BRANDT has released a product finder mobile app, available for iOS and Android. The BRANDT Product Finder app will give users the ability to search and mine BRANDT’s entire portfolio of US agriculture products. Each BRANDT product will feature a label, safety data sheet and brochure. Users will be able to save documents for quick retrieval and offline viewing by adding them to their “library”. There are more than 300 products in the BRANDT portfolio.- The BioAg Alliance, Monsanto’s and Novozymes’ collaboration to improve crop harvests through products containing naturally-occurring microbes, has announced an updated research and development pipeline. Among the highlights is the Corn BioYield 2 project, which advanced to Phase 4 (pre-commercial) in The BioAg Alliance R&D pipeline and is expected to be branded as Acceleron B-360 ST, pending regulatory approvals. The BioAg Alliance also announced the achievement of a significant milestone in the Corn BioYield 3 project. Over the past four years, researchers have screened thousands of microbes across multiple sites to find out which microbes deliver the highest increase in crop yield. A small group of top performers have now been selected for commercial evaluation and development.
- Dr. B. Todd Campbell, a research geneticist at the USDA Agricultural Research Service’s Coastal Plains Soil, Water, and Plant Research Center in Florence, S.C., is the recipient of the 2017 Cotton Genetics Research Award. The announcement was made during the 2018 Beltwide Cotton Improvement Conference, which convened as part of the National Cotton Council-coordinated 2018 Beltwide Cotton Conferences. In recognition, Dr. Campbell received a plaque and a monetary award.
Trump Puts Rural America in the Spotlight
President Trump’s address to the American Farm Bureau Federation 99th annual convention this week in Nashville definitely brought agriculture some positive publicity, mentioning the word farmers over 25 times in his speech, more than any of the previous three presidents in all of their official speeches combined. Granted, that is just a guess but I feel safe in saying that if someone were to be able to fact-check it!
Farm Bureau estimates 7400 watched the president’s speech in person or on the Livestream, and thousands more have watched it since. Among those watching from home was former AFBF president Bob Stallman, who said it was the first convention he has missed in 30 years. The speech was also carried live by RFD-TV, Fox News and CBS. Agri-Pulse and RFD-TV were both granted interviews with the president. It was definitely a very big deal.
President Trump’s commitment to rural America with the signing of two presidential orders that will help increase broadband access out in the countryside, something that his Rural Prosperity Task Force made a high priority, was also a very big deal to many of the thousands at the event. Jamie interviewed a number of attendees to get their reactions, including FFA and 4H members, state Farm Bureau presidents, the Missouri Director of Agriculture and Mrs. Zippy Duvall. Listen to some of the comments here: Reaction to President Trump at #AFBF18
The Future for LibertyLink
Bayer’s Credenz soybeans including LibertyLink traits performed well in 2017 despite less than ideal weather conditions in many areas.
“Across the board, maybe not every segment of geography had the most ideal weather for soybean production, but as a general rule, results were really positive,” said Monty Malone, soybean agronomy leader for Bayer. “Yields were high – a lot of excellent potential. Our new products performed well. We’re excited about some new things that Bayer is bringing forward in our current flagship trait of LibertyLink. We’re also excited about the performance and future developments of traits that we’re bringing forward maybe next year or the year after.”
Malone said LibertyLink will be the base foundation trait of all herbicide stacks, including those of competitive companies, moving forward. Growers continue to adopt the LibertyLink trait at a fast pace, with its market share growing from roughly five million U.S. acres in 2015 to an addition four million acres in 2016. 2017 was the best year ever for LibertyLink, as it was the highest rated soybean trait platform and added another five million acres of market share. Indications for 2018 from market research and grower intentions point to another four to six million acres of growth, according to Jody Wynia, U.S. seed and trait product manager for Bayer CropScience.
“About four years ago, we developed a platform that we wanted to have Liberty Link enabled on every trait platform in the marketplace,” said Wynia. “And as you look forward to around 2020, it will be in every major trait platform,” said Jody Wynia, U.S. Seed and Trait Production Manager for Bayer CropScience. “LibertyLink, because of the weed control and the performance that growers are seeing, and the adoption rate, is going to be that platform that’s a foundation for every trait system.”
Wynia said Bayer is divesting the entire LibertyLink platform to BASF, contingent on the close of the Monsanto purchase. He said customers at the grower and retail level should expect a smooth transition and very little change to the past experience they have had with LibertyLink.
Cindy interviewed both Malone and Wynia at last month’s ASTA 2017 CSS and Seed Expo. Listen to them both here:
Interview with Monty Malone, Bayer
Interview with Jody Wynia, Bayer
2017 ASTA CSS and Seed Expo photo album
President Trump Addresses Record Farm Bureau Crowd
“Farm country is God’s country,” said President Donald J. Trump at the conclusion of his remarks to a record crowd at the American Farm Bureau Federation 99th annual convention in Nashville.
