Nath Morris has been promoted to executive vice president- expo for the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY). He has served as vice president- expo and before that as IPE sales director.- The Joint Industry Safety and Health Council gave the 2017 safety awards to 147 chicken and turkey facilities at their recent conference in Destin, Florida. The awards were given to honor outstanding employee safety and health programs.
- The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association is bringing back Cattlemen to Cattlemen on August 29. This season will feature an in-depth look at the outcomes of the beef checkoff-funded 2017 National Beef Quality Audit and will air on RFD-TV on Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m.
- The deadline to complete the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program survey is September 10.
- Katy Holdener from Tracy, California is now the Digital Content Manager for the American Angus Association.
- You can listen here to the podcast of American Sheep Industry Association Executive Director Peter Orwick as he talks about the H-2A program and immigration reform.
Animal Ag Bites 8/21
Moving More Ethanol Exports
U.S. ethanol exports are setting records this year and that is due at least in part to the efforts of the U.S. Grains Council ethanol advisory team, chaired this year by Jim Glavin, CEO of Lakeview Energy.
Galvin spoke at the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) annual conference last week in Omaha about some of the global headwinds and tailwinds for exports. “Number one, we’re looking at trying to double exports,” said Galvin, noting the industry is expanding at a rate of about three percent a year.
At the same time, Galvin says the U.S. ethanol industry has lately become a victim of its own export success, with major markets like China and Brazil restricting imports this year.
Listen to Galvin’s presentation and interview below.
Audio files:
Interview with Jim Galvin, Lakeview Energy
Jim Galvin, Lakeview Energy, remarks
2017 ACE Conference Photo Album
New Brownfield Reporter for IN and OH
The newest anchor/reporter on the Brownfield Ag News team is Amie Sites who will cover Indiana and Ohio for the multi-state radio network.
Amie grew up in Walton, Ind. She majored in journalism and creative writing at Indiana University. Her passion for telling the stories of others led her to become a reporter for various newspapers including the Standard-Speaker, Pharos Tribune, and Indiana AgriNews, where she found a love for telling the story of the agriculture industry.
Amie received third place for Best Breaking News Story in the National Newspaper Association’s Better Newspaper Contest in 2016 and third place for Best In-depth Feature or Feature package from the Hoosier State Press Association Foundation Better Newspaper Contest in 2014.
Brownfield Ag News creates and delivers original content across multiple media platforms.
GROWMARK and COFCO Announce Grain Partnership
GROWMARK and COFCO officials sign agreement
“We now have a direct pipeline from our growers to the end user,” said Brent Ericson, GROWMARK Senior Vice President, Member Business, who notes that China is the largest soybean importer in the world and the second largest agricultural export market for the United States.
The partnership includes joint ownership and operation of the barge, truck, and rail terminal at Cahokia, Ill., with frontage on the Mississippi River, as well as a grain origination agreement. The facility has 6 truck receiving lanes, a railroad loop track spanning 34,500 feet with two rail pits, allowing for simultaneous unloading of two shuttle trains of grain and grain products, and two 1,600 t/hour barge loading belts serving two barge loading docks.
Ericson believes Cahokia will play a key role in originating grain for the international markets driving global demand, and provide a win-win situation for both organizations. “It’s a really impressive facility in an area that there’s a lot of grain that moves through on its way to the Gulf of Mexico,” said Ericson.
CIL’s Cahokia facility receives grain via rail and truck for transloading to barges destined for export. The site is served by the Alton & Southern railroad and is able to receive product from all Class I railroads.
Audio file: Interview with Brent Ericson, GROWMARK
Trade Offers Stability for Rural Economies
Jason Hafemeister, Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Trade & Foreign Agricultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) addressed the attendees of the 2017 U.S. Soy Global Trade Exchange, bringing a message of greater trade opportunities for America’s farmers.
“A substantial part of our farm income comes from foreign markets,” said Hafemeister. “So we at the department are always looking for ways to expand and grow on foreign market opportunities and we’re happy to have a chance to meet with potential buyers here today to talk about the virtues of American products. We’re a reliable supplier of high-quality product and can compete on price. This is a good opportunity to remind folks of that.”
Rural America needs a strong farm base for it’s economic stability, and growth in rural areas increases the health of the overall economy. According to Hafemeister, one of the best ways to do that is to improve the customer base by removing barriers for trade around the world. Currently the USDA is meeting with Canada and Mexico to improve NAFTA. Their first goal is to do no harm, but also to improve trade access, specifically into Canada with poultry and dairy. Removing barriers to China, Japan, and Vietnam are also high on Hafemeister’s list.
“Prices go up and prices go down,” Hafemeister said, but broadening the customer base takes pressure off domestic supply and will help address the current difficult climate.
