Bayer Supports Youth Ag-Summit in Brussels

Cindy Zimmerman May 4, 2017

The Crop Science division of Bayer is proud to support the third Youth Ag-Summit and the five young people from the United States who have been chosen to participate in the Brussels, Belgium event taking place October 9-13 this year.

The young leaders are part of a delegation of 100 people from 49 countries selected to participate in a week-long think-tank focused on identifying innovative, sustainable and actionable solutions to address global food security challenges. Themed “Feeding a Hungry Planet,” this year’s summit aims to address the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals of ending hunger, achieving food security and promoting sustainable agriculture. This year’s summit will be the third that Bayer has offered to young people around the world, and represents a long-standing history of support for the next generation of leaders and innovators.

“The agricultural industry can contribute strongly to achieving some of the key U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, but this also requires the active involvement of the next generation. The Youth Ag-Summit aims to give young leaders the opportunity to foster their ideas, share best practices and explore the role of modern agriculture in feeding a hungry planet,” said Liam Condon, member of the Board of Management of Bayer AG and head of the Crop Science Division.

The U.S. participants are from California, Florida, Tennessee, Illinois, and Massachusetts and were chosen from essays they wrote on the topic of food insecurity, factoring in the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals. A total of 1,187 essays from 95 different countries were submitted, all of which were reviewed by a panel of industry experts, including six U.S. judges representing national youth leadership organizations such as the FFA and 4-H, academia, a former Youth Ag-Summit delegate and Bayer.

Learn more about the event and the participants from Bayer.

Bayer

Zimfo Bytes

Lizzy Schultz May 4, 2017

The American Farm Bureau Federation is now accepting applications for its 11th Women’s Communication Boot Camp class, Oct. 24 – 27 in Washington, D.C. The three-day intensive training is open to all women who are Farm Bureau members. The training offers sessions on public speaking, testifying, targeting your message and working with the media.
Larry Byrd will rejoin NCGA and the Council in Washington this week as the receptionist and administrative assistant. He will serve as the first point of contact for visitors and callers, as well as greet and direct guests to the appropriate staff members and assist them with office projects.
The National Cotton Council (NCC) announced extreme disappointment over the fact that the fiscal year 2017 omnibus appropriations bill does not include the cottonseed policy developed by the U.S. cotton industry in consultation with Congress.
The Illinois Wheat Association will host the Southern Illinois Winter Wheat Tour Tuesday, May 23. The tour will give Illinois wheat farmers an opportunity to make observations that will factor in to yield estimates of the 2017 winter wheat crop.

Zimfo Bytes

Branstad Wants “Fair and Open” Chinese Market

Cindy Zimmerman May 3, 2017

The longest serving governor in the country will be drawing on his agricultural trade experience and 30 year friendship with Chinese President Xi Jinping to serve as U.S. Ambassador to China.

During his confirmation hearing Tuesday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Iowa Governor Terry Branstad was asked by Sen. Christopher Coons (D-DE) what he will do to get more U.S. chickens to China.

“We’d like our chickens to go to China,” said Sen. Coons. “China is unfairly restricting U.S. chicken exports…If they’re going to join the world community through the WTO, they need to play by the rules.”

Branstad agreed that China needs to have “a fair and open market” to all commodities. “We do sell them a lot of pork, but beef is presently restricted as well…and I think there’s more opportunity for dairy,” said Branstad. “When it comes to agriculture products, this is an area that I’ve had a lot of experience in.”

The governor said he hopes to use his unique position as an “old friend” of President Xi and a trusted confidant of President Trump to positively influence the U.S.-China relationship.

Listen to Branstad and Coons here: Iowa Gov. Branstad confirmation hearing with Sen. Coons

Audio, Poultry, Trade

Grassland Oregon Offers Pastures for Pollinators

Cindy Zimmerman May 2, 2017

In response to the need to protect pollinators and support sustainable livestock farming, Grassland Oregon has introduced a new seed mixture called Pastures for Pollinators that will benefit bees, livestock and sustainable agriculture.

Risa DeMasi, co-founder of Grassland Oregon and immediate past chairman of the American Seed Trade Association says proceeds from the sales of Pastures for Pollinators will be donated to further sustainable agriculture research programs. “With over 400 million acres of pastureland in the US, we felt it was vital to develop a forage solution that would promote pollinator habitats while also helping farmers and ranchers to feed their livestock and to sustain their soil resources,” said DeMasi. Pastures for Pollinators seed mixture is available now and orders or donations can be made at www.pasturesforpollinators.com.

Learn more about Pastures for Pollinators in this interview: Interview with Risa DeMasi, Grassland Oregon, on Pastures for Pollinators

Audio, Bees, cover crops, Forage, Livestock, pollinators, Seed

Deere and Monsanto End Precision Planting Deal

Cindy Zimmerman May 2, 2017

Under pressure from the Department of Justice, an agreement between Deere & Company and Monsanto to purchase Precision Planting LLC was terminated Monday.

The department filed suit on Aug. 31, 2016, to block the acquisition, alleging that the transaction was a merger-to-monopoly in high-speed precision planting systems, an innovative technology that enables farmers to accurately plant corn, soybeans and other row crops at up to twice the speed of a conventional planter. The case was scheduled for trial in U.S. District Court in Chicago on June 5, 2017.

The Precision Planting deal was announced in November 2015 but the closing has been delayed by Department of Justice concerns. “We are deeply disappointed in this outcome as we remain confident the acquisition would have benefited customers,” said Deere Agricultural Solutions President and Chief Information Officer John May.

