Vilsack Traveling to Japan, Vietnam

Kelly Marshall

USDAAgriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has made plans to attend the G7 Agriculture Ministers Meeting in Niigata, Japan.  Following the meeting he will then travel to Vietnam to highlight the agricultural relationship between the two countries and point out the importance of the Trans-Pacific Partnership to the each as well.

At the G7 meeting, Vilsack and other participating ministers will discuss how G7 members can collaborate on improving the sustainability and resilience of agriculture and food production systems to address global food security in the face of climate change. Vilsack will also have the opportunity to advance U.S. priorities on agricultural innovation, climate smart agriculture, and open data. In addition to the ministerial, his schedule also includes bilateral meetings with his counterparts from other G7 nations to discuss agricultural trade matters important to the United States.

In Vietnam, Vilsack will meet with his counterparts from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Industry and Trade, among others, to discuss the details of the TPP agreement. Numerous U.S. exports, including beef, pork, poultry and dairy, will benefit significantly from the reduction and eventual elimination of Vietnam’s current high tariffs.

Vietnam is one of the fastest-growing markets for U.S. agricultural products.  Last year sales from the country totaled 2.3 billion, making them the United States’ 11th largest ag export market.  Cotton, tree nuts, soybeans and dairy top the export list.  Only 15 years ago Vietnam was the 50th largest trade partner for the U.S.

The trip will also allow Vilsack to meet with alumni of the USDA‘s Borlaug and Cochran fellowship programs; a program designed to allow researchers, policymakers and agricultural specialist to work with U.S. counterparts to gain knowledge and skill in the field of agriculture.

Exports, Trade, USDA

National FFA Organization Receives 3-Year Grant

Kelly Marshall

ffaThanks to the Lilly Endowment Inc. the National FFA Organization will be receiving a three-year, $1.5 million grant to support the mission and vision through their annual convention.

The National FFA Convention & Expo returns to Indianapolis this fall, where it will stay until 2024.  The event is considered to be the premier FFA event, with programs and competitions happening on a national level.  It is the largest annual student gathering and offers members the opportunity to explore careers, be inspired and recognize accomplishments.

“We are grateful for this generous grant,” said W. Dwight Armstrong, chief executive officer of the National FFA Organization and National FFA Foundation. “These funds will help us ensure that our conventions are premier experiences for our members while making a greater impact on Indianapolis and the state of Indiana. The conventions are an essential component of how FFA grows leaders, builds local communities and strengthens American agriculture.”

Each year, the convention and expo provides transformational experiences for FFA members who will be the next generation of leaders, managers and workers for American agriculture. In addition to bringing economic impact to Indianapolis and the region, the FFA convention and expo offers unique opportunities to showcase the state’s agricultural assets and recruit top human resource talent to Indiana agriculture while significantly advancing the state’s goal of becoming an innovative regional, national and international hub for food, agriculture, natural resources and life sciences.

“We’re thrilled to have the National FFA Convention & Expo return to Indianapolis, this time for nine years,” said Ted McKinney, the director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture. “Lilly Endowment has been gracious with its support and recognizes the power of the youth leadership coming to our city and state this year and in the years to come.”

Ag Groups, Education, FFA

New NAMA President Matt Coniglio

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast 510The Agri-Marketing Conference has come and gone for this year and hopefully everyone has recovered. I think I have.

Matt and MarvinThe last item on my agenda for this year’s conference, put on by the National Agri-Marketing Association, was to interview the new President, Matt Coniglio, Penton Agriculture. In the photo you can see Matt is real happy to receive the gavel from past president, Marvin Kokes, National Cattlemens Beef Association. Actually, these guys like each other a lot.

Matt says that if he looked ahead at his life twenty years ago he would have never dreamed he’d be on the NAMA platform in this position. We’re glad he is. Matt also talks about the NAMA strategic plan and how it is evolving as a blue print for the new president to continue working on. Part of that process was conducting a brand analysis. He says it has created a benchmark for the strategic plan to use to evaluate how the organization is doing. You can see the first fruits of that in a video here.

