Ethanol for Energy Independence

Cindy Zimmerman

ZimmCast 443As we prepare to celebrate our nation’s Independence Day, many of us will be out on the roads driving to see family, friends and fireworks. But, thanks to upheaval in a little country halfway across the world, gas prices are up again so we are going to be paying more at the pump, a stark reminder that we are not so independent when it comes to our energy sources.

dinneen-capitolOur ZimmCast this week is with Bob Dinneen, president and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association, who talks about the many benefits of an all American Fuel that too often gets a bad rap from critics, especially those in the oil industry. That fuel is, of course, ethanol – and while we here at ZimmComm know that some of our friends in the animal agriculture industry have issues with it, we are strong supporters because we believe it is a great American fuel.

Listen to my conversation with Bob here: Ethanol for Energy Independence

Thanks to our ZimmCast sponsor, GROWMARK, locally owned, globally strong, for their support.

Subscribe to the ZimmCast podcast here.

Audio, Ethanol, RFA, ZimmCast

Verdesian Life Sciences Acquires SFP

Jamie Johansen

verdesianVerdesian Life Sciences of Cary, North Carolina has announced the acquisition of Specialty Fertilizer Products (SFP), a Leawood, Kansas-based company focused on fertilizer efficiency products.

According to Verdesian CEO J.J. Grow, joining forces with SFP will add more than 270 patent properties to the company’s portfolio. “SFP’s innovative fertilizer solutions are a natural fit with Verdesian’s expansive product offerings that increase grower yields and return on investment,” said Grow. “We are confident that the addition of SFP’s outstanding team, impressive product lineup and excellent reputation for service will be a great combination with Verdesian Life Sciences.”

sfp“We are excited to join Verdesian, which will enable us to take our business to the next level,” said SFP founder J. Larry Sanders, who has served as president and chief executive officer. “As part of Verdesian, we will be able to offer our revolutionary and environmentally beneficial fertilizer efficiency technology to more growers in more markets, and to bring the exciting products we have in our pipeline to market.”

Sanders has been named executive vice president of Polymer Technology and will report to Verdesian’s J.J. Grow who says there will be no immediate staffing changes except in the reporting structure at the senior management level.

Financial terms of the deal will not be disclosed. The current U.S. and international pricing, product distribution, programs and policies for all products offered by Verdesian Life Sciences, including the acquired SFP products, will remain in place through 2014.

Verdesian Life Sciences is a plant health and nutrition company with patented biological, nutritional, seed treatment and inoculant technologies that help specialty and row crop growers and turf management professionals maximize their nitrogen and phosphorus investments. Founded in 2012 to acquire and grow plant health product companies, Verdesian is based in Cary, N.C., with production and manufacturing facilities in Visalia, Calif., Pasco, Wash., and Kentland, Ind.

Read more here.

Agribusiness, Fertilizer

NCGA Climbs to New Membership Heights

Jamie Johansen

NCGA-LogoNational Corn Growers Association membership set yet another membership record at the end of June, with 41,185 active members. This membership record replaces the former record of 40,797, set in April. Notably, the April record concluded a three-month run of consistent record membership.

“The membership records just keep coming in 2014, and we couldn’t be more excited,” said NCGA President Martin Barbre. “With major issues surrounding the RFS, farm bill implementation and pending regulations on the horizon, our members recognize the importance of NCGA’s work. Our members, the true grassroots, give us the strength and motivate our mission, pushing us to greater heights year after year.”

NCGA has members across the contiguous United States and works in cooperation with grower associations and state corn checkoff boards from 28 states, representing the interests of its members and the more than 300,000 growers who contribute corn checkoff funds in their states.

