Agri-Pulse is Media Partner for “Drive Across America”

Kelly Marshall

Drive Across AmericaAmerican Agri-Women is celebrating 40 years of advocating for agriculture with a five-month tour, “Drive Across America.”  Partnering with them for this event is Agri-Pulse Communications.

“Our past and our future are based on advocating for agriculture and presenting the truth about production agriculture to the public, policy makers and the media. We are so pleased to have a media partner like Agri-Pulse, one that shares our commitment to the truth,” says AAW President Sue McCrum.

Agri-Pulse has a long history of involvement with AAW leaders.  “It’s always a pleasure to work with talented farm and ranch women who are passionate about sharing their stories about modern agriculture,” editor Sara Wyant says. “We look forward to following their travels.”

McCrum and other leaders will drive in a specially wrapped pick-up truck, participating in educational, network and advocacy events hosted by AAW’s more than 50 affiliates. The Drive will finish at the 2015 annual convention in Portland, Maine.
Throughout the drive, follow Agri-Pulse Communications for news updates and special interviews.

Keep up with what’s happening on social media- Twitter with the hashtag #AAW40years and #DriveAcrossAmerica or follow the event on Facebook, www.Facebook.com/AgriWomen/.

Ag Groups, Agri-Pulse, Agribusiness

N-Watch Update from GROMARK’s Dr. Brown

Cindy Zimmerman

n-watchThe N-Watch program was developed by GROWMARK director of nutrient management and environmental stewardship Dr. Howard Brown as a tool to estimate the concentration of plant-available N throughout the year. The program started with 45 sites in Illinois and continues to grow. “Currently we are looking at over 900 sites from Nebraska to southern Ontario,” said Brown. “The purpose is really to help farmers understand the nitrogen cycle better.”

Farmers can see how that information can be helpful through a new N-Watch affiliated program with the Illinois Council on Best Management Practices (C-BMP) called Sentinel Sites that provides abbreviated and anonymous local farmer N-WATCH Reports to learn more about the dynamics of N in the soil profile.

Brown says every year is a new year when it comes to nutrient management on the farm and this year the amount of available nitrogen is lower in many areas as a result of consecutive record crops. “Last year’s crop did a great job from the standpoint of harvest yield for most farmers, at the same time it did a great job harvesting nutrients,” said Brown. His advice to farmers is to manage environmental risk like they manage economic risk, and spread nitrogen out over time.

Learn more in this interview with Dr. Brown. Interview with Howard Brown, GROWMARK

Audio, Fertilizer, GROWMARK

West Central Expansion Will Create Financial Strength

Joanna Schroeder

West Central has announced a major commitment to its grower-members and to Iowa with the announcement of a $27 million expansion. According to West Central President and CEO Milan Kucerak, this is a significant investment for the company. He said on the dairy side they have three products – SoyPlus, SoyChlor and PASTURChlor – that they sell nationally and internationally.

“This will represent a 50 percent increase in our production of SoyPlus to keep up with demand,” said Kucerak. There is a global demand for dairy and a global demand to feed those animals.” He explained that the expansion also maintains their diversification within their business units as well.

West Central Milan KucerakThe initiative also allows West Central to turn their member-growing soybeans into a product they produce right here in Iowa. Kucerak added the major expansion allows them to have financial diversity as well.

“We all know grain markets have highs and lows and they ebb and flow. So if you have one business unit that is in the low cycle, the trough, you’ve got others that balance that out. That gives us a tremendous diversity in the company to maintain our financial strength,” said Kucerak.

Listen to Jamie Johansen’s interview with Milan Kucerak here: Milan Kucerak Interview

West Central Press Conference Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Dairy, Nutrition, Soybean

West Central to Help Meet Global Protein Demand

Joanna Schroeder

West Central has announced its plan for a $27 million, multi-year expansion to increase soybean processing capacity by 50 percent and build additional grain storage at its Ralston, Iowa complex. The project is set to have great benefits not only for Iowa but globally as discussed by Iowa Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig.

West-Central-NaigNaig said West Central’s expansion is a great example of a lot of investments going on in the state in terms of value-added agriculture. West Central, he noted, has a tremendous footprint in this state and this project again shows their commitment and their vision to their community and to their farmer owners.

