Kendal Frazier Named CEO of NCBA

Chuck Zimmerman March 23, 2016

One of the most well known people working for the U.S. beef industry is Kendal Frazier. He has just been named CEO for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).

Our Jamie Johansen spoke with Kendal after the announcement to learn more about his priority issues leading cattlemen and women forward.

“My priorities as CEO will be working with NCBA’s stakeholders and other organizations to vigorously oppose the continued assault by the government on private property rights; work to expand and open markets around the world for U.S. beef; increase trust in U.S. beef production and ensure consumers fully understand the importance of beef’s role in their diets,” said Frazier. “By focusing on these key areas, we ensure there is a prosperous future for the next generation of cattlemen and women.

“It has been my privilege to serve our industry. I have spent my career working with and for beef producers, so I am well versed in the many challenges and exciting opportunities that face our industry. I’m looking forward to working with NCBA’s leadership, membership, staff, state affiliates, state beef councils and other stakeholders.”

Frazier was raised on a diversified cattle and grain operation in south-central Kansas. He is a graduate of Kansas State University and began his career as a farm broadcaster for WIBW Radio/Television before joining the staff at Kansas Livestock Association as director of communications. He joined the staff of the National Cattlemen’s Association in 1985 and has held several staff leadership roles during his career with the association.

“As CEO, I will continue to focus on working to ensure we are implementing NCBA’s contributions to the Industry Long Range Plan,” said Frazier. “We will also ensure that we are delivering on NCBA’s member-directed policy priorities and executing NCBA’s Strategic Plan. These documents are the roadmap for NCBA and by delivering on their promises, we will ensure success for NCBA, our members and our industry.”

Learn more about Kendal in this week’s ZimmCast: Kendal Frazier, CEO, NCBA

Subscribe to the ZimmCast podcast here.

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Ag Groups, Audio, Beef, NCBA, ZimmCast

Last Call for Farm Mom of the Year Nominees

Lizzy Schultz March 23, 2016

There is one week left to submit your favorite farm mom into Monsanto’s America’s Farmers Mom of the Year Contest. Submissions will be accepted through Tuesday, Mar. 29, and Monsanto encourages everyone to nominate moms who go above and beyond to care for and protect their farms, families, communities and the agriculture industry they love.

“Our 2015 Southeast Region Farm Mom, Megan Seibel, was nominated by her daughter three times, and the third time proved to be the charm,” says Tracy Mueller, Monsanto Corporate Brand Communications Manager. “We are so glad we found Megan, but we couldn’t have done that if her daughter didn’t nominate her. We read every nomination and there are so many powerful, encouraging and hopeful stories. These women are inspiring, so we want to hear about them and share their stories with the rest of the country.”

Anyone can enter their favorite farm mom, whether it’s their mom, sister, aunt, daughter, friend or community member by visiting the online nomination site, found here, and submitting a brief essay that explains how the nominated farm mom contributes to each of four areas: her family, farm, community and the agriculture industry.

The judging panel from American Agri-Women will review nominations and help Monsanto select five regional winners.

“So many women, particularly in agriculture, just focus on what needs to get done, and they do it – no matter what challenges or adversities they may be facing,” says Donnell Scott, Vice President of Education for American Agri-Women. “They don’t do it to get credit or attention. These women have a ‘get it done’ attitude and love what they do and who they do it for. We love reading about their efforts and are proud to help acknowledge their hard work and contributions.”

The five regional winners will be announced at the end of April, with each winner receiving a $5,000 cash prize. Profiles of the winners will then be posted to the Americas Farmers website, where the public can vote for one national farm mom winner. The national winner will be announced right before Mother’s Day, and will receive an additional $5,000 cash prize above and beyond her regional prize, for a total of $10,000.

Ag Groups

I AM USFRA – John Deere

Cindy Zimmerman March 23, 2016

John Deere was one of the first companies to become a member of the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) Premier Partner Advisory Group (PPAG) back in 2011 and they continue to provide strong support for the organization.

Deere Director of Industry Relations Chuck Studer serves on the board of USFRA. “Deere’s been a long time sponsor … of USFRA,” said Studer during an interview at National Ag Day in Washington DC. “From a personal standpoint, I feel it’s a privilege to work and serve (with USFRA).”

