New USDA Ag Census Maps App Puts Info in Farmers’ Hands

John Davis

usda-logoA new tool offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture will let producers see and analyze more data. The agency’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is now offering the Ag Census Web Maps application, a dynamic online tool that gives users rapid access to Census of Agriculture maps and data about crops and plants, livestock and animals, economics, farms, and operators in more than 3,000 counties across the United States.

“The Ag Census Web Maps give farmers, ranchers, researchers, planners, non-profits, and industry easy access to important data that impact nearly every aspect of agriculture,” said NASS Administrator Joseph T. Reilly.

The Ag Census Web Maps application is interactive. Users can navigate to an area of interest, print the map, display and extract a county’s data, download maps and accompanying data for use with common software programs, and integrate the web map services with other mapping applications to visualize and analyze 2012 Census of Agriculture data in a geospatial context. NASS developed the application in collaboration with USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS).

The Census of Agriculture provides a detailed picture every five years of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them. It is the only source of uniform, comprehensive agricultural data for every state and county in the United States. Census data are used to make decisions about many things that directly impact farmers and ranchers, including:

community planning
store/company locations
availability of operational loans and other funding
location and staffing of service centers
farm programs and policies

Officials say the app offers county-level maps and statistics in five broad categories: crops and plants, economics, farms, livestock and animals, and operators.

You can check out the app here: http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2012/
Online_Resources/Ag_Census_Web_Maps/Overview

Agribusiness, Apps, USDA

Welcome New AgWired Intern

Jamie Johansen

Taylor Truckey HeadshotWe would like to formally welcome Taylor Truckey to the ZimmComm Team this fall. She will be traveling to the National FFA Convention with me this week and also attending the National Association of Farm Broadcasting conference in just a few weeks.

Taylor is currently studying Crop and Soil Sciences at Michigan State University; she will be graduating May 2015. Taylor grew up on a small farm in Southern Michigan where her family raised beef cattle and various livestock for 4-H. Through her involvement in 4-H and FFA, she developed a passion for agriculture that has guided her interest in agronomy and marketing for the agriculture industry. Taylor is active in many groups at Michigan State where she is currently serving as President of the MSU Agronomy Club and as a Campus Ambassador for Agriculture Future of America. She is actively involved with the AgChat Foundation, Collegiate Farm Bureau and the Agriculture Future of America organization.

Taylor also blogs at College Girl in an Ag World where she works to highlight the experiences & opportunities that make the future of agriculture so exciting. Be sure and give her a follow on Twitter too @taylor_truckey.

Education, ZimmComm Announcement

Corn Growers Part of White House Women in Ag Event

John Davis

johnsonncga1A Past President of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) was part of a White House ceremony last week recognizing women is agriculture. Pam Johnson joined U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden for the Dialogue on Women Leaders in Agriculture, along with more than thirty participants representing ag associations, businesses and higher education, including the first women to lead each of the commodity organizations.

“You’re the first generation of women ag leaders, but you’re not the last.” said Deputy Secretary Harden. “My challenge to you is to identify what you will do to bring the next generation of women along this path and beyond.”

“We have a responsibility to recruit, inspire and empower current and next-generation women leaders,” said Johnson. “It was such an honor to be at the White House, in the center of a very important discussion.”

Attendees discussed common barriers women in the ag industry face, and shared best practices for recruitment and leadership development.

“Women play an increasingly important role on family farms, as both operators and landowners,” said Johnson. “It makes good business sense to involve women of all ages in this process.”

The White House Rural Council, an organization established to address challenges in rural America, sponsored the event.

Corn, NCGA, USDA

USDA Seeks to Move New Products Into BioPreferred Program

John Davis

The U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) wants to move some new products into a preferred procurement initiative for federal agencies. USDA is using the 2014 Farm Bill to justify making available some new, biobased forest products in the BioPreferred® program, along with some other traditional biobased products and other mature market products, which have been produced in innovative ways.

vilsack-usda“Today, small businesses and global companies alike have harnessed the power of America’s farms and forests to create new and innovative biobased products that are used all around the world,” said [Ag Secretary Tom] Vilsack. “The expanding bioeconomy means more than just additional consumer choices, it also means new jobs.”

