GROWMARK and FS Support Pollinator Literacy in Illinois

Cindy Zimmerman December 5, 2016

ILFB president Richard Guebert with GROWMARK’s Amy Bradford

Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom (IAITC) programs are buzzing with an increased emphasis on pollinators, thanks to GROWMARK and its FS member cooperatives.

At the Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB) annual meeting this week, GROWMARK Corporate Relations and Foundation Manager Amy Bradford announced new collaborative efforts focused on activities and education related to the importance of pollinators.

“We place a high priority on teaching students the role agriculture plays in their lives,” said Bradford. “This year, we are excited to participate in activities that enhance students’ understanding of the importance of pollinators in agriculture and food production. While much of the focus is on honeybees, we want students to understand there are a number of pollinators, including butterflies and hummingbirds, which are all important to ensuring a reliable supply of food.”

GROWMARK recently renewed its IAITC commitment with a $73,000 contribution that supports the development of a new Pollinators Ag Mag and classroom poster. Materials and lessons also will feature native Illinois plants that serve as pollinator hosts, discuss what farmers do, and what students can do to help protect and encourage pollinator habitats.

GROWMARK launched a robust pollinator support program this year as part of its Endure sustainability platform. More than 40 4-H clubs in Illinois, Iowa and Missouri, and nearly 30 GROWMARK System employees grew pollinator habitats in 2016 and the program is expanding next year to include FFA chapters.

Learn more about GROWMARK’s pollinator support efforts in this interview with Amy: Interview with Amy Bradford, GROWMARK

Audio, Bees, FS System, GROWMARK, pollinators

Heading to #ASTACSS

Cindy Zimmerman December 5, 2016

We’ll be heading out today for the Windy City (which is also pretty cold this week) for America’s largest seed industry conference – the American Seed Trade Association 71st Corn & Sorghum Seed Research Conference 46th Soybean Seed Research Conference and Seed Expo. That’s a mouthful, so they just call it ASTA’s CSS 2016 & Seed Expo, or #ASTA-CSS.

The event brings together over 3,000 seed industry professionals for educational and networking opportunities and the program includes the most timely session topics for participants. There is an expanded Student Track program this year that offers opportunities for students and young professionals to collaborate with industry veterans on their future career paths. There’s also a new Columbus Hall Innovations Lounge and round table meeting area, as well as the Expo that features everything new in the seed industry.

Founded in 1883, ASTS is one of the oldest trade organizations in the country, consisting of over 700 companies involved in seed production and distribution, plant breeding, and related industries in North America. Learn more about ASTA in the video below.

ASTA, Seed, Video

Wisconsin GROWMARK Essay Winner Announced

Kelly Marshall December 5, 2016

GROWMARK has announced the Wisconsin state winner of their 2017 essay contest. FFA members competed on the theme “What value do cooperatives provide to today’s farmers?” Casey Groening’s submission earned him the top prize for responses like this:

“The value of cooperatives is immensely important to today’s farmers, and is more than what is seen at a business level. Farmers who join and utilize the services are the ones who receive the benefits. Advantages are given straight to the members, helping financially and economically. Members of a cooperative, while working together, can achieve new markets and opportunities previously inaccessible to them.”

Crooning will be awarded $500 from GROWMARK and his Bruce FFA chapter will receive $300 in his honor to assist future students. The four state runners-up have earned a $125 award as well. They are: Taylor Adleman, Medford FFA, Medford, Wisconsin; Allison Bragger, Independence FFA, Independence, Wisconsin; Kendra Gillett, Beaver Dam FFA, Fall River, Wisconsin; and Alexis Harper, River Ridge FFA, Glen Haven, Wisconsin.

This is the 24th year for the program, sponsored by the GROWMARK System and FS member cooperatives, in conjunction with state FFA leaders, to help young people develop their writing skills, learn about current issues in agriculture, and understand the unique role of cooperatives.

