AgNewsWire

National Cotton Council Farm Bill Comments

Cindy Zimmerman — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:20:19 +0000

The National Cotton Council (NCC) is pleased with the farm bills out of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees this week that make some pretty significant changes in the cotton program to hopefully provide final resolution of the longstanding Brazil WTO case.

“The focus has been to try and come up with farm policy for cotton in the new farm bill that will resolve the case,” said NCC vice president for Economics & Farm Policy Gary Adams. “We believe that STAX, which would be a new area-wide revenue insurance option for cotton, is a way to resolve the case.”

Interview with NCC VP Gary Adams

Interview with National Corn Grower Chairman

Cindy Zimmerman — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:25:12 +0000

Garry Niemeyer of Aurora, Illinois is chairman of the National Corn Growers Association. In this interview, he comments on Senate passage of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), the farm bills out of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees, and finally making some corn planting progress in the Midwest.

Interview with NCGA Chairman Garry Niemeyer

NAFB Washington Watch – Audio

Chuck Zimmerman — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:14:09 +0000

The annual Washington Watch is for members of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. It’s a time to meet with agricultural organization representatives, USDA officials and members of Congress. We’ll share lots of audio and photos from the event here during this week as the program unfolds.

Issues Forum Interviews

Farm Bill
Interview with Mary Kay Thatcher, American Farm Bureau Federation
Farm Bill, RFS, corn crop
Interview with Jon Doggett, National Corn Growers Association
Farm Bill, USDA crop review
Interview with Richard Wilkins, American Soybean Association
Farm Bill, immigration
Interview with Chris Galen, National Milk Producers Federation
Farm Bill energy, RFS
Interview with Bob Dinneen, Renewable Fuels Association
RFS, corn crop
Interview with Tom Buis, Growth Energy
Farm Bill, RFS
Interview with Anne Steckel, National Biodiesel Board
Immigration
Interview with Kristi Boswell, American Farm Bureau Federation
Farm Bill, Animal welfare
Interview with Colin Woodall, National Cattlemen's Beef Association
Biotech crops
Interview with Andy LaVigne, American Seed Trade Association
Soybean checkoff
Interview with Jim Stillman, United Soybean Board
100 Year Anniversary and HFCS Update
Interview with David Knowles, Corn Refiners Association

From USDA

Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack Dr. Catherine Woteki, Undersecretary for Research, Education & Economics Michael Scuse, Acting Deputy Secretary, Farm & Foreign Ag Services Tom Christensen, Acting Associate Chief of Operations, NRCS Dr. Gerald Bange, Chairman, World Agricultural Outlook Board

William Hohenstein, Director of Climate Change Program Office

House/Senate

Senate Ag Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow

House Ag Committee Chairman Frank Lucas

Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR)

Senator Mike Johanns (R-NE)

Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND)

2013 NAFB Washington Watch Photo Album

Syngenta Builds on Garst® Seed Legacy

Cindy Zimmerman — Mon, 13 May 2013 13:30:18 +0000

Even as the Syngenta-owned Garst and Golden Harvest® brands are being launched under the revised Golden Harvest brand, Syngenta intends to uphold the quality, reliability and legacy that have become synonymous with the Garst brand and the Garst Seed Advisor.

“Roswell Garst’s commitment to customers – to be a trusted advisor in addition to a seed dealer – is the very essence of what the Syngenta Seed Advisor network embodies,” said Lori Thomas, customer marketing manager for the dealer channel commercial unit for Syngenta in North America. “Even though the Garst name won’t have the same market presence, the integrity, tradition and history of the company will continue to live on.” Thomas and her husband, Mike, were Garst Seed Advisors for 10 years.

Interview with Lori Thomas

Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit

Jamie Johansen — Wed, 08 May 2013 20:18:05 +0000

Last week I attended the Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit in Arlington, Virginia. The event brought industry leaders together to discuss Activists at the Door: Protecting Animals, Farms, Food and Consumer Confidence. The two-day conference started thought provoking conversations throughout the agriculture community on animal rights, transparency, crisis management and much more.

