Syngenta was ranked among the Top 20 Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Employers according to survey results published in a special feature of today’s edition of Science magazine.
MGEX (“the Exchange”) announced strong September 2009 growth in its Hard Red Spring Wheat (HRSW) futures and options volume and open interest numbers.
The National Sorghum Producers announced that Gerald Simonsen will assume leadership of the NSP Board of Directors to serve as chairman for the coming year.
National Association of Wheat Growers CEO Daren Coppock announced his resignation. He will become president and CEO of the Agricultural Retailers Association as of Jan. 1, 2010.
Participants in the Global Dairy 500 Conference were treated to a horse show and dinner at the Kentucky Horse Park. Our visit included seeing multiple horse breeds and riders dressed in traditional costume. I spoke with one of the riders mounted on an Arabian horse named D’artagnan. He’s 11 years old and on loan to the Park by his owner. You can listen to my interview below.
I also shot a video clip which includes an interview with the other horses and riders.
Besides hanging around with us and getting in lots of photos we also had a ring show that included a set of miniature horses pulling a wagon. I thought you’d enjoy seeing them.
USGC is encouraging all farmers to carry a camera in the combine this year to snap some photos of the harvesting of food, feed and fuel for the United States and abroad. Each photo will be entered for a free Council meeting registration for our 7th International Marketing Conference and 50th Annual Membership Meeting in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Feb. 13-17, 2010. Enter more than one photo to increase your chances of winning!
Photo entries are open to anyone. The Council will assume the rights of submitted entries for use in publications and online. Entries must be JPEG files. Submit your entries via e-mail to thegrainboard@grains.org by Nov. 1. You may also mail entries in a CD or jump drive to 1400 K St. N.W., Suite 1200, Washington, DC 20005.
While you are at it, feel free to email your photos to us here at Agwired as well. Your reward will be to see your photos with credit published on one or more of ZimmComm’s many ag-related websites. Almost as good as a free registration for a conference in Mexico!
At an international conference like the Global Dairy 500 Conference translators are absolutely necessary. We have many of them here. During a break this morning I spoke with Irina Zablith (right) who is not only a translator but a veterinarian from Brazil. She’s translating into Portugese.
She says it’s simultaneous translation. They do get some pre-talk information like power point slides but not an actual written speech. She says it becomes challenging at times when a speaker talks very fast.
Irina says the global market has grown to the point of needing more translations so she started working with groups of Brazilians who would travel to other countries and needed her service. She travels to conferences like this several times a year.
You need go no further than any dairy farmer here at the Global Dairy 500 Conference to know that the big issue is money. Take Daniel Williams, seated to the left in the photo. Daniel has an 800 cow dairy in Madison, GA.
When it comes to challenges he says right now it’s “money.” That includes becoming more efficient and watching what you spend and on what. He thinks the Conference has been very helpful, especially one of the morning speakers the first day.
Like others I’ve spoken with, he says that all dairy farmers in the world are having trouble making it right now. He thought that getting to talk with other farmers has made him feel better about where he’s at with his operation right now.
This is what the moon looked like tonight after a full day of the Global Dairy 500 Conference. This is a hand held shot on the way back from the Alltech Lexington Brewery.
Right now I’m charging my batteries and uploading some video after uploading more photos to the online photo album. I’ll have a lot more coverage of the event coming up.
More than 3,000 international scientists, professionals, educators, and students will present new technologies and discuss emerging trends in agriculture, energy, climate change, carbon trading, science education, and related issues at the event November 1-5 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Other informative sessions will focus on nutrition, wines, food security, invasive species, organic agriculture, hazardous waste, plant breeding, and turfgrass science.
After the morning sessions and lunch the Global Dairy 500 participants sit at discussion tables. These breakout sessions are very lively and interactive and on many different topics. I followed along with one led by Brent Lawrence, Alltech. Brent handles the southeast territory of Florida and Georgia. At his table were dairy farmers from the USA, Germany, Korea and the Ukraine. He says the main topic dealt with the sustainability of the dairy industry. They discussed the need to educate the public and be environmentally friendly.
I shot a video clip so you can get a true feel for what the sessions are like.
