,” said USFRA chair Brad Greenway, a hog farmer from South Dakota.

Greenway says the SMART farm concept resonates with millennials and USFRA will be carrying it forward into 2018. Other programs and major initiatives for 2018 include the Food Evolution film promotion and enhanced distribution, as well as an exciting new app, engAGe, which aims to activate farmer and rancher voices on digital and social media platforms.

Learn more about USFRA programs in these interviews:
Interview with Randy Krotz, USFRA
Interview with Brad Greenway, USFRA

2017 NAFB Convention Photos

Coverage of the NAFB Convention is sponsored by
Coverage of the NAFB Convention is sponsored by FMC
Audio, NAFB, USFRA

ZimmCast from the #NAFB17 – Part 2

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast 566Hello folks. The ZimmComm Team is in post-NAFB Convention recovery which includes editing and publishing interviews and other content we created in Kansas City last week. This week’s program includes feature interviews with our sponsors who help make everything happen.

In the program we’re featuring interviews with FMC’s Mike Krull about the FMC/Dupont integration, GROWMARK’s Tim Berkland about their Enduring Farms program and AMVAC’s Jim Lappin who talks about some new products on the market. You’ll also be able to hear an excerpt from our Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, who made his first visit to the meeting.

I don’t know how many interviews we actually did during the annual NAFB convention but we are collecting them all into a Virtual Ag Newsroom on you know where – AgNewsWire!

Listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 566 - Feature Interviews with FMC, GROWMARK and AMVAC

Coverage of the NAFB Convention is sponsored by
Coverage of the NAFB Convention is sponsored by FMC

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

The ZimmCast

sponsored by
The ZimmCast podcast is sponsored by GROWMARK
Locally owned, globally strong.
Audio, Bayer, FMC, GROWMARK, ZimmCast

Kicking Veal Misconceptions to the Curb

Jamie Johansen

The 2017 National Association of Farm Broadcasting’s Trade Talk gives voice to agriculture. There we were able to speak with the American Veal Association (AVA) for the first time. Misconceptions flood this industry and I for one, learned many things while speaking with Dr. Marissa Hake, AVA veterinarian who covers herd health in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.

“One of the biggest misconceptions the industry has been working on the last 10 years is how they are raised. Ten years ago they moved away from crates and into group housing. The veal you buy on the market now is housed in groups of two to 10. They can stand up, lay down, move around and interact naturally. American veal producers have invested in remodeling and new barns to better serve these calves,” Dr. Hake said.

Size is also a misconception. Calves are about five to six months old and weigh about 450 to 500 lbs. They are also never dehorned or castrated and Dr. Hake reminds us that it is illegal to use growth-promoting implants in veal calves.

Listen to my complete interview with Marissa to hear how they are communicating with the consumer and why you should choose veal for that nice meal out. Interview with Dr. Marissa Hake, American Veal Association

2017 NAFB Convention Photos

Coverage of the NAFB Convention is sponsored by
Coverage of the NAFB Convention is sponsored by FMC
Ag Groups, AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Beef, Food, Meat, NAFB

Celebrating a Century of John Deere Tractors

Carrie Muehling

John Deere is celebrating 100 years of building tractors in 2018. The company has already recognized that milestone with a commemorative badge that goes to every buyer of a 2018 model year tractor. Tiffany Turner, product marketing manager for large series tractors, said social media campaigns will be a big part of marking this milestone.

“We all know that there is a story behind every tractor, right? I started to drive on the 4020. I could tell you a lot of stories and I know my dad could, too. So, one of the things is, we want to get some of those stories,” said Turner.

John Deere purchased the Waterloo Gasoline Company on March 14, 1918. The company plans a ribbon cutting at its Tractor and Engine Museum in Waterloo on March 14, 2018, as well as a Father’s Day Weekend celebration also in Waterloo to honor the century mark.

