Addressing Sustainability with International Buyers

Kelly Marshall October 31, 2016

Addressing the issue of sustainability with international buyers of U.S. grains at the Export Exchange 2016 was Field to Market data and technology director Paul Hishmeh. Field to Market focuses on quantifiable sustainability in agriculture and Hishmeh brought an overview of what that looks like to the conference, which is co-sponsored by the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) and the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) every other year to bring together international buyers and domestic suppliers of corn, ethanol co-products, sorghum and barley.

Sustainability is being touted in many areas and various ways, but consumers are the real drivers behind behind the movement, Hishmeh asserts. Eighty percent of consumers expect more sustainability from companies, 70 percent want to know more about how their food is cared for before it arrives at the super market, and 60 percent of millennials are willing to pay more for sustainable products; a fact that can be seen in the growth of organic food and fair trade products.

Companies are looking for ways to accomplish what consumers are expecting. Some Field to Market members are taking great strides, like Coca-Cola working to reduce greenhouse gases across the supply chain by 25 percent, or Wal-Mart looking to assure fertilizer optimization on 14 million acres.

“There is a strong commitment in the United States for sure, and abroad, to look at sustainability in a very meaningful way,” Hishmeh says.

Key to the success of Field to Market is a nonprofit with a small staff, but it is member companies that make things happen within the organization. Members include grower organizations and companies across the food supply chain. Their overall goal, he says, is simple but important. Field to Market is “meeting the needs of today while improving the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

Learn more about Field to Market’s four pillars, the Field Print Calculator, agronomic tools and other sustainability efforts in the U.S. in Paul Hishmeh’s speech here: Presentation by Paul Hishmeh, Field to Market

2016 Export Exchange Photo Album

Coverage of Export Exchange 2016 made possible by

Audio, Ethanol, Exports, Feed, Grains, RFA, USGC

FMC’s Expanding Portfolio Offers New Fungicides

Joanna Schroeder October 28, 2016

“This is one of the most exciting times to be at FMC,” Kaustubh Borah, segment manager for specialty crops, told AgWired during the 42nd annual CAPCA Conference & Agri-Expo. With the acquisition of Cheminova, FMC’s fungicide portfolio has expanded. For instance, in the TF&V segment FMC now has some new fungicides along with some insecticides and herbicides to complement the entire portfolio.

FMC’s Kaustubh Borah speaks with AgWired’s Joanna Schroeder about their new fungicides Rhyme and Fracture during the 2016 CAPCA Conference.

FMC used CAPCA as the platform to launch two new fungicides. The first is Rhyme™ fungicide, which Borah says it is one of the most highly systemic triazoles in the marketplace. “What this basically means is that it translocates within the plant very quickly and helps to control some very difficult to control diseases such as powdery mildew, brown rot blossom blight and leaf rust.” Borah said they are also going to be getting a chemigation label to help their farmer customers use it through the drip. Borah also pointed out iprodione, Sovran® fungicide and mancozeb (Koverall® fungicide) as some other fungicide offerings complementing the portfolio.

FMC also has a new biological called Fracture® fungicide. I asked Borah how the fungicide works and how it differs from others on the market. He explained that the polypeptide is extracted from sweet lupine plants and it binds itself to the cell walls of the fungi and fractures it, hence the name Fracture. It then coats the fungal cell membrane covering it completely and then prevents the cell from absorbing nutrients thus suffocating it. Within four hours the cell cannot reproduce and within eight hours the cell is dead. “Fracture controls powdery mildew and botrytis. It has a 24 hour PHI and a four-hour REI,” said Borah.

In terms of how it stands out, Borah explained Fracture fungicide has multiple modes of action and it is so unique that Borah said a new FRAC Group, M12, had to be created for its active ingredient, BLAD. “So growers who want to practice good resistance management should use Fracture fungicide in their program.” He recommends rotating different classes of fungicides for resistance management and using Fracture fungicide in the rotation program to break the ‘cycle’.

Borah noted that if a grower keeps using the same mode of action, resistance is likely to develop. Fracture fungicide is a preventative material with some curative activity. He added that they expect the OMRI label in the first quarter of 2017, enabling organic growers the ability to use Fracture fungicide. He seemed excited that the organic growers would soon be able to use this effective fungicide in their program. The product is available in all TF&V markets across the country and is currently labeled on strawberries, grapes, tomatoes and almonds. It controls powdery mildew, botrytis and brown rot blossom blight. FMC is looking to add new crops and testing for control of additional diseases with Fracture fungicide. He reiterated FMC’s commitment to work with customers in understanding gaps and bring truly new innovative solutions to the market place.

To learn more about FMC’s expanding portfolio, listen to my interview with Kaustubh Borah here: Interview with Kaustubh Borah, FMC

Be sure to check out even more action by viewing the 42nd Annual CAPCA Photo Album.

