New Holland debuted the new Rustler utility vehicle at the 2009 Farm Progress Show, but the 2010 National Farm Machinery Show was really this baby’s “coming out” party, since commercial production of the Rustler just started in January and they are really just hitting dealer lots this quarter. I talked with Jared Godfrey of New Holland at the NFMS about the Rustler and what makes it different from other UVs on the market.
“What really makes it different is that our models are really more of a utility workhorse versus other brands that are more of a sporting kind of use, where ours are more on the farm, kind of weekend warriors,” said Jared.
The Rustler also has so many options it can be customized for just about any taste. “We have three models, the smallest one is the 115 which is a gas, 2 wheel drive option. Then we bump up to the 120 diesel option,” Jared said. The biggest model is the 23-hp 125 gas option. There are 2 passenger or 4 passenger options, cabs, aluminum wheels, all terrain tires and more.
Jared says they believe New Holland’s strong brand identity will attract farmers and rancher who buy blue to the Rustler.
Listen to my interview about the Rustler from NFMS here:
There are times when my Big Mac is busy or I just don’t want to pull it out of my Mojo (mobile journalism kit). That’s when I’ll be using my new HP Mini 311. I figure that I can still do email and web app functions without having to get all kinds of new software since I just don’t want/need PC stuff. This box has Windows 7 but I’m using Firefox. I don’t recommend IE in any version on my worst enemy.
The photo was edited with Photoshop.com. It’s an online version of the only software currently worth using to edit photos. You can get a free account with 2GB of online storage, download the Photoshop.com Uploader and keep online folders/albums in sync with your desktop. Now how cool is that? One thing I would suggest you keep in mind regarding netbooks like this one. They don’t replace your notebook. Think of them as a convenient, small gadget that can enhance your mobile work experience.
I’ve been asked about some gadgets a number of times lately and am getting ready to do an updated version of my mobile ag journalism kit post from May of 2008. It’s going to be interesting to see the changes (and there are changes).
Farm Bureau families helped to feed more of the nation’s hungry than ever in 2009.
The American Farm Bureau reports that their member families around the country raised more than $213,000 and donated more than 4.8 million pounds of food to hungry Americans as part of Farm Bureau’s “Harvest for All” program. Combined, the monetary and food donations provided the equivalent of nearly 5.3 million meals through Feeding America food banks.
The money raised last year broke the prior record of $160,000 in 2008. Farm Bureau’s Harvest for All program started in 2004, and is a joint effort between Farm Bureau and Feeding America through which agricultural producers can help all Americans enjoy the bounty produced by the nation’s farm and ranch families.
Congrats to Tracy Mader who was just promoted to head of Product Marketing for Syngenta Seeds corn and soybean products.
In this new role, Mader will be responsible for the corn, soybean and other field crops portfolio, including traits, genetics, seed care and other relevant technology, and will oversee late stage product development, product launches and product lifecycle management.
Mader most recently served as the Agrisure marketing manager, responsible for branding, launching and marketing of Agrisure® corn traits. Mader joined Syngenta in 1995 as an employee of predecessor company Ciba. He brings a wealth of marketing experience and knowledge to the product marketing role, having had various positions within Syngenta throughout the U.S. He has an agricultural economics degree from Kansas State University.
We are getting ready to head out to Anaheim next week for the 2010 Commodity Classic and I got in the mood this week by attending the Missouri Corn Growers Association annual meeting in Jefferson City where I interviewed two of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) leaders. On the left is Mike Geske, former president of the Missouri Corn Growers now serving on the 15-member National Corn Board, and on the right is NCGA president Darrin Ihnen of South Dakota. Darrin was guest speaker at the Missouri Corn Growers luncheon and he helped to get the farmers fired up to go and talk to their lawmakers at the state capitol about important issues that could ultimately threaten their livelihood.
