NPPC President Pleased with Pork Expo

Cindy Zimmerman

The National Pork Producers Association (NPPC) has been presenting World Pork Expo since 1987, and this year may go down as one of the best and biggest.

“Last year we had 20,000 visitors and we think we may go over that this year,” says Ken Maschhoff, NPPC president and Illinois pork producer. The weather has been great and there are 450 companies exhibiting in the expanded trade show and about 1,000 international guests from 40 different countries.

“Expo is truly an international show, with visitors and exhibitors from throughout the world,” says Maschhoff who says there is a lot of excitement about the industry but there is a big need to increase exports right now.

“We’re going to have to sell more pork abroad and that means trade,” said Maschhoff. “Producers are concerned about trade, especially now with TPP off the table.”

Listen to Jamie’s interview with Ken here: Interview with Ken Maschhoff, NPPC president

2017 World Pork Expo photos

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

Pork Board Announces Secure Pork Supply Plan

Kelly Marshall

The National Pork Board, with support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has announced a new program at the World Pork Expo.  The Secure Pork Supply Plan is a voluntary program designed to support American farmers during a foreign animal disease outbreak.

“The plan basically impacts producers in providing a mechanism for them to be able to differentiate themselves in an outbreak- prior to the outbreak occurring,” says veterinarian and director of swine health program for Pork Checkoff, Patrick Webb. “Our state animal health officials have to have certain pieces of information to allow movements to occur when producers are located in a disease control area. This program allows them the ability to provide that information very quickly during an outbreak, as opposed to having to develop all of that after an 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. Thankfully the U.S. hasn’t experienced disease like foot-and-mouth in decades, but the plan will put production back to normal exponentially faster than without it. The plan includes information about the safe movement of animals from farms in controlled areas, achieving biosecurity, using identification tags, and detailed production records, health papers, and certificates.

You can hear the the Pork Board’s announcement here and listen to Jamie’s interview with Patrick Webb: National Pork Board Presser
Interview with Patrick Webb, National Pork Board

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, Pork

Sweet Deal with Mexico

Cindy Zimmerman

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and Mexican Secretary of Economy Ildefonso Guajardo announced a new agreement this week to suspend antidumping and countervailing duties against Mexican sugar imports into the United States.

“We have gotten the Mexican side to agree to nearly every request made by U.S. industry to address flaws in the current system and ensure fair treatment of American sugar growers and refiners,” said Secretary Ross.

According to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, the agreement reduces the percentage of Mexican refined sugar that may be imported into the United States, lowers the polarity dividing line between refined and raw sugar, and requires that raw Mexican sugar be shipped flowing freely in the holds of ocean-going vessels, rather than being shipped in packages or by land. “Finally, it is of great importance that USDA will have the flexibility to protect the U.S. sugar industry by making polarity adjustments in the event of extraordinary or unforeseen circumstances,” said Perdue. “The agreement prevented potentially significant and retaliatory actions by the Mexican sugar industry and sets an important tone of good faith leading up to the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement.”

Corn Refiners Association President and CEO John Bode praised the agreement. “In this Administration’s first major negotiation with Mexico, Secretary Ross succeeded in protecting against unfair trade practices and maintained vulnerable export markets,” said Bode. “Thanks to his leadership, U.S. sugar interests have much stronger protections than the previous Suspension Agreements without threatening the $500 million in U.S. corn sweetener exports to Mexico that support 4,000 U.S. jobs.”

The American Sugar Alliance (ASA) is also pleased with the agreement, but concerned about a loophole they say “takes away the existing power of the U.S. government to determine the type and polarity of any additional sugar that needs to be imported and cedes that power to the Mexican government.”

“We will work with Secretary Ross in the coming days to see if that loophole can be effectively closed so that the basic provisions of the agreement are not undermined and USDA can effectively manage the sugar program,” said ASA spokesman Phillip Hayes.

USDA

A John Deere Tractor for Every Need

Kelly Marshall

Dennis Ogle, Senior Marketing Representative, focused on the R Series tractors at John Deere‘s Reveal event in Moline, Illinois last week. They offer almost anything you could want for on-farm jobs, Ogle explains.

From the 1000 tractor to the 8 R option, there are big things to think about. Choose tracked models or wheels, pick the cab comfort level you’ll need for the time spent in the equipment, and decide how much horsepower the operation needs.

“The big thing about the 8R tractors is it’s a versatile tractor,” Ogle says. “A lot of guys within row crops love to use it, a lot of specialty guys. Folks can use it for planting, for tillage, put it on a grain cart, they can ballast it differently, they can change a lot of different features on the settings for optionality to make it really work for their operations.”

The 6 and 7 R family of tractors is equally versital for dairy or hay and forage folks. They offer the horsepower while being compact and maneuverable. The 1000 to 5000 series tractors do utility work– loader work and smaller round baler jobs.

Whatever the need, your local John Deere dealer is the tried and true answer for questions. Listen to Jamie’s interview with Ogle here: Interview with Dennis Ogle, John Deere

2017 John Deere Reveal Photo Album

Agribusiness, AgWired Animal, AgWired Precision, Audio, John Deere, Tractor

Precision Ag Bytes

Kelly Marshall

  • Farmers Business Network (FBN) is launching FBN Crop Marketing, a crop marking tool that utilized networks and data to help growers increase profit. The site is made up of FBN Profit CenterTM and an exclusive crop marketing service called FBN Select MarketsTM.
  • Zetor North America, in cooperation with their dealers, is now offering a free ZL 31 loader with purchase of any new tractor. The offer expires June 30th.
  • INNVICTIS CROP CARE, LLC. is introducing TREVO TRZ to help fight against disease in corn, soybeans, and sugarbeets.  The new product offers curative and preventative control of gray leaf sort, Northern corn leaf flight, frogeye leaf spot cercospora, powdery mildew, rust and others using 2 modes of action.
  • National Agricultural Genotyping Center (NAGC), a non-profit initiative founded by the National Corn Growers Association and Los Alamos National Laboratory, will provide research and testing services on the corn diseases Goss’s Wilt and Xanthomonas.
AgWired Precision, Zimfo Bytes

Aptimmune Launches World’s First Mucosal PRRSV Vaccine

Cindy Zimmerman

On opening day of World Pork Expo, Aptimmune Biologics launched the world’s first commercially available mucosal PRRSV vaccine for swine administered via nasal spray.