The proposed action responds to new requirements in the 2014 Farm Bill for USDA to promote biobased products, including forest products, that apply an innovative approach to growing, harvesting, sourcing, procuring, processing, manufacturing, or application of biobased products regardless of the date of entry into the marketplace. The proposed rules provide the framework for implementing the new requirements, and will replace previous regulatory provisions excluding mature market products. The action further revises the definition of “biobased product” to state that the term includes forest products that meet biobased content requirements, notwithstanding the market share the product holds, the age of the product, or whether the market for the product is new or emerging.

USDA will look for public comment for 60 days on the proposed rules published in the Federal Register.

Farm Bill, Forestry, USDA

GROWMARK Highlights 2014 Achievements

John Davis

Growmark_logoA new report from GROWMARK highlights the company’s achievements in the fields of agronomy and energy production during the past year. This company news release says Fiscal Year 2014 was in the top five income years in company history, with volume records in agronomy and energy products coupled with significant investments in information management technology and infrastructure improvements leading to the success.

bohbrinkMarshall Bohbrink, vice president and chief financial officer, reported record sales of $10.4 billion; consolidated pretax income of $194 million; and total patronage in the amount of $112 million will be returned to GROWMARK member-owners.

“GROWMARK is in extremely strong financial condition and we are well positioned in the event the Ag economy is more challenging in the next few years,” said Bohbrink.

Key highlights of FY2014 operational results include:

GROWMARK Energy reported record fuel volume with an increase in gasoline and distillate sales of 11% and an increase of 29 percent in propane gallons.
GROWMARK Agronomy reported record plant food volume with an overall increase of 6 percent. Seed reported record seed corn unit sales, which increased 11 percent, along with a 15 percent increase in soybean units.
GROWMARK Grain reported a 32 percent increase in grain volume for FY 2014.
GROWMARK continued to emphasize significant investments in energy and plant food terminals, grain systems, and other assets all designed to improve efficiency and support customers.

Agribusiness, Agronomy, Energy, GROWMARK

New Holland Unveils Seeds of Life Series

Chuck Zimmerman

New Holland Expo MilanoNew Holland has unveiled a video series called “The Seeds of Life Series.” Below is the trailer for the series. This is part of the overall involvement New Holland has with Expo Milano 2015 where the company is building a “Sustainable Farm Pavilion.” The video series is a storytelling project for the Heroes who feed us all.

Farmers feed the planet. The seeds they plant today will be the food we eat tomorrow. The Seeds of Life Series will tell the stories of these Heroes, showing how their work and lives intertwine despite the distance. Follow eight real Farmers from eight different countries as they face the force of nature, the tireless planning and the unforgiving hours that being a farmer requires. See how they face whatever comes their way. The Series will show how the same challenge is faced by Farmers living in countries very far from each other.


Follow what New Holland is doing in preparation for Expo Milano 2015 here. You are encouraged to use the hashtag #ThanksToHeroes to tweet your thanks.

Agribusiness, New Holland, Video

Growth Energy and New Holland Name Contest Winner

Cindy Zimmerman

A Missouri farmer has won the use of a CR8090 combine with a New Holland Twin Rotor® CR8090 combine corn head for the 2014 harvest season, thanks to New Holland and Growth Energy.

Robert Baker of Sue City, Missouri has been named the 2014 Growth Energy Individual Membership Sweepstakes winner. “I am very excited, and I have a son and grandson that are more excited than me because they get to run [the combine],” said Baker, who is an investor in the Macon, Missouri, POET Biorefining plant, and regularly provides feedstock.

buis-newholland“We are proud to support a farmer who works so hard every day to grow crops to help feed the world and fuel our nation,” said Growth Energy CEO, Tom Buis. “Our members are working hard to revitalize our rural economies, create new jobs and ensure our nation will have a sustainable and secure energy future. This sweepstakes was part of a larger effort to continue to build grassroots support for biofuels across the country.”

