A five-minute summary of AAI, regulation, and industry activities for members of the largest state agribusiness association in the nation. | |
Grain Elevator Operations Management Short Course Registration Open
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The dates have been set for the 2022 Advanced Grain Elevator Operations Management Short Course and registration is now open.
IGQI-AAI Foundation Advanced Grain Elevator Operations Management Short Course
August 8 – 11, 2022
Jeff and Deb Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center
2508 Mortensen Road | Ames, Iowa
Course Tuition: AAI Member - $1050 | Non-Member - $1200
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This four day course will teach the scientific principles and advanced practical skills to further increase the professional competence of grain industry employees.
Topics include:
- Grain Quality Characteristics and Measurement
- Air Properties (Psychrometrics) for Drying and Cooling
- Grain Handling Equipment
- Air Properties, Equilibrium Moisture Content (EMC) and Safe Storage
- Aeration Principles – Purpose, Hardware, Airflow Rates, Cooling Front Movement, Airflow Resistance, Uniformity and Distribution
- Equipment Maintenance
- Inventory Management
- Grain Conditions Monitoring (Temperatures, Moisture Content, CO2)
- Operations Costs
- Grain Drying Principles
- Inspection, Receiving, Binning and Shipping
- Aeration Principles – Fan Operation and Control
- Managing Outdoor Grain Piles
- Managing Aeration Shrink Loss in Bins, Silos, Tanks and Ground Piles
- Using the Grain Aeration & Storage App for Weather Forecasting and Shrink Management
- Plus extensive hands-on learning
Full details available at the following link:
Advanced Grain Operations Short Course Outline
Hosted by:
- The Iowa Grain Quality Initiative (iowagrain.org) - Iowa State University Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
- Iowa Agribusiness Foundation
Limited Seating - This short course opportunity has a maximum of 30 participants. Registration interest beyond capacity will be added to a waiting list and notified of any additional course offerings at a future date.
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AAI Golf Outings
July 21
Emerald Hills Golf Course - Okoboji, Iowa
September 7
Amana Colonies Golf Club - Amana, Iowa
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Double Eagle Level Sponsors | |
Golf Sponsorship Opportunities | |
Make sure your agribusiness peers know you support the association as they gather for social time, entertain clients, and enjoy a great day at the golf course.
Available Sponsor Options:
Luncheon Sponsor | Golf Cart Sponsor | Hole-In-One Sponsor CLAIMED |
Snack Cart Sponsor | Pin Prize Sponsor CLAIMED | Champions Sponsor | Hole Sponsor
Full details available here:
AAI Golf Sponsorships
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Cost Share Funds for Soil Health and Water Quality Practices Available Through IDALS | |
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced that farmers and landowners can now sign up for state cost share funds. These funds help farmers adopt soil health and water quality practices, including planting cover crops, transitioning acres to no-till/strip-till soil management or applying a nitrification inhibitor.
“Iowa farmers and landowners continue to rise to the challenge of improving our state’s soil health and water quality by implementing new conservation practices,” said Secretary Naig. “I encourage all farmers and landowners to look for opportunities to add new conservation practices to their fields to help protect our land for future generations and make measurable progress toward our water quality goals. This program is a great way to get started.”
Farmers who are planting cover crops for the first time are eligible for $25 per acre through the cost share fund. Farmers who have already experienced the benefits of using cover crops and are continuing the practice can receive $15 per acre. Producers transitioning acres to no-till or strip-till are eligible for $10 per acre, and may receive $3 per acre for applying fall fertilizer using a nitrapyrin nitrification inhibitor.
Cost share funding through the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is limited to 160 acres per farmer or landowner. The funds will be made available in July, but farmers can start submitting applications immediately through their local Soil and Water Conservation District offices. Farmers are encouraged to call their Soil and Water Conservation District offices to inquire about additional cost-share funds available through other sources.
With farmers stewarding more than two million acres of cover crops across the state, Iowa continues to be a conservation leader. Last fall, over 3,500 farmers and landowners enrolled in the cost share program funded through the Water Quality Initiative. More than 413,000 acres of cover crops, 13,700 acres of no-till/strip-till and 5,400 acres of nitrification inhibitors were enrolled in the program in 2021. An estimated $14 million of private funding was invested to match the $6.9 million contributed by the state. To learn more about the soil health and water quality projects underway around Iowa, visit cleanwateriowa.org.
