USDA Releases Prospective Plantings Report

Cindy Zimmerman

USDAThe much-anticipated 2015 Prospective Plantings released by USDA today shows declines expected in corn, wheat and cotton acres this year, with only a modest increase in soybean acreage.

Corn planted area for all purposes in 2015 is estimated at 89.2 million acres, down 2 percent from last year. If realized, this will be the third consecutive year of an acreage decline and would be the lowest planted acreage in the United States since 2010.

Soybean planted area for 2015 is estimated at a record high 84.6 million acres, up 1 percent from last year. Compared with last year, planted acreage intentions are up or unchanged in 21 of the 31 major producing States.

All wheat for 2015 is estimated at 55.4 million acres, down three percent from 2014, and all cotton is estimated at 9.55 million acres, 13 percent below last year.

Randy Martinson with Progressive Ag provided commentary on the report today for the Minneapolis Grain Exchange crop call.

MGEX crop conference call on 2015 prospective plantings
Audio, Corn, Soybean, USDA

World Backup Day

Chuck Zimmerman

World Backup DayWhen was the last time you backed up your computer? Your phone? Your tablet? Your memory cards? Hopefully you know the answer to that.

If you haven’t then do it today – World Backup Day. This infographic was sent to me by Cloudwards. Click on it to see the rest of the graphic.

World Backup DayMarch 31st has been declared World Backup Day. With so much of our lives, photos, and videos being stored in digital form, it is important that we begin to make backups of our precious data. Backing up your data is one of those easy-to-do procedures that many people ignore.

People now create and generate over 1.8 zettabytes of data per year.¹ That’s a lot of data that we need to protect! Unfortunately, nearly 30% of people have never even backed up their data.² Backing up your data will protect your life’s work when that hard drive fails. If you are a small business, a data backup can be what saves your company. World Backup Day is here to make sure that people actually start backing up.

Invest in a small portable hard drive. Connect it to your computer and use software like Time Machine for a Mac or SyncBack for a PC. Invest in a cloud storage account like BackBlaze. Have the peace of mind of the best of both worlds!

Events, Gadgets, Technology

Rural Electric Tackles Diversity & Internet Access

Jamie Johansen

Screen Shot 2015-03-30 at 2.25.14 PMI recently had the opportunity to sit down with former Congresswomen from my home state of Missouri, Jo Ann Emerson. She currently calls Washington, D.C. home where she holds the title of first female CEO for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA).

“I am very excited to be selected by the Board of Directors of the NRECA to serve as their leader. But I consider myself more than a leader, I’m a listener. It’s what I did in my job on Capitol Hill. When you represent 42 million Americans, it’s really important to listen and meet the concerns of those members who are you bosses. And we can never forget that.”

The term ‘telling our story’ is nothing new in the agriculture community and Jo Ann agrees whole-heartedly. “We are concerned about our communities, we believe we have to be involved, engaged in economic and community development opportunities. It’s critical our communities are there for our children and we want to make them vibrant and strong.” Jo Ann said another goal of her’s is to meet the people where they are. In her short time at NRECA she has visited all but four states and also believes social media plays a big role in connecting to a younger demographic.

I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t ask Jo Ann about rural broadband internet access since it is a very important topic that impacts my career. She said a lot of our rural cooperatives are working to provide high-speed broadband internet and the best thing about having that access is the ability to communicate. She feels strongly about empowering the stay-at-home mom to write a blog or the entrepreneur to strike out on their own. Rural internet is where those start. “The big companies like AT&T and Verizon are not going to come to our small, tiny rural communities. We have a good opportunity here that will change peoples lives once we do it.”

Listen to my complete interview with Jo Ann to learn more about what local coops are doing to provide cost-effective internet to their rural communities. Interview with Jo Ann Emerson, CEO NRECA

Ag Groups, Audio, Internet

Zimfo Bytes

Talia Goes

Zimfo Bytes

Zimfo Bytes

ABEF Sensational Six

Chuck Zimmerman

NAMA ABEF Sensational SixStudent chapters of the National Agri-Marketing Association are putting the final touches on their presentations for this year’s Marketing Competition. Here’s a new way to support them courtesy of the Agribusiness Educational Foundation. Got mine ordered.

