Osborn Barr Participates in MAIP Intern Program

Chuck Zimmerman July 13, 2015

Osborn Barr is hosting Laura Gonzalez, summer intern via the 4A’s Multicultural Advertising Internship Program.

This prestigious program had over 1,000 student applicants from all over the country and only 155 were selected. The goal of MAIP is to share multicultural talent with the advertising industry. It offers agencies the opportunity to gain top talent and enhance workforce diversity.

According to Talent Acquisition Manager, Erin Barr, this is O+B’s first year with MAIP. “We are always looking to have the most diverse intern class, in a number of ways,” said Barr. “Agriculture is an international industry, so we want interns from various universities, degree programs and backgrounds.”

At the end of her internship, Laura will travel to New York City to meet with 4A’s career professionals and MAIP fellows at the Face of Talent 2015. Laura will be in New York City for one week to go through professional development training. Workshops and activities include leadership development, career readiness, a diversity career fair and more.

Agencies

Farm Foundation to Host Forum on Drought

John Davis July 13, 2015

The multi-year drought in the western United States has impacted that region’s farmers and ranchers,and government officials have had to take extensive measures to deal with water shortages. This coming Wednesday, July 15, Farm Foundation will host a free forum at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., to discuss how lessons being learned in the West may help the rest of the nation prepare for water management challenges in the future. The Forum will also examine tools public and private decision makers across the country are already using to address such issues as access to water, regulation of water use, water quality and water quantity.

Agri-Pulse Senior Editor Philip Brasher will moderate the discussion with panelists:

Richard Howitt, Ph.D., professor emeritus of agriculture and resource economics at the Center for Watershed Sciences, University of California, Davis, and a specialist in water markets.
Lynn Broaddus, Ph.D., of Broadview Collaborative, will discuss water sustainability and resiliency.
Barry Bogseth, Managing Director of MetLife, will offer a lender’s perspective.
Betsy Hickman of Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, will discuss perspectives from across the agriculture and food value chain.

Audio from the session will be posted on the Farm Foundation website.

Ag Groups, Farm Foundation

Johansson Picked as USDA Chief Economist

John Davis July 13, 2015

Dr. Robert Johansson has been selected as U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Chief Economist. Working for USDA for nearly 15 years, Johansson has been USDA’s acting chief economist since Jan. 3, 2014, and as Deputy Chief Economist since 2012.

“I am pleased that Dr. Johansson’s leadership will continue to guide informed decision making at USDA to benefit American agriculture,” said [Agriculture Secretary Tom] Vilsack. “Dr. Johansson is highly respected for his analysis and experienced insight, and extremely well prepared for the demands of this position.”

As Chief Economist, Dr. Johansson is responsible for USDA’s agricultural forecasts and projections and for advising the Secretary of Agriculture on economic implications of programs, regulations, and legislative proposals. His responsibilities include the Office of the Chief Economist, the World Agricultural Outlook Board, the Office of Risk Assessment and Cost-Benefit analysis, the Global Change Program Office, and the Office of Energy Policy and New Uses. He also serves as Chairman of the Federal Crop Insurance Board of Directors.

During his federal career, Dr. Johansson also worked as an economist at USDA’s Economic Research Service, as well as in the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the Office of Management and Budget, and at the Congressional Budget Office. In 2011, he was appointed senior economist for energy, environment, and agriculture on the President’s Council of Economic Advisers where he also participated on the White House Rural Council and the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness.

Johansson has a Ph.D. and a master’s degree in agricultural economics from the University of Minnesota and a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Northwestern University. He also served with the U.S. Peace Corps from 1990 to 1995 as an extension agent in Gabon and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

USDA

Bayer CropScience Opens SeedGrowth Center

Chuck Zimmerman July 10, 2015

This week Bayer CropScience celebrated the grand opening of its SeedGrowth Equipment Innovation Center in Shakopee, MN. The center is a $12 million, 135,000-square-foot facility.

This center, focusing on the equipment design and manufacturing business promotes advanced research and development on seed treatment products, seed coatings, equipment and services to provide holistic agricultural solutions to customers around the world.