Here you can find audio from the event, both interviews and complete presentations. I will continue to add more as I get them edited. So check back soon.

Audio:
Kay Johnson Smith, President & CEO, Animal Ag Alliance
Dallas Hockman, Vice President of Industry Relations for the National Pork Producers Council
Dallas Hockman - Presentation
Joe Miller, General Counsel for Rose Acre Farms
Joe Miller - Presentation
Janet Riley, Senior Vice President for Public Affairs & Professional Development at the American Meat Institute
Janet Riley - Presentation
Janet Thompson, Beef Producer
Janet Thompson - Presentation
Chase Adams - NCBA
John Simpson, Fulbright & Jaworski LLP
John Simpson - Presentation

Photos:
2013 Animal Ag Alliance Stakeholders Summit Photo Album

Interview with Wells Fargo Agribusiness Head

Cindy Zimmerman — Wed, 08 May 2013 20:04:02 +0000

Wells Fargo recently named Rob Yraceburu as head of its National Food & Agribusiness Division to lead the group’s expansion to untapped markets in the Midwest and East. A fourth-generation family farmer who holds both a bachelor’s in agricultural business and a master’s in agricultural economics from California State University Fresno, he has worked in finance for his entire 28-year career.

In this interview, Yraceburu (RACE-burrow) talks about his background, the importance of agriculture to Wells Fargo and what they will be offering for farmers in areas east of the Rockies in the coming months.

Wells Fargo's Rob Yraceburu interview

Study Shows Ethanol Reducing Carbon Footprint

Melissa — Fri, 03 May 2013 14:18:56 +0000

Ethanol Report with Comments from Study Co-author Steffen Mueller and RFA CEO Bob Dinneen

A new study indicates that ethanol production is continuing to reduce its energy and environmental footprint.

In this edition of “The Ethanol Report”, study co-author Steffen Mueller, PhD with the University of Illinois at Chicago Energy Resources Center, talks about the findings and Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob Dinneen comments on the significance.

Ethanol Report on Efficiency Study 3:39

USDA and EPA Release Report on Honey Bee Health

Cindy Zimmerman — Thu, 02 May 2013 16:29:12 +0000

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released a comprehensive scientific report on honey bee health. The report states that there are multiple factors playing a role in honey bee colony declines, including parasites and disease, genetics, poor nutrition and pesticide exposure.

Link to full report.

A press conference featuring government officials and stakeholders in the honey bee industry was held to explain the report’s findings. Those on the call were:

Sonny Ramaswamy, Administrator of USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Bob Perciasepe, Acting Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Dr. May Berenbaum, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Zac Browning, Beekeeper
Jim Jones and Steve Bradbury, EPA Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention
Dr. Jeffery Pettis, Bee Research Lead, USDA Agricultural Research Service

USDA/EPA Honey Bee Report press call

Concluding Press Conf for G8 Open Data for Ag

Chuck Zimmerman — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:41:41 +0000

USDA held a concluding press conference to discuss results prior to the end of the G-8 International Conference on Open Data for Agriculture. USDA Chief Scientist Dr. Catherine Woteki outlined the federal government’s new Food, Agriculture and Rural data community, which offers a catalog of over 300 data sets as well as numerous apps, tools and statistical products.

Listen to or download the press conference here: USDA Open Data Conference Wrap Up Presser

Interview with GROWMARK Agronomist

Cindy Zimmerman — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:38:44 +0000

Planting progress continues to be slowed by wet and cold weather in most of the major corn producing states.

John Grandin, Iowa-based Senior Field Sales Agronomist at GROWMARK, talks about planting progress in his area and advice about nutrient management in these conditions.

Interview with GROWMARK agronomist John Grandin

Ethanol Energy Use Study – Interview

Cindy Zimmerman — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:14:33 +0000

A new study indicates that ethanol production is continuing to reduce its energy and environmental footprint.

The study, entitled “2012 Corn Ethanol: Emerging Plant Energy and Environmental Technologies”, found that recent innovations in corn ethanol production have resulted in increased yield per bushel even as less energy is required for production. Thermal energy use at a typical dry mill ethanol plant has fallen 9% since 2008, the study found, meaning the carbon footprint of corn ethanol continues to shrink.