Ag Groups, Corn, NCGA

Zimfo Bytes

Talia Goes

Zimfo Bytes

  • The Minnesota Farm Network (MFN) announced that it has entered into an agreement with Woodward Broadcasting Inc. to add KFMC FM 106.5 and KSUM AM 1370 in Fairmont, MN to the MFN station line-up.
  • Farm Bureau is pleased to announce that a new FB Member Advantage program with Polaris Industries Inc., is available to eligible members in participating states, effective immediately.
  • Lessing-Flynn Advertising welcomed Jamie Thomassen, LF’s newest Account Manager, she brings plenty of industry experience and marketing savvy to the growing 107-year-old Des Moines marketing firm.
  • Attention farmers and agricultural stakeholders Iowa Soybean Association is sponsoring a night with Jayson Lusk will be held Tuesday, July 8th at 6pm at the Iowa State University Alumni Hall.
Zimfo Bytes

Tobacco Growers Want a Voice in Discussions

Chuck Zimmerman

International Tobacco Growers AssociationTobacco growers in Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, Kenya and South Africa would like to have their voices heard. So I thought I’d let them have one here. This is a good example of how important trade decisions are to farmers today. The information was sent out via the African Press Organization.

Representatives of tobacco growers from Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, Kenya and South Africa together with representatives of the International Tobacco Growers’ Association (ITGA) have called on all governments, particularly those from the tobacco-growing regions, to include them in discussions of policies that will have a direct impact on their lives.

Download the ITGA Deforestation Commitment: http://www.apo-mail.org/140702c.pdf (pdf)

Download the Final ITGA Declaration: http://www.apo-mail.org/140702d.pdf (pdf)

ITGA President Francois van der Merwe said that tobacco growers are alarmed that recommendations on tobacco proposed for the next Conference of the Parties (COP6) of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) will penalise growers for whom tobacco crops are a route out of poverty and a way of life.

“The people driving these policies are completely out of touch with reality and fail to recognise the positive economic contribution that tobacco growing makes to Africa,” he said. “This is a high-value cash crop very much suited to small-hold farming, and has changed the lives of many African farmers for the better.”

President of the Zimbabwe Tobacco Association Gavin Foster pointed out that most of the tobacco produced in Africa is exported. “Growers are naturally concerned about efforts in the context of the FCTC to change the way tobacco is treated in the international trading system,” he said. “If allowed, such changes would prevent tobacco-producing countries like Zimbabwe from legitimately defending and benefiting from those exports.”

Ag Groups, International

New Holland Construction Website is New

Chuck Zimmerman

New Holland Construction WebsiteNew Holland has been busy with website work lately. The Construction division just announced a new website. You may know that the marketing functions for New Holland Agriculture and Construction have been combined. I’m sure that makes for some interesting discussions in the marketing department!

Easy navigation tailor-made for the user
New Holland Construction’s new website (http://construction.newholland.com/nar) offers a fresh, clean interface that is very easy to navigate. The home page’s magazine-style layout shows at a glance the brand’s latest news and offers, and provides various paths to quickly find the desired information. Users can search directly for the product or service they are interested in, or look for the brand’s offering for their industry segment.

A dealer locator built around the customer
Among the most notable improvements is the new dealer locator, which not only makes it very easy to find the nearest dealer but also provides full details: in addition to the address and directions to reach it, users can find the services provided – sales of new or used equipment, after sales service, rental – the equipment sold, business hours, any affilliated dealerships or workshops and the dealer’s latest news. This is a dealer locator truly built around the customer. Read More

Agribusiness, Internet, New Holland

GROWMARK Board on Capitol Hill

Cindy Zimmerman

growmark-shimkusGROWMARK board members recently attended the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC) annual Washington Conference to learn about important issues affecting the agriculture industry and to meet with Congressional representatives.

“Probably one of the high points is the Hill visits,” said Matt Heitz, a GROWMARK board member from Iowa, in an interview with Cassie Becker, publications and media relations specialist.

“It’s important for us to go out and advocate for our positions,” added Kevin Malchine of Wisconsin. “If we don’t advocate for ourselves, who will?”

