LPC Selects Finalists for 2016 Forrest Bassford Award

Jamie Johansen May 16, 2016

The Livestock Publications Council (LPC) have announced the four young agricultural journalists have made the cut for the 2016 Forrest Bassford Student Award competition to be held at the Ag Media Summit in St. Louis, Missouri, July 23–27. The award, sponsored by Alltech, supports the journalists’ travel fees and participation at the LPC annual convention as well as the 18th annual Ag Media Summit.

“We are excited to partner with Alltech to recognize some of the top upcoming agricultural communicators and provide them opportunities for their future in the industry,” said Julie White, LPC Student Award committee chairperson.

The four finalists are:
– Nora Faris, Concordia, Missouri: Faris is a sophomore at the University of Missouri and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in science and agricultural journalism.
– Audrey Green, Stockton, Kansas: Green is a senior at Kansas State University and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in agricultural communications and journalism.
– Chamonix Mejia, Encinal, Texas: Mejia is a junior at Texas Tech University and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in agricultural communications.
– Tim Taylor, Vinita, Oklahoma: Taylor is a junior at Oklahoma State University and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education and agricultural communications.

During the Ag Media Summit, the travel award winners will need to complete an interview process and submit a portfolio for review. The Forrest Bassford Student Award winner will receive a $2,000 scholarship, and the other three candidates will each receive $750 travel scholarships to attend the convention.

“It is a privilege to once again support this award program as these four young journalists get the opportunity to network and learn from the best in the industry,” said Ann Hess, on-farm communications manager for Alltech. “As livestock and crop production continues to prosper through innovation and technology, we need the next generation of agricultural communicators ready to tell the story to an increasingly consumer-driven marketplace.”

Ag Groups, Alltech, Journalism, LPC, Marketing

Blue Angels Come Home to Pensacola

Chuck Zimmerman May 16, 2016

At a time when there are so many negative, anti-American,ignorant and immoral stories circulating in news and social media it only takes about 30 seconds to get a very different feeling than that of frustration and anger. The video below is of the Navy’s Blue Angels returning home to Pensacola after a show in St. Louis, MO. I got lucky when my brother saw them coming and thought I’d share that moment with you. Happy Monday and God Bless America!

Video

Ceva Swine Adds Sales Veteran to Team

Jamie Johansen May 16, 2016

Julie Schwalbe has joined Ceva Animal Health’s swine business unit as strategic account manager. In her new role, Schwalbe’s number one priority is the customer – listening and learning about their needs while going above and beyond to provide an unparalleled customer experience.

“Julie has proven herself to be a highly knowledgeable and experienced partner to both swine veterinarians and producers across the United States,” says Gary Robertson, director, swine business unit. “She thoroughly understands the production and health challenges currently facing swine producers and has the consultative selling skills to help provide customers with effective solutions. She will be a tremendous asset to our team and the swine customers we serve.”

Schwalbe is also responsible for developing and implementing comprehensive sales strategies; partnering with Ceva Technical Services in supporting customer initiatives; and managing relationships with designated key account partners.
Schwalbe has more than 25 years of sales management experience in the swine industry and agriculture. Prior to joining Ceva, she worked in several sales and product management positions for Zoetis, Meredith Corporation and Pioneer Hi-Bred. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural business from Iowa State University.

“In today’s swine industry, it’s imperative that we meet the needs of our customers and help them be more productive and profitable,” says Robertson. “Not only are we expanding our portfolio of effective products and solutions available to our customers, we are building a team with the right people who can add value to their businesses. With Julie’s knowledge and ability to solve problems, she can be a trusted partner in their operations.”

Agribusiness, Animal Health, Swine

BASF Opens New R&D Center

Kelly Marshall May 13, 2016

BASF has just opened a new Research and Development center at their Crop Protection headquarters in Limburgerhof, Germany. The new center offers research areas for biological crop protection and seed solutions, making it a hub of expertise for researchers and farmers world wide.

“Our investment in this expanded capacity is a step forward to unlocking the agricultural potential in seeds and crops in different and untapped ways”, said Philipp Rosendorfer, Vice President R&D Functional Crop Care for BASF’s Crop Protection division.

