There are two big issues for corn growers this year in Washington, DC, climate change and higher blends for ethanol. I spoke with two representatives of the National Corn Growers Association at NAFB’s Washington Watch Issues Forum about them.
Unlike the weather, not only is everybody talking about climate change, but they are trying to do something about it – and the concern is that farmers could get caught in the storm. According to National Corn Growers Association Public Policy Director, Rod Snyder, climate change has emerged as one of the top priorities in this Congressional session and pressure is being put to bear to get some kind of legislation passed. “We’re taking a look at the legislation as it’s being drafted now and one of the things that we are closely watching is to make sure that agriculture is not part of the ‘capped sector,’” says Snyder. “We are going to try to ensure that our farmers is not regulated under a cap because our emissions are very diffuse, much like a non-point source situation, and it would be very expensive for the government to try and regulate our sources of greenhouse gas emissions.”
NCGA’s Jessica Bennett is actively involved in the regulatory issue of increasing the blend level for ethanol allowed in gasoline to 15 percent. “As corn growers, ethanol is top priority for our association,” Bennett said. “We’re quickly approaching a ten percent blend wall of ethanol that can be blended into conventional gasoline and we need to move beyond that.”
The Environment Protection Agency is currently seeking comments on a waiver that would allow blends of up to 15 percent. “We’re encouraging all of our growers to go to the legislative action center on our website to submit comments to EPA to encourage the granting of that waiver application,” said Bennett. In the first week after the comment period was opened, over 300 comments were submitted to EPA by corn growers.
During the last couple weeks I’ve seen more growth in agricultural interests using Twitter than ever. I’m talking companies, agencies, farmers, ag media. This is a great sign. One of my favorite posts on Twitter yesterday started out, “Tweeting from tractor . . . ” Yes folks, your customers and members are there. Are you? If not, why not? I’d encourage you to go ahead and create an account even if you don’t want to start using it right away. If you don’t know how, email me and I’ll create it for you. Why get one now? You don’t want your competition or someone else to get your ID, kind of like protecting your domain.
Twitter has developed into a great online communications tool. Yes, there’s a small learning curve. Yes, it will take time to build connections (followers). You can of course stick your head in the sand and let other people talk about you without your participation. I don’t recommend it.
So, why should you participate in the online discussion? For one thing you’ll be helping tell agriculture’s story in an environment where you’re more likely to interact with consumers who are having a say in how you run your business (think legislation). How many times do we see companies and groups lament that “our story isn’t being told.” That’s because you’re depending on others to do it for you. With today’s social media tools you no longer have that excuse. Additionally, by interacting with your customers, members and the public you can make sure your side of any story is told – by you!
I’ve written about our weekly #AgChat session a couple of times where people interested in agriculture are participating in a live Twitter discussion on Tuesday evenings. We’ve been reaching out to all interests, including those not involved in production agriculture. This past week we saw a growing amount of non-ag participation. Some of them are extremely vocal opponents of animal agriculture or farming as we know it. It was interesting to see how cordial some of them were and how antagonistic some were. Now we’ve just learned that the most antagonistic one has started an alternative #AgChat called #SustAgChat which will be a live Twitter discussion on Sunday evening from 5-8pm Pacific time. Of course the focus is “sustainability.” Something that most farmers are very familiar with and practice with growing effectiveness. We learned last week that many people have extremely different definitions of sustainability. I dare say that some consider it a backyard garden and a meatless diet. I would recommend looking at how USDA defines it as a more reasonable place to start. I like Cindy’s point that “we’ve been farming for how long?”
My point in bringing this up is to show how we’ve made a difference. We’ve touched a nerve with the public sufficient to cause them to take action in response. And this has been done by a small but growing group of people who are taking a few minutes out of their week to use the tools at our disposal. Something to think about, eh?
Marrone Organic Innovations, Inc., has revised its name to Marrone Bio Innvations, Inc., in a move to more accurately represent the company’s leadership in the discovery and development of effective and environmentally responsible pesticide active ingredients from novel biological sources.
