Land O’Lakes, Inc. announced the finalists for the Land O’Lakes Prize: Drone Challenge, a crowdsourced competition launched to help find drone solutions for farmers. Finalists are: Sandhills Robotics, Fayetteville, North Carolina; CreateUAS, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; and American Robotics, Boston, Massachusetts.- The 3rd World Congress on Biostimulants in Agriculture is an international scientific and technical congress to review the latest knowledge on these products. It will be held in Miami on November 27-30, 2017.
- Congratulations to Hortau, which has won the 2017 North American Smart Irrigation New Product Innovation Award, presented by Frost & Sullivan.
- Valent U.S.A. LLC is launching a Sustainable Solutions Business Unit, a new division dedicated to supporting the industry in the adoption and integration of sustainable production practices for crop protection, productivity and yield enhancement products and technologies. Ron Maitoza will head up the new team.
ZimmCast with Brian Carter
Brian Carter is the #1 bestselling author of The Like Economy, LinkedIn for Business, Facebook Marketing, and The Cowbell Principle. Brian was selected by IBM as an Influencer and Futurist and by LinkedIn as one of their “Top 25 Social Media Marketing Experts You Need to Know.” Over the last several years, he has been busy proving how well Facebook marketing works for business.
Brian was the keynote speaker at the 2017 NAMA Fall Conference, and also did a workshop for attendees that generated quite a bit of interest. No doubt some of what he had to say opened a lot of eyes to the potential of targeted creative marketing through social media.
Listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast with Brian Carter
Subscribe to the ZimmCast podcast here. Use this url in iTunes or your favorite news reader program/app.
2017 NAMA Fall Conference photo album
The ZimmCast
sponsored by
Locally owned, globally strong.
Alltech Talks Farm of the Future LIVE
Alltech hosted a live video event on the future of agriculture and technology with a panel of agribusiness experts discussing and debating their thoughts on the future of the agricultural industry, new consumer demographics and demands, ag technology, big data, nutrigenomics and precision nutrition.
Continue to follow the discussion on Twitter with the hashtag #FarmingTheFuture. Great questions were posed, thought-provoking answers were given and all conversation made us start imagining the farm of the future.
Panelist Included:
– Aidan Connolly, chief innovation officer and vice president of corporate accounts at Alltech.
– Mary Shelman, former director of Harvard Business School’s Agribusiness Program.
– Professor Michael Boehlje, distinguished professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and the Center for Food and Agricultural Business at Purdue University.
– Dr. Karl Dawson, chief scientific officer at Alltech.
Vroom Announces Retirement From CropLife America
CropLife America will be in the market for a new president and CEO next year, as Jay Vroom has given notice that he will retire at the end of 2018, which will mark his 30th year at the helm of the organization.
Vroom announced his plans Monday during the general session at the 2017 CLA Annual Meeting in Dana Point, California. “When I stepped into this role in 1988, I don’t think I could have foreseen the challenges and triumphs the industry would encounter over the past three decades,” Vroom stated. “I’m proud to have represented the industry as we addressed important issues ranging from Farm Bills to the Food Quality Protection Act and ESA to PREA. No matter which of the six presidential administrations or sixteen congresses were in office, CLA only grew its reputation as a resource in the agriculture sector.”
Vroom plans to stay involved in agriculture after his retirement and spending more time on his family farms in Illinois.Read More
Conaway Comments on Cotton Damage in Texas
Harvey damaged cotton in Texas (USDA photo)
Conaway and Perdue viewed the area by helicopter and visited farms that were anticipating a record crop before the snow white fields of cotton were covered in flood waters from the storm. “When that water settled out, it basically coated all those plants, cotton bolls about to be harvested, with mud,” said Conaway, who adds that the smell from the rotting cotton is “pretty obnoxious.”
Check out the USDA photo album of the tour and listen to these comments from Conaway, provided by his office. Rep. Conaway comments on Harvey damage
Crappie Masters National Champs Appreciate Ethanol
The recent 2017 Crappie Masters National Championship, sponsored in part by the Renewable Fuels Association, American Ethanol, and Bass Pro Shops, saw Missouri fishermen Paul Alpers and Phillip Haynes finishing on top. The partners fought unseasonably hot weather and dropping river levels as they brought in a two-day total weight of 21.89 pounds. They use ethanol in their vehicles and in their boats, and shared an appreciation for the quality and the value of the fuel.
“Anything you can save, especially on the fuel, and I appreciate everything they’re doing to make it cheaper on the folks,” says Alpers.
This year’s champions shared their enthusiasm for the sport and their confidence in ethanol after winning the recent competition.
