WOTUS Interpretive Rule Withdrawn

Cindy Zimmerman February 2, 2015

The Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have at least ditched part of the WOTUS rule.

The Interpretive Rule Regarding the Applicability of Clean Water Act Section related to the proposed Waters of the United States (WOTUS) was officially withdrawn by EPA and the Corps in a memo last Thursday, January 29. Congress requested asked for the withdraw of the interpretive rule in the “Cromnibus” funding legislation passed at the end of December.

The goal of the interpretive rule was to clarify normal farming activities exempt from the Clean Water Act but National Corn Growers Association president Chip Bowling says it actually made it less clear. “We hope that the withdrawal of the interpretive rule will allow us to get to the true matter at hand: how the Clean Water Act is administered,” said the Maryland farmer who brought EPA officials out to his farm last fall to discuss the proposed rule. “Farmers are committed to improving water quality and conservation practices. We look forward to working with Administrator McCarthy and the EPA as they finalize the WOTUS rule, to ensure it is clear and workable for farmers.”

National Milk Producers Federation is also pleased. “Our concern with the initial proposal from last year is that it could have altered the long-standing and productive relationship between farmers and the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, in a way that would have made it harder for farmers to implement water conservation measures,” said Jamie Jonker, NMPF’s Vice President for Sustainability & Scientific Affairs. “We’re pleased the EPA and Army have recognized that this regulation could have backfired, and that they’ve taken the necessary step to withdraw it.”

The interpretive rule was just part of the larger WOTUS proposal issued last year which is still under review by both EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers, as well as by Congress.

Corn, Dairy, EPA, NCGA, USDA, Water

Budget Proposes One Food Safety Agency Under HHS

Cindy Zimmerman February 2, 2015

President Obama’s proposed budget released today would combine USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other agencies’ efforts into a single agency under Health and Human Services (HHS).

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack spent much of a 45 minute press conference about the budget talking about and defending that proposal. “What the president is asking for is the ability to reorganize,” said Vilsack. “We want to make sure that we have as effective and efficient a system as possible.”

Answering questions from Washington journalists about whether food safety would be better handled by USDA, or if HHS was the best agency for the job, Vilsack said it wasn’t a “turf issue.”

“The point is, you’re going to have a better food safety system,” he said. “You all are asking questions in the old way of thinking. This is a new way of thinking … at the end of the day we’re focused on food safety.”

Pressed for details about the reorganization, Vilsack said Congress needs to act first to give the president the authority. “The bottom line is that we’ve got 15 different agencies involved in food safety,” said Vilsack. “The point of this is to get this on the table so people can have a conversation about it.”

Secretary Vilsack answers reporter questions on 2015 budget

Vilsack outlined USDA’s $156 billion share of the $4 trillion Obama budget proposal, which is three percent more than last year but includes a $1.6 billion cut in the crop insurance program.

Secretary Vilsack outlines 2015 administration budget for USDA

Audio, USDA

Deere Kicks Off Drive Green Events for 2015

Jamie Johansen February 2, 2015

In what has become an annual tradition across the country, hundreds of local John Deere dealerships are again hosting Drive Green Demo Days events. This year’s Drive Green events will focus on the tractor buying experience, not only giving guests the opportunity to check out a wide variety of equipment and implements, but also the many different attachments that are available to help them get more from and do more with their equipment.

In addition to featuring a wide selection of John Deere utility tractors, lawn and garden equipment, Gators and other products, Drive Green event attendees may also test drive the latest equipment and compare them with competitive models. They’ll also receive special discounts on John Deere equipment and attachments and have a chance to win a John Deere 3032E Compact Utility Tractor with loader and rotary mower package for attending.

This is the seventh consecutive year that Drive Green events have been held by dealers from February through October. These events give residential and rural property owners, farmers and ranchers, commercial landscape and grounds care operators and interested consumers a chance to see firsthand the newest John Deere utility tractors, including the popular 1 Family Sub-Compact, 3E Series and 5E Series Tractors.

