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USDA Official on the Road for Trade

Cindy Zimmerman

photo credit: AgNet West

photo credit: AgNet West

USDA officials have been on the road this year meeting with agricultural stakeholders around the country to talk about the importance of Trade Promotion Authority for the president in expanding international markets for U.S. products.

USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Alexis Taylor was in California a few weeks ago and today she was in Florida. She’s also visited with producers in Oregon, Washington, and Pennsylvania. “I do see a geographical difference in the issues that they’re facing in various markets,” said Taylor. “But consistently I am hearing very strong support for the president to get Trade Promotion Authority and passage of the Trans Pacific Partnership.”

Taylor says one of the main concerns she has heard is that the TPP be a truly comprehensive trade agreement. “There’s a concern that maybe agriculture will be left behind,” she said. “But one of our priorities is that this is a comprehensive agreement – it will cover all of agriculture.”

There is a sense of urgency to get Congress to approve TPA so the TPP can be concluded by the end of this year, since next year is a presidential election year, so Taylor encourages farmers who support it to tell their story. “Agriculture has a great story to tell when it comes to exports,” she said.

Listen to my interview with Alexis here: Interview with Alexis Taylor, USDA-FAS

Audio, Trade, USDA

Hoverson Elected to Lead United States Potato Board

Jamie Johansen

Carl HoversonCarl Hoverson of Larimore, ND, was elected Chairman of the United States Potato Board (USPB) March 12, 2015, at the organization’s 43rd Annual Meeting in Colorado Springs, CO. In 2014, he served as a Co-Chairman of the USPB International Marketing Committee. He previously served two years on the USPB Domestic Marketing Administrative Committee.

Hoverson has been growing Russet Burbank potatoes for frozen processing. “My two sons and I grow 5,100 acres of irrigated potatoes for the JR Simplot Company,” he explains. Sugarbeets, wheat, corn, soybeans, canola and navy beans are also produced on Hoverson Farms.

Hoverson has served as the secretary/treasurer of the Northern Plains Potato Growers Association. He attended the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, and North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, studying civil engineering.

Hoverson has six children: sons Michael and Casey, and daughters: Alyssa, Fallon, Norah and Paris. He enjoys spending time with his grandchildren, and growing potatoes.

Ag Groups

Agri-Marketing Conference Preview

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast 471In just a week agricultural marketers and students from around the country will be gathering in Kansas City, MO for the 2015 Agri-Marketing Conference. The ZimmComm team of Cindy, Jamie and Taylor and myself will be there bringing you all the play by play action.

NAMA Conference 2015I spoke with the Chair of this year’s conference, Christine Hart-Nieland, Brighton Agency, about what we can expect at this year’s event. Growing Greatness is the theme of this year’s conference. Chris says the theme comes from holding the event back in the Nation’s breadbasket as a way to celebrate the greatness of American agriculture and also because the conference is designed to help members grow their own greatness in their professional lives.

Listen in to our conversation to get details about next week’s conference: Agri-Marketing Conference Preview

Subscribe to the ZimmCast podcast here.

The ZimmCast

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The ZimmCast podcast is sponsored by GROWMARK
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Ag Groups, Audio, NAMA, ZimmCast

Alltech Young Scientist Competition Narrowed to Eight

Jamie Johansen

2014 Alltech Young Scientist Award recipientsEight finalists will move on to the next level in the 10th annual Alltech Young Scientist program, the largest global university contest of its kind that rewards scientific genius and experimental application in agri-science.

A panel of agriculture industry leaders selected four undergraduate students and four graduate students from more than 8,800 registrants for the 2014-2015 term. Students were challenged to submit research studies that demonstrated a keen awareness of science and its applications for improving the future of the world.

Representing six continents across the globe, the finalists will engage in the ultimate test when they present their research during the Alltech REBELation, an international conference exploring innovation, inspiration and world-changing ideas in Lexington, Ky., USA, from May 17-20. The winning graduate student will receive a $10,000 USD cash prize and the winning undergraduate student will receive a $5,000 cash prize. The eight finalists ranking at the top of their global regions are:

Undergraduate Category:
Asia Pacific: Karen De Dios, Pampanga Agricultural College, Philippines
Latin America: Omar Vargas Villalobos, Universidad de Costa Rica, Costa Rica
Europe/Russia/Africa: Rafal Bialek, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland
North America: Collin Letain, University of Saskatchewan, Canada

Graduate Category:
Asia Pacific: Yuhua Zhu, China Agricultural University, China
Latin America: Norha Constanza Bolívar Ramírez, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Brazil
Europe/Russia/Africa: Maria Rita Azeredo, University of Porto, Portugal
North America: Xiaoqiu Wang, Texas A&M University, Texas, USA

Alltech has also named 68 regional and local award winners who have embraced scientific discovery through research. Regional winners of the Alltech Young Scientist program receive cash prizes ranging from $300 to $2,000 and local winners are given medals.

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Agribusiness, Alltech, Research

Remembering Russell Pierson

Cindy Zimmerman

russellFarm broadcasting pioneer and former NAFB president Russell Pierson passed away last week at the age of 103 and he was remembered at an Oklahoma City funeral service Monday by many friends and fans.

“He hired me in 1974 and trained me to be a farm broadcaster,” said another former NAFB president, Ken Root, who delivered a eulogy at the service. “We had a lot of good times. He was a mentor to me and to many.”

Russell became a member of the National Association of Radio and Television Farm Broadcasters in 1959 when he was hired to head the Farm and Ranch Broadcasting Service for WKY Radio and Television in Oklahoma City. He served as president of what became NAFB in 1973 and inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1992.

