National FFA Sets Membership Record

Kelly Marshall

ffaMore than ever agriculture needs a passionate, skilled and educated generation ready to fight global hunger and expand sustainability.  The National FFA Organization is ready and expanding.

Today, FFA membership stands at 629,367 students, up from 610,240 in 2014, an increase of 3 percent. The number of chapters grew from 7,665 in 2014 to 7,757 in 2015. The top five membership states are Texas, California, Georgia, Oklahoma and Missouri. Interest in FFA and agricultural education continues to grow, as membership has increased more than 20 percent since 2009-10.

“FFA, through agricultural education, is preparing our youth to ensure the security of our country’s food, fiber and natural resources for years to come,” said National FFA Organization CEO Dwight Armstrong, Ph.D. “Through real-world experiences, the nation’s agricultural educators are helping students develop the technical knowledge, skills and problem-solving capabilities to be the industry’s leaders of tomorrow. FFA continues to grow leaders, build communities and strengthen agriculture.”

Alumni member ship is also up, with 62,705 members in 2015 from 57,832 last year.  Alumni are an integral part of the organization, providing financial support and volunteers to local teachers.

Ag Groups, FFA

Bayer Luke Bryan Farm Tour Kicks Off

Cindy Zimmerman

bayer-bryanThe 7th annual Luke Bryan Farm Tour, sponsored by Bayer, kicks off this week with his first concert in Ft. Wayne, Indiana at M&J Farms tomorrow.

Bryan, the son of a peanut farmer from Georgia, launched the tour in 2009 as a way to highlight and celebrate the contribution farmers make to improving lives.

“Farmers enrich our bodies and lives and musicians like Luke Bryan enrich our souls,” said Ray Kerins, head of communications, government relations and policy for Bayer. “For eight nights this harvest season, we’ll join Luke to kick up a little dust in farming communities across the U.S. to give our thanks to those in agriculture who dedicate their lives to making everyone’s better. Farming is a 24/7 job so we’re excited to help give them a few hours of fun with one of today’s top stars.”

Here’s the rest of Luke’s schedule:
October 1 Lexington, KY Talon Farm and Winery
October 2 Knoxville, TN Maple Lane Farms
October 3 Columbia, SC Culler Farms
October 7 Starkville, MS Holtzcamp Farms
October 8 Tuscaloosa, AL Twin Creeks Farm
October 9 Macon, GA Midway at Central City Park
October 10 Valdosta, GA MJ Taylor Farms

The tour and will highlight Bayer’s annual #Thankful4Ag campaign which activates consumers to provide meals to those in need while thanking farmers for their contribution to feeding the planet. Show stops will also feature exciting opportunities for attendees to learn more about Bayer products like K9 Advantix®, and crop science brands like Bayer Advanced™, Credenz®, Stoneville® and Fibermax® that embody the Bayer mission of “Science for a Better Life.”

Agribusiness, Bayer

Agri-Pulse Open Mic with ASA president Wade Cowan

John Davis

open-micAgri-Pulse Open Mic this week features Texas farmer Wade Cowan, President of the American Soybean Association.

In this interview you’ll hear a farmers perspective on global trading relationships, the threat of a government shutdown and biotech labeling legislation. Cowan spent time with the Chinese officials last week in New Orleans and is optimistic for more productive discussions between the two countries. Cowan previews his testimony on food aid before the House Agriculture Committee this week. He is intently interested in the ongoing Trans Pacific Partnership talks this week in Atlanta and shares his view on a successful conclusion to the negotiations.

Click here to listen to Agri-Pulse Open Mic with Wade Cowan, President of the ASA.

Agri-Pulse, ASA, Audio

Ag Groups React to EPA Farmworker Standards Update

John Davis

Ag groups are reacting to the Environmental Protection Agency’s final revisions to the Worker Protection Standard. The American Farm Bureau Federation worries the government is getting away from a science-based approach in guarding against risk.

afbf-logo“Farm Bureau shares the agency’s desire to protect workers, but we are concerned that the agency is piling regulatory costs on farmers and ranchers that bear little if any relation to actual safety issues,” said Paul Schlegel, director of environment and energy policy for AFBF.

AFBF filed extensive comments on the proposal more than a year ago. Then, as now, AFBF said EPA itself could not justify the regulation it was proposing.

“We are hopeful the agency’s final rule will reflect our concerns and protect farmers’ and ranchers’ ability to promote a safe, productive environment,” Schlegel said.

ARAThe Agricultural Retailers Association chimed in as well, saying the revision of the regulation is “based on unfounded assumptions and deliberately misleading cost analysis.”

