Industry Ag News 12/22

Carrie Muehling

  • Upon the completion of the Census of Agriculture every five years, the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service conducts a thorough review of its estimating programs. The goal of the review is to ensure that the annual estimating programs target the commodities and states most relevant to U.S. agriculture. In addition to ag census data, NASS will consider all available information, including public input, when determining whether to add or remove specific programs and when selecting the individual states included in each commodity program. With data collection for the 2022 Census of Agriculture now complete, NASS is beginning the program review process and is now seeking public feedback. Please send comments or other information for consideration about a specific NASS program, along with contact information, to nass@nass.usda.gov with NASS Program Review in the subject line by Jan. 5, 2024.
  • Farm Progress welcomes four new editorial team members who will continue to build on its strong momentum and commitment to agriculture media. Pam Caraway has been named the new executive editor of Farm Futures, the company’s flagship business brand. Gil Gullickson has been named senior editor of Wallaces Farmer, the premier Farm Progress media brand covering Iowa’s agriculture. Allison Lund joins Indiana Prairie Farmer as staff writer. She has spent the past year freelancing for the publication while working toward her bachelor’s degree at Purdue University. Finally, Andy Castillo will fill the new role of Farm Progress digital editor of technology and equipment.
  • Save your spot at the 2024 Agri-Marketing Conference April 24-26 in Kansas City, MO. When you register by December 31, you’ll be entered to win a free 2024 NAMA Fall Conference registration.
  • The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) is pleased to announce the addition of Taylor Lekin as its marketing and program development coordinator, effective Dec. 11.
  • Koch Ag & Energy Solutions, a global provider of solutions for the agriculture, energy and chemical markets, today announced an agreement to acquire OCI Global’s fertilizer plant in Wever, Iowa for $3.6 billion.
  • Farm Foundation, an accelerator of practical solutions for agriculture, has named Dr. Sandro Steinbach as its 2024 Agricultural Economics Trade and Sustainability Fellow. Steinbach is an associate professor of agribusiness and applied economics at North Dakota State University with primary research interests in international trade and agricultural policy. His most recent work is focused on the implications of market and policy shocks on global supply chains and investment activities.
  • Mana Nutrition makes a peanut butter-based product, fortified with protein and vitamins, called Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) and ships the ready-to-use therapeutic food mainly to Africa via direct ocean carrier connections at the Port of Savannah. The peanut-based food supplement can save the lives of malnourished children. About 1,000 boxes of RUTF packets are loaded into each shipping container that Mana exports via Georgia Ports Authority.
  • Applications are now available for the 17th annual “We Believe in Growing” scholarship, presented by E.M. Tharp and World Ag Expo. The scholarship was created to support agriculture education and encourage students from the Central Valley to pursue a career in agriculture.
  • Farm Journal’s 27th Annual Top Producer Summit, agriculture’s premier educational and networking event, is set for Feb. 5-7, 2024, at the Loews Hotel in Kansas City, Mo. The event will bring many of the nation’s top farmers and ranchers together to share business opportunities and ideas to take their operations to the next level.
  • Kubota Tractor Corporation announced that it is returning as the presenting sponsor for another round of country music superstar Blake Shelton’s “Back To The Honky Tonk” Tour, which kicks off Feb. 22, 2024, in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and ends March 29, 2024, in Wichita, Kansas. Along with the tour sponsorship, Kubota is also launching the Kubota Blake Shelton VIP Concert Sweepstakes to provide customers and fans a chance to win tickets to see Blake Shelton perform at one of five tour venues.
  • The Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute (DWFI) is uniquely positioned to advance water management for greater food security. By leveraging the world-class research at the University of Nebraska; the state’s expertise in agricultural and water resource management; and private sector partnerships, DWFI is making real progress on a more water- and food-secure future. In its recent annual report, DWFI demonstrates the impact this effective combination has achieved in the state of Nebraska and around the world.
  • The Minnesota Soybean Growers Association supports seven directors on the American Soybean Association, the most in the organization’s history. One of those directors, Jim Kukowksi of Strathcona, was elected to serve on ASA’s Executive Committee during the organization’s December board meeting in St. Louis.
    • Zimfo Bytes

    ZimmCast 723 – 2023 Events Compilation

    Chuck Zimmerman

    ZimmCastHello and welcome to the ZimmCast.