“Our SeedGrowth Equipment Innovation Center brings together significant technological, scientific and manufacturing resources to support sustainable agriculture initiatives and global product stewardship for our SeedGrowth business,” said Jim Blome, president and CEO of Bayer CropScience LP. “The work done by our team in Shakopee continues to drive innovation in our equipment, services and technology, while also serving as a training center for our customers and employees all under one umbrella.’”

Agribusiness, Bayer

Zimfo Bytes

Talia Goes July 10, 2015

Lessing-Flynn’s 2015 Battle of the Brands is set to begin on Monday, July 13th at 8 a.m. with 32 Iowa based brands are set to go head-to-head in this year’s battle.
Midwestern BioAg, Inc., announced that it has acquired Meeker Farms Trucking, Inc. Located in Davenport, Iowa, Meeker Farms is the exclusive manufacturer of Midwestern BioAg’s calcium-based soil amendments, Bio-Cal® and OrganiCal.
Verdesian Life Sciences has signed a commercial agreement with Agroalfa in Central America to bring the company’s patented polymer technology to farmers in Nicaragua (headquarters), Panama and Costa Rica.
Consistent with the National Pork Board’s five-year strategic plan to build consumer trust and grow consumer demand, the organization is updating its food chain outreach structure.

Zimfo Bytes

Corn Growers Educational Campaign Joins the Smithsonian

John Davis July 10, 2015

The story of innovation and accomplishment of America’s corn growers now has a place in the Smithsonian. The National Corn Growers Association says its seven-year-old Corn Farmers Coalition advertising campaign has a new exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

“Having this campaign on display in an institution like the Smithsonian validates the investment of farmer’s corn checkoff dollars to tell their story to this key audience of Washington decision makers,” said Chip Bowling, president of NCGA and a farmer from Newburg, Maryland. “It also amplifies our message and will be a constant reminder to the 2.3 million people expected to visit the exhibit annually for the next 20 years.”

One of the coalition ads will be displayed in the Mars Hall of American Business alongside such pieces of advertising iconography as the Marlboro Man, images from the Morton’s Salt “When It Rains It Pours” campaign, and the first Breck Shampoo ad to feature an African-American “Breck girl.”

“When we started this educational program, our research showed most of our Washington audience didn’t think family farmers even existed anymore, even though they grow 90 percent of the nation’s corn,” Bowling said. “When they learned the facts it opened their eyes to who owns and farms the land and how these multi-generational farmers are embracing change to become the most productive and efficient in the world.”

Smithsonian curator Peter Liebhold said the ad was a natural choice for the 8,000-square-foot exhibit, a comprehensive look at American History as seen through business.

“This corn growers’ campaign is visually really striking and tells a great story,” Liebhold said. “It’s really a representation of modern advertising.”

Ag Groups, Agribusiness, Corn, NCGA

Grow Smart with @BASFAgProducts

Cindy Zimmerman July 10, 2015

Growers have more decisions than ever before to make on the farm and that is why BASF is going beyond crop protection with a new approach to working with farmers and improving their business and it’s called Grow Smart.

“Growers want more than just a product on their farm,” said Bob Yaklich, Grow Smart Marketing Lead for BASF, during an ag media tour of the company’s Midwest Research Farm in Illinois this week. “They really want information and knowledge to make better business decisions to help them get the most out of every acre.”

Yaklich says the Grow Smart approach is based on four Ps – people, portfolio, personalized, and protection. “First and foremost, getting the people together in the right manner that creates that feeling of a good solid relationship,” said Yaklich. “BASF having a good portfolio is the basis of that conversation. Next is the personalization, a recommendations that’s meaningful for that grower in his operation.” The final piece, protection, has to do with how BASF can help growers by sharing some of the risk they take on every growing season. Interview with Bob Yaklich, BASF

The lovely and talented Caren Schmidt, BASF Technical Marketing Manager for fungicides, says the Grow Smart approach also entails research trials across the country to study how the BASF portfolio can work together with the best agronomic practices and latest technology to help growers. “Here on the research farm, we have small plot research where we combine the BASF portfolio of products – herbicides, fungicide, inoculants, nitrogen protection – and put it together with agronomic practices like populations, planting dates, hybrid and variety selection to try and see incremental benefits and find better recommendations to give to our growers,” Schmidt explained. Interview with Caren Schmidt, BASF