Ag Groups, FFA, GROWMARK

Political Insights from #ARA2016 Keynote

Kelly Marshall December 2, 2016

Stuart Rothenberg knows the word “nonpartisan” is suspect, but as the Founding Editor of The Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, that’s what he strives to be. In his recent keynote address to the members of the Agricultural Retailers Association meeting this week in Orlando, Rothenberg talked about the recent Presidential election, and how it was big in more ways than one.

It was big because the outcome was stunning in many respects, Rothenberg said. It’s more than an upset in the polls, but because someone like Trump has never won a major election in this country, or indeed, in any country in the world. He lacked a plan, a political strategy, and basically convention of any sort, but the American people chosen him for those very reasons.

Of course, it was also big because the difference in votes between the 2008 election and this one were pretty tiny, considering the number of overall votes. But while they were small, they were significant. More than one key win was obtained by slight margins on both sides that Tuesday night, but the results were immense.

Here’s an excerpt from the start of his keynote address: ARA Keynote Address, Stuart Rothenberg

2016 ARA Conference & Expo Photo Album

Coverage of the ARA Conference and Expo is sponsored by

Ag Groups, Agribusiness, ARA, Audio, politics

GROWMARK Announces Missouri Essay Winner

Cindy Zimmerman December 2, 2016

GROWMARK has named Marrah Delmont of Halfway, Missouri as the state winner of the 2017 GROWMARK essay contest for FFA members with the theme “What value do cooperatives provide to today’s farmers?”

In her contest entry, Delmont said: “The benefits cooperatives provide go far beyond economics. As successful cooperatives grow, successful leaders, directors, managers, and other employees grow too. By putting members at the heart of the cooperative, farmers are taught the values of selflessness, teamwork, diligent labor, leadership, and a passion for agriculture that continues to grow with time. Cooperatives have been around for hundreds of years, and will continue to grow and benefit others. Cooperatives build a better world.”

As the contest winner, Delmont will receive a $500 award from GROWMARK and the Halfway FFA chapter will receive a $300 award in honor of her accomplishment. In addition, four state runners-up will each receive a $125 award. The runners-up and their FFA chapters are – Daniel Dothage, Wellsville-Middletown FFA; Taylor Dye, Paris FFA; Regan Meyer, Jefferson FFA, Stanberry; and Logan Westmoreland, Columbia FFA, Rocheport.

FFA, GROWMARK

Two Years of Progress for ResponsibleAg

Kelly Marshall December 2, 2016

ResponsibleAg began their safety compliance mission two years ago, and already the program has signed up 2,284 locations, Bill Qualls reported at the Agricultural Retailers Association Conference & Expo.

The numbers reflect the importance of safety to members of the industry, Qualls asserts, and it is his job to make sure they’re well informed. “My goal is to help each of these retail sites, suppliers, distributors, anyone who wants to participate in ResponsibleAg understand the compliance objectives, the issues that regulators are interested in, to identify those and fix those thing to be much safer than they were before.”

Already the program has completed 1,100 audits. While these inspections have noted more than 45,000 non compliance issues, more than 99 percent of the problems were related to documentation, training or other issues not directly affecting the health or safety of workers. In addition to that good news, 25,000 of the problems have already been fixed.

The organization is also working with an insurance company to hopefully provide discounts to companies with the ResponsibleAg certification.

Learn more about the program by listening to Qualls address here: Bill Qualls, ResponsibleAg

2016 ARA Conference & Expo Photo Album

Coverage of the ARA Conference and Expo is sponsored by

Ag Groups, ARA, Audio, Safety

#ARA2016 Awards Presented

Cindy Zimmerman December 2, 2016

The Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) presented its most prestigious awards during the association’s annual meeting this week in Florida.