Russell always ended his broadcasts over the years with a poem, and he saved one parting verse for the end of his earthly life.

“Never let a single day go by
Without a kind gesture or an act.
And always tell those that you love,
Your affection for them is fact.
For our time on this earth is short,
Compared to what lay ahead.
And with Christ accompanying our journey,
That next step is absent dread.
So to all I leave behind,
And friendships I’ve held dear.
May Peace be with you until we meet again,
And may your days be filled with cheer.”

In lieu of flowers an OSU Agronomy Student Scholarship, through the College of Agriculture, is being established in Russell Pierson’s name and honor. You can send donations Oklahoma State University Scholarship Foundation in Memory of Russell Pierson, PO Box 1749, Stillwater OK 74076.

Russell touched the lives of many NAFBers over his many years – please feel free to share your memories in comments. Rest in peace, Russell, good and faithful servant.

NAFB

FarmLink Names Gebhardt as Chief Strategy Officer

Jamie Johansen

Dave Gebhardt-2FarmLink announced that Dave Gebhardt, Ph.D., has joined the company as Chief Strategy Officer – Data Products and Agronomy.

Formerly the Director of Agronomic Data & Technology for WinField, a Land O’Lakes company, Gebhardt will lead efforts at FarmLink to identify innovative data analytics products and solutions that help improve the profitability and sustainability of the food chain, from the field to grocery aisle. Combining his agronomic knowledge with FarmLink’s unique data set and powerful analytics platform, the company will broaden its investment in innovation and talent to expand the benefits of agriculture benchmarking, a technology category the company first established last year.

“As the 2015 planting season begins, FarmLink continues to demonstrate momentum across the agriculture industry, including attracting top leaders like Dave. We are excited to add Dave’s industry and scientific expertise to the outstanding FarmLink team,” said FarmLink Chairman and CEO Ron LeMay. “Dave will help us connect the dots between broad industry challenges and FarmLink’s unique ability to satisfy those needs by leveraging new technologies and approaches. My vision remains to help transform agriculture by bringing actionable data and new economic business models to increase profitability and sustainability across the food system. Dave will help us do that.”

In his previous role, Gebhardt was responsible for data analysis and insight development for WinField’s agronomic research program as well as the development of the company’s precision ag technology and data management solutions for the Land O’Lakes cooperative system.

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Agribusiness

Industry Adjusting to Lower Farm Equipment Sales

Cindy Zimmerman

Sales of farm tractors and combines are continuing their downward trend this year and the industry is adjusting after several good years in a row, according to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM).

aem“The last five years have been pretty darn good years and we were at pretty high levels of equipment sales,” said AEM Senior Vice President and Ag Sector Lead Charlie O’Brien. “So even though we’re down double digits in certain areas, it’s still at not too bad a level, but everybody has to make an adjustment based on what demand is now.”

During the recent Commodity Classic, AEM did an informal survey of ag equipment manufacturers about the downward trend and how long they think it will last. “Everyone has differing opinions but overall people think 2015 will be about the same as last year, 2016 there’s some optimism, but more people are saying 2017,” said O’Brien.

O’Brien notes that while sales of large tractors and combines are down significantly, sales of smaller horsepower tractors are up. “The smaller horsepower tractors track very closely with the general economy, while the larger equipment is tied to net farm income,” O’Brien said.

AEM’s most recent numbers on sales of farm tractors and combines show that as of February 2015 sales of 4WD farm tractors are down over 50% from the same time last year, but total tractor sales including the smaller horsepower categories are down only one percent. Combine sales are down 37% year to date.

Learn more in this interview with O’Brien from Commodity Classic. Interview with Charlie O'Brien, AEM

2015 Commodity Classic Photo Album

Coverage of Commodity Classic sponsored by
Coverage of Commodity Classic sponsored by BASF Coverage of Commodity Classic sponsored by New Holland Coverage of Commodity Classic sponsored by Propane Education and Research Council
AEM, Audio, Commodity Classic, Equipment, Tractor

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  • CNH Industrial N.V. is proud to announce the most recent achievements from STEYR, its European agricultural machinery brand, and Case IH, one of its global agricultural machinery brands.
  • Agri-Pulse founder and President Sara Wyant was named to the annual Folio: “Top Women in Media” recognition in the Entrepreneurs category.
  • The American Feed Industry Association recently released the redesign of its “4 Promises”–a value-oriented commitment the organization makes to its members to best serve its members’ interests and priorities.
  • National Corn Growers Association Chief Executive Officer Chris Novak received Purdue University College of Agriculture’s highest honor for achievement, the Distinguished Agriculture Alumni Award, during a ceremony in West Lafayette, Indiana.
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Potato Board Elects New Leadership

Jamie Johansen

potatologoThe United States Potato Board (USPB) grower membership elected new leadership during its Annual Meeting held in Colorado Springs, CO, March 10-12. The following sections list the leadership for the coming year.

CHAIRMAN
Carl Hoverson (Larimore, ND)

DOMESTIC MARKETING
Co-Chairmen
Chris Wada (Idaho Falls, ID)
John Halverson (Arbyrd, MO)

Committee Members
Marilyn Dolan-Public Member (Watsonville, CA)
Molly Connors (Pasco, WA)
John Stahl (Ritzville, WA)
Brian Jones (Paul, ID)
Steve Elfering (Idaho Falls, ID)
David Tonso (Center, CO)
Dan Chin (Klamath Falls, OR)
Merrill Hanny (Idaho Falls, ID)

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Ag Groups, Potato