Neogen Corporation has acquired International Diagnostic Systems Corp. A part of IDS’s operations will be relocated to and integrated with Neogen’s Lexington, Ky., facilities. The company’s research and development operations, and key IDS employees, will remain in IDS’s Michigan facilities.
Olsson Frank Weeda Terman Bode Matz PC, the leading law and lobbying firm in the fields of agriculture, food, drugs, medical devices and health care policy, announced that Gary Baise has joined the firm as a Principal.
The Illinois Soybean Association is proud to attend the 11th Annual Global Child Nutrition Forum in Cape Town, South Africa on May 5-6.
Hello and welcome to another ZimmCast. This week I’m going to feature a couple of the interviews I did at last week’s NAFB Washington Watch Issues Forum.
Up first after opening comments is Mark Maslyn, Executive Director, Public Policy, American Farm Bureau Federation. He’s seen here getting all fired up in an interview with Tricia Braid Terry, RFD Radio. That’s what we need in our nation’s Capitol these days, passionate spokespersons for agriculture.
Mark speaks about the mixed results of the opening month’s of our new administration. He says some things are encouraging and some are troubling which you might say about most administrations. On the troubling side he mentions the environment and proposed increased rules and regulations. Climate change regulations are something he thinks should not be ruled on until a lot more questions are answered. On the encouraging side he’s pleasantly surprised at moves on international trade.
Next up in the program is an interview with Ken Hobbie, President/CEO, U.S. Grains Council. I hadn’t spoken with Ken in quite a while so I asked him to tell us what’s new with USGC. We started off talking about the potential impact of H1N1 on demand and Ken says he hopes that consumers will listen to the fact and we can move past it. Another thing that Ken says they’ve invested a lot in is distillers dried grain promotion internationally.
This week’s program ends with music from the Podsafe Music Network. It’s a song titled, “Pearls and Swine”, by Drunken Prayer. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
You can download and listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 218 (20 min MP3)
Monsanto Company announced a few weeks ago the appointment of David L. Chicoine, Ph.D., to the company’s Board of Directors. Dr. Chicoine is currently president of South Dakota State University (SDSU) in Brookings, South Dakota. Dr. Chicoine is also a nationally recognized economist, specializing in public finance, taxation and rural economies.
Prior to joining SDSU in 2007, Dr. Chicoine held various positions of increasing responsibility with the University of Illinois, most recently as Vice President for Technology and Economic Development. His higher education administrative experience at the University of Illinois also includes service as Head of the Department of Agricultural Economics and Dean of the College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the Urbana-Champaign campus.
This appointment has caused quite a stir at South Dakota State University. While many think that this partnership with Monsanto could bring advanced research opportunities to students and faculty, many are concerned about the politics of President Chicoine serving on the Monsanto Board of Directors. While he makes $300,000 as SDSU’s president, Monsanto will give him $400,000 compensation for his time on the board. I have listened intently to both sides of the story, and I can see why there are differing views. If you haven’t read up on this scenario, I have included some of the “hot button” articles in the news for you to read. Let me know your thoughts in this situation. Should a president of a university sit on a company’s board of directors? Are people overreacting, or is the community outburst warranted? What needs to change at land-grant universities, or what could be improved upon in the future? Looking for your thoughts and opinions today.
Can SEO’s and Journalists Really Be Friends? This was the question asked by Rachelle Money at CyberJournalist.net. Because journalists often shy away from “stuffing” key words into their articles to gain online traffic, Money explains the art of using SEO’s and how journalists can use them to improve their writing.
The SEO mantra: ‘content is king’ is one shared by journalists. We’ve always believed writing to be incredibly important. The SEO wants to create great content and the journalist wants to write a good news story. Both SEO and journalist want their articles to be read by as wide a readership as possible. It’s important that they appeal to readers and generate some debate. Maybe it’s the journalist’s ego but we want our stories to cause a stir, we want people to respond to them through comment sites, forums and blogs. That means our stories need to be found on the internet in the first place, and that’s why SEO has to become our new best friend. Put simply, we can use SEO to make sure that many more people read our stories.