BASF Midwest Research Farm photo album

Agribusiness, Audio, BASF, Farming

Aug. 11 Food Dialogues to Focus on ‘Farm to Consumer’

John Davis July 10, 2015

Consumer concerns about the impact food production practices might have on their long-term health or the health of the planet will be the topic of the next Food Dialogues. The Aug. 11 event will be held in Minneapolis and will bring together a panel of leaders in the food space, including food and retail executives and farmers for a conversation about what more can be done to bridge the information gap between food production practices, consumer concerns on health and the environment, and the choices that are being made when sourcing food products.

“Farmers, ranchers and food executives have the ability to be even more connected to consumers than ever before,” said Gene Stoel, Soybean Grower and MN Soybean Research and Promotion Council Board Member. “Yet, more must and can be done. This Food Dialogue panel discussion will tackle tough questions related to food production – from GMO safety to animal welfare. Agriculturalists are seeking opportunities to speak directly with food companies, key decision makers and ultimately the consumer. Every time food production practices are discussed, we would like to be in the conversation.”

The Food Dialogues: Minneapolis is co-sponsored by the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council, Nebraska Soybean Board and the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance and will be held at the Mill City Museum, with check-in and a networking reception beginning at 5:30 p.m. CT. The panel discussion will begin at 7 p.m. CT. For more details, click here.

Ag Groups, Agribusiness, Food

Priority Issues for GROWMARK

Cindy Zimmerman July 9, 2015

There is never any shortage of legislative and regulatory issues that could impact agricultural producers, which is why GROWMARK Executive Director for Corporate and Government Relations Chuck Spencer is a busy guy.

I just happened to catch him in the office when I stopped by GROWMARK headquarters in Bloomington, Illinois this week and was able to chat with him about some of the issues he is watching on both the state and federal level. Not surprisingly, WOTUS is up at the top of the list. “We provided comments and helped work through with our national associations providing input into the process,” said Spencer. Their major concern is the process the agency used to push through the regulation. “It was very quickly done … the question becomes what are going to do from this point foward,” he said, noting that they are supporting efforts in Congress that would put EPA’s rulemaking process “back into a more regular order.”

In another area of interest, Spencer says GROWMARK is supporting the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act in the House that would create a uniform national food labeling standard for products made with genetically modified organisms. “We understand that consumers want to know more about their food and we need to be increasingly transparent,” explains Spencer. “The National Organic Standard administered by the USDA is a wonderful example of a voluntary program that is nationally consistent and recognized. We feel it could be put to use in that same framework, that USDA could have a non-GMO standard, and it would be a voluntary framework just like the organic standard.”

In this interview, Spencer also comments on EPA’s proposed volume obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard and what they are watching in the House appropriations process. Interview with Chuck Spencer, GROWMARK

We also talked about some state level issues in Illinois, particularly with the budget and nutrient management strategies. Chuck Spencer, GROWMARK, discusses Illinois issues

Audio, Cooperatives, GROWMARK

Meet New Holland’s Bret Lieberman

Chuck Zimmerman July 9, 2015

Let’s meet and get to know Bret Lieberman, newly appointed Vice President of North America, New Holland. I just got off the phone with Bret and look forward to meeting him in person next week in New Holland, PA. We started our conversation talking about his background which is extensive and diversified. In fact, today he’s celebrating being with the company for 25 years.

Bret joined the company in 1990 with a position in service parts. Bret continued to expand his experience with various roles in purchasing, human resources, quality management and haytools production. Most recently, Bret has held the position of head of North America Manufacturing, where he has been responsible for all agricultural and construction manufacturing plants since 2009. He’s seen a lot of changes in the brand over the years and he says they’ve all been positive.

Bret is so new on the job (one week) that he’s still waiting on business cards! However, he has moved his office to be closer to his team and is ready to tackle this new chapter in his career. Bret is very optimistic about New Holland’s future and will be getting to meet with many New Holland dealers and the media almost right away.

Listen in to my exclusive interview with Bret to get to know him: Bret Lieberman, New Holland

Agribusiness, Audio

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