Fall Deer Season

Chuck Zimmerman October 26, 2015

The fall deer season is well underway in places like Georgia. So you know where the AgriBlogger is spending some precious time. Nothing like a few days with your buddies with lots of quiet contemplation time sitting and waiting for the big buck. This sky photo was from Saturday afternoon. What a beautiful day.

This week our Jamie Johansen will be covering the National FFA Convention courtesy of New Holland. Cindy is holding down the fort at ZimmComm World Headquarters until I get back. I’ll be back in full action later this week.

And in case you’re wondering I have a buck and a doe in the cooler so some fine cooking and dining will be coming up soon.

Hunting

Soybean Board Appoints 17 Farmer-Leaders

Kelly Marshall October 26, 2015

Tom Vilsack has appointed 17 farmers from across the country to serve as directors on the United Soybean Board (USB). The appointees will be sworn in at the upcoming annual meeting in St. Louis.

Five of the directors are newly added, 12 are returning members. The USDA has also announced that the USB will be increasing their farmer-leaders from 70 to 73 as soybean production in the US increases. The three new members will be appointed from Missouri, New Jersey, and Wisconsin.

This year’s new volunteer farmer-leaders invest soy checkoff funds on behalf of all U.S. soybean farmers in projects to improve farmer profit potential. With unpredictable prices, growing production worldwide and more competition, U.S. soybean farmers will need more innovation, such as improved seed varieties and technology, new ways of generating demand and new methods for increasing the value they receive from soybean meal and oil.

“We are thrilled to have these farmer-leaders be part of a new chapter with the United Soybean Board,” says Bob Haselwood, USB chairman and soybean farmer from Berryton, Kansas. “The checkoff is dedicated to using advancements in technology to help U.S. soy remain a top choice for our customers, and these farmer-leaders will be instrumental in helping us accomplish that.”

Ag Groups, Soybean, USB

Cotton Industry Wants No More Trade Constraints

John Davis October 26, 2015

The National Cotton Council is calling for an end to constraints on U.S. cotton policy in the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) December Ministerial in Nairobi, Kenya. The group’s president and CEO Gary Adams testified before the House Agriculture Committee that U.S. trade negotiators need to maintain a firm commitment not to accept any further concessions to U.S. cotton policy.

He stated that there have been repeated comments from numerous countries for there to be “something more” done on cotton policy at this upcoming Ministerial but “we believe that the actions already taken by the United States with respect to cotton policy should be more than sufficient to allow U.S. negotiators to resist any further calls for concessions on cotton.”

Adams told the Committee that U.S. cotton farmers are indeed competing with international farmers who are benefitting from higher support levels. He cited a recent International Cotton Advisory Committee report that estimated average direct assistance to cotton production across all countries at $0.26 per pound — but only $0.07 per pound average support for U.S. cotton production.

Adams also reiterated U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman’s comments before the Senate Finance Committee earlier this year that a defensive posture regarding U.S. cotton support is outdated and justifies a shift in focus to other countries’ status regarding their WTO obligations.

NCC also wants U.S. negotiators to push other countries to be as current and as transparent as the United States is with their domestic support notifications.

Ag Groups, Cotton, International

New Holland Tractor Could Change Face of Farming

Jamie Johansen October 23, 2015

A new video produced by CNH Industrial, parent of global agricultural machinery brand New Holland Agriculture, looks at its prototype Methane Power tractor, and what it is capable of achieving during the the Sustainable Farm Pavilion at the 2015 Expo in Milan, Italy.

The alternative fuel technology powering that tractor is a promising cue towards the future of agricultural mechanization, one where farms will be energy independent as well as being able to fundamentally reduce their environmental footprint.

The T6 Methane Power tractor is a second generation prototype based on a standard New Holland T6 tractor. What makes it different from present day machines used for farming is that it is powered by a natural gas engine manufactured by FPT Industrial, also part of CNH Industrial’s brand portfolio. It is a demonstration of the type of innovation and technology that CNH Industrial and its brands are pioneering to increase agricultural productivity and make sustainable farming easier to help feed the world.

In the video, CNH Industrial speaks to representatives from New Holland about the Methane Power tractor’s presence at Expo 2015 as well as its real world testing at the ‘La Bellotta’ farm in Venaria, Italy, where it is undergoing field trials. La Bellotta is the farm where New Holland Agriculture is deploying its “Energy Independent Farm” concept. The objective is to generate the energy it needs from the crops it already grows, alongside recycled waste byproducts, to run its operations and farming equipment. “With biogas innovation, we’ve been able to restart investment and re-employ people. This is the result of a virtuous process,” says Luca Remmert, Owner of La Bellotta Farm in the video.

