Good morning.
It’s graduation month all around the country, so a huge congrats to all the ag grads getting ready to roll out into the real world! If the whole group is anything like the Magnetic readers on college campuses, we know they’re going to really shake up the ag industry—and the world beyond.
So there’s no time like the present to give a little advice for new grads. And for that, we’ll turn to Shane Thomas—friend of Magnetic and creator of the epic Upstream Ag Insights. He penned this list of 21 tips for 2021 grads last year, and it still applies now.
The advice is geared toward recent grads, but could be used by really anyone in the industry. So go forth and be great!
Stories:
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Dust, Derechos, and Damage... |
100 mph.
That’s how fast some straight-line winds tore across the upper Midwest last Thursday, leaving a path of damage in their wake. The dust-filled derecho wreaked havoc from Nebraska to Wisconsin.
A different kind of damage: The memorable Iowa derecho from 2020 calls to mind images of crumpled cornfields. But this wind event is different. With a delayed planting season, there’s currently very little in the way of emerged crops to be damaged. This storm primarily affected homes, farm buildings, livestock, grain bins, irrigation pivots, and trees.
An uncommon storm: Due to the massive amount of dust, some are considering this storm similar to a "haboob." A haboob is an extreme dust storm that can last up to three hours. While uncommon in the Midwest, haboobs are prevalent in the American Southwest. Dry conditions and bare fields combine with strong winds from the storm to launch dust skyward.
Soundbite: "The best defense to this type of stuff is installing cover crops and soil-saving practices like no-till. Soil that's exposed gets dried out really fast, and the high winds just make it blow away. That's people's livelihoods, blowing way. It's terrible," noted Joanna Pope, Nebraska state public affairs officer for USDA NRCS.
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→ Walk the (invisible) line. Kansas State University has started using tracking collars on cattle to see if electronic fences could supplement labor-intensive wire fences, and keep cows from trampling bird nests and fragile water sources.
→ Promised land. According to the Federal Reserve Bank, land values in the Corn Belt skyrocketed 23% in the past year, encompassing land in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
→ Dairy nerds. Chobani gifted $1M to University of Idaho’s Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment in an effort to construct the largest research dairy in the U.S., with ground-breaking planned for June.
→ Extra pep in their step. Vestaron, which makes peptide-based insecticides that targets multiple species, has raised $82M in a Series C funding round.
→ FYI on FAA shutdown. The Wide Area Augmentation System will put a new geostationary satellite into service today, which means some GPS farming systems might be impacted.
→ Trouble in the water. The U.S. fishing industry dropped 15% in value and 10% in catch volume during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to fishery closures, border closings, supply chain issues, and more.
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Oregon Dept. of Agriculture / Magnetic Ag
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Over a year and many gray hairs later, the Biden administration has finally nominated a new key player for ag trade. Alexis Taylor will fill the long-vacant role of Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agriculture Affairs.
Taylor is currently the director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture.
The announcement is coming just in the nick of time. Ag industry players have nearly gone hoarse from shouting the importance of the role amidst global uncertainty and food security concerns stemming from the war in Ukraine.
The backstory: Taylor is a farm-raised Iowan, a veteran, and a previous deputy undersecretary for Farm and Foreign Ag Services. She spent time on the Hill as a legislative adviser.
The other backstory: The White House has seemingly struggled to fill the role since day one. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack has shared that strict ethics reviews have prevented qualified candidates from being tapped for the role—with one previous candidate being told they’d need to sell their farm to take the position.
The response: Deep sigh of relief aside, industry voices have had good things to say about Taylor and the experience she brings to the boardroom. From the National Corn Growers Association to Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, folks in-the-know are commending Taylor’s background, experience, and rapport across the aisle.
Where this goes: The U.S. Senate will have to confirm Taylor. Ag groups are pressuring the Senate to keep their foot firmly planted on the gas when it comes to finally formally filling the role.
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Grains: News out of India about wheat (see story below) took all the grains higher. Corn also got support from Brazil's struggling second corn crop.
Livestock: It's a winning day for the proteins that they didn't plummet merely from the grain spike and the possible feed cost fallout from it.
*As of market close [5/16/22]
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Access to Ag Research, Like Never Before |
Far-reaching. Impactful. Inclusive of every corner of the ag industry. That’s what Ag Access is, thanks to its agricultural market research and insight community.
Through its proven research logistics process, Ag Access supports growers, retailers, and anyone in the ag industry by giving them a voice.
In response to 500 studies a year, ag professionals ranging from growers, vets, and retailers to animal producers, farm equipment companies, and ag bankers can all make sure their opinions are heard.
Ag Access is the glue holding all those voices together – and shaping the future of the ag industry through their insights.
To add your voice to the research that will drive ag’s future, join our insight community.
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Magnetic's Must-See Stuff |
Escape carbon confusion. Ag-based carbon programs have often displayed broken promises, inflexibility, a lack of widely accepted standards, and more problems. But this article (and helpful graphic!) gives you a view over all the companies involved in the industry so you know exactly where to go for what, from quantification to trading and certification.
Lawn and garden hacks. No one said gardening and taking care of a lawn were easy. But with these genius crowdsourced ideas, you can plant seeds standing up, do stress-free (and safe) maintenance work on a garden tractor, and more hacks to make yard work a breeze.
🎶 As we go on, we remember... Okay, we'll cool it with the graduation nostalgia. But seriously, some of you might be looking for jobs post-commencement. Check out what's open on the Magnetic Ag Job Board.
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The Indy 500 has many traditions. But one, in particular, might catch the eye of our fellow farmers and ag professionals.
Dating back to 1936, the race’s winner takes a gulp of fresh, cold milk before splashing it on himself and his winning team.
Can you guess the most popular pre-selected milk choice from this year’s drivers?
Answer at the bottom of the email.
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Wheat news went from bad to worse over the weekend with India’s ban on wheat exports. The world’s second largest wheat producer said it expected record shipments of 10M tonnes in the 2022/2023 fiscal year mere days before the ban.
What happened? A massive heat wave has wheat yields shriveling up, while domestic prices hit an all-time high. And let’s not forget about inflation. Food and energy prices have retail inflation at an eight-year high in India, while citizens await interest rates to hike.
Feeling the heat. When temperatures spiked in mid-March, crop sizes were predicted to drop. A New Delhi-based dealer with a global trading firm said it could drop to around 100M tonnes or less. Meanwhile the government estimated the crop at 111.32M tonnes.
Soundbite: "The government’s procurement has fallen more than 50%. Spot markets are getting far lower supplies than last year. All these things are indicating lower crop," said the dealer.
Sweating it. Global buyers were counting on India for wheat, given the situation in Ukraine. Letters of credit already issued for exports will be honored, as well as requests from nations trying "to meet their food security needs."
Feeling the burn. India’s ban could increase global prices and hit poor consumers in Asia and Africa the hardest.
The takeaway: "The Indian ban will lift global wheat prices. Right now there is no big supplier in the market," a dealer with a global trading firm said.
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Written & Edited by Aaron Dunajeski, Kelsey Faivre, Amelia VanLandegen, Ashley Scoby, and Travis Martin
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Magnetic Ag
P.O. Box 7292
Greenwood, IN 46142-6423
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