September 28, 2023

A five-minute summary of AAI, regulation, and industry activities for members of the largest state agribusiness association in the nation.

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AAI IN ACTION

New Membership Year, Thank You To Outgoing Board Members

Next week, the beginning of the new membership year begins for AAI. This marks the change over from the 2023 Board of Directors to the 2024 Board. It also is the time when we recognize members who are leaving the board. In particular, we would like to highlight a long time AAI member and champion of agribusiness in Iowa.

Thank You To Sam Cogdill

Sam Cogdill, Cogdill Farm Supply, is the outgoing District 4 Director. Cogdill leaves the board after serving the maximum number of consecutive years allowed under the bylaws. In addition to having served previously on the AAI board, Cogdill has been part of the historical AAI organizations, serving on the Iowa Grain and Feed Association Board and the Iowa Fertilizer and Chemical Association Board. He also was a part of the AAI Renewable Fuels Committee and a steady member of the AAI Membership Committee.

"Regulatory issues are always a concern; our industry needs to tell 'our story' to the rest of the world. We must be proactive with lawmakers, regulators and other collaborative associations," said Cogdill.

One of Cogdill's proactive efforts has been the Cogdill-Gathman AAI-PAC Challenge. As the head of a privately held company, Cogdill has worked with the head of a cooperative, Tracy Gathman, Two Rivers Coop, in a friendly challenge to see who can raise more funds for the PAC - private companies or cooperatives. The challenge has been successful in increasing engagement among AAI member companies.

Cogdill was raised on a farm near Panama, Iowa, and attended Iowa State University, where he earned a degree in Agribusiness. He became the Plant and Area Manager for Gulf/Agrico Fertilizer in the late 60's. In 1979, he started Cogdill Farm Supply, Inc. with his two brothers. He was a founding board member of Amazing Energy, Denison, Iowa (serving as President/CEO), and Lincolnway Energy, Nevada, Iowa, along with being a founding board member of the Iowa Renewable Fuel Association. Cogdill is personally involved with production agriculture, spending lots of hours in the tractor and combine seat.

Cogdill has brought a variety of unique perspectives to the board from his involvement with the Farm Supply Business, the Renewable Energy

Business, and Production Agriculture. His sincerity and desire to do what's best for agribusiness in Iowa have been a great asset to the board of directors.

Thank you, Sam, for your efforts, contributions, and time!

Additional Outgoing Board Members

Other board members who have completed their tenure on the board are José Laracuente, AgVision, and Kevin Drury, Hedlin Ag Enterprises. Read more about Laracuente and Drury in the September 14 issue of Take Five:

Take Five - 2023 09 14

2024 AAI BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chair - Mark White, Smith Fertilizer & Grain

Chair Elect/Animal Industry Director - Al Muhlenbruck, TriOak Foods, Inc.

Past Chair - Shelly Kruse,GROWMARK, Inc.

Foundation Rep - Kevin Drury, Hedlin Ag Enterprises

AAI Advisory Council - Mark Morrissey

Affiliate Director - Eric Thuente, Creative Planning

At Large Director - Katie Stutsman,Corteva

At Large Director - Renee Hansen, Sukup Manufacturing Co.

At Large Director - Brent Schwenneker, Bayer

At Large Director - Sue Tronchetti, Landus

Crop Production Director - Dan Luers, Koch Agronomic Services

Grain Director - Bill Beukema, StateLine Cooperative

District 1 Director/Treasurer - Joel Nelson, Nutrien Ag Solutions

District 2 Director - Tracy Gathman, Two Rivers Cooperative

District 3 Director/Secretary - Kent Bennis, Rosen's

District 4 Director - Dana Gee, Pro Cooperative

Ex-Officio - Rob Denson, DMACC

Ex-Officio - Jay Harmon, Iowa State University

Ex-Officio - Dan Robison, Iowa State University

Iowa CCAs - Bill Backhaus, BASF

Iowa Seed Association - Jeff Steinback, Remington Seeds, LLC

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/

Thank You AAI Members

The 2023 Membership Year has seen increases in engagement among membership on many fronts. Thank you to everyone for your continued involvement and commitment to the success of Agribusiness in Iowa.

Membership Renewals for 2024 will be mailed out next week. Please keep an eye out for these letters which will arrive via the US Postal Service. If you do not receive a Membership Renewal notice, please contact us to make sure we have the correct address and correct contact for your company.

