What Do You Do About Statistics?

Jamie Johansen

New Holland ZimmPollOur latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “Do you have a degree in agriculture?”

Our latest poll solidifies what we already knew – there are plenty of careers for those interested in agriculture. We had an overwhelming response to this question and an overwhelming majority were proud to say they have a degree in agriculture and honored to work in the industry.

Here are the poll results:

  • Yes and work in agriculture – 59%
  • Yes, but work in other field – 5%
  • No, yet work in agriculture – 15%
  • No and work in other field – 9%
  • No college degree and work in agriculture – 12%

Media statistics used to be simple to calculate. We had Arbitron surveys for radio and television and basic subscription statistics for print. It was all so easy.

Then social media came along and it’s just not so simple anymore. Companies and agencies understandably 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.

With the 2016 National Agri-Marketing Conference coming up, our new ZimmPoll asks the question – What do you do about statistics? This is a question for media, agri-marketers, companies and agencies – it impacts all of us!

ZimmPoll

NRGene Selects St. Louis for U.S. Headquarters

Jamie Johansen

BioSTLGlobalSTL, the initiative of BioSTL focused on attracting high-growth international companies to St. Louis, announced that Israeli genomics company NRGene has selected St. Louis as the location of its U.S. headquarters. NRGene is the fourth company to move to St. Louis through the GlobalSTL initiative.

NRGene develops advanced computational tools leveraging big data to identify genetic traits to improve yield, environmental tolerance, and disease resistance. It was the first to successfully assemble the whole genome sequence for wheat, one of the most complex plant or animal genomes, five times larger than the human genome, and has assembled more than 80 genomes in less than a year.

nrgene“Missouri as the ‘heartland’ of American agriculture is the natural U.S. home for NRGene,” says Gil Ronen, CEO of NRGene. “Our strong partnership with the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center brought us to St. Louis, and GlobalSTL convinced us to stay.”

“With each successful recruitment, we are building a cluster of world-class agritech companies that bring with them technology and talent that enrich the St. Louis ecosystem,” said Donn Rubin, President and CEO of BioSTL, which launched the GlobalSTL initiative in 2014.

The GlobalSTL team first encountered NRGene in Israel in April 2015 on a trip that brought together representatives from Monsanto, KWS, and the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. NRGene connections with Danforth Center scientists influenced NRGene’s decision to consider St. Louis as its North America base. Since the initial meeting, GlobalSTL has hosted NRGene in St. Louis, introducing them to potential local corporate partners and customers, St. Louis’ innovation districts, and to state agencies to aid in relocation incentives.

Agribusiness, Research, Technology

New Insecticide Coming from @BASFAgProducts

Cindy Zimmerman

basf-newBASF Crop Protection is seeking regulatory approval for a brand new insecticide active ingredient called Inscalis™.

Inscalis is the pioneer solution from a novel chemical class, the pyropenes, offering an alternative mode of action for the control of key insect pests and providing an essential tool to farmers for use in resistance and integrated pest management programs. Inscalis controls critical piercing and sucking insect pests such as aphids, whiteflies, psyllids, scales, and leafhoppers. First registration dossiers were submitted to the authorities in the U.S. and Canada for use on a wide range of crops such as vegetables, fruit, row crops, and ornamentals.

“Insect species causing crop damage are extremely diverse and adaptable,” said Livio Tedeschi, Vice President Global Strategic Marketing, Insecticides, BASF’s Crop Protection division. “That is why developing new insecticides is critically important for the sustainable management of devastating pests, especially those that have developed resistance to other insecticides. We are excited to bring this important innovation another significant step closer to market introduction.”

The company also notes that Inscalis has a favorable environmental profile and low acute toxicity to pollinators. Inscalis was co-developed with the Japanese company Meiji Seika Pharma Co. Ltd. and will play an integral role in BASFʼs insecticide portfolio worldwide. Pending regulatory approval, first market introductions of Inscalis-based products are expected in 2019.

BASF, Crop Protection, Insecticides

I AM USFRA – Jeanette Merritt

Cindy Zimmerman

usfra-merrittLike most farm women, Jeanette Merritt wears many hats. A wife and mother of three, the 4th generation Indiana hog and soybean farmer is a Purdue University graduate who serves Hoosier State agriculture in a variety of ways.

Jeanette is a former farm broadcaster and agricultural journalist who has put her experience to work as a public speaker and PR specialist for the industry. She’s served the Indiana Wine industry and is Director of Checkoff Programs for Indiana Pork. At the same time, she sits on the board of the Indiana Soybean Alliance and in that capacity was chosen recently to serve on the board of the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA).

i-am-usfra-webBecause of Jeanette’s broad background in agricultural communications, she sees the great need for USFRA to unify the voice of the nation’s farmers and ranchers. “I think it’s important that we all have the same message,” she said. “We’re all trying to educate consumers. Maybe the way we farm is different from state to state, but we still have the same goal.”

