Giant sweet potatoes could help South Carolina get into the ethanol game and provide an alternative crop for farmers to replace tobacco.
At the recent International Biomass Conference and Expo in St. Louis, Dr. Janice Ryan-Bohac attracted a lot of attention carrying around a sweet potato the size of a newborn baby.
She’s the president of CAREnergy, Carolina Advanced Renewable Energy, located in South Carolina and dedicated to the development of dedicated energy crops for the southeast, such as the eTuber™ sweet potato and sweet sorghum. “We are looking at feedstocks for ethanol and other fuels for the southeastern states because corn is not a crop that does well in the southeast. So, what we want is a very efficient crop for water, nitrogen, very high yielding,” she said, and the eTuber meets those qualifications. “These are very dry sweet potatoes, these are not in the food market, it would be a dedicated energy crop,” she explained. “We would like to build or takeover a corn ethanol plant to show that these feedstocks work, in combination with sweet sorghum, which does very well in the southeast. We want to get in the ethanol game and create clean, green jobs in one of the poorest areas of the United States.”
Janice says the tubers can grow to be over 20 pounds, which would translate into enough starch to produce 1500-1800 gallons of ethanol per acre. “The longer you grow them, the bigger they get. This crop never dies until the frost kills it.”
Former Iowa Hawkeye and NBA basketball player, Ryan Bowen, was a master of the remote controlled cars at the Iowa Corn Growers Join The Team promotion at Iowa Speedway. Ryan, who is now the video coordinator for the men’s basketball team, was there to celebrate the recently announced partnership between Iowa’s corn growers and the state’s two major universities in the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series.
“I don’t think you can think about Iowa and not think about corn, the University of Iowa and Iowa State,” Ryan said in an interview during the fun event, which featured pedal tractors, cornhole toss, corn shucking, remote controlled race cars and more. Ryan, pictured here in the yellow shirt, got his remote car through finish line way ahead of other team!
Iowa State head football coach Paul Rhoads got competitive during this week’s Iowa Corn Join The Team Promotion at Iowa Speedway. Here he is with his rendition of “Gentlemen, start your engines.” You can hear it in the video I made from the event.
Coach Rhoads says his team gave an “exhaustive effort” at the promotional event. He says the opportunity to get together with corn growers, Indy Car drivers and other university people is “the state of Iowa.” People get excited about these opportunities. You can listen to my interview with Coach Rhoads here: Coach Paul Rhoads Interview
R&D LifeSciences, LLC, introduced Trigestamace Liquid as the latest addition to its line of products.
Ben Brancel, Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, certified the results of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board 2011 Board of Directors election.
AG CONNECT Expo has been recognized with two marketing awards: a “Bell Award” from the Milwaukee chapter of the Business Marketing Association in the “Branding or Re-Branding” category; and from the National Agri-Marketing Association for a three-dimensional direct mail piece directed aimed at farmers, ranchers and growers.
The USDA’s Commodity Procurement Division has launched a website providing vendors and other interested parties streamlined access to information regarding USDA purchase programs.
Pedal tractor racing, corn shucking, cornhole toss. They make for a fun team event and that’s what the Iowa Corn Growers did along with Indy car drivers and representatives from the University of Iowa and Iowa State University. I was shooting still photos but also caught some of the action on video. Craig Floss, CEO, Iowa Corn Growers, introduces the team and guides them through the events. I hope you enjoy it.
Yesterday I posted the picture of Indy car driver Ryan Hunter-Reay getting the green flag in a pedal tractor race with Dick Gallagher, Iowa Corn Promotion Board Chairman. Here’s Ryan getting the checkered flag. I’ll see him race in the upcoming Iowa Corn Indy 250 at a speed somewhat higher than was exhibited in this tractor race and spoke with him after the day’s competition was over.
Ryan says the corn growers competition was a lot of fun. He loves coming to Iowa and working for the corn growers. You may remember that Ryan drove the Ethanol Car for some time, including here at the Iowa Speedway. You can listen to my interview with Ryan here: Ryan Hunter-Reay Interview
In this week’s program I’m continuing my on-going series of interviews with the leadership at agricultural advertising and public relations agencies. Have I had an opportunity to do so with yours?
I visited with Tom Flynn III, President, Lessing-Flynn, this week to learn what’s new. The first thing I learned is that they’re “old.” LOL. Actually, the agency was started in 1907 making it one of the oldest agencies in the country! Talk about longevity. The agency has about 14 on staff locally in Des Moines. They are doing work for companies like Vermeer, Ag Leader Technology, Schillinger Genetics, Iowa Corn Growers and others.