Studer says USFRA is important because there are fewer people than ever involved in agriculture. “I think we appreciate the value of speaking with one voice,” he said. “And I think USFRA is a key organization that we can all rally around and together try to re-instill trust in agriculture.”

He points out that USFRA is speaking out for agriculture in some non-traditional ways. “Working with their Food Dialogues, trying to engage entities that may be traditionally opponents to agriculture, helping them understand why we want to be involved in creating solutions for the future,” he explained.

Learn more about why John Deere supports USFRA in this interview: Interview with Chuck Studer, John Deere

2016 Ag Day Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, John Deere, USFRA

Historic Agreements for Ag Trade with Cuba

Cindy Zimmerman March 22, 2016

Agriculture could play a key role in normalizing trade relations with Cuba, according to President Obama on his historic visit to that nation this week.

“If we build on what we’re doing in agriculture and we see more U.S. farmers interacting with Cuban farmers, and there’s more exports and imports, the possibility of ending the embargo increases,” Obama said to reporters in Cuba.

Traveling with the president, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack this week announced several measures to foster further collaboration between the U.S. and Cuban agriculture sectors. Vilsack announced that USDA will allow the 22 industry-funded Research and Promotion Programs and 18 Marketing Order organizations to conduct authorized research and information exchange activities with Cuba.

These groups, which are responsible for creating bonds with consumers and businesses around the world in support of U.S. agriculture, will be able to engage in cooperative research and information exchanges with Cuba about agricultural productivity, food security and sustainable natural resource management. Secretary Vilsack called the announcement “a significant step forward in strengthening our bond and broadening agricultural trade between the United States and Cuba.”

American Farm Bureau Federation president Zippy Duvall says that decision will let U.S. farmers invest directly in the growth in trade between the two nations. “American-grown foods hold a clear competitive advantage in the Cuban marketplace, and the use of farmer- and rancher-generated funds to promote and market U.S. farm goods fits the checkoff mission perfectly,” Duvall said.

Checkoff funds are raised through a direct assessment on farmers, ranchers and agricultural businesses and are not taken from U.S. treasury funds. As such, Duvall said it is appropriate that the many farmers and ranchers who pay into the assessment and pay for the oversight of the program by USDA be allowed to see those funds invested in the development of the Cuban market.

AFBF, International

Renewable Soy Warms Houses

Kelly Marshall March 22, 2016

Most people first notice cabinets, light fixtures and paint colors when they walk into a home, but one of the most important remodeling or new home building decisions is what is hidden behind those features– insulation. And now soy foam insulation is becoming an accepted choice, like wind or solar energy says Tom Decker, owner of Chicago Green Insulation.

Decker’s company launched in 2013. They offer spray foam made of soy for a more energy efficient and renewable option. That option has become quite a passion for the contractor. The combination of environmental, economic and social benefits of the soy foam product make it next to perfect in his book.

Decker installs Heatlok Soy 200 Plus® in the Chicago area. Demilec makes products that replace a portion of the petroleum found in the polyurethane spray with agricultural-based materials, including soy, which is a rapidly renewable ingredient grown in America. Spray foam insulation, when properly installed, offers significant benefits.

“It’s better for our resources to come from above ground than from below ground,” said Decker as to why he sprays foam insulation that uses soybean oil as an ingredient to reduce the petroleum content.

This article sponsored by the United Soybean Board offers more information about Decker and soy foam insulation.

Agribusiness, Soybean, USB

NCGA Strategic Plan Focuses on a Sustainable Future

Kelly Marshall March 22, 2016

The recent Commodity Classic in New Orleans was the site of the National Corn Growers Association finalization of a new strategic plan to create a vision of sustainably feeding and fueling the world’s growing population. The plan addresses four major concerns heard throughout the agriculture industry: increase the demand, strengthen customer and consumer trust, enhance productivity and environmental sustainability, and striving for organizational excellence.

NCGA President, Chip Bowling, noted that increasing demand is vital.