“This is your 99th year, so I was very disappointed to hear that,” Trump said. “A hundred is so much cooler, I have to be honest. So I’ll be back, I think. Next year, I’ll come back.”
The president hit all the high notes to please the crowd that helped elect him to the White House, from lower taxes to increasing rural broadband access, but only briefly mentioned trade and NAFTA, which farmers are most concerned about when it comes to administration policy. He focused on eliminating unnecessary regulations. “Oh are you happy you voted for me,” the president said as he talked about “ditching the rule” – the Waters of the U.S. or WOTUS, which Farm Bureau stridently opposed.
Listen to President Trump’s entire remarks here – President Trump at #AFBF18
Watch President Trump video archive
Find links to all AFBF convention content.
Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue at #AFBF18
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue set the stage for his boss and our President Donald J. Trump to address the largest general farm organization in the country Monday.
Perdue highlighted accomplishments of the Trump Administration related to agriculture and discussed the importance of trade and NAFTA in particular to U.S. agriculture. “To get a deal, we need all sides to seriously roll up their sleeves and get to work,” Perdue said. “We have put a number of proposals on the table to modernize NAFTA, and critically for agriculture, to address key sectors left out of the original agreement – dairy and poultry tariffs in Canada. Now, we want to see our negotiating partners step up and engage so we can get the deal done.”
Perdue also noted that USDA has been rolling back excessive regulations following a directive from President Trump, including WOTUS, the Waters of the U.S. rule which was the subject of Farm Bureau’s Ditch the Rule campaign. “You know, sometimes a mud puddle is just a mud puddle,” Perdue said. “We don’t need the federal government coming in and regulating everything to death.”
The secretary also officially presented the findings of the President’s Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity.
Listen to Perdue’s address here: USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue at AFBF18
Click here to watch it on video.
2018 AFBF Convention Photo Album
WATCH LIVE or click for archived video
Watch President Trump live from AFBF starting at 3:00 pm central.
Bayer Introduces Shared Risk Program for Cotton
Bayer is launching a Shared Risk Program for cotton growers in 2018 to provide replant protection and crop loss protection for irrigated or dryland acres in both the Eastern and Western regions. The program also offers dryland protection for Western Region producers who suffer yields less than 200 lbs. lint per acre due to drought and yield protection for Eastern Region producers whose yields are lower than 750 lbs. per acre.
“We want them to grow a great crop, but in these type of conditions out here in West Texas there is a lot of risk and we’re really pleased to be able to share that risk with growers,” said Kerry Grossweiler, Bayer CropScience SeedGrowth Equipment and Coatings Manager. “We actually are in the process of launching our 2018 Shared Risk program and it really has three components. One, it provides replant. We happen to have the industry’s lowest copay for replanting cotton at $25. And then the second piece is really crop loss. So if 60 days after they plant and their crop is lost, then we reimburse on seed trade and some other Bayer inputs. And then third, is dry land protection. So, at the end of the year if yields are below 200 pounds, we provide, again, the cost of seed, traits and some other inputs.”
Grossweiler said Bayer is also proud to continue supporting high yield growers with the FiberMax One Ton Club, which is now in its 13th year.
Find out more in Chuck’s interview: Kerry Grossweiler, Bayer Cropscience
AFBF President Pleased to Host President Trump
The second day of the American Farm Bureau Federation convention is when the spotlight is usually on the big name keynote speaker, the secretary of agriculture, and the big award winners at the meeting. This year, YF&R, Reba McIntyre and even Secretary Sonny are being upstaged by President Donald Trump, the first time that a president has addressed the AFBF convention since 1992.
AFBF president Zippy Duvall is more than pleased to have the president of the United States at the 99th annual convention in Nashville to address thousands of farmers in attendance and many thousands more through live streaming video from AFBF and on RFD-TV, which will also have a one-on-one interview with President Trump following his address. “We are so excited about having this opportunity … to have a seat at the table,” said Duvall in his Sunday opening press conference. “That happens in a lot of administrations, it seems to be more open in this one.”
In the press conference, Duvall also talked about what he will say during his time with President Trump today. AFBF president Zippy Duvall opening press conference
Watch President Trump live from AFBF starting at 3:00 pm central.
Find links to all AFBF convention content.