So, when you are compiling blog posts, updated your twitter or writing an article for publication, do you think about using keywords to reach a wider readership? If so, what are those key words, and how should a person identify them and use them correctly? The world of journalism is certainly evolving, and those not willing to change might be left in the dust. I thought this article might stimulate some dialogue, so let’s compare notes!
Let’s practice a little safe trucking out there guys. Okay?
The American Trucking Associations’ Agricultural and Food Transporters Conference (AFTC) recently released the Manager’s Guide to Safe Trucking During Agricultural Planting and Harvest Season. Available free for download at AFTC’s webpage, this guide provides educational resources for truck drivers and their managers in the agricultural industry, encouraging active strategies to improve safety during peak times of production.
“Promoting safety is important in all agricultural operations but especially critical in the case of truck driving,” said Russell Laird, ATA’s Agricultural and Food Transporters Conference Executive Director. “Our members are glad to share their expertise and best practices with the whole agricultural industry to give them practical strategies they can implement to help improve safety.”
The guide focuses on active strategies for hiring decisions, communicating with drivers, and monitoring and managing fatigue.
Rick Stearn is chairman of the production committee for the United Soybean Board. He was attending the NAFB Washington Watch Issues Forum.
The United Soybean Board was a major sponsor and had people on hand like Rick to address issues like animal agriculture and the impact of animal rights groups. The reason for this Rick says is because domestic animal production agriculture is the number one customer for domestically produced soybean meal (over 96%). He agrees that if animal rights groups who want to end animal agriculture are successful it will change the whole industry since many elements are very interdependent.
Some other issues important to USB from a production standpoint include soybean rust, soybean quality and soybean yield.
You can listen to my interview with Rick here: ww-09-usb.mp3
You can help stamp out hunger while helping America’s peanut producers.
The Georgia Peanut Commission urges consumers to support the peanut industry by donating jars of peanut butter for the U.S. Postal Service Stamp out Hunger day on Saturday, May 9. This event is the nation’s largest annual single-day food drive.
On Saturday, letter carriers in more than 10,000 communities will collect food items and deliver them to local food banks to help some of the millions of Americans, including an estimated 13 million children, who face hunger every day. To find out whether your letter carrier is participating, search the USPS website at www.usps.com for the contact information for your local post office.
Peanut butter is an excellent source of plant protein. With about 8 grams per 2 Tbsp. of peanut butter, a small serving can make a significant contribution to daily protein intake. Peanut butter has an excellent balance of fats. High in mono- and polyunsaturated fats, consumption of peanut butter can contribute to improving cholesterol levels and reducing the risk of disease.
Monsanto keeps moving forward into the online conversation with regular Planting Updates. Do you think these are that much different than the news you get from the “regular media.” Tyne Morgan is the Monsanto “reporter” out in the field. In this episode you not only get a planting update you also hear what farmers think the general public thinks of them. The production quality is good and the content is interesting.
Obviously Monsanto is not relying on their main website to be the only destination for their customers. They’re reaching out beyond the confines of a web destination to engage them and interact with them. If you doubt that’s happening then you should start following them on Twitter. Is it easy for Monsanto to quantify the exact ROI on this? I doubt it. Does that mean they shouldn’t do it? No.
Several times in the last couple years I’ve tried to point agrimarketers to the concept of “community” in online communications/marketing. By that I mean the fact that employing today’s new and social media tools allows us to connect and interact with our customers and members in ways we never could before. Using AgWired as an example, I don’t just reach readers who think, “I’ll visit AgWired.com to see what’s new.” I reach them in Facebook, Twitter, FriendFeed, Flickr, YouTube, LinkedIn, email and in all the ways those people re-post or pass along or tell their connections. So for you marketers who just look at website visitors, you’re missing a lot of the story.
