Alliance Welcomes New Staff & Board Members

Jamie Johansen

aaaThe Animal Agriculture Alliance is excited to announce additions to their staff and Board of Directors.

Rossie Blinson will join the team as the Manager of Membership and Marketing. She is a third generation cattle breeder and former National Cattlemen’s Beef Association intern. Blinson recently graduated from North Carolina State University and earned a degree Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Business Management and minor in Animal Science.

“Rossie’s passion for animal agriculture shines through in everything she does,” said Alliance President and CEO Kay Johnson Smith. “In the four short months of her internship she has proven herself invaluable and we can’t wait to kick off our 2015 fiscal year knowing that she’ll be a permanent member of our team.”

There will also be three significant additions to the Alliance Board of Directors: Rebecca Cisek (Zoetis); Dr. Dave Sjeklocha (Cattle Empire, LLC); and Terry Wehrkamp (Cooper Farms) will join the other 28 board members, each of whom serve a term of three years.

Additionally, Tom Super Vice President of Communications for the National Chicken Council will replace Dr. Ashley Peterson on the Alliance board; Delbert Christensen will replace Ronald Ohlde as United Soybean Board’s representative; and Ann Nogan, Executive Vice President at the Pennsylvania Center for Beef Excellence will replace Barbara Jackson as the representative for the American National CattleWomen.

Ag Groups, Animal Agriculture

Canadian Farm Writers to Dig Deep

Chuck Zimmerman

Canadian Farm Writers Federation Dig DeepI’m going. Going on the bicycling farm tour again too! Although there is a brew tour at the same time. I talked with Kim Waalderbos who serves on this year’s committee for the annual conference of the Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation. She provides a preview of what this year’s conference will be like.

Interview with Kim Waalderbos
We can’t wait to welcome you to beautiful Prince Edward Island for the Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation Annual Conference.

Not only are you going to see great agricultural feats on such a small island, you are going to help us celebrate the Prince Edward Island Sesquicentennial, the 150th anniversary of the Birthplace of Confederation: the 1864 Charlottetown Conference. And unlike in 1864 when the circus came to town leaving “no accommodations available in which to house the Canadian delegates,” we have space for everyone at the Rodd Royalty Inn in Charlottetown.

We have planned a long weekend of learning, networking, insight, participation, food, culture and fun during your Island experience. And by the end of the weekend, you will have more than one story to share about agriculture on the Island.

Audio, International, Media

DuPont to Sponsor Agribusiness & Food World Forum

Jamie Johansen

ifamaThe International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA) and the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) are jointly presenting the 2014 Agribusiness & Food World Forum in South Africa. The Forum will address the region’s enormous growth potential, which includes expanding the agribusiness industry.

Thad Simons, President of IFAMA, said “People feed the world and, as agribusiness leaders, it is our responsibility to develop future generations of talent passionate about creating and implementing solutions that will ensure we can overcome the food security challenges in Africa and beyond. We believe that partnerships made through the World Forum. Today we are delighted to announce DuPont Pioneer as a premier supporter of the World Forum.”

The overarching framework for the Forum is People Feed the World, a view that aligns closely with DuPont’s commitment to food security. DuPont is helping to further critical collaborations with businesses, non-profit organizations and academics. The engagement of the next generation of agribusiness innovators from around the globe – through the participation of student leaders attending the Forum – is another priority for DuPont.

Stephen Hayes, President and CEO of CCA, said “The World Forum would not be possible without the support of companies such as DuPont. As Forum organizers, we are grateful to our friends at DuPont for their ongoing role in accelerating progress, not only at our Forum, but also through their local and global impact on food and nutrition security, each and every day.”