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 - Where Agribusiness Matters.

Governor Receives Boards, Commissions Reductions Recommendations

The Boards and Commissions Review Committee, created in the Governor’s alignment bill, was responsible for reviewing the efficiency and effectiveness of all boards, commissions, and other similar entities created in Iowa law. Based on the Committee’s review, its members submitted its final recommendation, which can be found online at the link below:

Download Boards & Commissions Recommendations

The Committee was required to submit the final report containing its final findings and recommendations to the governor and the general assembly no later than September 30, 2023.

Among the boards and commissions related to agriculture and natural resources are some which are recommended for mergers, consolidation, reorganization, or elimination. Some entities, such as State Soil Conservation and Water Quality Committee, are suggested to have functional changes. Others are slated for elimination, such as the Private Pesticide Applicator Peer Review Panel and Commercial Pesticide Applicator Peer Review Panel, both of which are seen as duplicative or underutilized.

Most of the well known ag-related commissions and boards are not affected by the recommendations.

AAI On The Air

KMA Land Radio - Former ag secretary Bill Northey talks 2023 crop year

Interview with Bill Northey, AAI CEO

Out and About

Animal Ag Think Tank

In Attendance: Bill Northey, AAI CEO

AROUND THE INDUSTRY

Anaerobic Digestion on the Farm Conference

U.S. EPA Region 7, Iowa State University, and the University of Iowa announced that registration is now open for the upcoming conference titled Anaerobic Digestion on the Farm – Optimizing Environmental and Economic Outcomes for Rural Communities and Beyond.

EPA and the universities will host the conference Nov. 6-8, 2023, at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. A full conference agenda and registration information are available on EPA’s conference webpage.

The conference will feature presentations, exhibits, and discussion panel sessions covering a variety of anaerobic digestion topics. The conference will also include virtual tours of anaerobic digestion facilities and a poster session. EPA, Iowa State University, and the University of Iowa are accepting submissions for the poster session until Sept. 22, 2023. Please see the conference webpage for details.

Anaerobic Digestion on the Farm Registration Site

Crop Insurance Discounts For Cover Crops

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship will again offer its crop insurance discount program for acres that are planted with cover crops. Farmers and landowners who plant fall cover crops will have the opportunity to apply for a $5 per acre discount on their spring crop insurance premiums.

Farmers and landowners may start enrolling in the crop insurance discount program on December 1.

To qualify for the program, the cover crop acres cannot be enrolled in other state or United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) cost share programs.

Now in its seventh year, this innovative program has become a model for other states as well as the federal government. To date, nearly 2,000 farmers have enrolled over 1,000,000 acres of cover crops in the program.

More information is available at on the CleanWaterIowa.org website.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE NEWS

How Will A Looming Government Shutdown Impact Agriculture?

Source: AgWeb

Editor's Note: This article is from earlier in the week, but the relevant information about shutdown impact is still accurate.

When the House and Senate returns on Tuesday, lawmakers will have just five days left to avoid a shutdown, which would impact several USDA services, including key reports.

In a surprising turn of events, renegade House Republicans once again rejected Speaker Kevin McCarthy's (R-Calif.) efforts to pass a Pentagon funding bill. This marks the second time in a week the GOP members have disrupted federal spending plans, highlighting deep divisions within the party. It now looks like the Senate will take the lead to try to get a continuing resolution going, even though the House would likely balk at its contents.

Impact on Agriculture

According to government agencies, here's how a potential shutdown will impact key services and their plans for maintaining essential services:

USDA: USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and Federal Grain Inspection Service, which provide official phytosanitary certificates and grain inspection services, will continue their operations as they are funded by user fees. However, regulatory enforcement and standards development activities could be disrupted as they rely on appropriated funds. The Office of Management and Budget likely will issue a revised “Agency Contingency Plans” document in the event of a lapse in funding. If a shutdown does occur, there could be a disruption in services such as regulatory enforcement and standards development since the primary staffers that handle those activities are paid via appropriated funds. The work hours for headquarters staff in Washington, D.C., might also be staggered between “essential/exempted” staff since they are funded by both user fees and appropriated funds. The most recent partial gov’t shutdown affected USDA loans and grants for rural communities, paused funding for food banks, and closed thousands of Farm Service Agency county offices.

