Agri-Pulse Open Mic with Sen. Pat Roberts

John Davis

open-micAgri-Pulse Open Mic this week features Sen. Pat Roberts.

In this week’s interview, the Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee discusses further action on the EPA’s Waters of the U.S. definition and says his committee is close to a compromise on a child nutrition bill. Roberts expects further attacks on the crop insurance industry and says he and other congressional farm state leaders are ready to defend farmers’ top policy priorities. Roberts says with the text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership now public, he and other leaders can begin to evaluate and debate what the proposed deal would mean to agriculture and the nation.

Click here to listen to Agri-Pulse Open Mic with Sen. Pat Roberts.

Agri-Pulse

Beck’s Teaches Students to Honor American Farmers

Kelly Marshall

ffa-15-305-editedAt the recent National FFA Convention Jamie Johansen caught up with Toby Ripberger of Beck’s Hybrids to talk about the message they are sharing with the students who come through their booth.  Ripberger, the Event Logistics Lead for the company, says students come in with lots of interest in careers and the future of agribusiness, but the most important information he tries to share is respect for America’s farmers.

“The big thing that we’re really focusing on here at the FFA Convention is our ‘Why I Farm’ movement.  That’s where we’re honoring the American farmers.  We have a Facebook page and a website for that.  We also have a group, The Henningsens, that wrote a song Why I Farm with us.  We had a concert here and we’ve had a lot of interaction with the students around that. ”

You can hear the full interview and hear more about the future for Beck’s Hybrids. Toby Ripberger, Beck's Hyribds

Find photos from the event here: 2015 National FFA Convention Photo Album

Coverage of the National FFA Convention is sponsored by
Coverage of the National FFA Convention is sponsored by New Holland
Agribusiness, Audio, Farming, FFA

Let’s Harvest Some Success with NAFB

Chuck Zimmerman

NAFB ConventionThe annual homecoming of farm broadcasting is about to kick off in KC, MO. ZimmComm team members are on the way armed with cameras and recorders. You can expect plenty of news from the event, especially after Thursday’s Trade Talk frenzy.

Cindy, Jamie and Taylor will be doing the duties this week in the media room, sponsored again by our sponsor, BASF. Thank you BASF for the awesome place to work from.

For you people who support farm broadcasting and the NAFB Foundation. ZimmComm is making a live auction donation that could be a great family vacation or maybe you want to put together a group to bid! BTW. This is something separate from the “Lake Weekends.”

See my FB page for all the details. The live auction is Thursday night.

Coverage of NAFB Convention is sponsored by
Coverage of NAFB Convention is sponsored by BASF
Media, NAFB

AgChat Foundation – 5 Years of Agvocacy

Chuck Zimmerman

AgChat ConferenceWhile many of you are heading to KC, MO for the NAFB Convention there are some hard working agvocates gathered in Nashville for the annual AgChat Cultivate & Connect Conference. Many of the early attendees have now become the teachers of tomorrow’s active agvocates.

The AgChat Foundation strives to bring farmers, ranchers, agribusiness professionals and educators the best of the best in agvocacy training and presenters. This year’s conference will continue to offer expertise and relevant information pertaining to making meaningful connections in social media, in person and on the legislative level. In addition, the event will be celebratory, marking five years of pioneering grassroots advocacy.

Follow along at #ACFC15.

Ag Groups

Beef Leader Rodney Larson Passes Away

Joanna Schroeder

Rodney LarsonThe father of our former sales representative Dave Larson, Rodney “Rod” Larson, 86 of Webster City, IA has passed away. I did not know him but he certainly had a marvelous farming career. Here is what Dave wrote to share with the AgWired community.

In 1956, Rod began his own crop farming operation, Larson Farms. It grew to be a cutting edge feeder cattle and swine operation of the time in Iowa. Rod was always an innovator and embraced the new technologies of his time in farming while still just wanting to be a good neighbor and friend. This leadership was recognized when he received “The Outstanding Young Farmer Award”. Rod built the first deep pit beef confinement building in Iowa and as a result was asked to give many educational tours of their operation by government and educational institutions. All were welcomed.

Rod later became a real estate broker for Agra Partners and Farmers National Company where he won many prestigious awards, and was named an outstanding Realtor by Realtor’s Land Institute. He was blessed to have his wife and partner Trudy working by his side for it all. To him, whether it was in a personal or professional setting, a stranger was a friend who had not yet been introduced and it so many times started with a smile, an offered hand, and “Hello, I’m Rod”.