Learn more about what’s going on with NAMA in this week’s ZimmCast: ZimmCast with Matt Coniglio, NAMA President

Subscribe to the ZimmCast podcast here.

The ZimmCast

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The ZimmCast podcast is sponsored by GROWMARK
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Ag Groups, Audio, Media, NAMA, ZimmCast

Senators Pleased EPA IG to Investigate Anti-Ag Billboards

Cindy Zimmerman

roberts-inhofeSenators Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Jim Inhofe (R-OK) are pleased that Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking action regarding a taxpayer funded, anti-farmer campaign in Washington state.

The chairmen of the Senate agriculture and environment committees sent a letter to EPA’s inspector general earlier this month requesting an audit and investigation of an EPA grant to the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission used to support an anti-farmer advocacy campaign in Washington state. The campaign included billboards and a website that support increased regulation of agriculture in Washington state. The inspector general has confirmed that it will answer the questions raised in the Roberts and Inhofe letter as part of an audit into the $20.5 million in grants awarded to the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission.

“In the days since Sen. Inhofe and I called for an investigation, farmers and ranchers have contacted my office to thank us for standing up for them,” said Roberts. “We already know this campaign was malicious. Now we need to know what role the EPA had in it and whether they are properly monitoring the lawful use of federal funds.”

“It is important that the EPA inspector general get to the bottom of how taxpayer money was used to criticize farmers and promote the agenda of environmental activists,” Inhofe said, noting that in a hearing this week before the Environment and Public Works Committee, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said they have halted payments to the grant organization due to the concerns the inspector general will be investigating. “That’s an important step, but EPA needs to prevent similar mismanagement for occurring in the future.”

Western agriculture publication Capital Press first called attention to the billboards in an April 1 story.

Environment, EPA

Extension Services Keep Farmers Farming

Kelly Marshall

aaeaThe purpose of the federal cooperative extension program was to provide research for agriculture, helping individual farmers by serving the industry as a whole.  Now a new study from Penn State University has taken a look at the effectiveness of those programs.

Stephan Goetz writes in his paper that an estimated 137,000 farmers in the last 25 years would be working elsewhere if not for the extension programs.  That’s an important number to consider when looking at the value of extension services, since there are already fewer and fewer farmers producing food.

“The underlying concern is, if we are losing farmers at too fast a pace we may not be able to grow our own food,” Goetz said.

This paper, co-authored by Meri Davlasheridze of Texas A&M-Galveston, was recently chosen to be published in Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy. It not only looks at policy and agriculture, but also the impact on traditional farming communities in rural areas; where cuts in extension funding could lead to a big economic downturn.

“There is tremendous return to the community,” Goetz said. “The numbers are clear. These services are making an impact. (Extension services) are helping create and keep jobs and doing it for less money.”

You can access the paper by contacting Jay Saunders at jsaunders@aaea.org in the AAEA Business Office.

Agribusiness

Passing of Farm Broadcaster Rex Messersmith

Cindy Zimmerman

nafb-messersmithMembers of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting are sad to hear that former member Rex Messersmith, age 84, of Lincoln, Nebraska passed away April 15.

Rex joined NAFB in 1956 and enjoyed a career in radio broadcasting for 55 years. He started as a Nebraska Co-op Extension Service specialist, was farm director and manager of WNAX radio in Yankton, S.D., and executive director for the livestock auction markets in South Dakota, Minnesota, and North Dakota before moving to the KRVN radio in Lexington, Nebraska. Rex was past president of the Nebraska Ag Relations Council and the Nebraska Agribusiness Club in Lincoln and was inducted into the Nebraska Hall of Agricultural Achievement.

Rex is survived by wife, Wilma, after 34 years of marriage. Services will be held at 11 a.m., April 21. Westminster Presbyterian, 2110 Sheridan Blvd, Lincoln.

NAFB

2016 NAMA Student Marketing Competition Winners

Jamie Johansen

25842139833_7ec6922987_zI hope we have all recovered from all the happenings during the 2016 Agri-Marketing Conference. But I will go out on a limb and say the students who have spent the last year preparing for the student marketing competition and won are still on cloud nine. Congratulations to the University of Wisconsin-Madison students for taking those 1st place honors.

