A five-minute summary of AAI, regulation, and industry activities for members of the largest state agribusiness association in the nation. | |
Legislative Committee Sets 2024 AAI Priorities, Hears Session Focus From Ag Groups | |
Invited guests from government and agriculture groups provided insight on their policy focuses for 2024 during the December meeting of the AAI Legislative Committee this week. Groups who participated included Iowa Institute for Cooperatives, Iowa State University, Iowa Corn, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, Iowa Pork Producers Council, Senator Dan Zumbach, Governor's Ag and Energy Policy Advisor Lillie Brady, and Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig.
The various ag groups shared their thoughts on Prop 12, the corn checkoff, property rights, grain indemnity fund, and other items they will be watching when the legislature convenes in January. Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine Dean Dan Grooms shared updates on the animal disease diagnostic lab construction, and Vice President of Extension and Outreach Jason Henderson shared insights on various projects within Extension and Outreach focused on strengthening rural communities and providing technical training for farming equipment.
During the second part of the meeting, the legislative committee reviewed the proposed legislative priorities for AAI and made refinements for approval by the Board of Directors. Among the list of priorities are opposition to central filing, continued support for the Iowa Nitrogen Initiative, clarification of tax code with regard to movable tanks, ending the grain excise tax, support for FFA funding and program expansion legislation, and support for child care funding and initiatives.
The full list of priorities will be shared with voting members prior to the 2024 legislative session.
Get Involved!
The direction and impact of the association is a direct result of committee activities. Committees provide input and direction for the Board of Directors actions. You or someone within your company can serve on a committee by emailing aai@agribiz.org, calling the AAI office, or filling out a form online at:
https://www.agribiz.org/benefits-of-membership/join-a-committee/
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AAI Signs Comments To EPA On Nitrate Assessment Protocol | |
This week, The Fertilizer Institute submitted comments on the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Protocol for the Nitrate and Nitrite Assessment. The comments encourage EPA to emphasize robust scientific literature and analysis. The comments state:
"We strongly suggest that EPA consider the scientific evidence presented by other agencies/entities, including OEHHA, EFSA, JECFA, and ATSDR, that justifies maintaining the current EPA 10 mg/l nitrate drinking water standard as it stands as an exceptionally robust measure safeguarding public health today. EPA's protocol should be carefully crafted to facilitate the creation of a high-quality assessment capable of rigorously addressing this pivotal inquiry for EPA Offices and Regions, as well as for the global population."
The Agribusiness Association of Iowa signed on to these comments in conjunction with more than 20 other industry groups.
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Thank You To Mark and Rhonda White | |
The AAI Board Room has a brand new set of United States and Iowa flags. The flags were donated by AAI Board Chair Mark White and his wife Rhonda.
Thank you to the Whites for providing the new additions to the board room!
Pictured (left to right): AAI CEO Bill Northey, AAI Board Chair Mark White
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Sponsorship Opportunities
Opportunities for sponsorship have been expanded for the Career Day. Your company can be a Premier Sponsor, a Primary Sponsor, or a Career Fair Participating Sponsor.
Premier (Event) Sponsors - $6000
Opportunity to address the students directly, provides a scholarship for a participant, and receives a Career Fair table.
Primary (Scholarship) Sponsors - $1500
Introduced by company, provides a scholarship for a participant, and receives a Career Fair table.
Career Fair Companies - $100
Acknowledged and will receive a Career Fair table.
All sponsors are encouraged to join the students for lunch and interact throughout the event.
Click Here to download the Career Day Sponsorship flyer
If your company would like to be seen and prominently recognized by more than 350 potential future employees, contact Sally Thompson for details - sally@agribiz.org or 515.868.0323.
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Register for Showcase and Get Ahead of the Holidays
Don't put off registration - Give yourself a present instead! Knock out an item on your 2024 to do list and start the New Year off right.
