Field to Market Welcomes National Council of Farmer Coops

Kelly MarshallAgribusiness

fieldtomarketsustainabilityThe National Council of Farmer Cooperatives has joined Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture.  This initiative brings together a diverse group of agribusinesses in defining, measuring and advancing the sustainability of food, fiber and fuel production. NCFC represents nearly 3,000 farmer cooperatives in the U.S., whose members include the majority of the nations 2 million farmers and ranchers.

“Sustainability is an emerging priority for farmer cooperatives as we work to demonstrate how the U.S. agriculture industry is improving against key environmental goals and accelerate the pace of progress,” said Charles Conner, president and CEO of NCFC. “By joining Field to Market, we aim to provide tangible solutions to help co-ops respond to consumer and supply chain demands in areas such as sustainability, social responsibility and transparency.”

NCFC_logoWorking together with grower organizations, academia, conservation groups, public sector partners and leading companies, NCFC will help to catalyze opportunities for continuous improvement in productivity, environmental quality and human well-being across the agricultural value chain.

“Farmer cooperatives play a vital role in the food and agriculture sector and are a critical partner in advancing sustainability at the landscape level,” said Rod Snyder, president of Field to Market. “We are pleased to welcome NCFC to Field to Market and look forward to developing strategies for how co-ops can partner with the agricultural supply chain to help farmers improve their productivity, profitability and environmental outcomes.”

Raven Industries Adds Speed to Slingshot

Kelly MarshallAgribusiness, Equipment, technology

Field Hub 20_TopThe new Slingshot Field Hub 2.0 is beefing up Raven Industries‘ line of high speed modems. The modem boasts data speeds of up to 4G where available– ten times faster than other versions.  The new speeds mean faster data transfer, more reliable remote support sessions, and better connectivity with external devices.  The Slingshot has a WiFi option, allowing connection with other devices in the cab with no need for an additional cellular plan.

Currently the device is supported on the Verizon network, with support from other carriers, including AT&T and Bell, coming soon. The modem also works to enhance Raven’s newer field computers, including the Viper 4.

The Field Hub 2.0 comes in a modern, more compact package, making it easier to fit in the cab while still carrying forward the industrial strength and reliability that Slingshot users have grown accustomed to. The low loss primary and diversity antenna package ensures connectivity in even the most remote and challenging environments. As with all Field Hubs, it is GPS-enabled so that users can always locate and manage their unit through the Slingshot web portal.

“Data connectivity is incredibly important in modern agriculture, and professional operators today depend on it,” said Josh Skanderup, Product Manager for Slingshot. “The Field Hub 2.0 provides the speed and reliability Raven needs to continue building innovative, connected solutions.”

For growers using the current Field Hub solution, Raven will continue to ensure it remains a trusted and reliable solution.

House Ag Committee Passes Labeling Bill

Cindy Zimmermanbiotechnology, GMO, Government

The House Agriculture Committee today approved the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015 with bipartisan support.

conaway-headFirst introduced by Reps. Mike Pompeo (R-KS) and G.K. Butterfield (D-NC), the legislation has evolved through bipartisan discussions between the Agriculture Committee and the Energy and Commerce Committee. “I appreciate the collaborative efforts of the Energy and Commerce Committee in getting this bipartisan legislation completed and approved today. H.R. 1599 is the solution to an urgent and growing problem,” said committee chair Mike Conaway (R-TX) “Creating a uniform national policy regarding biotechnology labeling is the free market solution that will allow consumers access to meaningful information, create market opportunities for those on the production and processing side, and will facilitate future innovation.”

“The bill is a workable solution that will alleviate the potential mess of 50 states with 50 different labeling schemes,” added Ranking Member Collin Peterson (D-MN).

The bill was changed this week under an amendment in the nature of a substitute offered by Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) to ensure that milk could only be certified as non-GMO if the cows are fed non-biotech grain. “As a parent, I believe it is important to have national and reliable food labels and this bill does that by allowing for an effective, uniform labeling system that consumers can trust,” said Davis. “Just as consumers can go to the grocery store and identify organic products, this bill will allow them to do the same with GMO-free products.”

“Today’s committee approval of this legislation is a strong sign of the support for national food labeling legislation that gives consumers the information they want in a truthful, consistent manner, and we call on the full House to vote on this important bill before the August recess,” said Claire Parker, spokesperson for the Coalition for Safe Affordable Food.

The bill could be on the House floor as soon as next week but as of yet no companion bill has been introduced in the Senate.

Next Food Dialogues in Minneapolis

John DavisAg Group, Agribusiness, Food

FD_Minneapolis1Consumer concerns about the impact food production practices might have on their long-term health or the health of the planet will be the topic of the next Food Dialogues. The Aug. 11 event will be held in Minneapolis and will bring together a panel of leaders in the food space, including food and retail executives and farmers for a conversation about what more can be done to bridge the information gap between food production practices, consumer concerns on health and the environment, and the choices that are being made when sourcing food products.