The team took on Berri Fresh Farms, proud owners of CranBerri. Their executive summary takes you through market analysis trends, business proposition, action plan and much more.

The University of Saskatchewan took home second place and Kansas State University took third. Other finalists were: Cal Poly – San Luis Obispo, Illinois State University and North Dakota State University.

Finals presentation videos will soon be uploaded to NAMA’s YouTube and linked online.

View photos from NAMA here: 2016 NAMA 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
Ag Groups, Marketing, NAMA

Zimfo Bytes

Talia Goes

Zimfo Bytes

  • National Sorghum Producers is accepting applications for four positions on the NSP Board of Directors.
  • St. Louis-based advertising agency, Paradowski, announced it has hired 10 new team members to join the company over the past month.
  • United Fresh Produce Association is seeking a Manager of Marketing Communications.
  • Total retail sales of 2WD and 4WD tractors and combines continue to track higher than their comparable 2015 levels and 5-year average, with strong under 40HP tractor sales offsetting significant declines in the larger production equipment, according to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), the leading trade organization for off-road equipment manufacturers and suppliers.
  • Valent U.S.A. Corporation announced an investment plan to accelerate its agricultural research and development program in North America.
  • United Fresh Immediate Past Chairman Ron Carkoski, Four Seasons Family of Companies, has announced the slate of new officers and directors nominated to serve on the United Fresh Produce Association Board of Directors, effective at its April 27, 2016 meeting in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Zimfo Bytes

NCC Disputes Results of Turkish Investigation

Kelly Marshall

NCCTurkey is the second largest export market for U.S. cotton, but now that is being threatened by what the National Cotton Council (NCC) maintains are false allegations.

The government of Turkey has claimed the United States dumped cotton into the Turkish market, injuring their domestic prices.  They have now released their final decision, based on their investigation of the incident.  In response to the dumping, Turkey has imposed a three percent CIF (cost, insurance and freight) duty on all cotton fiber from the U.S., effective immediately.  The duty puts the United States at a competitive disadvantage and jeopardizes business with Turkish mills.

NCC Chairman Shane Stephens reports that the investigation is in response to U.S. investigation of Turkish steel imports and the self-ititiated investigation is unusual, as Turkey failed to show signs of a special circumstance as required by World Trade Organization rules.

“In the first place, the investigation itself lacked transparency regarding information used to justify the investigation,” Stephens said. “In fact, data used in support of a finding of injury to the Turkish domestic cotton market ignored established facts to the contrary.”

Stephens said that the Council submitted ample evidence showing that Turkey’s cotton market has experienced price declines due to the same factors affecting cotton markets worldwide. He said, for example, government policies in developing countries and competition from manmade fibers have contributed to stagnant global demand, increased stocks and lower cotton prices.

“Unfortunately, the import duties only compound the difficult economic climate facing U.S. cotton growers and merchandisers,” Stephens stated. “The Council will continue to actively oppose the imposition of duties and is exploring ways to reverse the decision, such as WTO mechanisms and the Turkish judicial system.”

Agribusiness, Cotton, Exports

#Plant16 Already on a Roll

Cindy Zimmerman

Tweet from Dalton Shepherd of Rushville, IL

Tweet from Dalton Shepherd of Rushville, IL

The #Plant16 hash tag has been burning up Twitter in the past week as corn planting jumped up to 13% compared to the five year average of eight percent.

According to USDA, planting progress is now ahead of average by 37 percentage points in Missouri, which at 58% planted nearly a quarter of its crop last week. Iowa, Kansas and Minnesota are all up by ten or more percentage points compared to normal at this time of year. “The weather was nearly ideal in much of the state last week and planting got underway in earnest with 13 percent of the state’s anticipated corn acres now in the ground,” Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey said. “This is a very busy time on the farm and it is important farmers and those traveling through rural areas stay alert and keep safety in mind.”

Illinois is running slightly behind schedule with 12 percent planted compared to 14 percent average and Indiana farmers got little done last week with only one percent in the ground now compared to seven percent average.

Corn, Planting, Uncategorized, USDA