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Scheduled Speakers
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Danielle Watts, VP Data Science, Pattern Ag
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Trent Newell, Agronomy Lead, Pattern Ag
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Connor Ferguson, Senior Agronomy Sales, Simplot Grower Solutions
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Secretary Mike Naig, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship
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Dr. Sabrina Ruis, Research Soil Scientist, USDA Agriculture Research Service (ARS)-National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment (NLAE)
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Corey Rosenbusch, President and CEO, The Fertilizer Institute
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Daren Coppock, President and CEO, Agricultural Retailers Association
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Mike Seyfert, President and CEO, National Grain And Feed Association
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Doug Jones, Senior Environmental Advisor, U.S. EPA Region 7
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Chris Souder, Bayer CropScience
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Dr. Geoff Graham, Vice President, Seed Product Development, Corteva
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Kapil Arora, Field Agriculture Engineer, ISU Extension
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Monty Malone, Soybean Variety Development Lead, US Agricultural Solutions, BASF
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Jason Gibson, Market Development Specialist, Corteva Agriscience
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Governor Kim Reynolds (Invited)
View General Schedule
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Thank You For Your Membership! | |
As a member of AAI, you are the driving force of the organization Where Agribusiness Matters. Thank you for your membership and your commitment to the success of agribusiness in Iowa.
The following companies have recently renewed their membership for the 2024 Membership Year.
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- Advanced Crop Management
- Calcium Products Inc.
- CornerPost
- Le Mars Agri-Center, Inc.
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- Ostara
- Syngenta
- Twin State, Inc.
- Squibb-Taylor Inc.
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Not currently a member? Click Here to send us an email so we can follow up with your company and help you get connected to AAI. | |
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December 25
Christmas Holiday - AAI Main Office Closed
January 25
AAI Legislative Breakfast
7:30 AM | Iowa State Capitol Building
AAI Board of Directors Meeting
10:00 AM | AAI Main Office Board Room
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Partner With Iowa State University For Variable Rate Nitrogen Trials | |
Iowa State University is looking for 500 fields for the 2024 crop season to test nitrogen rates. The trial is built into a variable rate prescription that works with the existing nitrogen program.
Five rates will be tested five times each in a small area (7-10 ac.) of the field. ISU is sent the as-applied file from the applicator and the yield file after harvest. Farmers and agronomists receive information on the optimum nitrogen rate for their fields. If a zero-applied nitrogen rate is included in the trial, growers receive a soil fertility test, soil nitrate testing throughout the growing season, and $600 to offset yield loss on the zero nitrogen plots (~1.5 acres total).
Variable rate application equipment is required to conduct the trials. If you apply variable rate nitrogen to your customers’ fields, please consider participating.
For more information, reach out to Melissa Miller, Iowa Nitrogen Initiative Project Director, at 515-567-0607 or millerms@iastate.edu.
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Midwest Ag Safety Leadership Conference | |
This conference is for anyone within a Safety role within their company. This event provides Ag Safety Professionals an opportunity to grow in their leadership skills & network with other professionals. It’s not enough to write safety programs and train employees. Safety professionals must have excellent leadership skills to influence the safety culture within your organizations.
January 9 -11, 2024
Mid-America Center, Council Bluffs, Iowa
Additional Information & Registration Page
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EU compound feed production (EU27) for farmed animals in 2023 is estimated at 144.3 million tonnes, reflecting a 2% decrease compared to 2022, according to data forecasts rovided by FEFAC members. The EU feed market in 2023 reflects continued political and market crisis management pressures and a growing demand for providing sustainable feed solutions to address market dynamics and regulatory considerations.
These trends are a response to the adverse impacts of climate change and animal diseases on the supply of raw materials, such as droughts and floods, and on animal production capacity, including avian influenza and African swine fever. Additionally, national policies ranging from greenhouse gas reduction goals to nitrate emission regulations, have contributed to these shifts.
Moreover, shifts in production methods, as well as reduced or shifting demand due to changing consumer preferences (the impact of food price inflation), are affecting compound feed production differentially across member states. While countries such as Germany, Ireland, Denmark and Hungary have witnessed approximately a 5% decline in feed production, other countries like Austria, Bulgaria, Italy and Romania, have experienced a modest increase. The remaining member states have either marginally decreased their feed production or maintained it at a level similar to the previous year.
