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4th Annual Agriculture Leaders Dinner
March 1, 2016 marked the 4th year for this annual Ag Leaders Dinner, hosted by Iowa Secretary of Agriculture. Nearly 500 people attended the event, which was held at the Paul R. Knapp Animal Learning Center at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey presented ten special awards recognizing Iowa individuals and companies who are making a difference in Iowa agriculture Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Dan Glickman was the keynote speaker for the event.
AAI was a sponsor of the event, and AAI representatives attending included: Dave Tierney, Kevin Drury, Mark Morrissey, David Coppess, Jose Laracuente, Joel Brinkmeyer, AAI CEO and Joan O'Brien, AAI CFO.
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Highway 5 & 65 Re-designation to an Interstate
Tracy Gathman, AAI Board Chair, and Joel Brinkmeyer, AAI CEO, met with the Polk County Farm Bureau leadership and the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), on February 24 at the Farm Bureau office in Ankeny. This was a continuation of several previous meetings, and the desire of the MPO to re-designate this highway as an Interstate highway.
The argument by MPO is that it will enhance development of this particular area of Des Moines and improve traffic flow to the Des Moines airport. If done as planned by the MPO, this would create serious logistical, economic and safety issues for agribusinesses, farmers, and community members. AAI is demanding that an alternative plan be developed.
MPO, and the Iowa DOT strongly agree, and therefore are moving towards plan development.
AAI and Iowa Farm Bureau are working together to ensure that our members and farmers in the area have no negative impact by such a development, and that an alternative plan meets the needs of our members.
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A Call to Farmers to Assist with Soybean Yield Gap Project
Soybean production is expected to rise to satisfy the increasing demand for food, biodiesel and livestock feed, both in the United States and globally. It is critical to reduce the yield gap, which is the difference between the attainable crop yield, as determined by the interactive effects of weather, soils and genetics, and the actual crop yield attained by the producer.
To help decrease this yield gap, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach specialists, Daren Mueller, extension plant pathologist, and Mark Licht, cropping systems agronomist, are asking soybean farmers to provide yield and agronomic data specific to their soybean production fields by March 1, 2016 for a three-year project to identify key factors that prohibit soybean farmers from obtaining yields that are potentially attainable on their respective farms.
Click
here
for the fillable PDF to submit your soybean yield and agronomic data. All data submissions will be kept strictly confidential. Farmer name, mailing address, and email address are asked only to provide summary results back to the survey participants. Identifying information will not be associated with the individual field survey information. If you still want to omit your name, address and email, that is acceptable, as well.
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The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) today commended the Senate Agriculture Committee for approving a bill that would federally preempt a potential patchwork of differing state laws regarding the labeling of human food, animal feed and pet food containing biotechnology-enhanced ingredients.
Passed by 14-6 vote, the measure introduced by Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., creates a national voluntary labeling process and directs USDA to provide science-based education and outreach about biotechnology in coordination with other federal agencies.
To read the legislation, click here.
Senate leaders are expected to move the bill swiftly to the floor for final approval. "We hope the significant step taken today will galvanize congressional efforts to get federal preemption legislation on biotech labeling enacted expeditiously," said NGFA President Randy Gordon.
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Water In Iowa: The War Intensifies
 "We have a war going on in your neighboring state, and in the crosshairs of that war is production agriculture," said Doug Gross, Legal Counsel for the Iowa Agribusiness Association, speaking at the 2016 Illinois Fertilizer & Chemical Association meeting in mid-January. "The outcome of this war will be highly significant for the entire Midwest."
Part of the reason this war could be so significant to growers and ag retailers across the Midwest, said Gross, ties back to just how big an industrywide enterprise agriculture is in the state. Based upon his own research, Iowa trails only California in terms of deriving its income from the business of growing crops. "If you look at any state that really focuses and thrives on agriculture, it's Iowa," he said. "This is a war between the Des Moines Water Works (DMWW), which provides water to more than 650,000 people in the state, and the rest of Iowa regarding agriculture. Up until now, you've never really had fights between urban and rural folks here because of the strong ties most people have to someone who makes their living from an agricultural business."
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BASF, the American Soybean Association, National Corn Growers Association, and the National Wheat Foundation presented scholarships to future leaders who share a passion and motivation for advancing the industry at the 2016 Commodity Classic tradeshow in New Orleans. The scholarships assist promising individuals with their future agriculture academic endeavors.
"Fostering a successful, sustainable future for agriculture is the catalyst behind BASF's Crop Protection business," said Paul Rea, Senior Vice President, Crop Protection, North America, BASF. "The future starts with bright minds, and helping young individuals venture toward a career in agriculture is important to BASF."
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GMO Labeling Markup Passes
by: Agribusiness Report
In a vote of 14 to 6, the biotechnology labeling solutions markup passed on March 1 in the Senate Agriculture Committee.
According to the draft, it would require USDA to set a voluntary national food labeling standard for genetically engineered foods, preempt state labeling laws on both GMO foods and seed, and require USDA to provide consumers with information on the benefits of biotechnology.
Ag Committee Chair Senator Pat Roberts was pushing for the legislation. He showed a letter of 652 organizations representing parts of the whole food chain supporting the chairman's mark.
Roberts says, "Never before have we seen such a coalition of our constituents all united behind such an effort. Their message is clear. It is time for us to act and it's time for us to provide certainty in the marketplace by approving the mark before us today."
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Women in Ag Seminar is March 18
Join more than 200 women for the annual bi-state Women in Agriculture Conference on Friday, March 18, at the day-long conference at Jumer's Casino and Hotel, 777 Jumer Drive, Rock Island. This year's featured speaker is Laura Daniels.
Daniels is a mother, wife, farmer, dairy consultant and agriculture advocate. Daniels will share her refreshingly honest views about life's ups and downs and will help you see that you need tools to cope, because life isn't all sunshine and roses.
The conference planning committee is offering a Thursday night "Work, Life, Balance - If There is Really Such a Thing" social hour. If you can get away early, book a room with friends and join us for a networking and social hour with other participants and the featured conference speaker. The evening will feature a cash bar and run from 7 to 9 p.m. Heavy appetizers and a cash bar will be available.
Any registrations received after Feb. 28 will be $60. Walk-ins the day of the conference will be charged $75. Seating is limited.
To register, contact the Rock Island County Farm Bureau office at 309-736-7432 or online at:
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2016 Membership
Dues Reminder
Members who have not remitted dues payment for 2016 have been sent final dues invoices. If applicable, p
lease watch your mail boxes for our informational packet.
If members need to submitted payment (or make other arrangements) to the AAI offices for 2016 dues by March 31, 2016 your company name and contacts will be removed from the 2016 Membership Directory.
If you need assistance with making payments or questions on our dues structure please call or email AAI's membership director Reilly Vaughan at 515-262-8323
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Upcoming Events
& Meeting
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Agronomy Committee Meeting
Rescheduled
TBA
Grain Committee Meeting
March 9
10 AM
AAI Board Room
Executive Committee Meeting
March 15
10 AM
AAI Board Room
INREC Board Meeting
March 17
10 AM
Call for Location
AAI Services Board Meeting
March 21
10 AM
AAI Board Room
Office Closed
Observing Good Friday
March 25
AAI Board Meeting
March 29
10 AM
AAI Board Room
Golfing Events
Event 1 - July
Event 2 - August
Events 3 & 4 - September
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