USFRA Celebrates Ag Day

Kelly Marshall

Tomorrow is National Agriculture Day and hundreds of groups, companies and people will be participating in activities that celebrate American ag. US Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) will be honoring the day by co-sponsoring a panel on Smart Farming: Producing Sustainable, Nutritious Food for Life with National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA), National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) and American Agricultural Editors’ Association (AAEA). The event will take place at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. from 8:30-10:30 a.m.

Panelists include:
Moderated by Greg Horstmeier, DTN, Editor-in-Chief, panelists include:
Chip Bowling, Maryland crop farmer, NCGA Chairman, USFRA Vice Chairman
Lauren Schwab, Ohio pig farmer, USFRA Face of Farming & Ranching
Dr. Bob Young, American Farm Bureau Federation, Chief Economist & Deputy Executive Director, Public Policy
Beverly Flores, John Deere, Media and Communications Manager
Additionally, Ray Starling, Special Assistant to the President for Agriculture, Trade, and Food Assistance, will offer some remarks.

To join in, please register here.

Ag Groups, Events, USFRA

FMC’s Topguard Terra Now Approved for Even More

Kelly Marshall

Ken Smith, FMC Technical Service Representative for Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma, says Topguard Terra fungicide is something cotton growers are going to adopt. At the recent Mid-South Farm and Gin Show he explained how the product controls cotton root rot, a problem that has plagued cotton growers in the southwest since it was brought into the country, comparing it to the boll weevil in terms of severity.

And just as exciting as having a product that offers growers a solution to cotton root rot is the recent announcement that the USDA is expanding its usage.

“In the state of Texas we can apply this now either as a pre-plant injection; pre-plant injection means we can go out before planting and apply this in a strip or a furrow below the seed zone and then we come back and plant right on top of that. The other way we can put this out is behind the press wheel. We put a band right behind the press wheel in a three inch band. It’s what we’d call pre-emerge if we were doing other herbicides,” Smith explains. “The other technique that was approved through 2-EE is post emergence. We can go over the top of post emergent cotton with a band or we can direct it underneath the leaves in band right at the base of the stem.”

The new approvals are significant because it saves farmers on labor and allows them to put product in the field either before or after that critical planting window. Topguard Terra can also be applied through a drip irrigation system, making even more versatile.

Learn more about this product in Jamie Johansen’s interview with Ken Smith here: Interview with Ken Smith, FMC

Mid-South Farm & Gin Show

Coverage of the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show is sponsored by
Coverage of the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show is sponsored by FMC
Agribusiness, Audio, FMC, Fungicide

Bayer Investment Big for Soybean Growers

Cindy Zimmerman

ASA president Ron Moore, with Linda Kull and Jim Martin from Illinois Soybean Assn. at Bayer grand opening

Soybean growers are pleased with Bayer’s increased investment in the research and development of new soybean varieties.

“It’s outstanding that Bayer has put up a billion dollars to expand their soybean breeding all across the United States,” said American Soybean Association president and Illinois farmer Ron Moore. “Looks like Bayer is recognizing that soybeans are an important crop for their business.”

Moore, who farms in Roseville, Illinois, attended the grand opening of Bayer’s expanded breeding and trait development station in Champaign last week along with representatives from the Illinois Soybean Association research program director Linda Krull, and local district director Jim Martin of Pontiac, Illinois.

In this interview, Moore also talks about the importance of research funding for agriculture in the next farm bill, and activities this National Ag Week on Capitol Hill. Interview with ASA president Ron Moore

Bayer Soybean Research – Illinois

Audio, Bayer, Research, Soybean

Preview of Agri-Pulse Farm Bill Summit

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast 539Prior to National Ag Day Activities in Washington, DC next week, Agri-Pulse will be holding a big Farm Bill Summit, which is part of their on-going Farm Bill Series.

Cindy and Jamie Johansen will be attending the big event on Monday. To get a preview of it, I spoke with Sara Wyant of Agri-Pulse. The event is free but by invite only and it’s my understanding that it is “full!” By full, we are talking about over 400 registered to attend. It will be held at the National Press Club and consist of panels on different topics related to the farm bill. Sara says that it promises to be a great exchange of ideas by some of the most experienced Farm Bill veterans in the industry!

Listen to this week’s program for more information here: Agri-Pulse Farm Bill Summit

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

The ZimmCast

sponsored by
The ZimmCast podcast is sponsored by GROWMARK
Locally owned, globally strong.
Agri-Pulse, Audio, Farm Policy, ZimmCast

Farm Foundation Forum Rescheduled

Kelly Marshall

The Farm Foundation Forum that was canceled this past Tuesday, March 14, will now take place on Wednesday, April 26 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. EDT in the Holeman Lounge of the National Press Club in Washington D.C.

