Happy Pollinator Week!

AgWired Precision, Bayer, Bees, pollinators

The birds and the bees, the bats and the butterflies, and the Bayer Blue Ribbon beekeepers are all in the spotlight this week for the 12th annual National Pollinator Week celebration.

Pollinator Week was initiated and is managed by Pollinator Partnership. Twelve years ago the U.S. Senate’s unanimous approval and designation of a week in June as “National Pollinator Week” marked a necessary step toward addressing the urgent issue of declining pollinator populations.

The Bayer Bee Care Program is celebrating National Pollinator Week by honoring those who are working hard to support bees and other pollinators around the country. The company announced Blue Ribbon Beekeepers to recognize the outstanding achievements of young people who have made a positive impact on their communities through beekeeping or pollinator-related research.

These Blue Ribbon Beekeepers include past winners of the annual Bayer Bee Care Program Young Beekeeper Award, as well as other outstanding up-and-comers in the beekeeping industry. The inductees are:

Catherine Trusky, 17, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Hayden Chrisman, 17, of Commerce, Texas
Jake Reisdorf, 16, of Carmel, California,
Jonathan “JD” Murphy, 18, of Denison, Texas
Kate Riding, 15, of Redmond, Oregon
Leo Schirokauer, 18, of Shaker Heights, Ohio
Tucker Leck, 12, of Neodesha, Kansas

Learn more about them from Bayer.

New Dates for New Ag International InfoAg in Brazil

AgWired Precision, Biostimulants, Biotech, Events, New Ag International, Precision Agriculture

New Ag International is looking forward to taking two concurrent conferences to Brazil in August 2019.

InfoAg International Conference & Exhibition, a three-day event jointly organised with the International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI), will run in Campinas, São Paulo State, Brazil from 28-30 August 2019. These are new dates.

This event will run concurrently with the largest biocontrol event in Latin America. After the successful Biocontrol LATAM 2016 in Brazil and 2018 in Colombia, the industry is gathering back in Brazil. New Ag International will be taking its Biocontrol LATAM Conference and Exhibition to Campinas Wed 28 – Fri 30 August.

The deadline for the Early Bird Rate ends this Friday June 14, so please register online now to save.

USDA Picks Kansas City as New Home for ERS, NIFA

AgWired Animal, AgWired Energy, AgWired Precision, USDA

The Kansas City area will be the new home for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Economic Research Service (ERS) and National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), according to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue.

“Following a rigorous site selection process, the Kansas City Region provides a win win – maximizing our mission function by putting taxpayer savings into programmatic outputs and providing affordability, easy commutes, and extraordinary living for our employees,” said Secretary Perdue. “The Kansas City Region has proven itself to be hub for all things agriculture and is a booming city in America’s heartland. There is already a significant presence of USDA and federal government employees in the region, including the Kansas City ‘Ag Bank’ Federal Reserve. This agriculture talent pool, in addition to multiple land-grant and research universities within driving distance, provides access to a stable labor force for the future. The Kansas City Region will allow ERS and NIFA to increase efficiencies and effectiveness and bring important resources and manpower closer to all of our customers.”

USDA conducted a Cost Benefit Analysis and conservative estimates show a savings of nearly $300 million nominally over a 15-year lease term on employment costs and rent or about $20 million per year, which will allow more funding for research of critical needs like rural prosperity and agricultural competitiveness, and for programs and employees to be retained in the long run, even in the face of tightening budgets. On top of that, state and local governments offered generous relocation incentives packages totaling more than $26 million. Finally, this relocation will give USDA the opportunity to attract a diverse staff with training and interest in agriculture. You may click HERE to view USDA’s Cost Benefit Analysis.

“We did not undertake these relocations lightly, and we are doing it to enhance long-term sustainability and success of these agencies. The considerable taxpayer savings will allow us to be more efficient and improve our ability to retain more employees in the long run. We will be placing important USDA resources closer to many stakeholders, most of whom live and work far from Washington, D.C. In addition, we are increasing the probability of attracting highly-qualified staff with training and interests in agriculture, many of whom come from land-grant universities. We look forward to this new chapter as we seek to fulfill our motto at USDA, which is to ‘do right and feed everyone,’” added Secretary Perdue.