One of those issues is a threat posed by the Humane Society of the United States. Our buddies at HSUS are working up a petition drive in Missouri directed at dog breeders – lumping them all in the unsavory category of “puppy mills” – kind of like they lump all of agriculture under “factory farming.” Mike says that is why all agriculture groups in the state are working to keep legislators informed about how food is produced and the importance of the industry to Missouri. “We feel that once they get past the dog breeders they are going to be headed for commercial agriculture,” he told me.
Darrin says the threat posed to animal agriculture in individual states by groups like HSUS ultimately impacts all of agriculture across the country. “It’s very important that we help defend them,” Darrin says. “We can’t be separated when it comes to agriculture. We need to work together.”
This is just one of many important policy issues that corn growers will discuss at Classic next week, the annual meeting that also includes soybean, wheat and sorghum producers. Others include the indirect land use issue, climate legislation, increasing the ethanol blend rate and extending the blender’s tax credit for ethanol. Watch for our coverage from Commodity Classic next week sponsored by BASF and New Holland.
Listen to or download back to back interviews with Darrin and Mike here:
Agricenter International is a self-sustaining, non profit that provides economic development by facilitating agricultural research, educational programs, environmental conservation, natural area preservation and recreational opportunities.
John’s presentation focused on their efforts to better inform and educate consumers on the importance of agribusiness to the U.S. economy and the impact of ag exports to the world. He also gave us an overview of the status of what is considered to be the world’s largest urban farm and research test facility.
His presentation will give you another idea of what you miss when you don’t attend an ARC meeting. Think about putting it on your calendar next year!
Yong says the key one for him was seeing the pace at which people are doing plant and animal research and picking up new technologies. He says it was easy to see it at the conference with not only the researchers in attendance but also in the exhibitors space with the growth of vendors coming to the show.
Fluidigm conducted a workshop titled, “Enabling High Sample Throughput SNP Genotyping for Plant and Animal Studies.” Speakers included Curt Van Tassell, USDA-ARS, Bovine Testing; Jim Seeb, University of Washington, Salmon Conservation and Nanne Faber, Enza Zaden, Seed Quality Control. Yong says they had great attendance and are planning on conducting a workshop like this at future conferences.
Fluidigm was also an exhibitor and Yong says the show once again proved a great place for the company to be. He said that they had a lot of interaction with people who were not familiar with their system that includes SNP genotyping and a new product line that does sample preparation for next generation sequencing. He feels very optimistic for the future after Fluidigm acquired recent new customers, USDA-ARS and Bayer CropScience.
The USDA predicts 52,000 agriculture-related job openings for college graduates will be needed in 2010 — including those needed to teach ag science at high school, college level.
In 2009, Pfizer Animal Health contributed more than $1.3 million to support FFA programs and help fund the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) Foundation/Pfizer Veterinary Student Scholarships. Pfizer announced the same program is available for 2010 through March 31.
Syngenta has been recognized by Fast Company magazine as one of the world’s most innovative companies.
Osage Bio Energy announced it has signed a contract with Land O’Lakes Purina Feed to market its barley protein meal (BPM).
I don’t know if you know Tony St. James or not but he was broadcasting and web streaming live from the U.S. Grains Council International Marketing Conference in Mexico that I attended last week. I learned a little more about All Ag News and I’m happy to see another broadcast business utilizing online tools in a creative way. I thought I’d bring it to your attention after learning that you’ll be able to listen to the National Sorghum Producers general session at Commodity Classic on All Ag News.
Welcome to All Ag, All Day. We are the only ALL FARM radio stations in Texas: broadcasting live on 900AM (KFLP) in Floydada-Lubbock, TX and 1310AM (KZIP) in Amarillo, TX. The cornerstone of All Ag day is the syndicated-program Agriculture Today – heard now on 20 radio stations.
I am also glad to see another company use WordPress software to build a website. It’s our preferred platform and we’re seeing more and more companies adopting it.
Getting back to the Grains Council meeting, you can listen to archived audio from there (as well as here on AgWired) on their website.
According to BASF, contest winner David Hula, of Renwood Farms in Charles City, Virginia said Headline really helps him with plant health. “In the Eastern United States, we’re very concerned with storm season, so we like our plants to have better stalk strength and standability. Headline has helped us achieve better plant health through each phase of the plant’s life, and, of course, that translates into higher yield.”
