From #AgMedia- FMC Grows Corn Division

Kelly Marshall July 27, 2016

Perhaps when you think of FMC you think of soybeans- but that is changing, says Chris Reat, Corn Product Manger. At the recent Ag Media Summit in St. Louis, Missouri Reat told AgWired they’re expanding their corn sector with a full range of herbicides, insecticides and fungicides.

When asked about corn crops for this year Reat’s advice was not to discount the value of an application of fungicide or pesticide still this season. With weather being hot and cold, rainy then dry, a grower’s best bet yield potential might involve a round of just the right product.

“Lots of decision to be made yet, even with this crop, this year,” Reat tells Chuck. “I just encourage guys to flexible with their approach and opportunities. If there is still a chance to finish off a crop with a fungicide applications to go ahead and realize the highest yield opportunity then they ought to consider doing it. Even though we have a challenge in the markets, they’re still going to fluctuate, but still it always pays a farmer at the end of the day to get more production out of those acres. We always see those applications pay off.”

Overall, he says, growers are planning more and using products carefully because they are seeing it pay off. A crop is already a tremendous investment, and more and more growers are seeing the wisdom in making it the best crop possible.

To hear more of Reat’s advice listen to Chuck’s full interview here: Chris Reat, FMC

2016 AMS Photo Album

Coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by

Ag Media Summit, Agribusiness, FMC, Fungicide, Herbicide, Insecticides

#AgMedia Recognizes Scholarship Award Winners

Kelly Marshall July 27, 2016

Cameron Jodlowski accepts his award from Laurie Bedord.

The Ag Media Summit is well underway in St. Louis, Missouri with many important topics being covered this week. Few, however, are as important as preparing the next generation to be involved in the agriculture industry, a concept Alltech and the American Agricultural Editor’s Association (AAEA) understand well. Both organizations sponsor scholarships to assist the best and brightest in their goals of bettering our industry.

Ann Hess presents Nora Faris with her scholarship award.

This year Cameron Jodlowski from Iowa State University was awarded AAEA’s Scholarship, and Nora Faris of the University of Missouri earned the Forrest Bassford Student Award sponsored by Alltech.

“We like to get involved with some of these young agriculture journalists right from the beginning,” says Ann Hess, Alltech award presenter. “Alltech just likes to help encourage people to stay with it.”

Listen to Jamie Johansen’s interview with Ann Hess here: Interview with Ann Hess, Alltech

2016 AMS Photo Album

Coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by

Ag Media Summit, Alltech

Keeping Farmers in the Sustainability Dialogue

Lizzy Schultz July 27, 2016

At the latest Food Dialogue from the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) and the Farm and Food Alliance of Minnesota, a panel of experts kept the focus entirely on water sustainability, an issue that has continually placed significant blame on production agriculture. The lone producer on the panel was Nathan Collins, who raises Angus cattle and grows corn, soybeans, and alfalfa on his farm in West Central Minnesota. His perspective brought fresh insight into the conversation about sustainability, a controversial topic that remains without a formal definition.

“I think it’s important that everyone understands that water problems are not just due to agriculture. This is such a broad issue that covers every industry,” he said in an interview following the event. “Farmers have become an easy target because we aren’t always willing to speak up against the misconceptions, but we’re doing so many good things right now. We’ve always had water quality as a top priority, and we wouldn’t be able to continue farming the same land for multiple generations if we weren’t taking care of the land.”

Nathan’s takeaway from the event was the importance of engaging more people in the efforts to finding solutions to the nation’s complex issues surrounding water quality and security, and the fact that telling his story as a producer remains an absolute necessity in the continued efforts towards improving our environment.

“It’s so important for farmers to have conservations with people. Its quite easy and it can be a lot of fun, because a lot of people don’t understand what farmers do on a day to day basis, and the business of agriculture is so diverse that it’s paramount that you share your story with people,” he said.

Listen to Lizzy’s full interview with Nathan here:
Interview with Nathan Collins, MN Farmer

View and download photos from the event here: Food Dialogues: Minneapolis Photo Album

Ag Groups, Audio, Conservation, Environment, Farming, Sustainability, USFRA

The Corporate Commitment to Sustainability

Lizzy Schultz July 27, 2016

The latest installment of the Food Dialogues, held this week in Minneapolis as part of a joint effort from the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) and the Farm and Food Alliance of Minnesota, kept the focus on water sustainability. The diverse panel of professionals highlighted the many ways that water conservation is present in their professions and the companies they represent, and engaged in a productive dialogue that focused on ways to find applicable, real solutions to the problems facing our nation’s water quality.