“Most corn farmers are well past the point of prices being below the cost of production, and prices have been there for some time now,” Bowling said. “Facing this dramatic income drop, farmers have begun tightening their belts. We are already seeing the ripple effects of this on rural communities. Implement dealers are selling less equipment. Manufacturers are scaling back production. Agribusinesses have laid off employees.”

For NCGA, this means a particular focus on increasing ethanol demand, exploring new uses, increasing livestock exports and pushing for transportation infrastructure that can more efficiently move corn and corn products to market. The target goal within the new plan is competitive market demand for 19 billion bushels of corn by 2025.

“Our growers know what’s at stake,” Bowling said. “They’ve worked hard to bring in the three largest crops ever over the past three years, and now we have the opportunity to lead in building demand, enhancing trust, and improving sustainability.”

Agribusiness, Corn, NCGA, Sustainability

#FarmCredit Looks at 2016 Challenges

Kelly Marshall March 22, 2016

Directors from Farm Credit overwhelmingly believe the greatest challenge facing farmers this growing season are commodity prices.

More than 64 percent of the directors — from the boards of 17 Farm Credit lenders in 15 states and of AgriBank, their St. Paul-based funding bank — said commodity prices are the greatest challenge facing ag producers this year. The directors, most of whom are also farmers or ranchers, indicated the next biggest challenges are input costs (over 21 percent), and Mother Nature (nearly 8 percent). Farm Bill implications and land rents were each cited by approximately 3 percent of the respondents.

“The USDA forecasts real (adjusted for inflation) net farm income will be in the low $50 billion range annually for the next 10 years, which is down dramatically from recent highs and similar to the 1980s,” said Jeff Swanhorst, executive vice president, Credit, and chief credit officer of AgriBank. “The USDA 10-year baseline forecast assumes no domestic or external shocks to global ag markets and is largely driven by prices for corn and other key commodities, which have fallen significantly over the last couple years. All we know for sure is the forecast will be wrong. Farmers will make many adjustments, depending on their circumstances, and they’ll be rewarded for their entrepreneurial spirit, management and good old-fashioned hustle.”

The survey was conducted during the AgriBank 2016 Annual Meeting on March 8. Ninety participating directors represent 17 Farm Credit affiliated associations and 15 states from Wyoming to Ohio to Minnesota to Arkansas. Results for this year closely followed trends from 2015.

Agribusiness, Markets

New Cooperative Research Program for Sorghum

Lizzy Schultz March 21, 2016

The Sorghum Checkoff, Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission and Kansas State University (KSU) have entered into a cooperative agreement to increase grain sorghum productivity and expand markets by 2025.

Coordinated efforts for the Collaborative Sorghum Investment Program will begin April 1st, 2016, and operate through the Center for Sorghum Improvement at KSU. Results will impact sorghum producers throughout the country.

“After more than a year of planning and orchestrating, the Collaborative Sorghum Investment Program is now a reality,” said Florentino Lopez, Sorghum Checkoff executive director. “This program will serve as a platform aimed at reaching the Sorghum Checkoff’s mission of investing checkoff dollars to increase producer profitability and enhance the sorghum industry. This program helps by aligning many resources to meet the needs of sorghum farmers throughout the U.S.”

The program aims to increase the average national yield from 61.95 bushels per acre to 100 bushels per acre by 2025 by funding research in over-the-top grass control, breeding program developments, and field-level management techniques. Long-term research areas such as seed innovation and information management will also be addressed.

The program will also work to develop marketplaces, attributes, qualities and other factors capable of increasing demand to 1.25 million bushels of sorghum by 2025, including the expansion of international markets, domestic food use, livestock feeding, ethanol production, and specialty products.

“This agreement will provide a valuable investment in long-term sorghum research,” said Stephen Bigge, Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission chairman. “Sorghum producers will benefit from the advancement of sorghum technology for many years to come.”

The Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission and the Sorghum Checkoff have each contributed a $2 million investment to this project, and KSU has contributed an $800,000 investment, bringing total support for the program to $4.8 million.

“We look forward to implementing this agreement to the benefit of the entire sorghum industry,” said John Floros, KSU Dean of the College of Agriculture and director of K-State Research and Extension. “We are pleased to leverage our resources with this new program.”

