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

Milestone for General Mills, Xerces Society and NRCS

Kelly Marshall December 1, 2016

The U.S. Department of Agriculture hosted an announcement between themselves, General Mills, and the largest and oldest pollinator conservation organization, the Xerces Society this morning. The three organizations are joining together to protect the habitats of pollinators on hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland. The project is a five-year, $4 million commitment to provide the technical assistance for planting and protecting wildflowers and flowering hedgerows. The goal is 100,000 acres in the next five years.

In North America alone, bees are responsible for over $25 billion in agricultural production each year. In addition to improving the yield of many crop species, research demonstrates that pollinators such as bees may also improve the nutritional value and commercial quality of some crops.

“Pollinators supply one-third of the food and beverages that Americans consume,” said Jerry Lynch, Chief Sustainability Officer at General Mills. “As part of General Mills’ global commitment to treat the world with care, our investment will help pollinators to continue to play a key role in sustainable food production in the U.S.”

“To date, our work with NRCS has resulted in hundreds of thousands of acres of new or improved habitat,” said Scott Hoffman Black, Executive Director of the Xerces Society. “This partnership will allow us to expand conservation support in the Midwest, Northeast and California, reaching many more farmers and bringing greater benefits to the pollinators on which we all rely.”

Listen to the press conference here: General Mills, Xerces Society, and NRCS Press Conference

pollinators, USDA

Florida FFA President Welcomes #ARA2016 Members

Kelly Marshall December 1, 2016

Who better to welcome members of the Agricultural Retailers Association to Florida for their annual conference than William Jameson, the Florida State FFA President and symbol of agriculture’s future?

Florida stands tall in the agriculture industry, growing more than 300 types of commodities from fresh produce like grapefruit and sweet corn to beef and field crops. The state also boasts 65,000 students enrolled in agriculture classes and 18,000 in the FFA organization.

But just as critical to food production, says Jameson, is the contribution of retailers. “Your work as agriculture retailers is just as important. You supply farmers and ranchers with the products and services they need; products like seed, nutrients, crop protection, feed, equipment and technology, and also provide consulting services, including things such as crop scouting, soil testing, field mapping, custom planting, application and development of nutritional management and conservation program. The agriculture program needs you and we need you.”

If there’s anything Jameson already knows about farming, it’s that agriculture isn’t for the feint of heart. The industry has faced challenges for generations and it needs farmers and the people who make their work possible to feed the world. Be proud of what you do, Jameson concludes.

Listen to Jameson’s welcome remarks yourself and be proud of the future of the industry as well: Welcome Remarks, William Jameson, Florida State FFA President

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, FFA

GROWMARK Announces Iowa Essay Winner

Cindy Zimmerman December 1, 2016

The theme of this year’s GROWMARK essay contest for FFA members was “What value do cooperatives provide to today’s farmers?” and the Iowa state winner is Jaxon Mullinnix of Lone Tree, Iowa – a student at Lone Tree High School and a member of the Lone Tree FFA chapter.

In his contest entry, Mullinnix said: “Some may even describe cooperatives as the ‘backbone’ to the agricultural industry. When farmers own and control, on a business level, channels for acquiring supplies and marketing their supplies they are able to stay competitive in the marketplace. Providing farmers with a dependable source of reasonably priced supplies, reliable services, and a heightened income, cooperatives undoubtedly add value to a farm operation.”

As the contest winner, Mullinnix will receive a $500 award from GROWMARK and the Lone Tree FFA chapter will receive $300 in honor of his accomplishment.

Education, FFA, GROWMARK

Clariant Will Be at #ASTACSS

Cindy Zimmerman December 1, 2016

Clariant at 2016 ASTA annual meeting in Portland, OR

Clariant will be adding some new color to the ASTA CSS 2016 & Seed Expo, December 5-9 at the Chicago Hyatt Regency, featuring its full range of Agrocer™ seed pigments and pigment preparations, the first dedicated range of colorants for the agricultural industry.

Mark Self, Market Segment Manager, says they will be a first time exhibitor at the expo this year. “We look forward to introducing seed industry professionals to the benefits of using our line of Agrocer colorants, especially our pigment preparations,” he said. Clariant also had an exhibit at the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) annual meeting in Portland this summer for the first time.