I still find so many in corporate communications who can’t wrap their mind around this concept. Granted there are a lot of control freaks out there who fear loss of the control they’ve enjoyed for so many years. It’s a mentality that says “I’ll build what I want them to see and give them the choices I want them to make.” But those days are coming to an end.
Today’s consumer (any kind, farmers included) not only want and demand freedom of choice but they’re just creating their own destinations and touch points. They’re leaving the old destination websites behind. I was prompted to write this after reading Steve Rubel’s post on Micropersuasion, “The End of the Destination Web Era.”
After years of erosion it now it appears the destination web era is drawing to a close. This a trend that digital thinkers like Om Malik have long noted. In fact, the numbers prove it.
In March the average American visited a mere 111 domains and 2,500 web pages, according to Nielsen Online. What’s worse, our attention across these pages is highly fragmented. The average time spent per page is a mere 56 seconds. Portals and search engines dominate, capturing approximately 12 of the 75 hours spent online in March. However, people-powered sites like Wikipedia, Facebook and YouTube are not far behind, snagging nearly 4.5 hours of our monthly attention.
He points to an article by ARAnet in conjunction with Opinion Research Corporation that talks about what you can do to break through the clutter. The answer doesn’t include fancy pop up ads.
Long-shunned pop-up ads remained the least favorable option for every audience segment, regardless of age, race, income, sex, region or size of household: 87% of respondents said they were not very likely or not at all likely to read and respond to them.
Their conclusion is that brand mentions in articles is one of the best ways to reach consumers. I would call that “meaningful content” that is posted into social networking locations and on highly search engine optimized websites (blogs). That’s why public relations folks are trying to figure out ways to present information to bloggers now. We’re not your ordinary msm journalists!
Do you get it? Are you willing to venture out into the online conversation or are you going to stay inside your “safe” online house and hope someone comes to visit?
As of right now, the terms “Swine flu” and “#swineflu” are trending at positions 2 and 6 on Twitter. The term “H1N1″ is trending in the 10th spot. I think that shows that as much as we’d like to think that everyone, media included, would call this what it is, it’s not happening. This thing blew up way too fast and is now branded in the public psyche. It has meant serious problems for hog producers. However, we shouldn’t give up and in fact, we’ve got an opportunity to do something about it by taking advantage of our new media tools to “get our message out.” How you might ask? Well, get busy and tweet, post on your blog or website and join in this online conversation and make a difference. Here’s an example of how Trent Loos, Faces of Agriculture, is doing it. He’s launching the “Pork On A Fork” campaign to immediately increase demand for pork and I support it and hope you will to. Pass it along.
Here is my plan. I believe we truly need to connect the dots not only for our overzealous lawmakers but for media and consumers globally. You know it has been said that the best way to anybody’s heart is through their stomach. I am launching a campaign and encouraging all people who eat food to enter the Faces Of Agriculture-sponsored event called “Pork on a Fork.”
I’d like you to send photos of family members, friends, customers, anyone, anywhere eating pork. On May 26, the photos will be judged and the winner announced. The winner will receive an all expense paid trip for two to the World Pork Expo in Des Moines, Iowa, June 3-5. I will personally see to it that the winners are given the Royal VIP treatment and access to anything and everything pork-related during the event. All entries will be available for viewing during the entire World Pork Expo plus on all social networking sites. In fact, the winner could be recorded and become a YouTube Pork connoisseur for all the world to see.
Click here (pdf) to find out how you can participate
Monsanto has signed a new three year trademark licensing agreement with Chapin International. Chapin will provide new sprayer technology for use with agricultural herbicide products including Roundup PROMAX and QuikPRO.
Pfizer Animal Genetics has successfully completed the move of its DNA-testing facilities, Customer Service and administration from Harahan, La., to new, custom-built facilities in Kalamazoo, Mich., the headquarters of Pfizer Animal Health’s Veterinary Medical Research and Development.
We just concluded another great #AgChat session via Twitter. Here’s the questions posed.
Q1: What are differences between the 2 main types of ag production – local & nat./int?. Advantages & disadvantages?