“Farmers, ranchers and food executives have the ability to be even more connected to consumers than ever before,” said Gene Stoel, Soybean Grower and MN Soybean Research and Promotion Council Board Member. “Yet, more must and can be done. This Food Dialogue panel discussion will tackle tough questions related to food production – from GMO safety to animal welfare. Agriculturalists are seeking opportunities to speak directly with food companies, key decision makers and ultimately the consumer. Every time food production practices are discussed, we would like to be in the conversation.”

The Food Dialogues: Minneapolis is co-sponsored by the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council, Nebraska Soybean Board and the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance and will be held at the Mill City Museum, with check-in and a networking reception beginning at 5:30 p.m. CT. The panel discussion will begin at 7 p.m. CT. For more details, click here.

Record Number of Producers Certify Conservation Compliance

John DavisConservation, USDA

usda-logoMore than 98 percent of the farmers and ranchers required to certify conservation compliance to qualify for crop insurance premium support payments have done so. This news release from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) says the conservation provisions in the 2014 Farm Bill are expected to cover an additional 1.5 million acres of highly erodible lands and 1.1 million acres of wetlands, which will reduce soil erosion, enhance water quality, and create wildlife habitat.

“This overwhelming response is a product of USDA’s extensive outreach and the commitment of America’s farmers to be stewards of the land,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “By investing in both American farmers and the health of our productive lands, we are ensuring future generations have access to fertile soil, healthy food supplies, and a strong rural economy.”

USDA has gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure that every impacted producer knew of the June 1, 2015 deadline to certify their conservation compliance. For example, all 2015 crop insurance contracts included conservation compliance notifications. USDA has sent out more than 50,000 reminder letters and postcards to individual producers, made over 25,000 phone calls, conducted informational meetings and training sessions for nearly 6,000 stakeholders across the country, including in major specialty crop producing states with affected commodity groups, and more. Since December 2014, USDA collaborated with crop insurers to ensure they had updated lists for agents to continue contacting producers to also remind them of the filing deadline.

USDA believes those with outstanding records might no longer be farming or may have filed forms with discrepancies that can still be reconciled.

BASF Takes Grow Smart Approach

Cindy ZimmermanAgribusiness, Audio, BASF, Crop Protection, Farmers

basf-IL-bobGrowers have more decisions than ever before to make on the farm and that is why BASF is going beyond crop protection with a new approach to working with farmers and improving their business and it’s called Grow Smart.

“Growers want more than just a product on their farm,” said Bob Yaklich, Grow Smart Marketing Lead for BASF, during an ag media tour of the company’s Midwest Research Farm in Illinois this week. “They really want information and knowledge to make better business decisions to help them get the most out of every acre.”

Yaklich says the Grow Smart approach is based on four Ps – people, portfolio, personalized, and protection. “First and foremost, getting the people together in the right manner that creates that feeling of a good solid relationship,” said Yaklich. “BASF having a good portfolio is the basis of that conversation. Next is the personalization, a recommendations that’s meaningful for that grower in his operation.” The final piece, protection, has to do with how BASF can help growers by sharing some of the risk they take on every growing season. [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/basf-IL-yaklich.mp3″ text=”Interview with Bob Yaklich, BASF”]

basf-IL-carenThe lovely and talented Caren Schmidt, BASF Technical Marketing Manager for fungicides, says the Grow Smart approach also entails research trials across the country to study how the BASF portfolio can work together with the best agronomic practices and latest technology to help growers. “Here on the research farm, we have small plot research where we combine the BASF portfolio of products – herbicides, fungicide, inoculants, nitrogen protection – and put it together with agronomic practices like populations, planting dates, hybrid and variety selection to try and see incremental benefits and find better recommendations to give to our growers,” Schmidt explained. [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/basf-IL-schmidt.mp3″ text=”Interview with Caren Schmidt, BASF”]

BASF Midwest Research Farm photo album

Farm Foundation Forum to Talk Drought

John DavisAg Group, Agribusiness

farmfoundationlogo3The multi-year drought in the western United States has impacted that region’s farmers and ranchers,and government officials have had to take extensive measures to deal with water shortages. This coming Wednesday, July 15, Farm Foundation will host a free forum at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., to discuss how lessons being learned in the West may help the rest of the nation prepare for water management challenges in the future. The Forum will also examine tools public and private decision makers across the country are already using to address such issues as access to water, regulation of water use, water quality and water quantity.

Agri-Pulse Senior Editor Philip Brasher will moderate the discussion with panelists:

Richard Howitt, Ph.D., professor emeritus of agriculture and resource economics at the Center for Watershed Sciences, University of California, Davis, and a specialist in water markets.
Lynn Broaddus, Ph.D., of Broadview Collaborative, will discuss water sustainability and resiliency.
Barry Bogseth, Managing Director of MetLife, will offer a lender’s perspective.
Betsy Hickman of Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, will discuss perspectives from across the agriculture and food value chain.

Register online to attend the Forum in person at the National Press Club.

Audio from the session will be posted on the Farm Foundation website.

Challenging Season for Illinois Growers

Cindy ZimmermanAudio, BASF, Corn, Soybeans, Spraying, Weed control

basf-IL-panelCentral Illinois has definitely gotten a lot of water this growing season so far and corn and soybean farmers are having to adjust their plans accordingly.

