Alltech Mycotoxin Forecast

Jamie JohansenAgribusiness, Alltech, Corn, Forage, Nutrient Management, World Dairy Expo

wde-16-199-editedDr. Max Hawkins, Alltech nutritionist, is the one behind the scenes making sense of all the numbers and values collected from samples and creating the mycotoxin risk assessments. These assessments are sent out to the Alltech sales force and customer ensuring they get the most information back from a sample as possible. The World Dairy Expo was a perfect venue to get the latest mycotoxin forecast from one of the many experts at Alltech.

“We had a great growing season, but late summer and into the fall it has turned wet, wet, wet across major parts of the corn belt. It has slowed down maturity, it’s slowed down harvest. The longer a crop is exposed to those levels of moisture and high temperatures, mold flourishes and that’s what we are seeing right now.”

The Alltech Mycotoxin team is doing work right now on how varying mycotoxin levels can impact cow health and performance. At the end of the day, producers want to know what mycotoxins actually cost them. “We are looking at it from decreased milk production, increased somatic cell count and other cow health values we evaluate so we can begin get some numerical values.”

Listen to my complete interview with Dr. Hawkins to learn what harvesting at the correct maturity gives forages and how he identifies risk and determines a plan to do the least amount of harm as possible to the cow. [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/wde-16-alltech-hawkins.mp3″ text=”Interview with Dr. Max Hawkins, Alltech”]

View and download photos from the event here: 2016 World Dairy Expo Photo Album.

Coverage of World Dairy Expo is sponsored by
Coverage of World Dairy Expo is sponsored by New Holland

#AsktheFarmer with ASA Scheduled Wednesday

Kelly MarshallAg Group, ASA

ask-the-farmerThe American Soybean Association has teamed up with three famers to answer consumer questions about modern agriculture.  The discussion will take place live on Twitter on Wednesday, October 12, beginning at 8 a.m.  Questions can be tweeted to @ASA_Soybeans and will be answered by Kyle Bridegforth (@Kylebridge), Brad Kremer (@kremer_brad) and Jenny Roerich (@PrairieCA) through out the day. To follow the conversation, use the hashtag #AsktheFarmer.

Kyle Bridgeforth, Bridgeforth Farms, Tanner, Ala.—Kyle Bridgeforth is a fifth generation farmer from Tanner, Ala. He farms with his dad, uncle, brother and cousin on Bridgeforth Farms, where they grow double-crop wheat and soybeans, but also corn, canola, cotton and grain sorghum.

Brad Kremer, Hillcrest Family Farms, Pittsville, Wis.—Brad and his wife Nicole operate a family farm consisting of 1,200 acres of soybeans and 1,800 acres of corn, wheat and alfalfa. They also own a 400 animal dairy and a facility where they dry and store grain.

Jenny Rohrich, Rohrich Farms & Prairie Californian, Ashley, N.D.—Jenny Rohrich’s family farm consists of 1,000 acres of soybeans and 3,000 acres of other crops including corn, sunflowers and wheat. The Rohrichs farm with Jenny’s father-in-law, brother- in-law and occasionally their 88 year old grandfather. 

ASA invites farmers to spread the word and join in the conversation on Wednesday.

Eco-detector to Hunt GMOs in the Environment

Kelly MarshallGMO, Research, USDA

gmo-hunt While the agriculture community generally lauds the efforts of biotechnology in feeding the world, many doubt the technology’s safety.  That’s why Scott Egan with Rice University is leading an effort to detect GMOs in the environment.

Egan’s team is building a tool that will allow them to quantify and track the dispersal of genetically engineered crops and animals.  The developing technology lets researchers test water samples for DNA specific to modifications, like the Bt protein.

“Bt-corn is a good example,” Egan said. “This genetically modified corn has a gene from bacteria that kills some of the herbivorous insects that attack it. It’s a wonderful invention that lets us produce more corn per unit area.  But then that corn and the detritus — the leaves, stems and roots — get into the creek system. And lo and behold, a very close relative to the herbivores that attack the corn is the caddisfly, which lives within the aquatic system.”

