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IPSA CEO Search is On


The IPSA Board is currently seeking a new CEO. If you would like more information about the position or would like to forward a resume, please contact Todd Martin, todd@ipseed.org, or Jeff Meints, jeffmeints@titanprosci.com.
Registration for the 2020 IPSA Annual Conference in Kansas City is now open!
Follow the link below to see the full 2020 IPSA Annual Conference Agenda:
White House summons industry leaders in bid for biofuel deal
Leaders of several biofuel companies told Trump administration officials at a White House meeting Wednesday that they need to make up for ethanol usage that is exempted by future refinery waivers, sources told Agri-Pulse.

Officials from the National Economic Council met with representatives of Ag Processing Inc., Renewable Energy Group, Louis Dreyfus and other companies. No trade associations were invited to the meeting, and sources said White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney did not attend.

Officials with several refiners were scheduled to meet with White House officials later in the day. 

In the biofuel industry meeting, there was some discussion of limiting the number of small refinery exemptions that are issued, but NEC officials said they were concerned about the blend wall and how to manage 1.5 billion gallons of annual SREs. NEC officials also questioned why a White House proposal developed last week was unacceptable.

Last Friday’s deal, the details of which were shared with Agri-Pulse, would include language to include the 500 million gallons called for in a 2017 court case, an additional 500 million gallons in biofuel mandate compliance credits in the upcoming blending requirements, and a 250-million-gallon boost to the biodiesel blending targets for 2021, and other approaches meant to calm the frustrations of renewable energy advocates in rural America.

Biofuels advocates said in the meeting Wednesday that “no one is helped if RVOs (renewable volume obligations) are increased today and then taken away again in six months with SREs," a source said. 

One company representative who was present told Agri-Pulse afterward, “Can’t share anything other than that the industry remains remarkably aligned.”

The National Corn Growers Association, the American Soybean Association, Growth Energy, the Renewable Fuels Association, the National Biodiesel Board, and Fuels America issued a joint statement that said:

“We remain hopeful that President Trump will move swiftly to protect farmers and biofuel workers, but efforts to reverse the damage will be meaningless unless the agency acts now to stop the bleeding and accurately account for lost gallons from this point forward, beginning in the 2020 biofuel targets. Rural communities across America are counting on this administration to uphold the president’s commitment to biofuels and restore integrity to the RFS.”

Biofuel groups were angered last month when President Trump ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to  grant 31 SREs  to oil companies. Just weeks before, Trump touted his strong support for the Renewable Fuel Standard while announcing E15 would be sold year around moving forward. Previously, E15 was only able to be sold between September and May.

After Trump discovered farmers were outraged, he convened a huddle with cabinet officials from EPA and USDA in late August to work out their differences. A memo summarizing that meeting listed five actions, four of which were agreed upon. The one that was not was redistribution of gallons lost to SREs.

Administration officials
would like to see some sort of deal reached by Friday.
For more news, go to  Agri-Pulse.com .
IPSA 2019/2020 Membership Renewals
Haven't renewed your IPSA Membership for the 2019/2020 year yet? There is still time to renew!

We will be accepting renewals by check, online at  www.ipseed.org or by contacting the IPSA office at 870-336-0777.

Thank you for your continued membership and support of IPSA.
The Buckhorn Extndr
Buckhorn is announcing the launch of their Extndr Program to increase Seed Box Capacity :

  • Be a member of IPSA – Associate or Regular member
  • IPSA in advance of Buckhorn’s confirmed shipment window 
  • Order priority and demands will be managed on a first come, first served basis towards initial production capacity reservations so advanced capacity planning is requested
 
Program Details:

  • Buckhorn CenterFlow ExtndrTMRings are available year-round; New demands acknowledged for Q1-2020
  • Orders of one or more truckloads can ship factory direct
  • A full truckload is considered 44 Boxes or 198 Extndr Rings per 53’ trailer (Split Loads Permitted)
  • Lead times can vary based on seasonal demand fluctuations

Please call the IPSA office, ore email Todd or Julianne for more information.









SEND US YOUR EVENTS!


