World Dairy Expo’s Board of Directors approved four new members at their annual meeting. The new directors include: Angie Coburn, Mike Hellenbrand, Steve Larson and Bryan Voegeli.
Southeast AgNet Publications Inc. announced the acquisition of Florida Science Source Inc., a citrus book publishing and reseller operation.
Marrone Bio Innovations is being recognized by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation for developing effective and environmentally responsible pest management products that enhance the value of integrated pest management programs across a wide variety of crops and pests.
Ten teachers have been recognized by the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture for their outstanding efforts to promote agricultural literacy. The teachers each received $1,500 scholarships to attend the National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference.
Dairy Management Inc. is conducting a webinar on social media for dairy producers in a couple weeks.
Dairy producers who use Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to stay connected with family and friends, and producers who want to learn about these tools, are encouraged to participate in a free 90-minute webinar on Thursday, April 15 to learn how these applications can be used to share positive dairy stories and communicate with consumers about modern dairy farming practices.
Dairy Management Inc.™ (DMI), which manages the national dairy checkoff program, launched the myDairy Social Media program in 2009 to help dairy producers and dairy enthusiasts use social media proactively to share their dairy stories and counter negative or misleading information about the dairy industry. The myDairy program currently mobilizes over 1,000 dairy enthusiasts from across the country to engage in social media networks, building a strong, positive online dairy presence to help counter misinformation and maintain public confidence in dairy foods and the people who produce them. The myDairy program provides tips to navigate and use popular social media sites, along with key messages to incorporate into dairy stories, and opportunities to connect with other dairy enthusiasts and the general public.
“Consumers want to hear about the dairy industry first hand from dairy producers and social media provides an opportunity to communicate effectively with a large audience via one platform,” said David Pelzer, senior vice president of strategic communications at DMI.
To register for the webinar and/or to become a myDairy advocate and learn more about the program, email myDairy@rosedmi.com.
One producer who is out in front on this is Will Gilmer, Gilmer Dairy Farms. Here’s his latest MooTube Minute:
The National Beef Ambassadors (sponsored in part by ZimmComm New Media) is starting a photo contest tomorrow.
Have you heard something in the media lately that has made you think more about the importance of YOUR agriculture story? The National Beef Ambassadors, funded in part by the beef checkoff, can help you spread your message. The “Farmers and Ranchers Care” Earth Day Photo Contest will help you share with consumers and fellow producers how you, as cattle ranchers and beef producers, care for the environment in your ranching practices! This contest will begin on Saturday, March 20th, National Agriculture Day. In order to share the importance of the beef industry’s positive involvement with the environment, you will have the chance to share your photos on the National Beef Ambassador Facebook page.
Step 1: Become a fan of the National Beef Ambassadors on Facebook.
Step 2: Upload your photo to the National Beef Ambassador Facebook page showcasing how you, as a beef producer, are involved in helping the environment.
Step 3: Help fellow producers in the contest and vote on your favorites.
Here’s just one of the responses to Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm declaring National Ag Day as Michigan Meatout Day. It’s a Facebook invite and I’m attending. How about you?
This is why I like to have a camera with me all the time. There are so many pictures that I’d like to share.
This was the last scene for me today as I got off the highway on the way back to ZimmComm World Headquarters. Then when I got out of my car I looked up and saw a jet crossing under the crescent moon. I couldn’t get the camera up fast enough to catch it right at the moon but I think it still looks pretty cool.
Cool enough to post a larger one if you click on it!
When I see these things I can only think, “God your creation is beautiful.”
Here’s the Happy St. Patty’s Day crew of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. I visited today and really appreciate them ordering up a beautiful sunny day for my drive.
The photo was actually taken yesterday and I talked Jennifer out of it.
Pictured are Stacia Cudd, Mark Vail, Susan Tally and Jennifer Saylor (not picture is Rose Marie Lawrence). They’re busy since Mark is the new boss and he’s asking lots of questions. As any new boss should.
USGC Chairman Rick Fruth commented, “By establishing an office in Latin America and the Caribbean region, the Council is strategically positioning itself to defend U.S. markets while simultaneously enhancing the quality of life of our trading partners.”
Kurt Shultz (far left in the photo) was named the first director of the Panama City office. Shultz has worked for the Council since 1999 and previously served for seven years as USGC regional director for the Mediterranean and Africa before transitioning to his current post.
In addition to its new office in Panama, the U.S. Grains Council has international offices in nine other countries, including China, Egypt, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Taiwan, Tunisia and Jordan. See more photos of the grand opening here on the USGC’s Flickr photo album.
