Farmers and Ethanol Workers Call for E15 Waiver

Cindy Zimmerman

Nearly 1,000 farmers, ethanol industry workers, and other supporters from across the country sent a letter to President Biden this week calling for action to allow continued access to E15 throughout the upcoming summer driving season.

“With the 2024 summer driving season just a few months away, we are urging your administration to take additional action that will ensure consumers across the nation have uninterrupted access to lower-cost, lower-carbon E15,” the letter states. “Allowing gasoline blenders and retailers to sell E15 this summer would help moderate prices at the pump, extend fuel supplies, and deliver relief to American families at a time of year when gasoline prices typically are at their highest. Today, E15 is selling for 10- 25 cents per gallon less than standard E10 gasoline, allowing the average American household to save $125-200 on its annual gasoline bill.” (Read the letter)

According to a Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) analysis of data released by state agencies in Minnesota and Iowa, total U.S. sales of E15 (15% ethanol fuel) are estimated to have hit a record 1.11 billion gallons in 2023, up 8% over 2022. The increase was due to a combination of an expansion in the number of retail stations offering E15 and the savings that E15 continued to offer to consumers.

A key reason why the average E15 volume per station has increased over the last five years is that sales have been allowed during the summer months in conventional gasoline areas. However, if the administration does not take action within the next month, E15 sales will drop precipitously in most of the country this summer, as occurred in conventional gasoline areas prior to 2019. In February of this year, EPA granted a petition from eight Midwest governors to allow year-round sales of E15. However, the petition only applies to those eight states and does not go into effect until 2025.

RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper says right now the only practical solution this summer is for waivers to be issued again by EPA as it has done in the past two years due to market conditions. “And frankly the market conditions that justified those waivers last year and two years ago still exist and in fact, you could argue that the the circumstances are worse,” said Cooper. “We have actually lower inventories of crude oil and petroleum products today than we had a year ago or two years ago. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve remains at a 40 plus year low. You’ve still got the the situation in Ukraine and now you’ve got a situation in the Middle East that is affecting global global energy markets.”

RFA joined several other organizations last week in sending a letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan urging him to act swiftly on an emergency waiver for E15 sales.

Listen to Cooper’s comments on the need for a waiver.
RFA CEO Geoff Cooper need for E15 waiver 1:43

Audio, Corn, EPA, Ethanol, RFA

ZimmCast 728 – Global Center for AgComm

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCastHello and welcome to the ZimmCast.

I started in a career of agricultural communications back in 1983 and in all these years it is amazing how much has changed. Technology has played a major role and that includes the ability today to easily communicate about agriculture everywhere in the world. Having said this I’m going to have a conversation with Dr. Owen Roberts, College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is a good friend and we first met being involved at events of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists.

He is also involved with a new initiative at the University of Illinois’s College of Agriculture. And that’s the subject of this podcast episode. Plans have been made for a global center for food and agricultural communications and it is named after another good friend, Dr. James Evans – The James F. Evans Global Center for Food and Agricultural Communications.

If you would like to contribute to this initiative you can do so online here.

Listen to the episode here:ZimmCast 728 - Global Center for AgComm (12:40)

That’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.

Subscribe to the ZimmCast in:

AgCareers, Audio, Education, ZimmCast

How GHX Improves Seed Buying Experience

Cindy Zimmerman

Christy Schrader, GHX Marketing Manager, at Commodity Classic

More farmers have been able to improve their seed buying experience with the GHX™ Mobile App in the past year

With GHX Yield Intelligence for example, Christy Schrader, GHX Marketing Manager for Syngenta, says farmers can turn data into decisions with customized MaxScript™ seeding recommendations focused on getting the right products and the right seeding rates for their fields, backed by the support of the GHX team.
Classic24 Christy Schrader, GHX 3:17

Syngenta made the GHX™ Mobile App available to anyone last year by creating a guest account. “The app is all based around how to we help farmers grow a better crop,” said Digital Product Manager Justin Welch. “Any farmer, not just our customers, can now have access to the GHX Mobile app and insights that can help them better run their business and, in the end, maximize profit potential by the acre.”
Classic24 Justin Welch, Syngenta 3:12

