A five-minute summary of AAI, regulation, and industry activities for members of the largest state agribusiness association in the nation. | |
AAI Legislative Breakfast at the Capitol | Thursday marked the annual AAI Legislative Breakfast at the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines. Thanks to everyone who was able to attend and make connections with the many legislators who made the effort to stop by and engage with the AAI membership. | |
Sustainability in Agribusiness Tour and Discussion | |
On Tuesday, January 24, the Agribusiness Association of Iowa hosted over 30 sustainability leaders from farms, agribusinesses, universities, and nonprofits. Attendees toured the Stine pyrolyzer plant near Redfield. Iowa State University and Stine Seeds are piloting a plant to turn corn stover into biochar and bio oil. After the tour, the group heard from Robert Brown, ISU professor, and his work with the Stine pyrolyzer to compete for a $50 million X Prize for carbon removal.
Lisa Schulte Moore, ISU professor, and Bryan Sievers, Iowa farmer, discussed their USDA climate smart commodities grant to turn manure, perennial vegetation, and cover crops into renewable natural gas. Finally, Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy and Gevo shared their USDA climate smart Farm to Flight project which turns low carbon intensity corn into sustainable aviation fuel.
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Iowa Commercial Applicator of the Year - Nominations Close January 31 | |
IOWA COMMERCIAL APPLICATOR OF THE YEAR IS SPONSORED BY | |
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Nominations are open for the first annual Iowa Commercial Applicator of the Year.
Click Here for Nomination Form
Nominations for Iowa Commercial Applicator of the Year must be received no later than close of business on January 31, 2023. Questions? Please contact Reilly Vaughan at reilly@agribiz.org or 515.262.8323.
Full Details Online
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2023 AAI Executive Session in Washington DC
February 22-24, 2023
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The Agribusiness Association of Iowa is offering a unique opportunity for Iowa Agribusiness Leaders and Executives. In conjunction with the 2023 Ag Outlook Forum being held in Washington, DC. in February, AAI would like to host a small group of business leaders to join Bill Northey, AAI CEO, in attending a variety of meetings at the 2023 Ag Outlook Forum in addition to meetings arranged by AAI with other key ag stakeholders in DC. Final schedule to come but AAI is working to get you in the room with Iowa and ag political leaders, administrative officials, and national organizations such as CropLife, ARA, NGFA, USDA, and EPA.
Sample agenda:
- Wednesday, 2/22, meetings arranged by AAI, Iowans in DC dinner
- Thursday, 2/23, Ag Outlook meetings and meetings arranged by AAI, group dinner
- Friday, 2/24, Ag Outlook meetings and meetings arranged by AAI
AAI organizes the agenda, you arrange your travel to coordinate with your schedule, and you attend all or some of the meetings—it is up to you. No obligation to attend every activity. You design the trip to best fit your and your organization’s needs. Costs for you would include: travel, meals, ground transportation, and lodging. In addition, if you choose to attend any of the Ag Outlook meetings, registration is required. Additional information about the Ag Outlook schedule, registration, lodging, is available at the link below:
USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum website
Contact sally@agribiz.org with questions and to get your name added to the list of those interested in attending 2023 AAI Executive Session in Washington, DC. Participation is limited and final commitment will be needed by February 10.
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NEW - Transload Facility Tour & Directors From DOT, DNR, Revenue, and Economic Development | |
An All Star Line Up For A Top Shelf Industry | The 2023 Showcase schedule is packed with great sessions and events. Here are a few you may have missed: | |
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Des Moines Industrial - Transloading Facility Tours
- Tuesday, Feb. 14 | Bus leaves fairgrounds at 4:15 PM
- Wednesday, Feb. 15 | Bus leaves fairgrounds at 10:00 AM
Featured Speakers:
- Governor Kim Reynolds
- Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird
- Iowa DOT Director Scott Marler
- Iowa DNR Director Kayla Lyons
- Iowa Dept. of Revenue & Dept. of Mgmt. Director Kraig Paulsen
- Iowa Economic Development Director Debi Durham
- Grain Warehouse Bureau Chief Jim Kennedy
Bags (Corn Hole) Tournament | Tuesday, February 14
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Exhibitors: Attendees Are Asking About You | |
Make sure they find you!