Aptimmune’s autogenous mucosal PRRS vaccine utilizes the BARRICADE® proprietary vaccine technology, which offers producers and veterinarians a revolutionary approach to PRRSV management. The mucosal vaccine offers a new class of vaccine to combat a devastating and costly disease. BARRICADE® PRRSV combines three core components: First, a powerful and safe immune stimulating adjuvant based on mycobacterium whole cell lysate. Second, high-titer PRRSV antigen produced on ZMAC, the world’s only commercially available porcine based alveolar macrophage cell line. Lastly, Aptimmune’s proprietary nanoparticles deliver the vaccine payload to immune cells responsible for mucosal immunity, potentially offering enhanced cell-mediated immunity and antibody production.

“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.”

Gilbertie was joined at World Pork Expo by Dr. Jianqiang Zhang with the Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory to talk about the new vaccine: Aptimmune press conference

Gilbertie explains more about the vaccine in this interview: Interview with Aptimmune CEO Aaron Gilbertie

2017 World Pork Expo photos

Coverage of the World Pork Expo is sponsored by
Coverage of the World Pork Expo is sponsored by Aptimmune
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Health, Audio, Swine, World Pork Expo

Animal Ag Bites

Lizzy Schultz

ag_wired_animal-ag-bites

  • AgriLabs is pleased to announce the hiring of Dr. Robert Rust as Technical Service Manager effective June 1, 2017.
  • The National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program, in collaboration with Colorado State University, is conducting a dairy farmer survey to learn more about perceptions of the FARM Program and how it can continue to improve the resources it offers producers. The voluntary survey, available here, will probe producers’ knowledge of the program and the value they think it provides to their operations.
  • Angus Media, the communications arm of the American Angus Association in Saint Joseph, Mo., has hired Sara Reardon as their new general manager.
  • The American Sheep Industry Association’s Young Entrepreneur Program is announcing a farm and ranch tour July 17-18 in Sioux Falls, S.D. that aims at helping young and beginning sheep producers network and gain a broader understanding of the industry.
    • AgWired Animal

    Agri-Pulse Signs Governors’ Food & Farm Agreement

    Kelly Marshall

    Agri-Pulse, the nation’s leading source of food and farm policy content, has announced an agreement to provide a unique service for The Governors’ Food and Farm Partnership. The organization will be creating a quick-read news format to be sent governors and their staff to keep them current on the fast-moving world of agriculture issues.

    “We are very pleased that The Governors’ Food and Farm Partnership has chosen Agri-Pulse and our experienced team of journalists to provide this information,” said Allan Johnson, vice president and marketing director at Agri-Pulse.

    “This program is a terrific complement to the partnership we already have with the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture to provide their members with Agri-Pulse content. We will now be communicating with governors’ staff members as well as the top Ag Department officials in every state in the U.S. each morning and throughout the day as news breaks.”

    Agri-Pulse

    Deere’s 3-Point Mounted Sprayer Packs a Punch

    Kelly Marshall

    Scott Geier is a marketing Manager for implements and attachments at John Deere, making him the go-to guy for information on their recently released 3-point mounted sprayer.

    The 3-point mounted sprayer is designed for use with tractors between 50 and 180 horsepower. While it’s small it’s also mighty, providing many features typically available only on larger-scale equipment.

    The new attachment comes in 4 width options, from 25 foot to 40 foot, can be run on PTO or hydraulic system, offers some section control and pressure control from inside the cab, and can provide foam marking options for growers who need it. The 250 or 300 gallon tanks are another of John Deere’s innovations; the unique tear drop shapes allows products to drain completely before switching or storing and the shape shortens the tank, moving it closer to the tractor and requiring less ballast.

    Learn more about the 3-point mounted sprayer in Jamie’s interview with Geier here: Interview with Scott Geier, John Deere

    2017 John Deere Reveal Photo Album

    Agribusiness, AgWired Precision, Audio, Equipment, John Deere

    4-H Challenges Students to Tackle Soil Health

    Kelly Marshall

    Students in the midwest are tackling the challenges of healthy soils as part of the 2017 4-H Ag Innovators Experience (4-H AIE) activity. Sponsored by Monsanto, the two-part challenge was developed by The Ohio State University and focuses on soil composition, impacts of tillage, and new ways to farm. Teams of students in 4-H clubs, camps, after school programs, and enrichment classes conduct tests to determine soil health and then search for solutions to maintaining microbials and nutrients while minimizing the environmental impact. Students will have the opportunity to build a 1:64 scale no-till planter to gain a better understand of how to reduce agriculture’s carbon footprint.

    “This program was created for students to get hands on experience and generate an understanding of the challenges farmers face,” said National 4-H Council President and CEO Jennifer Sirangelo. “We’re excited this program brings together students throughout their communities for an education on real-world problems and the opportunity to apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills for solutions.”

    AgWired Precision, Education, Soil