Learn more in this interview from NAFB Trade Talk: Interview with Tiffany Turner, John Deere

2017 NAFB Convention Photos

Coverage of the NAFB Convention is sponsored by
Coverage of the NAFB Convention is sponsored by FMC
Agribusiness, Audio, John Deere, NAFB

Precision Ag Bytes 11/15

Carrie Muehling

  • AgGateway teams working on standards for grain tracking ran a successful field trial last month on a corn farm in Olney, Ill., a major step forward in enabling the efficient tracking of harvested grain from harvester to grain cart, grain cart to truck, truck to elevator, and elevator to processor. Details of the proof-of-concept were unveiled at last week’s AgGateway Annual Conference in San Diego.
  • There’s still time to register for the world’s largest event on agricultural biostimulants, November 27-30 at the Hyatt Regency, Miami, Florida. The 3rd Biostimulants World Congress is an international scientific and technical congress to review the latest knowledge on these products, which are increasingly used in crop production around the world.
  • Topcon Agriculture allows control of multiple products with variable rate along with section control across multiple booms with the addition of its ISOBUS universal terminal to the Opus A6 and A8 consoles. ISOBUS adds another dimension to the existing hardware and software development platform, with multiple programming options.
  • Topcon Agriculture also adds cellular and WiFi capability to its X-Family consoles with Cloudlynk-10, which is designed to allow producers to access TAP, XTEND and remote support from the console. The data sharing application allows seamless transfer of as-applied data from the X-Family console into TAP with the touch of a button.
  • Topcon Agriculture also introduces an IoT Farm Management Information System (FMIS) application for data analytics and visualization, designed to leverage existing Topcon hardware to help make farm data analytics easier to use. The cloud-based platform offers a centralized hub for both machine and agronomic data to enable data sharing.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes

NCGA Fighting For NAFTA

Carrie Muehling

The National Corn Growers Association is making it clear that free trade with Mexico is a top priority for its members. NCGA First Vice President Lynn Chrisp said Mexico buys $2.5 billion worth of corn from U.S. farmers each year, making it the number one export market for that product.

NCGA is one of 168 companies and trade associations from across America’s food and agriculture sector signing a letter delivered to all 50 state governors, state agriculture commissioners and each state’s leader of economic development this week encouraging NAFTA negotiations to continue without withdrawal.

“When this administration said they were going to renegotiate NAFTA, that’s an understandable situation because NAFTA is much more than agriculture. But, from an agriculture standpoint – corn in particular – NAFTA and our trading relationship with Mexico has been really, really good. We’re not listening to a situation that is going to downgrade our trading relationship there,” said Chrisp.

Chrisp said the organization is also gearing up for farm bill discussions that are on the horizon. While corn growers are interested in every title of the bill, he cited crop insurance as the most important piece, especially when it comes to young farmers returning to the farm. Chrisp harvested a better than expected crop in 2017 on his own Nebraska farm.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Lynn Chrisp here: Interview with Lynn Chrisp, NCGA

2017 NAFB Convention Photos

Coverage of the NAFB Convention is sponsored by
Coverage of the NAFB Convention is sponsored by FMC
Agribusiness, Audio, Corn, Farm Bill, NAFB, NCGA, Trade

Blaze A Trail to #CattleCon18

Jamie Johansen

How many have already registered to #BlazeATrail in Phoenix, AZ for the 2018 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show? The AgWired team will be heading West to bring you all the #BeefMeet news and views. We spoke with NCBA’s Marvin Kokes last week at NAFB’s Trade Talk to get the scoop on the latest details on #CattleCon18. Man, that’s a lot of hashtags to follow!!!

“It’s going to be a great show. Hotel rooms are filling up fast. Registration is going strong. We have Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Women, as our opening general session speaker. We look forward to hearing her share her success and what she is doing to promote beef and agriculture in general,” Kokes said.