That’s why she thinks it’s important for state commodity organizations to support the work of USFRA as much as possible. “Being able to participate brings that local feel to a national organization,” she said, adding that she believes it has been an effective use of farmer checkoff dollars in Indiana. “Being able to work with other commodity organizations and combine those dollars to make our effort even bigger I think is a great use of the checkoff.”

Jeanette believes USFRA has already made a difference in the short five years of its existence with programs such as Food Dialogues, the FARMLAND movie spinoffs, and the Faces of Farming and Ranching.

Listen to Jeanette’s thoughts on USFRA here: Interview with Jeanette Merritt, Indiana soybean member of USFRA board

Audio, Soybean, USFRA

NAFB Offers $25,000 in Scholarships

Kelly Marshall

NAFB

2015 NAFB Foundation Scholarship Recipients (L-R) Kelsey Litchfield (University of Illinois), Samantha Capoun (Kansas State University), Bryce Doeschot (University of Nebraska), Hli Yang (University of Missouri)

The National Association of Farm Broadcasters believes in the future of farm broadcasting, which is why they’ve been supporting college students with financial support since 1975.  This year the NAFB will be offering five $5,000 scholarships to college juniors, seniors or graduate students enrolled for the fall of 2016.

The scholarships include the Glenn Kummerow Memorial Scholarship, the George Logan Scholarship, the Orion Samuelson Scholarship (presented by CME Group), the BASF Grow Smart Scholarship (presented by BASF), and the CHS Scholarship (presented by CHS, Inc.).  Selected students will be honored at the NAFB Convention in Kansas City, Missouri November 9-11, 2016.  Conference attendance is included as part of the award.

Applications are due online by June 6, 2016.  Students enrolled in a college or university agriculture communications program and hoping to pursue a career in agriculture communications are eligible.  Please create a user account to allow you to revisit the site as you work on the application.

Agribusiness, Education, Journalism

Study Shows How Farmers are Dealing with Downturn

Cindy Zimmerman

JLLogoJ.L.Farmakis, Inc has just released a new research study conducted in February by Millennium Research that shows plans farmers are making this year in reaction to lower commodity prices.

Among the findings of the “Farmer Speaks Study” are:

• Half of the farmers surveyed are seeking off-farm employment
• 74% will switch to generics or change brands of crop protection products
• No new equipment purchases will be made by 37% of the farmers
• Reduced traits in seeds and changes in fertilizer practices were significant.
• Increased attention to marketing aims to raise revenue through better prices

“Our goal was to help better understand what farmers are thinking, so that our media partners, their advertisers and growers can work together to address the changes as they happen.” said Bill Farmakis, President of J.L. Farmakis, who notes that shifts of this magnitude have not been seen since the 1980s.

The initial study was conducted with 160 growers primarily in the Midwest, but also with farmers from other agriculture areas around the county. A follow-up Farmer Speaks study is being planned with Millennium Research with an expanded farmer panel later this year. If interested, a copy of the study can be requested from J.L. Farmakis, Inc. at jlfarmakis.com/farmerspeaks.

Farmakis talks about the study results and what they mean for the agribusiness industry in this interview: Interview with Bill Farmakis

Agribusiness, Audio, Farming, Marketing

Zimmie the Zebra Looking for New Home at #NAMA16

Chuck Zimmerman

Zimmie The ZebraMeet Zimmie the Zebra. This rare pygmy zebra has been homeless for some time as habitat in her native land of Zambia has been disappearing. When I found out about this I called Brian Rund, Nufarm, because he and I had worked on a zebra home placement project during Potato Expo earlier this year. During that show we helped Chip, a full sized zebra, find a new home in Canada. So, with that experience behind us are working together again during the Agri-Marketing Conference to find a new home for Zimmie.

Here’s how it will work. You stop by the ZimmComm booth during the Agri-Marketing Conference Connection Point trade show (booth 417-419). Use a Zelfie stick to take your picture with Zimmie and post that to #NAMA16 and #ZimmieZebra and @AgWired. After the end of the Connection Point all Zelfies will be judged for creativity and quality. One lucky person will take Zimmie home and provide her with a nice environment to live in.

ZelfieAlthough zebras have been taking zelfies for a long time they were first introduced in the U.S. by Nufarm. When you take your own zelfie you will get to keep your zelfie stick as long as supplies last. This is one way you can do your part to preserve the NAMA wildlife.

I spoke with Zimmie by phone this morning. Her voice was not very good because she’s been doing so many interviews as she travels to the United States to find a new place to live. In fact, she had just completed a long live interview with Wolf Blitzer on CNN. I’m sure she’ll be in top form next week.

Zimmie is hoping that her new caretaker will have good hay (alfalfa mixed with timothy) and beer. She likes beer as you’ll hear in our interview. Hopefully she’ll be able to sample some Boulevard Brewing products during the conference.

