What’s On America’s Plate? Bayer #AgVocate

Chuck Zimmerman

Carolyn O'NeilThis year Bayer CropScience has tweaked their annual pre-Commodity Classic forum. It is now the Bayer AgVocacy Forum. Just keep your eye on #AgVocate on Twitter.

Cindy and I will be participating and hearing from numerous speakers on topics like challenges to food, agriculture and consumers needs. Our moderator once again is Frank Sesno.

First up on the program is Carolyn O’Neil, MS, RDN, food and nutrition journalist, cookbook author, former CNN correspondent. She’s talking about consumer trends and how they impact food consumption and production. We’ve got her comments to share with you. Listen to her tell you what’s naughty and what’s nice.

You can listen in here: Carolyn O'Neil, Bayer AgVocacy Forum

Here’s where you can find lots of photos: Bayer AgVocacy Forum Photos

Audio, Bayer, Food

Ceva Launches U.S. Swine Division

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast 504Agrimarketing entrepreneurs, you might be interested to learn about how Ceva has come to the launch point for their new U.S. swine division. Instead of just starting a new company and assuming they know what their customers want they’ve taken a couple of years to “listen” as the U.S. CEO, Craig Wallace says.

Craig WallaceI had a great conversation with Craig at their launch reception which was held at Destrehan Plantation on Friday evening. Off the subject for the moment, they served the best fresh shucked oysters I’ve eaten! Hey, it’s food. That’s important to a foodie.

Back to Ceva U.S. Swine. Craig says it is one of Ceva’s missions to provide high quality, low cost protein to the world. Launching the U.S. Swine Division is a dream of the organization since this is the largest swine market in the world.

When it comes to where Ceva is in terms of establishing their new unit Craig says, “We’re at the very beginning. We are starting from zero.” He says they began by having conversations with people in the industry several years ago now. He says that besides bringing innovative products to the market Ceva wants to just listen to the producer and to the veterinarian to find out what the want and need. He’s also putting together a team for the U.S. market and looking for the best of the best.

Listen to this week’s ZimmCast here and learn more: Ceva U.S. Swine Division Launch

The ZimmCast

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Agribusiness, Animal Health, Audio, ZimmCast

Senate Ag Approves GMO Labeling Bill

Cindy Zimmerman

roberts-hearingThe Senate Agriculture Committee today held a business meeting where the Chairman’s Mark on Biotechnology Labeling Solutions was favorably reported with a bipartisan vote of 14-6.

The legislation, which creates a voluntary national labeling law for genetically modified products, now heads to the full Senate for consideration. “This is really a conversation about a few states dictating to every state the way food moves from farmers to consumers in the value chain. We have a responsibility to ensure that the national market can work for everyone, including farmers, manufacturers, retailers, and consumers,” said Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS). “The Chairman’s Mark puts forward policies that will help consumers not only find information, but also demand information from manufacturers. However, it is important, as with any federal legislation on this topic, for Congress to consider scientific fact and unintended consequences.”

Link to legislation and archived video of the hearing.

Biotech, GMO

#Classic16 Teams with New Orleans Charities

Joanna Schroeder

Commodity-classicNew Orleans has been a hot spot for the agricultural industry the past two weeks and will continue to be so as Commodity Classic (CC) 2016 kicks off this week March 3-5, 2016. Heading in to the show, CC organizers have announced a partnership with two New Orleans-based charities – Second Harvest and The Roots of Music.

Attendees of the show (and even those who are unable to be onsite) can donate online by visiting no-hunger.org/commodityclassic. Not sure how to choose between food or music?  Here is some additional information on each charity:

  • Second Harvest is working to end hunger in South Louisiana by providing food access, advocacy, education and disaster response. The nonprofit provides 24 million meals to 210,000 people each year across South Louisiana. Every one dollar donated to Second Harvest provides three meals to a hungry family.
  • The Roots of Music believes music has the power to transform lives. The program empowers the youth of New Orleans through music education, academic support, and mentorship while preserving and promoting the unique musical and cultural heritage of the city. The organization’s goal is to provide young people with the resources they need to lead positive, productive, self-reliant lives.

“You can make an online contribution once you arrive in New Orleans or do it even before you leave home,” said Commodity Classic Co-Chair Sam Butler, an Alabama soybean farmer. “This is a great opportunity for America’s farmers to make a positive impact in our host city and show the people of New Orleans that our nation’s agricultural producers are genuinely interested in helping others.”