“Agricultural retailers pay a lot of attention to worker safety because they care about their employees, and accidents are costly for both employees and employers,” said ARA President and CEO Daren Coppock. “The final rule overlooks improvements made in worker safety by the industry over the preceding 22 years, most significantly through development and adoption of precision agriculture and drift reduction technologies. It also discounts the significant efforts of state pesticide regulators.”

ARA has identified several areas of concern with the new rule:

– Opens new doors of potential liability without demonstrating their connection to worker safety – the introduction of an “authorized representative” concept, unclear requirements on who must possess “labeling” and when, and what even constitutes the required “labeling;” and many others.
– EPA substantially – and deliberately – underestimated the cost of the regulation. The rule increases the frequency of required training by five times and increases the amount of material that must be covered, yet EPA estimates a negligible cost to employers. EPA’s new requirement would not align with industry standards for training already in place in several states.

ARA says the EPA ignored industry comments that pointed out the agency’s error, suggesting the government is deliberately disregarding the real-world cost implications of the rule.

AFBF, ARA, EPA, Farming, labor

EPA Updates Farmworker Standards

Cindy Zimmerman

epaThe Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released updated farmworker standards to provide health protections under the law similar to those already afforded to workers in other industries.

“We depend on farmworkers every day to help put the food we eat on America’s dinner tables—and they deserve fair, equitable working standards with strong health and safety protections,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “With these updates we can protect workers, while at the same time preserve the strong traditions of our family farms and ensure the continued the growth of our agricultural economy.”

“No one should ever have to risk their lives for their livelihoods, but far too many workers, especially those who work in agriculture, face conditions that challenge their health and safety every day,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez. “By promoting workplace safety, these provisions will enhance economic security for people struggling to make ends meet and keep more Americans on the job raising the crops that feed the world, and we are proud to support the EPA in this effort.”

McCarthy and Perez took part in a media conference call today, along with Arturo Rodriguez, President of the United Farm Workers. “We have worked with President Obama, EPA Administrator McCarthy, ‎Secretary Perez and others in the administration to end decades-long discriminatory labor practices against farm workers,” said Rodriguez. “It’s been a long time coming, but it has come today.” The announcement coincides with the 50th anniversary of California farm workers joining together to fight for basic labor protections.

The new EPA pesticide rules include:

Requiring all pesticide applicators be at least 18 years old
Creating whistleblower protections so farm workers can confidentially submit complaints over pesticide abuses
Providing pesticide application records for all farm workers for the past two years
Easy access to all workers or their representatives for records involving exposure to hazardous chemicals
Posting pesticide hazard information in central locations, in both English and Spanish

Listen to the conference call on the new regulations here: New EPA farmworker regulations press call

Audio, Farming, labor

New Holland Hero from France

Cindy Zimmerman

cnh-expo-xavierRepresenting France in the New Holland “Seeds of Life Series” at the Expo Milano is Xavier De Rozières from Portel-des-Corbières.

Xavier has 850 hectares (2,100 acres) including 100 hectares of vineyards and 10 hectares of olive groves and produces both red and rosé wines that are among Languedoc’s most renowned. He says he was surprised to be chosen as one of New Holland’s heroes. “I don’t know if I feed the planet,” he said, referring to the theme at Expo. “But I am sure I drink the planet.”

He enjoyed meeting the farmers from other countries and said they seem to face similar environmental challenges. “To keep the environment nice for the children and the new generation,” said Xavier.

Listen to my interview with Xavier here: New Holland Hero Xavier De Rozières from France

2015 New Holland Heroes & Bloggers Days

Audio, Farming, International, New Holland

Fall Market Basket Survey from @FarmBureau

Cindy Zimmerman

We’re seeing lower food prices at the grocery store than we did a year ago this time, according to a new survey just released from the American Farm Bureau Federation.

afbf-market-fallLower retail prices for several foods, including whole milk, cheddar cheese, bacon and apples resulted in a slight decrease in the 2015 Fall Harvest Market Basket Survey.

The informal survey shows the total cost of 16 food items that can be used to prepare one or more meals was $54.14, down $.12 or less than 1 percent compared to a survey conducted a year ago. Of the 16 items surveyed, 10 decreased and six increase

d in average price. Higher milk and pork production this year has contributed to the decrease in prices on some key foods.

“Energy prices, which affect everything in the marketbasket, have been quite a bit lower compared to a year ago. Processing, packaging, transportation and retail operations are all fairly energy-intensive,” said John Anderson, AFBF’s deputy chief economist. Lower energy prices account for much of the modest decrease in the market basket.