    As we come to the end of 2023, we already have dates on the calendar going into the new year for about the same events we did this year, most of which we have been doing for about 15 years. From Beltwide Cotton Conferences right after new years to the American Seed Trade association Field Crops seed convention, we stayed busy all year. Here is a compilation of interviews from 2023.
     
    And that will wrap it up for 2023 – see you somewhere on the agriblogging highway in 2024.

    Listen to the episode here:ZimmCast 723 - 2023 Events Compilation (47:16)

    That’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.

    Subscribe to the ZimmCast in:

    Audio, ZimmCast

    Quality Roasting Announces New CEO

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Wisconsin-based soybean meal and oil manufacturer Quality Roasting has appointed Erin Davis to be the company’s new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective January 1, 2024.

    Davis has been instrumental in leading the growth of the company since she joined Quality Roasting in 2016. With two soy processing plants in Wisconsin, Davis led the expansion of Quality Roasting’s footprint with the addition of a third plant in Reese, Michigan in 2019. She also led the design and commissioning of a state-of-the-art food-grade oil refinery in Valders, WI in 2018, and is overseeing the construction of a new refinery currently being constructed in Reese, MI. The company is also adding a third Wisconsin soy processing plant in Reedsville, WI, which is planned to be in full operation before Spring 2024.

    “With her proven track record of effective decision-making, strategic planning and fostering collaboration among team members, we have complete confidence that Erin will build on our current successes and drive the company forward”, said Owners and Board of Directors of the company, including Mike Herzog-President, Jim Fitzgerald-Vice President, Scott Rabe-Treasurer, and Dr. Lynn Davis-Secretary.

    Davis is the daughter of Dr. Lynn Davis, and she is excited to take on this new role as a second-generation family member. She shared, “I could not be more thrilled to take on the honor of being Quality Roasting’s CEO. Quality Roasting has proven to add value to our local soybean farmers and be the choice supplier of soybean products to both the feed and food industries. With the support of our dedicated team, I look forward to utilizing our past success to continue the company’s growth.”

    Scott Rabe, current CEO and one of four owners of the company, has been the core of Quality Roasting’s operations since its early beginnings in 1991 and has played a pivotal role in the company’s success. Rabe will maintain his ownership in the company and will transition into a role as Executive Advisor and Director of Grain Merchandising where he will utilize his wealth of experience and passion as the cornerstone of Quality Roasting’s partnership with our suppliers.

    Feed, Food, people, Soybean

    Tackling the Podcast Download Numbers Challenge

    Chuck Zimmerman

    “There are three types of lies — lies, damn lies, and statistics.”
    ― Benjamin Disraeli

    Providing audience numbers for media has never been an easy task, but when it comes to online metrics, it is a challenge that has been getting increasingly difficult. Let’s just look at podcasting, which has skyrocketed in popularity since we first started doing it in 2005.

    When we first started ZimmCast in 2005, there were no podcast hosting services, so we had to host it on our own server and get statistics by manually putting our codes into a tracking system. Eventually, we moved to Libsyn about ten years ago. Using Libsyn provides hosting of the audio files which is good for our own server storage and they provided more information about the podcast episodes than we were getting. They provided not only download numbers, but also geographic data and more.

    A few years ago Libsyn started tracking two different sets of numbers for podcasts – Unique and IAB, with IAB being Internet Advertising Bureau Podcast Measurement Compliance Guidelines. The difference between the two metrics was generally pretty significant in our case, with the unique being by far the largest of the two numbers. The difference could be in the thousands.

    As far as IAB is concerned, they work for the advertisers who want to make sure they are getting a true measure of the audience for a podcast they might want to sponsor. So they filter out any suspicious IP addresses that might be linked to bots or web crawlers and essentially report almost exclusively downloads tied to subscriber apps like Apple Podcasts. In our case, most of our podcasts are downloaded via a url on a web page, social media post or email, so we can have very high unique numbers.

    But IAB has started cracking down on reported podcast download statistics and in October Libsyn made a major reporting change that resulted in the Unique numbers suddenly dropping to mirror the IAB numbers within a few downloads. An audio file that would have had 1000 unique downloads in September may now only get about 100!

    Why were the Unique downloads so high before and now almost the same as the IAB numbers? Were they ever accurate in the first place and are they now? How do we know and how do we explain it to our clients?

    I have been back and forth with Libsyn technical support and management and discussed it with other podcast producers and providers – what do you think?

