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Talia Goes December 10, 2014

Valent U.S.A. Corporation announced a series of expansions to its commercial business aimed to support its growing specialty and row crop portfolio, as well as enhance service and technical support to customers across the agricultural regions of the United States.
The Climate Corporation announced the acquisition of 640 Labs, an agricultural technology startup based in Chicago.
Bayer CropScience, in partnership with the National FFA Organization, will provide grants to inspire interest in agriculture and apiculture professions among America’s youth.
The National Restaurant Association announced that the Beef Checkoff Program is a new sponsor of the Association’s award-winning Kids LiveWell program, a voluntary industrywide initiative designed to help make the healthful choice the easy choice when dining out with children.

Historical Comparison of PRV & PRRS at BIVI Seminar

Jamie Johansen December 10, 2014

The North American PRRS Symposium took place in Chicago over the weekend. Boehringer Ingelheim’s sponsored PRRS session was centered around coordinating efforts for area disease control. The 20th anniversary of global PRRS solutions brought together the leading researchers and veterinarians to drive the discussion on the next steps to tackling the long-standing virus.

One of the keynote speakers was Dr. Joe Connor, veterinarian at Carthage Vet Service. He was involved in the eradication of PRV and shared a historical perspective of Area Regional Control (ARC) in PRV and what lessons learned during that time-period can be applied to the control and elimination of PRRS.

The charts that Dr. Connor shared showed many clear similarities in the two diseases, however PRRS is still around and PRV isn’t. So, what are the differences that are restricting progress? “At the end of the PRV program we had very highly effective vaccines, particularly a vaccine that would prevent the transfer of the virus to the fetus. We have effective vaccines for PRRS, but they don’t prevent the transfer of the virus. When sow herds become infected, we get discouraged because we go back to having abortions, weak pigs and higher mortality.”

However, Dr. Connor said if we are patient and focus on individual herds and areas all the tools we have today have been and will continue to be successful.

Listen to my complete interview with Dr. Connor to learn more about the comparison of PRV and PRRS along with the global perspective of this virus here: Interview with Dr. Joe Connor, Carthage Vet School

Find all the photos from the event here: 2014 BIVI PRRS Seminar Photo Album

Agribusiness, Animal Health, Audio, Boehringer Ingelheim, Swine

BASF Helps Feeding America

Cindy Zimmerman December 10, 2014

BASF is donating $75,000 to Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization, to help feed struggling families and individuals throughout the U.S.

“Through our contribution to Feeding America, we can help provide healthy fruits and vegetables to people and communities who may not have regular access to them,” said Scott Kay, Vice President, U.S. Crop Protection for BASF. “In many ways, this partnership is an extension of the work we do every day with growers to help them feed our hungry world population,”

The donation will support Feeding America’s National Produce Program, an initiative that helps with planning, transportation and logistics to ensure fresh produce deliveries to the 200 member food banks around the country.

The commitment from BASF will help Feeding America provide 675,000 pounds of produce to families and individuals in need. The donation includes $5,000 in contributions from BASF grower customers who chose to be part of this donation.

Listen to an interview with Scott where he discusses the donation: Interview with Scott Kay, BASF

Audio, BASF, Food

More Farmers Adopting Variable Rate Seeding

Jamie Johansen December 10, 2014

Low corn prices are causing farmers to take a hard look at what new technologies will optimize inputs while minimizing costs. As farmers begin to plan for the 2015 season, SST Software is seeing an increased interest in variable rate planting recommendations. SST’s decision support technologies are used by ag service providers around the world to provide precision ag services to farmers.

Larry Tracy, founder of Precision Agronomics in Danville Illinois, has been using variable rate technologies for over fifteen years. Regarding variable rate planting, Tracy states, “Seeding prescriptions give us the opportunity to improve yield gains in areas where we lower rates and in the areas where we increase rates. Managing inherent yield variability throughout a field tightens the yield range and tends to raise the average.”

To create variable rate planting recommendations, agronomists enter unique agronomic equations into SST’s FarmRite® software. FarmRite® then computes the equation utilizing previously collected data to create new geo‐spatial maps that define productivity zones across the farmer’s fields. Different planting rates are then applied to the various zones according to the yield potential of the zone.

