National Plant Genome Initiative, shepherded by the National Corn Growers Association, is celebrating 20 years of genetic research. The historic research effort to map the corn genome has resulted in significant economic and environmental dividends for farmers and society at large.- Mycogen’s Turn the Bag Blue & Gold program is working with select retailers and local FFA chapters to offer students a learning, as well as fundraising, opportunity. Chapter members will receive professional selling training to sell special blue and gold bags of select Mycogen brand corn hybrids to local farmers.
New John Deere Utility Tractor Offers Ease of Use and Comfort
New this year from John Deere in the company’s compact utility tractor line is the 2025R, which was on display at the 2017 Sunbelt Ag Expo. Product Specialist Demark Cole said the tractor is for residential customers and property owners who need a small tractor for loader work, rotary cutting and mowing.
“Anywhere from small loader work to doing rotary cutting. Equine is a good example, as well, where if you want to drag out feedlots or barns, things like that, this tractor fits perfectly. It has a narrow width and a narrow wheel base that you can fit into small places within barns,” said Cole.
Ease of use and comfort are both a focus with this tractor, which is built and assembled in Augusta, Georgia. It is available now from local John Deere dealers.
Listen to Chuck’s interview with Demark Cole: Interview with Demark Cole, John Deere
2017 Sunbelt Ag Expo Photo Album
Stories from Sunbelt Ag Expo sponsored by 
U.S. Dairy Producers Win Alltech KEENAN Great Green Getaway
For three U.S. dairy producers, the luck of the Irish was on their side when their names were selected in a live, random draw for The Great Green Getaway sweepstakes as the 2017 World Dairy Expo wrapped up in Madison, Wisconsin.
In March 2018, Ashley Irvin, Tennessee; Hans Greisen, Wisconsin; and Mary Van Rossum, Wisconsin, will embark on a journey to the Emerald Isle for a “how it’s made” tour of the KEENAN production facility in Borris, County Carlow, Ireland, a guided VIP experience at the new Pearse Lyons Distillery, visits to a number of high-performance Irish dairy farms and St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Dublin City Centre.
“We are looking forward to hosting The Great Green Getaway sweepstakes winners in Ireland and sharing the Alltech and KEENAN Irish heritage,” said Dan Gard, sales manager for KEENAN USA. “Our customers trust our KEENAN mixers for their durability, flexibility and longevity, and these winners will get to see them in the factory as well as on-farm in Ireland.”
The sweepstakes opened June 28, 2017, during National Dairy Month, and the winners were announced on Oct. 7, 2017, at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin. The contest was open to U.S. dairy farmers who have 50 cows or more and are over 18 years of age.
Ibach Sworn in, Northey Still on Hold for USDA
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue traveled to Omaha yesterday to swear-in new Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Greg Ibach in his home state.
“Greg Ibach will bring experience and integrity to his new role at USDA, and carries with him the knowledge he’s gained in the dozen years he has served as Nebraska’s Director of Agriculture,” said Secretary Perdue.
During the swearing-in ceremony, Perdue expressed his disappointment that Bill Northey was not also being sworn in at the same time, after his nomination was put on hold last week by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in an apparent attempt to retaliate against the administration for bowing to pressure from ethanol states like Iowa on changes to the RFS. “It’s a sad note when one senator put a hold on a nominee not based on anything that has to do with that nominee,” said Perdue.
Audio file – Secretary Perdue swear-in opening comments
John Deere Features Combine Technology at Sunbelt Ag Expo
This year’s Sunbelt Ag Expo was an opportunity for John Deere to show off some new combines to growers in the Southeastern United States. Technical Marketing Manager for Combines and Cotton Equipment Matt Badding said the new S700 series combine offers three new features: the Gen4 Command Center, the Combine Advisor package, and Active Yield for sensor calibration.
“Right now, what we notice is for a lot of customers it’s difficult to get a good calibration of their yield sensor, of their mass flow sensor, as we call it. And what we’ve got is three sensors, three pads that are in the grain tank, and they’re continuously calibrating the sensors so the customer no longer has to worry about that,” said Badding.
Badding also featured the 635F HydraFlex Cutting Platform, which provides flexibility for farmers harvesting both rice and soybeans.
Listen to Chuck’s interview with Matt Badding: Interview with Matt Badding, John Deere
2017 Sunbelt Ag Expo Photo Album
Stories from Sunbelt Ag Expo sponsored by
Hunting With A Utility Vehicle Series
With this post I’m starting a series of posts about deer hunting this season. I have been provided a couple of different utility vehicles to test out and write about the experience. I’ll be featuring photos and video during this year’s season in Georgia which started on October 21 and goes through mid January. Here’s one of the places I’m collecting photos that started with work days prior to this year’s season. This photo is a sunrise opening weekend from my stand!
The Crystal Pig Hunt Club members are myself, my brother Paul, Gary Cooper and newcomers Gatlin and Jordan. Several of Paul’s sons also get to hunt with us too. We lease almost 600 acres which have some pretty challenging terrain and trails. The property was clear cut before we started and planted in pines that are now about 12ft. tall. So trails are vital to our success. We’ve been working with the U.S. Forest Service on new fire trails around the border of the property this fall and that project should be completed today hopefully.