    Podcasts

    Precision Ag News 12/21

    Carrie Muehling

  • David Hula of Charles City, Virginia, set a new world record of 623.84 bushels per acre in this year’s annual National Corn Growers Association yield contest with Pioneer brand corn product P14830VYHR. Hula crushed his previous world record of 616 bushels per acre set in 2019 with the Pioneer brand P1197 family of products.
  • In response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s latest announcement that it will restore uses of chlorpyrifos and commit to a science-based review of the pesticide, Alan Meadows, American Soybean Association director and soybean grower from Halls, Tennessee, commented on behalf of the soy industry and echoed sentiments felt by other grower groups pleased by the decision.
  • Ag Leader is introducing BoomLoop, an upgrade for sprayers equipped with the RightSpot nozzle-by-nozzle control system. A complete recirculation solution, BoomLoop is seamlessly integrated into the InCommand display.
  • A new report by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Hypoxia Task Force (HTF) demonstrates that the hard work of farmers and ranchers to reduce nutrient losses in the Mississippi River watershed is paying off. The report reveals that the twelve participating states have met interim nitrogen reduction goals two years ahead of schedule and are also making considerable progress in bringing down phosphorus losses.
  • Gutwein Seed Services announced a partnership with Streamline Ag in offering groundbreaking biological pest solutions for corn rootworms and soybean cyst nematodes. This innovative collaboration introduces the TuneUp+ system, a planter box delivery system with BIO-CAPSULE Technology that offers a game-changing advancement in biological pest suppression.
  • Verge Ag is proud to announce a partnership with Haeusler’s Group, Victoria’s leading distributor of John Deere machinery and equipment, and a progressive dealer of John Deere machinery and equipment. Launch Pad, Path Planner and Equipment Explorer are solutions now accessible to growers through Haeusler’s dedicated digital consultant team.
  • Concept AgriTek has hired Mike DeLaughter to lead operational success and efficiency efforts in the newly created role of Director of Operations.
  • Jim Winn, a member of Farmers for Sustainable Food and president of Lafayette Ag Stewardship Alliance, was selected as the Field to Market 2023 Farmer of the Year.
  • Traction Ag Inc., the first cloud-based farm accounting software delivering solutions to growers across the Midwest, announced the appointment of Dustin Sapp as chief executive officer. Former CEO, Ian Harley, will take over as the company’s chief operating officer and remains an executive board member.
    • AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

    DWFI Podcast 31 – Agriculture in Space

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Yufeng Ge, Santosh Pitla and David Jones have already conducted research in the areas of ag-relevant sensors for more efficient application of fertilizer and water, and the development of an autonomous planter capable of seeding a 5-acre field all on its own. But now they’ve set their sights quite a bit higher — growing food in space. The three biological systems engineering faculty at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, along with others on their research team, were awarded a two-year Grand Challenge grant from Nebraska’s Office of Research and Economic Development to find ways to sustainably grow food in space.

    In this episode, Frances Hayes, DWFI director of communications and public relations, sits down with Yufeng, Santosh and David as they explore their short-term goal of developing a center dedicated to studying space agriculture and their long-term goals of actually growing enough food on space to sustain people while translating the lessons learned to agriculture here on Earth.

    Listen here or subscribe on your favorite podcast platform:
    DWFI Podcast 31 - Agriculture in Space 33:49

    The Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute (DWFI) at the University of Nebraska was founded with the mission to have a lasting and significant impact on achieving more food security with less pressure on scarce water resources by conducting scientific and policy research, using the research results to inform policy makers, and sharing knowledge through education and communication.

    How to subscribe:

