Joe Funk Earns ASTA Distinguished Service Award

Kelly Marshall

Joe Funk, Editor at SEED TODAY, was selected as this year’s American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) Distinguished Service Award winner. He was honored during the Opening General Session of the ASTA Annual convention in Minneapolis, MN. The award is given to a member who has made a significant contribution both to ASTA and the seed industry.

“Joe has been faithfully serving agriculture and the seed industry with in-depth reporting on our rapidly changing business for 30 years,” said ASTA Chair Mark Herrmann. “He’s not satisfied to just research a topic and write about it; more often than not, you’ll find Joe making a personal trip to see first-hand the subject of his article.”

Funk grew up on a dairy farm in Illinois and graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in Agronomy. He spent 10 years with the USDA and a few years as a sales manager for a regional seed company before beginning to write for the Grain Journal in 1987. He was made Editor of SEED TODAY in 1998. He will continue his career as an external agriculture communications consultant beginning next week.

“The men and women that I have met since becoming Editor of SEED TODAY represent an outstanding group of people,” says Funk. “Seed production is a unique industry with widespread personal relationships. These are exciting times. Each year brings both unprecedented challenges and new, exciting opportunities. I am grateful to the seedsmen and product/service providers for allowing me to have a role in their industry.”

Listen to the award presentation and Joe’s remarks here: ASTA Distinguished Service Award winner Joe Funk

2017 ASTA Annual Meeting Flickr album

Ag Groups, AgWired Precision, ASTA, Audio

ASTA Annual Conference in Full Swing

Kelly Marshall

The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) annual conference is in full swing in Minneapolis, MN with both Cindy and Kelly on the ground to bring you all the news.  To kick off our coverage of the event Cindy spoke with President and CEO Andy LaVigne about the past year’s work and what ASTA hopes to accomplish at the conference for the future.

“We’ve got a number of issues that we’re looking at that we continue to address,” LaVigne outlines.  “Plant breeding innovation, breeding techniques as they evolve, how will policy impact them, seed treatment, cover crops– a lot of things that are impacting America’s farmers we’re looking at this week from the seed perspective.  How do we make sure we’re prepared to play our role as those policies develop.”

Policy develops slowly in D.C. for the moment.  Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue is doing great stuff, LaVigne notes, but it’s frustrating because there’s not yet anyone under him to help get the work done.  One of the first things to move forward when everyone’s in place is the GMO labeling law.  It took a lot of effort to pass, says LaVigne, and it has a lot of industry support.

Breeding techniques will also make the list of top priorities.  It’s getting a lot of attention in the mainstream media, not just with plants but also humans and animals.  When the new administration is in place there will be lots of education to be done to teach staffers just what breeding techniques mean to the industry.

Learn more in this interview:Interview with Andy LaVigne, ASTA

2017 ASTA Annual Meeting Flickr album

Ag Groups, AgWired Precision, ASTA, Audio, politics, Seed

Joe Swedberg to Lead Farm Foundation Board

Kelly Marshall

Joe C. Swedberg of Longmont, CO., was elected to serve as chairman of the Board of Directors of Farm Foundation on June 9th at the Board’s annual meeting in Charlottesville, VA, succedding Mark Scholl from Owensboro, KY. Larkin Martin, Courtland, AL, was elected to serve as Vice Chair.

In addition to the election, the Farm Foundation Trust Agreement name has been changed to Legge Lowden Farm Foundation Trust. The six-member Board of Trustees will have responsibility for the Trust and insuring the mission of the Trust is fulfilled. The operating entity has also recieved a name change, moving from Farm Foundation, NFP to Trust to Farm Foundation.

Ag Groups, AgWired Animal, AgWired Precision, Farm Foundation

FLM+ and Harvest PR & Marketing Merge

Kelly Marshall

FLM+ and Harvest PR & Marketing are creating a new company by merging their portfolios across the farm, food, environmental sciences and lifestyle spectrum. The new organization has been rebranded FLM Harvest.

Both firms have seen rapid growth in the past ten years and have become two of the most successful agencies in the food and agriculture space. Together, they will have more than 80 team members across the nation.