According to Steve Geick, tactical marketing manager with John Deere, the Drive Green events have grown to become a popular event for thousands of customers across the United States and Canada over the past several years.

“From the beginning, Drive Green was designed to give customers a complete, positive equipment buying experience where they could test drive the tractors for themselves, get all their questions answered and compare our products to similar competitive models,” Geick explains. “Many John Deere dealerships across the country have tied their Drive Green events in with local activities to make them even bigger events for their communities and more interesting and fun for customers.”

The theme for this year’s Drive Green program is “See it. Drive it. Own it.” In addition to learning more about the equipment and attachments, customers who attend receive a $500 coupon that can be applied toward the purchase of a new tractor, as well as special discounts on attachments.

John Deere dealer experts will be on hand at all events to demonstrate the equipment and answer questions. Admission is free and no pre-registration is required to attend.

Agribusiness, John Deere

New “The Food Journal and Food, Nutrition & Science”

Chuck Zimmerman February 2, 2015

This week we’re going to learn about a new publication that has been created by a partnership between The Lempert Report and The Center for Food Integrity. I spoke with Phil Lempert, founder of Food Nutrition & Science and CEO of The Lempert Report, to learn what the target of this new publication is.

He says The Food Journal and Food, Nutrition & Science, now at www.FoodNutritionScience.com, provides readers with a greater analysis of issues related to all aspects of the food industry. “We’re excited to work with leaders in the industry to create The Food Journal and Food, Nutrition & Science and to provide valuable information to industry insiders as well as consumers.”

Published twice monthly, the new publication includes in-depth interviews and fact-based reporting about important food system issues from farm to table. It also includes farmer interviews and videos and corporate sustainability features highlighting how readers’ favorite brands are lowering their environmental foot print.

The first issue examines the decline in the bee population and how this affects the food chain. It also looks at potential causes and what organizations are doing to save the bees. Other features include a video tour of farmer Karen Bohnert’s 500-cow registered Jersey dairy farm and results from a recent study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that suggests fiber intake and fruit consumption are significantly associated with a lower risk of death among the elderly.

You can listen to this week’s program here: Food Journal and Food, Nutrition & Science

Subscribe to the ZimmCast podcast here.

The ZimmCast

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Audio, Food, Media, ZimmCast

Pope Francis Calls Farming a Vocation

Chuck Zimmerman February 2, 2015

Pope Francis put agriculture in focus this weekend when he met with a group of managers from the National Confederation of Direct Cultivators. His comments reflected on two main areas, poverty and hunger and protection of the environment. BTW. I love this photo of him from the L’Osservatore Romano. Here are a few excerpts from his comments

“There is no humanity without the cultivation of the land; there is no good life without the food it produces for the men and women of every continent. Agriculture thus demonstrates its central role”, said Pope Francis this morning, as he received in audience two hundred managers from the National Confederation of Direct Cultivators in the Clementine Hall on the seventh anniversary of its foundation.

The name “direct cultivators”, explained the Pontiff, refers to cultivation, “a typically human and fundamental activity. In agricultural work there is, indeed, acceptance of the precious gift of the land that comes from God, but there is also its development through the equally valuable work of men and women, called to respond boldly and creatively to the mandate forever entrusted to mankind, the cultivation and stewardship of the land”.

This task, which requires time and energy, constitutes “a true vocation. It deserves to be recognised and suitably valued as such, also in concrete political and economic decisions. This means eliminating the obstacles that penalise such a valuable activity and that often make it appear unattractive to new generations, even though statistics show an increase in the number of students in schools and institutes of agriculture, which leads us to foresee and increase in the numbers of those employed in the agricultural sector. At the same time, it is necessary to pay due attention to the removal of land from agricultural use, to make it available for apparently more lucrative purposes”.