When the expansion comes online, there will be an additional six million bushel soybean demand. “So that helps the community, that helps the farmers in the area with price support, and we’re also talking about jobs and that’s a tremendous impact on Carroll County and the surrounding communities,” said Naig.

Dairy Nutrition Plus is one of West Central’s key products and their products, coupled with their expansion, gives them the opportunity to play in the international markets explained Naig. “We know there is growing demand for protein and so West Central can play a role in that by providing a high quality feed product.” He also said that West Central’s expansion will help to grow Iowa’s dairy business but will also help grow the economies of the surrounding region from both a production standpoint as well as a processing standpoint.

Listen to Jamie Johansen’s interview with Naig where he also discusses aviation flu and the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) here: IA Deputy Sec of Ag Mike Naig

West Central Press Conference Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Dairy, Nutrition, Soybean

Ag Equipment Exports Drop

Chuck Zimmerman

AEMAccording to an update from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers exports of U.S.-made agricultural equipment for first quarter 2015 dropped 16.7-percent compared to first quarter 2014, for a total $1.82 billion shipped to global markets.

All world regions recorded declines except Central America, and Europe experienced the deepest drop, according to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), citing U.S. Department of Commerce data it uses in global markets reports for members.

Exports by World Region

First quarter 2015 U.S. agricultural equipment exports by major world regions compared to first quarter 2014:

Canada dropped 16.7 percent, for a total $582 million
Europe declined 34.7 percent, for a total $410.5 million
Central America gained 6.4 percent, for a total $273.3 million
South America dropped 21.8 percent, for a total $187.8 million
Asia fell 22.2 percent, for a total $178 million
Australia/Oceania fell 16.2 percent for a total $120.7 million
Africa decreased 6.3 percent, for a total $67 million
AEM Market Analysis Overview

AEM’s Benjamin Duyck, director of market intelligence, provides some insights:

This quarter decline of 16.7 percent was quite steep, though less harsh than the 29 percent decline last quarter or the 19.3 percent decline in Q1 of 2014. As global market drivers had not changed much from last year, declines in the exports of farm equipment was expected. Farm incomes are still forecasted to decrease in 2015, and on a more macro-economic level the strong dollar is still hampering U.S. global competitiveness.

More info here.

AEM, Agribusiness

New Holland’s Sustainable Farm Pavilion at Expo Milano

Chuck Zimmerman

expo-milano-2015Expo Milano 2015 is in full swing. This is what we used to call the World’s Fair. The only agricultural brand exhibiting is New Holland and next week I’ll be traveling to see their exhibit – the Sustainable Farm Pavilion. Some other U.S. ag journalists will also be traveling to the event which includes first stop in Turin.

New HollandIn Turin we’ll attend a press conference and visit a farm before moving on to Milan. Also while in Turin I already have a ticket to visit St. John the Baptist Cathedral and see the Shroud of Turin which is on a rare public exposition! That will be exciting.

So look for some stories coming out of Italy next week right here on AgWired.

Agribusiness, International, New Holland

Zimfo Bytes

Talia Goes

Zimfo Bytes

Zimfo Bytes

American Agri-Women Question Land Management

Kelly Marshall

American Agri WomenAmerican Agri-Women raise an interesting question; who owns Nevada?  This example is one of the issues the nation’s largest coalition of farm, ranch and agribusiness women is posing at their 22nd annual Symposium.  Held at the USDA building in Washington D.C., the event is scheduled for June 8th from 9-11 a.m.

The symposium, “Divided Lands: Federal vs. State Management in the West,” will feature a panel discussion regarding federal land management as opposed to states managing their own lands. Panelists will examine the differences of federal land ownership in the West as compared to Eastern states and the consequences of that control. For instance, the federal government owns 85% of Nevada.

The annual symposium is a free public forum that presents rural issues to consumers and policy makers. It is one of the featured events of American Agri-Women’s annual Fly-In, set for June 7-10. AAW is celebrating 40 years of advocating for agriculture.

“The issue of too much or too little federal lands is one that is being currently debated on both sides of the Mississippi River,” says Karen Yost, AAW symposium chair. “While Eastern states have little federal lands within their boundaries, the cost output of managing public lands in the Western states affects the fiscal budget for all states. This panel discussion will be an opportunity to learn from several viewpoints.”