    Audio, Food, Water, Water for Food

    Animal Ag News 12/18

    Carrie Muehling

  • The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposed regulation that would revise wastewater discharge standards for facilities that process meat and poultry products. Many of these facilities are located near communities with environmental justice concerns that have bodies of water impaired by nutrient pollution. The agency’s proposal would leverage the latest pollution control technologies to cut the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and other pollutants discharged to the nation’s waters by approximately 100 million pounds of pollutants per year, improving water quality for downstream communities and ecosystems.
  • The board of the National Institute of Animal Agriculture recently approved forming a new Council: the Animal Disease Issues & Emergency Management Council. The purpose of the Council is to provide a forum for animal agriculture, animal health industry, regulatory veterinarians, government agencies and academia to identify and seek solutions to issues involving emerging and emergency animal diseases of significant concern to animal agriculture or public health both domestically and globally.
  • Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative announced Rachel Malcore as the newest addition to the company’s communication team. Malcore will serve as the public relations specialist. She plays an integral role in crafting strategic messaging and creating engaging content on behalf of the association and its affiliates.
  • Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative plans to expand its service offerings to support large farms in regulatory and permitting processes and has hired an experienced industry professional to head up the program. The new fee-based services will be available to guide farmers through the complexities of local and state permitting and various regulations for large farms, whether they’re expanding to the threshold of a confined animal feeding operation or reapplying for a CAFO permit.
  • The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) emphatically commended the House of Representatives for taking a critical step toward improving child nutrition by approving the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act today with a commanding 330-99 bipartisan margin. The measure, led by Representatives GT Thompson, R-PA, and Kim Schrier, D-WA, expands the tools schools can use to deliver vital nutrition to students by increasing the variety of healthful milk options school can choose to serve.
  • Purdue University Extension is offering Purdue Beef Basics in the Eastern Corn Belt — a virtual, multi-session program aimed at the beef cattle industry that will take place in February and March.
  • More than 900 farmer and industry leaders recently gathered at the Sustainable Agriculture Summit held Dec. 6-7 in Charlotte, N.C. The Summit, in its ninth year, is co-hosted by the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture and six other national ag organizations to convene the collective food and agriculture value chain to learn, develop and advance a shared vision for a sustainable and resilient U.S. food system. This year’s theme was “Scaling Collective Impact: Collaborating to Accelerate Agricultural Sustainability.”
  • The Animal Agriculture Alliance recently welcomed Logan Hall as director, membership and marketing. In this role, Hall will lead the development and execution of the Alliance’s membership and sponsorship recruitment, engagement, and retention strategies. He assumed his new role on December 11.
  • Alexis Main, an Oklahoma State University student, and Les Voyageurs, a Louisiana State University club, took home the top prizes in the Animal Agriculture Alliance’s 2023 College Aggies Online (CAO) scholarship program. Throughout the nine weeks, $20,000 was awarded in scholarships to participating students and clubs.
  • Updated research, supported by the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, was released quantifying the U.S. poultry industry’s on-farm antibiotic use. The updated report shows further improved antibiotic stewardship and commitment to disease prevention within poultry production. As part of its commitment to the transparency and sustainability of a safe food supply, the poultry industry aims to strike a balance between the responsible use of antibiotics “medically important” to human health and keeping poultry flocks healthy.
  • Aivlosin WSG is a new option approved for controlling the pathogens that cause both swine respiratory disease (SRD) and porcine proliferative enteritis in groups of swine intended for slaughter and female swine intended for breeding. It is also approved for control of ileitis. The addition of females intended for breeding to the Aivlosin WSG label was approved recently in both the United States and Canada.
    • AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

    ASTA FCSC Farm Bill Session

    Cindy Zimmerman

    As most of agriculture knows, Congress agreed last month to an extension of the current farm bill to avoid a lapse in funding for critical agricultural programs and provide certainty to producers, but when a new farm bill will be crafted remains uncertain.

    At the recent American Seed Trade Association Field Crop Seed Convention, Syngenta’s Mary Kay Thatcher moderated a panel on the farm bill future, which included Andrew Walmsley, Florida Farm Bureau Federation; Brian Glenn, CropLife America; and Samuel Crowell, American Seed Trade Association. Each discussed the impact of the extension on farm programs important to their members and what the options are for getting a new farm bill.

