GROWMARK Proud to Support Ag Day

Cindy Zimmerman

Beverly Flores of John Deere with Amy Bradford of GROWMARK at 2017 Ag Day

GROWMARK and its FS member companies are proud to be one of the major sponsors of National Ag Day every year, according to corporate relations manager Amy Bradford who attended this year’s event.

“This is one of the events that we support in a big way financially,” said Bradford. “It’s just important for us to support the farmers who are doing the work every day.”

Bradford was pleased to hear the presidential proclamation for Ag Day, the first in 16 years. “We believe that agriculture is definitely on the radar screen in the new administration,” she said, noting the interest in improving rural infrastructure. “We definitely have some ideas of what that means beyond roads and bridges to include rural broadband.”

In this interview, Bradford also talks about GROWMARK farm bill priorities and more: Interview with Amy Bradford, GROWMARK

National Ag Day Photo Album

Ag Day, Audio, GROWMARK

Spark: Women in Agribusiness Podcast

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast 540Cindy turns the tables on Sara Steever, Paulsen, in this week’s ZimmCast.

Sara started a podcast last year called “Spark: Women in Agribusiness” and recently interviewed Cindy for it. You can listen to Sara’s podcast with Cindy here.

So this week Cindy interviewed Sara during Ag Day activities in Washington, DC. Sara talks about why she started her podcast which includes feeling a need for more young women to become involved in all aspects of agribusiness. Sara has already produced thirteen episodes of her program and has a growing list of targets for interviews in the future.

Listen to this week’s program for more information here: Sara Steever, Paulsen, Spark Podcast

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

The ZimmCast

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The ZimmCast podcast is sponsored by GROWMARK
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Agencies, Audio, Podcasts, ZimmCast

Agri-Women Advocate Ag Day Every Day

Kelly Marshall

National Ag Day is an important day, but American Agri-Women are challenging members of the industry to take it further– much further.

“We join together on Ag Day, but I want to challenge you; what are you going to do tomorrow? and the next day? and the next day?” asks American Agri-Women president Doris Mold. “Are you going to be out there telling the story like our panelists said we should? We’re going to challenge you to treat everyday like Ag Day.”

Their organization has done something to share a positive message with consumers every day since their convention in November as part of the Ag Day 365 campaign. You can join in their pledge and use the hashtag #AgDay365 to share your own message with consumers and policy makers who often misunderstand or misconstrue what it is we do in agriculture.

Hear Doris’s challenge for yourself here: Doris Mold, American Agri-Women

National Ag Day Photo Album

Ag Day, Ag Groups, Audio

$6 Million to Aid Farmers & Ranchers Hit by Wildfire

Jamie Johansen

U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, announced that the USDA has designated $6 million in aid to help farmers and ranchers affected by recent wildfires in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.

“I am pleased USDA has acted swiftly to aid producers recovering from the largest wildfire in state history,” said Roberts. “For many Kansans, the impacts are devastating because the fires not only consumed livestock, grazing lands, and fencing – but in some cases, homes, machinery, and equipment, too.”

The $6 million in available funding, delivered through USDA’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), will assist farmers and ranchers as they attempt to restore grazing lands, rehabilitate devastated landscapes, rebuild fencing, and protect damaged watersheds.

“We are still learning lessons from the response to the Anderson Creek fires from last year that can be applied to this response and recovery effort,” Roberts said.

Roberts also talked about how the wildfires impacting his home state of Kansas and it’s neighbors while addressing attendees of the Agri-Pulse Farm Bill Summit held March, 20.

Listen to his complete remarks here: Announcement from Senator Pat Roberts

Ag Groups, Audio, USDA

SMART Farms Take Stage at Ag Day

Kelly Marshall

This is the time of year things really get rolling in agriculture, making it a great time to celebrate National Ag Day. Yesterday the US Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) made the most of that day with a panel discussion about SMART farms and how producers today are growing sustainable, nutritious food and how to communicate that to consumers.

The panel was moderated by Greg Horstmeier, Editor-in-Cheif at DTN and included two farmers: Chip Bowling, crop farmer from Maryland, NCGA Chair and USFRA Vice Chair, and Lauren Schwab, Ohio pig producer and USFRA Faces of Farming and Ranching. Beverly Flores, Media and Communications Manager at John Deere and Andrew Walmsley, AFBF Director of Congressional Relations presented from the industry and ag group perspective.

Continual improvement was the message from the growers.  “There’s a multitude of things we’re doing different over the last five to ten years,” Chip explains.  “We’ve changed a lot of the ways we do farm.  I like to think that we are definitely doing our part when it comes to the environment, with pesticides, chemicals, soil erosion and just being a better steward of the land.”

“Really, since I can remember growing up on the farm we’ve continuously improved the way we house our pigs in order to give them better care and management,” adds Lauren, explaining the depth she goes to to provide proper nutrition and housing for the pigs in her care.

From John Deere’s perspective the technology available to growers is big; smart phone apps, connectivity between data and advisors, and the equipment itself play a big part in farming better.  “I think there are a lot of different components that you can get excited about,” Beverly says.  “I think over all the innovation and integration and the connection within agriculture is what really makes it exciting.”

All this advancement means little if we cannot communicate it effectively to consumers and policy makers, however. “Time and time again we’ve seen it in the fights where we have failed in the past, as an organization and as a whole value chain– of not communicating with the folks we need to be communicating with,” Andrew emphasizes.  “We’ve created additional headaches for ourselves that we didn’t necessary need to create.  But I think we’ve learned our lesson.”