Regarding poverty and hunger he said, “Vatican Council II reiterated the common destination of earthly goods, but in reality the dominant economic system excludes many people from their correct use. The absolutism of the rules of the market and a throwaway culture in which waste of food has reached unacceptable proportions, along with other factors, have caused poverty and suffering for many families. Therefore, the system of production and distribution of food needs to be fundamentally re-evaluated. As our grandparents taught us, you do not play with food! Bread forms part of the sacredness of human life, and must not therefore be treated as a mere commodity”.

Then on the subject of the environment he refers to the Bible and the book of Genesis where man is called not only to cultivate the land, but also to take care of it. He also mentioned climate change, which he has done before by saying, “every agriculturalist is well aware of how difficult it has become to cultivate the land in a time of accelerated climate change and increasingly widespread extreme meteorological events. How can we continue to produce good food for the lives of all when climate stability is at risk, when the air, water and the earth itself lose their purity as a result of pollution?”

I’m not sure what information Pope Francis looks at when it comes to climate change but from the words I’ve seen him use he does seem to have a real concern for it and what it means to being able to feed everyone, including the poor. I personally think we have plenty of food to feed the world but have not come up with a system to distribute that food to the people who need it. There are too many political, criminal and other factors in the way right now.

Farming, Food, International, politics

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort February 2, 2015

The Great American Wheat Harvest film will make its television premiere on WQPT (Quad Citiies PBS) on Feb. 3 at 7:00PM.
The True Source Honey Certification Program applauds special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, and officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, for the announcement that they have seized significant amounts of illegal honey in Houston in an ongoing effort to crack down on illegal trade in Chinese honey.
Cooper Hong Inc. is now providing day-to-day public relations support for Hyundai Construction Equipment Americas.
La Crosse Seed is pleased to announce Chris McCracken will join its team effective Feb. 2, 2015.

Zimfo Bytes

NFU Accepting Applications for Beginning Farmers Institute

John Davis February 2, 2015

The National Farmers Union (NFU) is now accepting applications for its 2015 Beginning Farmers Institute (BFI). This news release from the group says the program is open to individuals who are new to farming, in the process of transferring an operation from a relative or non-relative to themselves, or contemplating a career in farming or ranching.

“The Beginning Farmers Institute underscores NFU’s commitment to growing a new generation of family agriculture,” said NFU President Roger Johnson. “One unique feature of the Institute is that participants direct the agenda, allowing them to gain information on topics that will be most relevant to their particular operations. The small size and diversity of the group also ensures valuable interaction and learning opportunities among the participants.”

The BFI program helps students gain insight and practical skills needed by beginning farmers and ranchers, including business plan writing, financial planning, and researching available programs to help starting up and sustaining a successful operation.

Applicants accepted into the 2015 program will attend three separate education sessions: Washington, D.C., Sept. 15-18; northern California, Nov. 5-8; and a final session culminating at NFU’s 114th Anniversary Convention in March 2016 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Program topics at the education sessions will include business planning, U.S. Department of Agriculture programs, tax and record keeping, estate transfer and marketing.

Applications and information are available through the NFU website. Applications must be postmarked on or before March 30, 2015, with the announcement of selectees on May 30, 2015.

Ag Groups, Agribusiness

FFA Visit South Africa for 14-day Experience

Jamie Johansen January 30, 2015

FFA members recently returned from a 14-day educational and cultural experience in South Africa.

Members participated in the 2015 International Leadership Seminar for State Officers, an annual, international opportunity through the National FFA Organization for past and present state FFA officers. The experience allows FFA members to experience foreign culture, learn about international agriculture and become more knowledgeable of the global marketplace.

Seventy-five past and present FFA officers representing 23 states left the U.S. on Jan. 4. The contingent traveled throughout five of the country’s nine provinces while surveying the agricultural landscape. FFA officers met with government and U.S. Embassy officials to learn about U.S.-South African trade relations, toured a host of crop and livestock operations, met with business and industry leaders and explored big-game reserve Kruger National Park as well as Robben Island, the former prison where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for 18 years of his life. The group also met with producers and consumers of various economic classes to better understand local culture and food purchasing decisions. The most gripping encounter came with a visit to an impoverished settlement area in Soweto township outside Johannesburg.