Animal Ag Bites 1/8
- The Public Lands Council has opened applications for the Nick Theos Scholarship Program, offering qualified college students a unique opportunity to attend the PLC 2018 Spring Legislative Conference April 10 – 12 in Washington, D.C. Two Nick Theos scholarships are available for 2018. The scholarships include a $250 stipend, hotel accommodations, and complimentary conference registration. Interested students should complete an online application by February 9, 2018. Applicants should have a demonstrated interest in public lands ranching.
- The American Gelbvieh Association welcomes Kelsi Christian to its staff where she began her role as multimedia coordinator on January 2, 2018. Christian will manage and develop AGA social media strategies, contribute to AGA publications and marketing team, as well as assist AGA members and customers with day-to-day registry questions.
- The National Pork Board announces the opening of the application period of the 2018 Pork Industry Scholarships. This program is open to college juniors and seniors who have plans to pursue a career in swine production management or a related field. In addition, students who will be seeking to attend veterinary or graduate school with an emphasis on swine are encouraged to apply. The guidelines for the scholarship application and the online form can be found at www.pork.org/scholarship. The deadline for application submission is Feb. 16, 2018.
- The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, established under the leadership of dairy farmers, is accepting nominations for the seventh annual U.S. Dairy Sustainability Awards honoring exceptional dairy farms, businesses and partnerships for their socially responsible, economically viable and environmentally sound practices. Nominations are open through Feb. 12.
- A meta-analysis of dozens of studies published in a recent issue of Bovine Practitioner assures beef cattle producers and veterinarians that they could potentially have significantly fewer repeat treatment courses for bovine respiratory disease (BRD) if they select Draxxin® (tulathromycin) Injectable Solution as the first-line choice for control or treatment of BRD. According to this meta-analysis conducted by Zoetis, efficacy of the first-choice antibiotic for treatment and control of BRD can make a difference in helping reduce the necessity for subsequent antibiotic treatment courses and could potentially eliminate the need for up to 1.8 million antibiotic therapy courses annually for BRD treatment and control in the U.S.
Farm Bureau Excels at Instant Convention Content
The communications team for the American Farm Bureau Federation is really getting a workout for the organization’s 99th annual meeting in Nashville this week with President Donald Trump attending Monday afternoon. Over 200 registered media and room for only 90, having last minute convention schedule changes, and just dealing with the logistics of a presidential presence will make Monday a challenge for even the most seasoned professionals. But, no matter what, you will be able to see the president’s speech live, or go back and watch it later – and you will have photos and audio almost immediately after it is over.
In fact, you can find the majority of the main activities at the AFBF convention live-streamed, archived, photographed, and audio filed, with multiple press releases, through the Farm Bureau convention media guide. With the help of state Farm Bureau communications specialists, the AFBF communications team has always been the best at providing content for media. Chuck was one of those state staffers at Florida Farm Bureau who was brought on the AFBF team for the 1985 convention in Hawaii. They were using some of the earliest satellite technology to send both audio and video back to the mainland for some media, but they were also shipping video stories on cassette using the latest express shipping services and getting audio content sent via telephone. News releases and photos were still mostly sent by mail but they were using some of the earliest facsimile machines at the time.
AFBF has always kept up with the latest in communications technology, so now you can watch and record it live as it happens, get high resolution photos, and subscribe to audio feeds from the event via podcast. Jamie will be on the ground there for President Trump’s address Monday and we will have an AgNewsWire virtual newsroom page set up for her photos and interviews, but here are the links to various content sources from AFBF:
Convention photos
Live streaming video and links to archived videos
B Roll Video
Audio files
Farm Bureau is really the epitome of an organization that excels in providing virtually instant digital content from their conventions. AgNewsWire is a way for smaller organizations to get content from their own meetings produced and distributed to a wider audience. It’s what we do best, and we learned a lot of it from working with Farm Bureau over the years.
SMART Farmer Podcast 2018
Welcome to the first SMART farmer podcast of 2018!
In 2017, we interviewed 22 farmers and ranchers and other agriculture industry people from across the country for the SMART farmer podcast to learn how they use the latest technology in their production of food and fiber for the world, like poultry barns with environmental controls on smart phones, using GPS to plant and harvest crops in perfectly straight rows, and how crops engineered for certain characteristics have helped farmers be more sustainable. This podcast was started by the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance just to tell the farmers story about why they do what they do in an attempt to connect with the non-farm public. For this podcast, I talked with USFRA CEO Randy Krotz about what they did to try and bridge the gap in 2017 and what plans they have for 2018.
If you have not yet subscribed to the podcast and this is brand new to you, you can do it today and binge listen to all 22 podcasts from 2017! Also, SMART Farmer is now on TuneIn.
Download or listen to this podcast here: SMART Farmer Podcast with
USFRA CEO Randy Krotz