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Past Board Member & Agribusiness Retirees -
Join The Advisory Council
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The Agribusiness Association of Iowa Advisory Council was created to provide an opportunity for past board members and agribusiness industry retirees to stay engaged in the association, and to leverage their knowledge and experience in the industry. The Advisory Council typically meets twice per year to socialize and stay up to date on the association and industry issues. Advisory Council members also can participate in association events and will receive the weekly Take Five newsletter.
The current Advisory Council chair Mark Morrissey invites other past board members and industry retirees to pay their Emeritus Membership dues and join the Council. If you are already an Advisory Council member, forward this information to someone you know who would be interested in becoming a member.
Pay Emeritus Membership Dues Online: AAI Online Dues System
Request a printable Emeritus Membership Dues Form: Click To Email Us
The next meeting of the AAI Advisory Council is set for July 19 at the Agribusiness Association of Iowa Main Office in Des Moines.
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Dicamba Cutoff Date in Iowa: June 20 | |
Label amendments from EPA restrict the use of over-the-top dicamba in Iowa and Minnesota. The revised labeling prohibits over-the-top dicamba application on dicamba-tolerant crops after June 20 in Iowa.
The EPA requires all growers nationwide (not just in Iowa and Minnesota) using dicamba products to check the applicable following links within seven (7) days of application in case their state has made any local label updates:
Growers using dicamba products must have all relevant labeling in their possession at the time of application.
View the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship Press Release
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Interviews and media segments featuring staff from the Agribusiness Association of Iowa:
(Click Headline to listen or view segment)
The Future. Faster. - Nutrien Ag Solutions Podcast
Corn Belt Climate Resilience
Audio Interview with Agribusiness Association of Iowa CEO Bill Northey
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AAI Main Office closes at Noon on Fridays through Labor Day
June 21
Executive Committee Meeting
AAI Main Office
June 29
Agronomy & Environment Committees Joint Meeting
10:00 AM | AAI Board Room
June 30
AAI Board of Directors Meeting
AAI Board Room
July 7
AAI Membership Committee Meeting
AAI Board Room
July 19
AAI Advisory Council Meeting
AAI Board Room
July 21
AAI Golf Outing - Emerald Hills
Okoboji, Iowa | Click Here to Register
September 7
AAI Golf Outing - Amana Colonies
Amana, Iowa | Click Here to Register
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WATCH THE AGRIBUSINESS REPORT | |
AgGateway Mid-Year Meeting - June 12-13 | |
Location: Altoona, Iowa
A conference related to driving digital connectivity in global agriculture and related industries. Visit the website for additional information and registration:
2022 Mid-Year Meeting
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ISU Research Farms Field Days and Meetings | |
Field days give farmers and the public a chance to see research projects in progress and talk with the researchers involved in the experiments. But they also provide the opportunity to view the latest in modern agriculture. Anyone is welcome to attend.
Topics of field days in the summer typically cover corn and soybean production, including insect and weed management, soil fertility, tillage systems, water quality, planting dates, crop population, manure management and value-added crops.
June 14 - Manure Field Day
June 16 - North Central Iowa Research Farm June Field Day
Full list of Research Farms Field Days and Meetings:
https://farms.cals.iastate.edu/research-farms-field-days-and-meetings
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Cover Iowa: Agronomists in the Know Workshop - June 22 | |
Practical Farmers of Iowa is hosting an in-person workshop for people advising farmers on cover crops. Earn CEUs, network, and learn about how cover crops can save money at this free workshop and lunch.
Cover Iowa: Agronomists in the Know Workshop
9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Wednesday, June 22, 2022
Iowa State University Alumni Center
Ames, Iowa
Download the Event Flyer: Cover Iowa Event
Register Online: http://bit.ly/PFICoverIowa
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StoneX Commercial Grain Accounting Seminar - June 14-15 | |
Location: Sioux Falls, South Dakota
An event for grain professionals, accountants, and CPAs focused on the basics of grain origination and merchandising, and the intricacies of grain industry accounting practices. Visit the website for additional information and registration:
Commercial Grain Accounting Seminar
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Every component of the food supply chain has been tested in recent years ranging from the impacts of the pandemic to climate and weather-related challenges and most recently the Russian invasion of Ukraine. USDA unveiled a framework June 1 showing how to target billions of dollars to help improve the food supply chain and create a more resilient food system.