One panelist was Becky Kenow, Director of Sustainability for Land O Lakes, Inc.. Kenow works to engage businesses in company-wide sustainability strategies, and has made extensive efforts to collaborate and lead cross functional business teams to develop and implement initiatives that maximize economic, environmental and social sustainability on a corporate level.

Her focus during the panel was on the powerful role that technology has played in improving the environmental sustainability of productive agriculture, as well as the ways that working to improve sustainability can be incredibly profitable, and incentivized, by agriculture producers.

“Technology has improved every industry known to man, and agriculture is not an exception to that fact,” said Kenow during the Food Dialogue event, as well as in an interview following the discussion. “There are so many different things that businesses are doing to try to address both water quantity and water quality, and I think that its so important to share that information and help people understand that the agriculture industry has been focused on this for many years, and holds a continued commitment to conservation efforts,” said Kenow in an interview after the panel discussion.”

Her belief in the power of engaging the public and private sectors to work together was evident throughout her portion of the dialogue, and was centered in her biggest takeaway from the event.

“We are all interested in working together to figure out how to address these issues. We have to engage more people in the more proactive approach to this and work together to solve these problems instead of pointing fingers and being afraid of working together and talking about it. None of us can do this alone, we have to work together,” she said.

Listen to Lizzy’s full interview with Becky here:
Interview with Becky Kenow, Land O Lakes

View and Download Photos from the Event here: Food Dialogues: Minneapolis Photo Album

Ag Groups, Audio, Conservation, Environment, Sustainability

Marketing Peanuts to Millennials

Cindy Zimmerman July 27, 2016

Southern Peanut Growers Executive Director Leslie Wagner and National Peanut Board Senior VP of Marketing Ryan Lepicier teamed up at the opening session of the 18th Southern Peanut Growers Conference to talk about what they are doing to market peanuts to the important millennial generation.

“Those of us who have millennials in their life know that they get their information from some sort of electronic device,” said Lepicier. “As marketers we have to be cognizant of where we’re putting our messages. We have to deliver the right message on the right platform.”

“Millennials are the largest living group in the United States. They’re also the first group that grew up not necessarily being able to eat peanut butter in school,” Wagner said. That has impacted how this important demographic views peanuts and peanut butter, making it critical for the industry to connect with them.

Learn more about how the industry is using social media to talk to millennials and provide facts in a fun way in my interviews with Ryan and Leslie. Interview with Ryan Lepicier, National Peanut Board Interview with Leslie Wagner, Southern Peanut Growers

2016 Southern Peanut Growers Conference Photo Album

Audio, Marketing, Peanuts, SPGC

Ag Lender Poll Shows Commodity Prices as Top Challenge

Kelly Marshall July 26, 2016

Midwest Farm Credit lenders reported in a recent poll that commodity prices were the greatest challenge currently facing customers. Senior lenders from 17 Farm Credit Associations said they are responding to this difficulty by offering services that restructure the finical situations of their customers. A new AgriThought report also examines the farm economy and offers lenders support in helping farmers navigate the challenges.

Results showed 69.1 percent chose commodity prices as the top challenge. Approximately 10 percent selected input costs, followed by credit availability and adverse weather effects.

When asked about the support they are providing to help farmers face these challenges, 86.7 percent said rebalancing borrower debt to bolster working capital and/or reduce principal payment requirements and 73.3 percent said refinancing credit to take advantage of current interest rates. Both answers reflect the changing financial landscape for commodity prices and how lenders are working with customers to help them maintain their financial health. Other responses included consulting on crop insurance and other risk management solutions (80 percent), counseling regarding future operating plans (63.3 percent), and marketing and hedging strategies (50 percent).

“The focus has been on commodity prices—in the minds of many producers, if the price of corn were $4.50 per bushel vs. $3.50 per bushel, a lot of problems would be solved,” Jerry Lehnertz, senior vice president of Credit at AgriBank and author of the AgriThought report said. “However, hope—thinking that things might be better next year—is not a plan. Farmers and lenders need to work together to take proactive steps to succeed through today’s environment.”

Agribusiness

#Peanut Growers Already Preparing for 2018 Farm Bill

Cindy Zimmerman July 26, 2016

It may seem like the last farm bill process just ended, because it did only two years ago, but already farm state legislators and agricultural organizations are looking ahead to starting the 2018 Farm Bill negotiations. Bob Redding of The Redding Group, who represents peanut farmers on Capitol Hill, talked about the preparations for 2018 at the 2016 Southern Peanut Growers Conference this past weekend.

