New Award Celebrates Next Gen of NAMA

Jamie Johansen

NAMADo you know someone with a bright future in the agricultural marketing industry? If so, it’s time to shine the spot light on them. To thrive in the future, the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) community needs to develop and support the next generation of members.

Nominate a young professional in your company for the Next Gen NAMA Award who has impressed you with their knowledge of hot trends or one who has always gone above and beyond. Bright young professionals are the lifeblood of the industry and it’s time to honor them with a special award.

NAMA will select up to five such individuals. Winners receive complimentary registration to the 2017 Agri-Marketing Conference, April 26-28, where awards will be presented at one of the opening sessions. The group will meet with the NAMA Executive Committee at their April meeting.

Ag Groups, Marketing, NAMA

Bayer Celebrates Fall with Bee Care

Kelly Marshall

feed-a-bee_bannerFall is a time of pumpkin pie and hot apple cider, but neither of these would be possible without the hard work of pollinators.  To honor the efforts of these busy creatures, Bayer is celebrating fall with their Feed a Bee program and the planting of wildflowers and dedicated forage areas.

Feed a Bee is on a mission to create pollinator forage across the U.S.  Currently they’re making their way to four locations: Lubbock, Texas; Scott City, Kansas; Flanagan, Illinois and Fort Pierce, Florida, over the course of six weeks to plant 50 million wildflower seeds. Locations were chosen because of the resources of an important partner in this project, The Wildlife Society (TWS).

TWS Business Solutions and Development Manager Chuck Shively says they are a science-based organization looking to aide pollinators. “When the work of Bayer Bee Care came to our attention – the work that they’ve been doing for many, many years; the research in trying to maintain and bring back a thriving population of pollinators – we started having conversations about what they were doing and how we might spread the word through our membership and our social media followers across North America,” said Shively.

So far Bayer’s Feed a Bee program has wildly exceeded expectations, according to Dr. Becky Langer, project manager for the North American Bayer Bee Care Program. “The goal of 25 million has been exceeded and we’re actually planting 50 million this fall with the help of many people across the nation and a big part of that is The Wildlife Society and the conjunction of their local chapters and driving that social media attention,” Langer says. “It’s been an outstanding response and we’re going to blow that original goal out of the water.”

Festivities began at Texas Tech University, where the Department of Plant and Soil Science hosted an educational pollinator field day. Attendees helped to begin a new forage area at Quaker Avenue Research Farm. November and December will see plantings in the remaining three locations, held in conjunction with other partner organizations and communities.

“Every additional bit of forage planted helps pollinators, whether it’s next to a community garden, alongside cropland or in a homeowner’s backyard,” Langer says. “We’re proud to work with TWS and our other fantastic Feed a Bee partners this fall for the first annual forage planting tour. By planting these wildflower seeds, we’re helping to sow a healthier spring for honey bees and other pollinators.”

Learn more about the pollinator program here: Interview with Becky Langer & Chuck Shively

Agribusiness, Audio, Bayer, Bees, pollinators

Dreaming Up Solutions At Develop with Deere

Kelly Marshall

jd-develop-16-carsonJoshua Carson has a very unique job. He is an API Evangelist for John Deere- a new job position he says is about making a software developer’s life easier. It’s his responsibility to take the ideas of a developer and show them how to work with John Deere’s API in the Operations Center to make sure that idea is available to farmers.

“If they express interest in John Deere, […] I help on the technical, I dream up solutions, I help you know if something is practical and real,” Carson told Chuck Zimmerman at the Develop with Deere conference in Kansas City.

And most ideas are real. Some need a reality check, but mostly developers just need to know how to make them work. Most often heard misconceptions about John Deere’s program hinge in grower data, Caron says. Companies think the data is available to them as a third-party developer, but data belongs to the grower at John Deere, and the grower decides who sees it.

Another challenge for his job can be helping people see the value in having a platform. Farm equipment is direct and obvious, but platforms can be a bit more hazy if they don’t directly affect yield or control price. But a platform can bring a lot of value to a farm and people are beginning to really understand that, as is evident by the excitement around this year’s conference.

“There are a lot of solutions we can be delivering to market,” Carson says. Its about finding the right people and putting together the right skills. And that’s what Develop with Deere is all about.

Listen to all Carson had to say here: Interview with Joshua Carson, John Deere

Develop with Deere Photo Album

John Deere, Precision Agriculture, Technology

Calgary Welcomes @AgriTrend 2016 Farm Forum Event

Cindy Zimmerman

The AGRI-TREND® 2016 FARM FORUM EVENT is coming up next month in Calgary, Alberta with the theme LEARN & GROW.

agritrend-farm-forumThe event, which will be held December 6-8 at the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre, brings over 1000 attendees together to see the latest innovations, learn from top experts from the world’s leading agricultural companies, and share information among the largest growers from Canada and the United States.

The event was conceived by AGRI-TREND and began in Saskatoon, SK in 1998. The company provides professional advisory services to growers through the AGRI-TREND Network of over 200 experts known as Coaches. These AGRI-TREND Coaches™ work with growers to help them make agronomic and marketing decisions throughout the year. As the business grew, so did the FARM FORUM EVENT. “This annual gathering is now a major event where farmers learn new things and grow their knowledge,” says Neil Yelland, Director of Advisory Services, AGRI-TREND.

He explains how the new location expands the potential for the event. “We now have room to grow. We’ll be able to improve the experience for everyone, as the convention center downtown provides more space and the connected hotels let all enjoy the event without worry about going out in the weather” says Yelland. He also shares that the event has been upgraded with entertainment planned nightly including farmer/country singer Drew Gregory opening for The Washboard Union.