Q2: Family farmers vs. ind. ag, how can you distinguish between 2 approaches (family vs. big) & validate need for both?
Q3: How can we share positive msg about all ag practices, incl organic, even as some claim one is better than another?
Q4: NYC held a food conf. Disagreements aside, they’re interestd in farming. How do we engage & find common ground?
Q5: What other groups can we collaborate with outside of agriculture strengthen our voice & overcome adversaries messages?
We had a very lively discussion. You can read back through it via Twitter Search. The picture is from Twitterfall which I really like to follow a fast paced discussion like this.
I want to thank Michele Payn-Knoper for once again being the “chat herder” for #AgChat. You can follow her on Twitter at @mpaynknoper.
A couple of things stood out to me during the discussion. We don’t have common definitions for terms like sustainable, organic, industrial farm, family farm, etc. It’s really hard to communicate with people who define these terms in completely different ways.
We had a few non-farmer types join us which was very refreshing. One in particular was very open to discussion and explaining a different point of view. Another was there just to spam us and threaten. I think it shows that we are having an impact. As was pointed out, all of our websites (blogs included) and social media efforts are reaching a lot more people than just farmers. So we are getting our message out and not depending on the mainstream media to do it for us. I think we’re making an impact.
If you participated or have read back through the discussion what do you think? Also feel free to check out #AgChat on Facebook.
To help you keep up with what’s going on at this year’s IFAJ Congress a new Twitter account has been set up: @IFAJ.
The beautiful background is the U.S. delegation to last year’s IFAJ Congress.
For you Twitter experts, please remember to use the #IFAJ hashtag in your posts on Twitter. That will make it easy for all of us to follow along with all that’s being said about IFAJ in the Twitterverse.
I take it from Mace Thornton’s (@AFBFMace) latest photo that we’re now into the question and answer portion of today’s Farm Foundation Forum on animal welfare. Here’s some of his tweets since my last post including concluding thoughts. I love his “funny moment” post:
Bob Krause of MW Poultry Svcs of Indiana. 10 largest egg farm comp. In country @ FF forum on farm animal care. Up now.
Ind. Eggman Krause @ FF forum on farm animls: confnmnt allows control disease, parasites, preds, other challenges 4 poultry, egg producers.
Krause @ FF forum on farm anml care: is wlfare of hens better in confinement or cagefree. Egg ind. study says cage enviro better overall.
Funny moment @ FF forum.
HSUS Shapiro: Guess I would be one of the extremists.
Moderator Charlie Stenholm: I think you would qualify.
My Btm line on FFforum. If proftbl humane market is there, farmers will rspnd. ? is do animal rights groups want any market? Probably not.
Calif. Farm Bureau VP Kenny Watkins challenges HSUS Shapiro to help devlp mkts for kind of production they are forcing. Markets not there.
This time we’ve got Tim Amlaw, Director of the Farm Animal Program of the American Humane Association on the podium at the Farm Foundation Forum on animal welfare.
Here’s what our man on the scene, Mace Thornton, (@AFBFMace) is saying about his presentation:
Tim Amlaw of American Humane @ FF forum on farm animals: AH been around since 1877. In Ag AH believes in on-ground, science based approach.
Tim Amlaw of AH @ FF forum on frm anim care: AH certified program relies on science to bebefit farmer and consumer.
Amlaw of AH @ FF forum on frm anim care: AH cert progrm. Trained auditors. “True humane tracking” Engagemnt among sectors, farm to consumrs.
Amlaw of AH @ FF forum on farm anim: video monitoring an application for farmers to see solution to challenge…immed corrective action.
Amlaw: consumers demanding humane choices and producers are adapting.
I’m posting these as quick as I can amid other work going on. If you were following along on Twitter would you agree that it’s “almost like being there?”
Here’s Paul Shapiro, Senior Director of the Humane Society of the United States, speaking now at the Farm Foundation Forum on animal welfare. Thanks again to Mace Thornton’s Blackberry.
