The Importance of Crop Insurance At #FarmBillSummit

Jamie Johansen

Tom Zacharias, president of National Crop Insurance Services (NCIS), was among the speakers invited to address this week’s Agri-Pulse Farm Bill Summit in Washington, D.C.

Zacharias stressed the role crop insurance plays in ensuring a strong and vibrant agricultural sector, which is critical to the well-being of our economy and society as a whole.

“The role of both state and federally regulated crop insurance is to help provide financial stability to the agricultural sector in combination with other farm-level risk management strategies such sound marketing and good financial planning, as well as other USDA programs designed to support American agriculture,” Zacharias said.

Zacharias noted that crop insurance is the “cornerstone” of the farm safety net, and highlighted a few of the program’s key components that have contributed to its success. These characteristics include the fact that crop insurance is contractually based, that farmers have “skin in the game” and that they only receive a crop insurance payment in the event of an insured loss.

Listen to his remarks here: Remarks from Tom Zacharias, President, National Crop Insurance Services

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

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Agri-Pulse, Agribusiness, Audio, Crop Insurance, Farm Bill

Ethanol Powering CrappieMaster Boats

Chuck Zimmerman

This week I have had the opportunity to work with a team of Crappie Masters competitors to learn about their use and thoughts on putting E10 fuel in their boat. In fact, I’ll be talking with several teams at this evening’s tournament registration and meeting.

When it comes to using ethanol blended fuel in your boat engine it is important to follow manufacturer directions and actually just properly maintain your equipment. That is advice from pro fishermen like Terry Richard, picture on the left. Terry and teammate Casey Rayner will be competing in this weekend’s Crappie Masters tournament sponsored by The Renewable Fuels Association, American Ethanol, and Bass Pro Shops. It’s the Grenada Lake National Qualifier Mississippi State Championship. Terry and Casey are sponsored by the Renewable Fuels Association.

Today is pre-fishing day so I got out on Lake Grenada with these guys and although the bite was slow we did have positive results, like Terry’s first ever 3 pound crappie!

I’ll have more information from this event as I talk with teams like this one about their use and experience with E10 gas in their boat engines.

You can find photos from Grenada, MS here: 2017 Crappie Masters Grenada Tournament

Ag Groups, Biofuels, Ethanol, RFA

Pro Ag Insurance Group to Acquire International Ag

Kelly Marshall

Producers Ag Insurance Group, Inc. (ProAg), announced a purchase agreement had been signed to acquire crop managing general agent (MGA) International Ag Insurance Solutions, LLC (International Ag). The transaction, which is subject to a number of closing conditions including final approvals by certain International Ag members and regulatory authorities, is expected to close by April 3, 2017.

“ProAg believes International Ag provides a complementary platform to add business from a strong group of independent agents, while improving our profitability and enhancing our diversified portfolio. This acquisition shows TMHCC’s continued commitment to the U.S. crop insurance space. We are pleased to welcome International Ag’s management team, employees and independent agents to ProAg,” said Michael Connealy, ProAg’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

“International Ag is excited about the opportunity to join the financially strong and geographically diverse agricultural risk management program of ProAg. Under the guidance and support of ProAg, we will be able to expand our product offerings and elevate the superior service our customers have come to expect,” said Rob Boysen, International Ag’s Chief Executive Officer.
“Together with International Ag, we will work through the details to provide a seamless transition for policyholders, agents and employees over the coming months,” said Kendall Jones, ProAg’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

Agribusiness, Insurance

Duvall Addresses Agri-Pulse #FarmBillSummitt

Kelly Marshall

President of the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Zippy Duvall addressed the participants of the Agri-Pulse Farm Bill Summit earlier this week. Using his best southern charm, Duvall addressed the issue of the upcoming farm bill, pointing out the different circumstances farmers and ranchers are in as the last bill was being written and the economic climate now.

“The biggest problem with this farm bill and writing the next farm bill will be resources,” Duvall emphasizes. “The baseline that the CBO has is not enough to have a good safety net for the food security of our country and that’s why at American Farm Bureau we’re asking for increases in that baseline so we can build a true farm bill that helps us through the next four years.”

Farmers and ranchers must remain aware of what it happening in the political area, Duvall asserts, sharing the story of two mules he once purchased to give rides to his kids. Turning his back on the animals, “Bill” and “Hillary,” ended in a wrecked wagon; disengaging in today’s political world will result in its own kind of disaster.

Listen to Zippy Duvall’s full remarks here: Zippy Duvall, AFBF

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

AFBF, Ag Day, Ag Groups, Agri-Pulse, Audio

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