2024 Commodity Classic Photo Album

Audio, Commodity Classic, Seed, Syngenta

Precision Ag News 4/3

Carrie Muehling

  • Ten new members representing diverse sectors of agriculture and sustainability have joined the Board of Directors of the Soil Health Institute, ushering in the organization’s next phase of enhancing life by enriching soil.
  • Farm Journal Intelligence has issued the Smart Farming Intelligence Report: Navigating Ag Data & the Smart Farming Change Journey, which brings insights to assist the value chain in identifying the human dimensions of agriculture decision making. Among the findings, 58 percent of farmers agree new ag tech gives them a competitive advantage and that quickly adapting to trends is critical in today’s industry and nearly half are willing to pay a premium for higher performance inputs.
  • Taranis and Mississippi-based Steward Link have teamed to provide farmers with simplified application and practice validation opportunities for USDA conservation funding programs.
  • Syngenta has three new crop protection technologies on the market that are on track to each achieve at least $1 billion a year in global sales. TYMIRIUM technology is a nematicide and fungicide that can help young seedlings thrive in the first few weeks of life. PLINAZOLIN technology is a broad-spectrum insecticide that’s Syngenta’s fastest-growing technology to date, due to its versatility and effectiveness with a broad variety of crops. ADEPIDYN technology is a long-lasting fungicide that requires very few applications and can extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables and also protects wheat crops against the fungus fusarium.
  • AGCO Corporation and Trimble announced the closing of their joint venture (JV) transaction. The JV, known as PTx Trimble, combines Trimble’s precision agriculture business and AGCO’s JCA Technologies to form a new company that will better serve farmers with factory fit and retrofit applications in the mixed-fleet precision agriculture market.
  • Concept AgriTek, a leader in the development of plant and soil health technologies, is pleased to announce the addition of Seda Klachko to its expanding agronomy team.
  • Intelinair, the makers of AGMRI and a leading ag data analytics company, today announced the achievement of Systems and Organization Controls (SOC) 2 (Type 1) compliance certification and a major milestone for the company. The rigorous SOC 2 compliance is a widely recognized framework comprising standards of data security, privacy, and operational integrity. Meeting the security criteria and validation through a third-party audit are required to successfully complete the certification.
  • FloraPulse, the first easy-to-install water sensor that provides accurate and low-cost water-sensing technology, is enhancing the lives of farmers and researchers who want real-time data that will enable them to make the quick, accurate decisions that will benefit their crops.
  • Ceradis Crop Protection B.V., a global developer and marketer of environmentally friendly plant nutrition and crop protection solutions, has been granted a Section 2(ee) label for the use of CeraMax biological seed treatment for the suppression of Red Crown Rot in soybeans.
  • Greeneye Technology, the pioneer of AI-enabled precision spraying technology that is proven to improve weed management and reduce herbicide use in farming, has appointed Tobias Menne to its advisory board.
    • AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

    Alltech Releases 2024 Agri-Food Outlook

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Global animal feed production remained steady in 2023 at 1.29 billion metric tons (BMT), a slight decrease from 2022, according to the Alltech 2024 Agri-Food Outlook annual survey, now in its 13th year, which includes data from 142 countries and more than 27,000 feed mills.

    The overall lower demand for feed was due, in part, to the more efficient use of feed made possible by intensive production systems that focus on using animal nutrition, farm management and other technologies to lower feed intake while producing the same amount of protein, or more. A slowdown in the overall production of animal protein, in response to tight margins experienced by many feed and animal protein companies, also contributed to lower feed demand. Changing consumption patterns caused by inflation and dietary trends, higher production costs and geopolitical tensions also influenced feed production in 2023.

    According to the survey, the top 10 feed-producing countries, which produce over 63% of the world’s production, are China (262.71 MMT), the U.S. (238.09 MMT), Brazil (83.32 MMT), India (52.83 MMT), Mexico (40.42 MMT), Russia (35.46 MMT), Spain (27.53 MMT), Vietnam (24.15 MMT), Japan (23.94 MMT) and Türkiye (23.37 MMT). Nearly half of the world’s global feed production is concentrated in China, the U.S., Brazil and India.

    The survey also found a decrease in feed production for 2023 in pigs, dairy, beef, aquaculture and equine feed, with pet and broiler feed higher and feed for layers nearly steady.

    Read more from Alltech.

    Alltech, Animal Agriculture, Animal Health, Aquaculture, Beef, Feed, Livestock, Poultry

    Partnership to Help Farmers with Conservation Programs

    Cindy Zimmerman

    A new partnership has been formed between Taranis and Steward Link to help growers with program application and validation of implemented practices to better utilize USDA conservation programs.

    Taranis is a global leader in AI-powered crop intelligence, and Steward Link was created by a former USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services employee to match up farmers with federal program opportunities. The Taranis-Steward Link partnership helps present a complete and comprehensive picture of what’s happening on a designated acreage, creating a higher quality and more complete program application.

    Steward Link founder Nick Thomas says farmers often don’t know about all of the programs available. “We make it our job to know about every program and then to streamline the application process by taking on the practice alignment and paperwork burden,” Thomas says. “With 2024 being the first year, what we are seeing is a high-level of technology and practice adoption amongst Taranis customers. Technology and documentation position them well for many conservation opportunities. The technology has also helped us to open the door for new programs, and the applications we have been able to complete for Taranis customers have been extremely high-quality.”

