New Zealand’s Trade Minister at #IFAJ2015

Cindy Zimmerman October 19, 2015

One of the hard news highlights of the 2015 IFAJ Congress was hearing from the man who was responsible for holding up the Trans Pacific Partnership agreement to get New Zealand’s dairy industry more access to other markets.

“The fundamental reason why New Zealand agriculture is so strong is we don’t have a choice, it’s export or die for us,” said Tim Groser, New Zealand Minister of Trade.

He calls New Zealand a “virtual water exporter” because the country is fortunate enough to have an abundance of water. “Water is central to the issue and we do not lack water,” he said. “We are gifted with water – we think we use only 3-5% of the water we have.”

In his address to the IFAJ Congress, Groser provided a long history of international trade negotiations, starting with the GATT Uraguay round where he was chief negotiator for New Zealand. He is considered to be one of the world’s leading experts on international trade. New Zealand Minister of Trade Tim Groser

2015 IFAJ Congress Photo Album

Audio, IFAJ, International, Trade

Farm Bureau Releases Food & Ag Resource Guide for Education

John Davis October 19, 2015

Ag educators will have another tool in their belts to teach young rural and urban students agricultural literacy. This news release from the American Farm Bureau Foundation says the group has released a new Food & Ag Resource Guide, a curated list that features top recommended resources by age group.

“People in the agricultural community are often invited into local classrooms but do not have access to resources appropriate for students,” said Julie Tesch, executive director of the Foundation. “The Food & Ag Resource Guide provides appropriate and accurate activities and resources developed to help students learn about agriculture.”

The top-rated resources will be recognized at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Annual Convention each year. The goal of the guide is to save educators time and energy by bringing the most relevant resources to their attention.

The guide provides a unique, easy-to-navigate source of activities that will be reviewed, commented on and rated by educators. Each year new submissions will be considered and the guide will be updated with the top 10 resources in each age group and area. The resources will be selected based on their ability to communicate key messages about the agriculture industry, as introduced in the Pillars of Agricultural Literacy http://www.agfoundation.org/resources/ag-pillars.

AFBF, Ag Groups

Check out the My New Holland Mobile App

Joanna Schroeder October 16, 2015

Our phones are king and we get loads of information through them and now you can access additional agriculture information via New Holland’s My New Holland app. My New Holland is a personalized space for New Holland customers and a user can access instructional videos, operating and maintenance tips from New Holland product experts, educational white papers, and more.

“Our customers can now take their passion for farming and access very useful, informative, and personalized content related to their New Holland equipment while they operate from the field.” says Dawn Pelon, New Holland Brand Marketing Communications Manager. “The My New Holland community can now stay connected from their mobile devices.”

Owners of New Holland equipment can also gain access to premium content to help them get the most from their machines. By registering their equipment on their My New Holland profile, operators can download operator manuals and other useful materials from our training courses. They can also upload their PLM product information so the machines will appear on My New Holland.

New users who register from their desktop are invited to download the app available on iTunes and Google Play, and current app users are also encouraged to visit www.MyNewHolland.com.

Apps, Equipment, Farming, New Holland, Precision Agriculture

Don’t Forget- AgGateway Early Bird Ends Soon

Kelly Marshall October 16, 2015

Don’t miss your opportunity to receive the early bird discount for the AgGateway Annual Conference! Register by Friday for the best rates for your team and trading partners. You’ll also be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a free hotel upgrade.

This year’s AgGateway Conference is November 9-12 in San Antonio, Texas. The theme is “Business Agility –The Power of Collaboration and eConnectivity.” The Conference promises great speakers, working session, networking opportunities, and special opportunities for first time attendees.

Check out the website for a PDF brochure with lots of details and information to make planning your trip a cinch.

Agribusiness, Events

Georgia Peanut Farmer in NHRA Title Bid

John Davis October 16, 2015

Hot rods on the track and peanuts in the stands is probably the norm for most race fans. But this year, the Georgia Peanut Commission is getting peanuts on the track by sponsoring a peanut farmer in an NHRA series. This news release from the commission says it is backing Jeff Adkinson, longtime NHRA Lucas Oil Series competitor and a lifelong farmer who operates a peanut farm in his home town of Damascus, Georgia, for both his Stock and Super Stock entries. The new alliance comes as Adkinson and his team are in the middle of a hotly contested battle for the 2016 NHRA Southeast Division Super Stock championship.