Ag Groups, Agribusiness, Food

Zimfo Bytes

Talia Goes

Zimfo Bytes

  • United States Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced more than $1.5 million in funding to expand bio-control efforts to fight Huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening.
  • Zoetis Inc. marked another milestone in the company’s launch as an independent public company, conducting its first-ever Annual Meeting of Shareholders.
  • HighQuest Group announced that Jim Borel, executive vice president of DuPont, will deliver the keynote address at its 9th annual Oilseed & Grain Trade Summit.
  • Ceres, Inc., an agricultural biotechnology and seed company, has been awarded a U.S. patent for a genetic sequence derived from corn, covering uses of the gene in areas such as research, product development and seed production.
Zimfo Bytes

Ag Issues Discussed at Missouri State’s Ag Forum

Jamie Johansen

ag forum photo editedEach year Missouri State University’s Collegiate Farm Bureau hosts an Ag Forum to discuss hot topic agriculture issues. This year’s panel was formed by Senator Roy Blunt and Missouri Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst and moderated by Missouri State University’s William H. Darr School of Agriculture Department Head, Dr. Anson Elliott.

After a dinner of steaks raised from the school’s herd of Hereford cattle, each panelist took the stage to give a brief update on specific ag issues and then the floor was open for questions. Topics discussed included water rights, energy, precision technology and food security.

I met up with Senator Blunt after the panel discussion. We not only talked about water rights, science and technology but also about trade negotiations, immigration reform and biofuels.

“I think the big issues is how we deal with the opportunities in agriculture.” said Senator Blunt. “Does our infrastructure continue to keep pace with our ability to not only feed ourselves, but be part of a very competitive world food market in need of American products.”

Listen to my complete interview with Senator Blunt here: Interview with Senator Roy Blunt

I also spoke with Blake Hurst about Missouri’s Right to Farm and how it’s a national concern for agriculture. He also hit on GMO labeling and how data is being used to gain more knowledge on individual farms and agriculture as a whole.

“We continue to work both on the state and national level to make sure regulations make sense and that they leave room for farmers to do what we do best and that is farm.”

Listen to my complete interview with Blake here: Interview with Missouri Farm Bureau President, Blake Hurst

Ag Groups, Audio

What is the Best Way to Market to Millennials

Jamie Johansen

New Holland ZimmPollOur latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “Is climate change impacting agriculture?”

Typically our ZimmPoll’s don’t have a landslide winner like this one. It is clear the majority of those who took this week’s poll believe that climate change has a strong impact on agriculture. To read more about the climate change assessment released by the White House last week, check out this recent AgWired post, EPA Chief Discusses Climate Change Report.

Our poll results:

  • Definitely – 64%
  • Not at all – 7%
  • Maybe, but not man made – 13%
  • Nothing we can do about it – 8%
  • No idea- 4%
  • Other – 4%

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “What is the best way to market to millennials?”

Last week Chuck covered Animal Agriculture Alliance’s Stakeholders Summit themed with “Cracking the Millennial Code.” Marketing to the millennial generation is key, yet may need to be a little different then marketing tactics in the past. What do you feel is the best way to market to millennials?

ZimmPoll

NCGA CUTC 2014 Preregistration Ends Soon

Jamie Johansen

cutclogoPre-registration for the National Corn Growers Association’s Corn Utilization and Technology Conference (CUTC) ends May 25. The event takes place June 2-4 in Louisville, KY. CUTC will feature the cutting-edge technologies and new uses that continually improve and dynamically change the corn industry with a focus on wet and dry milling.

“As the conference approaches, it is exciting to see the number of people planning to attend and join in discussions that will lead our industry forward,” said NCGA Research and Business Development Action Team Chair Tom Mueller. “CUTC is a must-attend event for many because it stands at the forefront of technology, fostering innovative ideas and the important networking connections necessary to move the industry forward.”

The conference session topics will address genetics, biotechnology, and grain quality. There will be additional sessions covering new technologies and products from wet and dry processing, enzyme technology, and products from biorefineries. Attendees can also expect to hear presentations on new starch uses, resistant starch and nutrition, biopolymers and higher valued products such as nutraceuticals.