The framework includes $300 million for transitioning to organic, $375 million for expanding independent meat and processing, $400 million to create regional food business centers and up to $600 million in financial assistance to support the food supply chain infrastructure.
“What we’ve learned is the need for a food system in the United States, not only to be incredibly productive as it is, but to continue to be resilient, to continue to find ways in which we can improve producer income, ways in which we can create greater resiliency in our system, a commitment to sustainability and making sure that access to what is being produced is available to folks, especially underserved communities,” Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack shared in an exclusive interview with Farm Progress.
When the COVID-19 pandemic began, USDA made significant investments through its Pandemic Assistance Program, providing immediate relief to producers, businesses, food workers and others. As the pandemic has evolved and Russia’s war in Ukraine has caused supply chain disruptions, USDA says the food system must be strengthened across the supply chain from how food is produced to how it is purchased and all the steps in between.
[...] Read Full Story
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German researchers have found that when food for bumblebees is scarce, exposure to glyphosate can significantly impair bumblebees’ collective ability to maintain their hive temperature, having a negative physiological and behavioral effect on the insects. The study, Glyphosate impairs collective thermoregulation in bumblebees, is authored by Dr. Anja Weidenmüller from the University of Konstanz and is being published June 3 in the journal Science.
This research related to glyphosate, the most widely used synthetic herbicide in the world, is sure to be another tool used by those who speak out against many modern farming practices and blame agriculture for changes in bee populations over the years.
Maintaining hive temperature is critical for colony survival and is the most important factor in brood development. Bumblebee colonies that have sufficient nectar available as “fuel” keep their broods at a constant temperature of about 32 degrees.
“Just as we humans keep our body temperature constant, the animals in a colony collectively show homeostasis in the temperature regulation of their brood,” Weidenmüller said. This joint thermoregulation is of outstanding importance for colony development. Only at such high temperatures does the brood develop quickly from egg to bumblebee and the colony from a single queen to a colony of several hundred individuals.
[...] Read Full Story
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A recent panel of four agribusiness leaders at the 2022 Council of Producers and Distributors of Agrotechnology Adjuvant and Inerts Conference revealed the top challenges for the ag retail business in the next 10 years.
All four companies have impressive footprints and legacies, which serve as their foundation and springboards for growth.
As Troy Bolt, Simpot, vice president and general manager, says the company’s founder J.R. Simplot set the company’s path for entrepreneurship with his approach of taking issues and problems and turning them into solutions.
As such, Bolt outlined four challenges:
- People. “How do we continue to attract people into agriculture?” he says.
- Data management and digital tools. “There's been a lot of sizzle in the space. But we haven't created a lot of value. This is where we use our farms as pilots. How do we bring new tools to make better decisions and do more efficiently,” Bolt says.
- Global farmer relevance. “How do we continue to work with our grower customers to make sure that they can compete on a global basis,” he says.
- Sustainable agriculture. “How do we grow more with less,” he questions. “For example, how do we use less water, especially in California with the significant drought that we're facing right now.”
Adding his perspective, Brett Bruggeman, Winfield United president, shared five imperatives he sees for the sector.
[...] Read Full Story
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The Biden administration on Thursday proposed undoing a Trump-era rule that limited the power of states and Native American tribes to block energy projects like natural gas pipelines based on their potential to pollute rivers and streams.
The Clean Water Act allows states and tribes to review what effect pipelines, dams and some other federally regulated projects might have on water quality within their borders. The Trump administration sought to streamline fossil fuel development and made it harder for local officials to block projects.
The Biden administration’s proposed rule would shift power back to states, tribes and territories.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement that the agency’s draft regulation would empower local entities to protect water bodies “while supporting much-needed infrastructure projects that create jobs.”
Thursday’s action is the latest move by the Biden administration to tighten water regulations loosened under the Trump administration.
The Trump rule required local regulators to focus their reviews on the pollution that projects might discharge into rivers, streams and wetlands. It also rigidly enforced a one-year deadline for regulators to make permitting decisions. Some states lost their authority to block certain projects based on allegations they blew the deadline.
[...] 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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