ASA Seeks Scholarship Candidates

Kelly MarshallAg Group, ASA, Education, Scholarship

asaThe American Soybean Association (ASA) is offering a $5,000 scholarship to a high school senior interested in pursuing agriculture.

Students pursuing a degree in an agriculture field at an accredited college or university in 2017-18 are eligible to apply. The scholarship is made possible by a grant from BASF.   Online registration is Sept. 12 through November 21, 2016.

“ASA is thankful to once again partner with BASF and offer this opportunity to an exceptional student pursuing a career in ag,” said ASA President Richard Wilkins, Greenwood, Del. “It’s important to encourage young people who are interested in agriculture and provide them with tools to help them succeed.”

Lara Thompson was the ASA’s first Soy Scholarship recipient in 2008. She nows works as a cropping systems and agriculture technologies extension educator for the Nebraska Extension. Thompson credits the scholarship with helping her on her chosen career path.

“Receiving the SOY scholarship allowed me to focus on my studies and take advantage of opportunities, such as extracurricular activities, rather than having to worry about finances. Being able to attending the Commodity Classic was an added benefit,” Thompson said. “At the Commodity Classic I was exposed to many different aspects of agriculture and met many interesting people – this really broadened my horizons and enriched my understanding of agriculture.”

The scholarship is presented in $2,500 increments per semester. The student must be a child or grandchild of a current state affiliate and ASA member, maintain successful academic progress and be in good standing with the college or university to receive the full amount of the scholarship.

Final selection will be made the first week of December during the ASA Board meeting. The student will be notified prior to an official announcement made during Commodity Classic in San Antonio, Texas the week of March 2-4, 2017.

“BASF, like ASA, is excited to support and help prepare the next generation of agriculture professionals,” said Neil Bentley, director of marketing, US Crop, BASF. “This scholarship program is a way to reward students interested in our industry and excel in their studies.”

Raven Tests Sidekick Pro with Engenia Herbicide

Kelly MarshallAgribusiness, Audio, Farm Progress Show, Herbicides

fps16-basf-ravenWhen Engenia™ herbicide receives regulatory approval, it is expected to have one of the most detailed labels ever for the application of a crop protection product and BASF has done extensive testing to determine the best methods of application.

One product that has received the seal of approval is Raven’s Sidekick Pro™ direct injection system and company representative Denton Schwiesow was on hand at the Farm Progress Show to talk about it. “We have been through the process of testing compatibility with the Engenia product with the pump itself,” he said. “There’s no issues there and we’re ready to go when the market’s ready to go.”

Schwiesow says that Sidekick direct injection has been out for a long time but it offers new benefits for farmers in light of increased label requirements, such as an automatic rinse system. “You can simply turn off your injection pump and you only have to worry about cleaning out your wet boom,” he explained. “That’s going to save operators a lot of time.”

Learn more in this interview: [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/fps-16-basf-raven.mp3″ text=”Interview with Denton Schwiesow, Raven”]

2016 Farm Progress Show Photos

FS Puts 4R in Focus at #FarmProgressShow

Lizzy SchultzAg Group, Agribusiness, Crop Nutrition, Crop Protection, Farm Progress Show, Growmark, Nitrogen, Nutrient Management

fps-16-growmark-tim Nutrient management and stewardship was a hot topic at the 2016 Farm Progress Show, and the team from GROWMARK and the FS System was on hand during this year’s event to speak with growers about a variety of innovative solutions to all of their nutrient management concerns.

Tim Berkland, Strategic Agronomy Marketing Manager for GROWMARK, sat down with AgWired’s Cindy Zimmerman to discuss some of the company’s latest nutrient management programs, including N-Watch , which pulls different soil samples at different times of the year to get a comprehensive soil profile for growers to stay as informed as possible when moving forward with nutrient management strategies.

“Nitrogen is so variable, it’s so weather dependent and changes from year to year, and N-Watch is just one program that we’re using to help growers dial in their nitrogen program,” said Berkland. “We work with growers on strategizing and building a nutrient plan, trying to place those nutrients at the right place and the right time while using the right source and the right.”

Learn more in Cindy’s full interview with Tim here:
[wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/fps16-growmark-tim.mp3″ text=”Interview with Tim Berkland, GROWMARK”]

New Holland 2016 Farm Progress Photo Album

Coverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by Coverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by John DeereCoverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by GrowmarkCoverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by Bayer CropScience

Bayer-Monsanto Deal, Has Your Opinion Changed?

Jamie JohansenZimmPoll

zp-nh1Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “How long until we have autonomous tractors on the market??”

Both New Holland and Case IH debuted autonomous concept tractors during the Farm Progress Show. It seems many believe we will see these tractors on the marketplace sooner than later.

Here are the poll results:

  • Very soon – 30%
  • 5 years out – 27%
  • 10 years out – 14%
  • 20 years out – 18%
  • Never – 8%
  • Other – 3%

Our new ZimmPoll is live and asks the question, What’s your opinion of the Bayer-Monsanto deal?

