Vermont GE Labeling Rules Adopted

Cindy Zimmermanbiotechnology, Food, GMO

Vermont’s Attorney General has formally adopted the regulations implementing Act 120, the state law requiring the labeling of food produced with genetic engineering. The new rule is scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2016.

The final rule provides details on how the “Produced with Genetic Engineering” label should appear on processed food, exemptions from the labeling requirement, and contains enforcement provisions for violations of the law.

cfsafThe Coalition for Safe Affordable Food (CFSAF) says the law will create more uncertainty for consumers in Vermont.

“Grocery shoppers across Vermont can look forward to a labeling system that leaves them with more questions than answers,” said CFSAF spokesperson Claire Parker. “These new rules will create the least transparent, most complex food labeling system in the United States.”

Parker says the law includes “a honeycomb of carve-outs and exemptions” that will increase consumer confusion. For example, she says, “a can of vegetable soup will have to be labeled but a can of vegetable beef soup will be exempt.”

CFSAF supports a national, uniform standard for food labeling. “The bipartisan Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act, introduced in Congress last month, is gaining momentum by the day,” said Parker. “The rules announced today in Vermont are the best evidence yet as to why this bill is so critically needed.”

June 1st for Conservation Compliance Certification

John DavisAgribusiness, Conservation, USDA

usda-logoFarmers are reminded of the June 1st deadline to certify their conservation compliance. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) says producers are required to file a Highly Erodible Land Conservation and Wetland Conservation Certification form (AD-1026) with their local USDA service center by the deadline to become or remain eligible for crop insurance premium support.

Most farmers already have a certification form on file since it’s required for participation in most USDA programs such as marketing assistance loans, farm storage facility loans and disaster assistance. However farmers, such as specialty crop growers who receive federal crop insurance premium support, but may not participate in other USDA programs, also must now file a certification form to maintain their crop insurance premium support.

“USDA employees are working very hard to get the word out about this new Farm Bill provision,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “While many producers will not need to take action, we want to help make sure that those who are required to act do so by the June 1 deadline. We want all eligible producers to be able to maintain their ability to protect their operations with affordable insurance.”

Producers should visit their local USDA service center and talk with their crop insurance agent before the June 1, 2015, deadline to ask questions, get additional information or learn more about conservation compliance procedures.

Farm Bureau Endorses Bill to Sink WOTUS Rule

Jamie JohansenAg Group, environment, Farm Bureau, Government, water

Farm-bureauThe American Farm Bureau Federation asked Congress to pass legislation ordering the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to withdraw the controversial “Waters of the United States” proposal.

In a letter copied to all members of Congress, AFBF President Bob Stallman wrote that the Regulatory Integrity Protection Act of 2015 represents an opportunity for Congress to take “the first important step toward resolving this issue fairly.” The bill was approved this week by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, chaired by Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.)

If the legislation does not pass and EPA moves forward with a final rule, the likeliest result would be landowners “being forced to engage in expensive litigation to protect their rights.”

Farm Bureau also called into question a “Dear Colleague” letter circulating on Capitol Hill that mentions the American Farm Bureau by name. That letter states that delaying the rule would be “bad for farmers.”

“Because our name has been used, we feel obliged to make our position clear,” Stallman wrote. “Our members overwhelmingly oppose this rule. It is a bad rule for farmers. There is no question about that. Anyone who alleges the opposite either misunderstands the rule or misunderstands farming.”

AFBF also questioned the “Dear Colleague” letter’s assertion that delaying the WOTUS rule would leave “many of our nation’s waters unprotected.”

“As a matter of record, EPA has made repeated statements that the proposed rule does not expand its jurisdiction, while its proponents take the view … that without the rule, waters would be left unprotected. Proponents (of the WOTUS rule) cannot have it both ways.”

Farm Bureau believes without question that the WOTUS rule expands EPA’s authority beyond congressional intent and the limits imposed by two Supreme Court opinions. Among other provisions, AFBF said the proposed rule improperly extends federal regulation to isolated waters and, in cases, regulates land use under the guise of the WOTUS rule. The organization commended Chairman Shuster and the committee for their effort to draft and approve the bill for wider congressional consideration.

FAPRI: Modest Changes in Prospective Plantings

John DavisAgribusiness, Government, Planting, USDA

fapri-logoA new report shows little difference from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) annual Prospective Plantings information. The report from the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute at the University of Missouri (FAPRI-MU) is also consistent with what FAPRI-MU released in March.

