USDA’s Big Biobased Picture

Cindy Zimmerman June 23, 2014

The U.S. Department of Agriculture takes a wide angle view of the biobased product picture which encompasses several different segments within the agency.

At the USB Biobased Stakeholders Dialogue last week in Washington D.C. we heard from a number of USDA officials about what they are doing to expand biobased opportunities. One panel featured Rural Business Cooperative Service administrator Lilian Salerno, Dr. Daniel Cassidy with the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), and Special Assistant to the Secretary Tara Rice.

Salerno discussed how her department offers grants and loan guarantees to help fund companies with new product ideas. “We’re devoted to the agricultural sector and to those rural communities that offer so much,” she said. “This mission area is devoted to making sure there’s capitol out there for those businesses trying to create jobs and create value.” The farm bill provided funds for the Value Added Producer Grants, as well as small loan and grant programs. Interview with Lilian Salerno, USDA Rural Business Cooperative Service

Tara Rice talked about the brand new Made in Rural America initiative. “Which is a White House Rural Council partnership of folks across the federal government working together to support rural businesses that have potential to engage in international exports,” said Rice, who adds that there’s big opportunities for value added businesses in the export market. Interview with Tara Rice, Special Assistant to Secretary Vilsack

2014 USB Soy Biobased Dialogue Photo Album

Audio, Biodiesel, Soybean, USB, USDA

Tomato Growers get Expert Help from Doctor App

Jamie Johansen June 23, 2014

Home gardeners needing some quick, expert advice about their tomato plants will find it right in their pockets with Purdue Extension’s Tomato Doctor mobile app.

The app will help gardeners diagnose problems and offer solutions to get their plants back to a healthy condition, said Janna Beckerman, a Purdue Extension plant disease specialist and content specialist for the app.

“Even people who don’t consider themselves gardeners grow tomatoes,” Beckerman noted. “And every year, all of us tomato growers confront different problems. This app is designed to help home tomato growers identify problems and find a useful solution so they can thoroughly enjoy more tomatoes.”

The Tomato Doctor covers more than 80 common – and not so common – insect, disease and environmental problems that occur throughout the United States and around the world. It includes nearly 500 high-quality images to help users identify problems involving their plants.

Correctly identifying problems will help gardeners avoid using pesticides on their plants unnecessarily, Beckerman said.

“Not every problem needs a pesticide to manage it,” she said. “But when they are needed, we always start with the least toxic approach, and we try to recommend common varieties that are more resistant to certain problems. Sometimes, switching varieties is all that is needed. But for some people, they have to grow Brandywine or Speckled Roman, which may require a bit more protection. We included some common beneficial insects so growers don’t mistake a helpful insect for a harmful one,” she said.

Find the app on iTunes and Google Play.

Ag Groups, Apps, Vegetables

AgriLife Extension’s Recipes, Videos & Cooking Schools

Jamie Johansen June 20, 2014

The idea of a family sitting down together for a meal may seem passé in today’s fast-paced, drive-through society, but a statewide initiative by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is helping families eat healthier — and together –at mealtime.

“The percentage of the food budget spent on away-from-home food has increased steadily since the 1970s and so has the number of calories,” said Dr. Susan Ballabina, AgriLife Extension associate director for program development, College Station. “There are so many families where both parents work and the kids are on their computers or watching TV and don’t want to stop what they’re doing to have family mealtime.”

“The Dinner Tonight! program was developed by AgriLife Extension agents statewide with the knowledge and expertise to provide resources and recipes to help encourage at-home family mealtime,” Ballabina said. “It provides quick, nutritious, cost-effective recipes to consumers through weekly video cooking webcasts and other web-based methods, including blogs and Facebook, and through healthy cooking schools.”

Every Monday, a new video demonstration is released by a member of the agency’s statewide Dinner Tonight! team, she said. There are now more than 250 free video webcasts of easy-to-prepare, nutritious recipes available under the Dinner Tonight! tab. The videos have been televised in Dallas and Austin media markets.

“We ask program participants to fill out a survey so we can see if we are meeting our goals, and a large majority of respondents have stated they intend to incorporate new, healthy foods in their diet, as well as eat more fruits and vegetables and plan healthy meals in advance,” she said. “And all participants who responded said what they learned would benefit their families.”

The initiative added healthy cooking schools to its programming in 2012, Ballabina said. Last year, 25 Healthy Cooking Schools were conducted throughout the state, reaching over 1,960 people, and many more have already been conducted this year.

She said Dinner Tonight! will continue to evolve and expand through the development of more community partnerships, broadening Dinner Tonight! programs, including offering more healthy cooking schools, and additional educational outreach.