The New Holland Boomer 8N made its debut at the National Farm Machinery Show last year – but it was just as popular with young and old alike at this year’s show. Some of you might recognize our tractor model, Mr. Gene Hemphill, who is not too young and not too old either (even though he is supposedly retired) – he’s just right!
The Boomer 8N is a updated remake of the classic Ford 8N tractor, part of New Holland’s heritage. I talked about the Boomer’s first year with New Holland’s John Hundley. “The history of this project was basically a fusion between the old styling of the Ford 8N with new technology of today,” John said. Many of this first year’s sales have been to collectors or people who have fond memories of the legendary Ford 8N growing up on a farm in the 40s and 50s. “We have some people who are buying this tractor and parking it because they don’t want to use it, but this is a workhorse and we do have people buying it and running it in the field everyday.”
John says lots of people have stories to tell about the old classic tractor – and some have great stories about their new Boomer 8N. You can find out more on one of the Boomer 8N websites – myboomer.com features real people and real stories about Boomer tractors, and www.8N.com has information about the history and design of the tractor.
Listen to my interview with John about the Boomer 8N here:
Attendees to the 2010 Agricultural Relations Council in Memphis, TN, toured a local ADM barge and elevator loading operation. Here’s a short segment of Q&A with the group during our tour. It was very well done and I think we learned a lot. For example, the tour guide said they were unloading up to 300 trucks per day during last season.
Are you a journalism student who has a passion for the environment? Then don’t miss out on your opportunity to become a roving reporter during the inaugural rEnergize Communications Summit, a gathering of 300 + green public relations experts from around the country. This premiere event is being held May 23-25th in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Three current journalism students will be selected to report on the conference. Roving reporters will conduct audio and video interviews with speakers and attendees, post live stories to the conference blog site, help to facilitate the interaction with speakers and attendees during the conference sessions, and assist the conference PR team with promoting the event.
The roving reporter winners will receive an all expenses paid trip to the conference, including registration fees plus valuable experience in both social media, multi-media, online writing, as well as learn best practices of green PR.
The term “resistance fighter” was coined in World War II to describe the underground guerrilla movement that actively fought against Nazi occupation, particularly in Yugoslavia, Poland and France. Today, resistance fighters are targeting a different enemy in the ground – glyphosate-resistant weeds.
I talked with one of Syngenta’s Resistance Fighters of the Year at the National Farm Machinery Show. Paul Barchenger of Hutchinson, Minnesota was honored by Syngenta this year, along with Jeremy Kichler of Oglethorpe, Georgia. Both were recognized for exceptional leadership and advocate proactive management practices in the battle against glyphosate-resistant weeds.
“We have confirmed resistance in giant ragweed to glyphosate, started around 2004,” Paul told me. “We’ve been able to keep it isolated to a couple of townships in my geography, but it is growing.” He says that Syngenta is working to create awareness among growers and retailers that resistance can happen and they need to watch out for it.
I had the great opportunity and honor to meet and work with Celeste Laurent at the 2010 Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference in Frankenmuth, MI. I had first encountered Laurent through the big world of social media, where I have countless online friends across the country who are actively engaged in social networking and who are also passionately involved in the agriculture industry. Laurent is a junior studying animal science and communications at Western Kentucky University, and she found her internship on Twitter!
She is an incredible writer and communicator, and she is dedicated to the beef and pork industries. I know that she has a promising future ahead of her, and I thought I would take the opportunity to introduce this up and comer to the AgWired community.
Celeste discovered her interest in journalism while attending Western Kentucky University. Her animal science adviser recommended she pursue her love of writing along with her passion for agriculture advocacy so she signed up for her first news writing class. Celeste’s career plans now include expanding online agriculture news, promoting youth livestock programs and agriculture literacy.
In the summer of 2009, Celeste was employed by the Michigan State University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources as an Animal Welfare & Animal Agriculture Initiative Communications intern. She was responsible for designing and managing a social media campaign for the Michigan Dairy Expo. Currently, Celeste is continuing her studies at Western Kentucky University and working as a freelance writer, speaker, and social media manager.