The research on biological solutions, which consists of naturally occurring organisms or extracts thereof, provides great opportunities to complement BASF’s chemical crop protection. Moreover, the combination between chemistry and biology generates a new range of pioneering solutions for seed treatment.

“With BASF’s unique skills in research and state-of-the art formulations, we are one of a few companies that can provide a seed treatment with a mixture of both biological and chemical compounds. This means farmers can have a well-protected and strengthened crop right from the beginning of its life,” concluded Rosendorfer.

The addition of this center will be a boost to R&D centers and trial centers in Brazil, Argentina, France, UK, South Africa, China, Australia, U.S., and Canada. BASF is adding to its current portfolio of seed solutions and biological crop protection products with new biological insecticides and fungicides for foliar and seed applications, seed-applied chemical actives and seed enhancements. The new center offers the opportunity for an advanced biological strain library, laboratories and facilities for screening and product application tests, a joint lab to combine BASF’s biological fermentation and chemical formulation know-how, and facilities to develop solutions enhancing application properties and handling of treated seeds.

Agribusiness, BASF, Crop Protection, Research, Seed

ATF Rules West Fertilizer Explosion a Criminal Act

Kelly Marshall May 13, 2016

The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) has ruled that the fire which caused the explosion at the West Fertilizer Company in West, Texas on April 17, 2013 was started intentionally. ATF says they have tested and ruled out all accidental or natural causes, and are now offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for the deaths of 15 people.

The Agricultural Retailers Association has released a statement in response to the ATF’s findings.

The impact of this disaster is still being felt — within and beyond the West community — more than three years after the incident. It’s tragic someone would intentionally start a fire that would lead to such devastating consequences. We hope the criminal, or criminals, responsible for deliberately setting the fire are brought to swift and decisive justice.

Safety is our top priority. Through ResponsibleAg and other efforts, the agricultural retail industry continues to advance initiatives to improve upon its sound stewardship practices.

ARA also states that they are working with The Fertilizer Institute through their combined program, ResponsibleAg, to enhance safety and accountability in the fertilizer industry.

Our hearts go out to all those personally affected by this news.

Agribusiness, ARA, Fertilizer

I AM USFRA – Lisa Lunz

Cindy Zimmerman May 13, 2016

Lisa Lunz of Nebraska has been on the board of the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) from the start and she has been pleased to see how the organization has grown to have a significant influence on conversations about food across the country.

“USFRA’s mission is to develop trust in modern day agriculture,” says Lunz, who served as chairman of the Nebraska Soybean Board. “USFRA has had the opportunity to get into conversations that typically agriculture hasn’t been a part of.”

One example of that, Lisa says, is the New York Times “Food for Tomorrow” event at the end of 2014. “If we can work together that gives us more power,” she says. “We need to have a common voice when we talk about GMOs, or antibiotics, or sustainability.”

Lunz is also pleased with the agricultural education tools that have been developed by USFRA from the movie Farmland. “To talk about conventional agriculture in the schools I think is very important,” she says.

Learn more about why Lisa is part of USFRA here: Interview with Lisa Lunz, Nebraska farmer

Audio, Soybean, USFRA

Concerned About #FeedingThe9?

Jamie Johansen May 13, 2016

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “How many generations has your family been involved in agriculture?”

It is always humbling to see the number of farmers and ranchers across the country who have been in the business for many generations. But honestly, I am more excited to see so many people involved in agriculture for the first generation. Farming isn’t easy. It is far to often hard to meet ends meet. However, there is nothing more rewarding. I am proud to say my family has been involved in agriculture too many years to count.

Here are the poll results:

1st gen – 20%
Under 5 generations – 18%
5-10 generations – 31%
Too many to count – 31%

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, How concerned are you about feeding 9 billion by 2050?

Demographers project we will have over 9 billion people to feed by 2050. Do you think this is a realistic prediction? If so, it opens a lot of opportunity for agriculture but also adds pressure to do so in a sustainable way. If not, then perhaps we don’t have too much to worry about. Just how concerned are you about #Feedingthe9?

ZimmPoll

Book Review – Coolbean the Soybean

Joanna Schroeder May 13, 2016

Ahhh…Spring is here and planting has begun and it’s a perfect time for kids to meet Coolbean. This week I read “Coolbean The Soybean,” by Shawn Conley, Ph.D. who is the state soybean specialist, aka agronomist, at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Who better to write a book about the life of a soybean from seed to seed.

