SMART Farmer Carla Wardin

AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Dairy, SMART Farmer, USFRA

Our SMART Farmer in this episode comes from Michigan where she and her husband have a dairy operation that has been in her family for over a century.

Carla Wardin is dedicated to telling the real story of dairy farming through her blog Truth or Dairy, and in 2014 was chosen to represent agriculture as one of the USFRA Faces of Farming and Ranching. Jamie Johansen had the pleasure of sitting down with Carla to find out why smart farming is so important to her.

Listen to this episode here and subscribe below – SMART Farmer Podcast with Carla Wardin, Michigan dairy farmer

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Learn more about USFRA and SMART Farm

Beef’s Environmental Stewardship Award Finalists

jamie johansenAg Group, AgWired Animal, Beef, Conservation, environment, NCBA

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s (NCBA) announced the six finalists in the Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP). The award recognizes the operation’s outstanding stewardship and conservation efforts. This year’s regional winners will compete for the national award, which will be announced during the Annual Cattle Industry Convention in Phoenix, Ariz., in February 2018.

Regional Winners:
– Flying Diamond Ranch in Kit Carson, Colo.
– SFI, Inc., in Nemaha, Iowa
– Munson Angus Farm, in Junction City, Kan.
– Blue Lake Farm in Sharon, S.C.
– Jim O’Haco Cattle Company in Winslow, Ariz.
– Sterling Cattle Company in Coahama, Texas

Beef Checkoff’s Inaugural Advocate of the Year

Jamie JohansenAdvocate, Ag Group, Beef, Beef Board, Beef Checkoff, NCBA

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), a contractor to the beef checkoff, has selected blogger and cattlewoman Anne Burkholder as the recipient of the inaugural Advocate of the Year award.

A Florida native, Burkholder moved to Nebraska with her husband in 1997 to run a family feed yard that had been in her husband’s family since the 1970s. Since then, the mother of three started a successful blog entitled “Feed Yard Foodie” and works for Progressive Beef to ensure that its supply chain is producing high-quality, sustainable beef.

While many beef advocates grow up with an agricultural background, Burkholder grew up in Palm Beach County, Florida, a self-proclaimed jock, and attended Dartmouth University where she majored in psychology. This unique perspective allows her to relate to consumers who may not be familiar with beef production.

“Managing a feed yard for 20 years inspired me to learn to identify and fill meaningful gaps. With thousands of cattle relying on me each and every day, recognizing if an important gap existed between the care that I offered and what the animal needed was absolutely critical for good welfare. This same philosophy of working to ‘fill the gap’ extends to all of the areas of my life including beef advocacy,” explains Burkholder. “A gap clearly exists between the truth of how beef is raised and the general consumer knowledge of the beef industry. As someone actively engaged in caring for cattle and raising beef, it is my job to help fill that gap with truthful information.”

Censky Nominated as Deputy Ag Secretary

AgWired Animal, AgWired Energy, AgWired Precision, ASA, biodiesel, Government, Soybean, usda

Over two months since he took office, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue is finally getting some nominations to fill USDA positions.

Late Thursday, Perdue announced that President Trump has nominated American Soybean Association CEO Stephen Censky to be Deputy Secretary of Agriculture.

“Our work has only just begun in delivering results for the people of American agriculture, and the experience and leadership skills of Stephen Censky will only enhance our efforts. He will bring enthusiasm and a dedication to this country which will be great assets to USDA’s customers. I am extremely pleased with the nomination for this key position and am hopeful that the Senate will take it up in short order.”

Censky has been CEO of the American Soybean Association since 1996 and the association strongly backs his nomination.

“Steve has guided our organization for 21 years and in that time he has proven himself as an effective, dedicated and visionary voice on behalf of soybean farmers nationwide. Nobody in agriculture is better equipped to assist Secretary Perdue in meeting the needs of farmers with practical solutions than Steve. He is a perfect fit for this role and we give him our strongest endorsement,” said Ron Moore, ASA president from Roseville, Ill.