Manure Constituent Sensing Available with John Deere Feature

AgWired Animal, AgWired Precision, Equipment, John Deere, Nutrient Management, Precision Agriculture, technology

A new feature from John Deere allows producers and commercial service providers to measure N, P, and K values in liquid manure applied as fertilizer.

The John Deere HarvestLab™ 3000 with Manure Constituent Sensing analyzes liquid manure 4,000 times per second to provide laboratory-quality values for important nutrient constituents to help producers manage their total fertilizer program.

According to John Mishler, precision ag tactical marketing manager for John Deere, the HarvestLab 3000 infrared sensor used to evaluate nutrient characteristics of forage crops and feed can now be used to provide accurate values for major constituents found in liquid manure used for fertilizer. “The system provides accurate, real-time values for total nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen, potassium, phosphorous and dry matter content of the manure as it’s applied to the field,” Mishler explained. “This enables the operator to manually or automatically adjust the volume based on the nutrient values to meet specific nutrient targets or goals for their fields, and possibly save on commercial fertilizers.”

Read more about HarvestLab here.

Iowa Farmer Represents Corn Growers with Pres. Trump

AgWired Energy, AgWired Precision, Audio, Corn, Ethanol, NCGA

National Corn Growers Association First Vice President Kevin Ross represented corn growers in hosting President Trump for a tour of Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy ethanol plant in Council Bluffs, Iowa Tuesday. Ross farms in nearby Minden and sells corn to the ethanol plant.

The visit was an opportunity for NCGA to thank the President for following through on the commitment to allow for year-round sales of E15, a priority for corn farmers. On May 31, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule for E15. In addition to increasing demand for farmers, higher blends of renewable fuels such as E15 reduce fuel prices for drivers by three to ten cents per gallon and result in lower emissions, improving air quality and providing greater greenhouse gas reductions.

Ross also urged President Trump to address EPA’s waivers to large refiners that are undermining the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and work with members of Congress to pass an infrastructure bill.

Listen to Kevin’s remarks and an interview with him below:

SIRE plant remarks by NCGA officer Kevin Ross, Iowa

Interview with Kevin Ross, NCGA 1st VP

President Trump at Iowa Ethanol Plant Photo Album

WASDE Lowers Corn Forecast

AgWired Energy, AgWired Precision, Audio, Corn, USDA

USDA’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report for June sharply lowered the forecast for U.S. corn production this year.

Corn production for 2019/20 is forecast to decline 1.4 billion bushels to 13.7 billion, which if realized would be the lowest since 2015/16.Unprecedented planting delays observed through early June are expected to prevent some plantings and reduce yield prospects. USDA will release its Acreage report on June 28, which will provide survey-based indications of planted and harvested area. With sharply lower supplies, use is projected to decline 425 million bushels to 14.3 billion, based on reductions to feed and residual use and exports. With supplies falling more than use, ending stocks are projected to decline 810 million bushels to 1.7 billion, which if realized would be the lowest since 2013/14. The season-average farm price is raised 50 cents to $3.80 per bushel.

The latest crop progress report shows corn planting most delayed in Ohio (50%), Michigan, South Dakota, Indiana, and Illinois. In Iowa, where this photo was taken this week, 93 percent of the crop is in the ground, but only 73 percent is emerged and half of that is rated fair to very poor.

Yesterday’s MGEX Crop Report Conference Call featured commentary on the report from Randy Martinson of Martinson Ag Risk Management. Listen here.

President Signs Biotechnology Order

AgWired Animal, AgWired Energy, AgWired Precision, Biotech

During his visit to an Iowa ethanol plant yesterday, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to Modernize the Regulatory Framework for Agricultural Biotechnology Products. The order encourages biotechnology innovation, ensures coordination across regulatory agencies, and safely enables billions of people across the world to reap the benefits of American biotechnology crops.

“Throughout our history, farmers have always led the way,” said President Trump. “We will never stop fighting for our farmers.”

Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue was with the president in Iowa and applauded the new executive order.