Agribusiness, Audio, FMC, Fungicide

How Agriculture Can Help Improve Aid and Nutrition

Joanna Schroeder October 28, 2016

Written for AgWired by Carol Trehearn.

Fresh Food On Market:
© .shock | Dreamstime

Earlier this month thousands upon thousands of people from around the world met in Des Moines, Iowa for the World Food Prize to continue discussions about one of the biggest challenges in our future: food. On a global level, there has always been major concerns over world hunger and how to provide aid and nutrition to third world, developing countries. Not only do these nations have problems growing enough crops to feed their own people but they also don’t have the money to buy agricultural products from countries that have an excess and they certainly don’t have the technology to improve the ways in which crops are grown with increased yields. For those nations that have adequate space for agricultural pursuits, higher education in agriculture and healthcare along with money to aid those nations, it is up to them to help provide solutions to at least keep them fed with adequate nutrients so that they can perhaps learn to feed themselves.

Technology for Disseminating Information
One of the major problems in the past has been the ability to disseminate information on healthcare concerns because there was no way to get current information out. With the advent of the Internet and advanced health informatics, workers can go out in the field to assess current conditions, pass that information along to organizations such as WHO, the World Health Organization, and hope that there are funds and food available to feed undernourished children who sometimes don’t eat for days on end. Technology is making it easier to quickly get aid where it belongs but that is only a beginning.

A Focus on Recruitment of Healthcare Humanitarian Aid
In the United States, there are a number of healthcare programs in colleges and universities that can raise up a workforce qualified to go out and assess health problems around the world. Those who pursue a masters in healthcare informatics would design platforms to keep current needs in the Cloud so they could be viewed, assessed and responded to by humanitarian agencies around the world. A graduate degree in health care informatics is essential in designing platforms for gathering data that will communicate current needs and levels of need. Some countries have reached crisis levels of hunger and those are the metrics which need to be assessed and dealt with. It is only in knowing that a problem can be addressed and technology is key to disseminating that information.

Technology for Higher Yields with Higher Nutritional Values
In recent years, technology has found ways to increase the yield, specifically in grains and also technology has provided ways in which to increase the nutritional value in foods that are grown in the earth. Vitamin A is a major vitamin that can see increases due to technology and it is the hope that if insufficient amounts of food can be produced, at least the nutritive value can be improved.

When looking at the big picture, there are a great number of countries that have been hit hard by famine and disease. Affluent countries such as the United States, the UK and Germany can, and do, offer ongoing humanitarian aid but is it enough? At this time it is not but with the sharing of new advances in agricultural technology, there is hope for the future.

Education, Food, Nutrition

Merck Animal Health Helps to #SpeakAg at #TransformFFA

Jamie Johansen October 28, 2016

Merck Animal Health is a devout supporter of the National FFA Organization, which was evident throughout the 89th National FFA Convention with their sponsorship of the opening session, lanyards and presence in the expo.

I caught up with Cameron Aguiar, national accounts manager, Merck, who said, “FFA is the future of America. We find value in educating kids on the new technologies in animal health and this is a perfect venue to do it.” They also helped promote the National FFA campaign #SpeakAg, helping to provide a voice for FFA members at home, in their chapters, throughout their college years and into a career in agriculture.

Merck Animal Health is focused on technology and innovation. They also recognize the need to educate people of it’s benefits. Cameron said that one way to do so is through FFA members. He said many conversations took place in their booth where they were able to share opportunities for internships, questions students might have on future careers in animal health and what steps they can take to help share the role innovation and technology play in our daily lives.

Listen to my complete interview with Cameron here: Interview with Cameron Aguiar, Merck Animal Health

Be sure to check out even more action by viewing the 89th National FFA Convention & Expo Photo Album.

Coverage of the National FFA Convention is sponsored by

Agribusiness, Animal Health, Audio, FFA, Livestock

Farmers Favor Trump in Agri-Pulse Poll

Joanna Schroeder October 28, 2016

A new nationwide poll commissioned by Agri-Pulse reveals that a majority of farmers and ranchers favor Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential race. Fifty-five percent of those surveyed said they support Republican Trump while 18 percent indicated they support Democrat Clinton. Only 2 percent plan to vote for Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson and just 1 percent for the Green Party’s Jill Stein. With only two weeks until the election, 15 percent of those surveyed said they were undecided and 8 percent did not answer the question.

When the results are broken down between male and female respondents, 59 percent men and 37 percent women indicated they would vote for Trump while 15 percent males and 33 percent females responded with support for Clinton. Eighteen percent women indicated they were undecided. The GOP nominee scored particularly well in two battleground states, with support from 68 percent of the farmers and ranchers in Ohio and 58 percent in Florida.