Agrocer colorants are available in both pigment powders and pigment preparations, have been fully tested for seed safety, and meet all pertinent regulations. We learned more about Agrocer in a recent interview with AgWired and we look forward to seeing them next week.

ASTA, Events, Seed

#ARA2016 in Full Swing

Chuck Zimmerman November 30, 2016

The Agricultural Retailers Association Conference & Expo started off with yesterday’s annual golf tournament and is in full swing today with a general session followed by breakout sessions in two tracks, Operations and Executive.

Once again the conference chair is Leroy Startz, ING Capital, who has chaired the conference for the past eight years. I visited with him today before the opening session to learn about this year’s hot topics. “Lot of activity going on in the mergers and acquisitions world – how is that going to impact the retailers with regard to supply chain and product availability?” said Startz. “We’re also focused on regulatory issues, talent, and networking.”

Startz says they have several first time exhibitors in the new technology area of the Expo this year. “There’s a lot more technology, a lot more use of drones,” he said. “The real key is what type of services they can provide through the retailer and how measurable is that going to be.”

You can listen to my interview with Leroy here: Interview with Leroy Startz, ING Capital

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

Coverage of the ARA Conference and Expo is sponsored by

ARA, Audio

Company Culture Can Greatly Influence Productivity

Joanna Schroeder November 30, 2016

Author Maggie Hammond, special to AgWired

More and more companies – including many agriculture companies big and small – are realizing the importance of having a strong and positive company culture. A good company culture can turn employees into brand ambassadors, improve productivity and create a pleasant working environment for everyone involved in the business. Washington State University compiled a very good set of insights on corporate culture, explaining how it can greatly influence productivity.

Employees who are happy with the company’s culture are more likely to be up to 70% more productive. They also have better chances of improving themselves for the benefit of the business, including by taking online MBA programs and other courses to improve their skills. More importantly, being in a suitable environment can help boost employees’ level of initiatives and creative thinking.

The same set of studies also reveal how being in line with the company’s culture can help employees serve customers better. You can find out more about Why Company Culture Matters from the published infographic by Washington State University’s MBA program. Click here to view the full infographic.

*Maggie Hammond is a retired nurse and freelance writer, exploring and writing in the U.S. in retirement. An advocate for public health and nursing qualifications, she feels passionate about raising awareness of the current strain on public health organizations.

Agribusiness, Education

CommonGround Celebrates Six Years

Kelly Marshall November 30, 2016

CommonGround is celebrating its sixth year of connecting urban and suburban women with farm women who wish to tell the story of agriculture. The program, supported with checkoff dollars from the National Corn Growers Association of and the United Soybean Board, began with 15 female farmer volunteers from five states. Now the program boasts nearly 200 farm women from 19 states, including two of your AgWired editors.

Despite the growth, the focus is still the same: finding ways to have conversations surrounding the job of growing food.

Direct family and friends to the Facebook page to ask their questions bout farming.

Ag Groups, ASA, NCGA

Big Year for Deere

Cindy Zimmerman November 30, 2016

It’s been a big year for John Deere, as Product Marketing Manager Doug Felter can tell you. For starters, there was the addition of the Nutrient Applicator – a first for Deere. Growers and retailers are already putting it to good use this fall, applying P&K, among other nutrients.

The exact apply nozzle is another advancement for the company. “It gives you a lot better control over the output,” Felter explained at the recent National Association of Farm Broadcasting Trade Talk. “If we think about conventional systems today, if you’re trying to maximize that sprayer you can go 20 to 25 miles per hour sometimes, but there are also those parts of the field where you have to go slower to turn around or maybe for a waterway. […]It’s very critical to get the right droplet, to make sure it gets to the crop and does what it needs to do, and also that it doesn’t go into another field or something with these chemistries we’ve got. So it’s a unique tool to help us manage that.”

Row Sense and Auto Track Vision are another upgrade to the sprayer. While auto track has become common place, the sprayer is a bit of a different animal, since it goes through the field after the crop is up. Auto Track Vision uses the crop to center itself in corn, soybeans or cotton. The joint venture with Hagie was a major step forward as well, since Deere customers now have access to pretty much any application equipment you could want. The tools are in the portfolio, Felter says, and a local John Deere dealer can help you find what you need for your operation.

Listen to Felter’s interview here: Interview with Doug Felter, John Deere

NAFB Convention Photo Album

Audio, Equipment, John Deere

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