    Listen to their discussion.
    ASTA FCSC Farm Bill Session 1:11:08

    2023 ASTA Field Crop Seed Convention Photo Album

    ASTA, Audio, Farm Bill, Farm Policy, Seed, Syngenta

    Industry Ag News 12/15

    Carrie Muehling

  • American farms represent a diverse set of business operations and farm operators. An annual report issued by USDA’s Economic Research Service, America’s Farms and Ranches at a Glance: 2023 Edition, describes characteristics of U.S. farms and ranches with the most recent data from the Agricultural Resource Management Survey, an annual survey conducted by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service and Economic Research Service.
  • U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Agriculture Future of America (AFA), formalizing a partnership to promote the common goals of strengthening the future competitiveness and sustainability of the U.S. agriculture industry by preparing more young people for careers in agriculture.
  • The National FFA Foundation announced its new chair for the Sponsors’ Board during the 96th National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis this fall. Mary Snapp, vice president of strategic initiatives for Microsoft, was named chair for the upcoming year. Snapp grew up in rural Kansas and joined Microsoft in 1988 as the company’s first female attorney. She currently leads various strategic initiatives in the Office of the Vice Chair and President. She formerly led Microsoft’s legal support for all of its product and engineering teams, as well as Microsoft’s Global Philanthropies team, partnering with nonprofits and communities across the world to use technology to create a lasting positive impact.
  • Food insecurity is linked to numerous geopolitical risks, including mass migration, radicalization, terrorist threats, and lost economic opportunity, according to a recent report commissioned by Farm Journal Foundation.
  • Global futurist and best-selling author Jack Uldrich will address attendees as mid general session keynote speaker during the 2024 American Farm Bureau Convention on Sunday, Jan. 21.
  • During its annual meeting, the American Soybean Association elected the executive committee members who will lead the organization through the coming year’s top advocacy priorities. Josh Gackle (ND), will serve as 2024 ASA president. Immediate past president Daryl Cates (IL) moves to the role of ASA chairman and Caleb Ragland (KY) was elected as ASA vice president, a role that puts him in line to serve as the association’s president in 2025.
  • The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) welcomed the UN’s decision to designate 30 May as International Day of Potato, an opportunity to raise awareness of a crop regularly consumed by billions of people and of global importance for food security and nutrition.
  • Culver’s Thank You Farmer’s Project provides passionate support for the future of agriculture and the hardworking people that make up the industry. As the program celebrates the end of its tenth year, Culver’s has announced that the Thank You Farmers Project has officially surpassed $5 million in donations – including over $1 million raised in 2023 alone.
  • Ron Seeber, who serves as CEO Kansas Agribusiness Retailers Association, Kansas Grain and Feed Association, and Renew Kansas Biofuels Association was elected chairman of the Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City at the group’s annual meeting held December 14. Kristie Larson, Strategic Relationship Manager, The DeBruce Foundation, was elected vice chairman.
  • The U.S. economy has remained remarkably steady despite an unrelenting series of shocks over the last three years. America’s economic resilience was again on display throughout 2023, as the Federal Reserve continued the most aggressive round of interest rate hikes the country has seen in more than 40 years. Steadfast consumer spending has fueled the economy through much of the recent adversity. However, lingering high prices are expected to take a bigger toll on the economy in 2024, according to a comprehensive year-ahead outlook report from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange.
  • AgTrust Farm Credit announced its official merger between the former associations of Lone Star Ag Credit and Ag New Mexico Farm Credit Services. With its headquarters based in Fort Worth, Texas, and Joe Hayman remaining Chief Executive Officer, AgTrust is poised to continue making a significant impact in the agricultural industry. This merger, which was completed in early December, resulted in a larger and stronger cooperative with approximately $3 billion in total assets and over $450 million of capital. The decision to pursue this merger was unanimous by both associations’ boards of directors, recognizing the potential for growth and diversity through the joint collaboration.
    • Zimfo Bytes

    Ethanol Industry Pleased with SAF Guidance

    Cindy Zimmerman

    The U.S. Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) today released guidance on the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Credit established by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

    Under the guidance issued today, numerous fuels will qualify for the credit, including valid biomass-based diesel, advanced biofuels, cellulosic biofuel, or cellulosic diesel that have been approved by EPA under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

    Fuels that achieve a 50% or greater reduction in lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions under the most recent Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) standard will continue to qualify under today’s guidance. In addition, EPA, DOT, USDA, and DOE are announcing their commitment to release an updated version of DOE’s GREET model by March 1, 2024. Pending further guidance from the Treasury Department, the updated GREET model will provide another methodology for SAF producers to determine the lifecycle GHG emissions rates of their production for the purposes of qualifying for the SAF Credit for SAF sold or used during calendar years 2023 and 2024.

    Reacting to the announcement, Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper said, “While there are important carbon modeling updates and details that still need to be worked out, we are cautiously optimistic that today’s guidance could open the door to an enormous opportunity for America’s farmers, ethanol producers and airlines. The Biden administration is recognizing that the best way to meet ambitious SAF targets is to maximize marketplace flexibility, make use of existing low-carbon fuel assets, and stimulate innovation and competition across the entire supply chain.”

    Cooper discusses the guidance in this interview:
    RFA CEO Geoff Cooper interview (5:53)

    Audio, Corn, Ethanol, RFA