The main sponsor of the Southeastern Farmer of the Year program is Swisher Sweets. Representing them here at Sunbelt Ag Expo is Mr. J. Thomas Ryan, Swisher International. I talked with him prior to the Willie B. Withers luncheon.
He says it’s the 20th year that the company has sponsored the awards program. He says business is good for his company which makes cigars and smokeless tobacco products. The bulk of their business is domestic but they also sell products in 80 other countries.
You can listen to my interview with Mr. Ryan below:
The emcee for the Willie B. Withers luncheon at Sunbelt Ag Expo was Mr. Jimmy Hill, President/CEO, Georgia Agri-Leaders Forum Foundation. Jimmy says they develop leaders in agribusiness and forestry with a 12 month program. He says they have 18 people involved in this year’s program. The goal is to develop leaders who will get involved and help solve challenges faced by the industry.
The Study Institute Program of the Georgia Agri-Leaders Forum is an intensive exposure to a wide range of issues and policy discussion. These range from the economy to governmental process, as well as, a liberal opportunity to broaden leadership skills. The one-year program consists of six Study Institutes covering issues affecting those committed to agriculture, agribusiness, forestry and leadership in rural Georgia. Four In-State Institutes are structured in a three-day/two night format; A Government-in-Session (Atlanta/Washington DC) Institute covers eight days; and a National Travel Experience Institute in another state covers six days. Each Institute stresses leadership skills and generates sensitivity to pertinent issues, giving the participants an in-depth understanding of what it takes to get involved in bringing about solutions to political, economical, cultural, social, agricultural, agribusiness, forestry and leadership issues in rural Georgia.
There’s more than one way to farm fish. Usually you think ponds of tilapia or catfish right? Well there’s also sports fishing pond management of game fish like bass and bluegill. At Sunbelt Ag Expo they have a “fishing ponds” exhibit area. One of the exhibitors is Southeastern Pond Management. Seen in the photo is Kedric Nutt. He says his company helps a land owner manage their fish ponds which includes fish selection, weed control, pond evaluation and more.
Here at Expo the exhibit area is conducting seminars and has a demo pond which Kedric says has a bass species that is trained to eat pellet fish food but will still strike a fishing lure.
At this year’s Sunbelt Ag Expo, Alpacas are popular, especially baby ones. Promoting them is the Southeastern Alpaca Association. Representing the Association here is Carrie Gamblin, Southern Hummers Alpacas, pictured with her husband Jay.
Carrie says the organization is the “hub” for all the member farms. Each farm gets a web page that’s part of the organizational website. They also have an annual show in March and do seminars throughout the year. One of the main projects they’re working on is to get enough animals in the country to convince the millers to take their fiber and run it through the milling process. So far there hasn’t been enough to make that happen. Apparently alpaca fiber would require different milling equipment than wool.
KIOTI has just introduced a new utility vehicle – The MECHRON. Sounds kind of like a character in Transformers. But a couple of different versions were on display at Sunbelt Ag Expo. Now just about everyone has a utility vehicle in their product lineup. I spoke to Ron Parrish in the KIOTI exhibit about their new offering.
This Ultimate Transport Vehicle™ is driven by a fuel-efficient 22hp, 3-cylinder Daedong diesel engine that gives superb power and excellent fuel economy. With one of the widest tracks on the market and 4-wheel drive, the MECHRON™ delivers stable operation and superior traction over challenging terrain and up steep slopes. Front limited slip differential and rear differential lock are standard. The KIOTI UTV offers a 56″-wide dump bed – the widest on the market – for a 1600 pound payload capacity, 23% higher than the market leader.
You don’t normally think of shrimp and agriculture at the same time. However, here at Sunbelt Ag Expo the Georgia Shrimp Association would like to educate you and feed you at the same time. John Wallace is the President and I caught him frying shrimp early on opening day of the show.
He says their shrimp are from the Atlantic Ocean so they’re “farmers of the sea.” They harvest between four to six million pounds of shrimp a year. Their food booth is actually a good fund raiser for their association.
Congratulations to this year’s winners of the National Agri-Marketing Association 2009 Professional Development Awards of Excellence. These awards honor NAMA members based on outstanding achievement in the professional development areas. This year, Awards of Excellence were presented in the areas of marketing communications, public relations, product/species management and sales.