Husker Harvest Days
Grand Island
September 10-12, 2019

Iowa State University Seed Science & Technology Short Course
Ames
November 4-8, 2019

ASTA CSS & Seed Expo
Chicago
December 9-12, 2020

IPSA Annual Conference
Kansas City
January 13-15, 2020

Sponsorships for IPSA Annual Conference 
We have a great conference planned for this year in the Kansas City Power & Light District. We are thankful for all of our sponsors for the 2019 conference, and we'd like to invite you to be a sponsor for 2020! To find out more about available sponsorship opportunities, contact Todd or Julianne .
AgriThority ®  Completes Reorganization With New Hires and Promotion  
Kansas City, Missouri, USA ( AgPR ) August 22, 2019 — AgriThority ® www.AgriThority.com , has completed the reorganization of its leadership team with the addition of Gloverson Moro, Ph.D., as Director of Global Product Development, Luke Samuel, Ph.D., as Manager of Business and Technology, and the promotion of Fred Tennant to Director of Global Business.

AgriThority founder and president, Jerry Duff said, “We continue to see tremendous growth in the need for science-based development services in agriculture. The additions of Dr. Moro and Dr. Samuel, along with Fred Tennant’s promotion, are significant building blocks as we enhance our ability to provide the product, business, and market development services that are so crucial to agribusiness today.”

Moro will lead the expanding science and technology group, directing product development, field-testing, and regulatory services worldwide. His extensive experience in seed development, biotechnology, crop protection, and regulatory has given Moro a deep understanding of global agriculture. A native of Brazil, his background includes 23 years working for Syngenta’s worldwide R&D division in Latin America, Asia Pacific, and North America. Moro has a master’s degree in plant breeding, a Master of Business Administration, and a Ph.D. in molecular biology.

Samuel joins AgriThority as Manager of Business and Technology. In that position Samuel will work directly with clients to develop new technologies, assess market needs, and design effective paths to commercialization. Samuel has more than ten years of experience leading strategic efforts and knowledge transfer for new and existing products with Compass Minerals, The Climate Corporation, and Monsanto Company. His applied research expertise ranges from invasive weed management plans, to field research on experimental corn, soybean, and sorghum seed, to product development of biotech insect traits. Samuel is a North Dakota native, with a Ph.D. from North Dakota State University.

With promotion to Director of Global Business, Fred Tennant expands his responsibilities to include direction of a growing international business portfolio for AgriThority. Tennant will support our clients by leveraging the AgriThority global network of over 300 highly skilled experts and experienced local specialists around the world to meet the  growing  global demand for services.

“It is vital that development in agriculture be science-based and global in  perspective ,” said Duff. “That has always been our approach at AgriThority, and the credentials and experience that Moro, Samuel, and Tennant bring increase our capacity to deliver high value and quality work to our clients, on time and on budget. Now that our reorganization is in place, we can satisfy client demand with the highest quality services.”

About AgriThority

Founded in 2008, AgriThority moves agricultural innovations to market. Our seasoned, scientific network serves as an independent and collaborative resource devoted to accelerating product, business, and market development. We help overcome regulatory challenges, manage trial design and execution, and establish connections for market access.

For more information, visit  www.AgriThority.com .
USDA rolls out 2018, 2019 disaster aid
The Agriculture Department will provide larger disaster-aid payments for losses in 2018 than for 2019 and will offer prevent-plant bonus payments of up to 15% for farmers who were unable to seed crops this spring due to the heavy Midwest flooding.

Farmers who lost crops to hurricanes, wildfires and other disasters in 2018 will receive 100% of their intended payments, while losses for 2019 will be covered at 50%, under rules for the disaster program that were announced Monday by USDA's Farm Service Agency.

Producers who made prevent-plant insurance claims this year will receive a 10% bonus payment, plus an additional 5% if their insurance coverage included the harvest price option, according to the agency.

The program, officially dubbed WHIP+, will begin sign-up on Wednesday and will cover losses from disasters that took place in 2018 and 2019 with some retroactive coverage to 2017 losses as well.

The disaster aid, which was authorized by a supplemental appropriations bill enacted in June, also includes payments for grain lost to flooded bins in Nebraska, Iowa, and the Dakotas earlier this year.

FSA Administrator Richard Fordyce said stored-grain payments will be based on 75% of the crop’s 2018 value, based on the assumption that the grain was harvested last year. But he also said USDA viewed the flooding as a 2019 loss, so it was unclear if producers will receive 50% or 100% of that 75% payment.

