TekWear Collaborates on USDA Grant

Chuck Zimmerman

TekWearCongratulations to Bruce Rasa, TekWear, LLC, for obtaining a USDA grant in collaboration with the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Georgia to evaluate the effectiveness of wireless, web-connected technologies for monitoring and growing specialty crops such as pecans. In the photo Dr. Lenny Wells, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of Georgia, uses Google Glass as one of the new wireless, web-connected technologies to monitor and record the health of pecans in the field.

Team leaders for the one-year collaborative research project include Peter Presti with the Interactive Media Technology Center, Georgia Institute of Technology; Dr. Lenny Wells, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of Georgia; and Bruce Rasa, CEO and founder of TekWear, LLC. The USDA announced the awarding of the research grant today at an event in Atlanta.

“Our goal is to see how producers can most effectively utilize hands-free wearable devices such as Google Glass, as well as smartphones, unmanned aerial systems (drones) and other Internet-enabled technologies to monitor for pests, scout their fields and better manage their crops,” Rasa explains. “Because pecans are an economically important crop in Georgia and other areas of the U.S., it makes sense to evaluate the use of these technologies on pecans, then see how we can apply them to other high-value and field crops in the future.”
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Agribusiness, USDA

NCBA Concerns About Beef Checkoff

Cindy Zimmerman

ncbaAgriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack met earlier this week with the Beef Checkoff working group and reportedly told them he’s planning on implementing a new checkoff program for the industry by January, 2016. The action would be taken under the 1996 Commodity Promotion, Research and Information Act, also called the “generic checkoff act,” and would be separate from and in addition to the current program.

Representatives of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) held a lengthy press conference Friday afternoon to express concerns about this plan of action. NCBA CEO Forrest Roberts says the secretary told them “there would be an opportunity for all stakeholders in the beef industry to provide comments on this new order over the course of the next several months.” Roberts says Vilsack made this decision because he felt the working group had not come up with a solution and this “was not the approach he wanted to take.”

NCBA immediate past president Scott George of Wyoming said he was surprised by the secretary’s proposal and said fellow producers he has talked with are also shocked by the idea of setting up a second, separate checkoff for beef. “This seems like a major step that really doesn’t need to be taken,” said George. “Our members are not supportive of any enhancement to the checkoff program that is based on the ’96 generic act,” added NCBA president Bob McCan of Texas.

Roberts confirmed that there were members of the Beef Checkoff Working Group not in attendance at the meeting on Tuesday. “The members of the working group that were not invited to the meeting with the secretary were Cattlemen’s Beef Board and the Federation of State Beef Councils,” he said, adding that they have been very involved in the group for the past three years. In addition to NCBA, organizations that were represented at the meeting included American Farm Bureau Federation, Livestock Marketing Association, National Farmers Union, and U.S. Cattlemen’s Association.

Speaking were NCBA president Bob McCan, NCBA immediate past president Scott George, and NCBA CEO Forrest Roberts. NCBA press call on Beef Checkoff

AFBF, Audio, Beef, NCBA, USDA

USDA Invests in Specialty Crop Producers

Leah Guffey

usda-logoAgriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack while in Miami, Florida announced nearly $118 million in grants to strengthen markets for specialty crops, such as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, horticulture and nursery crops. The grants were authorized through the 2014 Farm Bill as part of an effort to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops and provide resources to strengthen American agriculture.

Sales of specialty crops total nearly $65 billion per year, making them a critical part of the U.S. economy. The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), will provide $66 million to state departments of agriculture for projects that help support specialty crop growers, including locally grown fruits and vegetables, through research and programs to increase demand. In addition, USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is awarding $51.8 million in grants through its Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI). SCRI supports the specialty crop sector by developing and disseminating science-based tools to address the needs of specific crops.

Together, these investments represent USDA’s commitment to strengthening the specialty crop industry. The 2014 Farm Bill builds on historic economic gains in rural America over the past five years. Since enactment, USDA has made significant progress to implement each provision of this critical legislation, including providing disaster relief to farmers and ranchers, strengthening risk management tools, expanding access to rural credit, funding critical research, establishing innovative public-private conservation partnerships, developing new markets for rural-made products, and investing in infrastructure, housing and community facilities to help improve the quality of life in rural America. For more information, visit www.usda.gov/farmbill.

You can listen to Secretary Vilsack’s press conference here: Press Conference Call with Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack, USDA

Audio, specialty crops, USDA

Zimfo Bytes

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  • MGEX announced the results of its annual Board of Directors (Board) election, held October 2, 2014.
  • The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association kicked off the 2015 Fall Membership Drive.
  • Deere & Company announced changes to its senior leadership team that will take place after the retirement of James A. Israel, president of John Deere Financial – the company’s global financial services division headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa.
  • Hintzsche Fertilizer Inc., has reached an agreement to sell its agronomy business, including subsidiaries Burroughs Ag Services and Walter Seed and Fertilizer, to Helena Chemical Company, based in Collierville, Tennessee.
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Heading Home from Italy

Chuck Zimmerman

nh-turin-14-3It’s time for the AgriBlogger to head back to ZimmComm World Headquarters from Italy. I’ve had a fantastic few days with some fellow ag bloggers from Italy, England and Brazil and the New Holland team. We’ve talked Expo Milano 2015, visited CNH Industrial Village, a diesel engine plant and lots more. This is our team outside the CNH Industrial Village.

One very interesting stop was Università degli Studi di Scienze Gastronomiche in Pollenzo. This special school was founded by one of the primary founders of the Slow Food Movement. Yep, it was interesting to say the least!