According to the survey, milk prices are down 17%, bacon is down 11%, apples are seven percent lower than a year ago, and cheese is down five percent. On the other hand, egg prices are dramatically higher compared to 2014, up 56%. Orange juice and ground chuck are up seven and six percent, respectively.

“As expected we saw higher egg prices because we lost so much production earlier this year due to the avian influenza situation in Iowa, Minnesota and some other Midwestern states,” Anderson said.

Price checks of alternative milk and egg choices not included in the overall marketbasket survey average revealed the following: 1/2 gallon regular milk, $2.21; 1/2 gallon organic milk, $4.79; and one dozen “cage-free” eggs, $4.16.

Read more here.

AFBF, Food

Corn Patent Improves Process for Bio Based Plastics

Kelly Marshall

ICPBThe Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) has just been issued a new patent relating to the imporved process used in making bio plastics.  The patent specifically pertains to the compound isosorbide, which allows the use of more bio material in plastics and improves other properties, such as a plastic’s melting temperature.

The patent, titled “Dianhydrosugar Production Process,” eliminates the need for an expensive vacuum or inert gas as well as solvents considered environmentally unfriendly.   Together these improvements mean a cheaper process using more corn.

“The new patented process allows for the increased production of corn derived isosorbide creating new markets for corn farmers,” said Research and Business Development Committee Chair Curt Mether, a corn farmer from Harrison County. “This allows for a reduction in the amount of petroleum needed to make plastics, lowers carbon emissions and decreases the cost of consumer goods manufactured employing this process.”

The Iowa Corn Research and Business Development Committee funds research to develop new uses for corn in the area of bioplastics. By 2017, the USDA estimates the bioplastics market will consume more than two billion pounds of plastic a year. This equates to 100 million bushels of corn. Traditional plastics use five percent of the global petroleum supply.

This is one example of the ICPB research yielding results for Iowa’s corn farmers. Also on the project table for ICPB investments are items such as bottles, dining utensils, and shopping bags, all of which can be made from corn.

Agribusiness, Corn, Research

New Verdesian Seed Treatments

Joanna Schroeder

Verdesian is taking seed treatment to the next level with the latest, tweak if you will, of Take Off ST and Tuxedo. To learn more, I visited with Jim Pullens during the Farm Progress Show. He explained they have adapted Take Off ST to fit their seed treatment philosophy by getting the rates down so low that it doesn’t overload the seed with too much material.

Jim PullensPullens said that they have a group of growers that used Take Off ST on their winter wheat last year and they’ve been getting calls from these growers saying the fields that had Take Off were their best fields. In fact, he said, a Virginian farmer who won best wheat crop this year used Take Off on the winning field.

“We really think this is a way for farmers to boost their yields with a product that is easy to use and relatively lost cost, especially for a low project crop like winter wheat,” said Pullens.

Another “neat technology” explained Pullens is their new Tuxedo product. “We’re utilizing our patented polymer technology that we’ve used in the past to protect micronutrients from binding in the soil,” he said. “Micronutrients are very important for us to get yields.”

For example, Pullen explained that they apply the product to seed such as cereals. Zinc is a big factor for cereal crops and they can apply as much zinc in the seed treatment for a grower to get the results he needs. “So we think it’s a more efficient way to get those nutrients to the crop to get the yield response they want to achieve,” Pullen added. A targeted version of Tuxedo is also available for soybeans.

Learn more Take Off SP and Tuxedo by listening to my interview with Jim Pullens: Interview with Jim Pullens, Verdesian

View and download photos from the event here: 2015 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

Coverage of the 2015 Farm Progress Show is sponsored by Coverage of the 2015 Farm Progress Show is sponsored by John DeereCoverage of the 2015 Farm Progress Show is sponsored by GrowmarkCoverage of the 2015 Farm Progress Show is sponsored by Bayer CropScience
Agribusiness, Audio, Farm Progress Show, Seed, Verdesian

New Holland Hero from Russia

Cindy Zimmerman

cnh-expo-iliyasRepresenting Russia in the New Holland “Seeds of Life Series” at the Expo Milano is Iliyas Ganiev from Kildurazovo.

Iliyas manages 7,000 hectares (17.297 acres) of wheat, rye, barley, oat and forage crops. “We cultivate grain and other cereals and have 2,000 cows and produce milk,” said Iliyas through an interpreter. “I work with New Holland and buy my machines from them.”

He says being part of the “Seeds of Life” campaign and meeting other farmers from around the world has been a great experience for him. “It was really interesting to talk with them,” he said. “They have completely different production from mine.”

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Iliyas here: New Holland Hero Iliyas Ganiev from Russia

2015 New Holland Heroes & Bloggers Days

Audio, Farming, International, New Holland