Inviting Your Feedback on the AgWired Audience

Chuck Zimmerman

Howdy AgWired Tribe. I’ve got a question. How do I show an advertising agency or company who our audience is? Some want numbers and demographics in order to utilize us in a marketing campaign. Whether you are a farmer or work for agribusiness or an agency I’m interested in your thoughts and ideas on this.

Many of you have been following AgWired since the beginning and are a part of why this little old ag newsy blog has been such a success. I hope we’ve been able to provide you with good and entertaining information using new channels that allow you to get our content whenever, wherever and how ever you want it. My goal from the beginning was to use new media channels without barriers such as a form to fill out.

We did not accept advertising for the first couple years here on the website since I wanted to make sure this was a viable medium. And it sure is. As we’ve grown and developed we started accepting sponsorships of our meeting coverage and direct advertising too. But we have been running into some issues since we don’t make you fill out a form telling us if you farm, type, # of animals or acres, etc.

I wrote a post on this subject on my Facebook page last weekend and the response has been very good and welcomed. If you would like to comment here or there I would appreciate it.

We’re doing some strategic planning for ZimmComm New Media and any feedback would be helpful. I’m not making any predictions here but I sense some significant new changes coming to how we send and receive information. Take a look at the debacle of news coverage of the Presidential election and maybe you sense some change coming too.

Thank you. The ZimmComm Team is off to a great start in 2017 and we hope to see you on the agriblogging highway somewhere soon.

Uncategorized

#AFBF17 Looks at Immigration Reform

Kelly Marshall

A panel recently addressed the issue of immigration reform at the American Farm Bureau Federation‘s 2017 Annual Convention & IDEAg Trade Show. Tom Hertz, an economist from the Department of Agriculture and Mark Delich, director of congressional affairs at FWD spoke to the attendees about the economic and political realities of the issue, as well as some proposed reforms.

Hertz broke down trends in the farm workforce– declining immigration rate and rising labor costs, aging farming population, as well as possible expansion of the H2A program. Delich focused on the political landscape, talking about creating an organization that supports comprehensive immigration reform.

“We’re a nation started by immigrants,” Delich said. “It’s important to start the reform discussion by looking at the overall benefits of immigration—the entrepreneurship, work ethic and innovation immigrants bring—and we want to see that continue. […] Your members of Congress need to hear directly from you on this issue and why it’s important to you.”

Listen to the panel discussion here: AFBF Immigration Reform Session

2017 AFBF Annual Meeting Photos

AFBF, Audio

2016 Crop Production Summary Is In

Kelly Marshall

It’s been touted for months, but the USDA’s final Crop Production 2016 Summary finally confirms it, last year was a record-high yield for corn and soybeans.

In 2016 corn growers produced 15.1 billion bushels- 11 percent higher than 2015. Average yield is estimated to be 174.6 bushels per acre, up 6.2 bushels over the last crop. The National Agricultural Statistics Service says 86.7 million acres were harvested, a bump of 7 percent from 2015.

Similarly, soybean production broke records with a total of 4.31 billion total bushels. That’s 10 percent more than the previous year, and the average soybean yield was up 4.1 bushels over 2015, giving the nation an estimated record high of 52.1 bushels per acres. Area harvested went up 1 percent from last season, coming in at 82.7 million acres.Read More

Corn, Soybean, USDA

USFRA at #AFBF17

Cindy Zimmerman

One of the new exhibitors at the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) 2017 Annual Convention & IDEAg Trade Show in Phoenix this week was the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA), a group that AFBF was instrumental in creating five years ago.

USFRA Senior Manager for Affiliate Relations and Ag Communications Paul Spooner chatted with Farm Bureau members at the meeting about the latest programs they have been developing to tell the story of farming and ranching to the general public, including their SMART farming concept which got some attention last week at CES – the largest consumer electronics show in the world, with about 175,000 attendees.

“Usually agriculture isn’t represented at the Consumer Electronics Show,” said Spooner. “So we talked to these consumers and tech reporters about some of the smart things that we’re doing on today’s farms and ranchers, ranging from GPS and GMOs to animal nutrition trackers.”

USFRA is also excited about some additions this year to the Discovering Farmland program, which was launched in November 2015. “What’s next for us is digital exploration in our interactive lesson plans,” said Spooner. “Students are able to go to our website DiscoveringFarmland.com when they’re in a grocery store and they are able to look at different food product labeling claims.” Those would include non-GMO, organic, antibiotic free, etc. “It’s a way for them to learn more about the way their food is raised,” he added.

Learn more in this interview: Interview with Paul Spooner, USFRA

2017 AFBF Annual Meeting Photos

AFBF, Audio, USFRA

NASDA and @FarmBureau Presidents Town Hall

Cindy Zimmerman

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall held a town hall meeting with National Association of State Departments of Agriculture President and Louisiana Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain this week at the 2017 Annual Convention & IDEAg Trade Show to discuss issues critical to American agriculture, including who the next agriculture secretary might be.

“The only thing I can tell you is that it’s not me or you that I know of,” Strain said jokingly to Duvall about who President-elect Trump will name for the cabinet position. While we don’t know who will be named, Strain said he does know what he would like to see in a new secretary. “What we need in a new secretary of agriculture is a lion, not a lamb,” said Strain. “We need somebody that will stand up and fight for American agriculture.”

Duvall and Strain took questions from the audience on the trade show floor and addressed a variety of issues including regulatory reform, immigration reform and trade – listen to it here: AFBF and NASDA Presidents Town Hall

2017 AFBF Annual Meeting Photos

AFBF, Audio

U.S. & Cuba Trade Workshop at #AFBF17

Jamie Johansen

Cuba has become a near and dear topic for me since visiting the country a few months ago with fellow ag media. The people of Cuba are eager to normalize relations with their big neighbor to the North opening trade and opportunities for U.S. agriculture. During the 2017 American Farm Bureau Federation’s Annual Convention & IDEAg Trade Show experts gathered to share what this could mean for American farmers and ranchers’ bottom lines.