Since March is National Peanut Month, Southern Peanut Growers (SPG) is celebrating with “PB&J My Way,” a national recipe contest looking for nutty new takes on the classic PB&J. For every peanut butter sandwich recipe received, SPG will donate a jar of peanut butter to hunger relief organization Feeding America.
No matter how you slice it, the PB&J is a classic. In a recent poll by SheSpeaks.com, nearly 50 percent of respondents said they opt for the traditional PB&J; 10 percent favor peanut butter and honey; 13 percent are with The King (Elvis, of course), making their peanut butter sandwich with bananas; and another 13 percent just reach for the jar, enjoying peanut butter sans the sandwich. The remaining 14 percent of respondents said their favorite peanut butter sandwich combo is unique to them – and those are the recipes “PB&J My Way” is seeking!
Easy to make and eat, a peanut butter sandwich has countless variations. Tell SPG what “PB&J My Way” means to you, and the organization will donate one jar of peanut butter to Feeding America for each recipe submitted, up to 4,000 jars. Feeding America is the nation’s leading domestic hunger relief charity, providing assistance through a nationwide network of food banks.
The top ten creative peanut butter sandwich recipes will also win enough peanut butter to enjoy for an entire year – that’s one case for each of the best recipes – and they will also be featured on www.peanutbutterlovers.com.
There’s a new sheriff in town. Sheriff Barry Nelson, John Deere. He wants you to love his Chip Foose 4020 and that’s an order son.
It’s a 1970 John Deere 4020. The tractor will be given away to one winner as part of the John Deere Big Buck Promotion. You may find rules to enter on the John Deere website.
The mild mannered public relations coordinator by day job, turned into one mean enforcement machine at Commodity Classic. He was guarding the Chip Foose designed 4020 model tractor along with sidekick, Deputy Kelly Schwalbe (left). They made sure no one took a peek under the veil over this promotional machine. I can tell you I wasn’t about to try!
So after the unveiling which you can still watch in the video clip below, I spoke to Sheriff Barry about the promotion and what the plans are. Barry says they entered into a partnership with Chip Foose to take an old 4020 tractor and put his special brand of design work on it. People can go to their local John Deere dealer to enter to win the tractor and it will also be part of this year’s Drive Green event. Barry says the project came out of a brainstorming session and a willingness on Chip’s part to do the work.
Twenty Iowa men and women will participate in an international agriculture trade mission to South Korea and Vietnam as part of the Iowa Corn Leadership Enhancement and Development Program (I-LEAD). The international mission will be from March 11-22, 2010.
A special webinar designed to assist farm families go through generational transitions will be presented May 12 by the American Society of Agricultural Consultants.
The National Pork Board announced that it has selected Schafer|Condon|Carter as its new agency of record.
I just spoke with the Liz Boyd, press secretary for Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm. I had called to obtain a short audio interview regarding the Governor’s decision to declare March 20, Michigan Meatout Day. I sincerely appreciate her calling me back so that we can better understand what in the world caused a Governor to make such a resolution.
Liz, however, refused a recorded interview saying it was “unwarranted.” She says that the Governor gets lots of requests to issue such proclamations and this was nothing unusual. She also told me that the request came from a local field representative for Meatout which is a program of FARM, Farm Animal Rights Movement. Their theme this year is, “Eat for Life – Live Vegan!”
Liz than told me the Governor would be issuing another proclamation making Saturday, March 20 a day to celebrate Michigan agriculture. When I asked if she realized that the Governor’s resolution urging citizens to not eat meat was detrimental to Michigan agriculture she acknowledged that it was but said that with March Madness she was sure that lots of burgers and hot dogs would be eaten on Saturday.
Amazing. I would characterize the conversation as “rushed” and had a feeling that she thought my questions and comments were “silly.” Unfortunately when the government takes this kind of thoughtless action it has negative consequences. Michigan’s farmers and ranchers deserve better and I hope they get it.
Michigan Meatout Day? At first I thought this was a joke when I found a link to it on Facebook (from a Michigan State student comment on a page of someone I follow). But it’s right there on Governor Granholm’s website. And it’s for March 20 which is National Ag Day! I would urge everyone to let her know what you think about this idea. Hmm. I wonder who could be behind this? You can click on the image for a larger one.
I called the office and constituent line both at approximately 5:15pm eastern time but they had gone for the day. I thought it odd that the phone just rings. No answering machine or service I guess. Is that normal? I called the Washington, DC office and someone did answer who told me to call the constituents line. She said they must have gone for the day and to call them tomorrow which I will try to do.