“We’re really excited about this cooperative effort with the Georgia Peanut Commission,” Adkinson says. “Georgia peanut farmers invest $2 per ton each year to the commission that is used in the program areas of research, education, promotion and communication. The NHRA and the NHRA Lucas Oil Series provide a wonderful platform to promote peanuts; and we’re honored to be flying the Georgia Peanut Commission colors for the remainder of 2015, all of 2016, hopefully on into the future.”

The Georgia Peanut Commission is currently involved in countless promotional efforts, and has been an active marketing partner in various motorsports including the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

“The Georgia Peanut Commission is proud to partner with Georgia peanut farmer Jeff Adkinson. He has been a longtime competitor in the NHRA series and we are honored to promote peanuts at the races with him,” says Tim Burch, Georgia Peanut Commission board member from Baker County, Georgia. “The Georgia Peanut Commission is very excited about this new opportunity and we certainly hope Jeff wins as he competes this weekend.”

Ag Groups, Peanuts

Food Dialogues Heading to South Carolina

John Davis October 16, 2015

The next edition of the Food Dialogues travels to South Carolina to discuss the non-agricultural needs for water and the needs of the ag industry to use water to raise the food we all eat.

Water is a precious commodity and there have been local, state and federal solutions to making water available to all. In South Carolina, one such solution was the Surface Water Act of 2010, which made the state’s riverways available for agricultural use. Yet, there is a continued debate on the amount of water available for agricultural purposes.

Join the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance and South Carolina Farm Bureau Federation for a Food Dialogues discussion on water use in South Carolina featuring farmers and ranchers and experts on water and sustainability.

During two separate panels, moderated by David Stanton, former broadcast news anchor, public affairs program host and political debate moderator, we’ll address the following questions:
Panel 1 – A Closer Look at South Carolina’s Water Needs

What are the state’s water needs? What options, such as the Surface Water Act of 2010, have been employed or evaluated to address those needs?
Panel 2 – Balancing the Demands for Water with the Need to Grow and Raise Food
Is agriculture the biggest user of water in the state? Are there technologies we can employ to better manage water being used by agriculture? What more can agriculture, business and residential users of water do to be more efficient users of this precious commodity?

More information, including registration to attend the event at the Brookland Baptist Banquet and Conference Center
at 1066 Sunset Blvd. in West Columbia, South Carolina, or to watch it via livestream is available here.

Ag Groups, Food

Play Real Yield Game – Bayer Contributes to Local FFA

Chuck Zimmerman October 15, 2015

Did you know that for every Real Yield Game you play Bayer will make a donation to your local FFA on your behalf? Yep.

Here’s how you play:

Visit www.realyieldgame.com and click on the promotion link.
1. Complete all fields in the registration or log-in process.
2. Select five fields in the game area to spray Liberty® to reveal incremental bushels of soybeans.
3. Look at the total number of incremental bushels of soybeans for all five fields in the silo and determine the prize won.

Limit three game plays per person – one game play for complete registration, one game play for completion of LibertyLink® Ratings/Reviews/Attributes, one game play for social sharing through the promotion website.

In the real world, missed weeds compromise real yield. The LibertyLink® system is simply a better solution that ensures you don’t lose yield from missed weeds. Choose LibertyLink® and Liberty® to maximize real yields with high-performing genetics and better weed control.

Jerry Roberts, Missouri, has had good results using the Liberty Link system:

New Zealand’s Minister of Primary Industries

Cindy Zimmerman October 15, 2015

The Honorable Nathan Guy, Minister of Primary Industries for New Zealand, is basically the counterpart of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in this country and he was delighted to welcome the 2015 International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) Congress to “little old New Zealand.”

“This is a significant event for New Zealand,” said Guy of the 33 countries represented at the IFAJ event this week. “I’m hopeful that you will all go back having learned something about our country, about our people, about our culture and about our primary industries.”