Early bird registration is available online until November 4, and a limited number of sponsorships remain available for the event.

Events, Farm Shows

BASF Offers Zidua® PRO for Soybean Farmers

Cindy Zimmerman

Soybean growers now have a new tool to control weeds in 2017.

basf-zidua-proBASF’s Zidua® PRO (Premium Residual Option) herbicide is a new broad-spectrum product with powerful burndown and residual control that helps growers address the issue of weed resistance. After receiving U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registration earlier this year, Zidua PRO herbicide is now in market and available for purchase.

“Zidua PRO herbicide combines three sites of action for consistent control of tough weeds with built-in resistance management,” said Daniel Waldstein, Technical Marketing Manager, BASF. “As a contact burndown and residual pre-emergent, Zidua PRO herbicide helps growers keep fields clean from contact to canopy.”

Zidua PRO herbicide helps provide residual control up to 14 days longer than competitive group 15 herbicides when applied at full rate. Longer residual control means more time to make post-emergent applications, helping growers spray when weeds are less than four inches tall.

Zidua PRO herbicide enters the market during a critical time for soybean growers. With site of action resistance on the rise, a comprehensive approach to weed management offers the best solution to the agriculture community. Zidua PRO herbicide pairs with post-emergent herbicides, containing additional sites of action to effectively control otherwise detrimental weeds and protect against resistance. Currently pending U.S. EPA registration, BASF’s Engenia™ herbicide is a complementary innovation — and the most flexible and advanced formulation of dicamba from BASF for use in dicamba-tolerant soybeans and cotton.

Learn more about Zidua PRO from BASF.

BASF, Crop Protection, Herbicide

Final Decision Time – Who Are You Voting For?

Jamie Johansen

zp-nh1Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “Which candidate is better for agricultural exports?”

Both major party candidates have said they oppose the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) which most studies show would help to open up markets and increase agricultural exports. The Obama administration has been strongly in favor of TPP and urging Congress to ratify the trade agreement as soon as possible, but that will not likely be before the end of the year, leaving it in the hands of the next president and a new Congress. And in this poll it looks like Trump squeaked ahead.

Here are the poll results:

  • Donald Trump – 52%
  • Hillary Clinton – 32%
  • Gary Johnson – 6%
  • Jill Stein – 1%
  • None of the above – 9%

Our new ZimmPoll is live and asks the question, Final decision time – who are you voting for?

I wish I could promise this would be the final presidential election poll since the election is less than a week away. But we will continue to discuss how our new commander in chief will impact agriculture. So, let’s hear your final decision. Who are you voting for?

ZimmPoll

Enroll Now for 2017 ARC and PLC Programs

Kelly Marshall

usda-logoIf your farm is covered by the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC), now is the time to visit you local FSA office to sign contracts and enroll for 2017.  Starting this month, the enrollment period will continue until August 1, 2017, says FSA Administrator, Val Dolcini.

“FSA issued more than $7 billion in payments in October 2016 under the ARC-County and PLC programs for the 2015 crop to assist enrolled producers who suffered a loss of price or revenue or both,” said Dolcini. “Since shares and ownership of a farm can change year-to-year, producers on the farm must enroll by signing a contract each program year. I encourage you to contact your local FSA office today to schedule an appointment to enroll.”

Farms must be enrolled during the 2017 enrollment period to be eligible for financial assistance from either the PLC or ARC programs.  Producers already enrolled from 2015 are required to re-enroll for the next growing season.

Insurance, USDA

Bringing Deere Dealers and Developers Together

Cindy Zimmerman

jd-develop-16-kriegJohn Deere dealers are interacting with software developers this year at the annual Develop with Deere conference in Kansas City.

Conference coordinator Kevin Krieg says having the dealers on hand at the event will help them better serve their customers. “That’s really been the new add to this year’s conference is being able to get the software companies to share their message with the critical channel out there and that’s the John Deere dealers,” said Krieg.

At the conference this week, Krieg says the dealers are seeking actual production solutions from the developers. “We’ve asked the software companies in their presentations to focus on two things – what does their software solution do in production today and how does that integrate with the John Deere Operations Center,” Krieg said.

Learn more in this interview: Interview with Kevin Krieg, John Deere

Develop with Deere Photo Album

Audio, John Deere, Technology

Industry Groups Ask Court to Overturn WOTUS

Kelly Marshall

AFBF The American Farm Bureau Federation and many other organizations and businesses have asked a federal court to overrule the EPA and Army Corps of Engineer’s “Waters of the United States”. The submitted brief outlines many allegations in detail and describes a year’s worth of litigation involving the rule’s overreach.

The coalition’s brief explains how EPA flouted important procedural safeguards designed to ensure a fair and thoughtful rulemaking process. EPA tactics included withholding key documents until after the public comment period had closed, ignoring and ridiculing critical public comments and issuing illegal “covert propaganda” in an effort to generate superficial public support for the rule.

“EPA set out to achieve a predetermined outcome and then manipulated the public notice-and-comment process to achieve that outcome,” AFBF General Counsel Ellen Steen said. “It treated the rulemaking process like a game to be won instead of a deliberative process for developing lawful and reasonable regulations.”

The groups also cover how WOTUS violates the limits of the Constitution and the Clean Water Act and explain how the rule relies on vague terms to define “navigable waters.” The brief shows how no fair public notice has been given to describe to the public what features are covered in the rule.

“Regulators can reach any outcome they please, and regulated entities cannot know the outcome until they are already exposed to criminal liability, including crushing fines,” the brief states.

The coalition asks the federal court to strike the rule in its entirety.

AFBF, Ag Groups, EPA, Water

Zimfo Bytes

Lizzy Schultz

Zimfo Bytes

Zimfo Bytes