#RealYield Game Was a Winner

Cindy Zimmerman March 11, 2016

There were lots of winners in the Bayer LibertyLink® Real Yield Game that you might recall us promoting at the end of last year.

Among them were five farmers who were instant winners, receiving 500 acres of LibertyLink soybean seed and Liberty herbicide, and one grand prize winner who gets a year’s lease on a John Deere 8320R tractor. Even better, 28 state FFA organizations got a share in $50,000 from Bayer for their help in promoting the game.

All of those winners were recognized during the 2016 Commodity Classic in New Orleans, where we had the opportunity to talk with them and learn how they found out about the game and what winning means for them. And that is the topic of our ZimmCast this week.

Listen to it here: LibertyLink Real Yield Game Winners

2016 Commodity Classic Photo Album

The ZimmCast

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Farm Credit Celebrates Centennial at #Classic16

Cindy Zimmerman March 11, 2016

Farm Credit was celebrating 100 years of serving farmers and ranchers across the nation at Commodity Classic last week by serving up personalized tee shirts.

“We wanted to celebrate the resiliency of the farm family,” said Sarah Cortese, Director of Communications at Capital Farm Credit in Lubbock, Texas. She added that the t-shirt idea was very popular and they were printing up shirts “like hot cakes, literally.” We even had one printed up for Chuck’s brother in Georgia, who has his own small acreage estate that he calls Walkin’ Z Farms.

While farm income may be down right now, Cortese says it’s nothing new for the agriculture industry. “We’ve all been there before,” she said. “We’ve been trying to meet with borrowers early and we have a lot of risk management programs that we offer free of charge.”

She encourages people to visit the Farm Credit 100 website to learn more about their centennial anniversary and the history of the system.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Sarah here: Interview with Sarah Cortese, Capital Farm Credit

2016 Commodity Classic Photo Album

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Soil Health Partnership Participation Explodes

Lizzy Schultz March 11, 2016

Twenty-five more farms have joined in on the groundbreaking research effort from Soil Health Partnership (SHP) that could change the way farmers take care of their land.

SHP works to test and measure farm management practices that improve soil health, such as growing cover crops, practicing conservation tillage like no-till or strip-till, and using sophisticated nutrient management techniques.

The program’s goal is to quantify the benefits of these practices from an economic standpoint, showing farmers how healthy soil benefits their bottom line. In just two years of operation, the organization has quickly grown strong. They have hosted two highly attended Soil Health Summits, and farmer support for the program continues to increase.

Once enrolled, field managers from the partnership work with farmers to determine what practices might work best on their farms. They help the farmer gather soil, planting and tillage data from test plots. The program started with 20 demonstration farms in 2014, and with the recent addition of 25 new demonstration farms, the latest number of project participants is 65. The goal is to eventually see that number increase to 100. Once a grower enrolls, the test site is included in research for five years. The new farm sites are located in eight Midwestern states, mainly focused throughout the corn belt.

SHP announced the addition of the new test sites during the 2016 Commodity Classic, where they also hosted a learning session that allowed industry professionals an opportunity to learn more about the farmer-led conservation initiative of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA). SHP also hosted a panel of farmers who have worked with the organization, allowing them to highlight how the organization has impacted their individual operations.

“We’ve got a great network of demonstration farmers that have been enrolled in the project, and we’ve been taking soil samples and collecting yield data and economic data on all of those farmers,” said Elyssa McFarland, Iowa Field Manager, during an interview at Commodity Classic. “We’ve done a great job of getting out there and having events and talking to different people to get the word out their about soil health and how it is affected by management.”

Listen to my full interview with Elyssa here:
Interview with Elyssa McFarland, Soil Health Partnership

2016 Commodity Classic Photo Album

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The Great Grain Marketing Debate

Lizzy Schultz March 11, 2016

Grain marketing was at the center of many educational sessions during the 2016 Commodity Classic, as the stressful state of the economy has made it imperative for farmers to have a clear understanding of grain marketing. One session at this year’s event, the Great Grain Marketing Debate, offered attendees a valuable panel discussion on grain marketing strategies for 2016.

