A five-minute summary of AAI, regulation, and industry activities for members of the largest state agribusiness association in the nation. | |
Governor Calls Special Session | |
This week, Governor Kim Reynolds announced a special session of the legislature for next week. While the stated purpose of the session is to enact legislation related to abortion, once the session is reopened, it is possible for other policy efforts to surface.
Staff and the lobbying team at AAI will monitor the special session for any additional topics or concerns that may arise.
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New Research Proves Animal Food Manufacturers Vital to US Economy
Article courtesy of: AFIA
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Across America each day, nearly 5,650 animal food manufacturing facilities produce millions of tons of livestock, poultry and aquaculture feed and pet food, providing animals with safe and adequate nutrition while supporting an abundant U.S. food supply.
The economic contribution study, conducted by Decision Innovation Solutions (DIS), an economic research and analysis firm, recently quantified exactly how vital the animal food industry is to the U.S. economy. Working with the AFIA, DIS analyzed economic data from a variety of sources to forecast an overall picture of the entire animal food manufacturing industry’s contribution to the U.S. economy in 2023.
DIS estimated that in 2023, the total animal food industry will generate $267.1 billion in sales. This figure includes approximately $98.4 billion in value-added revenue. The industry will employ roughly 760,000 employees, paying out $55 billion in salaries and employee benefits before year-end. At the local, state and national levels, the industry will file $18.5 billion in taxes in 2023. The report showed that the top five states for feed and pet food sales this year will be California, Missouri, Texas, Iowa and Kansas, contributing almost $89 billion in sales combined.
Visit the site to see specific information for the state of Iowa and other states on the AFIA website (NOTE: Chrome browser may produce errors; use Edge or another browser to view):
https://www.afia.org/feedfacts/feed-industry-stats/economic-impact/
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CFATS Reauthorization and AN Security Program Rulemaking
Article courtesy of: TFI
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On June 23, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Gary Peters (D-MI) introduced a 5-year clean reauthorization of the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program, which is due to expire on July 27, 2023. Chairman Peters introduced the CFATS legislation with Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Tom Carper (D-DE), and James Lankford (R-OK). The Committee press release can be found below, and includes a quote from TFI’s President and CEO:
CFATS Press Release
“TFI strongly supports a 5-year clean extension of the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program. The CFATS program must continue without interruption to ensure regulatory and program certainty,” said Corey Rosenbusch, President and CEO, The Fertilizer Institute. “The current Congressional authorization for CFATS expires July 27, 2023. Any lapse in authorization of the CFATS program would subject our members to additional uncertainty in an already volatile agricultural market. The security of facilities is paramount to the fertilizer sector.”
The House Committee on Homeland Security is considering a shorter clean extension of the CFATS program. TFI continues to work with the CFATS coalition in support a long-term clean reauthorization of the program.
On June 12, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce (E&C) sent a letter to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) regarding the CFATS program. The Committee has partial jurisdiction over the CFATS program. The E&C letter inquires about several CFATS oversight questions and also asks about the long-pending Ammonium Nitrate Security Program (ANSP) rulemaking. CISA issued a response on June 23rd.
Click for House E&C Letter
Click Here for CISA Response
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Incorporate the FBI Into Company Cyber-attack Response Plans
Article provided by: FBI Omaha field office
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Companies should keep in mind that it is not a question of if a cyber incident will occur, but when. The FBI encourages companies to plan ahead for cyber security incidents. Every company needs to have an incident response plan ready and practiced. Companies should develop a relationship with the FBI and local law enforcement before an incident and have FBI engagement written into their incident response playbook.
When the FBI is able to quickly engage with a company, we don’t come empty handed. We’re usually able to bring indicators that help network defenders identify malicious activity, and intelligence about what the actors have been doing elsewhere that can help the company figure out what to do next.
We also come with the understanding of the threat that stems from the joint work of our cyber and intelligence programs. Especially when the cyber intrusion we’re responding to targets intellectual property or PII, we aren’t just looking at the cyber threat, but at other ways, like recruiting insiders, that actors may be trying to steal the same information.
