USDA Announces $21M for Bioeconomy R&D

Joanna Schroeder

USDAThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has made $21 million available to support the development of regional systems in sustainable bioenergy and biobased products. The funds can also be allocated to train the next generation of bio-scientists. The funding is offered through the AFRI Sustainable Bioenergy and Bioproducts challenge area designed to create or sustain jobs by improving existing food and fiber production systems, boost ecosystems by reducing greenhouse gases and improving water and habitat quality. The program is also designed to enhance resiliency of food systems and ensure food safety.

“Over the course of this Administration, America has more than doubled our renewable energy production, and today we import less than half our oil. We are saving money at the pump, bolstering national security by relying less on foreign oil, and combating climate change with investments in technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide for cleaner air,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Today’s investment into regional production systems and the development of our next generation of scientists will have a direct impact on local economies now and set us up for a brighter, more innovative future.”

In fiscal year 2016, the Sustainable Bioenergy and Bioproducts challenge area is soliciting applications that focus on the following priorities:

  • Regional Bioenergy Coordinated Agricultural Projects (CAPs), which support the production and delivery of regionally-appropriate sustainable biomass feedstocks for bioenergy and bioproducts. While the focus of CAPs will be on feedstocks, competitive proposals must present the feedstock development and production in the context of comprehensive regional sustainable bioenergy and bioproducts supply chain systems.
  • Investing in America’s scientific corps: Preparing a new generation of students, faculty, and a workforce for emerging opportunities in bioenergy, bioproducts, and the bioeconomy.

Application deadlines vary by program area. See the request for applications for more information.

Agribusiness, Biofuels, USDA

BASF’s Varisto Herbicide Receives Registration

Kelly Marshall

BASF-logoThe EPA has given the go-ahead to BASF‘s Varisto herbicide.  The product may be used on clover grown for seed, dry beans, dry peas, English peas, lima beans (succulent), snap beans and soybeans.  The herbicide offers a wide spectrum of broadleaf and grass weed control.

“Varisto herbicide offers multiple sites of action for excellent weed control and resistance management in a convenient pre-mix formulation with low crop response,” said Christa Ellers-Kirk, Technical Market Manager, BASF. “The introduction of Varisto herbicide to the market gives growers best-in-class weed control.”

A 2013 University of Idaho research trial showed that Varisto herbicide was 98 percent effective in controlling hairy nightshade, 96 percent effective in controlling redroot pigweed, 90 percent effective in controlling common lamb’s quarters and 84 percent effective in controlling green foxtail. Results were measured 29 days after treatment.

In that same research trial, a post-emergence application of Varisto herbicide preceded by a pre-emergence application of Outlook® herbicide was 99 percent effective in controlling hairy nightshade and redroot pigweed, and 98 percent effective in controlling green foxtail and common lamb’s quarters.

Varisto is recommended as part of a comprehensive weed management program that also includes Prowl herbicide or Outlook herbicide applied at pre-emergence, with Varisto applied at post-ermergence.

You can learn more about the product at  www.varistoherbicide.com.

 

Agribusiness, BASF, EPA, Herbicide, weed management

GROWMARK Welcomes 61 Summer Interns

Lizzy Schultz

imageGROWMARK has announced that sixty-one college students will spend this summer exploring agricultural career opportunities as GROWMARK interns in the company’s 57th summer internship program. Interns will work at FS member cooperatives in Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Ontario, Canada, as well as GROWMARK FS, Mid-Co Commodities, and the GROWMARK corporate office in Bloomington, Illinois.

Interns will work in the areas of accounting, marketing, communications, and product and service-related activities. An orientation program was held for the entire group at the GROWMARK corporate office on Monday, May 16, and all 61 will reconvene in June for an agribusiness tour. Each intern will also complete am individual project and deliver a presentation on that project in August.

“We are excited to celebrate the 57th anniversary of the GROWMARK internship program,” said Amie Hasselbring, GROWMARK university relations manager. “The program continues to be a key component in identifying and retaining top talent into the GROWMARK System. Students engage with industry professionals on important projects and have the opportunity to clarify career goals, while we get exposed to the most talented university students,” she added.

A full list of the summer interns can be found here

Ag Groups, Agribusiness, Education, GROWMARK, University

ITC Study Predicts #TPP Benefits for Farmers

Cindy Zimmerman

usitcThe U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) this week released a report on the expected impact of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) on various industries and agriculture fares especially well.