On a call with reporters to discuss the WHIP+ provisions, Fordyce declined to get into specifics about the department’s implementation of the disaster bill’s prevented planting language, saying that was still subject to further discussion with the White House Office of Management and Budget.

However, a  USDA release  and a  department webpage  on the program said all producers with “flooding or excess moisture-related prevented planting insurance claims” in the 2019 calendar year will receive a “supplemental disaster (‘bonus’) payment equal to 10 percent of their prevented planting indemnity, plus an additional 5 percent will be provided to those who purchased harvest price option coverage.”

Fordyce said he couldn’t say exactly when the PP provisions will be formally announced, “but I’ve got to think it’s soon,” potentially in the next “week or two.”   WHIP+ also contains provisions to address losses from hurricanes hitting the southeast, wildfires in the west, and flooding in the Midwest. But producers will receive different payments depending on when the disaster that hit their operation took place.

Congress capped the total cost of the disaster program at $3.1 billion. To manage the funding, Fordyce said the agency would "begin" with the 50% limit for 2019 losses.
The program’s coverage extends into 2017 to cover losses to blueberries and peaches.

According to USDA, producers can enroll in both WHIP+, which covers the loss of value from the tree, bush, or vine itself, and the Tree Assistance Program, which provides cost-sharing for replanting or rehabilitating eligible trees. Payments from both programs could be made on the same acreage.

USDA altered the payment limits for this program, potentially allowing a married couple to earn as much as $500,000 in disaster payments. Each individual can qualify for up to $250,000 in disaster aid as long as $75% of his or her income comes from farming. For other producers, the limit will be $125,000 per person. 
Asked for the rationale for the higher $250,000 limit, Fordyce said it was “more commensurate with some of the losses some of our producers across the country have experienced.”

Under a 2017 program, the top limit was $900,000 for producers who derived at least 75% of their income from farming. 

For more news, go to  www.Agri-Pulse.com .
Big Cob Hybrids Celebrates
10 Years of Service to Western Corn Belt
Nebraska-based company provides world-class corn and soybean seed to area growers

SEWARD, Neb., Sept 11, 2019 – A milestone has been reached for Big Cob Hybrids, a top provider of corn and soybean seed based out of Seward, Nebraska, as it celebrates 10 years of service to farmers in the Western Corn Belt in 2019.

Established in 2009 by Ben Benson and Jim McGowen, Big Cob Hybrids started with a small line-up of corn and soybean seed and quickly began to grow with the help of Benson’s father, Dr. David Benson. Dr. Benson is one of the most experienced corn breeders in the industry, holding over 51 patents for his breeding efforts, and whose extensive corn product knowledge and product commercialization experience helped develop Big Cob into a truly competitive regional brand powerhouse.

“One of the major myths of the seed business is that small, independent seed companies can’t provide the quality of seed or genetics that the large national companies can,” said Ben Benson, who serves as the current CEO of Big Cob Hybrids. “Over the past ten years, Big Cob has proven that, through our partnerships and licensing, we have access to world-class genetics that are regionally better than our competitors. Add that to our proprietary Farm-Fit Planning process, and our Nebraska and Kansas growers can be confident that they have made wise planting decisions by placing the right seed on the right acres.”

Now with 10 full-time employees and 20 Area Seed Representatives, Big Cob’s growth is evidence of the company’s continued commitment to provide exceptional corn and soybean seed selection as well as proven, experienced crop planning guidance based on each individual farmer’s management practices and field conditions. Earlier this spring, to serve its growing seed inventory demands from Kansas growers, Big Cob opened an additional storage and distribution location just northwest of Hoxie, Kansas.

“It is very exciting to commemorate a decade of service to farmers in the Western Corn Belt,” said Benson. “The farmers we serve throughout Nebraska and Kansas have been a blessing to work with and we look forward to our joint success for many years to come.” 

For more information about Big Cob Hybrids’ mission to provide the highest quality, farm-specific seed available and guide farmers towards maximum yields and reduced anxiety at planting time, visit  www.bigcob.com .
A special thank you to all of our members!
Todd L. Martin, CEO
Independent Professional Seed Association