Egan worries about the negative impacts damage to caddisflies would have on the ecosystem, and notes that a study has already found Bt proteins in the water systems of a county in Indiana.

“That’s the spirit behind the grant,” he said. “We have these wonderful (genetic) technologies but we should also have the tools to detect them if they get outside their intended ranges.”

The technology is being developed with consecutive grants totaling about $1 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, funneled through its Biotechnology Risk Assessment Research Grants. The funding has made possible an ambitious plan to outline where and how genetically modified organisms could impact nature.

It’s an interesting new technology that might have implications for those involved in agriculture.  You can follow these developments on Eagn’s website.

Failing to Meet UN ‘Zero Hunger’ Goals

Kelly MarshallAg Group, Food

ifpriThe United Nations set a Sustainable Development Goal to end hunger by 2030.  According to information provided by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the global community is not on course to meet this goal.  The study indicates that at the current rate of decline in hunger, more than 45 countries will still face food shortages by 2030, countries like India, Pakistan, Haiti, Yemen and Afghanistan.

“Simply put, countries must accelerate the pace at which they are reducing hunger or we will fail to achieve the second Sustainable Development Goal,” said IFPRI Director General Shenggen Fan. “Ending global hunger is certainly possible, but it’s up to all of us that we set the priorities right to ensure that governments, the private sector and civil society devote the time and resources necessary to meet this important goal.”

According to the report, seven countries had “alarming” levels of hunger, with The Central African Republic, Chad and Zambia at the top of that list.  Another 43 countries had “serious” hunger levels, including high-population countries like India, Nigeria and Indonesia.

There was some good news, along side the bad.  Hunger levels in developing nations, as measured by the Global Hunger Index, have fallen by 29 percent since the year 2000.  Twenty countries have reduced their GHI scores by more than 50 percent– countries like Rwanda, Cambodia and Myanmar.  Also encouraging is that, for the second year in a row, no developing countries have fallen into the “extremely alarming” category.

But declines in average hunger levels across regions or individual countries do not tell the whole story. The averages can mask lagging areas where millions are still hungry, demonstrating the need for data and targeted solutions for the communities facing the greatest need. Although the Latin America region has the lowest regional GHI score in the developing world, Haiti, for example, has the fourth highest GHI score at an “alarming” 36.9. Mexico has a low level of overall hunger, but also contains areas within its borders where child stunting—an indicator of child undernutrition—is relatively high.

“Whilst the world has made progress in the fight against hunger there are still 795 million people condemned to facing hunger every day of their lives,” said Dominic MacSorley, CEO of Concern Worldwide. “This is not just unacceptable, it is immoral and shameful. Resources like the Global Hunger Index provide us with a critical insight into the scale of the global hunger crisis. Agenda 2030 provides us with the ambition and commitment to reach zero hunger. We have the technology, knowledge and resources to achieve that vision. What is missing is both the urgency and the political will to turn commitments into action.”

Learn more about global hunger at https://www.ifpri.org/topic/global-hunger-index.

Proagrica Licenses Iteris for Analytics Platform

Kelly MarshallAgribusiness, Data, Iteris

iteris Iteris, Inc., has announced a lisencing deal with Proagrica for a subscription that would integrate their own weather, climatology and soil data into the Proagrica data and analytics platform for growers.

The Proagrica analytics platform for agribusiness that will integrate ClearAg data will enable the automated integration of farm-collected data from farming equipment, in-field sensors, crop input transactions, including seeds, crop care and fertilizers, as well as irrigation. By combining the information from Iteris that affects plant growth and health with this type of data and analytics from Proagrica, customers will have the insights they need to make critical decisions such as what to plant where, when to harvest and store crops, and how to optimally market their production.

“We help make agriculture more sustainable and productive with big data, predictive analytics and machine learning,” said Tom Blair, SVP of Agriculture and Weather Analytics at Iteris. “By choosing to integrate Iteris ClearAg weather, climatology and soil data into their analytics platform, Proagrica will be able to provide more accurate, comprehensive and timely agricultural insights that inform the decisions of growers and agribusinesses working hard to make the best use of arable land around the globe.”

proagricaProagrica‘s business intelligence platform will integrate the data feed from Iteris, offering real-time agriculture insight from world-wide datasets.