One panelist, Matt Bennett, is an Illinois farmer and grain marketing consultant for Channel seed. He also runs Bennett Consulting, a full service agricultural marketing and commodities brokerage firm. He sat down with AgWired after the panel to discuss what he considered to be the most important aspect of the conversation: the painful drop in profitability, and how to overcome the challenges it presents growers.

“Several years ago we had historic profitability, so the transition from that era to this era has been really painful for a lot of producers, especially the younger ones that haven’t seen tough times in agriculture before,” said Bennett.

Bennett’s biggest takeaway for growers was the absolute necessity of knowing their breakeven prices for corn.

“Part of the problem with marketing is how emotional it is, its very tough to pull the trigger on marketing, because every time the market goes up, we start thinking its going to go up more,” he said. “So I always tell producers that if they know going in what your breakeven price for corn is, you can make a decision based on business and numbers. It’s a frustrating thing to try to market, but I want to base it on dollars and cents.”

Listen to my full interview with Matt here:
Interview with Matt Bennett, Channel

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USFRA Invites You to “Show Us Your Ag”

Kelly Marshall March 11, 2016

National Agriculture Week begins next week, March 13-19, and the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance invites farmers and ranchers to participates in “Show Us Your Ag” to highlight the great things going on across the nation.

The industry providing us with everything we eat, plus fuel and fiber is generally misunderstood by those making use of our products everyday. “Show Us Your Ag” is designed to showcase what America’s farmers and ranchers do each day. You’re invited to submit a short video, image, or blog post about life on the farm. Each day next week the USFRA will feature a winner on their social media platforms.

“Today as a farmer, we have to do more than plant the seed and care for our animals – we have to talk about what we’re doing every single day and share that with consumers,” says Thomas Titus, a pig farmer from Illinois and one of USFRA’s Faces of Farming and Ranching. “On our farm, it’s not just what we do, it’s who we are. Join us to celebrate National Agriculture Week and ‘Show Us Your Ag!'”

People have questions about animal welfare, antibiotics & hormones, crop inputs, GMOs and sustainability, so be transparent and reassure them about today’s agriculture by showing them your farm or ranch firsthand. It’s time to break down the stereotypes and show consumers our commitment in providing a safe and reliable food supply.

“We all have stories to tell about how we care for our land, animals, farms and families,” says Nancy Kavazanjian, USFRA Chairwoman and Wisconsin Farmer. “Consumers want to hear from today’s farmers and ranchers, so be a voice for agriculture and talk about how you’re being sustainable on your operation by protecting your soil, water and farm environment and preserving it for the future.”

On Thursday, March 17 at 4:00 p.m. USFRA is also hosting a Twitter Chat on “how to incorporate agriculture into your classroom.” Teachers will be shown how to utilized Discovering FARMLAND as a free resource. Register here to participate in the #FarmlandChat.

Ag Groups, Social Media, USFRA

New Holland Combine Shines in PAMI Report

Lizzy Schultz March 11, 2016

One out of every five combines built in the world is made by New Holland, and the recently announced results of a report on combine productivity should make customers even more confident in their decision to choose New Holland.

The report was a benchmark study conducted by the independent research agency Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI). The project sought to measure and compare the harvest productivity, fuel consumption, and grain loss of the 2015 New Holland CR9.90 Elevation and the John Deere S690 combines on fields of both canola and wheat. New Holland was ecstatic to announce that the CR9.90 Elevation performed better in all three of the categories than the S690 combines.

Igor Kuzmenko, North American Marketing Manager for combines, was on hand during the 2016 Commodity Classic to discuss the results of the study and what they mean for growers nationwide.

“If your combine has a better harvest productivity, that means you’re spending less of your day out in the field during harvest,” said Kuzmenko, “and lower fuel consumption and grain loss can help to increase profitability, and we know how important it is the keep those costs down in this market.”

Growers can view the full report here.

