Getting to Know the New NCGA CEO

Cindy Zimmerman November 18, 2014

The new CEO of the National Corn Growers Association had his first chance to visit with members of the agricultural media during the National Association of Farm Broadcasting convention last week in Kansas City, but most of us already know him pretty well.

Chris Novak previously served many years as chief executive officer of the National Pork Board and prior to that, he was executive director of the Indiana Corn Marketing Council, the Indiana Corn Growers Association and the Indiana Soybean Alliance. So, not only is he no stranger to the ag media, he comes to NCGA with plenty of experience.

“I’ve spent 11 years working on behalf of pork farmers, but I’ve spent more than 10 years working with grain farmers, corn and soybeans, across this country,” he said. “Lots of big challenges ahead for us. Looking at a record crop and lower prices than we’d like to see but that’s an opportunity for me as well.”

I talked with Chris about some of those challenges/opportunities, including increasing demand with yet another record crop, NCGA’s comments on the proposed Waters of the U.S. rule, and what he expects from the lame duck session of Congress and the new Congress in January. Interview with Chris Novak, NCGA CEO
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John Deere Connects with JDLink™

Leah Guffey November 17, 2014

Last week during National Association of Farm Broadcasting’s Annual Trade Talk I visited with Beverly Flores, Integrated Communications Manager with John Deere. She tells me about the MyJohnDeere Operations Center with intuitive, easy-to-use tools for customers to manage their machinery and develop agronomic insights. Data can be uploaded securely using backup tools or right from the field using JDLink™ and the platform is open, allowing seamless sharing to trusted advisers.

Beverly says this is what the producer wants to see and how they want to utilize the data that has been collected. Innovative tools such as Field Analyzer and Difference Maps help customers gain insight into their operations for improved decision-making to increase yields, optimize costs, and manage risk. The Operations Center will continue to evolve with new and improved tools with the customer’s needs in mind. The overall goal is increased productivity and efficiency for the entire farm operation. Some of the many current tools on the Operations Center are Field Analyzer, online Documentation Analysis and Reporting tool, and Data Sharing, with additional tools added frequently. JDLink™ Connect will be available in February of 2015

Learn more in my interview with Beverly here: Interview with Beverly Flores, John Deere
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Zimfo Bytes

Talia Goes November 17, 2014

Professors Paul Ferraro of Georgia State University and Kent Messer of the University of Delaware will head the newly created Center for Behavioral and Experimental Agri-Environmental Policy Research (CBEAR), supported with a $750,000 award from the Economic Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The annual meeting of the Advisory Committee on Agriculture Statistics will take place in St. Louis and Brentwood, MO, on Dec. 2-3, 2014.
On Dec. 3, 2014, Intelligence Squared U.S. (IQ2US) will hold a public debate on the motion “Genetically Modify Food.”
Purdue University is positioning itself to be a leader in precision agriculture through unmanned aerial vehicle research and education.

Zimfo Bytes

BASF Offers Limus® Nitrogen Management for 2015

Cindy Zimmerman November 17, 2014

BASF Crop Protection announced last week that Limus® nitrogen management will be available for sale in the U.S. for the 2015 growing season, and we had the chance during the National Association of Farm Broadcasting convention to learn more from BASF product manager Nick Fassler.

“Where growers will use Limus is when they’re making urea or UAN applications,” said Fassler. “It will be either tank mixed or coated on the urea fertilizer and it’s really protecting that fertilizer from volatilization.”

The patented formulation behind Limus nitrogen management combines two active ingredients that are more effective than a single inhibitor on urease enzymes found in soil, resulting in a decrease of nitrogen loss. “Growers can lose over 40 percent of surface-applied urea due to volatilization within weeks of application,” said Fassler. “This makes the window for growers to optimize protection of their fertilizer very critical.”

Learn more in this interview with Fassler: Interview with Nick Fassler, BASF
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NAFB Awards for Creative Excellence

Jamie Johansen November 17, 2014

The Plambeck Award of Creative Excellence was also announced during the Night of Honors at the 71st National Association of Farm Broadcasting’s annual meeting.

The single entry winner went to SFP, A Verdesian Life Science Company, and OsbornBarr for their More Than Manure Nutrient Manager. The radio spot targeted swine producers and farmers in Minnesota and Iowa who handle manure or use manure as fertilizer. The spot received several compliments from customers.

The series entry winner went to Farm Safety For Just Kids. They focused on describing hazardous situations parents normally protect their children from. The series of PSAs targeted producers with children and grandchildren during harvest, and other traditional busy times on farm and ranches.

Listen to the winning spots here and here.

2014 NAFB Convention Photos

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Deere Named to Global List for Leadership

John Davis November 17, 2014

Our friends at Deere & Company have been selected in the top 20 on a list recognizing best-in-class management practices, especially in the area of leadership development. This company news release says Deere comes in at number 16 on the 2014 Global Top Companies for Leaders list, the third year in a row the company has made the list.

“Top Companies for Leaders are passionate about cultivating resilient and engaging leaders who take the time to know and develop employees and understand what experiences they need to rise above the rest,” said Pete Sanborn, global talent practice leader at Aon Hewitt. “Deere is among a select group of organizations that excel at building and growing a strong leadership environment.”