Dr. Steven Zahniser, an economist at the Agriculture Department’s Economic Research Service, said growth in U.S. agricultural trade with Cuba remains limited, with credit restrictions putting our products at a disadvantage.

“Normalized trade with Cuba could bring an increase of $1 billion per year in agriculture exports, compared with the estimated $195 million in sales of agriculture products from the U.S. to Cuba in 2016,” said Zahniser.

Marri Carrow, Western Hemisphere regional director for the U.S. Grains Council, said grain markets across Central America, and in Cuba specifically, are poised for growth after a couple rough economic years across the region.

“If we were to capture 100% of the Cuban market share for corn, they would be our 12th largest export market for corn globally,” said Carrow. “It’s not a small market—it’s not exactly big either—but it’s sizable and right in our backyard.”

Carrow said a return to our former market share in Cuba will depend on improved trade relations and removing the current credit restrictions. “Until we see those changes, we really have our hands tied when it comes to agricultural trade there.”

Listen to their complete remarks here: U.S. & Cuba Trade Workshop

View and download photos from the event here: 2017 AFBF Annual Meeting Photos

AFBF, Ag Groups, Audio, Exports, Trade

GROWMARK’s New Nationwide Scholarship Program

Kelly Marshall

GROWMARK is announcing a new scholarship program, according to Youth and Cooperative Education Specialist Karen Jones.

“The GROWMARK Foundation was looking for ways to support education in agriculture for students. We decided a scholarship would be a great way to support students studying agriculture, those who become our future employees or future customers or members,” Jones says.

Fifteen students will receive a $1,500 scholarship to pursue a degree in agriculture this fall. Previously GROWMARK’s scholarships had been tied to specific universities, but the new program is available to students in the U.S. or Ontario, Canada studying at any two- or four-year colleges and universities or trade school.

Applicants must complete an online application which includes academic information, community service and leadership activities, and essay questions regarding agriculture and cooperatives. Applications will be judged by a panel of agribusiness professionals. High school seniors or students at any level of higher education may complete the application, which can be found at growmark.com/scholarship. Applications are due by midnight on April 15, 2017 and recipients will be notified by July 1, 2017.

Learn more in this interview: Interview with Karen Jones, GROWMARK

Audio, Education, GROWMARK

Farm Bill Talk at #AFBF17

Cindy Zimmerman

There was a lot of interest in the development of the next farm bill at the American Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting this week in Phoenix. A session on the topic featuring a couple of top agriculture committee staffers was standing room only.

AFBF Senior Director of Congressional Relations Mary Kay Thatcher, who moderated the session, says Congress has a lot of priorities this year that come before work on a 2018 Farm Bill and she expects it will still be tough to pass legislation. “Just because you have a Republican president, Senate and House doesn’t mean everything happens easily,” she said. “It’s still going to require a bi-partisan effort and some negotiating.”

Thatcher does expect some progress to be made toward getting feedback to start developing a farm bill. “On the Senate side I think we will have an announcement in the relatively near future that they’re going to start listening sessions on the farm bill,” she said.

In this interview, Thatcher also talks about the frustration about not having an agriculture secretary nominated yet. Interview with Mary Kay Thatcher, AFBF

2017 AFBF annual meeting photos

AFBF, Audio, Farm Bill

#AFBF17 is a Wrap

Cindy Zimmerman

The 98th American Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting came to a close yesterday after the voting delegate session where members set policy for the coming year.

Delegates approved policy resolutions on a number of issues including crop insurance, the inclusion of food assistance in the upcoming farm bill, school nutrition, biotechnology, energy and more. Delegates passed a special resolution urging Congress to enact swift, meaningful and strongly bipartisan regulatory reform.

“The actions taken today by our farmer and rancher delegates from across the nation represent the culmination of our year-long grassroots policy process,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall, during his closing press conference. “It also provides us a roadmap for actions AFBF will take to implement our policies throughout this year, and I am optimistic about those prospects.”

Delegates also elected members to serve as board and committee leaders for the organization in the coming year.

Listen to President Duvall’s closing press conference here: #AFBF17 Closing Press Conference

2017 AFBF annual meeting photos

AFBF, Audio

Food Safety Rule Session at #AFBF17

Jamie Johansen

Bob Ehart, senior policy and science advisor with the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA), spoke to farmers and ranchers during the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 2017 Annual Convention & IDEAg Trade Show on the implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). NASDA and AFBF simply want to ensure farmers have the tools needed to meet these guidelines.

“There’s a whole lot of detail in these rules. It’s going to be very difficult to figure out where you fit and what’s expected of you,” said Ehart. “There is a logic associated with it, it’s just not a farmer’s logic.”

Of course we all want safe food. Ehart said we have to get this right. As the law directs the creation of an integrated food-safety system in partnership with state and local authorities, Ehart goes on to detail NASDA’s concerns about the water-related FSMA produce rules.

NASDA is piloting an On-Farm Readiness Review funded by the FDA through cooperative grants. The voluntary program would allow farmers to bring a third-party inspector to their farm to determine how they would fare during a FSMA-related inspection. A detailed tool kit is also in the works including a checklist focusing on water, worker training, sanitation and wildlife.

Listen to his complete remarks detailing the implementation of the FSMA’s produce rules here: Remarks from Bob Ehart, NASDA

View and download photos from the event here: 2017 AFBF Annual Meeting Photos

AFBF, Ag Groups, Audio, Food