    “Our service aligns perfectly with USDA’s mission to promote conservation, while maximizing profitability for growers, and therefore we have an edge on obtaining funding from USDA programs for our growers,” Taranis CEO Opher Flohr said. “I believe this is just the start as USDA continues to add funding for precise application practices that are unlocked by technologies like Taranis, we will be vigilant to make sure our growers are first in line to receive those funds.”

    Click to learn more from Taranis.

    AgWired Precision, Conservation, Precision Agriculture, Soil, USDA

    Animal Ag News 4/1

    Carrie Muehling

  • As of March 1, there were 74.6 million hogs and pigs on U.S. farms, up 1 percent from March 2023 but down 2 percent from Dec. 1, 2023, according to the Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).
  • The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) is announcing the return of the World Pork Expo on June 5th and 6th, 2024, at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. Though pork producers have faced their share of challenges, the annual Expo showcases the best the industry offers in the form of unmatched educational and networking opportunities. The world’s largest pork-specific trade show returns with more than 700 booths showcasing the latest pork production technology and services.
  • Many agricultural producers, including Alltech customers, have been devastated by the recent wildfires across Texas and Oklahoma. The destruction has been staggering: The most recent assessments estimate that more than 1.2 million acres have been burned, 600 structures have been destroyed and tens of thousands of animals have been lost — and with the fires only 15 percent contained at the time of writing, the total loss won’t be known for quite some time. To help those impacted by this disaster, Alltech created the Texas Fire Relief Fund through the Pearse Lyons ACE Foundation. Any donations will help farmers buy feed and supplies and begin the process of rebuilding. Or, go to https://www.pearselyonsace.org/ and choose “Texas Fire Relief Fund” from the drop-down menu.
  • The 2024 Stockmanship & Stewardship Tour is getting ready to hit the road. Dates include: August 23-24 – Richfield, UT; August 28-29 – Lancaster, WI; October 18-19 – Fresno, CA; and October 25-26 – Hamburg, NY. Registration opens April 15.
  • A coalition of meat and poultry industry groups said the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA or the Agency) proposed wastewater guidelines will cost hundreds of millions more than Agency estimates, eliminate tens of thousands of jobs and close many processing facilities, resulting in hardship for livestock and poultry producers. The Meat and Poultry Products Industry Coalition (MPP or the Coalition) made the remarks in comments submitted in response to the EPA’s proposed rule revising the ELGs for wastewater discharged by meat and poultry processing and rendering facilities. Last amended in 2004, the meat and poultry ELGs currently apply to about 180 of the estimated 5,300 meat and poultry facilities nationwide. EPA estimates between 845 and 1,620 facilities would be subject to and incur costs should the proposed ELGs become final. The full comments are here.
  • Registration is now open with early savings available for the 2024 Chicken Marketing Summit. The annual executive conference, hosted by WATT Global Media, is scheduled for July 29-31 at the Renaissance Birmingham Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa.
  • Camryn Wilder, Texas A&M University, was awarded the Frank Perdue Scholarship Student of the Year during the USPOULTRY Foundation’s College Student Career Program, held in conjunction with the 2024 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE). The scholarship is named in Frank Perdue’s honor, for his dedication to aspiring young people studying for careers in the poultry industry. Abigail Flores, Texas A&M University, and Zachery Keeter, North Carolina State University, were recognized in second and third place.
  • The National Milk Producers Federation, the largest U.S. dairy-farmer organization and the industry’s premier policy voice in Washington, submitted its final, formal legal “brief” on their behalf for Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) modernization to USDA. The NMPF brief, which was submitted March 29 and hand-delivered to USDA today, emphasized that those farmers are the reason the system exists — and that, by law, their priorities are pre-eminent in USDA consideration of a final plan.
  • Enrollment has begun in the Farmers for Sustainable Food Climate-Smart Program, which uses data to inform how farming practices can potentially generate added value for the food the farms produce. Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative and Farmers for Sustainable Food held a Climate-Smart informational webinar earlier this month. The webinar offered insight into the group’s multi-year USDA’s Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities Program, including the different levels of farmer involvement. FSF’s Managing Director Lauren Brey shared program details and answered attendee questions, explaining how farmers can help connect the supply chain by sharing data with downstream partners.
  • Merck Animal Health announced it has received license approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for SEQUIVITY with Microsol Diluvac Forte (MDF) adjuvant prescription vaccine for use in gilts and sows.
    • AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

    Agri-Pulse Welcomes Rebekah Alvey

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Agri-Pulse is pleased to welcome Rebekah Alvey as an associate editor.