Being an organization of ag retailers, it stands to reason that one of the biggest awards is Retailer of the Year. Sponsored by Monsanto, ARA and AgProfessional magazine, the ARA Ag Retailer of the Year honors the very best in the industry and this year that was Gar Tootelian of central California, represented by president Greg Musson and managing partner Karen Musson. The award was presented to them by Mark Heldt of Monsanto and ARA CEO Daren Coppock. ARA Retailer of the Year

The ARA Distinguished Service Award honors an individual member of the association who has gone above and beyond the traditional responsibility to support the ag retail industry and the association – making the industry better for all. This year’s honoree is Jamie Southard of The Equity who was instrumental in the industry fight this year to maintain the retail facility exemption to the Process Safety Management (PSM) Standard. Listen to his remarks here: ARA Distinguished Service Award

In 2010, the ARA Lifetime Achievement Award was renamed the Jack Eberspacher Lifetime Achievement award to honor the memory ARA’s former President & CEO who passed away in July 2009. This award is the highest honor presented by ARA for a career in agricultural retail and it was presented this year to Dr. W. David Downey, Professor Emeritus, Purdue University. Listen to his remarks here: ARA Lifetime Achievement Award

2016 ARA Conference & Expo Photo Album

Coverage of the ARA Conference and Expo is sponsored by

Agribusiness, ARA, Audio

Topguard® Terra Helping SW Cotton Farmers

Cindy Zimmerman December 1, 2016

Cotton root rot has been a problem for farmers in the southwest for decades, but FMC’s Topguard® Terra is making a difference.

FMC Southern Regional Business Manager Matt Hancock says Topguard® Terra is an extremely systemic triazole fungicide. “So it gets into the plant and it stays there,” he said during an interview this week at the ARA Conference and Expo. “That’s how it offers season long control of the disease.”

Hancock says they have seen higher yields in the field with Topguard® Terra. “We see improved yields by 30-plus percent,” he said. “In some cases, this is ground where you couldn’t have even grown cotton without this type of protection.” In fact, cotton production and acreage are up significantly this year in all areas of the country.

In this interview, Hancock also talks about why agricultural retailers are so important to FMC in its relationship with farmers. Interview with Matt Hancock, FMC - Topguard Terra

2016 ARA Conference & Expo Photo Album

Coverage of the ARA Conference and Expo is sponsored by

Agribusiness, ARA, Audio, Cotton, FMC, Fungicide

CEO Daren Coppock Addresses #ARA2016

Kelly Marshall December 1, 2016

The Agricultural Retailers Association Convention & Expo heard from CEO, Daren Coppock with the President’s report and review of the year.

He couldn’t begin without talking about the election, Coppock said. “This opens up some unexpected avenues for us. It was a surprising outcome in a number of ways. But if we look at implications for our industry there are a few things that we can draw from the election.”

The first opportunity is the relocation of celebrities from Hollywood to Canada, Coppock joked. But on a more serious note, he states that the Trump administration and Republican Congress will offer a time to counter the over abundance of burdensome regulations. The American Farm Bureau Federation has already sent a letter outlining programs that are counter productive, costly, or a liability. Now Coppock has asked staff at the ARA to make a list of regulations specifically applying to retailers as well.

PSM tops the list. In the last year PSM has been challenged in court for not allowing a notification period. The court agreed with ARA’s position, but OSHA is now saying they cannot offer interpretation on other regulations. OSHA has appealed, so that process is currently in the works, hopefully to wrap up by the end of the year.

Coppock addressed a number of other issues in his address; listen to them in his full speech here: Daren Coppock, ARA CEO

Lots of photos being uploaded here: 2016 ARA Conference & Expo Photo Album

Coverage of the ARA Conference and Expo is sponsored by

Ag Groups, ARA

Should EPA Increase Biofuels Use?

Jamie Johansen December 1, 2016

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “What are you most thankful for this year?”

Family, friends, food and freedom…no doubt the simple majority shined in our Thanksgiving poll.

Here are the poll results:

Family – 13%
Friends – 3%
Food – 0%
Freedom – 0%
All of the above – 80%
Other – 3%

Our new ZimmPoll is live and asks the question, Should EPA increase biofuels use?

EPA set final levels for biofuels use in 2017 under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) last week that are in line with the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act, calling for the maximum 15 million gallons of conventional ethanol for the first time and increasing volumes for biomass-based biodiesel. What’s your reaction to that?

ZimmPoll

Page 562 of 2,374
←
1
...
561
562
563
...
2374
→