The report finds that, “Among broad sectors of the U.S. economy, agriculture and food would see the greatest percentage gain relative to the baseline projections, output would be $10.0 billion, or 0.5 percent, higher by year 15.”

“The ITC report provides another strong argument for why TPP should be passed this year,” said U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman. “If you are a poultry farmer in Delaware this report shows that chicken exports will increase by $174 million annually under TPP. If you are a rancher in Nebraska this report shows that beef exports will increase by $876 million annually under TPP.”

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says all studies so far have shown the strong benefits TPP would have for agriculture. “TPP would further expand the markets for our American-grown products, allowing our goods to compete on a level-playing field and reach more consumers hungry for U.S. agriculture,” said Vilsack. “If we don’t act, not only will we lose these opportunities, we will be ceding our leadership in the region to China, allowing them to define the rules that the Pacific Rim plays by. We can’t afford to delay passage; there is simply too much at stake.”

The TPP agreement is with Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam.

Trade, USDA

Zimfo Bytes

Talia Goes

Zimfo Bytes

  • American Seed Trade Association’s new website is now live.
  • ET Works, parent company of the Apache Sprayer brand and one of the largest manufacturers of self-propelled sprayers in North America, has selected Lessing-Flynn to lead strategic marketing efforts for its line of Apache Sprayers.
  • In the fall of 2015, FFA advisors and members were challenged to share the message of agriculture through social media and using the hashtag #SpeakAg.
Zimfo Bytes

ASFMRA Offers Summer Professional Development

Kelly Marshall

SEWThe American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers (ASFMRA) is putting the finishing touches on this year’s Summer Education Week (SEW).  This event, scheduled for June 22-July 2 in Des Moines, Iowa, will offer education of licensure, accreditations and continuing education for farm managers, rural appraisers, consultants and agriculture students.

In addition to professional development seminars and courses, the week will also include many opportunities for networking, as well as program for young professionals.

“Summer Education Week is a great time for new members to develop professional friendships and take the required education classes for their accreditation,” says Corey Prins, ASFMRA management and consulting education committee chairman. “For the seasoned professional, it’s an opportunity to network and learn more about the latest trends in our industry.”

This year features newly redesigned curriculum for those taking classes for accreditation.  The new courses are relevant to today’s agriculture, assures Skye Root, CFA, ASFMRA instructor.

For those looking to keep current the program will offer specialized management courses and programs for appraising rural residential properties, natural resources and poultry facilities.  Attendees can also expect to learn about weather outlooks, ag markets and technology and data management.  It also includes a tour of Iowa State University’s biomass research facility.

To learn more about the SEW schedule and to register, please visit http://www.asfmra.org/sew.

Ag Groups, Education, Events

Poll Shows Overwhelming Support for US Farmers

Lizzy Schultz

NCISlogo The results of a new national poll released this week reveal that nearly 90 percent of Americans have a favorable view of farmers, and 92 percent feel it is important to provide them with federal funding. Positive marks from respondents also cut across party lines, showing that a strong farm policy is a bipartisan issue.

The public opinion poll was administered as a phone survey of 1,000 registered voters. The poll was commissioned by the National Crop Insurance Services, and was conducted April 3-7. The poll’s margin of error is 3.1 percent. The results are available online here.

“Americans overwhelmingly like farmers and support the programs that protect them,” explained Jon McHenry, vice president of North Star Opinion Research, the polling firm that explored the general public’s views on farmers, farm policy and crop insurance. “This response is not surprising when you consider that eight in 10 voters believe a vibrant agricultural industry was critical to the country’s national security.”

More than 70 percent of respondents said they believed farmers should help fund part of their own safety net. This cost-sharing structure is at the heart of America’s crop insurance policy, with farmers paying a portion of their insurance premiums and shouldering, on average, 25 percent of crop losses through deductibles.

Nearly 80 percent of respondents support giving farmers discounts on insurance premiums, and the vast majority agreed with the current premium and deductible amounts absorbed by farmers.

Support for farm policy and crop insurance continued to remain high even when poll respondents were read a misleading statement often used by farm policy’s critics.

“In a question providing both sides, the security argument in favor of protecting farms wins by a two-to-one margin over the argument used by farm policy opponents,” McHenry said.

Ag Groups, Crop Protection

Join us for the 18th Southern #Peanut Conference

Cindy Zimmerman

spgc-16After a brief excursion to enjoy the mountains in Georgia last year, the 2016 Southern Peanut Growers Conference is back on the Gulf Coast at a new location – Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in Miramar Beach, Florida.

