LibertyLink Finds Partners in FFA and AHA

Kelly Marshall March 3, 2017

LibertyLink may not immediately make you think of the American Heart Association (AHA), but Bayer wants to change that.

“So our goal is to build awareness around heart disease– one of the major killers in the rural market,” explains Jody Wynia, soybean and cotton manager for Bayer. “It’s 39 percent more prevalent in rural communitites than it is in the urban market. So we wanted to do some outreach programs to help build that awareness and help address a healthy lifestyle moving forward.”

Bayer selected their LibertyLink product for their AHA partnership because of it’s rapid growth. They saw a 70 percent increase in sales last year and expect another 50 percent increase this year. For each of the bags that fly off shelves in 2017, Bayer will donate 5 cents to the AHA’s Healthy for Good movement for a total donation of $500,000. They’ll also be raising awareness through educational activities in rural areas.

LibertyLink has another partner as well. The FFA has built a grassroots effort to spread the word about the benefits of using Liberty to address weed resistance through the RealYield Sweepstakes. State FFAs competed for their share of $50,000 Bayer designated to be split by the percentage of their involvement in the sweepstakes. Iowa FFA Foundation members worked hard and were rewarded well with a generous check of over $14,000 at Commodity Classic.

Learn more about Bayer’s partnership with the American Heart Association and the FFA in the full interview here: Interview with Jody Wynia, Bayer

Hear my interview with Joshua Remington, Executive Director of Iowa FFA Foundation and Erica Baier, Iowa State FFA officer here:Interview with Iowa State FFA

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Host Organizations Address #Classic17

Kelly Marshall March 3, 2017

National Sorghum Checkoff Program opened Commodity Classic with a big announcement– their partnership with DuPont Pioneer has yielded results.

“Today I’m pleased to share with you that, as a result of that partnership, we’ve made a discovery that is the first step, the first hurdle cleared in accelerating the sorghum breeding process,” said Cleve Franks, sorghum research scientist at DuPont Pioneer. “We’ve discovered two sorghum haploid inducers, which could ultimately lead to double haploids in sorghum. From a breeding perspective this could be a game changing discovery.”

Revolutionary could also describe the effects a double haploid could have on breeding. Currently it takes about 5 years to develop a commercial hybrid; the new system could bring that down to 1 year.

Listen to the National Sorghum Checkoff Program’s press conference here to learn more: National Sorghum Checkoff Program

Several members of the National Association of Wheat Growers addressed their top political priorities as well; issues like the upcoming Farm Bill, exports and trade with North American and Asia, and a national safety net in the form of crop insurance.

It’s a hard time for farmers across the country, says Vice President, Jimmie Musick. It’s very important that legislatures understand how critical these topics are to our country.

Listen to the full press release for the National Association of Wheat Growers here: National Association of Wheat Growers

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John Deere – Making Good Farms Even Better

Jamie Johansen March 3, 2017

John Deere’s passion for making good farms even better is evident with their commitment to Commodity Classic and the farmers from across the country who take in the event each year.

“Commodity Classic is one of the greatest trade show to be at because we have such great growers that attend. Corn growers, soybean growers, wheat and sorghum come and learn more about how they can take technology, whether it’s equipment technology or seed technology, to make things better on their farms. The conversations are really at that next level. Not just about features and benefits but about why someone might want to engage in our offerings,” said Deanna Kovar, Director, Production & Precision Ag Marketing at John Deere.

Listen to Deanna and I’s complete converstation here: Interview with Deanna Kovar, John Deere

View and download photos from the event here: 2017 Commodity Classic Photo Album

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High-Yield Strategies from @StollerUSA at #Classic17

Kelly Marshall March 3, 2017

Attendees of this year’s Commodity Classic are here in San Antonio, Texas to learn, and who better to learn from than Stoller‘s panel of top yielding farmers. The Stoller “Break Through Yield Barriers” session not only asked panelists to share about their operations, it also invited the packed crowd to participate by texting answers to poll questions during the discussion.

Dan Arkels of Peru, Illinois, Casey Hook from Lake City, Arkansas, Zack Rendel of Miami, Oklahoma, and Perry Galloway hailing from Gregory, Arkansas got down into the nitty-gritty of what it takes to be a high yielding producer, covering management strategies from crop protection to planters, as well as what it takes to be a good farm wife– tractor included.

The top-notch panel was moderated by ag reporter Ken Root and grower Steven Albrecht, a combination that was well worth the price of admission. You can hear the whole thing right here though, without so much as a plastic name badge: Stoller Break through Yield Barriers Session

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ASA and NCGA Talk Priorities at #Classic17

Cindy Zimmerman March 2, 2017

ASA VP John Heisdorffer

A new farm bill, growing export markets, maintaining the Renewable Fuel Standard, taxes and regulatory reform are just a few of the top priorities for corn and soybean farmers in 2017.

American Soybean Association president Ron Moore of Illinois, vice president John Heisdorffer of Iowa, and chairman Richard Wilkins of Delaware discussed some of those big issues during a press conference at the Commodity Classic Thursday. Heisdorffer highlighted the importance of working with the Trump administration on expanding export markets, increasing bilateral trade agreements, and keeping a good relationship with China. “We cannot afford to get China trade wrong, there’s just too much at stake for soybean farmers,” he said. ASA press conference

National Corn Growers Association president Wesley Spurlock of Texas said their first priority will be to protect market gains made through previous trade agreements,” said Spurlock. “We understand the president has concerns with NAFTA, but we are hopeful that he will take a boarder look at the gains our country has enjoyed through reduced trade barriers.”