Tom says that changes in communications technology presents an opportunity for their clients. They have embraced it (social media) and hired someone to be a “driver” for it within the agency first by establishing Ad Mavericks. By doing so they have shown their clients that they have the expertise to be good advisers on how to enter the social media world. Tom also says that they have added a number of new folks to their staff recently that have added a lot of energy to their business. He says they’ve brought great ideas and talents that they didn’t have before. And the good news is that growth is happening.
“Stick a fork in me.”
Translation: it has ended; finished.
(Enter the hay bale.)
We had gone for a visit to western Kansas. Stop. Let me rephrase that as not many people just pack up and drive to western Kansas on a whim, without purpose. We went to visit my in-laws in western Kansas.
As I was walking back to the house, a pitchfork in a hay bale caught my eye. As I took in the scene, I could almost hear my father-in-law as he tossed the pitchfork into the bale, saying, “Stick a fork in me, I’m done for the day.”
As I melt into my easy chair each evening, I’m tempted to say the same thing. And I have a desk job.
The Iowa Corn Growers got competitive with Indy today at the Iowa Speedway. In the photo Indy car driver Ryan Hunter-Reay competes on pedal tractors with Dick Gallagher, Iowa Corn Promotion Board Chairman. Waving the green flag to start is Shannon Textor, Iowa Corn Growers Market Development Director.
Today was a promotional event that included Indy Car drivers, Iowa corn growers and representatives from the University of Iowa and Iowa State University. It was all done to promote the upcoming Iowa Corn Indy 250 race and their Join The Team program. They paired up into teams and ran through a course of various events that included the pedal tractors, cornhole toss, corn shucking, remote controlled race cars and more. We held the event inside the garages because some rain moved through. Farmers in this area were actually happy to have some rain.
I spoke with Kevin Rempp, Iowa corn grower and currently Secretary/Treasurer for the Iowa Corn Promotion Board. He says that the promotion with the Iowa Speedway and Indy has been a great partnership. Iowa corn growers are also to be working with the universities involved and are doing so through their Iowa Corn Fed program and their new commitment to the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series. Kevin says he got all his corn in the ground last week!
By the way, Ryan beat Dick in the pedal tractor race just in case you were wondering. I’ll have more to come after getting back to ZimmComm New Media World Headquarters this evening.
I am not surprised by the results of our latest ZimmPoll. The question was, “Do you believe in man made climate change?” If this doesn’t show a divided viewpoint then I don’t know what does. We just wanted a simple yes/no without trying to get into arguments over what science is better than another. Fifty two percent said yes and forty eight percent said no. This also attracted one of the highest numbers of responses to a ZimmPoll. So, I just wonder why there seems to be such a big push to create legislation and regulations when there is so much disagreement on the issue. What do you think?
Our next ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “How many apps on your smartphone?” They don’t have to be “ag” apps, just any apps. I can tell you I’ve got more than 90 on my iPhone but I’m doubting I’m normal.
Feel free to post a comment on either the results of our last poll or on the new one. What smartphone apps are your favorites and why. Thank you for participating.
And if you have any questions you want to suggest for future ZimmPolls please let us know.
ZimmPoll is sponsored by Rhea+Kaiser, a full-service advertising/public relations agency.
Tomorrow I’ll be on location at the Iowa Speedway for an advance promotion for the Iowa Corn Indy 250. There are teams that will be competing made up of Indy Car drivers, media, Iowa corn growers, Iowa Speedway folks and coaches from Iowa and Iowa State.
That’s about all I know right now. But by sometime tomorrow afternoon we’ll both know more and you can count on pictures and more. This ought to be interesting!
The winner is . . . . Illinois corn grower, Greg Guenther! Greg served eight years on the Illinois Corn Grower board and three years on the National Corn Growers board. He was honored by the ICGA with their World of Corn Award, which goes to individuals, organizations or businesses for making significant contributions to the corn industry. Greg also received the St. Louis Agribusiness Club, Agribusiness Leader of the Year Award in 2009.
Congratulations to Greg. He will receive an iPod touch that comes pre-loaded with the Precision Labs Mix Tank App and the AgWired App. Just trying to make it easy for you Greg.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to enter. We had a lot of fun doing the giveaway and I think you’ll see more opportunities in the future.