“The goal of our neutral intelligence platform is to empower growers and agribusinesses with critical insights derived from field-level and supply chain data, creating value for all participants in the supply chain,” said Graeme McCracken, Chief Operating Officer at Proagrica. “Plugging in this vast, proprietary set of weather, climatology and soil data from Iteris will make those insights more precise, accurate and contextually relevant for our customers.”

Annual AgGateway Conference in November

Kelly MarshallAgGateway, Events

aggateway-2016This year’s AgGateway Conference is being held at the Renaissance Orlando at Sea World, Orlando, Florida on November 7-10.  The program will focus on business and technological aspects of eConnectivity.  Attendees can expect interactive, technical sessions; a business track; general sessions; networking; and productivity and customer service through eConnectivity.  Early bird registration ends October 14.

The conference is expected to draw hundreds of business and IT professionals from across the ag industry to discuss ongoing activities and the latest resources in implementing eConnectivity between agricultural trading partners. The conference features great opportunities to network and advance eConnectivity in agriculture – in ag retail, crop protection, crop nutrition, seed, grain, feed, precision ag, specialty chemical, and more.

The new “business track” of sessions will explore value and return-on-investment (ROI) decisions involved in adopting the ADAPT conversion toolkit (interoperability in precision ag); adoption of new precision ag irrigation standards, and the value and ROI connected with data security and compliance. Other sessions of business interest include an Auto Identification Data Capture (AIDC)/barcoding forum, the AgGateway Global Network update, and education sessions on AgGateway eConnectivity resources and how to use them.

Speakers for the connference include Brad Keywell, CEO of Uptake; Todd Janzen, Janzen Agricultural Law; and Robert Blair, famers and Vice President of Agriculture for Measure.

“The annual conference is the best opportunity of the year to see – and take part in – connectivity activities that are changing the way producers and their trading partners will do business in the years ahead, from making order-to-invoice processes more powerful and cost efficient, to advances in precision agriculture,” said AgGateway President and CEO Wendy Smith. “It’s an ideal forum to bring colleagues and trading partners to learn about the substantial benefits ag companies are gaining through eConnectivity.”

Follow the conference at #AgGateway on Twitter.

Nufarm’s Seed Treatment Market Strengthened

Kelly MarshallAgribusiness, Nufarm, seed

NufarmColorLogo Nufarm is realigning to enhance the company’s focus on their broad seed treatment portfolio. As part of their “One Nufarm” strategy, the seed treatment and crop protection teams are combining. With this move, Nufarm’s hopes to expand their footprint with distribution and seed company partner.

”Nufarm will utilize a specialized team of seed treatment experts to supplement its broader crop protection sales team and multiply its efforts in the field,” explains Tim Birkel, vice president of seed treatment.

Already the company has completed construction on a seed treatment formulation lab in Illinois. The new lab adds to a manufacturing facility built in 2012. Mark Zhen, Ph.D., will serve as lead chemist at the new lab.

Over the last 10 years, Nufarm has invested in an array of technical and unique end-use seed treatment registrations, building the foundation for a strong and vibrant business segment. Today Nufarm has a broad portfolio of necessary single active ingredient seed treatment formulations, as well as proprietary combination products needed for down-stream seed treatment of cereals and soybeans.

Already six new seed treatment brands are slated for launch in time for the 2017 treatment season. The new products include the introduction of the Spirato lineup of registered custom blend soybean seed treatments, two more unique Sativa cereal combination products, and the introduction of the Salient brand of difenoconazole fungicide.

In addition, the new facility will also offer custom blends of seed treatments, designed specifically for the customer.

“Nufarm will continue to innovate and bring unique customer-focused solutions to market. Bringing the seed treatment and crop production sides together was the next crucial step the company needed to take to create ‘One Nufarm’ and better serve our customers,” said Andrew Seitz, vice president of customer brand and marketing for Nufarm Americas.