When it comes to vehicles we are testing a John Deere XUV8251 and a Can-Am Defender HD10. To say we’re thrilled to have this opportunity would be an understatement. I know that the AgWired audience has a lot of hunters in it and many, many of them are farmers. These vehicles have all kinds of uses on a farm and we’re putting them through the paces on everything from collecting firewood and filling feeders to hauling in deer.
BTW. It has been a successful season so far. I’ll write more about that in upcoming episodes of this series.
Animal Ag Bites 10/30
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association released their fifth video in its media campaign to promote comprehensive tax reform. This latest video spotlights sixth-generation Florida rancher Cary Lightsey, who was forced to sell one of his family’s ranches to pay a death-tax bill after his father’s passing.- The dairy checkoff has awarded the $3,500 James H. Loper Jr. Memorial Scholarship to Nora Faris, of the University of Missouri, and 12 $2,500 scholarships to students enrolled in programs that emphasize dairy.
- The American Gelbvieh Association‘s third annual commercial cattlemen’s educational symposium titled Cattlemen’s Profit Roundup will take place Friday, December 8, 2017 at 1:30 p.m. CST at the Hyatt Regency in Wichita, Kansas. Members of the beef industry are invited to attend for free; lunch will be served at noon.
- Christine McCracken has been selected as Executive Director, Animal Protein of the RaboResearch Food & Agribusiness team. Her position will cover the North American poultry and hog sector.
2017-18 National FFA Officer Team Elected
2017-18 FFA National Officers: President Breanna Holbert, Wastern VP Gracie Furnish, Secretary Erica Baier, Western VP Bryce Cluff, Central VP Piper Merritt, and Southern VP Ian Bennett
Breanna Holbert, an agricultural education major at California State University of Chico, made history as the first female African American elected as National FFA president. Her fellow officers include:
National Secretary – Erica Baier, agricultural education major at Iowa State University
Central Region VP – Piper Merritt, agricultural economics major at Oklahoma State University
Western Region VP – Bryce Cluff, agricultural technology and management major at the University of Arizona
Southern Region VP – Ian Bennett, majoring in plant breeding and genetics at the University of Georgia
Eastern Region VP – Gracie Furnish, career and technical education major at the University of Kentucky
Listen to an interview with Breanna from FFA: Interview with Breanna Holbert, FFA National President
Click for interviews, bios and hi-res photos of all the new officers.
Watch video of the officers being announced:
Zimfo Bytes 10/27
The World Food Prize Foundation announced the recipients of the 2017 John Chrystal and Elaine Szymoniak Awards. Francine Barchett, Nicholas Grandstaff, Akriti Bhattaria and Madeline Song received the award for their work as part of the 2016 Borlaug-Ruan Internship Program.- For the third year in a row Science Magazine has recognized Novozymes in the top 10 in its 2017 Top Employers Survey. This year they have earned second place.
- The National Wheat Foundation has been invited to take part in a series called FoodQuest which goes across the globe to look at some of the most popular food staples. The episode will air today, Friday, October 27 at 9:30am EST on the Food Network.
- The Illinois Ag in the Classroom (IAITC) Program is reaching more students than ever before. During the 2016-2017 school year more than 661,000 students received an agriculture lesson.
- The Farm Foundation Forum on Wednesday, November 1 will explore the forces that drive soil and water conservation on farms today. It will begin at 9:00 a.m. at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. Register to attend in person or online.
- The 42nd annual Georgia Peanut Farm Show and Conference is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018, from 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at the University of Georgia Tifton Campus Conference Center in Tifton, Georgia. The one-day show is free and open to all farmers and industry representatives to attend.
- Nominations are now open for the Outstanding Georgia Young Peanut Farmer. The award application is available online at www.gapeanuts.com or by contacting Joy Crosby at 229-386-3690 or joycrosby@gapeanuts.com.
- The American Farm Bureau Federation and seven other major farm groups are applauding the introduction of bipartisan legislation to improve the Agriculture Risk Coverage program. The bill would prioritize use of data collected from USDA’s Risk Management Agency to calculate crop yields, among other things.
Ethanol Politics Hold Up Northey Nomination
Refinery state senators are hitting back against the Trump administration for bowing to pressure from ethanol supporters last week and abandoning proposed changes in the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) this week put a hold on the nomination of Iowa’s Bill Northey for USDA Under Secretary of Farm Production and Conservation, who was approved by the Senate Agriculture Committee last week along with Greg Ibach of Nebraska for Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs. Ibach was confirmed by the full senate late Thursday but no vote was held for Northey
“Mr. Cruz has put that hold on for purely retaliatory reasons,” said Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen during a segment on Agri-Talk radio show on Thursday. “He doesn’t like what happened last week and the fact that Scott Pruitt has affirmed his support for the RFS.” Dinneen says there is no “policy justification” for the hold.
Meanwhile, Senator Cruz and seven other senators from refinery states sent a letter to President Trump this week asking for a meeting “to discuss a pathway forward toward a mutually agreeable solution” together with Midwest lawmakers. Like the ethanol state senators last week, these senators also played the jobs card, saying that there will be a loss of jobs around the country if reforms are not made to the Renewable Fuel Standard.
“This is nothing more than an attempt to roll back the president’s strong commitment to the RFS and undo the pledge issued last week by the EPA Administrator to assure America’s hardworking farmers that the biofuels market will continue to thrive,” said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor.