Monsanto Announces Farm Mom Winners

Kelly Marshall

monsantoA new crop of “Farm Moms” has sprung up at Monsanto.  Five outstanding women have been selected as regional winners in the 2016 Farm Mom of the Year contest.

“Once again we are so honored to have read nominations for hundreds of the strongest, kindest and most passionate women when it comes to their families, farms, communities and agriculture,” says Tracy Mueller, corporate brand manager for Monsanto. “What all of these women accomplish on a daily basis is phenomenal, making our job to select just one winner per region a difficult one. However, we are thrilled to introduce America to our five new regional farm moms. We were impressed with their drive and willingness to speak out for agriculture, and we know America will be, too.”

The 2016 regional winners of the America’s Farmers Mom of the Year contest include:

Northwest Region: Katie Heger (Underwood, N.D.)
Southwest Region: Nikki Weathers (Yuma, Colo.)
Midwest Region: Karen Kasper (Owatonna, Minn.)
Northeast Region: Ann Stamp (Cranston, R.I.)
Southeast Region: Mary Courtney (Bagdad, Ky.)

Each regional farm mom winner will receive a $5,000 award. Their biographical information and original nomination is currently posted online at AmericasFarmers.com, where visitors can click to vote for their favorite farm mom. The farm mom who receives the most votes between April 24 and May 4, will be named the “National Farm Mom of the Year.” As a bonus, she will also receive an additional $5,000 prize.

“For so long, women on the farm have been the unsung heroes, quietly going about their day taking care of what needed to get done,” says Donnell Scott of American Agri-Women. “But in reading these nominations, it’s clear all of the nominees have made such a positive and meaningful impact on everyone around them that is deeply appreciated. AAW is honored to help Monsanto select the finalists and learn more about all of the amazing women in agriculture.”

Check out AmericasFarmers.com for more information.

Agribusiness

AFBF Hosts Webcast On Labor Visa Backlogs

Lizzy Schultz

farmbureau Delays from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in the processing of visas for farm workers are fast approaching crisis proportions, increasing the threat that crops will rot in the field on many farms this year, American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) President Zippy Duvall said in a media conference call this week.

Farmers have become dependent on the H-2A agricultural visa program to fill gaps in the nation’s ag labor system, but the program is posing several major challenges to the management of America’s production operations. Processing and procedural delays, such as the government’s use of U.S. mail instead of electronic communications, are leading to losses from unharvested crops. Duval stressed that communications with state Farm Bureaus across the nation have revealed worker shortages in more than 20 states.

“Many farmer members have called us and state Farm Bureaus asking for help,” Duvall said. “They face serious hurdles in getting visas for workers in time to tend and harvest this year’s crops. Paperwork delays have created a backlog of 30 days or more in processing H-2A applications at both the DOL and the USCIS. The H-2A needs to be brought into the 21st Century. The DOL and USCIS both rely on corrections being made by mail, not electronically. I’m not sure that there is anything in our country that does that anymore.”

Joining Duvall on the conference call were Gary Black, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Agriculture and Jamie Clover Adams, director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Several farmers from across the nation were present on the call as well. Bill Brim from Georgia, Carlos Castaneda from California, and Jen Costanza from Michigan each described the specific challenges they are currently facing with securing adequate workers to tend and harvest this year’s crops.

“Crops can’t wait on paperwork,” Duvall said. “DOL is routinely failing to approve applications 30 days prior to the day farmers need workers. That delay, coupled with delays occurring at USCIS, places farmers in an impossible situation. We’ve heard from members who are already missing their window of opportunity to harvest. They are already facing lost revenue.”

Duvall repeated AFBF’s call for Congress to pass responsible immigration reform that enables farmers the ability to access a legal and stable workforce, and included an outline for possible solutions to the challenge. He also stated that AFBF is also working with the Agriculture Department “to be an advocate for farmers and take whatever steps it can to ensure farmers get the workers they need to tend and harvest this year’s crops.”

Listen to the full Media teleconference here:
AFBF Media Teleconference, Labor Visa Backlogs

AFBF, Ag Groups, Farm Policy, Farming, labor

Rhea + Kaiser Bring On Seven New Staff Members

Kelly Marshall

Rhea-Kaiser-LogoRhea + Kaiser (R+K) has added seven new staff members to their Naperville, Illinois integrated communications agency.

Dustin Gerdes will serve as the Manager of Analytics and Customer Engagement, growing the field to better target and engage R+K’s clients.  He comes from Groupon and earned an undergraduate degree in marketing and psychology from Eastern Illinois University and an MBA from DePaul University.

Patrick Barkley will be taking on the responsibility of R+K’s new video production unit.  He is an Emmy award-winning video technician, with credits like “1st Look,” “Open House,” “Living Healthy Chicago,” and “Your Money.”

Pam Caraway comes on board as the new Account Supervisor, Public Relations.  Formerly a senior editor at Southern Farmer, Caraway now takes on public relations for the Bayer cotton seed brands, horticulture and seed growth business.

Steve Knapp joins the team as a copywriter on the Bayer account.  His past work includes award-winning digital, TV, video and print copy for McDonald’s, Ohio Tourism, NOVA Southeastern University and pharmaceutical clients.

Emily Johnson is now a full time Account Manager, Public Relations after her service as a freelancer for the company.  She comes from an ag accounts background and will be taking on the Bayer business.

Chris Oakland is working as an Assistant Account Manager, supporting the Bayer account.  He has a degree in marketing from Michigan State University and has worked for Young Life and a customer support liaison for Genius Room at Apple.

Alex Greer is stepping into an Assistant Account Manger role as well.  He comes from an internship at at North Caroline agency and was responsible for content creation, event coordination, media relations and social/digital media for such brands as Diageo, Mercedes-Benz and NASCAR.  His degree comes from Michigan State University.

Check out the website to learn more about Rhea + Kaiser, their staff, award-winning work or career opportunities.

Agribusiness

Everyday is #EarthDay for Farmers and Ranchers

Cindy Zimmerman

usfra-earth-dayIt was 1970 when the first Earth Day celebrations were held in thousands of schools, colleges and communities across the United States. It now is observed in 192 countries, and coordinated by the nonprofit Earth Day Network, chaired by the first Earth Day 1970 organizer Denis Hayes, who calls it “the largest secular holiday in the world, celebrated by more than a billion people every year.”

That’s all great and good, but farmers and ranchers have been celebrating Earth Day for generations because it is not only their very livelihood, but ours as well. While all the earth do-gooders – including those in Paris signing a climate agreement – are busy talking about what we need to do to preserve our natural resources, farmers and ranchers are actually doing it every day.

Celebrate the Earth – thank farmers and ranchers for the work they do! Learn more about what they do from the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance.

Environment, USFRA

Will FSMA Produce Regs Prove Costly to Small Farms?

Joanna Schroeder

Most of us involved in agriculture have become familiar with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) that was introduced in 2011 as the FDA’s new method of regulating the growth, harvesting, and processing of agricultural goods. While the aim of this new regulatory system is to increase food safety and reduce the prevalence of foodborne illness, there are some aspects that have become a burden on smaller farms that don’t have a large budget to work with.

Photo Credit: Joanna Schroeder

Photo Credit: Joanna Schroeder

According to the FDC, nearly 50 million Americans are sickened by food poisoning each year, with almost 130,000 of them needing to be hospitalized. Many of these cases are reported to the FDA and result in a costly recall of the product from store shelves. Furthermore, the ensuing lawsuits are costing the food industry billions. In the past, the FDA has taken a reactionary approach to food contamination – if a problem was reported, they investigated it. Now, the implementation of the FSMA means that the FDA will be setting mandatory regulations that aim to proactively prevent contaminants from reaching the market.

As of 2018, any farms that gross more than $25,000 per year in produce sales will be subject to a long list of requirements and will need to have each of their crops individually certified as food safety compliant. A number of analysts have estimated that the cost of complying could be anywhere from $50 up to more than $12,000 per acre, depending on the current condition and practices of the farm. Of course, such additional expenses could be too much to bare for many small farms, allowing corporate interests to take up a larger share of the market.

chives-1287096_960_720Many small farms sell their produce locally at farmer’s markets, through co-ops, or by networking on online farm directory sites that connect suppliers with distributors. Under the new regulations, farms that sell less than $25,000 in produce per year will not be subject FSMA rules. Thus, the smallest farms won’t feel the impact as much. Furthermore, it’s unclear whether the FDA plans to set regulations for the growth of herbs and other alternative crops. For example, the companies that you find listed in a dispensary directory will probably not be subjected to the scrutiny as a directory of agricultural suppliers, despite the fact that many states are currently developing legislation in that area.

A number of outspoken critics have expressed the concern that, although the new regulations look great on paper, the authorities might be overlooking the economic impact of their implementation. Still, FSMA proponents provide the rebuttal that the new system is being rolled out gradually over the course of the next four years, arguing that such a time frame should be generous enough to allow for farms to obtain the necessary financing to make the transition.

Agribusiness, politics, Produce, Vegetables

Growing Global Solutions to Grow Better Agriculture

Cindy Zimmerman

logoA new non-profit organization, Growing Global Solutions, has been formed to help agricultural organizations improve their efficiency.

Industry veterans Janice Dahl and Jim Butler have founded the organization together with the goal of working with top-tier organizations that want to evaluate progress and reach peak efficiency. With expertise specifically in agriculture, the pair decided the industry would benefit from an approach designed towards building sustainable culture in organizations.

“Our vision is to serve organizations in order to play a part in improving global quality of life,” said Dahl, President and CEO, adding that Growing Global Solutions as a non-profit has the opportunity to give back to communities and causes.

The organization will work in the areas of strategy development, project management and evaluation, communications analysis, and leadership development.

Learn more here.

Farming, Sustainability

Media Stats – They Impact Us All

Jamie Johansen

New Holland ZimmPollOur latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “ What do you do about statistics?”

Media statistics used to be simple to calculate. Then social media came along and it’s not simple anymore. Companies and agencies still want to know if their advertising and messages are being seen and heard, but with the myriad of different ways that information is shared across the various social media platforms the task is daunting. This impacts us all – media, agri-marketers, companies and agencies. Our poll results tell us the majority of people are using a number of different tools. We are currently using Sprout Social and are excited to expand our stat capabilities. More to come on that in the near future.

Here are the poll results:

  • Nothing – only results matter – 0%
  • Spend big $ for reports – 7%
  • Use Sprout Social – 16%
  • Use combination of tools – 54%
  • Only care about traditional media – 0%
  • Can’t figure it out – 0%
  • Other – please comment – 23%

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, How many generations has your family been involved in agriculture?

Agriculture is one of the broadest industries. Just because you don’t live directly on the farm doesn’t mean you are not involved in agriculture. We would love to know how many generations your family has been involved in the all encompassing agricultural community.

ZimmPoll

New @USFRA Board Members

Cindy Zimmerman

USFRA1The U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance® (USFRA®) has elected three new board members, representing the American Farm Bureau Federation, Cattlemen’s Beef Board and Indiana Soybean Alliance.

Scott VanderWal, a third generation family farmer from Volga, SD, is vice president of AFBF and president of the South Dakota Farm Bureau. His family operation includes corn, soybeans, beef cattle feeding and custom harvesting.

Janna Stubbs is a cow-calf producer with her husband from Alpine, Texas who was appointed to the Beef Board in 2014. She has served many leadership roles in the beef industry as a member of the American National CattleWomen and Texas Cattlewomen.

We recently met Jeanette Merritt as part of our I AM USFRA series. She is a fourth-generation family farmer from Peru, Indiana who raises hogs, corn, soybeans and wheat with her husband. She currently serves as the chair of the Indiana Soybean Alliance Membership & Policy Committee and as director of checkoff programs for Indiana Pork.

“It’s critical for the agriculture industry to unite as one voice and inform today’s consumers about how farmers and ranchers care for the land and their animals,” says Nancy Kavazanjian, USFRA Chairwoman and Wisconsin farmer. “With our newest board members’ passion to set the record straight about the way we feed our nation, we look forward to having these exceptional individuals help share the story of farmers and ranchers’ commitment to sustainability, continuous improvement and responsible production practices.”

The three board members were elected at USFRA’s spring board meeting April 5 in Moline, Illinois. They join USFRA’s 17-member Board of Directors and more than 90 affiliates and industry partners that support the organization’s effort to earn consumer trust in U.S. food and agriculture.

AFBF, Soybean, USFRA

AEM Debuts Smartphone Game

Kelly Marshall

aem-app“I Make America” is the new smartphone game from The Association of Equipment Manufacturers.  The app was created to engage and educate the public on manufacturing issues that affect this election cycle.

The game can now be downloaded through the Apple Store, Google Play and the Windows Store.  Users participate in ag equipment-themed challenges, followed by multiple choice questions that test knowledge of manufacturing issues.

“AEM hopes that this I Make America Game serves as a compelling tool for manufacturing voters to get involved with I Make America and educate themselves on the issues that matter this election season,” said AEM President Dennis Slater. “This is an important part of our broader effort to raise the profile of manufacturing issues during the campaign.”

To support the game, the I Make America campaign plans to travel to over two dozen manufacturing facilities throughout the United States to engage employees and allow them a chance to compete in the game. I Make America will award prizes to the highest-scoring game user at each event, and a grand prize (a 3D television) to the highest-scoring app user by the election. Equipment manufacturers in Iowa include companies like Vermeer, John Deere, Kinze, Hagie, and many more.

“The I Make America Game is a terrific tool to help manufacturers educate their employees and their communities about the issues that affect our businesses,” said Jim Barrett, Executive Vice President of Marketing, Farm, Ranch, and Agriculture Division for Blount International. “I would encourage all equipment manufacturers to get engaged through I Make America this year to energize the manufacturing voter base.”

AEM, Agribusiness, Equipment

#ZimmieZebra Has a New Home

Jamie Johansen

Screen Shot 2016-04-19 at 10.17.23 AMI know the suspense is killing everyone. But have no fear…the wait is over! We are ready to announce the zelfie winner who gets to provide a new home for #ZimmieZebra. Congrats to Samantha Bock and her ‘Jungle Love’ tweet. Our goal with this contest was to find Zimmie a new home, but a chance of true love is just icing on the cake. It is true #OppositesAttract.

We searched the hashtags we asked you to use on every social media platform known to man (or at least the ones known to us). We hope we didn’t miss anyone. But if you didn’t follow the rules…I’m sorry!

We hope you have been able to put your zelfie sticks to good use at home, in the office or on campus. We quickly ran out and want to thank everyone who stopped by the booth to say hi, learn more about our services and/or take a zelfie.

We will ask Samantha to keep us posted on the budding romance between Zimmie and this ‘Mystery Man’ in the photo. Please help her transition to her new home in Indiana. It will be quite the shock from her native lands of Zambia.

You can view all the zelfies taken throughout #NAMA16 here: 2016 #ZimmieZebra Zelfie Photo Album

Coverage of the Agri-Marketing Conference is sponsored by Brownfield Ag News and Nufarm
Coverage of the Agri-Marketing Conference is sponsored by Brownfield Ag News for America      Coverage of Potato Expo is sponsored by Nufarm
NAMA, ZimmComm Announcement