Attendees are looking for companies on the exhibitor list. Add your company to the Agribusiness Showcase & Conference so your clients (and future clients) know you'll be there!
Click For Exhibitor List
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Make an Impact - Donate an Item for the Iowa Agribusiness PAC Auction | |
Tuesday evening activities during the reception on February 14 at the 2023 Agribusiness Showcase & Conference will include the annual LIVE AUCTION which raises funds to support the Iowa Agribusiness Political Action Committee (AAI-PAC) and the Agribusiness Association of Iowa Foundation (AAIF). There are also plans in place for the return of the silent auction this year!
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Be there! Help celebrate the retirement of Joan O'Brien from AAI.
Donate an auction item! Your donation of an experience, item, or package of items will help make this year’s auction the best yet! Please email Sally Thompson for more information or to confirm a donation - sally@agribiz.org.
A FEW NOTES ABOUT DONATIONS
All donations to the PAC must be from personal funds and are not tax deductible. No corporate funds allowed. This includes in-kind donations such as items for bid (e.g. round of golf).
Donations from corporate or business organizations will support the AAI Foundation.
If you have any questions, contact Sally Thompson - sally@agribiz.org or 515.868.0323.
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The following list of members have recently completed their membership investment for 2023.
Thank you for your membership!
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- Soil Solutions LLC
- Squibb Taylor Inc
- Compass Compliance
- Associate Benefits Corporation
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- Corteva Agriscience
- Devron
- Bergan KDV
- CoBank
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February 14 & 15
Agribusiness Showcase & Conference
Knapp Varied Industries Building
Iowa State Fairgrounds | Des Moines, Iowa
Click Here to Register Online
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WATCH THE AGRIBUSINESS REPORT | |
Certified Commercial Pesticide Applicator Prep Course Feb. 28 through March 3 | |
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and Iowa Central Community College are offering a four-day workshop that will prepare attendees to become certified as Commercial Pesticide Applicators.
This course will focus on materials needed to take the Iowa Core Manual Exam and Categories 1A (Ag Weed Control), 1B (Ag Insect Control) and 1C (Ag Disease Control). In addition, this material will cover local context and real-life application of insect, weed and disease management. Course information will be presented by ISU Extension and Outreach field agronomists.
Tuition for the class is $549 and includes the Core, 1A, 1B and 1C manuals. The workshop will take place from Feb. 28 through March 3, Iowa Central East Campus, Triton Room, in Fort Dodge, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. each day.
Full Details:
Certified Commercial Pesticide Applicator Course
NOTE: For those needing to renew their certification, an in person recertification session will be available at the Agribusiness Showcase & Conference on February 15. Click Here to Register
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Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas introduced a bipartisan bill they say would protect America’s agriculture industry from improper investment. The Foreign Adversary Risk Management Act, or “FARM Act,” would bolster the U.S. agriculture industry’s role on the Committee of Foreign Investment in the United States. That governmental body is responsible for vetting foreign investments and acquisitions of American companies.
“Over the past few years, we’ve seen an alarming increase in foreign purchases of farmland and food companies, particularly by China,” Tuberville said. “These foreign investments are now reaching every piece of the very large puzzle that makes up our agriculture industry, from farming and processing to packaging and shipping. That’s why America’s agriculture community needs to have a permanent seat at the table when our government vets foreign investment in our country.”
Also signing on to the bill as co-sponsors were Reps. Vicente Gonzalez, Pete Sessions and Abigail Spanberger.