The trade show is nearly 8 acres this year with indoor and outdoor exhibit space. Education is a huge component of the event each year and Marvin promises the Cattlemen’s College will be full of current and relevant information cattlemen and women can take home and put into action. And of course, there is entertainment. Listen to my complete chat to learn more about the line up:

Interview with Marvin Kokes, NCBA

View and download photos here: 2017 NAFB Convention Photos

Coverage of the NAFB Convention is sponsored by
Coverage of the NAFB Convention is sponsored by FMC
Ag Groups, AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Audio, Beef, Cattle Industry Conference, NAFB, NCBA

FarmLead Adds Price Discovery to Online Grain Marketplace

Cindy Zimmerman

Online grain marketplace FarmLead has announced the launch of its newest feature, Price Discovery, which provides a comprehensive view of historical and future grain price trends specific to the user’s geography, helping farmers make better decisions when selling their grain.

“This isn’t just a simple price transparency tool. It is a price education tool,” says FarmLead CEO and President Brennan Turner. “FarmLead Price Discovery is the first of its kind to give farmers historical AND future grain price data points without any cost. We want farmers to be able to make smarter decisions when it comes to selling their grain.”

FarmLead’s Price Discovery feature saves farmers time and money by providing the data in an appealing and easy-to-use format — with no upfront or subscription costs. When coupled with access to thousands of verified buyers on the FarmLead Marketplace, Price Discovery allows grain farmers to close deals faster. On average, the total process adds six percent more value to the final selling price of a farmer’s grain.

For more information, or to register for your free account, please go to: www.FarmLead.com.

AgWired Precision, Farming, Markets

Get Ready for the Census of Agriculture

Chuck Zimmerman

It’s that time farmers. The 2017 Census of Agriculture is coming in December. The survey is conducted by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. It has been conducted since 1840 and is a complete count of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them. It takes place every five years.

During the NAFB Trade Talk session I visited with Barbara Rater, USDA-NASS, about the new survey. She says there will be new questions that include veteran status, farm decision-making and food marketing practices. There is also a much improved online questionnaire designed to make it easier to fill out. There will also be versions for mobile phone, tablet and desk/laptop computer.

Barbara also talks about the importance of filling out the survey which includes being able to show the country the importance and value of U.S. agriculture. The information will also be useful for influencing decision makers on topics like transportation/marketing locations, farm services, production practices and new technologies and farm policy. I can vouch for the importance of the survey even to those of us in agricultural marketing and ag media. You can watch a message about the Census from our U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, here.

And congratulations to Barbara for becoming a member of the #GoldenMic Club!

Learn more about the new census here: Interview with Barbara Rater, USDA-NASS

2017 NAFB Convention Photos

Coverage of the NAFB Convention is sponsored by
Coverage of the NAFB Convention is sponsored by FMC
AgWired Animal, AgWired Precision, Audio, NAFB, USDA

Photo Contest Kicks Off Science Matters for Bayer and 4-H

Carrie Muehling

Young people can win a trip to the National Youth Summit on Agri-Science by entering a photo contest. The contest is the kickoff activity for the Science Matters initiative, a partnership between Bayer and 4-H first announced at the 2017 Farm Progress Show.

“It’s really going to expose kids in urban, rural and suburban areas to science and why it should matter in their everyday life,” said Cheryl Lesko, director of development for agriculture with the National 4-H Council.

Millions of people are 4-H alumni, including many Bayer employees. Vice President of Communications for Bayer’s Crop Science Division Darren Wallis is one of those people with 4-H experience.

“For us at Bayer, whether we’re in animal health, consumer health, pharmaceutical, or crop science, science is the underpinning of all of that. So it’s a perfect partnership to inspire the youth of tomorrow,” said Wallis.

The deadline to submit a photo is November 26, 2017.

Listen to Cindy’s interview here: Interview with Darren Wallis, Bayer and Cheryl Lesko, 4-H

2017 NAFB Convention Photos

Coverage of the NAFB Convention is sponsored by
Coverage of the NAFB Convention is sponsored by FMC
Agribusiness, Audio, Bayer, NAFB