Ag Groups, Food

USFRA Communications Committee Work

Chuck Zimmerman June 20, 2014

The live streamed Food Dialogues events get all the publicity when they take place with high profile moderators and panelists. However, there’s a lot of work going on “behind the scenes.” In Chicago recently that work included a regular meeting of the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance Communications Committee. I visited with two members of the committee.

First up is Chris Galen, Senior Vice President, Communications, National Milk Producers Federation. Chris also serves on the board for USFRA. With a Food Dialogues topic of Integrity in Food Marketing I first asked him what that means to him. He says, “I think most people would agree that integrity is about honesty.” But he goes on to ask if that involves the whole truth, nothing but the truth or can it contain partial shades of truth. An example that was raised during the Food Dialogues was “gluten free orange juice.” When that is used on the label it is true but it implies that orange juice that is not labelled gluten free has gluten in it which would not be true.

When it comes to the work of the USFRA Communications Committee Chris says there are several key items on their agenda. One is to continue to work on the FARMLAND movie project. Making it available to view digitally through services like iTunes, Netflix and Hulu was on the table for discussion.

Interview with Chris Galen

Next up I spoke with Season Solorio, Senior Director, Issues Management, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. She says that besides the FARMLAND movie project the committee is also working on the next phase of the Faces of Farming and Ranching.

Interview with Season Solario

USFRA Food Dialogues Chicago Photo Album

Ag Groups, Audio, Food, USFRA

Zimfo Bytes

Talia Goes June 20, 2014

Through the National Agriscience Teacher Ambassador Academy, DuPont has invited 49 of the nation’s finest agricultural science teachers to the company’s Chesapeake Farms in Chestertown, Md., to enhance their teaching techniques in order to heighten their students’ agriscience educational experience in classrooms across the country.
The U.S. Grains Council is pleased to announce the hire of Melissa George Kessler as the USGC director of communications at the Washington, D.C., headquarters.
Syngenta has unveiled plans for the introduction of a new active ingredient, SDHI fungicide, known by the general name Solatenol™ fungicide – which will be available under four products for use on wheat, corn, cucurbit and fruiting vegetables, grapes, peanuts, pome fruit, potatoes and soybeans.
Three distinguished global warming skeptics – Patrick Moore, Alan Carlin, and Willie Soon – will receive special recognition at the 9th International Conference on Climate Change July 7–9 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas (ICCC9).

Zimfo Bytes

Students Honored for Research at ASTA

Jamie Johansen June 20, 2014

College students from across the country had the opportunity to enter American Seed Trade Research Foundation’s Operation Student Exchange. The winning student was announced during a Future Seed Executives 10th Anniversary Reception at ASTA’s recent annual meeting.

Leah Ruff’s poster presentation and research was selected this year’s winner and she received the Roger Kruegar Scholarship. The scholarship honors the late Dr. Roger Kruegar from Monsanto Company. His professional career was devoted to seeds, and he passionately advocated the role of science in feeding the world.

Leah is a graduate student at the University of Nebraska where she is studying drought tolerance in soybeans. Listen to her unique approach in my interview with her. Interview with Leah Ruff, Roger Kruegar Scholarship Winner

Jim Tobin, Past Chairman of ASTA and Monsanto’s Channel Engagement Lead, and Glenn Austin, Monsanto’s Sustainability Operation Lead and works with ASTA’s Operation Student Connection, awarded Leah with this honor. They also sat down with me to further explain the importance of engaging young professionals with the industry and guiding them in their research.

Listen to my complete interview with Jim and Glenn here: Interview with Jim Tobin & Glenn Austin

Jim Tobin also received the Lifetime Honorary Member Award during the 131st Annual Convention. Jim’s 29-year career with Monsanto has given him the opportunity to serve in numerous agricultural marketing and commercial development positions. He is currently a trustee of the FarmHouse Foundation and Forest Park Forever. He is also a member of the Farm Foundation Roundtable and serves on the board of the U.S. Grains Council and the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance.

ASTA Annual Meeting Photo Album

Ag Groups, ASTA, Audio, Education, Seed

Educator Training Adds New Resources for Teachers

Melissa Sandfort June 20, 2014

Summer is here and that means the 2014 Educators Training Event is right around the corner. August 5-7 Ag Leader will be holding the 5th annual training event tailored towards educators at the high school, community college and university level. This year we have some exciting news to share regarding the Educational Solutions Package. We are placing the final touches on the Online Educational Curriculum that was briefly introduced at last year’s training event. This online platform provides resources, materials, a discussion board, along with other various items that will make teaching precision ag and SMS software topics much easier.

We have grouped the various lessons into chapters; these chapters are organized by topic within the SMS Advanced software. For example, importing data, printing maps, analyzing data, and exporting are topics discussed in detail that contain real world examples. These chapters then contain the specific lessons associated with the chapter and the corresponding video tutorial making it more efficient to access specific precision ag topics. In addition to the lessons, the online platform has a discussion board feature. This will allow communication between educators, directly within the portal, and provide a place to share ideas and stay current with fellow peers.