Here’s a couple new tweets from him (@AFBFMace):
HSUS Shapiro @ FF farm anim forum: civil discourse essntl. All agree animals protected by law to some degree…dog and cock fight etc.
HSUS Shapiro selectively quotes the research AFBF sponsored with Oklahoma State Univ. @ FF forum on farm animal care. So much more there.
HSUS Shapiro also quotes Pew Comm. And Temple Grandin and cites pork companies to phase out gest. stalls.
HSUS Shapiro @ FF forum on farm animls: Main Pt. — animals being able to turn round and spread limbs should be a common ground issue.
HSUS Shapiro @ FF farm anml forum. American public sees images of animals in cages and thinks worse of ag because of it
Paul Shapiro, Senior Director of the Humane Society of the United States Tim Amlaw, Director of the Farm Animal Program of the American Humane Association Dr. Jim Reynolds of the American Veterinary Medical Association and a Professor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California-Davis Dr. David Blandford, Professor of Economics at Penn State University Bob Krouse, CEO of Midwest Poultry Supply
I will hopefully be able to link you to audio from the presentation later this afternoon. The session is being recorded and will be posted on the Farm Foundation website.
If you’re not on Twitter and can’t follow Mace to see his posts here’s an example of what you’re missing as I write:
1st up David Blandford of PSU @ farmfound forum. Less public pressure for change here than Europe.
Blandford @ farmfound animal care forum. If animal care and practices become linked to human health concerns, it becomes diff story.
Blandford @ FF farm animal forum: who pays? Consumer or producers? EU pays subsidy to meet higher standards.
The 41st BIF Research Symposium and Annual Meeting was hosted by the California Beef Cattle Improvement Association (CBCIA) and the California Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) in Sacramento, Calif. on April 30-May 3, 2009. I extend my congratulations to the beef industy leaders that were honored at this year’s event.
2009 Frank H. Baker Memorial Scholarship Award Recipients
The late Frank H. Baker played a key leadership role in helping establish the BIF in 1968. Since 1994, two deserving graduate students have been recognized for winning essays.
Scott Speidel, research associate in breeding and genetics at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colo., was a recipient of the 2009 Frank H. Baker Memorial Scholarship Award. Speidel accepted the award from Robert Williams, Ph.D., director of breed improvement and foreign marketing for the American-International Charolais Association, Kansas City, Mo. A California native, Speidel holds a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from California State University, Fresno; a master’s degree from the University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz., and plans to complete his doctorage this fall at Colorado State University.
Lance D. Leachman, Christiansburg, Va., was also a recipient of the 2009 Frank H. Baker Memorial Scholarship Award. The award was presented by Robert Williams, Ph.D., director of breed improvement and foreign marketing, American-International Charolais Association, Kansas City, Mo., during the 41st Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) Research Symposium and Annual Meeting, April 30- May 3, 2009, in Sacramento, Calif. Leachman was born in Maidstone, Sask., Canada. He holds a bachelor of science degree in Animal Sciences and Industry with a business option from Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kan., and a master’s degree in Animal and Poultry Science – Breeding Genetics from Virginia Polytechnic State University (Virginia Tech), Blackburg, Va. Currently, Leachman is a graduate student at Virginia Tech.
Nebraska Operation Named Beef Improvement Federation Commercial Producer of the Year
The Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) named the JHL Ranch, Ashby, Neb., as its 2009 Commercial Producer of the Year. The family has run cattle in the southwest corner in the Nebraska Sandhills since 1885. The JHL brand is reputed to be one of the oldest used in Nebraska having been legally registered in the state in 1920. Ranch owners Art and Merry Brownlee, along with their son Ethan, accepted the award from BEEF magazine Senior Editor Burt Rutherford during the 41st BIF Research Symposium and Annual Meeting, April 30 – May 3, 2009, in Sacramento, Calif. The ranch was nominated by the Nebraska Cattlemen and the Braunvieh Association of America, both based in Lincoln, Neb. (BIF) Outgoing President Tommy Brown (far left), Clanton, Ala., and BEEF magazine Senior Editor Burt Rutherford (far right), Amarillo, Texas, present the 2009 BIF Commercial Producer of the Year Award to Art and Merry Brown and their son Ethan of the JHL Ranch, Ashby, Neb. The award was sponsored by BEEF magazine, Minneapolis, Minn.