During the recent Cattle Industry Convention, Pfizer Animal Health held it’s annual breakfast for the media.
Dr. Mike Nichols, Senior Veterinarian Pfizer Animal Health Veterinary Operations, was on hand to talk about how the company is helping veterinary students. A year ago they made a decision to support the veterinary profession by creating an externship program for students to encourage them to look at and choose a food animal practice and specifically bovine. They sponsored 78 first and second year veterinary students for the Bovine Externship Program who then spent 4 weeks at a local veterinary practice where they were mentored and received exposure to what the practice was like. He says they’re continuing the program this year and 78 selected students who will receive a $2,000 stipend and be matched with either practicing veterinarians or producers for a four-week field work experience.
You can learn more about the Pfizer Animal Health Bovine Externship Program by listening to my interview with Mike below:
I have been busy traveling the country over the past five weeks, and my last stop on the tour was to Lanesboro, MN for the 2010 Fillmore County Cattlemen’s Banquet. What a beautiful spot in the world! I truly enjoyed my stay in the quaint little town, and I was excited that my dear friend Carol Abrahamzon was able to attend the meeting to listen to me speak.
Abrahamzon is the Project Manager for the National Beef Ambassador Program, and I got to know her when I served on the 2006 team. This year’s Beef Team has a fantastic blog that they post on nearly every day. I encourage you all to check it out and leave your comments of support, questions and ideas for future promotions.
This group is dedicated to promoting the American beef cattle industry through educational efforts in consumer events and through social media. These five young people are truly the future leaders of this industry. Kudos to them and their wonderful leader, Carol!
At the youth workshop presented by myself, Celeste Laurent and Teresa Crook during the 2010 Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference in Frankenmuth, MI last week, we discussed several topic areas. First, Crook presented a demonstration on whey protein and which products have whey in them. Following her yummy speech, Laurent and I discussed the challenges young people face in being different from their peers and continuing to be proud of who they are and where they come from.
One of my favorite attendees was Keagan Long (pictured between myself and Laurent). As you can see, Long rocked a Farmers Feed Cities t-shirt. Have you heard of Farmers Feed Cities before? It’s a really cool website put together by farmers in Ontario. Here is what the website is all about:
Farmers Feed Cities! is an agriculture awareness campaign working with farmers across Ontario. Farm families have been growing food for generations, and we’re proud of our tradition of providing, safe, reliable food that tastes great! Now that you’re here, why not take a moment to look around and learn more about us? Meet farm families, take our trivia challenge, and learn more about why a long-term investment in agriculture is a smart investment in a healthier, stronger Ontario.
Grab your favorite grocery cart and go for a spin this week to celebrate Food Check Out Week with Farm Bureau.
The official theme this year is “Stretching Your Grocery Dollar With Healthy, Nutritious Food,” reflecting the economic realities of American life that have meant dining out less often and preparing more meals at home. “During this week, we are focusing on providing consumers with information on stretching their grocery dollars with healthy, nutritious food. Tips for better nutrition on a stretched budget, making sense of food labels and understanding USDA’s MyPyramid are among the topics Farm Bureau members will be talking about with consumers, at supermarket demonstration stations and other venues,” said Terry Gilbert, a Kentucky farmer and chair of the American Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee.
Terry is pictured here (far right) with other members of the committee shopping for groceries to benefit the Wichita Ronald McDonald House Charities. On behalf of the American Farm Bureau, Gilbert and the committee donated the food and $2,500 food to the charity. The Food Check-Out Week connection between Farm Bureau and Ronald McDonald House Charities began more than a decade ago. Since the program was initiated in the mid-1990s, Farm Bureau members have donated around $3 million in food and monetary contributions to Ronald McDonald Houses and other worthwhile charities during Food Check-Out Week.