Compared to a similar Agri-Pulse poll conducted in late January, respondents indicated an even greater dissatisfaction with the direction of the country, the farm economy and the regulatory environment.

When asked if they were satisfied or dissatisfied with the way things are going in America, 86 percent said they were “somewhat” or “very dissatisfied.” That indicates an uptick from another Agri-Pulse poll conducted in late January of this year. At that time, slightly over three-quarters of the voters surveyed were dissatisfied with the direction of the country. Those levels of dissatisfaction were at 90 percent or higher in Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

“Economic growth” rose to the top when respondents were asked to identify the one most important issue facing this country heading into the 2016 presidential election, with about 19 percent nationally selecting this option, up from 9 percent in January. That was the choice of about 19 percent of the Republicans, 16 percent of the Democrats and 18 percent of the Independents.

That represents a substantial shift from the January poll, when 19 percent of Republicans and Democrats listed “national security/terrorism” as their top choice, followed by “moral values” at 14 percent, “immigration/ag labor” at almost 14 percent and “deficit reduction” at 13.5 percent. In the October poll, the second most important issue selected was “deficit reduction,” favored by about 16 percent, followed by “moral values” at 12 percent nationally. National security and terrorism dropped down to 7 percent. Read More

Agri-Pulse, politics

FMC’s “Buck” Buckwalter Awarded Highest CAPCA Honor

Joanna Schroeder October 27, 2016

Each year, the California Association of Pest Control Advisors (CAPCA) honors a member with its “PCA Advisor of the Year Award and Service to CAPCA.” The highest honor given by the association was awarded to Henry “Buck” Buckwalter, state regulatory government affairs manager for FMC, during the 2016 Conference & Agri-Expo luncheon. The 42nd annual event was held at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, California and Buck received thunderous applause as he took the stage to accept the award.

FMC’s Henry “Buck” Buckwalter receives PCA Advisor of the Year Award and Service to CAPCA from former President Jeremy Briscoe.

I asked Buck how it felt to get up in front of hundreds of people and accept such an honor. “It was difficult because I never thought I’d be a recipient of this award. There’s a lot of good people who have received this award before, and to put me in with that crowd was a bit humbling. I might say very humbling,” he said.

He joined a CAPCA chapter when he moved to California and said at the time the biggest draw was that the organization calculated your CEU hours (Continuing Education Units. Buck said his next draw was the camaraderie and the exchange of information with his peers. Today he sits on the board and helps with regulatory issues.

I also asked Buck if 30 years ago he could envision the new tools and technologies available today to which he answered, “No, I could never predict some of the precision agriculture we have today or some of the genomics we have to choose from as growers today – no, I never would have thought.” However, the water issues California is seeing today, Buck said, the ag industry saw coming back in the late 70s and so water and pesticide management was used then to conserve resources just as they are now.

To learn more about Buck, listen to my interview here: Interview with Henry Buckwalter, FMC

Be sure to check out even more action by viewing the 42nd Annual CAPCA Photo Album.

Audio, FMC, pesticides, Precision Agriculture, Water

Ag Groups Defend Sustainability of #GMOs

Cindy Zimmerman October 27, 2016

Agricultural organizations are doubling down on their defense of biotechnology as sustainable, after challenging Dannon for its pledge to eliminate genetically-modified ingredients from some products, citing that it improves sustainability.

“There comes a time when we as farmers and ranchers need to step up and challenge when companies misinform consumers,” said U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance CEO Randy Krotz on a press call this morning to announce plans for a “Straight Talk” campaign to engage the food industry in a dialogue on sustainable agriculture production.

While many foods are being marketed as non-GMO, Dannon was a tipping point for the industry because their pledge indicated that GMO crops were less sustainable that non-GMO crops. “It’s really about sustainability – it’s not about non-GMO or GMO, we can grow whatever the customer wants,” said USFRA chair Nancy Kavazanjian of Wisconsin. “To equate a modern technology that we use that makes us more sustainable and to try and say it makes us less sustainable – that was the point where we had to say something.”

“When you look at the product that Dannon is talking about putting on the shelf…there’s only two differences,” said National Milk Producers Federation chairman Randy Mooney of Missouri. “One is the writing on the carton and the other is the price. If agriculture goes back 20 years, food prices in this country are going to go up.”

University of Arkansas Office for Sustainability Executive Director Dr. Marty Matlock discussed how food biotechnology has helped improve agricultural sustainability since 1980, citing statistics on corn and soybeans from the Field to Market® 2012 Environmental and Socioeconomic Indicators Report. “U.S. agriculture is the most efficient production system in the world,” said Matlock. “Efficiency means reducing inputs and reducing impacts.”

USFRA and NMPF also launched an on-line dialogue about the topic today with the hashtag #AgTechTalk.