Similar to 2022, the pig feed sector was most severely affected in 2023, experiencing a further decline of almost 2.5 million tons. Germany, for instance, faced a reduction in pork production due to the loss of Asian export markets and was targeted by negative media campaigns. Denmark witnessed a substantial drop of -13.6% in pork production in 2023. Spain, the largest EU pig feed producer, lost 800,000 tonnes of production due to shifting consumer preferences (food price inflation) and the loss of export markets. Meanwhile, Italy continued to grapple with challenges posed by ASF.
[...] Read Full Story
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When farmers harvest their grain, they can choose to sell it right away or store it to obtain better prices later in the season.
A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign explores how Illinois corn and soybean producers make those decisions and why the cost-benefit evaluation of storage may differ across farms.
Agricultural commodity prices fluctuate in response to changes in supply and demand, which depends on the stockpile of grain inventories around the country — but economists don’t really don’t know how farmers decide to sell versus store their grain.
“Economic theory provides guidance that Extension economists have long shared with farmers, but we always say that these decisions depend on the specifics of the farm operation. We haven’t tested the theory against real-world farmer behavior before now. That’s what our paper provides,” said study co-author Joe Janzen, Illinois Extension specialist and assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.
“Our data show farmers how their peers make marketing decisions and provide useful benchmarking for profitability to help them in their own decision-making. There is great year-to-year variability, and just because a decision is right in general, doesn’t mean it’s right in specific circumstances, so farmers need to be adaptable,” Janzen said.
[...] Read Full Story
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House Republicans used a hearing meant to discuss implementation of President Joe Biden’s infrastructure law to push back against an upcoming proposed regulation to mandate speed limiters on trucks.
One of the biggest concerns surfacing in the three-and-a-half-hour House Transportation and Infrastructure highway subcommittee hearing on Wednesday related to the ethics of the speed limiter rulemaking process.
U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, questioned Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration chief Robin Hutcheson about a potential connection between FMCSA rescinding in September a 68 mph limit on electronic speed governors in trucks — which had initially been included in an agenda summary of the upcoming proposed rule — and a fundraiser she attended the same week.
The fundraiser was “sponsored by labor unions, trial attorneys, large trucking companies,” Nehls said, all of which “had been pressuring your agency to select a speed limiter rule at 60 mph, well below what the agency had indicated it was prepared to select.”
Nehls asked Hutcheson if the credibility of the rulemaking is damaged by attending events sponsored by supporters of a regulation that her agency is still crafting.
“We take very seriously the fidelity of the process of rulemaking, and we don’t discuss the contents of the rule even as we’re engaging with our stakeholders,” Hutcheson affirmed.
“I’ll trust you on this,” Nehls responded. “But I hope you equally consider the 15,000 comments from America’s truckers who have provided input on this rulemaking. They’re not going to be able to host a big fundraiser for you.”
Five other Republican lawmakers also took issue with the rule and made it the focus of their questioning: Mike Bost of Illinois, Doug LaMalfa of California, Eric Burlison of Missouri, Jefferson Van Drew of New Jersey and Mike Collins of Georgia.
Bost, a former truck driver, said that when his home state instituted different speeds for cars and trucks it led to more accidents.
[...] Read Full Story
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Perhaps it’s a by-product of this time of year – the holidays – but my mind has turned to sweets. Right now, who doesn’t love Christmas cookies, candies, and chocolates?
Recently, I came across an online article looking at something called biochar. This product is made from discarded cacao pods. Of course, cacao pods contain cacao beans, which are used around the globe to produce chocolate. The pods they are contained in, however, are normally discarded, left to decay.
But for the past few years, some researchers have been experimenting with creating something useful from cacao pods. To this end, they’ve come up with a substance called biochar. This product takes certain biomass wastes such as wood residues, poultry litter, and cacao pods and subjects them to high temperatures in the absence of oxygen. The result of this process is a black powder called biochar.
For agriculture, biochar has several potential uses. For one thing, it can be used as a fertilizer (a biofertilizer, to be exact) because of its high potassium content. Can you imagine marketing the use of “chocolate fertilizer” to John Q. Public and not having them be intrigued?
[...] Read Full Story
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