Speakers include: Ken Ivory, Utah House of Representatives, Will Coggin, director of research, Environmental Policy Alliance, and Harriet Hageman, managing partner of Hageman Law.

For updates about the Fly-In, follow on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/AgriWomen.

 

Ag Groups, Events

Soy Based Paint Can Shrink Your Footprint

Kelly Marshall

Soycheckoff_4CTwo parking lots in New Jersey are being refreshed, with the first waterborne traffic paint made with soybean oil.  The Medford Township school system continuously searches for sustainable initiatives, which lead the director of operations and technology, Joe Bilkuck, to BioStripe.  This soy-biobased traffic paint is being tested on two of the district’s parking lots, because in addition to being biobased, Biluck also requires products to meet his criteria.

“We won’t make a switch unless the products meet two important criteria: they must get the job done as well — or better — than the product they’re replacing, and they must be cost-competitive,” said Biluck.

In addition to the traffic paint, Medford now uses biobased spray lubricants, drain and septic treatment, mold and mildew remover, carpet shampoo, white board restorer, all-purpose cleaner, motor oil, and truck/bus wash as well as biodiesel and the soy-backed carpet.

U.S. soybean farmers have invested millions of dollars to research, test and promote biobased products. Much of this work was done through the USB, which is composed of 70 U.S. soybean farmers appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to invest soybean checkoff funds. To learn more about biobased products, visit www.soybiobased.org.

Ag Groups, Biotech, Soybean, USB

Branstad, Vetter Keynote #WPX15 Luncheon

Joanna Schroeder

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad delivers the "State of Agriculture" during the 2015 World Pork Expo.

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad delivers the “State of Agriculture” during the 2015 World Pork Expo.

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad along with Iowa Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds spent some time at the Iowa Fairgrounds during World Pork Expo 2015 held is Des Moines, Iowa. While onsite, they spoke to dozens of Iowa pork producers as well as address a crowd during the SIP luncheon hosted by the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC). Branstad noted that Iowa is the largest pork producing state as well as the largest pork exporting state. In addition, Iowa’s pork industry adds $7.5 billion to the states’s economic activity. He stressed that increased trade is a great thing for Iowa, and the country and added his support to the efforts underway to open the doors to export pork products to additional countries such as Australia and Japan.

Listen to Iowa Lt. Kim Reynolds followed by Iowa Governor Terry Branstad’s comments on Iowa’s state of agriculture here: Branstad Keynote

Following the Iowa pork industry outlook, was a national outlook on trade as it impacts the pork industry delivered by Ambassador Darci Vetter, chief agriculture negotiator for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Vetter, who graduated from Des Moines-based Drake University, has been pounding the pavement and meeting with Congressman in support of the the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) that would open the door for pork exports to several more countries.

Darci Vetter

Ambassador Darci Vetter presents “Opportunities for U.S. Pork in a Global Market” to pork producers during the 2015 World Pork Expo.

So why the need for TPP? Vetter explained that trade and the TPP along with other trade agreements support economic growth and job creation, avoids losing marketshare and outlines strategic and geopolitical benefits. The TPP, she stressed, would also eliminate or reduce existing and non-tariff obstacles, clearing the path for additional pork exports. One issue in particular that is being addressed is allowing the exports of pork products to countries who have different views on animal health and welfare. The TPP would improve transparency and establish science-based regulations to overcome these barriers.

The TPP is a treaty and so to pass the TPP, the president needs Trade Promotion Authority which has passed the Senate and is under review in the House. Vetter is championing the ag export cause personally and said that if passed, exports would increase by 50 percent over the next 10 years post implementation. If not passed, all countries are creating these free trade authorities and if America doesn’t do one and other country’s do, then products from competing nations will the gap.

Listen to Ambassador Darci Vetter’s comments on trade here: Opportunities for U.S. Pork in Global Market

Find photos from the event here: 2015 World Pork Expo Photo Album

wpx-bivi-tag

Agribusiness, Audio, Boehringer Ingelheim, Pork, Swine, Trade, World Pork Expo