The 18th annual event will be held July 21-23, with sessions on peanut production, legislative issues, marketing and promotion. In addition to the conference sessions, the event focuses on the family by offering a ladies program and a golf tournament. Registration is now open – both online and by printed form.

Sponsorship opportunities for this great event are still available. If you’re looking for the best place to promote your company’s products and services to the southern peanut growing industry, this is the place to be. Join us!

Peanuts

Industry Leaders Meet In Florida for PBIAS

Lizzy Schultz

PBIAS Top business and industry leaders from Florida, New York, and Israel convened this week in West Palm Beach for the inaugural Palm Beach International Agricultural Summit, an event designed to raise awareness about the county’s $1.41 billion ag industry, address modern farming and its role in advancing Florida’s economy and quality of life. The Summit was presented by the Economic Council of Palm Beach County (ECPBC) and co-hosted by the Florida Chamber Foundation and Palm Beach County. More than 1000 people were in attendance.

ECPBC Chair Wendy S. Link, and Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam both gave speeches to open the event, and a series of sessions featuring an impressive roster of speakers followed immediately. Speakers included Temperince Morgan of The Nature Conservancy; Cory Reed of John Deere; Wells Fargo Chief Agricultural Economist Michael Swanson; and Shabtai Cohen, Ph.D., from the Volcani Center, who shared some of Israel’s farming innovations.

“Our key objectives were to educate the public about the county’s agriculture industry, which ranks among the top ten highest counties for agricultural revenue in the nation, and help foster a network of agricultural and non-agricultural businesses to advance the economy,” said Link. “Through this sold-out event we accomplished our goal and hopefully inspired the next gen of farmers through our engaging educational component.”

More than 300 elementary and high school students from throughout Palm Beach County were also in attendance and engaged in several different hands-on activities and breakout sessions with industry leaders. Younger students learned about the importance of agriculture through eight interactive stations on topics including hydroponics, advanced robotics, and the importance of pollinator health, and Justin Timineri, Chef for the Florida Department of Agriculture’s “Fresh from Florida” program, helped students create their own personal parfaits. A teen program called Growing our Futures addressed certification and degree requirements for various positions in the agriculture industry, including a rising demand for drone pilots.

Fabiola Brumley, chair of the summit and Palm Beach County market president for Bank of America, closed out the day with exciting news on how the bank is investing in green bonds and agtech.

“Farming is such a critically important industry for the state,” Brumley said. “It’s prudent and responsible to address the opportunities, challenges and changing technologies inherent in farming today so we can set the stage for agriculture to thrive and meet the demand for food around the world.”

Ag Groups, Agribusiness, Events

FB Members Testify on EPA Concerns

Lizzy Schultz

afbf-testimony Earlier this week, three Farm Bureau members testified before the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry regarding the involvement of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the ongoing Chesapeake Bay cleanup. Pennsylvania Farm Bureau President Richard Ebert, former Ohio Farm Bureau President Terry McClure, and Florida Farm Bureau member Kate English, all testified before the subcommittee that they believe the EPA has failed to explain its expectations in the cleanup, and stated concerns that the organization is spreading false information about farming.

“Despite my four-year degree in animal science from a well-known and respected university and 34 years of farming while implementing modern technologies, I don’t understand EPA’s science,” Ebert said. “And no farmer can legitimately comprehend and respond to the reams of academic analyses that have been produced through these meetings and continue to perform the tasks needed to run his or her farm business.”

McClure noted that Ohio farmers work hard to reduce runoff of excess phosphorous and nitrogen from their farms.

“Farmers have invested tens of millions of dollars of their own money in establishing conservation practices on their farms,” McClure said. “Between 2006 and 2012, they have voluntarily reduced phosphorous applications in the Western Lake Erie Basin by more than 13 million pounds. As farmers are stepping up to implement conservation practices now, they are committed to finding additional solutions in the future.”

The controversial Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule, which was finalized last May despite vehement opposition from the agriculture industry, was also brought up during testimony.

“The rule not only expands the regulatory footprint for farming and increases the uncertainty we battle daily, but it also lacks peer-reviewed sound science,” English said. “These regulations appear instead to be based on public opinion and social media trends rather than facts and science. The result is a highly unpredictable regulatory environment and uncontrolled costs when faced with compliance based on a moving target rather than a rational, science-based goal.”

Testimony of Richard Ebert
Testimony of Terry McClure
Testimony of Kate English

Ag Groups, Conservation, EPA, politics