[...] Read Full Story

International Roadcheck results: Carriers have room for improvement

Source: FreightWaves

Results of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) 2023 International Roadcheck are in. The numbers reveal not much has changed since last year, and there is still plenty of room for motor carriers to improve their overall safety and compliance.

The annual three-day inspection effort took place May 16-18 throughout the U.S., Mexico and Canada. CVSA-certified inspectors hit the roads to conduct as many level I, II and III inspections as possible. This year, 59,429 Roadcheck inspections were performed in North America, with most taking place in the U.S.

In the U.S., just over 19%, or around one out of every five inspections, resulted in at least one vehicle out-of-service (OOS) violation. This is just a 4% improvement from last year. Also on par with last year’s numbers were driver OOS violations, which accounted for 6% of total violations.

OOS violations mean the vehicle or driver is restricted from service for a specific period of time or until the issue is resolved. In addition to costing fleets valuable time, the violations carry a higher severity score than others, which ultimately negatively affects their Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) profiles.

This year, the top five OOS violation categories for vehicles include brake systems, tires, defective service brakes, cargo securement and lights. The top driver OOS violation categories were hours of service, false logs, other, canceled/revoked license and no medical card.

[...] Read Full Story

Senators Look for Ways to Put New Checks on Land Sales to China, Other Countries

Source: Progressive Farmer

United States senators are looking for the right piece of legislation to attach language to tighten some controls over foreign ownership of U.S. farmland by people or businesses from certain countries.

Lawmakers have a lot of areas with opposing views, but Congress has coalesced around the issue of restricting ownership of U.S. farmland for a handful of countries, notably China. Each chamber has passed provisions with overwhelming bipartisan support, but new disclosure requirements or restrictions on foreign purchases of farmland haven't yet become law.

The U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee held a hearing Wednesday on foreign purchases of U.S. agricultural land and businesses with each senator hammering home points that more data is needed about which foreigners are buying farmland. Consensus also has built up in Congress to prevent buyers from China, Iran, North Korea and Russia from buying U.S. farm ground.

"Right now, we don't know the full extent of the risk at hand," said Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., who pointed to an "alarming gap" of information about foreign land sales.

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., ranking member of the committee, agreed they were "looking for the best path forward" to find another piece of legislation, such as the Defense bill, that could provide final passage for new reporting requirements and restrictions.

[...] Read Full Story

Iowa Pork partners with players ‘Purchase, Moore, Hamann, Bacon’

Source: AgDaily

The Iowa Pork Producers Association is partnering with four Iowa State University football players to promote the pork industry. Through an NIL (name, image, likeness) deal,

Cyclones Myles Purchase, Tyler Moore, Tommy Hamann, and Caleb Bacon are leading the new “Purchase Moore Hamann Bacon” marketing campaign. The goal is obviously to push Iowans to buy pork products. More specifically, they want you to purchase more ham and bacon.

“After the ‘Hamann Bacon’ photo went viral on social media following the Cyclones’ season opener, we knew we had to jump on this opportunity,” said Trish Cook, president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association. “These four young men are not only great football players, they also have strong academic records, and great last names! We couldn’t be more excited to work with them in this fun initiative to publicize Iowa pork.”

October is National Pork Month, aka Porktober, and this promotion will be part of that monthlong celebration. The Iowa Pork Producers Association will run ads on social media featuring the four players surrounded by delicious Iowa pork, strategically using their names to encourage pork consumption.

In conjunction with the NIL partnership, the Iowa Pork Producers Association will donate $1,000 of pork to each player’s food pantry of choice.

[...] Read Full Story

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New Membership Year, Thank You To Outgoing Board Members

Thank You AAI Members

Governor Receives Boards, Commissions Reductions Recommendations

AAI On The Air

Out and About

Anaerobic Digestion on the Farm Conference

Crop Insurance Discounts For Cover Crops

How Will A Looming Government Shutdown Impact Agriculture?

﻿Source: AgWeb

International Roadcheck results: Carriers have room for improvement

Source: FreightWaves

Senators Look for Ways to Put New Checks on Land Sales to China, Other Countries

Source: Progressive Farmer

Iowa Pork partners with players ‘Purchase, Moore, Hamann, Bacon’

﻿Source: AgDaily

Source: AgWeb

Source: AgDaily