Ag Groups, Corn, CUTC, NCGA

Soy-Biobased Products Compete in Solar Decathlon

Cindy Zimmerman

Team REC decathletes working together to prepare a CFP panel

Team REC decathletes working together to prepare a CFP panel

Students from Appalachian State University (ASU) are heading to France with a “reimagined” row house using soy-biobased products to compete against 20 global teams in the Solar Decathlon Europe 2014.

According to the United Soybean Board, soy-based, formaldehyde-free plywood as well as durable floor matting are important features of Maison Reciprocity, ASU’s solar-powered row house developed with their partner school, the Université d’Angers (U d’A). The Boone, North Carolina University is one of three U.S. schools chosen for this complementary competition to the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon.

“We congratulate these students on their innovation and leadership for sustainability,” said United Soybean Board Customer Focus Action Team Chair John Motter, a soybean farmer from Ohio. “People around the world will learn from their example.”

Students used 1,700 square feet of Columbia Forest Products’ PureBond® hardwood plywood made with its soy-based formaldehyde-free adhesive on floors, walls and stairs. EcoPath™ and the USB provided the mat backed with EnviroCel™, which uses soy as well as recycled plastics. The mats are widely used at the Pentagon and other major facilities with very heavy foot traffic.

Ag Groups, Soybean, USB

USDA Outlook Board Chair to Retire

Cindy Zimmerman

After 43 years with USDA and 20 years as chairman of the World Agricultural Outlook Board, Dr. Gerald Bange has decided it’s time to retire.

gerry-bangeUSDA Chief Economist Joseph Glauber announced today that Bange will retire at the end of this month and Dr. Seth Meyer will become Acting Board Chair. Dr. Meyer is currently a Senior Economist in the Office of the Chief Economist (OCE) and will assume his new duties June 1.

“USDA has benefited enormously from Bange’s distinguished leadership as Chair of the World Board,” Glauber said, “where he was responsible for the monthly forecasts of the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report and the Joint Agricultural Weather Facility.” Bange also served as Program Chair for USDA’s respected, largest annual meeting, the Agricultural Outlook Forum.

Dr. Bange joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1971 as an agricultural marketing specialist for the Agricultural Research Service. In 1975, he transferred to the Foreign Agricultural Service as an agricultural economist where, in 1981, he became Director of the Foreign Production Estimates Division and, in January 1983, he was appointed Deputy Assistant Administrator for International Agricultural Statistics. In October 1983, he transferred to the World Agricultural Outlook Board where he served as Deputy Chairperson until March 1994 at which time he was appointed to his present position as Chairperson of the Board.

USDA

Farmers Use of Electricity on the Rise

Joanna Schroeder

According to a recent Today in Energy, published by the Energy Information Administration (EIA), farmers make up a large share of electricity use in the industrial sector. A significant portion of a growers’ electricity needs is for farm irrigation systems, which are categorized by electric utilities as industrial load.

Farmer electricity useFor example, Nebraska is largely rural and agricultural, but it has the third-highest count of industrial electricity customers in the U.S. The same factor drives up the number of industrial electricity customers in Idaho and Kansas, which are also among the top 10 states in number of industrial electricity customers. States with a large agriculture industry also tend to have among the lowest industrial sales of electricity per industrial customer.

EIA has found that because of the high cost of connecting dispersed systems to the electric grid, along with the high cost of adequate capacity available during peak load, farm irrigation systems can be costly to serve. For example, in keeping in line with electricity use in Nebraska, Dawson Public Power District, a rural electric cooperative in an agriculture-heavy region of Nebraska, accounted for less than 3 percent of statewide industrial electricity sales in 2012 but had one of the highest average prices for industrial power. In general, the highest industrial electricity prices in Nebraska tend to be located in the rural southern and western portions of the state.Read More

Agribusiness, Energy, Irrigation