The FARM Act would make the Secretary of Agriculture a CFIUS member. The bill includes language intended to protect the agriculture industry from foreign control through transactions, mergers, acquisitions, or agreements. Certain agriculture supply chains could be designated as critical infrastructure and critical technologies. USDA and the Government Accountability Office would also be required to report to Congress on current and potential foreign investment in American agriculture.
[...] Read Full Story
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According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s statistics, no-till and conservation tillage are on the rise, with more than three-quarters of corn and soybean farmers opting for the practices to reduce soil erosion, maintain soil structure, and save on fuel.
However, these estimates are based primarily on farmer self-reporting and are only compiled once every five years, potentially limiting accuracy.
In a new study, University of Illinois scientists demonstrate a way to accurately map tilled land in real-time by integrating ground, airborne, and satellite imagery.
“We’ve shown remote sensing can quantify regional-scale tillage information in a cost-effective manner. This field-level information can be used to support growers in their management practices, as well as to support agroecosystem modeling and provide tools to the USDA to verify their census data,” says the study’s lead author, Sheng Wang, a research assistant professor in U of I’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. He is also a research scientist in the Agroecosystem Sustainability Center at U of I.
Wang and the research team took photos of the ground at participating field sites throughout Central Illinois, generating 6,719 GPS-tagged images. Then they arranged for an airplane equipped with high-powered hyperspectral sensors to fly over the region. The airborne system scanned 40,000 acres per hour and captured rich spectral signatures of the ground at a scale of about half a meter.
[...] Read Full Story
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Source: Successful Farming
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A farmer-advocacy organization says record-breaking increases in the price of eggs isn’t being caused by inflation or avian flu, as claimed by egg companies, but by price collusion among the nation’s top egg producers.
In a letter sent to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) last week, the organization Farm Action accused the country’s dominant egg producers of scheming to raise prices.
“The real culprit behind this 138% hike in the price of a carton of eggs appears to be a collusive scheme among industry leaders to turn inflationary conditions and an avian flu outbreak into an opportunity to extract egregious profits reaching as high as 40%,” read the Farm Action letter to the FTC.
The average price of a dozen eggs jumped from $1.79 in December 2021 to $4.25 in December 2022. To explain the increase, industry leaders have cited inflation plus the avian flu outbreak, which began in February 2022 and has killed more than 43 million commercial egg-laying hens, according to USDA data.
The avian flu outbreak in 2015 was deadlier but did not produce price spikes as high as those seen in 2022. The 2015 outbreak killed about 12% of the egg-laying hens in the U.S. Most of the 50 million birds that died were egg-laying hens and turkeys, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (ERS).
[...] Read Full Story
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Source: Progressive Farmer
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For many years, ethanol opponents in the refining industry have called for the EPA to cut back on ethanol blending.
There just isn't enough gasoline consumed to be able to blend 15 billion gallons of ethanol annually, critics say, making their voices heard each time the agency holds public hearings on the Renewable Fuel Standard.
The latest U.S. Energy Information Administration data on transportation fuel consumption in the U.S. in 2021, however, paints a much different picture than refiners claim when they consistently call for ethanol blending below 10%.
Based on that analysis, DTN has ranked the 50 states and the District of Columbia by percentage of blend rates and uses total ethanol barrels consumed in each state as a tiebreaker to paint an interesting portrait geographically.
DTN's analysis of EIA data found an overall blending rate of 10.3% nationally, based on 332.01 million barrels of ethanol blended and consumed and about 3.2 billion barrels of gasoline.
In terms of gallons, the U.S. consumed 13.94 billion gallons of ethanol and 134.4 billion gallons of gasoline.
The EIA calculates ethanol and gasoline consumption in the commercial, industrial and transportation sectors, and not just from motor vehicles.
[...] Read Full Story
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THE AGRIBUSINESS REPORT
Follow host David Geiger on Twitter:
@geigerreports
Watch daily broadcast live:
KCRG-TV Cedar Rapids
WHO-TV Des Moines
KYOU-TV Ottumwa
Watch online any time:
https://agribiz.org/report
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