“We’re wrapping up with the 2014 farm bill as far as any regulations that were outstanding and now we’re moving into prep for the 2018 bill,” says Redding. “So in 2017, farm groups will start with their policy process, you’ll have hearings and we’ll begin the 2018 farm bill process.”

Redding says the next farm bill will be negotiated in a different economic climate for agriculture. “We drafted (the current) farm bill with high prices. That does change the dynamics. That’s likely not going to be the case this time,” said Redding. “I do think there will be a more pragmatic, realistic approach to a farm safety net.”

In this interview, Redding also discusses what hasn’t worked so well in the current farm bill and what splitting the farm and nutrition titles of the bill could mean for agriculture. Interview with Bob Redding, The Redding Group

2016 Southern Peanut Growers Conference Photo Album

Audio, Farm Bill, Peanuts, SPGC

Bayer Pleased with EU Approval of Balance™ GT Soybeans

Cindy Zimmerman July 26, 2016

One of the three soybean traits just approved by the European Union is Balance™ GT (Event FG72), developed by Bayer and MS Technologies.

According to Frank Terhorst, head of the Seeds business unit of Bayer’s Crop Science division, the Balance™ GT trait confers tolerance to both isoxaflutole (an HPPD inhibitor) and glyphosate herbicides. “The new Balance™ GT Soybean Performance System is intended to address the weed management challenges faced by soybean farmers,” said Terhorst. “We are pleased with the progress we are making on the regulatory front for Balance™ GT.”

The dual herbicide tolerance trait Balance™ GT (Event FG72) received a positive scientific opinion from EU Food Safety Authority (EFSA) which was subsequently accepted by the European Commission for the importation of Balance™ GT soybeans for food and feed uses. This follows approvals received already from the U.S, Canada, and Brazil for cultivation, and is near completion of receiving all key required import approvals globally. The first launch is planned for the US in 2017, pending final key import approvals.

Balance™ GT is owned by MS Technologies and is being co-developed through a joint development agreement with Bayer. “Resistance to herbicides is a global challenge demanding new solutions. The dual modes of action in Balance™ GT soybeans are intended to help soybean growers by providing flexibility in weed management,” said Joseph Merschman, president of MS Technologies.

Bayer and MS Technologies have been collaborating since 2007 with new herbicide tolerance technologies for soybeans.

Agribusiness, Bayer, Soybean, weed management

UF Offers Discounted Tickets to Ag Industry

Kelly Marshall July 25, 2016

University of Florida fans have another reason to be excited about Homecoming this year. On October 15th UF Athletics and UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences will be offering discounted tickets to anyone connected to agriculture in the state of Florida, including their family and friends.

“Florida’s agricultural, natural resources and related food industries add $140 billion to our economy and employ nearly 300,000 people,” said Jack Payne, UF senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources. “The industry is second only to tourism in Florida, and this is a great way to honor and recognize those who work so hard to put food on our tables and plants and flowers in our yards.”

The Gators will battle the University of Missouri Tigers, tickets are on a first-come, first-served biases. Seating is available in the upper south end zone for $35 and upper north end zone for $20. Ticket are available on July 27. To take advantage of the offer go to Ag Day Tickets and type AgDay2016 in the promo code box. There is also an exclusive discount for premium seating in the Evans Champions Club. Please contact premium@gators.ufl.edu about ordering Champions Club game tickets or special business group sponsorship opportunities.

“Act now to secure your place in The Swamp before this game sells out,” said Matt Sanchez, general manager for ticket sales. “Fans who buy early will be able to get the best seat locations in the Ag & Gardening sections of the stadium.”

UF/IFAS will also be hosting various family actives on campus before kickoff.

University

.@USSEC Announces EU Approval of Three Soy Traits

Kelly Marshall July 25, 2016

The U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) has just announced the approval of three biotech soybean traits by the European Union. Now ready for import and processing are:

Monsanto’s Xtend (dicamba x glyphosate MON87708 x MON89788)
Monsanto’s Vistive Gold (high oleic x glyphosate MON87705 x MON89788)
Bayer CropScience’s Balance GT (glyphosate x HPPD inhibitor FG72)

“The EU’s approval of these events is welcome news for U.S. soybean farmers,” said USSEC chairman Laura Foell, a soybean grower from Schaller, Iowa. “We’re happy that we can supply our European customers with a reliable supply of safe food.”

Europe is one of the largest customers of U.S. soybean farmers with over 165 million bushels of soybeans in exports already this year.

Agribusiness, Exports, Soybean

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