“Our current regulatory framework has impeded innovation instead of facilitating it. With this Executive Order, President Trump is once again putting America first and setting us on a course to modernize our regulatory framework so that it works for our farmers, ranchers, and consumers. We need all the tools in the toolbox to meet the challenge of feeding everyone now and into the future – if we do not put these safe biotechnology advances to work here at home, our competitors in other nations will,” said Secretary Perdue. “Science-based advances in biotechnology have great promise to enhance rural prosperity and improve the quality of life across America’s heartland and around the globe. I applaud President Trump for signing this important Executive Order that will help America’s farmers do what we aspire to do at USDA: Do Right and Feed Everyone.”

President Trump Celebrates Ethanol With Farmers

AgWired Animal, AgWired Energy, AgWired Precision, Audio, Corn, Ethanol, Exports, NCGA, RFA

President Donald J. Trump brought a hopeful message to farmers in the Midwest on Tuesday with an appearance at Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy ethanol plant to celebrate year round sales of E15.

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) introduced the president, and Trump in turn brought Iowa farmer and National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) first vice president Kevin Ross up to the stage to tell his story. President Trump also gave the microphone to a SIRE plant worker and a regional E15 retailer.

The president touted many administration accomplishments for farmers, including disaster assistance, and talked about the USMCA and China tariffs.

Listen to it all here:
President Donald Trump at SIRE ethanol plant

President Trump at Iowa Ethanol Plant Photo Album

House Agriculture Committee Unveils New Website

AgWired Animal, AgWired Energy, AgWired Precision, Government, Website

The House Agriculture Committee has launched a new website with an updated design that is compatible with phones, tablets and desktops.

The new website can be found at the same link: agriculture.house.gov.

“I’m proud of our new website, that makes it easier for folks to navigate and find out what the committee is up to,” said Chairman Collin C. Peterson. “We’ve taken a modern approach that works on all devices and with this new platform, the people we fight for are able to find the critical information they need.”

The new site also features rebranded committee imaging as well as links to the committee’s YouTube, Twitter and Instagram accounts.

World Food Prize Winner Announced

AgWired Precision, Award, Vegetables, World Food Prize

The 2019 World Food Prize Laureate is Simon N. Groot of the Netherlands. Groot has played an important role in enhancing vegetable production for millions of smallholder farmers, affording consumers greater access to healthy diets in more than 60 countries.

The announcement was made at a ceremony in the U.S. Department of State hosted and presided over by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Acting Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Manisha Singh gave remarks, and Ambassador Kenneth M. Quinn, president of the World Food Prize Foundation, made Mr. Groot’s award public.

“Like Dr. Norman Borlaug before him, Simon N. Groot has dedicated his life to improving the livelihoods of millions around the world,” said Amb. Quinn. “With his partner in the Philippines, he began developing vegetable varieties with enhanced disease resistance and significantly higher yields. As the use of his seeds spread throughout the Philippines and to Thailand, Indonesia and across Southeast Asia, farmers’ daily lives were uplifted and consumers benefited from greater access to nutritious vegetables. Mr. Groot in effect developed a stunningly impactful global network of seed producers who are transforming the lives of 20 million farmers every year. For this extraordinary accomplishment, he truly deserves to be named the 2019 World Food Prize Laureate.”

Mr. Groot is the founder and leader of East-West Seed, which serves over 20 million smallholder farmers in more than 60 tropical countries. Many farmers in these areas were subsistence farmers who now enjoy more income and better lives as a result.

“The awarding of the World Food Prize to a vegetable seedsman is reason for excitement and gratitude,” Groot said. “But the ultimate recognition is for the millions of smallholder farmers that stepped up farming from a way of living to building a business. Small scale vegetable farming is a great way to grow rural income and employment and improve nutrition at the same time. Partnering modern science with a long tradition of Dutch seedsmanship has contributed mightily to the growth of the vegetable farming industry of tropical Asia in the last 35 years. Now it is the turn for tropical Africa where again quality vegetable seeds combined with major farmer knowledge transfer programs can create sustainable income for the next generation of African farmers.”

Mr. Groot will receive the World Food Prize at a ceremony that will be held in the magnificent Iowa State Capitol building in Des Moines, Iowa, on the evening of October 17, 2019.