Coolbean has a lot of friends including researchers and plant breeders and Haila, a farmer. He heads home with her and she plants him. Along the way we learn about the scientific method, making better soybeans, no till, soil health, planting, crop rotation, photosynthesis, precision agriculture technology, harvesting and more. The book includes cute illustrations, cool facts and fun information written in an easy to understand language for girls and boys grades 3-5. But the book taught me a few things so its fun for adults too. I really liked the “Do Something Cool” and “Think Like a Scientist” elements that provide, well, food for thought, above and beyond Coolbean’s journey. At the end of the book Coolbean takes a trip to his final destination but I won’t spill the soybeans….

This is a great book for the classroom for teachers who are teaching kids not only about agriculture, but science. The book includes some hands on activities as well as supplementary activities on coolbeanthesoybean.org. The activities would also be great fun for parents and children and for parents who homeschool their kids. Coolbean the Soybean is available on Amazon and there are volume discounts for purchases above 15 books. With planting underway, now is the perfect time to purchase the book and follow Coolbean’s journey throughout the growing season.

Agronomy, Soybean

Bettinghouse Joins Brownfield Sales Team

Lizzy Schultz May 12, 2016

Learfield News & Ag is delighted to announce that Stacy Bettinghouse has become the latest addition to the Brownfield Ag News Sales Team. Stacy will work with Brownfield’s advertising partners in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana.

“Stacy will be a great addition to the Brownfield team and will strengthen our relationships with advertisers in these key states,” said John Baker, Senior Vice President of Learfield News & Ag.

Bettinghouse received her Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from Michigan State University, and was previously employed with the Michigan Cattlemen’s Association and Michigan Beef Commission. She most recently served as Milling & Grain Department Territory Manager for Neogen Corporation.

The addition of Bettinghouse comes as Brownfield recently acquired Minnesota Farm Network and Michigan Farm Radio Network, expanding their existing coverage in Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, South Dakota and Nebraska to solidify Brownfield’s footprint in the U.S. corn and soybean belt. More than 400 radio stations carry agricultural programming created by Brownfield’s award-winning team of a dozen full-time farm broadcasters.

Ag Groups, Journalism

Poeschl Named CEO of National FFA

Kelly Marshall May 12, 2016

The National FFA Organization and the National FFA Foundation are welcoming Mark Poeschl of Brookville, Ohio, as their new chief executive officer of both organizations. Poeschl will begin his responsibilities on Aug. 1, 2016.

“Mark’s management and leadership experience will embrace the mission of FFA and enhance our vision to grow leaders, build communities and strengthen agriculture, says Dr. Steve A. Brown, National FFA Advisor and Chairman of the FFA Board of Directors. “I look forward to working with a visionary leader who will continue developing student success within agricultural education.”

Poeschl, a former FFA member and past state FFA president from Nebraska, brings strong business, customer service, financial, IT and global perspectives to the organization. He currently serves as vice president, group director, stakeholder engagement at Cargill, Inc., Cargill Animal Nutrition.

Poeschl is a 1983 graduate of University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He began his career at Ralston Purina, St. Louis, Mo. In 1987 he moved to the animal nutrition firm Carl S. Akey, Inc., in Lewisburg, Ohio, where he co-led the company’s sale to Provimi Holding BV. He served as president and CEO of North American Nutrition, a subsidiary of Provimi Holding BV, from 2007 to 2009. Poeschl then served as group vice president at Provimi Holding BV. In 2011 he moved to Cargill Animal Nutrition.

Poeschl and his wife, Nancy, have two sons, Nathan and Christopher. Over the past few years, they volunteered to serve as judges at the National FFA Convention & Expo. They also established a scholarship endowment for FFA members through the National FFA Foundation. In addition, Poeschl assists in the oversight of a family farming operation in Nebraska.

In accepting the position, Poeschl said, “I am honored and excited to assume this leadership role in the FFA, an organization that has been instrumental in both my personal and career development. I have deep admiration and affection for the FFA and I look forward to contributing to the continued growth and success of the organization. It will be a privilege to work with the FFA team, FFA members and agricultural education professionals.”

Ag Groups, FFA

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