Donations should be made by 3:00 p.m., Saturday, March 5, as results will be announced during the Evening of Entertainment Saturday night.

Coverage of Commodity Classic sponsored by
Coverage of Commodity Classic sponsored by BASF Coverage of Commodity Classic sponsored by New Holland
Commodity Classic, Food

Solutions for Southern Growers from FMC

Lizzy Schultz

MSFGS-16-Mitchell The FMC team was on hand at the 2016 Mid-South Farm & Gin Show, using the event as an opportunity to meet with Southern growers and discuss the multitude of crop protection solutions offered to them through the FMC portfolio.

Rusty Mitchell, Technical Support Specialist for FMC, sat down for an interview on the latest additions to the company’s diverse portfolio, and how those products offer solutions to the current crop protection problems facing the South, specifically the rise herbicide-resistant pigweeds like Palmer Amaranth.

“A big program that we’re concentrating on right now is utilizing pre-emergence as well as overlapping residual products to manage that pigweed problem,” said Mitchell. “Palmer Amaranth is a very aggressive weed, especially in soybeans and corn, and we cannot allow for it to emerge and try to control it post-emergence.”

Mitchell discussed several FMC product lines that Southern growers are turning to in order to take control of their crops before the pigweeds get that opportunity, including the Authority brand of herbicides for soybeans, and the new Ethos XB line of insecticides for corn. Several different products are available for growers, allowing for multiple modes of action to keep the weeds at bay.

“It’s all about plant health, it’s all about establishing a plant in such a way that it will allow it to maximize its yield potential, whether its an insecticide, whether its a herbicide, whether its a fungicide, or growth enhancing material,” said Mitchell.

Listen to my full interview with Rusty here:
Interview with Rusty Mitchell, FMC

2016 Mid-South Farm & Gin Show Photo Album

Coverage of the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show is sponsored by
Coverage of the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show is sponsored by FMC
Ag Groups, Audio, Crop Protection, FMC, Herbicide, Insecticides

Golden Plow Awarded to Rep Mike Conaway

Joanna Schroeder

The Golden Plow award was given to Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas) during the Farm Bureau Advocacy Conference that took place last week. AFBF President Zippy Duvall presented the award to the Chairman of the House Ag Committee- the highest honor given to members of Congress.

AFBF President Zippy Duvall (right) presents Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas) with the Golden Plow award, the highest recognition the organization grants members of Congress.

AFBF President Zippy Duvall (right) presents Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas) with the Golden Plow award, the highest recognition the organization grants members of Congress.

Conaway was nominated by the Texas Farm Bureau who noted his dedication to the ag industry in his role of chairman. He was also closely involved with the passage of the 2014 Farm Bill and according to Duvall, remains involved in defending its programs and overseeing its implementation by the Agriculture Department.

Duvall also highlighted Conaway’s support for crop insurance. When a $3 billion cut was included in the bipartisan budget agreement, he led the fight to ensure funding would be restored in the final bill. More recently, his early involvement with the redrafting of federal dietary guidelines resulted in recommendations that were true to their intended purpose. And finally, Conaway was thanked for his leadership on the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act, GMO legislation, that Duvall said would not have passed the House without his efforts.

“We are tremendously pleased to be able to recognize Chairman Conaway for all the great things he has done for America’s farmers and ranchers,” said Duvall. “Thank you for your dedicated service to agriculture and rural America.”

AFBF, politics

Overview of 2016 AASV Meeting

Chuck Zimmerman

Tom BurkgrenTom Burkgren, DVM, Exec. Dir., American Association of Swine Veterinarians, sure seems to love his job. In the middle of an annual meeting with about 1,200 people attending and over 160 speakers you’d think the stress would be showing. But nooo. He’s smiling and tonight he’ll be one of the auctioneers at the AASV Foundation live fundraiser.

So even with the Nola distractions this is a serious educational meeting. Besides all the seminars there is a huge room with 85 company “technical tables” at which attending veterinarians can visit with representatives to discuss their products and services.

There are 150 students attending this year of which 55 submitted posters of their research abstracts into a competition. They have their own schedule of presentations and I’ll have more on them in an upcoming interview.

You can listen to my interview with Tom here: Interview with Tom Burkgren, DVM, AASV

BIVI 2016 AASV Meeting Photo Album

Watch for further coverage of the AASV meeting, sponsored by BIVI, here and on Animal.AgWired.com.