The mega merger between Bayer AG and Monsanto Company was officially announced this week. We did a ZimmPoll on the topic back in May, but now that it is a done deal, we thought it would be good to do it again and see if we get the same results.

CFI Forms Coalition for Responsible Gene Editing

Kelly MarshallAg Group, Genetics

CFIThe Center for Food Integrity (CFI) is working to create the Coalition for Responsible Gene Editing in Agriculture. The organization will comprise a diverse group of stakeholders committed to growing public trust in the field of agriculture and food production.

“Without a doubt, gene editing is one of the transformational innovations of the decade and has tremendous potential to benefit society and agriculture,” said Terry Fleck, executive director of CFI.

Science Magazine referred to a specific gene editing technology as the 2015 Breakthrough of the Year, and the MIT Technology Review listed it as one of its “10 Innovations That Could Change the World.” The technology has the potential to improve animal health and well-being through resistance to disease, reduction of the need for painful procedures, and development of desirable traits. Gene editing can also be used to increase agriculture’s productivity and help sustainably meet the demands of a growing global population, said Fleck.

“The new coalition will consider key steps to ensure the responsible use of the technology that earns consumer trust. The goals of the coalition include developing stewardship guidelines, engaging stakeholders and involving a broad-base of those engaged in gene editing,” Fleck said. These efforts will be guided by core values that address food safety, sustainability, environmental impact, animal well-being, transparency, science, economic viability, consumer trust and respectful collaboration. “While there has been limited consumer or food system discussion to date, transparency and responsible practices will be critical to earn trust in this important technology.”

CFI will continue their tradition of leadership by recruiting industry members involved in academia, plant and animal genetic companies, agriculture and food system stakeholders and NGOs focused on the public interest. To learn more about the coalition or learn how to become involved contact J.J. Jones, (816) 556-3131 or JJ.Jones@FoodIntegrity.org.

Beck’s Knows #Seed

Kelly MarshallAgribusiness, Audio, Farm Progress Show, seed

becks Beck’s Hybrids is the largest family owned, independent seed company in the U.S. and they recently celebrated their second season as part of the Farm Progress Show.

AgWired took the opportunity to speak with Jim Gumpert, an area team leader in Iowa, to talk about what it is Beck’s offers. It seems the answer is- pretty much everything. The company has a working relationship with all the major research and commercial seed organization: Monsanto, DuPont Pioneer, Syngenta, Bayer, and BASF. They literally offer growers a complete lineup of corn, soybean and wheat products.

They’re also always on the look out for what’s new. Right now that includes packages for Enlist products, as well as Extend soybeans. Beck’s also has research stations dedicated to improving crop genetics.

To learn more about Beck’s, listen to Clint’s full interview here: [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/FPS16-Becks-Gumpert.mp3″ text=”Interview with Jim Gumpert, Beck’s”]

2016 Farm Progress Show Photos

Coverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by Coverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by John DeereCoverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by GrowmarkCoverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by Bayer CropScience

Bayer and Monsanto Reach Merger Agreement

Kelly MarshallAgribusiness, Audio, Bayer CropScience, Company Announcement, Monsanto

bayer-monsanto-mergerBayer and Monsanto have announced today that they have reached a definitive merger agreement.

Under the terms of the agreement Bayer will acquire Monsanto for $128 USD per share in an all-cash transaction.  This has been unanimously approved by Monsanto’s Board of Directors, Bayer’s Board of Management and Bayer’s Supervisory Board.

“We are pleased to announce the combination of our two great organizations. This represents a major step forward for our Crop Science business and reinforces Bayer’s leadership position as a global innovation driven Life Science company with leadership positions in its core segments, delivering substantial value to shareholders, our customers, employees and society at large,” said Werner Baumann, CEO of Bayer AG.

“Today’s announcement is a testament to everything we’ve achieved and the value that we have created for our stakeholders at Monsanto. We believe that this combination with Bayer represents the most compelling value for our shareowners, with the most certainty through the all-cash consideration,” said Hugh Grant, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Monsanto.

The combination of Seeds & Traits from Monsanto, the Climate Corporation platform, and Bayer’s Crop Protection line forms a comprehensive company.  Growers should see benefit from a broad set of solutions across the growing season.  By combining the two R&D platforms the annual research budget will be approximately 2.5 billion EUR, making it possible to accelerate innovation and provide an optimized product suite supported by digital farming applications.

“The agriculture industry is at the heart of one of the greatest challenges of our time: how to feed an additional 3 billion people in the world by 2050 in an environmentally sustainable way. It has been both companies’ belief that this challenge requires a new approach that more systematically integrates expertise across Seeds, Traits and Crop Protection including Biologicals with a deep commitment to innovation and sustainable agriculture practices,” said Liam Condon, member of the Board of Management of Bayer AG and head of the Crop Science Division.

Bayer intends to finance the transaction with a combination of debt and equity. The equity component of approximately USD 19 billion is expected to be raised through an issuance of mandatory convertible bonds and through a rights issue with subscription rights. Bridge financing for USD 57 billion is committed by BofA Merrill Lynch, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, HSBC and JP Morgan.