To hear more, listen to Jamie’s full interview here: Interview with Jason Hafemeister, USDA
You can find photos from the event here: U.S. Soy Global Trade Exchange Photo Album
Secretary Perdue in Florida
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue visited the Citrus Expo in Fort Myers, Florida this week to learn more about citrus greening and hold a farm bill listening session with Congressman Tom Rooney of the local district.
The only opportunity for reporters to ask questions of the secretary was a short, crowded, disorganized gaggle that covered a wide range of non-agricultural topics. But I did get to ask him the first question – when does he expect to have a full USDA in place?
“The president has put forth some tremendous nominations and we are hopeful that as soon as the Senate gets back in session in September the ag committee will take these up,” the secretary said. “I’m the only presidential-appointed, Senate-confirmed person at the USDA today.”
You can listen my press gaggle question here: Secretary Sonny Perdue Q&A
Zimfo Bytes
American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture and the National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization have signed a memorandum outlining their plans to create a more agriculture literate society. They will focus on opportunities for students to purse higher education and career opportunities in food and agriculture science and provide resources to K-12 teachers.- The National Sorghum Producers have selected their board of directors. Don Bloss was re-elected chairman, Dan Atkinson was re-elected vice chairman, and Kendall Hodgson was elected treasurer. Larry Dahlsten and Tom Willis were elected to three-year terms on the board.
- A new poll from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers shows the overwhelming majority of Americans believe that investing in infrastructure will improve the U.S. economy. Most adults strongly support modernizing infrastructure and believe the investment will improve their quality of life.
Feed A Bee Plantings Happening Coast to Coast
The Bayer Bee Care program launched the grant initiative, Feed a Bee in 2015 with a goal of planting 50 million flowers. They’ve now distributed more than 3 billion wildflower seeds and the organization is moving forward with a grander goal- to facilitate forage plantings or enhancements in every state by the end of 2018.
This Saturday will be an important step in that goal; August 19th has been dedicated National Honey Bee Day and Feed a Bee will celebrate with plantings from three of their accepted proposals. Starting in Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, New York and then on to North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, and finally finishing in Placer Land Trust’s School Park Community Garden in Auburn, California, the day will highlight the work being done to help honey bees.
So far, proposals from 34 states have already been accepted, but Feed a Bee is still looking for more partners. “We want everyone applying, whether we’ve already funded those states or not we’ll still consider the projects,” says project manager, Dr. Becky Langer. “But the states we need attention on that we have not received applications from are: Wyoming, Vermont, South Dakota, Rhode Island, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Kansas, Hawaii, Delaware, Alaska, and New Mexico.”
Learn how to become more involved by listening to my full interview with Dr. Langer here: Interview with Dr. Becky Langer, Bayer Bee Care
NE Gov Highlights Value-Added Ag and Ethanol
Duane Kristensen, Chief Ethanol; NE Gov. Ricketts; NDA Director Greg Ibach; Energy Office Director David Bracht
“The ethanol industry is a prime example of how we can add value to the agriculture commodities that we grow right here in Nebraska,” said Governor Ricketts. “Through the process of turning corn into ethanol, several other co-products are produced, including distillers grains, corn oil, corn syrup, and dry starch. This is the type of value-added agriculture that helps create jobs, increase demand of locally-grown commodities and attract new businesses which is all part of growing Nebraska.”
Governor Ricketts, chairman of the Governor’s Biofuels Coalition, is a strong advocate of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) to help provide stability and certainty for partners in the ethanol industry.
Joining the governor were Duane Kristensen with Chief Ethanol Fuels, NE Agriculture Director Greg Ibach and Energy Office Director David Bracht. Watch the full press conference below.
2017 ACE Conference Photo Album
NCBA Encourages Comments on WOTUS
The comment period for the repeal of the Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) ends Monday, August 28, 2017 and members of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) want to encourage farmers and ranchers to participate. The organization has released a video featuring Scott Pruitt, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Pruitt urges farmers and ranchers to let their voice be heard.
“When comments are made a part of a record – as rule-making – we have an obligation to review them,” Pruitt says in NCBA’s video. “It helps inform our decision-making process; it helps us make better decisions. And so we want farmers and ranchers across this country to provide comments.”
The video was filmed during the Administrator’s “State Action Tour” during which he met with ranchers and received input about how to proceed in the future.
“We’re trying to fix the challenges from the 2015 rule,” explains Pruitt, “where the Obama Administration re-imagined their authority under the Clean Water Act and defined a Water of the United States as being a puddle, a dry creek bed, and ephemeral drainage ditches across this country, which created great uncertainty… and we are fixing that, and then we’re hearing from stakeholders about how to get it right as we go forward.”