· For the current 2014/15 marketing year, projected corn, soybean and wheat prices are almost the same as in the March update. The marketing year average price is projected to be $3.71 per bushel for corn, $10.11 for soybeans and $6.06 for wheat.

· The 2014/15 sorghum price is now projected at $3.99 per bushel, up from previous estimates. Strong export sales to China have allowed sorghum to sell at a premium to corn.

· The 2014/15 rice price projection is reduced to $14.00 per hundredweight this month, primarily because USDA reported a sharp drop in the monthly rice price for February.

· USDA’s report indicates farmers intend to plant slightly more corn and soybeans than FAPRI-MU projected last month. Assuming final plantings match these intentions, projected 2015/16 prices average $3.86 per bushel for corn and $9.17 per bushel for soybeans, both down slightly from the March estimates.

· Longer term price prospects are little changed from last month. For most crops, projections for 2016/17 and beyond are very close to those reported in March.

Producers had to pick whether they would use the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program for the life of the 2014 farm bill. Payments under each of the program options are very sensitive to crop prices. Different expectations about future crop prices will lead to different expectations about future payments under the programs.

Paperless Fertilizer Tonnage Reporting

Jamie JohansenAgGateway, Agribusiness, sustainability

Screen Shot 2015-04-15 at 1.25.20 PMThe Paperless Fertilizer Tonnage Reporting Initiative is now providing expert guidance and tailored resources to help companies increase their operating efficiencies by moving to paperless reporting. The initiative, which is a collaborative effort of AgGateway, The Fertilizer Institute (TFI), the Association of American Plant Food Control Officials (AAPFCO) and the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA), is working with companies and state officials to achieve nationwide implementation of paperless reporting by the end of 2016. With nationwide implementation, the industry will benefit from a uniform reporting system that is faster, less error prone and more efficient, resulting in cost-savings and better use of human resources.

“The initiative is in full swing, with five states now fully on board, two others following soon, and about 30 additional states teeing up to start the process,” said Lila Brown, implementation expert for the initiative and president of Crystal Certified Solutions, Inc. “Companies should contact their states now to ask when they will begin accepting tonnage data in a paperless format.”

Brown encouraged companies to take full advantage of the resources posted in the ‘Get Connected’ section of the initiative website. These resources include a one-hour implementation webinar, a reporting readiness assessment, a new beta file validation tool, and other products to ensure a smooth transition to paperless reporting.

AgWorks Software Partners with CDMS

Cindy Zimmermanagronomy, AgWorks, Software

agworksAgWorks Software has announced a new partnership with CDMS, Inc. to provide crop protection compliance information within AgWorks’ new unified agronomy software.

Greg Duhachek, President of AgWorks says “CDMS represents the most complete and accurate compliance data available today and I am excited to bring access to this information seamlessly inside of our agronomy operational tools for our customers. This is another key step toward our vision of eradicating inefficiency in our customers’ daily work lives and driving down their liability risk.”

This partnership will allow AgWorks to better serve their customers by providing the most accurate and current product information available within the framework of their new unified agronomy management system for ag retailers called AgOS®.

Verdesian Life Sciences Introduces New Cereal Fungicide

John DavisAgribusiness, Fungicides

verdesianA new, phosphite-based fungicide is promising to fight Fusarium head blight (FHB) in wheat and barley. Verdesian Life Sciences‘ fungicide, Fungi-Phite® Cereals, is recommended for use in tandem with triazole fungicides that are currently labeled and widely used for suppression of FHB by grain producers.

From an economic standpoint, FHB is one of most devastating cereal diseases, being responsible for significant grain yield and quality losses on farms in at least 18 states. The mycotoxins or vomitoxins, collectively called DON, pose a serious threat to the health of humans and livestock when ingested.

Food industries throughout the U.S. incur losses from the cost of dealing with the toxin-contaminated grain that often accompanies FHB infection. Combined losses to all steps in the food system are difficult to estimate, but the cost at the farm gate alone is estimated to exceed 9 billion dollars since 1990.

“The addition of Fungi-Phite Cereals to the triazole fungicides helps provide an added layer of protection from DON,” said Ryan Bond, Ph.D., vice president of marketing and technical development for Verdesian Life Sciences. “Fungi-Phite Cereals, while it has no direct effect on FHB, it can suppress the expression of DON from the Fusarium.”