He is survived by his wife, his three children, Rosine, Thomas and Dave, 12 grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

Animal Agriculture, Beef

IFAJ Introduces Webpage and Contest

Kelly Marshall

IFAJThe International Federation of Agriculture Journalists has been busy with two new projects.

IFAJ has partnered with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to offer a new competition.  Submissions are now being accepted for the IFAJ-FAO Award for Excellence in Global Food Security Reporting.  All member countries are invited to submit one entry story that reflects the theme “soil”– from the 2015 United Nations International Year of Soil.  All stories must have been published in print or online between the dates of January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2015.

Winners will be awarded an all-expenses paid trips to the annual IFAJ congress, being held next year in Germany.  The winner will also travel to an FAO project related to the UN’s International Years.

You can find full contest rules and submission information here.  The deadline for entry is March 1, 2016. 

Their second project recently put into motion is a new page on the IFAJ website dedicated to improving contact between agricultural journalists.  The site, titled “In the Field” is for members to publish their relevant stories and peruse work written by their colleagues.  Visit the page and see what ag journalists have been up to.

Agribusiness, IFAJ

Merck’s Commitment to Future of Ag

Jamie Johansen

ffa-15-184-editedFor Merck Animal Health, the 88th National FFA Convention wasn’t about teaching students about their products, they focused on where students get their information about science, food and agriculture. I spoke with Merck’s Jim Miles, marketing manager for the fed cattle business, in their booth to learn more about their commitment to the future of agriculture.

“It’s making them realize what’s available out there to talk about and how talk about it. It’s about connecting to people.”

The Merck Animal Health team has a busy winter ahead of them with back to back conventions where they are excited to truly connect with their customers. Jim said in 2016 they will be launching an array of new products and these upcoming tradeshows gives them great face-time with the agriculture community.

Listen to my complete interview with Jim here: Interview with Jim Miles, Merck Animal Health

Find photos from the event here: 2015 National FFA Convention Photo Album

Coverage of the National FFA Convention is sponsored by
Coverage of the National FFA Convention is sponsored by New Holland
Agribusiness, Animal Health, Audio, FFA

The Future is Bright for FFA Star Finalists

Kelly Marshall

ffa-15-107-editedBecoming an FFA American Star Finalist is no small accomplishment.  At the recent National FFA Convention Jamie Johansen spoke with three outstanding young people whose hard work and commitment have brought them this far.

Benjamin Neindick from Missouri represented Wellingtin-Napolean FFA chapter in the Ag Business category.  Neindick began baling and selling straw bales the summer of his 8th grade year.  He used an exchange of labor to purchase a baler and put up 1,600 bales his first year.  Now a senior at the University of Missouri, Neindick averages 20,000 bales a year, owns three balers, and employes a couple of part time workers.  He has grown his business through word of mouth, selling much of his product to construction companies who’ve heard of his good name.

Listen to the full interview to hear his plans for the future. Star Finalist Benjamin Neindick

Rory Tucker represents the Kline FFA Chapter in Texas as an Ag Science Finalist.  She began her career as a scientist with three projects in high school.  These projects let her know science was her passion and Tucker now attends Texas A&M and works on research with sorghum and pecans.  Her most recent projects is an attempt to find scab resistance for pecans.  On her horizon is a grad school program that would allow her to continue her research and maybe someday a job for the USDA breeding rice.

Learn more about her research projects in this interview. Star Finalist Rory Tucker

Jakob Wilson came to the conference from the FFA chapter in Fairfax Ohio as an Ag Placement finalist.  He currently works on his parent’s farm– a 3,200 corn and soybean operation.  Wilson’s family farm has embraced what precision technology can offer them.  With everything from GPS, variable rate fertilizer, soil sampling, and yield data, Wilson is poised on the forefront of a quickly changing industry.  His knowledge will serve him well with his own 1,100 acres and new position as partner in the family farm starting in January.

You can listen to his experience with their addition of John Deere’s new Machine Sync system in his interview. Star Finalist Jakob Wilson

Congratulations to these three amazing young people, as well as each of the other Star Finalists. Agriculture is grateful to have you.