The FBI takes proactive steps to ensure our partners have the information they need. We use the information gleaned from investigations and intelligence to notify those targeted by cyber actors and to provide additional information to victims so they can harden their networks against future attacks. We also value information the private sector can provide to us, as they are often seeing the threats first on their networks.
Additional Information
The FBI is the lead federal agency for investigating cyber attacks and intrusions. We collect and share intelligence and engage with victims while working to unmask those committing malicious cyber activities, wherever they are.
Learn more about what you can do to protect yourself from cyber criminals, how you can report cyber crime, and the Bureau's efforts in combating the evolving cyber threat.
Visit the FBI Cyber Security Investigations page for more information:
https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/cyber
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Okoboji Golf Outing In One Week!
Register By July 10
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STOP SCROLLING and click the registration button below. | |
P.S. - Need some additional options? You can golf at Amana on August 24 and in Ames on September 13. No need to wait - register now! | |
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July 13 - Okoboji, Iowa
Emerald Hills Golf Course
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Aug. 24 - Amana, Iowa
Amana Colonies Golf Course
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Sept. 13 - Ames, Iowa
Coldwater Golf Links
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Golfer Benefits
- Delicious lunch
- Entry into prize raffle
- Prizes for the longest and closest shots
- Trophy and prizes for the winning team
- Four Hole In One opportunities on every course! Win cash or prizes!
- Complimentary soft drinks and snacks on the course
That's all in addition to the fun to be had with your colleagues as you support the success of the agribusiness industry in Iowa.
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Summer Crops Workshop - August 3 | |
Showcase Attendees: $50
Non-Attendees: $75
LOCATION:
Jeff & Deb Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center
Iowa State University | 2508 Mortensen Rd | Ames, Iowa
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM | Lunch included
Summer Workshop Sessions & Speakers
Panel Discussion: Cover Crops and Related Equipment
Dean Sponheim - John Nelson - Nate Legler
Batch & Build: Implementing Edge of Field Practices with Conservation Agronomists
Heartland Co-op
Biological Seed Treatments
Marcus Jones | Land O Lakes, Senior R&D Manager
Using Surfactants and Adjuvants
Dr. Connor Ferguson | Simplot, Senior Sales Advisor
Biological soil testing
Prasanna Kankanala | Trace Genomics, Director of R&D
Seed Corn Pollen Harvesting
Sarah Pirolli | Power Pollen, CCO
Jason Cope | Power Pollen, Co-founder
Targeted Weed Management - New Equipment for Weed Control
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July 12
AAI Advisory Council Meeting
10:00 AM | AAI Main Office Board Room
July 13
AAI Golf Outing - Emerald Hills Golf Club
Noon Shotgun Start | Okoboji, Iowa
August 3
Ag Professional & CCA Summer Workshop
8:00 AM | Hansen Ag Student Learning Center, Ames, Iowa
August 24
AAI Golf Outing - Amana Colonies Golf Club
9:00 AM Shotgun Start | Amana, Iowa
September 13
AAI Golf Outing - Coldwater Golf Links
10:00 AM Shotgun Start | Ames, Iowa
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CONVEY23 Safety Conference - July 20-21 | |
CONVEY focuses on operations, safety, and compliance education along with a 60-exhibitor trade show. New this year is a fumigation recertification workshop, hosted by Degesch America Inc., which will take place the day before the conference. The workshop is offered at a discount to CONVEY attendees.
CONVEY is presented through a partnership of NGFA, GEAPS, and Grain Journal.
CONVEY23 - July 20 & 21
Hilton Omaha | Omaha, Nebraska
Full event details can be found here:
https://convey23.com/
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Leaders from seven trade organizations with stakes in the renewable fuel industry are asking the Environmental Protection Agency to scrap proposed emission standards. They contend the new rules for light- and medium-duty vehicles unfairly promote electric vehicles. In a July 5 letter penned to EPA administrator Michael Regan, the groups say properly incentivized renewable fuels like ethanol have the capability to reduce emissions and should allowed to grow alongside other decarbonization technologies.
“The speed at which the Agency appears to anticipate the market and consumers will transition to electric vehicles is divorced from our members’ assessment of reality. The proposed rule does not appreciate the market obstacles associated with such a massive transition in consumer behavior,” the groups say. “It also abandons proven decarbonization technologies, such as higher-octane liquid fuels, that can deliver material emissions reductions using existing infrastructure, existing vehicles, and working with consumers’ existing behavior.”