Do you want to put some support behind your alma mater? Have you met sharp young NAMA students? Does a school just “speak” to you? Now you can join the fun and excitement of the NAMA Student Marketing Competition by playing “Sensational Six…….Powered by ABEF”!

Select the winner of the 2015 Student Marketing Competition, along with 5 teams that you believe will place, and you will be entered to win a $500 Visa gift card! You may enter as many forms as you would like for a better chance to win. The price for each submission is $25, which will go to the Agri-Business Educational Foundation and the future of agribusiness. The deadline for submissions is Midnight on Tuesday, April 14, 2015. The winner will be announced at the Trade Show Closing Reception on Thursday, April 16, 2015!

You do not need to be present at the Agri-Marketing Conference to win!

Ag Groups, Education, Marketing, NAMA

CAST Appoints New Executive Vice President

Jamie Johansen

Screen Shot 2015-03-30 at 9.49.05 AMThe Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST), a nonprofit organization that specializes in assembling and communicating science-based agricultural information to a broad audience, announces the appointment of its new Executive Vice President, Kent G. Schescke. Linda Chimenti, the current EVP, will retire at the end of May after 15 successful years with CAST. Mr. Schescke will assume the role of EVP effective June 1, 2015, at the headquarters office in Ames.

During the past 24 years, Schescke’s professional career has focused on the National FFA Organization and the National FFA Foundation. He has years of experience in fundraising, development, and government relations for these nonprofit youth organizations. While he also handled numerous managerial and executive-level responsibilities, he is especially proud of the work he has done with agricultural education and youth development.

Schescke is familiar with CAST’s history and mission. As he points out, “I have had the opportunity to work with CAST in many capacities. I have great respect for the organization and the work it does to elevate the importance of agricultural science and technology.”

Schescke’s experience and philosophy fit smoothly with CAST’s overall goals. He agrees that agriculture sectors face many challenges and opportunities, and he is positive about the future. “Advances in technology through research and innovation hold bright promise as long as we continue to secure the social license, political will, and funding to make it possible.”

Read More

Ag Groups, Technology

Brownfield Rolls Out in Michigan & Minnesota

Chuck Zimmerman

Brownfield Ag NewsBrownfield Ag News continues to grow as it rolls out networks of radio station affiliates in Michigan and Minnesota today.

In Minnesota Farm Broadcaster Mark Dorenkamp has joined the Brownfield team. He takes over the helm as Anchor/Reporter of Minnesota Brownfield. Brownfield Minnesota replaces former Minnesota Farm Network programming. The network has 23 affiliated radio station in the state.

Nicole Heslip is the Anchor/Reporter of Michigan Brownfield, the former Michigan Farm Radio Network. Nicole lives in Michigan and will provide on-the-ground coverage of Michigan agriculture. The network has 36 affiliated radio stations in the state.

There are now a grand total of more than 380 affiliate radio stations in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin, Nebraska, South Dakota and Colorado that carry Brownfield programming. In addition to giving more listeners the opportunity to hear Brownfield programs, this increase in coverage area provides even greater marketing opportunities for advertising partners.

Media

ZimmComm Drawing During Agri-Marketing Conference

Chuck Zimmerman

Anker Astro E7Visit ZimmComm during the Agri-Marketing Conference in KC, MO and enter for your chance to win a brand new Anker Asto E7. Travel much? Then you need power for your gadgets and this baby has it. On a recent trip as I was standing in line to board I charged my phone and two other people’s phones at the same time. It’s a great way to make friends! Stop by the Connection Point to say hi and we’ll have a little gift for you too.

Exclusive to Anker, PowerIQ amp-adjustment technology intelligently identifies your device to deliver its fastest possible charge. Power to keep you going, and going…and going. Add up to ten charges to a smartphone, two charges to a tablet or multiple charges to pretty much anything else. The most compact battery of this capacity on the market. With a built-in flashlight to boot, its perfect for your next long trip.