Find photos from the event here: 2015 National FFA Convention Photo Album

Coverage of the National FFA Convention is sponsored by
Coverage of the National FFA Convention is sponsored by New Holland
Ag Groups, FFA

Chavez, Chilton Inducted to USDA Hall of Heros

Kelly Marshall

USDAAgriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is pleased to announce the induction of Cesar Chavez and Dr. Mary-Dell Chilton into the U.S. Department of Agriculture Hall of Heroes. For the past 15 years the Hall of Heros has recognized individuals whose lives have made a lasting impact on agriculture and rural communities.  Chavez and Chilton will be honored with plaques in the entry hall way of the USDA’s Jamie L. Whitten Federal Building.

“Both Cesar Chavez and Dr. Mary-Dell Chilton dedicated their public and private lives to improving various facets of food and agriculture,” said Vilsack. “The abundant, resilient and diverse food supply that Americans are fortunate to rely on today is a direct result of their commitments and innovations, and I am honored to add these inspiring individuals among USDA’s Hall of Heroes.”

Cesar Chavez (1927-1993) was a prominent union leader and labor organizer. Shaped by early experiences as a migrant worker, Chavez committed his life to improving working conditions for farm workers. In 1962, Cesar Chavez founded the National Farm Workers Association. In a strike against grape growers in California, the Association joined with the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee, and the two organizations later merged to create the United Farm Workers.

“This year marks the 50th anniversary of the hunger strike Chavez led to bring justice and equality to the people who feed America,” Vilsack said. “Today, USDA is humbled to honor to Cesar Chavez, the man who led and organized peaceful, positive change for American farmworkers.”

Dr. Mary-Dell Chilton is one of the founders of modern plant biotechnology. Often referred to as the “Queen of Agrobacterium,” Chilton has dedicated her career to the development of plant biotechnology. Her innumerable contributions have made a lasting impact on the agricultural industry, breaking scientific and gender barriers, paving the way for many.

“Dr. Chilton’s research has forever changed the way we conduct plant research and her groundbreaking accomplishments have shaped the way genetic plant research is conducted today,” said Vilsack. “I am pleased to honor Dr. Mary-Dell Chilton for her leadership and tremendous contributions to the field of agriculture.”

The program has previously recognized heroes like Norm Berg, Former Chief, Natural Resources Conservation Service; Thomas Monroe Campbell, First Black Extension Agency in the United States; Justin Smith Morrill, Father of the Land-Grant College System; Senator George S. McGovern, Advocate for Fighting Hunger; Senator Tom Harkin, Advocate for the Agriculture Community; Hugh Hammond Bennett, Father of Soil Conservation; George Washington Carver, Father of Chemurgy; Senator Robert Dole, National Leader of Nutrition and Farming Programs; Isabelle Kelley, Co-Founder of the National School Lunch Program; California Interagency Incident Management Team 3, Pacific Northwest Incident Management Team 3, and the Southwest Area Incident Management Team, first responders dispatched to work alongside local, state, and federal agencies on September 11, 2001; and Smokey Bear, America’s First Fire Prevention Bear.

USDA

Farm Bureau Wants EPA Micromanagement Stopped

John Davis

farmbureauThe American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and a coalition of agricultural and builder groups have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stop the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) micromanagement of local land use and development decisions. This news release from AFBF says the groups are asking the court to review a lower court ruling that allows the EPA overstep under the guise of implementing the federal Clean Water Act.

The lawsuit arose in the context of EPA’s so-called “blueprint” for restoring the Chesapeake Bay, but Farm Bureau points out that the issue at stake is national in scope.

“It’s about whether EPA has the power to override local decisions on what land can be farmed, where homes can be built, and where schools, hospitals, roads and communities can be developed,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman. “This is nothing less than federal super-zoning authority. As much as we all support the goal of achieving a healthy Chesapeake Bay, we have to fight this particular process for getting there.”

Twenty-one states, 39 members of Congress and a group of counties within the Bay watershed supported AFBF’s legal challenge in the lower courts.

“We certainly hope for even more support in asking for Supreme Court review,” said AFBF General Counsel Ellen Steen. “There has been a lot of attention to EPA’s recent rule expanding its jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act. EPA’s overreach in the Bay ‘blueprint’ is just as aggressive, and its impact on communities and businesses is just as dramatic. From the beginning, this was designed as a model that would be followed around the country.”

AFBF, Environment, EPA