New Website for CAPA

Kelly MarshallAg Group, Website

The Coalition to Advance Precision Agriculture (CAPA) is excited to present their new website, www.DiscoverPrecisionAg.org.

CAPA is comprised of ag organizations, grower groups and agribusiness associations. Their goal is to facilitate communication between farm and agribusiness associations and government decision-makers in regards to all things precision agriculture. The new website will offer a valuable tool to promote science-based policy decisions for a safe, susutainable food source.

“From AgGateway’s perspective, CAPA is an important resource, informing government and industry leaders about the essential work being done to facilitate the exchange of electronic information for precision agriculture. The ability to manage data is key to the continuing success of U.S. agriculture,” Wendy Smith, President of member organization AgGateway.

NutrientStar Provides Third-Party Review of Tools

Kelly MarshallAgribusiness, Nutrient Management

NutrientStar is an independent, science-based program that offers farmers reports and assessments of commercial nutrient management products and decision-making tools. The company launched a year ago at Commodity Classic and compares themselves to Carfax.

Thus far nine tools have gone through their third-party review process, a process more and more farmers valuable. This new video features farmers from the Midwest explaining what they need in a fertilizer management tool. “In many ways, this video is a public service announcement – and a call for third-party validation at a time when new agricultural technologies are coming online nearly every day,” NutrientStar says.


U.S. Farmers Expected to Plant Record-High Soybeans

Kelly MarshallCorn, Planting, Soybeans, USDA, wheat

Production surveys from the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) show farmers across the nation are planning on approximately 89.5 million acres of soybeans this growing season. That’s seven percent more than last year’s record high of 83.4 million acres.

The largest increase is expected in Kansas, with just under a million acres in increase. Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvanioa, South Dakota, and Wisconsin will also see their largest planting acreage on record if realized.

Conversely, corn acres are expected to be down 4 percent from last year for a total of 90 million acres, following the anticipated lower returns for corn as compared to other crops.Read More

Register for InfoAg

Kelly MarshallEvents, InfoAg

InfoAg is the place to be for information about precession agriculture, so mark your calendars and plan to be in St. Louis at Union Station on July 25-27, 2017. The event features five concurrent tracks of breakout sessions, three plenary sessions, networking opportunities, and dedicated time for exhibits, plus lunches and receptions.

Whether you are starting out in precision ag or are a long-time veteran, InfoAg offers you the unique opportunity to meet others with your interests. Everyone who works in precision ag learns more and gains more by being a part of the InfoAg experience.

Registration is now available online. You can see the schedule and more details on the conference website.

FMC Plans to Acquire DuPont Crop Protection

Kelly MarshallAgribusiness, Crop Protection, Dupont Crop Protection, FMC

In an early morning call FMC and DuPont made a major announcement:

FMC Corporation (NYSE: FMC) and DuPont (NYSE: DD) today announced the signing of a definitive agreement for FMC to acquire the portion of DuPont’s Crop Protection business it must divest to comply with the European Commission ruling related to its merger with The Dow Chemical Company. Additionally, DuPont will acquire FMC Health and Nutrition and receive $1.2 billion in cash. FMC will acquire DuPont’s global chewing pest insecticide portfolio, its global cereal broadleaf herbicides, and a substantial portion of DuPont’s global crop protection R&D capabilities. In 2017, FMC expects this acquired business will generate approximately $1.5 billion in revenue and $475 million of EBITDA.2

After closing of the acquisition, FMC Agricultural Solutions will become the fifth largest crop protection chemical company in the world by revenue, with estimated annual revenue of approximately $3.8 billion.

“This is a significant step forward for FMC, and for our Agricultural Solutions business in particular,” said Pierre Brondeau, FMC president, CEO and chairman. “The combination of market-leading products from DuPont’s crop protection portfolio and its world-class R&D capabilities will transform our Agricultural Solutions business into a tier-one ag technology company.

You can learn a lot more from the call this morning and we’ll likely be getting more details and updates as time goes on. Of course, this deal is dependent on the success of the Dow and DuPont merger. You can see the slides from the webcast in this .pdf.

You can listen to or download this morning’s call here: [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/fmc-investor-call-3-31-17.mp3″ text=”FMC Acquisition from DuPont Call”]

USDA Offers Renewal for Expiring CSP Contracts

Kelly MarshallConservation, NRCS, USDA

Acting Deputy Agriculture Secretary Michael Young has announced that the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is offering contract renewal sign-ups for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). NRCS made several updates to the program last fall to help producers evaluate the benefits of conservation options on their land.