    Alvey, who has experience covering energy and environment issues and Capitol Hill, comes to Agri-Pulse from Politico’s E&E News, where she reported on a broad swath of issues including electric vehicles and endangered species regulation, and she helped cover the House speaker race in October 2023. She earlier learned her way around Capitol Hill while with the Washington bureau of the Dallas Morning News, where she covered the Texas congressional delegation.

    “We are thrilled to have Rebekah join our team and will be able to hit the ground running,” said Editor Sara Wyant. “We look forward to having her apply her data journalism skills to the complex agriculture, renewable energy, environment and food topics we cover.”

    Alvey earned degrees in journalism and Arabic from Western Kentucky University, while handling multiple leadership roles at the student newspaper, the College Heights Herald. During her undergraduate studies, she spent a semester abroad at the Danish School of Media and Journalism, where she developed an interest in data journalism and political reporting. She later participated in the Politico Journalism Institute and eventually got a masters in journalism from American University.

    Agri-Pulse, Journalism, people

    Industry Ag News 3/29

    Cindy Zimmerman

  • Producers surveyed across the United States intend to plant 90.0 million acres of corn in 2024, down 5% from last year, according to the Prospective Plantings report released today by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).
    Planted acreage intentions for corn are down or unchanged in 38 of the 48 estimating states. Soybean growers intend to plant 86.5 million acres in 2024, up 3% from last year.
  • Syngenta Group has announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2023. Syngenta Group sales for full year 2023 were $32.2 billion, down $1.2 billion or 4 percent year-on-year with fourth quarter sales $7.9 billion, up 5 percent driven by Syngenta Crop Protection and by strong growth of Syngenta Group China. Syngenta Crop Protection sales in FY 2023 experienced a modest 5 percent decrease in comparison to the previous year, totaling $15.5 billion. Syngenta Group’s biological solutions grew 11 percent in sales to $0.4 billion compared to last year and the seeds business grew 2 percent to $4.8 billion in 2023.
  • The Georgia Peanut Commission (GPC) board of directors has approved $791,639 in research project funding for the 2024-25 research budget year. This action was taken during the commission’s March board meeting. The research projects approved include 40 project proposals submitted from the University of Georgia, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and the USDA Agricultural Research Service.
  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will hold its biannual Data Users’ Meeting April 16 from 1-4:30 p.m. CDT, at the University of Chicago – Gleacher Center. A virtual attendance option is also available. The meeting is free and open to the public. Registration is required. The Data Users’ Meeting is held to share recent and pending statistical program changes with the public and to solicit input on these and other programs important to agriculture.
  • Cross Plains Solutions’ SoyFoam TF 1122™ is the first and only firefighting foam GreenScreen Certified® at the Gold level. Through their soy checkoff and the United Soybean Board, U.S. soybean farmers have supported much of the extensive testing of SoyFoam environmental and performance benefits for use as a safer firefighting foam. GreenScreen Certified, owned by the non-profit Clean Production Action, is an independent, certification program that promotes the use of PFAS-free and preferred chemicals in materials, products, and manufacturing.
  • U.S. employers report challenges in finding suitable job candidates with work-ready skills to fill open roles in the agri-food industry, according to the recently published AgCareers.com U.S. Skills Survey. Employers ranked “Problem-Solving and Decision-Making” as the most necessary skills for all employees, followed by “Organization and Planning Skills” and “Teamwork.”
  • Texas A&M student Lee Thornton joined the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) as the spring policy intern. Lee Thornton grew up in Winnie, Texas on a calf-cattle ranch where he first became invested in the agricultural industry. Over the course of his NAWG internship, which concludes in May, Lee has been involved in numerous visits to Capitol Hill, NAWG’s winter meeting, Commodity Classic, and policy work related to the Farm Bill and appropriations process.
  • The Pecan Breeding and Genetics Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) recently completed a 2.5 million dollars laboratory modernization to accelerate pecan breeding through innovations in genetics and plant disease research. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on March 26 to commemorate the completion of the project.
  • At the Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference (ABLC) in Washington D.C., the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) once again sponsored and facilitated a special session, outlining the national incentive for biobased chemicals and renewable materials that NCGA, along with Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) and other partners have been working on.
  • Early bird discounts are available until March 31 for the IFAJ Congress 2024 August 14 to 18 in the heart of the Swiss Alps. We look forward to your registration. This year’s IFAJ Congress promises to be a highlight for all participants. A number of farm visits off the beaten path as well as top-class speakers will be on hand to give you an insight into the latest developments in Swiss and global agriculture.
    • Agribusiness, ZimmNews