Photo by Cornerpost Publications, publisher of the California Cattleman.
In this week's program Chuck talks with David Armano, Global Innovation and Integration.
David conducted a presentation on delivering expert opinion via social media to an audience at the start of International Poultry Expo week. He's got some great information about who consumers trust and how you can use today's consumer behavior to help communicate your message.
There are two big issues for corn growers this year in Washington, DC, climate change and higher blends for ethanol. I spoke with two representatives of the National Corn Growers Association at NAFB’s Washington Watch Issues Forum about them.
NCGA’s Jessica Bennett is actively involved in the regulatory issue of increasing the blend level for ethanol allowed in gasoline to 15 percent. “As corn growers, ethanol is top priority for our association,” Bennett said. “We’re quickly approaching a ten percent blend wall of ethanol that can be blended into conventional gasoline and we need to move beyond that.”
Hello and welcome to another ZimmCast. This week I’m going to feature a couple of the interviews I did at last week’s NAFB Washington Watch Issues Forum.
Up first after opening comments is Mark Maslyn, Executive Director, Public Policy, 
Next up in the program is an interview with Ken Hobbie, President/CEO, 
Let’s practice a little safe trucking out there guys. Okay?
Rick Stearn is chairman of the production committee for the United Soybean Board. He was attending the NAFB Washington Watch Issues Forum. 
You can help stamp out hunger while helping America’s peanut producers.
As of right now, the terms “Swine flu” and “#swineflu” are trending at positions 2 and 6 on Twitter. The term “H1N1″ is trending in the 10th spot. I think that shows that as much as we’d like to think that everyone, media included, would call this what it is, it’s not happening. This thing blew up way too fast and is now branded in the public psyche. It has meant serious problems for hog producers. However, we shouldn’t give up and in fact, we’ve got an opportunity to do something about it by taking advantage of our new media tools to “get our message out.” How you might ask? Well, get busy and tweet, post on your blog or website and join in this online conversation and make a difference. Here’s an example of how Trent Loos, 
We just concluded another great #AgChat session via Twitter. Here’s the questions posed.
Have you made your reservation for the 
I take it from Mace Thornton’s (
This time we’ve got Tim Amlaw, Director of the Farm Animal Program of the American Humane Association on the podium at the Farm Foundation Forum on animal welfare.
Here’s Paul Shapiro, Senior Director of the Humane Society of the United States, speaking now at the Farm Foundation Forum on animal welfare. Thanks again to Mace Thornton’s Blackberry.
Thanks to 
Scott Speidel, research associate in breeding and genetics at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colo., was a recipient of the 2009 Frank H. Baker Memorial Scholarship Award. Speidel accepted the award from Robert Williams, Ph.D., director of breed improvement and foreign marketing for the American-International Charolais Association, Kansas City, Mo. A California native, Speidel holds a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from California State University, Fresno; a master’s degree from the University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz., and plans to complete his doctorage this fall at Colorado State University.
Lance D. Leachman, Christiansburg, Va., was also a recipient of the 2009 Frank H. Baker Memorial Scholarship Award. The award was presented by Robert Williams, Ph.D., director of breed improvement and foreign marketing, American-International Charolais Association, Kansas City, Mo., during the 41st Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) Research Symposium and Annual Meeting, April 30- May 3, 2009, in Sacramento, Calif. Leachman was born in Maidstone, Sask., Canada. He holds a bachelor of science degree in Animal Sciences and Industry with a business option from Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kan., and a master’s degree in Animal and Poultry Science – Breeding Genetics from Virginia Polytechnic State University (Virginia Tech), Blackburg, Va. Currently, Leachman is a graduate student at Virginia Tech.
The Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) named the 
In this week's program Chuck talks with David Armano, Global Innovation and Integration.