The speaker line-up for the forum on the Future of the North American Free Trade Agreement remains the same – Bob Stallman, a Texas farmer and former President of the American Farm Bureau Federation; Melissa San Miguel, Senior Director of Global Strategies for the Grocery Manufacturers Association; and Linda Dempsey, Vice President of International Economic Affairs for the National Association of Manufacturers. Constance Pullman, Farm Foundation President, will moderate.

Participation is free of charge, but the Farm Foundation asks that you please register for the forum, even if you had previously registered for the original time. A free, live audiocast will also be made available.

Ag Groups, Events, Farm Foundation

Perdue Confirmation Hearing Set

Cindy Zimmerman

Sonny Perdue will get a step closer to the office of agriculture secretary next week.

The Senate agriculture committee will hold a hearing March 23 on the nomination of the former Georgia governor, who was the last cabinet member to be named by President Trump. Two other cabinet members, Robert Lighthizer for U.S. trade representative and Alexander Acosta for labor secretary, are also still awaiting confirmation two months after President Trump took office.

Meanwhile, President Trump’s budget released this week calls for a 21 percent cut in USDA’s budget – about $4.7 billion – in discretionary spending, including cuts in rural water projects.

USDA

Bayer Invests $8 Million in Midwest Soybean Research

Cindy Zimmerman

On Thursday, Bayer wrapped up a week of grand openings by celebrating the expansion of the Soybean Breeding and Trait Development Center in Champaign County, Illinois. The new station will house research and development to identify, develop and test new varieties, using modern breeding methods, pushing the limits of yield potential for growers in the Midwest.

The expansion is part of a three-year, $1 billion commitment from Bayer to invest in new research facilities, expansions and renovations around the country.

Listen to the complete press conference about expansion and future research here: Midwest Field Tech Station Soybean Breeding & Trait Development Presser

View and download photos from the event here: Bayer Soybean Research – Illinois


Agribusiness, Audio, Bayer, Research, Soybean, Video

St. Patrick’s Day Medal Awarded to Alltech Founder

Kelly Marshall

Taoiseach Enda Kenny (right) presents The Science Foundation Ireland St. Patrick’s Day Science Medal 2017 to Dr. Pearse Lyons, president of Alltech, at the United States Institute of Peace. Photographed by Nick Crettier.

Dr. Pearse Lyons, founder and president of Alltech, and Professor Adrian E. Raftery, professor of statistics and sociology at the University of Washington, have been presented with the Science Foundation Ireland’s (SFI) ‘St. Patrick’s Day Science Medal.’ The medal recognizes their outstanding accomplishments and their role in researching Ireland’s ecosystem. The honor is given to an Irish scientist, engineer or technology leader living and working in the U.S.

Dr. Lyons, born in Dundalk, is the first Irish scientist to have created a science-based global business. Alltech now trades in more than 120 countries, employees 5,000 team members and maintains three bioscience centers for research and education, one in County Meath, Ireland.

Congratulating the recipients at an award event held in the United States Institute of Peace in Washington D.C., An Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD, said: “I am delighted to present the SFI St. Patrick’s Day Science Medal on behalf of Science Foundation Ireland, to these two exceptional leaders. Dr. Lyons and Prof. Raftery have both had a huge impact in their own areas of expertise and played pivotal roles in the development of researchers in Ireland.”

Agribusiness, Alltech

Soybeans on the Mississippi Delta – THE Place To Be

Jamie Johansen

Marion, Arkansas is the new home for soybean research from Bayer. The Marion Soybean Breeding and Trait Development Station sets the stage for the future of soybean improvements with this major investment from Bayer.

Chris Tinius, Bayer global soybean breeding director, said this piece of ground was very special to him. He actually worked on the same 180 acres of research and showcase plots starting as a soybean breeding in 1989 following Dr. Grover Shannon. “I am utterly convinced this is where great soybean varieties are born – on this farm, with this soil. The heart of the Mississippi Delta is so productive and predictive of what will be successful. This is the place to be.”

Chris said Bayer made a big effort to acquire the farm and build the state-of-the-art station. At Bayer we are “working on solutions to the problems we have now but also those that will cycle through and replace those solutions that we hope to introduce in the next few years.”

Weed control seems to be at the top of Chris’s list of things to tackle with the future of this new station. Listen to my complete interview with Chris to learn more: Interview with Chris Tinius, Bayer

View and download photos from the event here: New Bayer U.S. Research Facilities

Agribusiness, Audio, Bayer, Research, Soybean