“The changes made to CSP are providing even greater opportunities for stewardship-minded producers across the country to participate and bring their conservation efforts to a higher level,” said Young. “The new tools and methods for evaluating operations, expanded options to address the producer’s conservation and business objectives, and the focus on local resource priorities have resulted in a 30 percent increase in applications for this widely popular program.”

Participants with existing CSP contracts that will expire on Dec. 31 can access the benefits of the recent program changes through an option to renew their contracts for an additional five years if they agree to adopt additional activities to achieve higher levels of conservation on their lands. Applications to renew expiring contracts are due by May 5.

It’s Simple to Start Chemigation with Agri-Inject

Kelly MarshallAgribusiness, Irrigation

Precision irrigation has given growers a new level of control, efficiency, and sustainability and now Agri-Inject is taking that even further with fertigation and chemigation.

“Technological improvements have made it possible for ag producers to match nutrient application to the precise needs of their crops on a foot-by-foot basis,” notes Erik Tribelhorn, CEO of Agri-Inject. “With chemigation or fertigation, the producer controls the timing and the rate, maximizing input efficiency and minimizing volatilization or leaching. It’s a win for both the bottom line and the environment.”

Adding fertigation and chemigation can by a simple, do-it-yourself job if you have pivot systems in place, Tribelhorn says. Technology, like the website to help chose the right fluid injection equipment and an app to help calibrate pumps, have made the process easier.  For more information, check out  www.agri-inject.com.

EPA Dimisses Petition Against Chlorpyrifos

Kelly MarshallAFBF, Ag Group, EPA, NCGA

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently dismissed a petition regarding the crop protection tool chlorpyrifos, a decision the National Corn Growers Association and American Farm Bureau Federation have praised. The Obama administration had considered a ban on chlorpyrifos in 2015, but the decision had not been finalized.

“We are pleased with the EPA’s decision today to deny a petition against chlorpyrifos and return to the standard pesticides review process as called for under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA),” said NCGA President Wesley Spurlock. “The overwhelming scientific consensus is that chlorpyrifos is safe for use by farmers, and we are confident that the pesticide review process will reaffirm this.”

“Farmers nationwide depend on chlorpyrifos in managing their crops,” said American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall. “It is widely and safely used for a wide range of crops, including alfalfa, citrus, vegetables, soybeans, almonds and others. It also protects hundreds of thousands of acres of grass seed production, where it controls aphids, cutworms and other pests. As USDA has noted, chlorpyrifos has been used as a part of environmentally friendly IPM (integrated pest management) programs for nearly 50 years.”

Sugar Farmers Address Farm Bill Policy

Kelly MarshallAg Day, Ag Group, Audio, Farm Bill, Sugarbeets

Galen Lee, President of the American Sugarbeet Growers Association, addressed the audience at Agri-Pulse’s Farm Bill Summit last week. The sugar industry is currently dealing with lower sugar prices than when Jimmy Carter was in office, so the importance of a strong safety net can’t be understated.

“While we are smaller than other crops we still support 142,000 jobs in 22 states,” Lee states. “And we still pump 20 billion dollars per year into rural economies. Remember most sugar companies in America are cooperatives, meaning they are owned and operated by farmers, so we have a lot on the line. If sugar is not profitable we loose more than our farms. We loose our businesses, our markets and our local economies.”

It’s already happening for the sugar industry, as evidenced by the Hawaiian sugar industry. Steps taken now to write the farm bill have real consequences for our families and communities, says Lee.

Listen to his complete remarks here: [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/agripulse-farmbill-17-sugarbeets-lee.mp3″ text=”Remarks from Galen Lee, American Sugarbeet Growers Association”]

Photos can be found on the Agri-Pulse website. Agri-Pulse Farm Bill Summit photos

Register Now for AgGateway’s Mid-Year Meeting

Kelly MarshallAgGateway, Events

Mark it on your calendar- June 12-15 is AgGateway’s Mid-Year Meeting in Altoona, Iowa. All are invited, from seasoned members to new professionals.  The event will offer networking opportunities and working group sessions, plus a half-day Ag Retail eConnectivity Forum for senior retail managers and directors.

“The AgGateway teams will discuss advances in grain traceability, interoperability for precision agriculture, efficiencies for the specialty chemical sector, resources for ag retailers, and much more,” said AgGateway President and CEO Wendy Smith. “We invite companies to learn and participate. There are huge benefits in the efficient and accurate exchange of information all along the agricultural supply chain.”

Registration is just $150 for both members and non-members. Register by Friday, April 27th to enter a drawing for a free room upgrade and VIP attendee package. Hotel reservations may be made at a special rate of $107/night at the Prairie Meadows until May 22.