Here’s what the Governor’s resolution says: Michigan Meatout Day
Whereas, A wholesome diet of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains promotes good health and reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and other chronic diseases, which take the lives of approximately 1.3 million Americans each year; and,
Whereas, The number of those who choose to live the lifestyle of a vegan or vegetarian has increased and so has the availability and selection of meat and dairy alternatives in mainstream grocery stores, restaurants, and catering operations; and,
Whereas, Reducing the consumption of meat or not eating meat at all can significantly decrease the exposure to infectious pathogens such as salmonella, E. coli, and campylobacter, which take the lives of several thousand Americans and sicken millions more each year; and,
Whereas, The benefits of a plant-based diet can consist of increased energy levels, lower food budget costs, and simplified food preparation and cleanup; and,
Whereas, It is encouraged that the residents of this state get into the habit of healthy living by consuming a diet that is rich with vegetables, fruit, and whole grains, and by staying active;
Now, Therefore, be it Resolved, That I, Jennifer M. Granholm, governor of the state of Michigan, do hereby proclaim March 20, 2010, Michigan Meatout Day in Michigan. In observance of this day, I encourage the residents of this state to choose not to eat meat. Eating a healthy diet can be fun. Explore the different recipes that can be created by using fresh ingredients and by having a sense of adventure.
So she says, “I encourage the residents of this state to choose not to eat meat.” Is she vegan? What do Michigan’s farmers and ranchers think of this?
Commodity Classic is a gathering of farmers who grow many crops, including sorghum. I wanted to learn more about the organization that assists sorghum growers, the National Sorghum Producers, so I spent a little time with their Chairman, Gerald Simonsen.
Simonsen began by telling me about a great victory that had recently for sorghum growers. The organization has some issues with the formulas used to figure price election for crop insurance. After more than eight years working on the issue, they have gotten the methodology changed. In 2009, the price election was 77.8 percent of corn – in 2010, the price election will be 97.8 percent of corn.
“That’s a huge difference in coverage for producers,” said Simonsen. “On a personal note, on my farm, it means a difference of $35 per acre in crop insurance.”
While the National Sorghum Producers handles a lot of policy issues, they are also very involved in sorghum’s use for ethanol. Today, 1/3 of the sorghum crop goes into ethanol production. They may grow, however, as more research is dedicated to producing ethanol from sugar-based sorghums like sweet sorghum and cellulosic and biomass production using energy sorghums or forage sorghums.
While Simonsen doesn’t anticipate more sorghum production by “leaps and bounds” he does anticipate “a slow and incremental gain over the next few years.”
One of the things that struck me right away is their tagline, “News and insight from Westfield’s farm and agribusiness insurance team.” Just think about that a minute. “News.” Yes, news. It’s not just for the “media” anymore. In fact, I’ve been saying for a long time that we’re all media. Sounds like Westfield gets it so of course you can follow them on Twitter.
By the way, according to their top post they’re running a photo contest for Ag Week.
To celebrate National Ag Week, Westfield Insurance is hosting an online ag photo contest to honor America’s farmers, ranchers and agribusiness owners who work hard every day to produce safe, affordable food! Please review the rules below and submit your original ag-related photos of kids, animals, landscapes, or agri-business owners to grainsofknowledge@westfieldgrp.com. We will select one grand prize winner and two runners-up to receive a special prize!
With 202 companies exhibiting in 816 booths, the 2010 Commodity Classic Trade Show once again raised the bar on must attend industry events in agriculture. The show surpassed previous turnout for a Commodity Classic held in California with 1,369 growers attending and a total attendance of 4,330.
ZimmComm’s coverage of the 2010 Commodity Classic also raised the bar once again, setting a record for number of posts. Three of us covered the event in Anaheim, posting a total of 78 stories on Agwired, Domestic Fuel, Precision Pays and Corn Commentary, 58 of them with audio. We also uploaded nearly 1,000 photos and produced five YouTube videos – one of which has already been viewed over 4,200 times. There were too many tweets to count! Of the 202 companies exhibiting at the Classic, we did interviews with 26 of them, including our sponsors and all of the hosting commodity groups.
We would like to once again express our gratitude to sponsors BASF and New Holland on Agwired, and John Deere on Precision Pays for enabling us to cover this event for our readers.
Each year, soybean growers around the country take the American Soybean Association (ASA) and BASF up on their challenge to reduce weed competition, increase plant health and protect yields – but only three are chosen.
We already met first place winners David and Sue Roehm in an earlier post. Today we meet Dave and Mary Jonas of Pinnconning, Michigan, one of two runners up in the 2009 Secure Optimal Yield (SOY) Challenge, which won them a trip to Commodity Classic and $2000 in cash.