Please use your device’s original cable or a third-party certified one (such as MFi). Compatible with all Apple and Android smartphones, tablets (including the Nexus 7) and other USB-charged devices. The iPod nano, iPod Classic, HP TouchPad, LG G2, Asus tablets and some GPS and Bluetooth devices are not supported.

Ag Groups, NAMA

Whistleblower Speaks Out Against HSUS

Chuck Zimmerman

Center for Consumer FreedomIt looks like the tables have been turned on animal liberation group Humane Society of the United States. A former undercover investigator for the extremist group is featured in a just released video by HumaneWatch.org discussing gestation stalls or also called individual maternity pens (IMPs) which are used to house pregnant pigs. You can watch the video below.

IMPs provide for individual care and feeding while preventing the fighting that occurs when pregnant sows are housed in groups. Mainstream veterinary groups support maternity pens as a humane housing option. However, HSUS has been lobbying legislators to ban these gestation pens and are pressuring food companies to only source pork from farms that use group housing of sows.

According to the HSUS investigator, who worked on pork farms:

  • “When they’re not in crates, they [sows] fight each other. With gestation crates, they can’t bite each other…They’re in a safe spot.”
  • “I have to believe they [HSUS] know the pigs would prefer to be in gestation crates…but choose instead to push the anti-gestation crate legislation because of what it would do to the pig farming industry.”
  • “Objectively, HSUS should be for gestation crates if they’re honestly, truly for animal welfare.”
  • “Farmers, veterinarians, and animal scientists stand opposed to HSUS’s campaign against individual maternity pens—and now one of its own investigators does, too,”


Will Coggin, director of research for HumaneWatch.org. “HSUS counts on manipulating an unknowing public with its propaganda, but the power of truth is demonstrated by one of HSUS’s own.”

About 200 large-animal veterinarians have signed an open letter in support of individual maternity pens. Recent HSUS attempts to ban these pens in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Vermont, New York, and New Hampshire have all failed after legislators learned the full story.


Animal Activists, Animal Agriculture, Video, Wackos

USDA Extends ARC and PLC Deadlines

Cindy Zimmerman

*UPDATED* with audio below

USDAAgriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced a one week extension for producers to choose between Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC), the safety-net programs established by the 2014 Farm Bill. The final day to make the decision, update yield history or reallocate base acres will now be April 7, 2015.

“This is an important decision for producers because these programs help farmers and ranchers protect their operations from unexpected changes in the marketplace,” said Vilsack. “Nearly 98 percent of owners have already updated their yield and base acres, and 90 percent of producers have enrolled in ARC or PLC. These numbers are strong, and continue to rise. This additional week will give producers a little more time to have those final conversations, review their data, visit their local Farm Service Agency offices, and make their decisions,” said Vilsack.

If no changes are made to yield history or base acres by the deadline, the farm’s current yield and base acres will be used. If a program choice of ARC or PLC is not made, there will be no 2014 crop year payments for the farm and the farm will default to PLC coverage for the 2015 through 2018 crop years. Producers who have an appointment at their local FSA offices scheduled by April 7 will be able to make an election between ARC and PLC, even if their actual appointment is after April 7.

Covered commodities under ARC and PLC include barley, canola, large and small chickpeas, corn, crambe, flaxseed, grain sorghum, lentils, mustard seed, oats, peanuts, dry peas, rapeseed, long grain rice, medium grain rice (which includes short grain and sweet rice), safflower seed, sesame, soybeans, sunflower seed and wheat. Upland cotton is no longer a covered commodity.

The initial deadline for yield and base decisions was February 27. One month ago, USDA announced the first deadline extension to March 31.

*UPDATE* Val Dolcini, administrator of USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) hosted a media conference call at noon central time on the deadline extension.

Farm Service Agency Administrator Val Dolcini
Audio, USDA