Listen to Jamie’s full interview with Igor here:
Interview with Igor Kuzmenko, New Holland

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Bayer #AgVocate Panel Tackles Food Biz Trends

Joanna Schroeder March 11, 2016

Frank Sesno talks with Ardent Mills CEO Dan Dye, Christine Daugherty of Tyson Foods, and Kelly Shea with WhiteWave Foods

Three food company executives took to the stage at the Bayer AgVocacy Forum in New Orleans last week to discuss global food business trends. Each gave prepared remarks before sitting down for a conversations with event emcee Frank Sesno.

Ardent Mills CEO Dan Dye said that his company is less than two years old and unique in that it is a joint venture between Cargill, CHS and ConAgra Foods. Their brand promise is to really focus on nourishing what’s next. He tells people that when they created Ardent Mills they didn’t just create a large flour milling company. “We actually created Ardent Mills to help change the way people think about food. What they eat; how they eat; and how we can be a part of that and a solution to that,” he said.

To learn more about Ardent Mills’ consumer mission, listen to Dan Dye: Dan Dye, Ardent Mills

Tyson Foods VP of Sustainable food production Dr. Christine Daugherty talked about how both women and men today feel guilty about the food they are preparing for themselves or their family. She asked the audience how the industry should address the issue and answered, “We need to make sure consumers understand what they’re eating and feel good about it. It’s safe, it’s affordable, it’s sustainable,” said Daugherty. She added that consumers expect food companies to give that assurance and to discuss things like how the animal was raised.

To learn more about how Tyson Foods is communicating to consumers about food, listen to Dr. Christine Daughtery’s remarks: Dr. Christine Daygherty, Tyson Foods

WhiteWave Foods Company VP, Government & Industry Relations Kelly Shea shared some information about her company including they have been America’s fastest growing food company four years in a row. She noted that Millennials will have the most spending power of all the charted demographics by 2017 and are estimated to account for 75 percent of food growth over the next 10 years. She added that today most consumers skew towards wanting a higher level of food safety; they want more transparency; ethical sourcing; and lower environmental impacts from their food. Seventy-five percent of Whitewave’s portfolio is organic or non GMO. “So Whitewave is in a pretty sweet spot when you think where shoppers are going.”

To learn more about Whitewave Food’s brand strategy listen to Kelly Shea’s remarks: Kelly Shea, Whitewave Foods

Bayer AgVocacy Forum Photos

Agribusiness, Audio, Bayer

#Classic16 Corn and Wheat Scholarship Winners

Joanna Schroeder March 10, 2016

The number of scholarships presented by BASF Crop Protection and the various commodity organizations at Commodity Classic increases every year. Yea. It’s great to see so many young men and women take an interest in agriculture. We were able to interview some but not all of this year’s winners – but they are all outstanding.

The $1000 National Corn Growers (NCGA) William C. Berg Academic Excellence in Agriculture scholarships were awarded to five students including: Katie Peterson of Grove City, Minnesota, a sophomore studying political science at Gustavus Adolphus College; and Leah Schwinn of New London, Ohio, a junior studying agricultural communications and human animal interactions at Ohio State University.

Andrew Lauver of Rockwell City, Iowa, a graduate student studying agribusiness at Kansas State University, was another award winner. He grew up on a grain and livestock farm and received his undergraduate degree from Iowa State. Andrew said he has a great interest in agriculture and after he is done at Kansas State he’d like to study law and serve a rural community. In addition, he’d like to continue as a next generation farmer. Learn more about Andrew Lauver here: Interview with Andrew Lauver

Bethany Mordhorst of Ute, Iowa is a graduate student studying animal science at the University of Missouri. Her love of agriculture was kindled while growing up by being actively involved in 4-H and FFA and then got her undergrad at Iowa State. With her passion for research she headed to North Dakota State University where she studied the effects of dried distillers grains (DDGs) supplementation on gestating beef cattle. From there she landed at University of Missouri where she is working on her PhD. Learn more about Bethany and her research here: Interview with Bethany Mordhorst

Breanne Brammer of Gallatin, Missouri is a graduate student studying agriculture education at the University of Missouri. She grew up on a livestock farm, and growing up she showed cattle, hogs and horses. Her goal is to teach ag in the classroom and she said she really became inspired after spending time in Africa. While traveling she said she learned how education and international ag really tie together in order to feed the world and educate our growing population. Learn more about Breanne’s future here: Interview with Breanne Brammer

Moving on, the National Wheat Foundation awarded $1000 and $1500 Jerry Minore Memorial scholarships. Four students were selected, one of whom has now won all three of the commodity group scholarships, the first person to do so – Caleb Brannon. Two of the winners included Clay Schemm of Sharon Springs, Kansas, a sophomore studying biological and agricultural engineering at Kansas State University; and Samantha Wander of Bellville, Ohio, a freshman studying agriscience education at Ohio State University.