During a panel discussion at the BASF Midwest Research Farm this week, we heard from a farmer and his team of advisers on just how this season is impacting crops in the region. From left to right pictured here are farmer Mark Winship from Canton, Illinois; BASF customer business representative Lance Roskamp; Shannon Chenoweth, Fulton FS crop consultant; and BASF Innovation Specialist Dave Phelps.

basf-IL-markWinship says the season started out good but started going bad in June with record rainfall and all the problems that have come with that. “Flooding, drowned out spots in the field, weed control, getting beans sprayed, all that,” said Winship. “It’s not a good situation right now.” [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/basf-IL-farmer-winship.mp3″ text=”Interview with Illinois farmer Mark Winship”]

That same situation is being experienced by growers across Illinois and Fulton County where Winship farms is one of the hardest hit areas. “The corn up until about three weeks ago was phenomenal,” said Chenoweth. “Anywhere from 15 to 20 inches of rain in June has definitely taking it’s toll.”

basf-IL-shannonWhile growers work with their consultants to develop a weed control plan for the season, Mother Nature sometimes causes the best laid plans to change. “We had Plan A, everything was working well, we were able to stick to it until about the second week of May,” said Chenoweth. Then the rains came and growers have just not been able to get in the fields to spray so the weeds are getting away from them. “I’ve got the biggest weeds I’ve ever had to spray before,” he said. [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/basf-IL-fulton-fs.mp3″ text=”Interview with Shannon Chenoweth, Fulton FS”]

During the panel discussion, Roskamp and Phelps talked about their roles in helping growers like Winship adapt their weed control plans in the face of adverse conditions to take advantage of the windows as they become available and take care of disease problems which are also starting to develop.

Listen to the panel discussion, moderated by BASF’s AJ Woodyard, here: [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/basf-IL-panel-full.mp3″ text=”BASF Midwest Research Farm panel”]

Driving from Bloomington to Champaign and back this week I was able to see the problems in the fields and would have liked to have taken some photos to share, but … yeah, it was raining. Not only that, today the temperature dropped to about 58 degrees with steady rainfall – not like July at all!

BASF Midwest Research Farm photo album

Bayer, Ernst Partner to Create Pollinator Habitat

John DavisAgribusiness, Bayer CropScience, Bees, pollinators

bayerbeeBayer CropScience has partnered with Ernst Conservation Seeds to provide bulk seed to individuals and organizations that have pledged to become Feed a Bee partners and dedicate land to the establishment of pollinator habitat. This news release from Bayer says Feed a Bee partners will receive a pollinator seed mix from Ernst Seeds that includes wildflowers that bloom from spring to fall, providing important nutrients for pollinators all season long.

“The collaboration with Ernst Seeds is an integral part of our Feed a Bee initiative,” said Dr. Becky Langer-Curry, manager of the North American Bee Care Program. “Their participation in the campaign will help contribute to acres of bee forage that we’re aiming to help establish across the U.S. this year.”

“We’re proud to partner with Bayer CropScience in the Feed a Bee program,” states Andy Ernst, vice president of Ernst Conservation Seeds. “This ambitious initiative has already seen a remarkable response from groups and individuals who want to improve and increase native habitat for pollinators. With the program still in its early stages, we believe it has tremendous potential to benefit pollinators on a large scale nationwide.”

This is just the latest collaboration by Bayer to get to a goal of growing 50 million flowers and providing additional forage acreage for bees in 2015.

Surveil Herbicide Approved for Soybean Growers

Kelly MarshallAgribusiness, Dow AgroSciences, Herbicides, Soybeans

dowThe EPA has approved a new pre emergence, residual herbicide from Dow AgroSciences, available for the 2016 growing season.  The new herbicide combines two active ingredients in one convenient premix.  It offers easy mixing and handling and proven weed control designed to battle hard-to-control broadleaf weeds.

“This new formulation is the first to offer growers the convenience of having the active ingredients flumioxazin and cloransulam-methyl together in one easy-to-use premix,” says Melissa Olds, formulation chemist for Dow AgroSciences. “This product was developed so that it would be easy for growers to use. You’ll find Surveil offers excellent handling properties, such as dispersing quickly when added to water.”

dow2The product has been tested by growers and agronomists across the country.

“Surveil is very convenient to mix,” says agronomist Nick Smeby from CHS Prairie Lakes Co-Op in Long Prairie, Minnesota. “This year, Surveil comes premixed and so the applicators really appreciate the simplicity of it.”

Surveil herbicide can be applied from preplant up to three days after planting, before emergence. The two modes of action deliver proven, residual performance to help growers tackle herbicide resistance issues and hard-to-control weeds such as marestail, Palmer amaranth, and giant and common ragweed.

“It looks great,” Smeby says. “Where we applied Surveil, the difference is just phenomenal.”

Dow AgroSciences offers a strong lineup of soybean herbicides to keep fields clean. The portfolio currently includes Sonic® herbicide, FirstRate® herbicide and Surveil® herbicide.