Lou Ireland, Senior Marketing Manager, N. American Sales/Marketing Communications, Pioneer Hi-Bred Intl., Inc. is honored with the award of excellence in Marketing Communications.
Deron Johnson, Vice President, Director of Public Relations, Rhea + Kaiser Marketing Communications, received the award of excellence in public relations.
Gary Robertson, Marketing Manager, Livestock Biologicals, Fort Dodge Animal Health, is honored with the Product/Species Management award of excellence.
Pete Weil, National Accounts Manager, High Plains/Midwest Ag Journal, received the sales award of excellence.
These awards will be presented during a special luncheon at the 2009 Trends In Agriculture conference, November 11, at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center in Kansas City, MO.
Steve Troxler is the Commissioner of Agriculture for North Carolina. His state is the spotlight state at this year’s Sunbelt Ag Expo. Steve is here to help kick things off and then I’ll bet he heads back home since their state fair is taking place right now too.
He cut the ribbon this morning at their tent to kick off this year’s Expo and I talked with him. He says their Got To Be NC Agriculture program is one of the ways they’re promoting NC farm products to consumers.
Steve says that agriculture is a $70 billion industry in North Carolina. In the picture with Steve above you can see a tobacco plant on the left. He says NC is the number one tobacco producing state in the country. They’re also number one in sweet potatoes.
The Willie B. Withers Luncheon honors excellence in agricultural production and management, leadership in community and farm organizations and recognizes family contributions in producing safe and abundant supplies of food, fiber and shelter for U.S. consumers. Lightsey is the sixth overall winner of the award from Florida.
I’ll post a video clip of Cary’s speech as soon as I get it uploaded. We’ve been internet challenged today but I think it’s getting better now. Post Update: Here’s that video:
The 2009 Sunbelt Ag Expo is underway in Moultrie, GA. Executive Director, Chip Blalock, welcomed us media types at a breakfast and provided an overview of what to see at this year’s event. He’s on the left in the photo talking with ag media.
It’s time for the 2009 Sunbelt Ag Expo and AgWired is on the scene. Or at least will be in the morning.
I’ll try to get in early and see what kind of news there is to be had. Of course you can count on a photo album and lots of interviews. I’ve got a new video camera to try out too so this is going to be fun. See you then.
If you’re tweeting the event please use the #SAE09 hashtag.
AgWired coverage of Sunbelt Ag Expo is sponsored by .
Pigs, like people, sometimes get sick or contract influenza viruses and recover. Indeed, pigs in several other countries previously have contracted the novel H1N1 flu.
As it did in late April after initial reports on the H1N1 flu, NPPC is urging pork producers to tighten their existing biosecurity protocols to protect their pigs from the virus, including restricting public access to barns.
Find out more facts about H1N1 (not swine flu!) from NPPC.
Coming soon to a field near you from Syngenta Seeds – corn with water optimization traits.
Syngenta is going beyond drought-resistant corn to introduce water optimization traits, which will reduce the amount of moisture needed to optimize yield and minimize yield loss in drought conditions, as well as reduce water use in average years. Business Lead Corn Product Manager Wayne Fithian says this trait will help farmers be more productive and more sustainable. “Part of it is helping farmers do a better job of managing their environment,” Wayne said during a recent media day at the new Syngenta Seeds headquarters in Minnesota. “Sometimes it rains, sometimes it doesn’t rain and farmers get caught in this yo-yo of yields connected to rainfall. So if we can break that relationship and help farmers increase yield potential in times when Mother Nature doesn’t give them all the rain they want, then that would be a great thing.”
Wayne says water-optimized hybrids are expected to be available in 2011 through Garst, Golden Harvest and NK brand seeds. Listen to an interview with Wayne below.
Yes, Virginia, there really are family farmers in the United States.
The National Corn Growers Association wants the public to know that family farmers not only exist, but are the critical factor that make the nation’s number one industry the world leaders in production of safe and wholesome products.
Polling shows that many Americans no longer understand agriculture in their own country. Most believe that family farming no longer exists and that the majority of crops are grown by faceless entities that they characterize as industrial farms.