During the coming days you’ll meet these folks and see some of the sights. I interviewed the bloggers and some of the New Holland leadership in Turin. I’ve also got lots more photos to upload when I get back to the states.

Agribusiness, New Holland

Verdesian Life Sciences Aquires QC Corporation

Joanna Schroeder

JJ Grow Verdesian CEO,jpgQC Corporation is the sixth company to be acquired by Verdesian Life Sciences – a company according to founder and CEO JJ Grow – that is focused on nitrogen and phosphorus, two extremely important inputs for farmers. The combined company will continue to be owned by and have the capital backing of Paine & Partners. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“We are excited to welcome QC and its micronutrient platform, including its unique Nutripaction compaction granulation technology, to Verdesian,” Grow told AgWired.com during the company’s Los Alamos Media Tour that took place on October 1, 2014. He said the company is as committed to research and development as Verdesian and QC Corporation’s product portfolio will be integrated into the company’s broad science-based ag product portfolio. As with other acquisitions by Verdesian, Jason Gordon, president of QC will continue to lead the day-to-day operations and manage QC customer relationships. Other employees will remain actively involved in the business.

QC Corporation logoJason Gordon, president of QC, said of the announcement, “QC’s leading micronutrient business and manufacturing capabilities are highly complementary to Verdesian’s plant health and nutrition offerings. This combination enables us to leverage Verdesian’s resources and growth platform to capitalize on new opportunities while continuing to provide QC’s customers with the innovation and service that has been the cornerstone of QC’s success over the last 40 years. JJ and the Verdesian team share our core values, namely the creation of best-in-class products and outstanding customer service.”

During the media tour, a dozen reporters, including myself, had the opportunity to learn about the pipeline of product solutions coming to market via all the companies under Verdesian’s umbrella. The company and its subsidiaries are all focused on next generation technologies for the specialty and agricultural markets worldwide.

Grow added, “QC is an established market leader in the fast-growing micronutrients category. We expect that the combination will bring QC’s expertise increasingly into Verdesian’s core agricultural markets, while QC’s lawn and garden, and turf and ornamental customers will see new applications for Verdesian’s proprietary products.”

View the 2014 Verdesian Los Alamos Media Tour photo album.

Agribusiness, Verdesian

Farmland Makes Its Streaming Debut on Hulu

Talia Goes

farmlandlogo4Academy Award®-winning filmmaker James Moll’s feature length documentary, Farmland, is now available to stream on the free, ad-supported Hulu and Hulu Plus subscription service. Beginning today, Farmland will be available exclusively on the platform for four weeks – providing viewers with the opportunity to stream Farmland from their connected TVs, Blu-ray players, gaming consoles, laptops, tablets and mobile devices.

During its theatrical debut this year, Farmland was shown in more than 170 theaters across the country including Regal Cinemas, Marcus Theatres, Carmike Cinemas, Landmark Theatres, and many key independent theaters. It will now be available digitally for the first time.

Many Americans have never stepped foot on a farm or ranch or even talked to the people who grow and raise the food we eat, yet are increasingly passionate about understanding where their food comes from. Farmland takes the viewer inside the world of farming for a first-hand glimpse into the lives of six young farmers and ranchers in their twenties. Through the personal stories of these farmers and ranchers, viewers learn about their high-risk/high-reward jobs and passion for a way of life that has been passed down from generation to generation, yet continues to evolve.

Check out the official trailer for the feature length documentary at farmlandfilm.com and be sure to watch Farmland in its entirety on Hulu: http://www.hulu.com/farmland.

Agribusiness, Farm Shows, Media

Riding Out The Storm

Melissa Sandfort

20140410_143356For anyone who has ever lived in the country, you know what an old storm cellar looks like and may have spent an hour or two huddled in one, waiting out a tornado. The house we lived in when I was born, and the house my brother lived in when he first got married, both had storm cellars. As kids, we’d grab a stick to clear away the cobwebs, find a flashlight and head on in to see what kind of rodents were hiding out in the cool, damp spaces.

For the life of me, I don’t understand why that was fun.

Now, we live up by the lake where a lot of folks have summer cabins. As I turn up the road headed toward the lodge on my (sometimes) daily jog, I go past this old counter-weight that is used to help open the cellar door.

When I asked my father-in-law about it, he said it used to be used primarily as a root cellar to store potatoes, vegetables and canned food, but also as a storm cellar. He laughed and said many campers have waited out storms in there!

I’m sure it’s not a pleasant place to be, but when faced with a potential tornado, a spider or snake doesn’t seem all that bad.

Until we walk again …

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2015 National Beef Ambassadors Selected

Talia Goes

Rachel Purdy (Wyoming), Will Pohlman (Arkansas), Alicia Smith (Texas), Kalyn McKibben (Oklahoma), Demi Snider (Ohio) were chosen as the 2015 National Beef Ambassador Team at the annual National Beef Ambassador competition, which is funded in part by the beef checkoff and managed by the American National CattleWomen, Inc, contractor to the beef checkoff.NBAP2014_new teamLowRes

Contestants from throughout the country vied for a spot on this elite team of agriculture advocates and for the $5,000 in cash prizes sponsored exclusively by Farm Credit. Additionally, five educational scholarships totaling $5,000 were awarded by the American National CattleWomen Foundation, Inc. and Monsanto.

This year’s contest also hosted a junior competition for youth beef-industry advocates, ages 12-16. Ten passionate contestants vied for cash prizes, competing in three judged categories: consumer promotion, media-interview technique and issues response. The first-place winner was Phillip Saunders (Virginia). The second place winner was Bret Lee (Louisiana), and the third place winner was Abbey Schiefelbein (Minnesota). They all took home checks from Farm Credit for their top scores.

Agribusiness, Beef Checkoff