The Global Dairy 500 Conference is a truly international one. There are farmers here from all over the world which requires a lot of translators who are working very hard in their booths at the back of the conference presentation rooms.
One of the groups I ran into early is from Germany. They were all enjoying an early sample of Bluegrass Sundown, a blend of bourbon, coffee and Irish Cream. It is fantastic btw. I had to sample as well.
In the middle of this happy group is Henry. He spoke very good English so he got volunteered to speak with me. He has about 450 dairy cows and also row crops on his farm. He says he’s always on the search for new technology because it will make him more efficient. Henry echoes a comment I’ve heard a number of times today and that is that dairy farmers globally are suffering with the same problems, namely the price of milk.
He says the economy is the biggest challenge facing him and getting better production. He says he spoke to a farmer from Ohio who has just moved out of the dairy business due to the economics. He is looking forward to talking with other farmers.
Providing the first remarks on the program for the Global Dairy 500 Conference was Dr. Pearse Lyons, founder and President, Alltech. The theme of his opening remarks was to answer the question, “Is there a future for dairy in these turbulent times?”
Dr. Lyons addressed the real challenges in the dairy business internationally. The Conference has attendees from all over the world and they all nodded in agreement as he made these opening remarks. He pointed out how volatile markets and prices are having a serious impact on the industry right now. So education and efficiency become extremely important and that’s part of the purpose of the Conference itself. So when it comes to the “crisis” Dr. Lyons challenged attendees to see it as a time of opportunity and character.
Looking to the future the key is efficiency and that will come about from the use of new technology. Besides efficiency he urged attendees to focus on more lactations per cow; quality in Production systems; more education; looking for Branding; traceability and to be conscious of the environment. I love his description of the dairy cow as a “walking fermenter.”
Syngenta Seeds new headquarters in Minnetonka, Minnesota is just one of the many locations where Syngenta has major research laboratories.
Principal Research Scientist for Insect Resistance Dirk Benson talked about Syngenta’s global research capabilities during a symposium for agricultural reporters during the grand opening event. “In Europe, we have insecticide development, we have herbicide technology development, in the US we have formulation development on the crop protection side,” Dirk said. “On the seeds and traits side, we have capabilities for biotechnology in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, we just opened a new site in Beijing, China to augment that. We do other seed research in Australia, we do some in Toulouse, France for our vegetable businesses, we do sugar beet work in Scandinavian countries.”
Dirk is based in North Carolina and he says they deal with everything from new trait discovery to building the vectors to insert in plants. “At Syngenta biotechnology in RTP, we have about 400 employees which represents about 10 percent of Syngenta’s global R&D force,” he said.
He is excited about the new headquarters because it provides great opportunity for collaborative opportunities for the organization as a whole.
Listen to or download my interview with Dirk Benson below.
Sponsored by
Pfizer Animal Genetics has expanded its genetic defect testing capabilities to encompass three new diagnostic tests and new combined tests.
Hoosier Ag Today, Indiana’s only Hoosier-owned farm radio network, began its 4th year of operation in September.
A new development project in the life sciences arena was announced Wednesday (Sept. 30) as part of a new agricultural collaboration among Dow AgroSciences, Purdue Research Foundation, Purdue University and the state of Indiana.
Cooperatives Working Together is implementing its third herd retirement in 2009, effective Oct. 1, 2009. All bids submitted must be postmarked no later than Oct. 15.
The man who is guiding the marketing efforts for Fluidigm is Howard High. He is the man who found AgWired and contacted us about helping introduce the company to the agribusiness community. That’s because he recognizes the community that we’ve developed. He says they want to communicate with people in agribusiness “where they are.” That is what the whole new media strategy is all about.
During a day in Fluidigm headquarters in South San Francisco I spoke with Howard about why he contacted us and what the company hopes to accomplish with our project. He says that agribusiness is a critical business for them. They’ve been working more with pure research companies up to this point but he says agricultural research comprises high volumes of samples and testing and that’s where they believe they offer the industry some significant advantages.