Listen to comments from Kavazanjian, Matlock, Mooney and Krotz here: Ag Groups Defend GMO Sustainability

Dialogue with reporters: USFRA/NMPF #AgTechTalk

Meanwhile, Dannon also doubled down on its decision to “evolve the Dannon, Danimals and Oikos brands to be made with non-GMO ingredients,” holding a meeting with farmer partners this week to “further develop alternative models of dairy supply.”

“We believe it is possible to combine non-GMO crops and sustainable agriculture building on farmers’ expertise and practices, always being mindful about state-of-the-art agronomic science,” said Mariano Lozano, CEO of The Dannon Company, at the same time noting that some Dannon products “will continue to be made with GMO ingredients, as it is our belief that the currently approved GMOs are safe.”

Audio, Biotech, Dairy, Food, GMO, USFRA

Making Hunger Extinct at #TransformFFA

Lizzy Schultz October 27, 2016

Those who study and work in the agriculture industry are often directly involved in global conversations about world hunger, as well as the fight to eliminate it, and FFA students are no exception. When HungerU, a mobile tour that promotes awareness and discussion about food insecurity, set up a booth at the 2016 National FFA Convention & Expo, they were impressed with the knowledge and appreciation these future ag leaders already possess.

“All of the FFA students have a really unique perspective on agriculture because a lot of them have a background in agriculture, but that isn’t always the case at the Universities we go to,” said HungerU’s Anna Libra in an interview during the convention. “We see a lot more appreciation for agriculture here, the facts about world hunger are less shocking to FFA students.”

The HungerU exhibit was fun and interactive, with a giant T-Rex on display in honor of the organization’s commitment to “Make Hunger Extinct,” and students visiting the booth were encouraged to take the HungerU challenge.

“It’s five questions about global food security, and after we ask students to come in and take the challenge they have the opportunity to opt in to have us donate a meal on their behalf to local organizations we’ve partnered with,” said Libra.

Learn more in Jamie’s full interview with Anna here:
Interview with Anna Libra, HungerU

Be sure to check out even more action by viewing the 89th National FFA Convention & Expo Photo Album.

Coverage of the National FFA Convention is sponsored by

Ag Groups, Audio, Education, FFA, Food, University

Alltech’s Aimee Reese Inducted into NAPW

Jamie Johansen October 27, 2016

Alltech’s Aimee Reese has been honored by the National Association of Professional Women (NAPW) as a 2016-2017 inductee into its VIP Woman of the Year Circle. She is recognized with this prestigious distinction for leadership in agriculture bio technology. NAPW is the nation’s leading networking organization exclusively for professional women, boasting more than 850,000 members, a thriving eChapter and over 200 operating Local Chapters.

“I’m pleased to welcome Aimee into this exceptional group of professional women,” said NAPW President Star Jones. “Her knowledge and experience in her industry are valuable assets to her company and community.”

For the last 10 years, Aimee Reese has been Senior Executive Assistant at Alltech. There, she supports the Owner/Founder and CEO, Dr. Pearse Lyons, with scheduling of meetings, conference calls, etc. She handles all administrative duties and manages a staff of assistants. Ms. Reese is also involved with the Association of Executive and Administrative Professionals.

The unwavering dedication demonstrated by Ms. Reese fully utilizes the aspirations for success that have earned her this recognition from the National Association of Professional Women, honoring her as an inspiration and a leader in her industry.

Agribusiness, Alltech

Hunting with a Bad Boy

Chuck Zimmerman October 27, 2016

Well, say hello to a brand new Bad Boy Off Road Recoil IS Crew. This four passenger side by side features a 72V AC drivetrain for what I like to call “silent running.” It let’s you get a lot closer to your deer stand than a gas engine.

Did I mention that I’m on my annual deer hunt? It’s that time in Georgia and the Crystal Pig Hunt Club is seeing some early pre-rut action!

Back to the Bad Boy. This vehicle also has 4 wheel independent suspension so we’ve got a very smooth ride on these rough roads and trails here at the Pig. That means a lot, especially after a long day in a stand and cleaning deer.

Speaking of deer, my first morning in the Recoil I went to my stand and shot two does. I saw the buck I want and hope to find him in my sights next time. I put the does in the cargo space and hauled them to our cleaning stand.

So, why a Bad Boy and why now? To start with, I have an old model Bad Boy from before they were acquired by Textron Specialized Vehicles. It is also out here at the Pig doing yeoman’s work moving us around. I’ve been very impressed with it and when the opportunity presented itself to test drive a new model I jumped. During this Georgia deer season I’ll be letting you know a lot more about using the Recoil in a very practical situation. I’m making notes for now and there will be much more to come.

Thank you Textron and Bad Boy Off Road! Official hunt vehicle of the Crystal Pig Hunt Club this season.

Hunting

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