Verdesian officials say there are no other phosphite fungicides available in the cereals market, and the new product’s unique formulation makes it well suited for broad tank-mix compatibility.

FMC Corporation Joins Field to Market

Jamie JohansenAgribusiness, Company Announcement, FMC

fmc-logoFMC Corporation announced that it has joined Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, a multi-stakeholder initiative working to define, measure and advance the sustainability of food, fiber and fuel production in the United States.

“Sustainability is central to the way we work at FMC, whether we are enhancing food production or influencing the responsible management of natural resources,” said Mark Douglas, president, FMC Agricultural Solutions. “Field to Market offers a very significant opportunity for engagement in supporting the sustainability of agriculture as we seek to lessen our environmental footprint and broaden our sustainable product portfolio.”

Field to Market’s diverse membership of grower organizations, leading companies, academia, conservation groups and public sector partners provides a platform that unites the agricultural supply chain in creating opportunities for continuous improvement in productivity, environmental quality and human well-being.

“We are pleased to welcome FMC to our growing membership and look forward to collaborating on opportunities to help growers identify opportunities for continuous improvement and drive sustainable outcomes for commodity crop production,” said Rod Snyder, president of Field to Market. “FMC, which has a long history of delivering technology and innovation to the agriculture sector, will be a valuable partner for the supply chain as we work to advance sustainability at the farm level.

MapShots’ New Integration with Raven Slingshot

Jamie JohansenAgribusiness, AgStudio, Data, MapShots, Raven

Screen Shot 2015-01-12 at 8.52.55 AM

AgStudio users who also subscribe to Raven Industries’ Slingshot system will be able to automatically download data from Slingshot web accounts and Raven’s popular line of Field Computers because of the soon release of MapShots Inc.’s Service Pack 0. The data will be available in an improved, standardized and wireless form specifically designed for farm management information systems.

Previously, Raven users had to manually integrate field data into their AgStudio database using external cards or thumb drives. Now the data flow is streamlined. “Raven and MapShots strive to provide a seamless data flow from field to computer,” said Josh Skanderup, Product Manager, Slingshot for Raven Industries.

“Whether users have our older or newer computers, the file format coming from the field through Slingshot to AgStudio will be the same,” Skanderup continued. “Because it is invisible to the end user, they do not have to worry about managing different file formats. The data exchange is much easier and smoother.”

mapshots“We’ve had a great collaboration with MapShots and feel the Raven-MapShots integration will be beneficial for many growers and agricultural providers using the AgStudio platform.”

The MapShots Service Pack 0 will be a major update, according to Ingram. The company has reworked the field op platform and changed how data is imported and read. “The end-user won’t notice much — it’s all under-the-hood stuff,” he said. “But the update will definitely increase speed and efficiency of the AgStudio platform.”

MapShots Service Pack 0 is the first of several planned AgStudio updates throughout the year. The Service Packs allow MapShots to release new features, tweak various aspects and make adjustments where appropriate during the year.

Listen to Chuck’s complete interview with Josh here: [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/raven/raven-mapshots-4-13-15.mp3″ text=”Interview with Josh Skanderup, Raven Industries”]

Forbes AgTech Summit Announced

Cindy Zimmermanbiotechnology, Data, Events, technology

forbes-agtechThe first-ever “Forbes Reinventing America: The AgTech Summit” will be held July 8-9 in Salinas Valley, California.

Forbes, in partnership with SVG Partners and The Steinbeck Innovation Cluster, has announced that Dr. Robert Fraley of Monsanto and Neal Gutterson of DuPont will be among the speakers at the invitation-only event to examine issues such as biotech and big data’s role in feeding a planet of eight billion people,

“As the nation’s largest producer of fresh food and a burgeoning ag-tech hub, the city of Salinas is excited to host some of the top leaders and innovators in agriculture and technology this July,” said Joe Gunter, Mayor of Salinas. “‘The AgTech Summit’ will be an important milestone not only for the Salinas Valley, but also the global ag-tech industry. We believe our tremendous strengths in agriculture and close proximity to Silicon Valley uniquely position our region as a hotbed for this industry.”

Partners and sponsors for the summit include Silicon Valley Global Partners, The Steinbeck Innovation Foundation, the City of Salinas and Dole.

Request an invitation to the event here.