The authors, Steffen Mueller, PhD, of the University of Illinois at Chicago Energy Resources Center and John Kwik, PE, of Dominion Energy Services, LLC wrote in summary, “Our work includes an assessment of over 50% of operating dry grind corn ethanol plants. On average, 2012 dry grind plants produce ethanol at higher yields with lower energy inputs than 2008 corn ethanol.”

Interview with Steffen Mueller, study author

Read the study here.

USDA Press Conf. on Open Data for Ag Conference

Chuck Zimmerman — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:42:17 +0000

USDA just held a preview press conference for next week’s G-8 International Conference on Open Data for Agriculture. On the phone with the press were USDA Chief Scientist Dr. Catherine Woteki and Dr. Simon Liu, Director of the National Agricultural Library. There are plans to do live streaming during the conference and people are encouraged to tweet about the conference with the hashtag, #OpenAgData.

The conference, to be held in Washington, D.C., will bring together innovators from all over the world to discuss the importance of open agricultural data to increased food security across the globe, as well as in opening doors for public/private partnerships and economic growth. Woteki and Liu will explain that data is among the most important commodities in the world. By making our data accessible and encouraging others to do the same, we will enable collaborations of data users that will spur innovation and drive economic growth. A number of African countries will be represented at the conference and Woteki and Liu will preview some of the announcements expected to be made during the event.

You can listen to or download the press conference here: USDA Open Data Conference Presser

USDA and Dairy Industry Renew MOU

Cindy Zimmerman — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 19:42:59 +0000

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack today renewed a historic agreement with U.S. dairy producers to accelerate the adoption of innovative waste-to-energy projects and energy efficiency improvements on U.S. dairy farms, both of which help producers diversify revenues and reduce utility expenses on their operations. The pact extends a Memorandum of Understanding signed in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2009.

The Secretary was joined on a conference call to make the announcement by The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy CEO Tom Gallagher and Doug Young, a farmer from NY who has benefited from this MOU.

USDA/Dairy MOU press call

Chicken Media Summit

Jamie Johansen — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 19:07:39 +0000

Media from across the country were invited to attend the very first Chicken Media Summit. The National Chicken Council and US Poultry & Egg Association sponsored the three day event to inform, educate and create transparency throughout the chicken industry.

Attendees got up close and personal with the life of a broiler, touring a hatchery, grower barn and processing plant. The entire event was setup for the media and members of the poultry industry to rub shoulders and engage in conversations, allowing many questions to be answered. Hot topics discussed included: animal welfare, bio security, antibiotics, modernization, sustainability and the global outlook.

Audio:
Bill Weldon, PhD., Elanco Animal Health
Bill Roenigk, Sr. Vice President, National Chicken Council
John Starkey, President, USPOULTRY
Lampkin Butts, President & Chief Operating Officer, Sanderson Farms
Dr. John Glisson, Director of Research Programs, USPOULTRY
Brooks Edmundson, Contract Grower, Sanderson Farms
Chicken Company Executives Panel
Issues in the News Panel

Photos:
View and downloads photos from the event: Chicken Media Summit photo album.

2013 Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference

John Davis — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:44:53 +0000

The future of renewable energy sources was the topic of conversation at the recent Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference, featuring speakers from the biofuels industry, trade associations, government and finance, among others speaking at the three-day event just outside of Washington, DC.

From the major announcement by Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood that they were extending the “Farm to Fly” program, which encourages the development of biofuel production for the aviation industry to private financiers explaining what investors are looking for in the ethanol and biodiesel markets, the event brought a wealth of knowledge and diversity to the conversation.

Audio:
Secs. Vilsack and LaHood at ABLC
Brooke Coleman, AEC
Fred Cannon, CEO, KiOR
Guido Ghisolfi, CEO, Beta Renewables
Chris Groobey, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
John Reese, Shell
Jennifer Holmgren, LanzaTech
Mark Emalfarb, CEO of Dyadic

Photos:

2013 Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference photo album