The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) also proudly supports Censky’s nomination. “President Trump’s pick of Steve Censky to be Deputy Secretary of Agriculture is an outstanding step forward for agriculture and the countless related markets, like biodiesel, that play a key role in supporting our economy,” said NBB CEO Donnell Rehagen.

The nomination must be approved by the U.S. Senate, which already has a backlog of about 150 presidential nominations not yet approved.

U.S. Beef Supply Improving, Opportunities Remain

Jamie JohansenAg Group, Beef, Beef Board, Beef Checkoff, Meat

Data from the 2016 National Beef Quality Audit suggests the beef industry continues to improve the quality of its products, but there is still room for improvement.

The research, funded by the Beef Checkoff Program, has been conducted every five years for the past quarter century and provides a set of guideposts and measurements for cattle producers and others to help determine quality conformance of the U.S. beef supply. NBQA results through the years have helped lead to improvements in cattle and beef production, including reductions in carcass blemishes and fewer lost opportunities related to branding and other practices.

Among the positive findings in the 2016 NBQA are a significant increase in Choice and Prime carcasses, a high mobility score for cattle entering packing plants and the fact that the number of blemishes, condemnations and other attributes that impact animal value remain small. Among areas for possible improvement are the fact that there was more bruising (although bruising was less severe) and the fact that more than 30 percent of livers harvested did not pass inspection and were condemned.

“The research proved the beef cattle industry has a great story to tell but also suggests we aren’t getting that story to as many people as we should,” said Josh White, executive director of producer education for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff Program. “Utilizing the Beef Quality Assurance program and its principles more uniformly throughout the industry could not only enhance industry commitment to better beef but would help increase consumer confidence and encourage greater beef demand. This research suggests that carrying the BQA message throughout the industry would benefit every beef audience.”

Farm Bureau and FFA Work for Ag Education

AFBF, AgWired Animal, FFA

National FFA CEO Mark Poeschl and AFBF President Zippy Duvall sign a memorandum of understanding

The American Farm Bureau Federation and National FFA Organization have signed a memorandum of understanding to grow leaders, build communities and strengthen agriculture.

The MOU outlines how the two organizations will work together to discover opportunities that benefit both their members and agricultural education students in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It was signed in Washington, D.C. this week, during a national meeting of state Farm Bureau presidents from across the country.

Together, FFA and AFBF will attract, educate, inspire and prepare students to enter careers in the agriculture, food, fiber and natural resources industry. In addition, the two organizations will broaden the definition of “agriculturally related careers” to encompass the vastness of professions in the industry of agriculture. FFA and AFBF will determine existing connections between county Farm Bureaus and local FFA chapters as well as state Farm Bureaus and state FFA associations. The MOU also allows AFBF to serve as a member of the FFA Agricultural Policy Committee. FFA will use AFBF-branded advocacy resources and materials to train state FFA officers and find ways for FFA and AFBF members to interact during policy discussions or in policy communications.

Animal Ag Bites 7/12

jamie johansenAgWired Animal, Animal Bites

ag_wired_animal-ag-bites

  • The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) and 17 other food and agriculture organizations, representing the vast majority of production agriculture, sent a letter to the Trump administration urging it to refrain from placing restrictions on imports of steel and aluminum. The organizations are very concerned that such restrictions will boomerang against U.S. food and agriculture exports.
  • Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) is launching the new Producers for Progress recognition program to salute dairy producers who have demonstrated a significant commitment to the well-being of their animals by using antibiotics judiciously.
  • The American Angus Association hired Clint Mefford as the organization’s director of communications. He will be responsible for establishing strategy for all communication elements, both external and internal, for the Association and its entities, Angus Productions Inc. (API), Angus Genetics Inc. (AGI) and the Angus Foundation.
  • The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association applaud the inclusion of language in the U.S. House’s Transportation-HUD appropriations bill that will delay for one year a requirement mandating the use of the new Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) for livestock and insect haulers.