Coverage of American Association of Swine Veterinarians annual meeting sponsored by Coverage of American Association of Swine Veterinarians annual meeting sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc.
Ag Groups, Animal Health, Audio

Supreme Court Declines Chesapeake Bay Review

Cindy Zimmerman

gavelThere will be no Supreme Court review of the Environmental Protection Agency’s total maximum daily load (TMDL) restrictions in the Chesapeake Bay region, referred to as EPA’s “blueprint” for restoring the bay.

The American Farm Bureau Federation and a coalition of agricultural and builder groups asked the Supreme Court last November to review a lower court ruling that “allows the Environmental Protection Agency to micromanage local land use and development decisions under the guise of implementing the federal Clean Water Act.” AFBF president Zippy Duvall says they will continue to monitor the agency’s actions in connection with the Bay blueprint, as well as any efforts to impose similar mandates in other areas. “This lawsuit has ended, but the larger battle over the scope of EPA’s power is not over,” said Duvall.

National Corn Growers Association President Chip Bowling, who farms on the Chesapeake Bay watershed in southern Maryland, says the court decision has national implications. “The EPA has consistently pushed the legal limits of the Clean Water Act, with the Chesapeake Bay blueprint and the Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule being two of the most recent examples,” said Bowling. “When Congress passed the Clean Water Act, their intention was to create balanced, practical policies to protect America’s water resources with a clear division of power between states and the federal government. In both of these cases, the EPA’s actions represent an unlawful expansion of their authority. That’s why we joined this petition on the Chesapeake Bay TMDL, and we are party to a lawsuit challenging the WOTUS rule,” he added.

AFBF, Corn, EPA, NCGA

FMC Talks Grower Benefit Programs

Lizzy Schultz

MSFGS-16-Scott The team at FMC is offering growers a number of benefit programs for the coming year, and Retail Market Manager Lester Scott sat down for an interview at the 2016 Mid-South Farm & Gin Show to discuss three programs that benefit southern rice and soybean growers in particular.

FMC is offering rice growers a $1 per acre rebate when they choose Command 3ME herbicide, based on a 13 ounce rate, offering growers $10 back per acre.

“I think the Command 3ME rebate will be a welcome addition for our rice growers this year, especially with the economy the way it is,” said Scott. “It allows them to stay with a branded product in 2016 with the stability they’ve had and used over the years.

Additional programs available for Authority Elite herbicide, an individual program that offers both grass and broad-leaf control with a $2/acre rebate, as well as a unique program with Anthem Max, a member of Bayer’s Liberty Link residual program.

“This year really gives us an opportunity to have personal contact with our growers,” said Scott. “Most of the time we’re spending most of our efforts with our star retails, but this is an opportunity to really touch our growers, with an opportunity to not only promote our products, but to offer a discount in a year where we know the economy is such that they will be needing it.”

Listen to my full interview with Lester here:
Interview with Lester Scott, FMC

2016 Mid-South Farm & Gin Show Photo Album

Coverage of the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show is sponsored by
Coverage of the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show is sponsored by FMC
Ag Groups, Audio, Bayer, FMC, Herbicide

Issues Facing Swine Producers in 2016

Chuck Zimmerman

Neil DierksI met Neil Dierks, CEO, National Pork Producers Council, in New Orleans and got to talk with him about issues facing swine producers this year.

A big one has to do with food security. He says, “The world is shrinking. Globalization is real which means pathogens can cross borders very rapidly which can raise questions on health in the herds.” Neil says they just provided testimony to Congress and the committee on the oversight of homeland security talking about those kinds of threats and how to prepare for them. Food security is one of the pillars of homeland security. You can read that testimony here.

Among actions NPPC suggested the federal government take to be better prepared to address a foreign pest infestation or disease outbreak:

• A sufficient quantity of vaccine to control and eradicate an outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth Disease.
• A more robust review of biosecurity measures in each sector of the agriculture industry.
• More vigorous scrutiny of imports at ports of entry.
• An animal identification system to better trace the movement of livestock to control the spread of a disease and to determine the origins of an outbreak.
• More funding for the systems that safeguard U.S. agriculture.
• Share data, including on animal movements, to improve disease response.

You can listen to my interview with Neil here to learn more: Interview with Neil Dierks, NPPC

BIVI 2016 AASV Meeting Photo Album

Watch for further coverage of the AASV meeting, sponsored by BIVI, here and on Animal.AgWired.com.

Coverage of American Association of Swine Veterinarians annual meeting sponsored by Coverage of American Association of Swine Veterinarians annual meeting sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc.
Ag Groups, Animal Health, Audio, NPPC, Pork, Swine