Two agreements related to Deere’s purchase of Precision Planting will also be terminated, including the digital collaboration agreement between Deere and The Climate Corporation, a division of Monsanto. Also ending is an agreement that would have allowed Ag Leader to expand access to and distribution of certain Precision Planting products and technologies.

“As a world leader in precision agriculture, John Deere will continue developing technology-based products and services to help customers improve the productivity and profitability of their operations,” May said.

According to Monsanto, the Climate Corporation still intends to focus exclusively on its digital agriculture platform. “The company intends to sell the Precision Planting equipment business and has spoken with several third parties that have expressed interest in purchasing it.”

Agribusiness, John Deere, Precision Agriculture

#SecretarySonny Moves to Make School Meals Great Again

Cindy Zimmerman May 2, 2017

Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue started out his second week on the job by going back to school and eating lunch.

Perdue visited Catoctin Elementary School in Leesburg, Virginia to announce that USDA will provide greater flexibility in nutrition requirements for school meal programs in order to make food choices both healthful and appealing to students, beginning the process of restoring local control of guidelines on whole grains, sodium, and milk.

“A perfect example is in the south, where the schools want to serve grits,” said Perdue. “But the whole grain variety has little black flakes in it, and the kids won’t eat it. The school is compliant with the whole grain requirements, but no one is eating the grits. That doesn’t make any sense.”

“I’ve got 14 grandchildren, and there is no way that I would propose something if I didn’t think it was good, healthful, and the right thing to do,” Perdue said. “And here’s the thing about local control: it means that this new flexibility will give schools and states the option of doing what we’re laying out here today. These are not mandates on schools.”

Today, Secretary Sonny will be meeting with members of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting in Washington this week for their annual Washington Watch.

Food, USDA

Passing of the NAMA Gavel

Cindy Zimmerman May 1, 2017

Just back off the agriblogging highway from the 2017 AgriMarketing Conference in Dallas Texas where we talked a lot about podcasting and agriculture’s virtual newsroom AgNewsWire. We also did a lot of Facebook Live video from NAMA this year – the first time Best of NAMA and Student NAMA finals have ever been broadcast live.

The annual conference marks the changing of the guard for the National Agri-Marketing Association with a new president taking over leadership of the organization so we took a moment to check in with the incoming and the outgoing this year. First Chuck interviewed outgoing president Matt Coniglio of Penton Agriculture/Farm Progress, while I had the opportunity to interview the incoming NAMA president, Amy Bradford of GROWMARK.

Listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast with Matt Coniglio and Amy Bradford, outgoing and incoming NAMA presidents

2017 Agri-Marketing Conference Photo Album

Subscribe to the ZimmCast podcast here. Use this url in iTunes or your favorite news reader program/app.

The ZimmCast

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Audio, NAMA, Podcasts, ZimmCast

First Next Gen NAMA Winners Honored

Cindy Zimmerman May 1, 2017

The National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) honored the first winners of the Next Gen NAMA Award at the 2017 Agri-Marketing Conference in Dallas last week. This new award was developed to celebrate the next generation of agribusiness marketing industry leaders. Honorees were nominated by their company supervisor or through chapter or national leadership and must be NAMA members.

The five recipients for 2017 are Tyler Clarke, Advantage Agri-Marketing Services; Cliff Dolbeare, GROWMARK, Inc.; Beth Geary, Wheat Growers; Colin Pennington, Monsanto; and Jennifer Saylor, J.L. Farmakis, Inc.

I talked with Cliff Dolbeare, who is Digital Communication and PR Manager for GROWMARK, about being involved in NAMA and the digital world of agri-marketing. Dolbeare led a redesign of eResource, the GROWMARK system extranet site used to communicate system information with member companies throughout the country. He is active in NAMA local and national chapter events and also supports student chapters and their competitions. It’s a good bet he will be a leader in the industry since his mother, Roberta Simpson-Dolbeare, serves on the Illinois Soybean Board and the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) board.

Interview with Cliff Dolbeare, GROWMARK, Next Gen NAMA award
2017 Agri-Marketing Conference Photo Album

Coverage of the 2017 Agri-Marketing Conference is sponsored by

Audio, GROWMARK, NAMA

Agribusiness Leader and Marketer of Year Honored

Cindy Zimmerman April 28, 2017

The recipients of NAMA’s Agribusiness Leader and Marketer of the Year are announced months in advance, but they receive those awards and the recognition that comes with them at the annual conference.

Mike Stern, CEO of Monsanto’s The Climate Corporation, received the 2017 Agribusiness Leader of the year award, which is NAMA’s highest honor, recognizes outstanding industry leadership.

Mike Stern exemplifies the spirit of the award through his understanding of the challenges farmers face and his passion for solving agriculture’s most pressing issue: the need to feed a growing population while minimizing the impact on the environment.

Listen to Mike’s comments here: Mike Stern, The Climate Corp, award remarks

Bader Rutter CEO Greg Nickerson was honored as the 2017 NAMA Marketer of the Year. This award is presented to an active member of the association to recognize outstanding accomplishments in the field of agri-marketing and is sponsored by Agri Marketing magazine.

Through his leadership, Greg Nickerson has helped Bader Rutter become the country’s largest agricultural marketing agency. Since 2009, when Nickerson was put in charge, the agency has nearly doubled in size.

Listen to Greg’s comments here: Greg Nickerson, Bader Rutter, award remarks

You can find all our photos here: 2017 Agri-Marketing Conference Photo Album

Coverage of the 2017 Agri-Marketing Conference is sponsored by

Agribusiness, Audio, NAMA

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