Mark Your Calendars: It’s Bison Hump Day!

lizzy schultzAg Group, AgWired Animal, Audio, Consumers, Food, Meat

Increased demand for sustainable meat has the bison industry poised to grow significantly this year, and the industry recently announced the “Bison One Million” campaign, which sets sights on helping the North American bison population grow to one million strong this year.

North America’s bison population, once on the verge of extinction in the 1880’s with less than 700 bison, has steadily recovered. Today, an estimated 391,000 bison are in North American private, public and tribal herds, according to National Bison Association (NBA) data. Adding 609,000 head of America’s official mammal to this continent’s collective herd will be no easy or swift feat.

The industry isn’t stopping their efforts at growing herd sizes across the continent. Dave Carter, Executive Director of NBA, sat down for an interview this week to discuss the industry’s commitment to building off the recent increase in consumer demand for bison products and gaining more consumer interest across the country with a “Bison Hump Day” campaign. The campaign mimicks popular trends like “Meatless Monday” and “Taco Tuesday” in an effort to incorporate bison into dinner menus across America every Wednesday.

“Consumers love bison because the nutritional profile of the meat fits right in with people’s concerns about diet and health: it’s low in fat, high in protein and iron, and it’s got a great cholesterol profile,” said Carter. “It also fits within their interest for natural and sustainable foods. What could be more sustainable than the animal that helped shape this environment over the last several thousand years?”

Those interested in taking part in Bison Hump Day can find information on local producers and restaurants that serve bison products can check out NBA’s website or download NBA’s new Bison Finder app.

Listen to Lizzy’s full interview with Dave here”
Interview with Dave Carter, National Bison Association

All images courtesy of the National Bison Association.

Remembering ‘The Pork Economist’ Glen Grimes

Jamie JohansenAg Group, economics, NPPC, Pork, World Pork Expo

World Pork Expo 2008 Glenn GrimesThe National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) reports the passing of University of Missouri Professor Glenn Grimes on July 2, 2017. Agricultural economy was Grimes’ claim to fame and he served in pork industry for many years.

We last spoke with Glenn in 2008 at the World Pork Expo. There he provided views on the 2008 state of the industry and what producers could expect and do to survive the following 18 months.

NPPC CEO Neil Dierks said: “Finding words to express what Professor Grimes meant to the U.S. pork industry is extremely difficult given the decades of fundamental work and knowledge he contributed to it. He examined and framed the foundational economics of today’s pork industry for the benefit of all participants, particularly producers. His contributions to the understanding of markets and his educational efforts to share that understanding are beyond significant.”

AEM Names Curt Blades as Senior VP AG Services

AEM, Agribusiness, AgWired Animal, AgWired Precision, NAMA, Publication

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) has named Curt Blades as senior vice president, AG services, replacing Charlie O’Brien, who announced his retirement from AEM earlier this year.

Blades will be responsible for strategic direction of agriculture programs and services for the AEM membership, and will serve as primary liaison with ag-specific industry organizations, customer groups and government agencies, both in North America and worldwide.
He replaces Charlie O’Brien, who announced his retirement from AEM earlier this year.

“We are very pleased to welcome Curt to the AEM team and look forward to the expertise and enthusiasm he brings,” said AEM President Dennis Slater.

Blades has been working for Meredith Corporation since 2002, most recently as Group Business Development Director, and he has been very active in the National Agri-Marketing Association, Agribusinesss Education Foundation and Agriculture Council of America. We’ve known Curt since he was an intern at Brownfield Network while studying at the University of Missouri to get his bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics. He also holds a master’s degree in agribusiness from Kansas State and grew up on a 5,000-acre farm in northeast Missouri.

Learn more about Curt and his new gig in this interview: Interview with Curt Blades