A number of dignitaries, including the Governor of Arkansas, helped cut the ribbon Tuesday on a newly expanded and LEED Silver Certified manufacturing facility in Little Rock for Novus International animal feed supplements.
The Novus Arkansas site was developed in 2006 to manufacture MHA® feed supplement, a source of methionine, an essential amino acid in premixes and farm feed mills which provides benefits to laying hens and other livestock and companion animals. The new expansion features a 45,000 square foot manufacturing facility for MINTREX®, Novus’ chelated trace mineral products for aquaculture, poultry, pork, beef, dairy and pet nutrition. In keeping with the commitment Novus has to sustainability, the expanded facility earned Silver LEED Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The company headquarters in St. Charles, Missouri has earned Platinum LEED Certification.
Stewart Doan stopped by the dedication event happening on his home turf and was able to interview Giovanni Gasperoni, Chief Administration and Strategy Officer, who says the expansion will increase production and their ability to serve customers. “Our customers are all over the world,” Gio said. “Both the family of products produced here will reach the 98 countries we are serving today.”
“It is our motto to feed the world affordable, wholesome food, so we need to help our customers to produce more with less,” said Gio. “This is what we are about.”
Mary Thornley is the first National Executive Director for the Canadian Agri-Marketing Association.
“This is an important step for CAMA. The Provincial chapters have been working for several years to unify our national existence. The appointment of Mary as our National Executive Director allows us to better carry out our vision and bring greater value to all members of the agri-marketing community,” says Justin Funk, CAMA National Chairperson.
Also the Executive Director for the CAMA Ontario Chapter, Mary was born and raised on a farm in Bruce County, ON. She pursued her interest in agriculture and attended the University of Guelph and obtained a Bachelor of Commerce with a major in Agricultural Business (Co-op) in 1996.
The membership base includes sales and marketing individuals from all aspects of Canada’s farm industry. CAMA is a national organization with chapters in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec.
Like cowboys? Want to learn more about them. Then check out “Florida Crackers: The Cattlemen and Cowboys of Florida.” This is a movie produced by the Self Discovery Production Team and a man raised in the culture, who grew up as a working cowboy on a ranch near Fort Pierce, Florida. You can order a copy online now. The movie features some folks you may know if you’ve ever done some Florida agriculture tours.
Florida Crackers tells the story of this state’s little-known cattle culture, which dates back to 1521, when Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon landed in Florida and introduced the first cattle and horses to North America, thus setting the stage for the first American cowboys and cattle industry to be born.
Florida Crackers was filmed on some of the biggest and oldest ranches in Florida. One, the Adams Ranch of Fort Pierce, famous for creating the Braford cattle breed, received the 1999 Ranch of the Century award from the National Cattleman’s Beef Association.
A few of the prominent figures featured in the movie are: Mr. Bud Adams, the Carlton Family, “Alligator” Ron Bergeron, Ms. Iris Wall, Mr. Pete Clemons and former State Agriculture Commissioner, Charles Bronson.
For the first time ever, there are more people living in cities than in the country, and this movie has an important message that many people around the World are waiting to hear, about the core values of the Cracker Culture, who are true stewards of not just the land, but of a way of life, where integrity, courage, honesty and respect are normal.
You can make sure your mix is right when you get the Precision Laboratories Mix Tank App. And if you need a device to get it then get your entry in for the Mix Tank App iPod Giveaway. Here’s some advice about adding sulfur from the folks at Precision Laboratories:
Recent plant tissue testing has shown an increased need for sulfur in Midwest corn fields. Sulfur functions as a structural component of proteins and amino acids, a catalyst for chlorophyll production and as a nodulation enhancer in legume crops. With recent research showing a positive crop response to sulfur applications, retailers and growers are interested in adding sulfur to their corn fertility programs this season. But they may be heading for trouble.
One of the easiest ways to add sulfur in corn is to include ammonium thiosulfate (ATS) with urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) as a carrier for pre-emerge herbicide applications. But ATS can challenge the emulsifier systems used in most pre emergent crop protection products and cause incompatibility problems in your sprayer. These problems can reduce weed control, plug screens and nozzles as well as make clean-out more difficult and time-consuming.