Nothing could be further from the truth, NCGA’s many farmers would say. In fact, 95 percent of all farms in the U.S. are family operated. These operations draw upon tradition and a knowledge base built over generations. The hard work of the over two million U.S. family farms provide consumers globally with food, feed and fuel. It also helps sustain the country economically by producing over $12 billion in corn for export annually.
To bring this information to the public, NCGA has introduced “Farming for Generations” on YouTube. A variety of growers, including members of NCGA Corn Board leadership, offer an unscripted exploration of the values of rural America and the practice of agriculture.
Ever since Cindy and I have been in agricultural communications we’ve known and enjoyed working with Larry Quinn, USDA Office of Communications. Well, Larry just retired and while I was in Las Vegas attending BlogWorld and New Media Expo, Cindy got to talk to Larry.
Larry says that when he first arrived at USDA he started working on a manual typewriter but he did move up to an electric one. One thing is for sure, he has seen the communications technology go through major changes. Haven’t we all? How about starting a retirement blog Larry? Listen to him reminisce about his time at the USDA in this week’s program.
The photo of Larry with NAFB president Pam Jahnke was taken at this year’s Washington Watch. He also talks about the wonderful friendships he has developed over the years with farm broadcasters and the great respect he has for those who work to get information out about agriculture.
I’d also like to thank AgWired Sponsor, Fluidigm, for their support of the ZimmCast.
You can listen to this week’s ZimmCast below.
The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired. Subscribe so you can listen when and where you want. Just go to our a Subscribe page.
The Natural Resources Defense Council announced nominations for its 2nd annual Growing Green Awards. New this year is a “Water Steward” category. Applications are due Dec. 4, 2009, and a $10,000 prize will go to the winning green Food Producer.
A group of some 50 produce industry leaders have come together to begin work on a major initiative to drive harmonization of standards and audits for Good Agricultural Practices. Click here for more information and a list of steering committee members.
Washington State University Extension Ferry County director Daniel L. Fagerlie has received the Award for Excellence in Extension from the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities.
This year’s BlogWorld and New Media Expo was one of the largest gatherings of people involved in new media ever. The founder of the event is Rick Calvert. He says feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive. The last number I heard yesterday was 2,200 participants but that may have ended higher. That says a lot in a troubled economy where many shows have seen a decline in participants. I think it’s just another sign of how robust the new media business is today.
He says the exhibit show has been packed and I can attest to that since I’ve had to wait at times to get an opportunity to speak with an exhibitor. If you weren’t able to attend then put October 14-16 on your calendar when the show will be back here in Las Vegas.
Rick says that one of the beautiful things about new media is that it allows a company or an event to have a media outlet since most of us are in niche topical areas that may not be “big enough news” for network television. I would say that agriculture fits that description very well most of the time. He says new and social media “cuts out the middle man” and let’s you communicate directly which is how we naturally converse. It’s a tremendous benefit for small business and certainly provides a great opportunity to advocate for agriculture and communicate within the industry.
Finally, someone puts some pressure on Michael Pollan. He’s scheduled to speak at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in an unopposed keynote speech for college students geared on the topic of animal agriculture and food production. However, in a recent article in the Triple Pundit, sources revealed that David Wood, chairman of the Harris Ranch Beef Co., urged the university to put on a forum with well-respected agriculturalists on the panel to counteract Pollan’s statements. Way to go David! Here is an excerpt from that article…
After receiving pressure from the owner of an agribusiness — that just happens to be a major donor — the university decided to turn what was to be a guest lecture by noted sustainable agriculture guru Michael Pollan, into a “panel discussion” including a scientist favored by the beef industry, according to the Los Angeles Times. In an angry September 23rd letter to the university president, David E. Wood, chairman of the Harris Ranch Beef Co., wrote, “While I understand the need to expose students to alternative views, I find it unacceptable that the university would provide Michael Pollan an unchallenged forum to promote his stand against conventional agricultural practices..”
Allowing Pollan to speak unchallenged had made Wood “rethink [his] continued financial support of the university.” Wood has pledged $150,000 toward a new meat processing plant on campus. Pollan, who has encountered such resistance to his appearances before, told the university he could lecture, or he could participate in the panel, but not both. Cal Poly made its decision, and quickly assembled a panel featuring Pollan, Gary Smith, Monfort Endowed Chair in meat science at Colorado State University, and Myra Goodman, co-founder of Earthbound Farm Organic, one of the largest organic businesses in the country.