Ag Groups, Agronomy, Marketing, Research, sorghum, University

Many Grocery Prices Down in Marketbasket Survey

Lizzy Schultz March 21, 2016

According to USDA, Americans spend just under 10 percent of their disposable annual income on food, the lowest average of any country in the world, and the American Farm Bureau Federation’s (AFBF) Spring Picnic Marketbasket Survey highlighted a slight decrease in the current retail prices of several popular foods, including salad, orange juice, shredded cheddar, ground chuck, sirloin tip roast, vegetable oil, white bread, ground chuck, and deli ham.

The informal survey shows the total cost of 16 popular food items that can be used to prepare one or more meals was $53.28, down $.59 from last year’s survey. Of the 16 items surveyed, ten decreased and six increased in average price. A total of 87 shoppers in 28 states participated in the latest survey, conducted in March.

Egg prices are up sharply from first quarter of 2015, a year ago but are down even more sharply from the third quarter of 2015.The beef items in the market basket, ground chuck and sirloin tip roast, have lower prices compared to the first quarter of 2015, as retail beef prices peaked in early 2015 at record high levels. Dairy product prices also remain relatively low. Shredded cheddar cheese is at the lowest price in this survey since the third quarter of 2012, and is currently priced at $4.29 for a one-pound bag. The whole milk price rose almost 3 percent from the third quarter of last year, but remains well below the 2015 first-quarter price.

Items showing retail price decreases from a year ago included:

orange juice, down 8 percent to $3.21 per half-gallon
bagged salad, down 11 percent to $2.20 per pound
shredded cheddar cheese, down 7 percent to $4.29 per pound
whole milk, down 6 percent to $3.23 per gallon
ground chuck, down 5 percent to $4.36 per pound
vegetable oil, down 5 percent to $2.55 for a 32-ounce bottle
white bread, down 3 percent to $1.69 per 20-ounce loaf
flour, down 1 percent to $2.49 for a 5-pound bag
sirloin tip roast, down 1 percent to $5.65 per pound
potatoes, down 1 percent to $2.71 for a 5-pound bag

This survey tracks closely with the federal government’s Consumer Price Index report for food at home. As retail grocery prices have increased gradually over time, the share of the average food dollar that America’s farm and ranch families receive has dropped.

“Through the mid-1970s, farmers received about one-third of consumer retail food expenditures for food eaten at home and away from home, on average. Since then, that figure has decreased steadily and is now about 16 percent, according to the Agriculture Department’s revised Food Dollar Series,” said John Anderson, AFBF’s deputy chief economist.

Using the “food at home and away from home” percentage across-the-board, the farmer’s share of this $53.28 marketbasket would be $8.52.

AFBF, Ag Groups, Food

NFU Renews Partnership with Feeding America

Jamie Johansen March 21, 2016

The National Farmers Union (NFU) has pledged to contribute to nationwide hunger relief through a renewed commitment to Feeding America’s Invest An Acre program aiming to help fight the food insecurity problem for millions of Americans across the country. The organization officially kicked off its fundraising efforts this week following an announcement at the NFU 114th Anniversary Convention in Minneapolis.

“We often associate food insecurity with impoverished foreign nations, but we cannot ignore the hunger problem here at home in many rural communities,” said NFU President Roger Johnson. “As family farmers and ranchers, we have a responsibility to help families in need through local hunger relief efforts.”

More than 48 million Americans lived in food-insecure households in 2014, according to the USDA. To combat the problem in rural America, the domestic hunger relief organization created Invest An Acre to make it easy for farmers to donate a portion of their crop proceeds to the food bank serving their local community. Every dollar donated by farmers is matched by Monsanto to double the impact. From 2011 to 2014, NFU and its members contributed nearly $200,000 to various hunger relief initiatives through Feeding America, the Invest An Acre program and local food banks.

“Food insecurity is not an individual problem; it can take a toll on an entire community. We are proud to renew our partnership with Feeding America and to continue NFU’s longstanding support of hunger relief efforts in rural America,” commented Barbara Patterson, a government relations representative with NFU, who is coordinating the renewed partnership.

Ag Groups, Food

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