Many ag service providers are utilizing multi‐year yield analysis. This analysis normalizes multiple years of harvest data and then determines productivity zones according to areas of the field that consistently yield above normal, normal, or below normal. Since many parts of a field will yield different results according to whether it is a wet or dry year, FarmRite® also applies statistical measures to determine stability zones. These yield stability maps reveal areas that are highly stable, stable, or unstable from year to year.

In 2014, Patrick Sanders, an Illinois farmer and SST employee, generated impressive results on a test field using variable rate seeding coupled with variable rate nitrogen. Sanders explains, “We decided to try variable rate planting and nitrogen on a 155 acre field using multi‐year yield analysis logic as the foundation. The increase in inputs was two extra bags of seed, totaling $800. Total applied nitrogen was the same as flat rate N but distributed based on yield potential. The result was a 260 bu/ac average, approximately 15 bu/ac more than neighboring fields. At the March corn price of $4.62/bu, that’s a gain of $64 per acre.”

Agribusiness, Precision Agriculture, Seed

ASTA CSS 2014 and Seed Expo Kicks Off

Cindy Zimmerman December 9, 2014

The American Seed Trade Association CSS 2014 and Seed Expo is officially underway in Chicago and possibly may be a record crowd this year.

“We have a great participation this year,” said ASTA president and CEO Andy LaVigne. “Beginning of this week, we had over 2700 registrants and that’s almost 100 more than we finished with last year and we do get a lot of walk-ins.” ASTA also has a new media room this year, sponsored by BASF, and a number of agricultural media are attending the event for the first time.

LaVigne says key issues this year include intellectual property, seed treatments and pollinators, as well as what is happening in the corn, sorghum, and soybean industries – the core commodities which CSS represents.

In this interview, Andy talks about some of the other issues ASTA will be following in the new year. Interview with Andy LaVigne, ASTA CEO

ASTA CSS 2014 and Seed Expo Photo Album

Coverage of CSS 2014 and Seed Expo brought to you by

and

Coverage of CSS 2014 and Seed Expo brought to you by BASF Ag Products

ASTA, Audio, BASF, Corn, sorghum, Soybean

ZimmComm Intern’s Agriblogging Adventures

Jamie Johansen December 9, 2014

This fall the ZimmComm Team was honored to have Taylor Truckey travel with us learning the ropes of the agriblogging highway. The talented young lady didn’t miss a beat as she jumped right in to conducting interviews, snapping photos and joining the crazy banter. It was an honor to have her join our efforts in sharing the news of agriculture. A special ZimmComm announcement awaits readers at the end!

After spending a few weeks working with the AgWired team this fall, I can truly say that I was able to learn the world of agriblogging from some of the best. My time as the AgWired Fall Intern had me traveling from Louisville, KY where I spent time at the 2014 National FFA Convention, to Kansas City, MO for the 2014 National Association of Farm Broadcasting Convention. It was an incredible two weeks filled with a whirlwind of people, places, photos, blogging, and interviews sprinkled with lots of laughter and plenty of gold stars to go around!

Although I’m an agronomy major and my heart is with the crop production side of the industry, I will admit that I fell in love with broadcast media this fall. After having the chance to do some incredible interviews with even cooler people, I’ve learned how important it is to collect, condense, and share information to an audience of aggies across the country. One of my favorite interviews was conducted while at the National FFA Convention and Expo. I had the opportunity to sit down with Jeff Simmons, of Elanco, and hear the passion that he has for improving global food security by working with future and current generations of agriculturalists.

Another favorite experience was being able to attend the 2014 Trade Talk at NAFB Convention. Walking into a huge room full of agriculture companies with representatives there to share upcoming projects, platforms, and relevant hot topics within their respective industries was a neat experience. As you looked around the room, cameras were flashing, microphones were held up, and by the end, there were a few tired industry reps looking for the door.

I spent the first week in Louisville working with Jamie Johansen; I’m so thankful for Jamie and the time she invested into showing me how to interview, edit, and post content to all of the AgWired viewers. The week I spent in Kansas City brought the whole ZimmComm team together. Being able to see the “family” together made me feel right at home, especially when I was earning more gold stars then the rest!

Overall, I treasure my time as the AgWired Intern this fall and am so thankful to Chuck and Cindy for offering this opportunity to college students each semester. With that being said, I’m incredibly excited to announce that I will again be joining the AgWired group this spring as they travel to Commodity Classic and NAMA annual convention.