Spurlock was joined by NCGA CEO Chris Novak, chairman Chip Bowling of Maryland, and first vice president Kevin Skunes of North Dakota. NCGA press conference

ASA and NCGA are two of the five groups who host the annual Commodity Classic. The others are the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG), National Sorghum Producers (NSP), and Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). We will be posting press conferences from all of them.

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NAMA Names Nickerson 2017 Marketer of the Year

Cindy Zimmerman March 2, 2017

The National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) has named Bader Rutter CEO Greg Nickerson has been selected as the 2017 NAMA Marketer of the Year.

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. Perhaps even more significant is Nickerson’s leadership in creating the industry’s broadest portfolio of agricultural clients, as well as expanding Bader Rutter’s expertise into food, technological services, buildings, interiors and more. He is positioning the agency as a thriving high-energy environment to retain and attract top talent to support ever-evolving client needs.

The NAMA Marketer of the Year award will be presented during the 2017 Agri-Marketing Conference in Dallas, Texas, and is sponsored by Agri Marketing magazine.

NAMA

2017 Commodity Classic is Underway

Cindy Zimmerman March 2, 2017

The 2017 Commodity Classic is being held in San Antonio this week and close to 9,000 attendees are already here taking advantage of the education and networking opportunities.

Established in 1996, Commodity Classic is America’s largest farmer-led, farmer-focused convention and trade show, produced by the National Corn Growers Association, American Soybean Association, National Association of Wheat Growers, National Sorghum Producers, and Association of Equipment Manufacturers.

Your AgWired team is here on the ground and gathering lots of content to share – watch our Twitter and Facebook feeds for more!

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Funding the Next Ag Food Revolution

Lizzy Schultz March 2, 2017

There is no question that the world is entering a new agricultural food revolution, with new technological innovations remaining necessary in order to solve the many current and future problems facing global food security and sustainability. Several panelists were brought in during the 2017 Bayer #AgVocacy Forum to discuss how the industry is going to be able to fund the new technologies required for the next food revolution and where the investment focus needs to be prioritized. Panelists included Louisa Burwood-Taylor, chief editor, AGFUNDER USA, Ben Chostner, vice president, business development, Blue River Technology, and Steve Tuttle, president & CEO, Agrimetis.

Burwood-Taylor explained that the willingness to invest in the industry absolutely exists, with investments in the ag-tech industry increasing from 500 million in 2013 to 4.6 billion in 2015.

Ag biotech funding is especially popular, she said, with investments in that area specifically up 150%, which totals over 700 million dollars.

Chostner and Tuttle both highlighted the importance of eliminating global food waste, and the incredible costs associated with it, as the industry continues to invest in expensive technologies.

“When you look at the amount of waste in the food channel after production is finished, we have to do a better job of educating ourselves on how to use that food,” said Chostner. “The waste is unacceptable. When you look at the demand coming, we have to reduce that waste. We cannot continue on the economies of scales we are and accept that kind of waste.”

“We’re trying to invest in new technologies because of the labor shortage and in an attempt to increase our progit margins, but with the cost of new equipment and technologies skyrocketing, we may need to work on increasing demand for produce that has imperfections so we can utilize the technology to harvest those imperfect products,” said Tuttle.

Catch the whole session here:
Funding the Next Agricultural Food Revolution

View and download photos from the event here: 2017 Bayer AgVocate Forum Photos

Ag Groups, Audio, Bayer

Bayer Talks Policy – Trade, WOTUS, Farm Bill

Jamie Johansen March 2, 2017

News from Washington comes daily and every decision in one way, shape or form impacts our agriculture community. The Bayer AgVocacy Form provided a platform for key policy issues to be discussed and Bayer’s Federal Relations and Policy Senior Director, Jim McVaney, shared his insights into the new administration.

“The fact that agriculture didn’t play a role in the President’s speech [to Congress] is interesting. But I don’t think it’s a negative. He did not run on a platform that was heavy on ag policy. What he did was run on a platform that was heavy on regulatory reform, streamlining the process and making government more friendly to business. Every other indication he has given says it will apply to how he approaches policies that impact the farm.”

With the news of Water of the United States (WOTUS) hot off the presses, Jim said he has been in D.C. for twenty-five years and he has never seen a rule generate so much negative activity. “On the WOTUS angle, we support our customers. What the executive order does and does not do still has to shack out. I think the order is a demonstration of the President’s commitment and seriousness to fixing this regulation. At the end of the day I think we will get something that is more streamlined and collaborative with the farming community and from the states.”

Jim also hits on the 2018 Farm Bill. Listen to my complete interview to see how it’s funding impacts the world of crop protection. Interview with Jim McVaney, Bayer Federal Relations & Policy Dir

View and download photos from the event here: 2017 Bayer AgVocate Forum Photos

Agribusiness, Audio, Bayer, Crop Protection, Crop Science, politics

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