When it comes to selecting AgWired he says they are looking at our company as “their tour guides” since the industry has its own language, customs and culture. I like that idea of being a “trusted guide.” So it puts the burden on us to show them how to be effective and translate what they do to what the industry needs. He believes that as we do that we will accelerate the timetable for what they want to achieve. Our mechanisms also provide ways for reverse communication from the audience (so I hope you’ll provide some feedback to Fluidigm).
You can learn a lot more about the technology offered by Fluidigm by visiting their website where you’ll also find several opportunities to communicate with them. Here’s where you can find an overview of their technology.
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 Global Dairy 500 Conference is underway here in Lexington, KY. To get you started watch this video clip prepared to set the stage for the conversation over the next couple days.
I’ll be posting primarily on WorldDairyDiary.com but I’ll have some coverage here too. We’re about to start the opening general session with Dr. Pearse Lyons so stay tuned.
Some of the Twitter-heads attending World Dairy Expo met up for a Tweet Up on Thursday afternoon at the Media Room.
Organized by Twitter AgChat moderator Michele Payn-Knoper, the Tweet Up allowed fellow tweeps to get together and discuss technical and agricultural issues.
If you have not ever participated in AgChat, it takes place on Tuesday nights from 8-10 pm central time.
The Global Dairy 500 Conference sponsored by Alltech gets underway today as a group of attendees are on a tour. Alltech’s Allie Hembree is with that group and I’ll have information and photos from the tour later on since I’m traveling to Lexington myself today.
The National Association of Farm Broadcasting will honor two of its finest during this year’s convention on Thursday, November 12. The honor will be presented during the Night of Honors Celebration Banquet.
Lee McCoy and Evan Slack have been voted into the NAFB Hall of Fame by the Hall of Fame Committee — a working group of five individuals composed of current Hall of Fame members and past and current Presidents.
Lee McCoy was called “The Real McCoy” by his farm broadcasting family. He had a cowboy style that allowed him to communicate with people from all regions and all walks of life. He spent 10 years with the Southeast AgNet in Alabama and Georgia. An avid bicyclist and fund-raiser, he passed away in 2008 after battling cancer for more than two years.
Evan Slack is founder and owner of the Evan Slack Network, Denver, CO. As a young farm boy, he had two dreams: to become a farm broadcaster and fly his own plane. Both of those came true for Evan, and his travels have taken him many exciting places. His rewards and recognitions are many, including NAFB’s Pioneer in Farm Broadcasting recognition for his 50 years in the Association.
Lee was a very good friend over the years and we miss him. I can say the same about Evan but I don’t miss him since he uses his iPhone to call my iPhone very often!
This week, Senators Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and John Kerry (D-Mass.) debuted the “Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act,” an 821-page bill designed to “create clean energy jobs, reduce pollution, and protect American security by enhancing domestic energy production and combating global climate change,” as well as creating millions of green energy jobs. Part of that includes reducing carbon emissions by 20 percent by the year 2020 and 80 percent by 2050 compared to 2005 levels.
“America’s farmers and ranchers did not fare that well in the House-passed climate change bill and they fare even worse in the Senate bill,” said American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman. “There are few benefits and even greater costs to agriculture and the American public.”
Stallman says the 20 percent target, which is higher than the House bill by three percent, is unrealistic and will lead to higher energy bills for all consumers. “The Waxman-Markey bill, passed narrowly by the House this summer, did at least include credits to farmers for carbon-storing or carbon management practices. The Senate bill does not guarantee any benefits to agriculture for carbon sequestration,” Stallman said.
Another major concern for Farm Bureau is that the Boxer-Kerry bill would not prevent the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from continuing to move forward to fully regulate all greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. The bill also does nothing to provide alternative sources of energy to fill the energy deficit left by the reduction in fossil fuels, nor does it prevent the EPA from using controversial indirect land use principles that penalize ethanol, according to Stallman.
“Both the Senate and House bills would bring higher fuel and fertilizer costs to American farmers and ranchers, which puts us at a competitive disadvantage in international markets with other countries that do not have similar carbon emission restrictions,” Stallman said. “For the future prosperity of the U.S. economy and American agriculture, climate change legislation must be defeated by Congress.”
The Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) has named Daren Coppock as the organization’s new President and CEO, replacing Jack Eberspacher who passed away in July after a brief battle with cancer.