Dennis Neuhaus of Illinois, pictured here meeting with Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL), says among the concerns they discussed with lawmakers were tax issues, the recently signed WRRDA bill, EPA’s proposed Waters of the United States rule, and GMO labeling.

Listen to Cassie’s interview here: GROWMARK interview at NCFC conference

Audio, GROWMARK

AgChat Foundation Seeks Full-Time Executive Director

Jamie Johansen

agchatAs an organization which is experiencing significant growth, the AgChat Foundation Board of Directors is launching a search for a full-time Executive Director.

“Emily Zweber has served as the part-time Executive Director since 2011. Since that time she has been a remarkable asset successfully steering ACF,” President Jeff VanderWerff said. He adds that, “As a key part of our new strategic plan, it has become apparent that ACF has reached a stage of maturity which requires a full-time Executive Director. The Board of Directors view this as a search for a leader who can assist ACF with the new opportunities and challenges associated with the organization’s recent growth.”

The new Executive Director will oversee the general administration of the organization including fundraising, execution of major goals, management of the organization’s structure and personnel and facilitation of all major activities and meetings including board and committee members, among other responsibilities. For a complete description, please visit the job announcement located at AgChat.org/Hiring.

Interested parties may submit their resume to Leah Brakke at hiring@agchat.org, by July 14, 2014. ACF expects the new Executive Director to join by August 2014.

Ag Groups

Updates on BASF Headline AMP and Priaxor

Cindy Zimmerman

basf-brianneIn the last, but certainly not least, category – we have BASF Technical Marketing Specialist and Doctor of Plant Medicine Brianne Reeves. Brianne is my last post from the BASF 2014 Ag Media Summit, but she is never least!

At the media event, Brianne talked about in-furrow and foliar applications of BASF fungicides, including Headline AMP on corn and Priaxor on soybeans.

We usually think of Headline AMP being used on field corn, but Brianne told us about a trial done in Belle Glade, Florida on sweet corn for control of Northern corn leaf blight. “That trial has been run for five years and for five years running Headline AMP has won in that trial in disease control and with yield for marketable crates of sweet corn that go to market,” she said.

Brianne says Priaxor was just approved for use in soybeans in April of this year and she discussed how using it in-furrow to start, followed up by a foliar application “will help protect that soybean plant in the beginning when it’s just getting out of the ground and at those reproductive stages when yield is really being set.”

Listen to my interview with Brianne here: Interview with Brianne Reeves, BASF

2014 BASF Ag Media Summit Photo Album

Audio, BASF, Corn, Crop Protection, Soybean

Ag Relations Council Annual Meeting News

Chuck Zimmerman

Golden ARC AwardsI can’t make them all. Just wish I could. Here’s the news from the recent Agricultural Relations Council Annual Meeting. First up are Golden ARC Award winners.

The Golden ARC Awards contest honors the stellar work created by professionals in the agricultural industry. The entries for the 2014 contest were many with 74 entries – 22 campaigns and 55 tactics. Entries were judged by public relations professionals outside of the ag industry, all of whom are members of the Maine chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.

Congratulations to the 2014 Golden ARC de Excellence Winner – Ketchum on behalf of Zoetis – “Zoetis Achieves Global Company Debut in Eight Months” in the category of Public Relations Campaign – Global Communications.

You can find all Award winners here (pdf) and Merit winners here (pdf).

ARC Hall of FameNext up are the “Third Class” of Honorees Named into Ag PR Hall of Fame.

The Agricultural Relations Council (ARC) is pleased to announce two new members into the Agricultural Public Relations Hall of Fame: Richard Howell and Gary Myers, APR. Both will be recognized on Thursday, June 26, at the annual meeting of ARC in Madison, Wis. This is the third class of inductees since the program was instituted in 2012.

Howell and Myers will join previous inductees Don Lerch, Lyle Orwig, John Harvey and Paul Weller in the Hall of Fame, which is sponsored by the Agricultural Relations Council (ARC) and Agri Marketing magazine.

Ag Groups, ARC