Prior to departing the United States, the students completed ten weeks of online coursework related to cross-cultural adaptability. The program was made possible by corporate sponsors Bunge North America and John Deere.

Ag Groups, Education, FFA

Soil Health Partnership Scientific Advisers

Cindy Zimmerman January 30, 2015

The Soil Health Partnership includes an impressive and distinguished panel of scientific advisers who are happy to be involved in an effort they consider to be critical to the future of the world. Most of those advisers attended the first Soil Health Summit held this week in St. Louis.

Dr. Wayne Honeycutt, deputy chief for science and technology with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Services, is a strong believer in the value of partnerships, especially when it comes to improving the health of our nation’s soils.

“When you look at all of the demands, the production, the breadth of the country, the climatic zones, the different types of cropping systems – it’s more than one individual entity, government or private, can do by themselves,” said Honeycutt. But, he adds, farmers are ultimately the leaders in soil health efforts and he was pleased to be able to hear their views first-hand at the summit. “Just being able to hear from our farmers on what’s working for them or not working for them and how we can work with them better is just a real critical part of this effort,” he said.

Interview with Wayne Honeycutt, USDA-NRCS

Cornell University professor of Soil and Water Management Dr. Harold van Es says soil health is really everybody’s business and he defines soil health as the capacity of soil to function. “Healthy soil functions well,” he explains. “It allows for good crops to be grown or good trees to be grown in urban environments, it allows for filtration of water, it sustains very important biological functions…and of course, we build our homes on soil.”

Dr. van Es reminded participants at the summit that 2015 is the International Year of Soils declared by the United Nations and he encourages people to get involved in events and promotions being organized by the Soil Science Society of America to celebrate #IYS.

Interview with Dr. Harold van Es, Cornell University
2015 Soil Health Summit Photo Album

Audio, Conservation, Corn, NCGA, Soil

What’s Going on with ZimmGlass

Chuck Zimmerman January 30, 2015

With the recent surprising announcement from Google regarding their Glass project I thought it was an appropriate time to write an update on my own ZimmGlass Project.

What did Google announce? Here’s the message those of us in the Glass Explorers program received:

It’s been an exciting ride. Since we first met, interest in wearables has exploded and today it’s one of the most exciting areas in technology. We asked you to be pioneers, and you took Glass further than we ever expected. We’ve learned a ton, we’ve “graduated” from Google[x] labs, and now we’re hard at work and you’ll see future versions of Glass when they’re ready.

Since we’re focusing all our efforts on the future, we’ll be closing the Explorer Program on January 19. We realize you might have questions about what this means for you. New feature development on the Explorer Edition will stop while we work on the next version of Glass, but you can still call or email us anytime with questions, thoughts or feedback.

I’ve been asked several times in the last few month why I haven’t been wearing my ZimmGlass. Well, I have on a few occasions but mostly not. The main reasons are for ones I’ve expressed before about the product – poor battery life, low quality microphone, tendency to crash suddenly, overheating and shutting off in a random way. The product works very well at some things for an ag journalist like hands free shooting of video, especially in outdoor product demonstration settings. But it leaves much to be desired.

I still have ZimmGlass and I still plan to use it on the agriblogging highway for certain events. But I’ll be pretty selective about it and the reasons why. We invested quite a bit of money in this product and I would do it again if I had the chance. I’ve learned from it and am looking forward to what Google has in store for the future of Glass. I think we’ll see a new version taking into account the tons of feedback we’ve given them.

One of the main things I and other Google Explorers in ag have learned is the potential this kind of device has for use on the farm. Let’s see if that potential is realized in the near future. In the meantime, this AgNerd will continue to try out new technology and let you know what I find out.

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