Coppock is an experienced association leader with deep ties to the agricultural community having been raised on a farm in Oregon and serving as an advocate for production agriculture for the past decade. He joins ARA from the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) where he served as the organization’s CEO since July of 2001.
“I look forward to joining the team at ARA as we tackle some important agricultural challenges on behalf of agricultural retailers,” said Coppock. “I’m impressed by the leadership of the organization and eager to get out and meet some of the members in the coming months.”
Beginning on November 1, Daren Coppock will begin transitioning from his current position with NAWG to ARA and will be working full time for ARA by January 1, 2010.
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.
USGC is encouraging all farmers to carry a camera in the combine this year to snap some photos of the harvesting of food, feed and fuel for the United States and abroad. Each photo will be entered for a free Council meeting registration for our 7th International Marketing Conference and 50th Annual Membership Meeting in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Feb. 13-17, 2010. Enter more than one photo to increase your chances of winning!
At an international conference like the Global Dairy 500 Conference translators are absolutely necessary. We have many of them here. During a break this morning I spoke with Irina Zablith (right) who is not only a translator but a veterinarian from Brazil. She’s translating into Portugese.
You need go no further than any dairy farmer here at the Global Dairy 500 Conference to know that the big issue is money. Take Daniel Williams, seated to the left in the photo. Daniel has an 800 cow dairy in Madison, GA.
This is what the moon looked like tonight after a full day of the Global Dairy 500 Conference. This is a hand held shot on the way back from the Alltech Lexington Brewery.
More than 3,000 international scientists, professionals, educators, and students will present new technologies and discuss emerging trends in agriculture, energy, climate change, carbon trading, science education, and related issues at the event November 1-5 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Other informative sessions will focus on nutrition, wines, food security, invasive species, organic agriculture, hazardous waste, plant breeding, and turfgrass science.
The Global Dairy 500 Conference is a truly international one. There are farmers here from all over the world which requires a lot of translators who are working very hard in their booths at the back of the conference presentation rooms.
In the middle of this happy group is Henry. He spoke very good English so he got volunteered to speak with me. He has about 450 dairy cows and also row crops on his farm. He says he’s always on the search for new technology because it will make him more efficient. Henry echoes a comment I’ve heard a number of times today and that is that dairy farmers globally are suffering with the same problems, namely the price of milk. 
Providing the first remarks on the program for the Global Dairy 500 Conference was Dr. Pearse Lyons, founder and President, Alltech. The theme of his opening remarks was to answer the question, “Is there a future for dairy in these turbulent times?”
Looking to the future the key is efficiency and that will come about from the use of new technology. Besides efficiency he urged attendees to focus on more lactations per cow; quality in Production systems; more education; looking for Branding; traceability and to be conscious of the environment. I love his description of the dairy cow as a “walking fermenter.”
Principal Research Scientist for Insect Resistance Dirk Benson talked about Syngenta’s global research capabilities during a symposium for agricultural reporters during the grand opening event. “In Europe, we have insecticide development, we have herbicide technology development, in the US we have formulation development on the crop protection side,” Dirk said. “On the seeds and traits side, we have capabilities for biotechnology in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, we just opened a new site in Beijing, China to augment that. We do other seed research in Australia, we do some in Toulouse, France for our vegetable businesses, we do sugar beet work in Scandinavian countries.”
The man who is guiding the marketing efforts for 
During a day in Fluidigm headquarters in South San Francisco I spoke with Howard about why he contacted us and what the company hopes to accomplish with our project. He says that agribusiness is a critical business for them. They’ve been working more with pure research companies up to this point but he says agricultural research comprises high volumes of samples and testing and that’s where they believe they offer the industry some significant advantages. 
Some of the Twitter-heads attending World Dairy Expo met up for a Tweet Up on Thursday afternoon at the Media Room. 
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Evan Slack is founder and owner of the 
The 
This week, Senators Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and John Kerry (D-Mass.) debuted the “
“America’s farmers and ranchers did not fare that well in the House-passed climate change bill and they fare even worse in the Senate bill,” said American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman. “There are few benefits and even greater costs to agriculture and the American public.”
The 
In this week's program Chuck talks with David Armano, Global Innovation and Integration.