Dave says the SOY Challenge worked out well for them with a two and a half bushel increase in yield. “They had a certain program they wanted you to follow just to see the difference,” Dave said. Test acres received an application of a BASF residual herbicide, such as Prowl® H20, Scepter® or Extreme® herbicides, and a treatment of Headline® fungicide for disease control and Plant Health benefits. Control acres were treated with a single pass of glyphosate in-crop only – no fungicide or residual herbicide.
The goal is not so much to see how much of a yield bump they get with the program, but how taking part in the ASA/BASF SOY Challenge has helps them to be more successful soybean producers. Contestants must submit a testimonial in words or video to explain how the challenge worked for them. Dave says it worked well enough that they plan to use it on more acres this year.
Listen to an interview with Dave and Mary in the player below.
There was a lot to see and hear about at Commodity Classic but maybe the best testimonials for a product are the growers themselves. I spent a little time with two growers who gave several Stoller USA products their stamp of approval. Why? Because they have seen significant increase to their yields.
Ken Miller, both a grower and ag retailer who lives in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, said that he has been selling Stoller USA products for 12 years and has been using them for 10 years. I asked him when he became a believer and he said two years for him to believe in the product. Miller uses Bio-Forge, Sugar Mover Plus and X-TRA power. He is routinely seeing 12-14 bushel per acre increases in his corn yields, 6-7 bushels per acre increases in his soybean yield and 5-7 bushel per acre increases in his wheat yields. One of the benefits he noted was that the Bio-Forge helped the plant to make a “massive root system” that enabled it to take up the nutrients from the soil.
Donny Carpenter, a grower from Dimmitt, TX first began using Bio-Forge on his wheat. Last year, due to increased commodity prices for wheat, he increased his acreage and used Bio-Forge for the first time as a seed treatment. He noted that early on he couldn’t tell the difference between his Bio-Forge treated and untreated acres, but when the crop began to boot, this changed.
“We had a crop that stood better, didn’t try to fall because there wasn’t any lodging and it out yielded the untreated area by 12-15 bushels per acre.”
Although Carpenter plans to reduce his wheat crop this season (commodity prices have dropped again for wheat) he will be using the Bio-Forge on his corn and cotton this year and plans on experimenting with various types of applications.
I asked them both what they recommend for other growers and Carpenter encouraged other growers “to give it a shot.” Miller said, “Use Stoller products because they are proven.”
NutriDense has a new marketing manager as announced by BASF Plant Science. She’s Heather Goode.
In this position, she will support the NutriDense sales and marketing team through the development of marketing communication plans and tools that align with NutriDense business strategies and objectives.
“Heather has worked on many agricultural accounts in an agency setting and is well-suited to lead our NutriDense marketing communications efforts,” said Fran Castle, BASF North American group communications manager. “We are excited to have her on board, and we are confident that she will be a strong addition to our BASF Plant Science company and NutriDense.”
Goode has eight years experience in agricultural communications. Prior to joining BASF Plant Science, she was a client service advisor at Quarry Integrated Communications Inc. in Durham, N.C., where she worked on the swine business for Novartis Animal Health. Goode began her career on the crop chemical side, working on the Syngenta Crop Protection horticulture business at Gibbs & Soell, Inc. in Raleigh, N.C.
Workshops on competition in agriculture, like the one held last week in Iowa, can allow farmer-owned co-ops to tell their story.
According to the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC), Friday’s joint workshop between the Department of Justice (DOJ) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) set the stage for farmer-owned co-ops to show how they promote a more competitive agricultural sector.
“Family farmers across America have built farmer cooperatives that promote competition, bolster farm income and the rural economy, and help to bring transparency to the marketplace,” said NCFC President Chuck Conner. “While farmer cooperatives were touched on only briefly in this workshop, I hope that DOJ and USDA will use the future workshops to look more closely at how producers can use co-ops as a tool to level the playing field.
“In addition, we continue to be concerned about rhetoric from some that equates being large in size with stifling competition. A large farmer co-op simply has more member-owners—many of whom have medium to small-sized operations—than a smaller cooperative,” Conner continued. “At the same time, the statement made by Christine Varney, the assistant attorney general for the Antitrust Division, that ‘with [being] big comes a lot of responsibility’ is true and a standard that, we believe, large farmer co-ops in this country meet.”
Friday’s workshop in Ames focused on competition issues for crop farmers, especially the issues of seed technology and livestock marketing. As the kick off event for the first of several workshops to be held this year, it featured opening comments from Attorney General of the United States Eric Holder and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. Future workshops around the countrywill focus on the poultry, dairy and livestock industry.
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.
Since March is National Peanut Month, 
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With 202 companies exhibiting in 816 booths, the 
We already met first place winners 
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In this week's program Chuck talks with David Armano, Global Innovation and Integration.