In addition to the new online portal, the training event will cover new features and products, a discussion panel with representatives from the precision ag industry as well as hardware and software training workshops. Educators wanting to register or learn more about this year’s event please contact our Educational Solutions Team at education@agleader.com or call 515-232-5363 ext 4428. Educators currently enrolled in our Educational Lab Program are eligible for one free seat. Additional seats or educators not enrolled can also reserve a seat by contacting our Educational Solutions Team. We look forward to seeing all of our educators!

Become a fan of Ag Leader on Facebook today, and get the latest precision ag videos on the YouTube channel. For more information about Ag Leader products and services, or to visit the blog site, go to www.agleader.com.

Ag Leader, Agribusiness

United Fresh Awards Highlight Innovation, Creativity

Jamie Johansen June 20, 2014

Attendees to the United Fresh Produce Association’s annual convention and expo in Chicago cast their votes throughout the show for fresh produce innovation and recognized this year’s New Product Awards in five categories. More than 40 fresh fruit and vegetable innovations competed in the categories of Best New Food Safety Solution, Best New Fruit Product, Best New Packaging, Best New Packing/Processing Equipment, and Best New Vegetable Product.

The 2014 New Product Award winners announced today are:

Best New Food Safety Solution: FoodLink Fresh – FoodLink
Best New Fruit Product: Crunch Pak with Marvel Apple Snacker, Crunch Pak
Best New Packaging Product: Josie’s Organics Romaine Hearts, Braga Fresh Family Farms
Best New Packing/Processing Equipment: STRAWBERRY CAPPER Mod. Frazer, Turatti S.R.L.
Best New Vegetable Product: Y.E.L.O., Mastronardi Produce/Sunset

“These winning products have been selected by United attendees as outstanding representations of the new approaches, ideas and processes that are driving the fresh fruit and vegetable industry forward, and we applaud them for their product development,” said John Toner, United’s vice president of convention & industry relations. “From its very beginnings, the United show has been the undisputed home of innovation for the produce industry, and these awards continue to showcase the best and brightest minds in the produce business.”

Ag Groups, Food

World Food Prize Honors Wheat Breeder

Cindy Zimmerman June 20, 2014

The selection of wheat breeder Dr. Sanjaya Rajaram as the 2014 World Food Prize Laureate was announced this week during a ceremony at the State Department where Secretary Kerry gave keynote remarks.

“This is the time for a second green revolution,” Kerry said. “That’s why Dr. Sanjaya Rajaram is being honored with the World Food Prize. We are grateful for the hundreds of new species of wheat Dr. Rajaram developed, which deliver 200 million more tons of grain to global markets each year and feed millions across the world.”

In announcing the name of the 2014 Laureate, Ambassador Kenneth M. Quinn, President of the World Food Prize, noted how appropriate it is to honor Dr. Rajaram during the Borlaug Centennial Year.

“Dr. Rajaram worked closely with Dr. Borlaug, succeeding him as head of the wheat breeding program at (the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center) in Mexico, and then carried forward and expanded upon his work, breaking new ground with his own invaluable achievements,” Quinn said, noting that Dr. Borlaug himself called Dr. Rajaram “the greatest present-day wheat scientist in the world.”

Born in India and now a citizen of Mexico, Dr. Rajaram developed an astounding 480 wheat varieties bred to offer higher yields and resistance to rust disease, that have been released in 51 countries on six continents and have been widely adopted by small- and large-scale farmers alike.

Wheat, World Food Prize

Millennial Views of Biobased and Sustainability

Cindy Zimmerman June 20, 2014

The hostess for the the USB Biobased Products Stakeholders’ Dialogue at George Washington (GW) University this week was the moderator for an important discussion about what the “millennial generation” thinks about biobased and sustainability.

University sustainability director Kathleen Merrigan, who is also former deputy ag secretary, invited some current students and recent graduates to be on the panel. “What I really wanted biobased product innovators to understand is that we need to develop all kinds of new communications vehicles to reach this generation,” said Merrigan.

The young people talked about the importance of social media and especially short video messages to reach them. “They really like to go out themselves and do the story telling with video,” Merrigan said, adding that engaging them in the learning process can be very effective.

Merrigan says GW’s Planet Forward spent a lot of time covering the USB event this week, tweeting and gathering video. “What they’re doing is trying to teach young people to be storytellers,” she said. “We’d like to send our students out to farms and help tell the story of American agriculture.”

I had a chance to sit down with Kathleen and chat about her time at USDA and her new job with GW and how the two mesh. Interview with Kathleen Merrigan, GW University Sustainability

2014 USB Soy Biobased Dialogue Photo Album

Audio, Education, Soybean, Sustainability, USB, USDA

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