Bayer has a proven track record of disciplined deleveraging after large acquisitions and believes that the strong cash flows of the combined business will contribute to improving its financial profile. Bayer targets an investment grade credit rating post-closing and is committed to the single “A” credit rating category over the long-term.

“We are entering a new era in agriculture – one with significant challenges that demand new, sustainable solutions and technologies to enable growers to produce more with less. This combination with Bayer will deliver just that – an innovation engine that pairs Bayer’s crop protection portfolio with our world-class seeds and traits and digital agriculture tools to help growers overcome the obstacles of tomorrow. Together Monsanto and Bayer will build on our proud tradition and respective track records of innovation in the agriculture industry, delivering a more comprehensive and broader set of solutions to growers,” said Grant.

The agreement is subject to customary closing conditions.  Finalization is expected by the end of 2017.

Officials with Bayer AG and Monsanto Company held a press conference this morning on the announced merger agreement.

Participants in the press conference included Werner Baumann, CEO of Bayer AG; Hugh Grant, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Monsanto (both pictured here); and Liam Condon, head of the Crop Science Division.

Download and listen here: [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/bayer-monsanto-deal-1.mp3″ text=”Press conference on Bayer-Monsanto deal – opening comments”]

GROWMARK Buzzing for Pollinator Program

Lizzy SchultzAg Group, Agribusiness, Audio, Growmark, pollinators, sustainability

growmark-16-ruppert GROWMARK has made an ongoing commitment to ensuring the financial and environmental sustainability of the solutions they offer their growers, and their commitment to sustainability was made evident through several of the programs discussed last week during the GROWMARK Annual Meeting and Agribusiness Symposium. Lance Ruppert, Director of Agronomy Marketing, sat down during the meeting to discuss several of the company’s major sustainability initiatives, including the ENDURE 4R Advocate Award and the new pollinator program.

“In general, agriculture hasn’t done the best at getting the message out there about letting people know what we’re doing from a proactive standpoint, so a large part of these initiatives comes from our want to get our message out and show how we’re actively going our part and being stewards of the land,” he said during an interview with AgWired.

The GROWMARK pollinator program gotten some great “buzz” throughout the industry this year. GROWMARK donated 10 pounds of pollinator-friendly flower seed mix to member companies, encouraging them to plant, give away, or promote the planting of the flower seeds in whatever ways they could imagine. The program has been a huge success, and several 4H pollinator programs have stemmed off of it this year.

“It really engaged our people, and we even started an employee pollinator program. By the end of the season we had 24 different sites where our employees were planting seeds,” said Ruppert.

Learn more in Lizzy’s full interview with Lance here:
[wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/growmark-16-rupert.mp3″ text=”Interview with Lance Ruppert, GROWMARK”]

View and download photos from the event here: 2016 GROWMARK Annual Meeting & Agribusiness Symposium Photo Album

Global Update on BASF Maglis

Cindy Zimmermanagronomy, Audio, BASF, Data, technology

basf-media-16-maglisBASF held the global launch of Maglis at the 2016 Commodity Classic and the global media got an update on the online agricultural platform during a press event last week in Germany.

Dr. Matthias Nachtmann, head of BASF’s agIT project team, says they had a good initial launch of the Maglis Customer Navigator in North America. “We’re really excited by the feedback and looking forward to 2017 now,” said Nachtmann. “The plan is now to make Maglis Customer Navigator broadly available under the roof of the GrowSmart initiative where we connect our physical products together with our sales team in the field.”

BASF is continuing its investment in the development of mobile decision-making tools for farmers and working with other developers for integration with other platforms. “We differentiate by actual agronomic insights,” said Nachtmann. “We’d love to provide it with our Maglis platform. We’re also ready to provide it to other farm management systems, for example John Deere.”

Learn more about Maglis in this interview: [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/basf-media-16-maglis.mp3″ text=”Interview with Matthias Nachtmann, BASF”]

BASF Global Press Conference Photo Album

Raven Shows Off Integrated Solutions at FPS

Kelly MarshallAgribusiness, Audio, Farm Progress Show, Raven

raven One of the best parts of the Farm Progress Show is the opportunity to learn about all the new offerings in agriculture. Raven Industries agrees, taking the time to meet with growers and let them know what’s out there, as well as what’s coming. AgWired got the chance to talk to Nick Langerock at this year’s show and he told us the most important thing they’re offering is a range of products that mesh well together.

Raven offers a variety of systems, like monitors, guidance, nozzles, and boom controls, but the company knows customers get the most out of what they have when it melds seamlessly together. It’s all about efficiencies, really, Langerock says. In this era of farming, technology needs to have both a friendly user interface and the ability to move that data from pieces of equipment that translate into actual product control.

Listen to Clint’s interview with Raven to learn how that might look on your farm. [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/FPS16-Raven-Wyrick.mp3″ text=”Interview with Nick Langerock, Raven”]

2016 Farm Progress Show Photos

Coverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by Coverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by John DeereCoverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by GrowmarkCoverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by Bayer CropScience