GROWMARK System Earns Ag Data Transparent Seal

Cindy ZimmermanAudio, Data, Data Collection, Growmark

ag-data-transparentGROWMARK has become the first agricultural cooperative system to earn the “Ag Data Transparent” seal for ag technology providers, which recognizes GROWMARK for its transparency working with farmers and the standards of privacy and security of data.

The Ag Data Transparency seal recognizes the GROWMARK System’s commitment to growers on how farm data is collected, where and how it’s stored and more. “When we work with our growers on collecting data, we want them to feel very confident that we’re going to protect their data,” said Lance Ruppert, GROWMARK director of agronomy marketing. The GROWMARK System’s MiField Applied Research initiative and FS AIS (Advanced Information Services) enterprise decision tool aid in the collection of field data that is then used to show successful management trends and assist with the development of agronomic recommendations.

Ruppert says GROWMARK and its retail FS member companies are dedicated to being open and honest with growers about the collection process and storage of their data. “We are a cooperative, so GROWMARK is owned by the FS member companies and those companies in turn are owned by growers,” said Ruppert. “So we do everything to help them.”

The evaluation and approval process considers many factors when assessing each company’s contracts with farmer data. The seal is awarded by an independent review organization comprised of industry groups, commodity organizations and ag technology providers known as the Ag Data Transparency Evaluator. This non-profit organization was created to give growers objective and clear insights into what data is being collected, who has access and who maintains ownership. More information is available at fb.org/agdatatransparent.

Learn more in this interview: [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/growmark-transparent-seal.mp3″ text=”Interview with Lance Ruppert, GROWMARK”]

Who’s Flocked to the iPhone 7?

Jamie JohansenZimmPoll

zp-nh1Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “How should U.S. normalize relations with Cuba?”

The U.S. Ag Coalition for Cuba represents about 120 national groups each working collectively on individual interests with the common goal of improving trade relations with Cuba. Cubans seek to normalize relations with the U.S. which would include the U.S. lifting the embargo, extending credit to Cuba ensuring future trade deals and opening borders allowing U.S. citizens to travel as tourists to Cuba. A strong majority agree both trade and tourism with Cuba are win, wins for our country.

Here are the poll results:

  • End trade embargo – 12%
  • Allow U.S. tourism in Cuba – 6%
  • Both – 76%
  • Neither – 6%

Our new ZimmPoll is live and asks the question, Will you be getting the new iPhone 7?

The new models of the iPhone are out, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. Chuck already has his 7 Plus and will be writing a review of it soon. We’d like to know if you have plans to own the newest thing from Apple. It has some exciting new features and some controversial ones like no ear bud connector. If you haven’t made up your mind then Google probably made the choice a little more difficult this week when they announced their phone, Pixel. But you can only get it on Verizon. So, please let us know your plans.

Pinnacle Agriculture Launches Mission Seed Solutions

Kelly MarshallAgribusiness, seed

mission-seed-solutionsA new proprietary seed company is being launched by Pinnacle Agriculture Distribution, Inc.  Mission Seed Solutions, LLC, will allow the growing ag retailer to focus on unique seed opportunities in corn and soybeans.

Pinnacle Agriculture has a major focus and investment in seed. Nearly one third of Pinnacle Agriculture’s business consists of seed sales, making them one of the most diverse full service ag retailers in the country. Pinnacle Agriculture also owns four seed manufacturing facilities where they annually produce rice, wheat and soybeans.

Andrew Duff, Vice President of Seed Strategy for Pinnacle Agriculture, will head up the new company. “This is an exciting day for us,” Duff says. “We pride ourselves on the fact that seed is strategically important to us, and we are constantly looking for ways to drive value in seed. Customers trust us with their seed decisions and we want to ensure our customers have access to the best products regardless of where they are located.”

Mission Seed Solutions is an extension of Pinnacle’s decision to “Lead with Seed.”  Last fall the company acquired eight independent regional seed companies.  This new investment follows 75 years of seed expertise in the retail sector.

The first corn and soybean products will be available this fall.