Consumers still trust farmers; they just need their confidence restored in some aspects of the food system. Those were some of the conclusions from a “consumer trust” survey commissioned by the Center for Food Intregity. Highlights from the survey were presented last week at the 4th Annual 2009 Food System Summit in Kansas City. Geni Wren summed up the conclusions of the study in an article titled, “Consumers Trust Farmers, But Also Hold Them Responsible,” published in Dairy Herd Management. Here is an excerpt from the study…
-Consumers hold farmers/producers, themselves and food companies primarily responsible for food safety.
-Consumers continue to trust themselves and those who prepare food in their homes more than any others.
-Consumers place a high amount of trust in farmers and food companies for food safety.
-Consumers hold farmers primarily responsible for humane treatment of farm animals.
-Consumers lack confidence in any food system segment for ensuring the humane treatment of farm animals.
-Consumers hold farmers primarily responsible for sustainability.
-Consumers lack confidence and trust in any food system segment for ensuring sustainability.
-Consumers hold themselves, farmers and food companies primarily responsible for nutrition.
-Consumers lack confidence and trust in any food system segment for ensuring nutrition.
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.
The main sponsor of the Southeastern Farmer of the Year program is Swisher Sweets. Representing them here at Sunbelt Ag Expo is Mr. J. Thomas Ryan, Swisher International. I talked with him prior to the Willie B. Withers luncheon.
.
The emcee for the Willie B. Withers luncheon at Sunbelt Ag Expo was Mr. Jimmy Hill, President/CEO, 
There’s more than one way to farm fish. Usually you think ponds of tilapia or catfish right? Well there’s also sports fishing pond management of game fish like bass and bluegill. At Sunbelt Ag Expo they have a “fishing ponds” exhibit area. One of the exhibitors is 
At this year’s Sunbelt Ag Expo, Alpacas are popular, especially baby ones. Promoting them is the 
KIOTI has just introduced a new utility vehicle – 
You don’t normally think of shrimp and agriculture at the same time. However, here at Sunbelt Ag Expo the 
Congratulations to this year’s winners of the 
Steve Troxler is the 
Steve says that agriculture is a $70 billion industry in North Carolina. In the picture with Steve above you can see a tobacco plant on the left. He says NC is the number one tobacco producing state in the country. They’re also number one in sweet potatoes.
The 2009 
The 2009 Sunbelt Ag Expo is underway in Moultrie, GA. Executive Director, Chip Blalock, welcomed us media types at a breakfast and provided an overview of what to see at this year’s event. He’s on the left in the photo talking with ag media.
It’s time for the 2009 
Syngenta is going beyond drought-resistant corn to introduce water optimization traits, which will reduce the amount of moisture needed to optimize yield and minimize yield loss in drought conditions, as well as reduce water use in average years. Business Lead Corn Product Manager Wayne Fithian says this trait will help farmers be more productive and more sustainable. “Part of it is helping farmers do a better job of managing their environment,” Wayne said during a recent media day at the new Syngenta Seeds headquarters in Minnesota. “Sometimes it rains, sometimes it doesn’t rain and farmers get caught in this yo-yo of yields connected to rainfall. So if we can break that relationship and help farmers increase yield potential in times when Mother Nature doesn’t give them all the rain they want, then that would be a great thing.”
The 
Ever since Cindy and I have been in agricultural communications we’ve known and enjoyed working with Larry Quinn, 
Larry says that when he first arrived at USDA he started working on a manual typewriter but he did move up to an electric one. One thing is for sure, he has seen the communications technology go through major changes. Haven’t we all? How about starting a retirement blog Larry? Listen to him reminisce about his time at the USDA in this week’s program. 
This year’s 
Finally, someone puts some pressure on Michael Pollan. He’s scheduled to speak at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in an unopposed keynote speech for college students geared on the topic of animal agriculture and food production. However, in a recent article in the 
Consumers still trust farmers; they just need their confidence restored in some aspects of the food system. Those were some of the conclusions from a “consumer trust” survey commissioned by the Center for Food Intregity. Highlights from the survey were presented last week at the 4th Annual 2009 Food System Summit in Kansas City. Geni Wren summed up the conclusions of the study in an article titled,
In this week's program Chuck talks with David Armano, Global Innovation and Integration.