The Top Companies for Leaders study assesses talent management and leadership practices of organizations around the world. Independent, expert judges rank companies based on criteria including strength of leadership practices and culture, global leader development and alignment of leadership and business. A company’s overall reputation as well as business and financial performance are also factors.

“Leadership and employee development are important factors in the success of John Deere now and in the future,” said Sam Allen, chairman and chief executive officer of Deere & Company. “John Deere employees make the difference in delivering superior products and services to our customers.”

The Top Companies for Leaders study is considered the most comprehensive global research on leadership, examining the link between leadership practices and financial results.

Uncategorized

Gutter Becomes USDA’s First Military Vets Ag Liaison

John Davis November 17, 2014

A Marine Corps Reserve veteran becomes the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) first Military Veterans Agricultural (MVA) Liaison. This news release from USDA says Karis T. Gutter, the current USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services (FFAS), will serve in the role to facilitate formal relationships between USDA and other government agencies and non-profit organizations to strengthen USDA support for veterans.

“Many of America’s veterans come from our rural communities, and are often drawn back to the land upon returning to civilian life,” said Deputy Secretary [Krysta] Harden. “Veterans are key to building our future generation of farmers, land stewards and conservationists. USDA already has a number of initiatives to help veterans find meaningful work in agriculture upon returning home, but this new position will help coordinate our efforts and make programs easier to navigate. I look forward to Karis’ leadership as we continue to support America’s heroes.”

Gutter, native of Terry, Mississippi (pop. 1,099), began his career in public service as an enlisted United States Marine Corp Reservist. Gutter served as a Corporal in the Marine Corps as a communications and field radio operator for six years and participated in humanitarian relief in support of September 11 and Hurricane Katrina. Prior to his USDA service, Gutter worked for the Hinds County Board of Supervisors in Mississippi and on Capitol Hill as Deputy Chief of Staff and Legislative Director to Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (MS-02).

This new position was created by the 2014 Farm Bill.

USDA

Secretary Vilsack Praises Farm Broadcasters

Cindy Zimmerman November 16, 2014

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack began his press conference at the 2014 National Association of Farm Broadcasting convention by thanking those who attended for their work.

“Obviously without your voices and without your access to audiences across the country, we wouldn’t be as successful in terms of getting the messages about the implementation of this new farm bill,” said Vilsack. “So we at USDA owe you all a debt of gratitude for the work you do every single day to connect rural folks with the activities of their government.”

Vilsack gave an update on farm bill implementation, and answered questions about the COOL WTO ruling, new Senate leadership, WOTUS, a second beef checkoff, China, trade negotiations, biotechnology, and more.

Vilsack also pointed out that he has now surpassed former Secretary Dan Glickman as the longest serving agriculture secretary in modern times. “Something which I’m very proud of and he’s very irritated about,” he joked. Technically, it looks like it will actually be December 10 when Vilsack meets Glickman’s total time in office of 5 years, 10 months and 20 days – but, we’ll give it to him anyway!

Listen to or download the press conference here: Secretary Vilsack at NAFB 2014

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Legislative Update from NAFB

Jamie Johansen November 14, 2014

Michelle Rook, WNAX Farm Director in Yankton, SD., led the discussion during the Legislative Roundtable at the 71st National Association of Farm Broadcasting’s annual convention. Blake Hurst, President of the Missouri Farm Bureau, and Steve Nelson, Nebraska Farm Bureau President, served as this year’s panelists.

The ag leaders reviewed the current direction of the United States agricultural issues and policy on the local, state and national level.

The duo first addressed their assessment on the recent midterm elections and how it will impact our ability to take care of some important ag business in the near future. Other questions from the floors included concern about Water of the United States and EPA, farmings ability to continue to feed a growing world and how the Farm Bill programs have been implemented.

Listen to the complete Legislative Roundtable here: NAFB Legislative Roundtable

You can find photos from the event here:
2014 NAFB Convention Photos

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Smart Data Best for Decision Making

Chuck Zimmerman November 14, 2014

The challenge in precision ag these days seems to be less about how much data can be created – plenty of tools and programs to tell you everything about your operation – and more about how to create just the data needed without making farmers try to drink from some firehose of information. One of John Deere’s partner companies definitely sees it that way and was part of the program of the recent 2014 Develop with Deere conference in Kansas City.

Christopher Haak with AgIntegrated shared the stage with Tyler Hogrefe and brought a lot of the same thoughts on data transfer to the table but from a John Deere partner company perspective.

“The agricultural industry did a great job and made a lot of implements and had a lot of tools for a number of years,” Christopher says in an interview with me. “But the real problem has been how to effectively transfer that information and get it to end-users so they could make practical decisions almost on the fly.”

Christopher added usability of the data is getting better, as bandwidth is still at a premium, especially in rural America, and time is always money for farmers. He said we don’t necessarily need to be able to generate more data, but producers do need more effective ways of accessing the information they need when they want it.

“I think the next generation of precision ag tools is going focus around smart usage of data, not more creation of data,” he said.

You can hear my interview with Christopher here: Christopher Haak, AgIntegrated

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