Since “little old” New Zealand played a major role in the recently concluded Trans Pacific Partnership agreement, that was a major topic of Guy’s address to the IFAJ Congress. “This is a very significant trade deal,” he said. “The value of the TPP for New Zealand is estimated to be about $2.7 billion by 2030…We see this as a starting point for industries in New Zealand to take this opportunity and run with it.”

In a short group interview after his address to the IFAJ, Guy also talked about the significance of the trade deal to New Zealand’s dairy industry, and the vital importance of the island nation to protect its native plants and animals from invasive pests and diseases. Interview with New Zealand Minister of Primary Industries Nathan Guy

2015 IFAJ Congress Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, IFAJ, International

Chelsea Clinton On Women in Ag at #FoodPrize15

Joanna Schroeder October 15, 2015

The official Borlaug 101 sessions kicked off yesterday afternoon in Des Moines, Iowa with remarks from Ambassador Kenneth M Quinn who is the president of the The World Food Prize Foundation. He acknowledged the famous founder, Norman Borlaug and that this year would have been his 101 birthday, while next year will be the 30th anniversary of World Food Prize. The international event brings advocates from around the world to Des Moines to discuss key food issues including how to raise people from poverty, how to grow a safe and nutritious food supply, how to increase productivity and this year’s special emphasis is on how to engage and support more women in agriculture and science.

The keynote speaker was Chelsea Clinton, vice president of the Clinton Foundation, and author of “It’s Your World, Get Informed, Get Inspired and Get Going,” who delivered inspiring remarks about how to encourage and support global women in agriculture as well as how to encourage young women to seek careers in STEM industries. She stressed that women are the key to alleviating hunger around the world, especially in countries like Africa where 70 percent of the farmers are women, even though the majority of the land is owned by men.

“Women are a crucial, vital and necessary part of solving the challenge of alleviating hunger,” said Clinton.

Clinton’s presentation was followed by a panel discussion that focused on women entitled, “Empowering Women and Girls Through STEM Education”. The discussion was moderated by Catherine Bertini, 2003 World Food Prize Laureate and included: Michiel Bakker, Director of Global Food Services, Google; Robert T. Fraley, 2013 World Food Prize Laureate and Monsanto CEO; The Honorable Kim Reynolds, Iowa Lt. Governor, State of Iowa; and Mary Wagner, Global Senior Vice President R&D/Quality, Food Safety & Regulatory, Starbucks.

Listen to the panel discussion here: Empowering Women and Girls Through STEM Education

There were several key takaways including reaching out to girls at a younger age to get them introduced, interested and involved in science and the need for more programs to continue to foster girls’ interest and education including mentors. But maybe most important, said Clinton, is to not let people tell you that you can’t be a scientist or mathematician. She noted that young girls are bombarded with messages about how they look at such young and formative ages and the message is that, “You’re largely valued for how you look and not what’s in your brain.” But when this happens, she stressed, don’t listen. Continue to follow your passion and show naysayers what is possible.

2015 World Food Prize photo album.

Coverage of the World Food Prize Global Harvest Initiative is sponsored by

Audio, Education, Food, John Deere, World Food Prize

Vision Event to Focus on Food Security

Joanna Schroeder October 15, 2015

An upcoming Vision Event will be focusing on the importance of the food safety as well as dive into critical issues ranging from social concerns to economics to marketing. The event, sponsored by the Livestock Publications Council, will take place in Kansas City, Missouri Wednesday, November 10, 2015 from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm in the Westin Crown Center. The special panel is part of events taking place during the NAFB Convention.

Featured speakers include Ryan Goodman, Agriculture Advocate; Karen Hanson, Registered Dietitian with Hy-Vee; and Margaret Zeigler, executive directory of the Global Harvest Initiative. The panel will be moderated by Mike Adams, host of the syndicated radio show AgriTalk.

Following the educational seminar, there will be a social hour and Auction & ‘Fun-Raising’ Action beginning at 5:30 pm. The evening will conclude with the Dinner with Recognition of the 2015 Hall of Honor award winners beginning at 6:30 pm. The event is free; however, tickets for the dinner are $50 per person. Reservations should be made by November 1, 2015 by contacting diane@livestockpublications.com.

Agribusiness, Food, NAFB

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