The Growth Energy Individual Membership Sweepstakes offered all new or renewing individual members a chance to win either a NASCAR ticket package or usage of a New Holland combine. The total prize package for the combine is valued at $35,584.

Harvest, New Holland

FMC Invests in Farming’s Future Via FFA

Jamie Johansen

FMCSaulHSPresentationIllustrating its commitment to investing in farming’s future, FMC Corporation is helping youth education through support of FFA.

“To continue America’s leadership in agriculture, we need to engage students now,” said John Kasper, FMC Agricultural Solutions North America commercial business director. “FFA prepares students for more than 300 careers and reaches more than 600,000 members. Our support can make a positive difference in the lives of many young people who will be the future scientists, business leaders and educators in global agriculture, food, fiber and natural resource industries.”

FMC is providing grants to FFA chapters in each of its three, U.S.-based FMC Agricultural Solutions plant communities. The support is aimed at helping expand students’ interest in science and agriculture by engaging with FMC visiting scientists, and developing vital career skills through participation in Career Development Events (CDE). The local FFA chapters earning grants are located at Walter Biddle Saul High School in Philadelphia, Pa.; Stark County High School in Toulon, Ill.; and Royalton-Hartland High School in Middleport, N.Y.

Nationally, students will be recognized with the FFA Agriscience Plant Systems Research Proficiency Award, which is co-sponsored by FMC. This award supports students engaged in plant systems research. The research covers the life cycles, classifications, functions and practices of plant systems related to crops, turf grass, trees and shrubs and/or ornamental plants. Awards are made available to every FFA chapter across the country. Four national finalists will receive a $500 cash award, and the winner receives an additional $500 award. FMC executives will judge the national finalist entries and present the awards during the National FFA Convention on October 29-31.

“FFA makes it possible for students to match their classroom learning with supervised experiences and leadership programs,” said Glenn Sims, National FFA Foundation senior regional director. “It is because of the ongoing educational support from our sponsors, such as FMC, that agricultural students grow and gain career success.”

Agribusiness, Education, FFA, FMC

Zimfo Bytes

Talia Goes

Zimfo Bytes

  • Wade Mittelstadt has been named GROWMARK Vice President, Financial and Risk Mangement, effective Dec. 1, 2014.
  • Unveiled at Kubota Tractor Corporation’s Dealer Meeting last week in Nashville, Tenn., the all-new L2501 compact tractor blazes a trail to tractor ownership for first-time buyers.
  • Valent U.S.A. Corporation (Valent) announced an agreement with Minneapolis-based MGK to manage the marketing and sales of MGK’s crop protection line of insect control products within the United States beginning April 1, 2015.
  • Americans have savored sausage throughout October’s National Sausage Month and a new survey finds that Italian sausage is the one that gets the most mouths watering.
Zimfo Bytes

Bayer CropScience Corn & Soybeans Future Forum

Chuck Zimmerman

It’s time to “Meet. Talk. Lead.” at the 2014 Bayer CropScience Corn & Soybeans Forum. I’m on my way today and things will kick off Wednesday in Frankfurt, Germany.

Bayer CropScience Corn and Soybeans Future Forum

Here is what it is all about:

Key topics at the Future Forum will include: market trends and cultivation challenges for sustainable cropping as well as innovative solutions and new technologies to drive the future of corn and soybean farming. Prominent keynote speakers and industry players, representatives from leading research institutions and industry experts from various fields have already been attracted to this event. The Future Forum will provide all participants with a great opportunity to discuss trends, developments and how to address future challenges for these two field crops.

Agribusiness, Bayer