“Our goal is to harness the combined expertise of both teams and create an organization that delivers innovative solutions and results to clients in the industries that we serve,” said Heidi Nelson, executive vice president of FLM Harvest, and founder of Harvest PR. “We’re excited to bring consumer insights to our combined clients and proud to join with a company that is farmer driven and so deeply rooted in agriculture.”

Agribusiness

Agri-Pulse Welcomes Editorial Coordinator

Kelly Marshall

Agri-Pulse is welcoming Sandra Cowherd to their staff as Editorial Coordinator. Cowherd has worked in communications for 15 years, as a news reporter, a production and marketing assistant, and in various other roles for radio groups including social media promotion. Originally from a farm in Missouri, Cowherd holds a bachelor’s degree from Northwest Missouri State University.

“As someone who understands both agriculture and the communications industry, we are pleased to have Sandra on board to help us managing our expanding web content and to assist with event planning,” said Agri-Pulse Editor Sara Wyant.

Agri-Pulse

RFA’s Cooper Gets High Octane Award

Cindy Zimmerman

RFA’s Geoff Cooper receives High Octane Award from BBI’s Tom Bryan

Renewable Fuels Association Senior Vice President Geoff Cooper was recognized with the ethanol industry’s “High Octane Award” during the 2017 Fuel Ethanol Workshop in Minneapolis Tuesday.

The award, established in 2000 by BBI International, recognizes a person “who has helped the ethanol industry mature and progress over the years” and “whose passion and unstoppable pursuits have significantly benefited the ethanol industry.”

“In receiving the High Octane Award, Geoff joins a prestigious list of passionate and committed industry champions,” said BBI President Tom Bryan. “Since the inception of the FEW awards 18 years ago, only two other trade association staff members have received this accolade. That says a lot about who Geoff is, and how much he’s done to help grow our industry.”

“I am deeply humbled and honored to receive this year’s High Octane Award. There is no greater compliment than knowing the leaders of this industry consider my contributions worthy of such special recognition,” Cooper said. “I have been extremely fortunate to serve an industry and organization whose values align so well with my own. I sincerely admire this industry and everything it stands for. It has been both a pleasure and a privilege to work alongside the RFA Board of Directors and staff for the past nine years; their devotion to improving our nation’s economic security and environmental health has been truly inspiring. In reality, this award is a tribute to the many achievements of the RFA, its member companies, and its dedicated staff,” he added.

Geoff talks about how growing up on a farm and serving in the military led to his career in the ethanol industry. Interview with Geoff Cooper, RFA

2017 Fuel Ethanol Workshop Photos

Coverage of the Fuel Ethanol Conference is sponsored by

Coverage of the Fuel Ethanol Conference is sponsored by Syngenta Enogen

Audio, Ethanol, RFA

Bayer Celebrates National Pollinator Week

Kelly Marshall

To celebrate National Pollinator Week, Bayer Bee Care has granted funding to 58 projects that will focus on forage planting. Projects in more than 30 states and Washington D.C. and will recieve between $1,000 and $5,000 in hopes of meeting Feed a Bee‘s latest initiative of forage planting in every state by the end of 2018.

“It’s thrilling to see so much interest around the country in such a short amount of time,” said Dr. Becky Langer, project manager, Bayer North American Bee Care Program. “We’re more than halfway to accomplishing our goal after the first round of proposals with more than a year and a half left in the initiative. It’s rewarding to see organizations across the country come together with one common goal: providing quality nutrients for pollinators. We look forward to seeing all the creative project ideas yet to come!”

Kickoff for the projects began Saturday, June 17 in Washington D.C. and the first Family Garden Day of 2017. Round one of grant recipients include:Read More

Agribusiness, AgWired Precision, Bayer, Bees, pollinators

2017 World Pork Expo: The Highlights

Lizzy Schultz

More than 20,000 pork producers and ag professionals from throughout the world attended the 29th World Pork Expo, June 7-9, in Des Moines. Presented by the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), the 2017 Expo hosted more than 1,000 international guests from nearly 40 countries. We spent the days mainly in the media room covering the latest from the pork community. Content has been accumulated in its own Virtual Ag Newsroom at AgNewswire sponsored by Aptimmune Biologics.