Listen to Chuck’s interview with Paul Alpers and Phillip Haynes here: Paul Alpers & Phillip Haynes, 2017 Crappie Masters Tournament National Champions
Check out photos from the event here: Crappie Masters National Championship photo album
SMART Farmer Emily Buck
Emily Buck farms with her husband and daughter near Columbus, Ohio where they raise soybeans, corn and wheat and also have a small sheep operation. Her main role on the farm, beyond helping with crops, is to manage the 40 ewes.
Off the farm, Emily is a university researcher and professor of agricultural communication at Ohio State University, which gives her the opportunity to also raise future agricultural advocates. In addition, she serves as one of the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance’s (USFRA) Faces of Farming & Ranching.
Learn more about Emily in this edition – SMART Farmer Podcast with Emily Buck, Ohio farmer
FS Simulator Ensures Professional Application
When the idea of GROWMARK’s FS Simulator was brought to FS operations managers it was hit with many questions. However, with input, advice, and research the questionable idea turned into a valuable tool managers are eager to introduce to their teams. The FS Simulator is centered around a training module for FS System operators to allowing the practice, study, and enhancement of ability, knowledge, and safety skills.
Jason Harrison, Sunrise FS, said, “I think it is something that is new to the industry that will be used in the future. My job is to find qualified individuals to do the application job at our company. It’s tougher and tougher to get people and even harder to get them trained properly.”
Harrison said he is excited to get new operators behind the virtual wheel so he can take the time to highlight safety concerns, environmental issues and sharpen skills. “Clients pay for a professional job and we want to give them that.”
Interview with Jason Harrison, Sunrise FS
Bob Eichelberger, Evergreen FS, said, “We owe it to our customers, our farmer/owners to do a better job training. With this simulator, we can train an operator year round and they will walk away with a good idea as to what they will face going down the road and in the field.”
Eichelberger said many of his operators have been in the seat for a number of years and will still benefit from the training modules. Equipment is getting bigger and roads are getting busier. Operation managers understand that and believe all will benefit.
Interview with Bob Eichelberger, Evergreen FSView and download photos from the event here: GROWMARK FS Simulator Media Event Photo Album
USDA Trade Mission Heading to Brazil
A USDA Foreign Agriculture Service trade mission to São Paulo and Recife, Brazil, is underway this week with leaders from 24 U.S. agribusinesses and trade organizations looking to expand their agricultural exports and further develop their business relationships in Brazil.
“Brazil holds significant untapped market potential for U.S. exporters,” said Mark Slupek, deputy administrator of the Office of Trade Programs for USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. “The country’s growing population and rising per-capita income, coupled with the fact that Brazilian consumers have a high regard for U.S. products and brands, make this a market well worth exploring for American exporters.”
Last year, Brazil purchased nearly $1.4 billion in agricultural and related products from the United States. Top U.S. exports to Brazil in 2016 included ethanol, wheat, prepared foods and dairy products.
The delegation traveling to Brazil represents a range of U.S. products, from prepared foods and specialty food ingredients to bulk commodities and ethanol. Companies and organizations represented on the trip include Alltech, United Dairymen, U.S. Rice Federation, U.S. Grains Council, and all three ethanol industry groups.
Animal Ag Bites 9/25
The 47th Annual American Gelbvieh Association National Convention will be held December 7-9, 2017, at the Hyatt Regency Wichita in Wichita, Kansas. Early registration ends October 31.- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has released a safety communication concerning the use of Micotil 300 in cattle and sheep.
- If you haven’t registered for the 2017 Angus Convention November 4-6 in Forth Worth, Texas, now is the time. Registration is $125 through September 30.
- The Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board has approved a plan to invest $38 million into programs that promote beef, research, consumer communication, industry information, foreign markets, and producer communication in 2018.
- Mary Doerschuck of Okawville, Illinois has joined Brookside Agra as Product Restoration & Compliance Manager.
- The Regional Marketing Ambassadors for the 2018 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show have been selected. They are: Heidi Crnkovic, Arizona; Callie Taylor, West Virginia; Markie Hageman, Alabama; Katie Zoromski, Wisconsin; Carrie Meeks, Indiana; Katie Schlock, Oregon; Blaire Strohn, California; and Jaclyn Wilson, Nebraska.
- The U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY) has created it’s sixth video highlighting environmental stewardship in the poultry and egg industry. This newest edition features USPOULTRY’s Family Farm Environmental Excellence Award winners, Bullard Farms in Stedman, North Carolina.
- Smithfield Foods, Inc. has joined the Global Harvest Initiative to help advance sustainable solutions to feed a growing world.