You can listen to the full panel discussion here:USFRA Panel Discussion

National Ag Day Photo Album

Agri-Pulse, Audio, USFRA

2017 Doan Award Announced

Cindy Zimmerman

Senate Ag Committee chair Pat Roberts congratulates Dustin Hoffmann for winning The Doan

The winner of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting Foundation’s prestigious Doan Award is Dustin Hoffmann, farm broadcaster with KLGR Radio in Redwood Falls, Minn.

Hoffmann’s winning entry titled, Yearly Cattle Vaccinations in Southwest Minnesota, focused on herd health management, detailing the care and low-stress treatment of the calves.

The Doan was announced at the conclusion of the Agri-Pulse Farm Bill Summit on Monday by none other than Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS). The Doan is named after Stewart Doan, a farm broadcaster and senior editor at Agri-Pulse, who passed away suddenly in May 2012. This is the third year for the award, which is funded by a gift from Agri-Pulse through the NAFB Foundation.

Listen to The Doan announcement and Hoffmann’s remarks here: 2017 Doan Award Announcement

Photos can be found on the Agri-Pulse website.
Agri-Pulse Farm Bill Summit photos

Ag Day, Agri-Pulse, Audio, NAFB

Presidential Ag Day Declaration

Cindy Zimmerman

President Trump’s special assistant for agriculture, trade and food had a special message for National Ag Day today.

“One of the first things this administration has gotten done is something you have not seen in at least 16 years,” said Ray Starling during the Ag Day morning celebration at the National Press Club. “I’m pleased to announce that President Trump will sign a proclamation declaring today National Ag Day.”

Starling says they checked a number of sources to confirm that no president has declared National Ag Day in over 16 years, although it has been declared so by the secretary of agriculture and others, and he read the proclamation to attendees.

Starling, who grew up on a farm in North Carolina, talked about the need to “brag about ag” and some of the Trump administration priorities related to agriculture. Listen here: Remarks from Ray Starling, special assistant to President Trump

National Ag Day Photo Album

Ag Day, Audio

Bayer Invests In Midwest Soybeans

Kelly Marshall

The expanded Soybean Breeding and Trait Development Center opened last week in Illinois is all about Midwest soybeans, according Marc Hoobler, Bayer Soybean Seed Product Manager.

“This faculty will specifically focused on Midwest soybean growers, so maturity groups two and three,” Hoobler explained. “Especially for the state of Illinois, we’re going to be providing new genetics that will be coming to the market and help growers manage several things in their field from nematodes and disease to insects and different herbicide trait platforms in soybeans to help them manage their weeds. Just a lot of new innovation coming out of Bayer.” Interview with Marc Hoobler, Bayer

This new innovation will center around soybeans, so for Bayer that means a focus on their flagship brand Credenz, which offers state-of-the-art technology from a herbicide standpoint, Hobbler says, and gives growers dealing with glyphosate or PPO resistance another choice in the LibertyLink trait.

The expansion doubles the size of the facilities dedicated to understanding soybean traits and crop protection products, Brent Philbrook, Agronomic Development Director said. This new space demonstrates Bayer’s commitment to soybeans and the need to develop cultivators that cast a broader net.

“Bayer has made significant commitments and put a lot of energy into expanding their trait development and particularly their soybean breeding efforts to bring Credenz varieties to the U.S. soybean growers,” Philbrook notes.

Learn more in this interview: Interview with Brent Philbrook, Bayer

Bayer Soybean Research – Illinois

Agribusiness, Audio, Bayer, Research, Soybean

Agri-Pulse Farm Bill Summit Success

Cindy Zimmerman

The Agri-Pulse Farm Bill Summit Monday at the National Press Club in Washington DC was an unqualified success, thanks to the efforts of the amazing Agri-Pulse team.

Major agricultural organizations helped to sponsor the event and provide insight into the development of the next farm bill. Panels covered a range of topics, from “Breaking Down the Baseline and Budget Challenges” to “Bridging the Gaps Between Farm and Food Policy.” The event included appearances and comments from the House and Senate Agriculture Committee leaders of both parties.

You can find all the audio from the event on AgNewsWire, including comments from Senators Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and Reps. Mike Conaway (R-TX) and Collin Peterson (D-MN).
Remarks from Rep. Mike Conaway, House Ag Committee Chairman  
Remarks from Rep. Collin Peterson, House Ag Committee Ranking Member  
Remarks from Senator Debbie Stabenow, Senate Ag Committee Ranking Member  
Remarks from Senator Pat Roberts, Senate Ag Committee Chairman  

Photos can be found on the Agri-Pulse website.
Agri-Pulse Farm Bill Summit photos

Agri-Pulse, Audio, Farm Bill

Ag Census Begins

Kelly Marshall

Every five years the U.S. Department of Agriculture conducts a census of all U.S. farms, ranches and the people who operate them and it is once again time for American agriculture to represent their industry in the 2017 Census of Agriculture.

The Census of Agriculture highlights land use and ownership, operator characteristics, production practices, income and expenditures, and other topics. The 2012 Census of Agriculture revealed that over three million farmers operated more than two million farms, spanning over 914 million acres. This was a four percent decrease in the number of U.S. farms from the previous census in 2007. However, agriculture sales, income, and expenses increased between 2007 and 2012. This telling information and thousands of other agriculture statistics are a direct result of responses to the Census of Agriculture.

“Today, when data are so important, there is strength in numbers,” said Hamer. “For farmers and ranchers, participation in the 2017 Census of Agriculture is their voice, their future, and their opportunity to shape American agriculture – its policies, services, and assistance programs – for years to come.”

USDA