This virtual newsroom includes links to photos, audio, and video from the conference. All content posted here is available free of charge for digital or print publication or broadcast. Credit can be given to AgNewsWire.

Highlights Include:

“World Pork Expo gives producers the opportunity to see and touch the newest products and technologies for their pork businesses,” says Ken Maschhoff, NPPC president and Illinois pork producer. “It’s a place for producers to interact with each other and share ideas. It also gives employees at all levels a chance to learn, deepen their connection to pork production and have some fun.” Interview with Ken Maschhoff, NPPC president

The National Pork Board, with support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, announced a new program during this year’s expo. The Secure Pork Supply Plan is a voluntary program designed to support American farmers during a foreign animal disease outbreak. The plan is supported by health officials, not only because it will support them during an outbreak, but also because it can help with understanding where the disease is and isn’t. Interview with Patrick Webb, National Pork Board

On opening day of World Pork Expo, Aptimmune Biologics launched the world’s first commercially available mucosal PRRSV vaccine for swine. “Aptimmune has benefited from ground-breaking research conducted at the University of Illinois, The Ohio State University, and several private companies,” said Aptimmune CEO Aaron Gilbertie during a press conference. “We are proud the launch of BARRICADE® validates our collaborative innovation model. We are exceptionally pleased with early customer feedback. In the coming months, we expect to launch additional vaccines formulated with BARRICADE®, including influenza.” Interview with Aptimmune CEO Aaron Gilbertie

All photos from #WPX17 can be viewed and/or downloaded here: 2017 World Pork Expo photos

Coverage of the World Pork Expo is sponsored by
Coverage of the World Pork Expo is sponsored by Aptimmune
Ag Groups, AgWired Animal, Audio, NPPC, Pork, World Pork Expo

Mexico’s Adoption of E10 Applauded

Chuck Zimmerman

It looks like Mexico is jumping deeper into ethanol as a renewable fuel.

The Mexican Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) announced recently a change that will increase the maximum amount of ethanol that can be blended in Mexican gas supplies from 5.8 percent to 10 percent, except in the cities of Monterrey, Guadalajara and Mexico City.

The announcement modifies the Mexican Official Standard NOM 016-CRE-2016 regarding the quality specifications for fuels by increasing the maximum volume content of anhydrous ethanol as an oxygenate in regular and premium gasolines in Mexico.

“We are pleased to see this decision, which is the culmination of significant work by Mexican authorities and industry as they continue to diversify and improve their fuel supplies,” said Tom Sleight, U.S. Grains Council (USGC) President and CEO.

“By permitting the use of E10 in its fuel market, Mexico will have blend levels consistent with fuel sold and used throughout the United States and Canada. Not only will Mexico be able to achieve greater octane and oxygenate benefits from using E10, it will help to drive trade and investment in its ethanol fuel sector,” added Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob Dinneen.

Biofuels, Energy, Ethanol, International

SMART Farmer US Poultry

Cindy Zimmerman

In this edition of the SMART Farmer podcast we head south to learn a little bit about poultry production and how it has gotten smarter, more efficient and more sustainable over the years.

Monty Henderson started as a broiler service manager with Tyson Foods and later with Campbell Soup Company. He served as president of Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation and in 1994 joined George’s, Inc., as president and CEO where he retired in 2010. In addition to serving as a past chairman for U.S. Poultry and Egg Association, Henderson has served on the Board of Directors for the National Chicken Council and as a director of the American Egg Board, and now represents the poultry industry on the board of the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance.

Henderson shares how smart technology helps producers keep birds at their optimum comfort level and how breeding and genetics have helped the industry go from taking nine weeks to grow a chicken to 3.5 pounds to today taking only 35 days to reach the same weight: SMART Farmer Podcast with Monty Henderson, USPOULTRY

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Learn more about USFRA and SMART Farm

AgWired Animal, Audio, Poultry, USFRA