New this year, AFBF and the Soybean Checkoff launched a joint Facebook fan page to promote Food Check-Out Week. They will donate $1 to the Galveston (Texas) Ronald McDonald House for every person who becomes a fan of the page by the end of February, up to $5,000. The house sustained major structural damage during Hurricane Ike. So far, they have about 2500 fans – so go sign up today!
When it comes to biodiesel in farm machinery, New Holland is outstanding in the field.
At the National Farm Machinery Show, most of the New Holland equipment on display proudly displayed soybean biodiesel signage, and company representatives wore buttons proclaiming their support for the domestically-produced fuel. “New Holland has a strong commitment to not only be a part of biodiesel, but also to be a leader in the industry as far as future fuel usage is concerned,” New Holland regional service manager Phil Cobb said at the farm show. He says it was natural for their company to take the lead. “Mainly because our customers are in the soybean areas and grow soybeans,” said Cobb. “Not only does it support farming, we also use the fuel. It’s important for the ag industry to be on the leading edge.”
Cobb says all New Holland equipment is approved for a minimum of five percent biodiesel, with the large combines approved for 100 percent and many of the tractors approved for up to 20 percent.
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.
New Holland debuted the new Rustler utility vehicle at the 2009 Farm Progress Show, but the 2010 National Farm Machinery Show was really this baby’s “coming out” party, since commercial production of the Rustler just started in January and they are really just hitting dealer lots this quarter. I talked with Jared Godfrey of New Holland at the NFMS about the Rustler and what makes it different from other UVs on the market.
“What really makes it different is that our models are really more of a utility workhorse versus other brands that are more of a sporting kind of use, where ours are more on the farm, kind of weekend warriors,” said Jared. 
The 
We are getting ready to head out to Anaheim next week for the 2010 
The first presentation at the 
The 
The New Holland Boomer 8N made its debut at the 
The Boomer 8N is a updated remake of the classic Ford 8N tractor, part of New Holland’s heritage. I talked about the Boomer’s first year with New Holland’s John Hundley. “The history of this project was basically a fusion between the old styling of the Ford 8N with new technology of today,” John said. Many of this first year’s sales have been to collectors or people who have fond memories of the legendary Ford 8N growing up on a farm in the 40s and 50s. “We have some people who are buying this tractor and parking it because they don’t want to use it, but this is a workhorse and we do have people buying it and running it in the field everyday.”
Are you a journalism student who has a passion for the environment? Then don’t miss out on your opportunity to 
The term “resistance fighter” was coined in World War II to describe the underground guerrilla movement that actively fought against Nazi occupation, particularly in Yugoslavia, Poland and France. Today, resistance fighters are targeting a different enemy in the ground – glyphosate-resistant weeds. 
I had the great opportunity and honor to meet and work with Celeste Laurent at the 2010 Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference in Frankenmuth, MI. I had first encountered Laurent through the big world of social media, where I have countless online friends across the country who are actively engaged in social networking and who are also passionately involved in the agriculture industry. Laurent is a junior studying animal science and communications at Western Kentucky University, and she found her internship on Twitter! 
During the recent Cattle Industry Convention, 
I have been busy traveling the country over the past five weeks, and my last stop on the tour was to Lanesboro, MN for the 2010 Fillmore County Cattlemen’s Banquet. What a beautiful spot in the world! I truly enjoyed my stay in the quaint little town, and I was excited that my dear friend Carol Abrahamzon was able to attend the meeting to listen to me speak.
At the youth workshop presented by myself, Celeste Laurent and Teresa Crook during the 
The official theme this year is 
Terry is pictured here (far right) with other members of the committee shopping for groceries to benefit the Wichita Ronald McDonald House Charities. On behalf of the American Farm Bureau, Gilbert and the committee donated the food and $2,500 food to the charity. The Food Check-Out Week connection between Farm Bureau and Ronald McDonald House Charities began more than a decade ago. Since the program was initiated in the mid-1990s, Farm Bureau members have donated around $3 million in food and monetary contributions to Ronald McDonald Houses and other worthwhile charities during Food Check-Out Week.
At the 
In this week's program Chuck talks with David Armano, Global Innovation and Integration.