New Holland, Sustainability, Tractor, Video

Vilsack Announces Sorghum Checkoff Board Members

Kelly Marshall October 23, 2015

Four new members have been appointed by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to serve on the United Sorghum Checkoff Program board of directors. Boyd Funk, from Garden City, Kansas; Craig Poore, of Alton, Kansas; David Fremark, from St. Lawrence, South Dakota; and Jim Massey IV from Robstown, Texas will all serve three year terms.

“We are looking forward to the diverse perspectives of oncoming leadership,” said Florentino Lopez, Sorghum Checkoff executive director. “Our priority is to achieve our main objective, producer profitability, and these new farmer leaders will be an asset to the board and to the industry.”

The board is structured so that the state with the largest production is allocated five positions. The state with the second largest production is allocated three positions. The state with the third largest production is allocated one position. There are four at-large national positions for which at least two representatives must be appointed from states other than the top three sorghum producing states. The maximum number of producers from one state is limited to six.

The 13-member board is authorized by the Commodity Promotion, Research, and Information Act of 1996. The Secretary selected the appointees from sorghum producers nominated by certified sorghum producer organizations.

New member will be sworn in at the next board meeting and outgoing members will retire at that time. Those members are:
Bill Greving, Prairie View, Kansas; Bill Kubecka, Palacios, Texas; and Greg Shelor, Minneola, Kansas.

“These outgoing board members are the last of the initial Sorghum Checkoff board directors that helped set the stage for the development of the checkoff and the founding strategy,” said Tim Lust, Sorghum Checkoff CEO. “Their dedication and hard work through the years have resulted in much success. We are greatly appreciative of them and their efforts that have helped push the industry forward.”

Ag Groups, sorghum, USDA

Clif Bar & NYFC Address Shortage of New Farmers

Jamie Johansen October 23, 2015

The American farmer is near 60 and new young farmers are in critical short supply, Clif Bar & Company and the National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC) announced a joint effort to support pending federal legislation that would remove one of the key obstacles preventing young farmers from starting to farm — student loan debt.

“We are a generation of farmers committed to growing quality food and stewarding our land and resources. This work must be celebrated and supported as a vital service to our nation.”

Clif Bar and NYFC are partnering to urge congressional approval of The Young Farmer Success Act of 2015, which would forgive the balance of student loans for farmers who make 10 years of income-driven student loan payments.

Clif Bar and NYFC will grow awareness of the U.S. farmer shortage and highlight the importance young farmers play in driving innovation in organic farming. The video encourages people nationwide to write members of Congress requesting their support of The Young Farmer Success Act. Clif Bar also is donating $35,000 to NYFC, which represents the average student loan debt reported by young farmers in a recent NYFC survey.

Ag Groups, Farming, Organic, Video

Zimfo Bytes

Talia Goes October 23, 2015

The Agri-Business Educational Foundation Online Media Auction is open for bidding until November 15, 2015.
Kubota Tractor Corporation (KTC) broke ground on Oct. 20th, 2015 for its new corporate headquarters location in Grapevine, Texas.
The National Corn Growers Association Nominating Committee is accepting applications from members for the 2017 Corn Board.

Zimfo Bytes

FMC’s Allemang Elected CropLife America Board Chair

Jamie Johansen October 23, 2015

CropLife America (CLA) Board of Directors has elected Diane Allemang, FMC Agricultural Solutions director of Global Portfolio Management & Strategic Marketing and North America Business Development, as the association’s 46th chair of the board for a two-year term. She will work the with the organization’s leadership and board to meet its strategic objectives and is the first female chair.

“I look forward to continuing to work with CropLife America on important issues facing the agricultural industry,” said Allemang. “CLA’s dedication to American agriculture and addressing long-term global issues, such as feeding the ever-growing world population, is inspiring. I’m honored to play a role in their work.”

“The CropLife America board is committed to advancing technology for today’s farmers, which is reflected in our organizational programs and priorities. We look forward to Diane’s leadership during the next two years,” said Jay Vroom, president and CEO of CLA.