FFA, NAFB, ZimmComm Announcement

New Chairman of the Ag Retailers Association

Chuck Zimmerman December 9, 2014

Now that we’ve heard from the past Chairman let’s hear from the new Chairman of the Agricultural Retailers Association. He’s Dave DuFault, Simplot, pictured on the left presenting a gift to now past Chairman Gary Farrell.

Before the ceremonies took place I talked with Dave. In the coming year Dave says ARA will continue to move forward with the ResponsibleAg program that has just kicked so that retailers can now get registered via the website. Dave also will be looking at communication. “How do we take what we’re doing and just not keep it within our industry but also take it outside our industry to create a better image of what we do everyday.”

Dave also wants to pitch next year’s convention in Palm Desert, CA. I hope to be there!

Listen to my interview with Dave here: Interview with Dave DuFault of Simplot, ARA Chair

2014 ARA Convention & Expo Photo Album

Ag Groups, Agribusiness, ARA, Audio

Past Chairman of the Ag Retailers Association

Chuck Zimmerman December 9, 2014

He’s now the past Chairman of the Agricultural Retailers Association. He’s Gary Farrell (pictured left), Ag Enterprise Supply, who passed the gavel to the new Chairman, Dave DuFault, Simplot at the annual meeting in New Orleans.

Prior to the ceremonies I visited with Gary and asked him what he was most proud of accomplishing during his term. He says it is “The formation of the ResponsibleAg program.” It is a program that took years to come to fruition with some rough spots along the way. Gary is also proud of opening up a line of communication between the ag retail community and the USDA-NRCS. Gary won’t be sitting around now that his term is up. He has been appointed to a couple of boards that are important to the ag retail business.

Listen to my interview with Gary here: Interview with Gary Farrell, Ag Enterprise Supply

2014 ARA Convention & Expo Photo Album

Ag Groups, Agribusiness, ARA, Audio

Smart Ag in the 21st Century

Cindy Zimmerman December 9, 2014

“Smart Agriculture in the 21st Century” is the theme for the 2015 Agricultural Outlook Forum to be held from Feb. 19-20, 2015, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel, Arlington, Va.

USDA has announced that the forum’s plenary speakers and sessions will take a global, modern look at different aspects of today’s agriculture industry. Among the highlights, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and European Commissioner of Agriculture & Rural Development Phil Hogan will engage in a roundtable discussion on agriculture; Dr. Richard N. Haass, President of the Council on Foreign Relations, will address “Food, Foreign Policy and International Order; and USDA’s Chief Economist Joseph Glauber will deliver the 2015 Agricultural & Foreign Trade Outlooks.

The plenary panel focuses on “A Discussion on Innovation, Biotechnology, and Big Data” with wide latitude for panelists to talk about the intersection of these issues. Moderated by Secretary Tom Vilsack, the panel includes: Cory J. Reed, Senior Vice President, Intelligent Solutions Group, John Deere and Company; Dr. Robert T. Fraley, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Monsanto; Mary Kay Thatcher, Senior Director, Congressional Relations, American Farm Bureau Federation; and Dr. Robert Sutor, Vice President, Mobile, Solutions, and Mathematical Sciences, IBM Corporation.

Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden will welcome the plenary audience and also moderate an afternoon session titled “Tomorrow’s Opportunities,” focused on the potential of agriculture as a career, and the importance of new and beginning farmers and ranchers.

The Forum’s dinner speaker will be Ambassador Darci Vetter, Chief Agricultural Negotiator, Office of the United States Trade Representative.

Registration for the event is $400 until January 21, and $450 after that date. Plenary speeches will be webcast the evening of February 19, and breakout session speeches and presentations will be posted online at the end of the day on February 20.

Biotech, USDA

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Talia Goes December 8, 2014

Select Sires Inc. is pleased to announce the hiring of Jennie Johnson as graphic designer and administrative coordinator for the beef sire department.
The National Corn Growers Association welcomes Brooke Appleton as director of public policy and political strategy.
Kubota Tractor Corporation announced that it will open a 450,000 square foot, state-of-the-art Parts Distribution Center in Edgerton, Kansas.
The annual DTN/The Progressive Farmer Ag Summit, which is being held at the Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park Hotel, Dec. 8-10, 2014, brings groups together for knowledge sharing and sessions that provide forward-thinking crop and livestock producers with strategies for success in the coming year.

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