The letter was sent in response EPA’s request for comments on proposed emissions standards released in April. It was signed by the National Corn Growers Association, the National Farmers Union and the Renewable Fuels Association as well as the National Association of Convenience Stores, Growth Energy, the National Association of Truck Stop Operators and SIGMA, which bills itself as “America’s leading fuel marketers.”
[...] Read Full Story
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Among biologicals, biostimulants are one of the most popular segments. In fact, according to the 2023 Biologicals Survey conducted by CropLife magazine earlier this year, 73% of ag retailers are currently selling at least some products that are classified as biostimulants. And, says Mark Stutsman, COO at Eldon C. Stutsman, an ag retailer based in Hills, IA, the level of activity in this segment is very robust.
“I can tell you that I have two to three salespeople representing new biostimulants products come into my office every single week,” says Stutsman. “That makes it very hard to figure out which ones might be worth carrying and which ones are not.”
Apparently, many other ag retailers share this view. And, according to The Fertilizer Institute (TFI), the organization has decided to do something to help.
On June 26, TFI officially announced that it was introducing the Certified Biostimulants Program. This is a voluntary evidence-based program that will award biostimulant companies a label indicating that their products meet industry recognized standards for efficacy, safety, and composition. The program is based on the U.S. Biostimulant Industry Guidelines.
According to Ed Thomas, Vice President of Government Affairs at TFI, the program is meant to help ag retailers and growers know that biostimulant manufacturers have followed scientific protocols before bringing their products to market.
“This is built around the need of ag retailers for TFI to step up to the plate and vet these products,” said Thomas at the program launch announcement in St. Louis, MO. “We want to help ag retailers with the onslaught of biostimulant products coming across their desks every year and get these down to a more manageable level.”
[...] Read Full Story
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A bipartisan bill that charges the Surface Transportation Board to better define what should constitute “reasonable” rail service has been reintroduced in the Senate.
The Reliable Rail Service Act, introduced by Sens. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Roger Marshall, R-Kan., charges the Surface Transportation Board to refine the definition of the common carrier obligation, which the senators say is currently ambiguous.
The common carrier obligation calls upon the railroads to provide rail service on a reasonable request. The federal statute came out of the Staggers Act of 1980, which deregulated the freight rail industry. In return for deregulating the rail industry and enabling the railroads to have greater input in their business decisions, the freight railroads must provide service to rail shippers.
Baldwin had introduced a similar bill last September.
According to a bill summary provided by Baldwin, the legislation seeks to clarify the common carrier obligation and establish specific criteria for STB to determine whether a rail carrier has violated the common carrier obligation.
That criteria includes the impacts that reductions or changes in rail service might have had on rail service; the availability and maintenance of reasonable local service schedules and delivery windows; the impacts of reductions in employment levels and in equipment; and the ability of the railroad to meet local operational and service requirements.
[...] Read Full Story
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Good news for fertilizer, solar panel, and electric vehicle battery companies: a massive underground deposit of high-grade phosphate rock has been discovered in Norway, containing enough minerals to meet global demand for those products for the next 50 years.
Norwegian mining company Norge Mining said the 70 billion tonnes of phosphate rock was uncovered in the southwest of Norway, where it sits alongside other minerals such as titanium and vanadium that are used in the aerospace and defense industries. Update (July 7): Norge Mining in an email let us know they have revised their estimate for how long the deposit allows for a supply of phosphate rock from 100 years to 50 years.
Phosphate rock is used in the production of phosphorus, an essential component in the fertilizer industry – 90% of the world's mined phosphate rock goes toward agriculture. It's also used in the production of lithium-iron-phosphate batteries for electric vehicles, solar panels, and in small quantities in semiconductors and chips. All these products have been designated by the European Commission as "of strategic importance" in the production of key technologies for the green and digital transition.
The 70 billion tonne phosphate deposit is just under the proven world reserves of 71 billion tonnes, writes Euractiv.
A report from The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies states that the European Union is almost entirely dependent on imports of phosphate rock from other countries around the world and that the bloc should be concerned about shortages.
[...] Read Full Story
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