Researchers from Precision Laboratories, the leading supplier of custom adjuvants and specialty chemistries, have screened numerous pre-emergent herbicide combinations with ATS, UAN and various compatibility agents. They found that while several compatibility agents worked well in UAN, most did not work well once ATS was added. Convert ™ compatibility agent was specifically developed for eastern corn belt customers to use in UAN and ATS tank mixes. On the market for more than 10 years, Convert has one of the highest rates of emulsification and will improve stability and eliminate compatibility problems associated with tank mixing UAN and ATS solutions. (more…)
Learning about various aspects of the GROWMARK system and where they might best fit is the goal of the company’s associate program and Heather Miller is working into her third rotation in the program this summer.
Heather, pictured here on the left with GROWMARK Publications and News Specialist Karen Jones, has already spent six months in corporate communications, is currently working in government affairs, and will finish her 18-month associate program with a stint in marketing. “My very first project with GROWMARK was the re-design of GROWMARK.com. We hadn’t done anything with our website since ’95 when it launched so it was desperately in need of a face lift. ” Heather told me during the company’s media day recently. “That was a great first experience coming into the company because I got to learn a little bit about everything that we do.” Heather also worked on the launch of some of GROWMARK’s social media strategies.
In the government affairs division, Heather has been able to see how GROWMARK takes an interest on behalf of its members in legislative and regulatory action on both the state and national level. “We’re not just going to ag committee hearings. We have arms in energy, we do transportation issues, we cover a lot of labor and workplace environment issues,” she said.
Heather has an agricultural background and interned with GROWMARK in 2009 prior to being hired full time in June 2010. “The GROWMARK internship is a really excellent program,” she said. “We have about 50 interns every year and about a 70 percent retention rate – about 70 percent of interns then come back to be full time employees at GROWMARK after they graduate.”
Learn more about Heather and the GROWMARK intern and associate program here: Heather Miller Interview
Ever heard the saying, “It’s a tough row to hoe”? Sometimes it rains so hard around here that after the puddles dry up, it looks as though someone went through your front yard with a concrete compaction stomper. That makes for some tough hoeing when it comes to planting flowers or getting your garden ready.
I’m sure the same holds true when you look back at when, and why, this contraption was used: the spike tooth disk, otherwise known as a pasture renovator. This was tractor-drawn, with dirt or concrete blocks placed on the top trays as weights. This was used, as the name implies, to disk the soil prior to planting, or to revitalize pastures before fertilizing. When used on pastures, it would improve forage yield and animal performance and growth rate because the grass was given the opportunity to grow instead of competing with weeds for nutrients and water.
Even though the disk was pulled with a tractor, it was still a tough row to hoe. The ground had to be clean and free of weeds, which meant multiple trips across the field, increased fuel costs and time invested by the farmer.
I found this out back of the shed in the weeds. Looks like this area could use a little hoeing!
AquaLiv, Inc., has officially released its first commercialized agriculture product, AgSmart Rice.
The Soil and Water Conservation Society is proud to announce that former Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman will be delivering the keynote address at the 66th SWCS International Annual Conference.
Koch Agronomic Services, LLC, has expanded its team of experts, adding Dr. Greg Schwab, Ricardo Silberman and Melissa Noftsger.
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.
At the recent International Biomass Conference and Expo in St. Louis, Dr. Janice Ryan-Bohac attracted a lot of attention carrying around a sweet potato the size of a newborn baby. 
In this week’s program I’m continuing my on-going series of interviews with the leadership at agricultural advertising and public relations agencies. Have I had an opportunity to do so with yours?
The Novus Arkansas site was developed in 2006 to manufacture MHA® feed supplement, a source of methionine, an essential amino acid in premixes and farm feed mills which provides benefits to laying hens and other livestock and companion animals. The new expansion features a 45,000 square foot manufacturing facility for MINTREX®, Novus’ chelated trace mineral products for aquaculture, poultry, pork, beef, dairy and pet nutrition. In keeping with the commitment Novus has to sustainability, the expanded facility earned Silver LEED Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The company headquarters in St. Charles, Missouri has earned 
Heather, pictured here on the left with GROWMARK Publications and News Specialist Karen Jones, has already spent six months in corporate communications, is currently working in government affairs, and will finish her 18-month associate program with a stint in marketing. “My very first project with GROWMARK was the re-design of GROWMARK.com. We hadn’t done anything with our website since ’95 when it launched so it was desperately in need of a face lift. ” Heather told me during the company’s media day recently. “That was a great first experience coming into the company because I got to learn a little bit about everything that we do.” Heather also worked on the launch of some of GROWMARK’s social media strategies.
In this week's program Chuck talks with David Armano, Global Innovation and Integration.