CLA is the national trade association that represents the manufacturers, formulators and distributors of plant science solutions for agriculture and pest management. FMC Corporation is a proud member of CLA and shares a mutual vision of meeting the food and nutritional needs of billions of individuals

Allemang is responsible for business development for North America Crop and Global Strategic Marketing/Global Portfolio Management at FMC Agricultural Solutions. She was previously executive vice president of Cheminova A/S’s North America organization where she led development, marketing and regulatory affairs. Allemang joins colleague John Cummings, manager of FMC North America Crop Regulatory Affairs, who currently serves as the chair of the CLA Strategic Oversight Council.

Agribusiness, FMC

Bayer and National Geographic Release Online Game

Kelly Marshall October 23, 2015

National Geographic and Bayer CropScience are excited to announce the launch of their new, online game “Top Crop: Farming for the Future.” The game hopes to educate students on the basics of producing crops by taking players through a series of virtual growing seasons, complete with all the challenges growers face, like pests, disease and weather. Players may also use various modern technologies in their quest for a good harvest.

“At National Geographic, we’re committed to educating tomorrow’s explorers, scientists, engineers and farmers about the world and how it works, and this ‘Top Crop’ game is a great example of how we can teach kids about the challenges and solutions farmers face in the real world through a fun and interactive game,” said National Geographic Chief Education Officer Melina Bellows.

“Top Crop” introduces a scenario where the USDA wishes to experiment with new technologies to support sustainable farming, and wants student game players to lead the way. If the student players can successfully grow crops, the USDA will provide the technology and equipment necessary to run a virtual modern agricultural operation. Throughout the course of the “Top Crop” story, game players help agricultural leaders figure out the best way to provide more healthy food and sustainable agriculture techniques to feed a growing global population.

By 2050, global food demand will increase by 60 percent, and meat consumption will increase by 70 percent. These demands must be met by cultivating more food on the same or fewer arable acres than exist today, in the face of a shrinking water supply, evolving pest pressures and a changing climate. “Top Crop” helps game players devise ways to best utilize their available resources to grow healthy crops and maximize overall crop yield.

“Bayer CropScience is proud to work alongside National Geographic to educate students on the role modern agriculture plays in our everyday lives,” said Jim Blome, president and CEO of Bayer CropScience LP. “In order to produce enough safe, healthy food for the 9 billion people that will inhabit our Earth by 2050, these students and so many other people need to get involved in writing the next chapter of agriculture’s history. That will only happen if we develop an agriculturally literate population that not only understands where their food comes from and how it is produced, but also develops a passion for solving the world’s most pressing food issues and fighting global hunger. ‘Top Crop’ is a fun way to get started down this path to educating and cultivating a new generation of agricultural game changers.”

Agribusiness, Bayer

Land O’Lakes Awards Students to Help End Hunger

Joanna Schroeder October 23, 2015

Land O’Lakes awarded 10 U.S. college sophomores fellowships to help find ways to end world hunger. The Global Food Challenge Emerging Leaders for Food Security Program is designed to engage future leaders in the challenges and opportunities facing agriculture in the coming decades. The 2015 fellowship recipients were announced during the 2015 World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogue.

The 2015-2016 Emerging Leaders for Food Security fellows are: Elizabeth Alonzi (Bloomington, Minn.), Katie Enzenauer (Brooklyn Park, Minn.), Blake Schweiner (Green Bay, Wis.), attending the University of Minnesota; Abby Adair (Crown Point, Ind.), Sydney Gray (West Lafayette, Ind.), attending Purdue University; Addison Bidwell (Grinnell, Iowa), Leah Ellensohn (Le Mars, Iowa), Megan Schnell (Charlottesville, Va.), attending Iowa State University; Diana Fu (Pleasanton, Calif.), attending Northwestern University and Ayse Muratoglu (Chicago, Ill.), attending The George Washington University.

“This experience is life-changing,” said Mandi Egeland, a 2014 alumna of the program and a business student from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. Another 2014 alum, Trey Forsyth from Iowa State University, said, “We need people from different professional backgrounds, countries and viewpoints to make a difference in feeding the world.”

Because a broad mix of skills is needed to find new ways of feeding the growing population, students are selected through a competitive application process that includes wide-ranging education disciplines from agronomy and environmental science to nutrition, finance and marketing.

Chris Policinski, president and CEO, Land O’Lakes said of the program, “Ag is the greatest growth industry of our era and represents the most dynamic career opportunity for this generation.”

Food, World Food Prize

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