We’re really hoping to see you in Kansas City next week!

Listen to my interview with Zimmie here: Interview with Zimmie The Zebra

Animal Agriculture, Animal Health, Audio, Livestock, NAMA, Nufarm

Wheelchair Accessible Indoor Farm Designed

Lizzy Schultz

Indoor Farms of America logo (PRNewsFoto/Indoor Farms of America)

Indoor Farms of America logo (PRNewsFoto/Indoor Farms of America)

Indoor Farms of America recently announced the arrival of a new farm model to their product line. The state of the art Container Farm is specially designed to be fully operated by a person in a wheelchair, expanding the population of users who are able to enjoy the fulfillment of operating a vegetable farm that can produce a substantial income virtually anywhere.

The farm holds a capacity of 4,550 plants, and offers a higher yield potential than any other container farm, and the farm’s unique vertical equipment has been customized to be operated 100% from the position of a wheelchair.

“Every task, from daily record keeping, farm monitoring, seedling tray preparation, transplanting and harvesting, every aspect is operable by a disabled person who still has the use of their arms and hands, with certain tools we use in the farm,” states David Martin, co-founder and CEO of Indoor Farms of America, LLC. “Working in one of our farms is a pleasing experience, being around the plants is simply really satisfying, whether disabled or not,” says Martin.

The company is also finalizing designs for an automated feature that will make the farm even easier to operate. In honor of the new design’s arrival, Indoor Farms of America has announced special lower pricing for Veterans, those working in the public service sector, and students.

“We want to give a bit back, and if we can make it easier to own and operate one of our small farms for veterans, police, fire fighters, those who are currently active military with a family back home that can operate a farm, and students who may consider indoor farming as a career, well, we want to do that,” said Martin. “We know there is a lack of young people coming into farming, we want to encourage them to look into this form of sustainable agriculture that uses many areas of technology to function, something they definitely are interested in.”

Those that would like to see this innovative equipment first hand are encouraged to book an appointment with the company, which offers visits and tours of their demonstration farm and showroom, located near the Las Vegas Strip.

Ag Groups, Farming, Technology

Virtual Field Trip- No Bus Required

Kelly Marshall

Discovering FarmlandThis week students across the nation had to opportunity to visit a farm without ever getting on a school bus.  The U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance and Discovery Education have put together an unique program that allowed more than 1,200 schools to take a virtual field trip.

The event, titled “The Smart Farm: Where Technology and Innovation Meet” was hosted from Deere & Company’s World Headquarters in Moline, Illinois.  From there students went to a hog, corn and soybean farm to meet Rayn Veldhuizen, a farmer featured in James Moll’s award-winning documentary, FARMLAND.  Valdhuizen spent time discussing the technology and innovation on a farm today.

The National Corn Growers Association says they’re pround to be part of the founding of the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance and the work they’re doing.  “Before today, I couldn’t imagine taking more than 35,000 students on a field trip to a farm – but that’s exactly what USFRA did today with its Virtual Field Trip,” said NCGA President Chip Bowling, who represents the organization on the USFRA board of directors. “Today’s virtual field trip was a great way to share what takes place on farms like mine with audiences that can’t visit rural communities.”

The standards-aligned program also provides curriculum guides, lesson plans and interactive resources to teachers and students to help them gain real-world insight about where their food comes from.  Key issues covered in the material are: how technology has transformed the industry, challenges like weather and growing conditions, common stereotypes around farmers and ranchers, and market supply and demand.  These themes are echoes of the topics brought to life in the FARMLAND documentary.

For more information, visit the program website, www.discoveringfarmland.com, or the USFRA website, www.fooddialogues.com.

USFRA

ASA Seeks State Policy & Communications Coordinator

Jamie Johansen

ASA-logoThe American Soybean Association (ASA) is ready to accept applications for the position of State Policy & Communication Coordinator based at Gordley Associates, ASA’s Washington office.

This position has multiple responsibilities in two work areas. The first is to work with ASA’s 26 state and regional association affiliates to help achieve national soybean policy priorities, as set by ASA. This position provides a range of services to the state affiliates, particularly those which lack full-time or adequate staff. Services include scheduling and assisting with congressional office visits, contacting state Congressional delegations, attending in-state association meetings to provide issue updates and ASA outreach, and tailoring ASA’s policy communications for use in their publications, on social media, and in other venues.

The position also assists ASA’s Policy Communication Director with the association’s overall policy communication efforts, including media relations, grassroots advocacy, speechwriting, social media, and publications. Depending on qualifications and aptitude, this position may also serve as a federal lobbyist on certain issues. Other responsibilities would be based on the candidate’s experience and abilities.

Resume, cover letter and two writing samples can be sent to Blair Elias at belias@soy.org.

Ag Groups, ASA, Soybean