Caleb Brannon of Puryear, Tennessee is a senior studying agribusiness economics at Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky. He’s on a role winning his third scholarship. He grew up on the family farm that grows corn, soybeans and wheat, a unique situation for Brannon and one that allowed him to apply, and ultimately win a scholarship from each commodity group. Last summer he had a sales internship with Beck’s Hybrids and he said he loved it. When he graduates, he is hoping to go into some type of sales. Learn more about Caleb here: Interview with Caleb Brannon

Logan Simon of Columbia, Missouri is a junior studying plant sciences at the University of Missouri with an emphasis on breeding, biology and biotechnology. He works with the wheat breeding genetics lab at the University and they are breeding soft red winter wheat with an emphasis on breeding for scab resistance. His intentions are to stay at the University of Missouri and attend graduate school with the ultimate goal of becoming a wheat breeder. Learn more about Logan and his research here: Interview with Logan Simon

2016 Commodity Classic Photo Album

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U.S. Ag Journalists – Register for IFAJ Congress in Germany

Chuck Zimmerman March 10, 2016

Registration is now open for the IFAJ 2016 Congress which will take place in Bonn, Germany. There are pre and post tours in addition to the main Congress. Find the program and registration information on the Congress website.

If you have never attended an IFAJ Congress then you really should consider it. Cindy and I have attended many of these fantastic events and now have friends and contacts all over the world. The IFAJ Congress is very different than our own “local” ag journalist meetings. The primary focus of the IFAJ Congress is on the culture and agriculture of the host country. This includes plenty of time on farms and plenty of time to talk with farmers and policy makers. Every country we’ve been to has welcomed us with open arms and some of the best food and beverage you can find. You come away more knowledgeable about this global agricultural business while creating good programming and editorial content when you return. One of the best parts for me is the mix of agricultural journalists of all types, print, web, tv, radio. IFAJ doesn’t make distinctions.

Another element of the Congress for me is seeing and working with young ag journalists from a variety of countries. They have some opportunities to attend with financial help and have a program of their own. There is some great talent out there if you want to look outside the border!

This year the host organization is the Association of German Agricultural Journalists (VDAJ). It was established in 1951 to promote agricultural journalism on the principles of freedom of the press and journalistic responsibility. It is a voluntary association with some 700 journalists, publicists and PR professionals who work in agriculture, forestry, food industry, horticulture and related fields. The Federal Association is made up of seven country groups. The office of the VDAJ is located in Friedrichsdorf.

IFAJ, International, Media, Video

New Holland Announces New IntelliSteer Technology

Lizzy Schultz March 10, 2016

New Holland announced a new addition to the PLM IntelliSteer integrated guidance system at the 2016 Commodity Classic. Andy Strickland, Western Region Sales Manager for New Holland’s precision products, was on hand during the event to talk more about PLM Intellisteer Light, and the benefits it offers growers across the nation.

PLM IntelliSteer Light was designed and developed to add assisted steering to tractors that do not come hydraulically equipped. The economical, easy to use guidance system can benefit growers with operations of all sizes, from its ability to function on smaller tractors that do not have hydraulics to the benefits it offers growers looking to add assisted steering to large tractors and combines.

“This is a great way to add assisted steering without the expense of hydraulics, and to add to a combine to make it operate efficiently and stay on the road,” said Strickland.

IntelliSteer Light is expecting a May 2016 Launch, and growers are encouraged to contact their dealers for more information.

Listen to Jamie’s full interview with Andy here:
Interview with Andy Strickland, New Holland

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