It’s holiday greeting time. It’s also Christmas time too you know.
I’m going to feature some of the holiday greetings we get here once again this year. We get so many that are creative and just plain good looking that they need to be seen by more eyeballs!
Here’s one from Utah State University which came with this message:
Greetings!
We hope this winter season finds you happy and well. Please view our online holiday greeting here.
Regards,
Mark R. McLellan, PhD
Vice President for Research & Dean of the School of Graduate Studies
Utah State University
Big news from the AgChat Foundation today! Welcome Emily Zweber as the first Executive Director. It seems like it has been a long time coming to some of us board members but really, it hasn’t been. In fact, the AgChat Foundation is less than two years old.
So let’s meet Emily:
Zweber, an organic dairy farmer from Elko, Minn., will focus on furthering ACF’s mission of connecting farmers to diverse audiences via social media platforms. She also will provide day-to-day management oversight and fundraising support.
“Emily uses social media every day on the family farming operation, so she’s a great choice for this position,” says Darin Grimm, ACF president. “What began as an all-volunteer outcropping of an agricultural social media movement is growing into a professionally managed organization. Having Emily on board is a real boost.”
Grimm added that ACF’s highly-successful summer thought-leadership and social media training conference is slated to provide more content than ever in its third year, and that additional training programs are planned.
Emily received her bachelor’s degree in agriculture economics and international studies from South Dakota State University and is a University of Minnesota Center for the Study of Policy and Governance Humphrey Policy Fellow. Previously, she has served as the Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation’s executive director and the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation’s special programs coordinator. Emily and her husband, Tim, co-own and operate Zweber Farms with Tim’s parents.
Established in 1906, the Zweber farm is a certified organic dairy. The family also runs a successful natural meat business for which Emily coordinates all social media and marketing.
I spoke with Darin and Emily by phone just a few minutes ago. Listen in on our conversation about today’s exciting news and get to know Emily.
At the National Agricultural Aviation Association (NAAA) convention last week I had the opportunity to chat with Chris Wharam, a BASF tech services rep with in North Dakota, about how they help farmers and custom applicators in his state.
Chris was already pretty familiar with the crop protection business before he took the job with BASF, since his family owns Valley Sprayers in Park River, ND. Chris also has a master’s degree in plant pathology from North Dakota State University. “In my role with BASF, I get the opportunity to work with many people all throughout agriculture – including growers, retailers, distributors, university folks, consultants,” he said.
One of the things that BASF does to help aerial applicators is sponsor Operation S.A.F.E. (Self-Regulating Application and Flight Efficiency) fly-ins around the country. “It’s an opportunity for applicators to get their equipment calibrated and do pattern tests,” Chris said. “A little over 1200 planes have gone through these SAFE fly-ins, 150 different locations all over the United States.”
Many aerial applicators, like Valley Sprayers, also do custom ground applications for their clients, which Chris says is very important for cereal crop growers in his part of the country. “We often will make an application of Headline in the tank with our herbicide applications in that 3-5 leaf stage, and growers are consistently capturing a 4-6 bushel yield bump with that application,” he explained. “As the season progresses, we have an opportunity to apply fungicide again at the flag leaf time and our products at that time would be TwinLine® or Headline.” Finally, at flowering time, Chris says they have the head scab product called Caramba®, “again growers are consistently capturing anywhere from a 5-10 bushel yield advantage and reducing the toxins associated with scab infections.”
Patrick Westhoff is the Director of the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) at the University of Missouri–Columbia and a professor in the MU department of agricultural and applied economics. He was also our St. Louis Agribusiness Club speaker yesterday. I spoke with him beforehand since I had to leave early.
He says his job was to talk about why agricultural markets have been so wild the last several years and why they’ll continue to be volatile for years to come. He says one of the reasons is an “ordinary garden variety one” which is weather. Sometimes people forget that he said. He says they’re watching agricultural land markets vary carefully. And of course he mentions farm policy and the farm bill and the efforts in Washington, DC recently. When it comes to tight corn stocks he says the smallest piece of news is having an impact on markets and he expects that to continue for the next several years. Hear some more of his outlook in my interview.
Novariant announced the closing of a $10 million debt facility from BlueCrest Capital Finance, L.P.
Results are in for World Ag Expo’s Top-10 New Products competition. The winners will be showcased February 14-16, 2012 during the 45th annual World Ag Expo.
Two staff members have been hired for NAJ subsidiary, Jersey Marketing Service: Jason Robinson and Erica Davis.
The Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship, a component of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, will be inaugurated in academic year 2012-13.
The Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica staff veterinarian with a focus on PRRS, the swine disease that so many are trying to eliminate, is Dr. Reid Philips. Reid was on hand for this year’s PRRS ARC&E Seminar.
I asked Reid to provide a wrapup viewpoint about how this year’s seminar went. He says this year’s program came together really well. The seminar keeps growing each year and this year was no different. BIVI supplies a list of speakers that are involved in area control projects, several of whom you’ve heard from here on AgWired. Reid says that as new tools and studies are developed on PRRS this seminar becomes more important to producers. The value for both the participants and BIVI is the interaction and sharing of information.
Gadgets – 28%, are tops on the Christmas gift list according to our latest ZimmPoll, followed closely by Paying Bills – 25%. Those choices were followed by Clothes, 19%; Other, 14%; Farm Equipment, 9% and Tools, 5%. I find it very interesting that no one chose Food! Wow. Food makes a great gift don’t you think? Maybe we’re all so well fed that our focus has turned to other things? What do you think?
Our new ZimmPoll is now live. We’re asking the question, “Is Ethanol production good for ALL of Agriculture?” There’s a huge amount of on-going rhetoric about this subject and it seems to be a very divisive issue within the ag community. Let’s put it this way, the most heated arguments/debates I’ve heard or participated in this year were on this subject! What do you think?
ZimmPoll is sponsored by Rhea+Kaiser, a full-service advertising/public relations agency.
Today the St. Louis Agribusiness Club presented its annual Agribusiness Leader of the Year Award to Rick Tolman, CEO, National Corn Growers Association. Here’s Rick with his award which was presented by past St. Louis Ag Club President Stephanie Regagnon, Solutia, Inc.
I spoke with Rick right after he received his award. He says that he’s “very moved and surprised and it’s a great honor.” He also says that it’s a tribute to the National Corn Growers because I have a great group of volunteer leaders that I work with and a staff that I work with and they make me look good and make the organization look good. But it’s a real honor for our association to be recognized.”
I asked him about the 2012 Commodity Classic since registration just recently opened. He says it’s going to be a good one with a record number of exhibitors already signed up. He also talks about priorities in the coming year for NCGA.
This fine looking cooking crew will be featured on the Emeril’s Table, December 14th, 11a/10c, on the Hallmark Channel. Emeril is pictured with Matt Coniglio, Fastline, and family.
Matt’s brother’s wife is Executive Producer btw. Here’s what Matt says the show will be about:
We are the season finale- our episode is about a family tradition we have called the Feast of The Seven Fishes. It is an Italian tradition and Emeril cooks for us and gives us some ideas on how to improve our family event with new menu ideas.
We shot the episode in June…so it was hard to be in the Holiday spirit but having access to Chianti at 9 am in the morning can create a festive atmosphere!
I think a good chianti anytime is a good thing! Matt also says, “the theme music for the show was written by my youngest brother (not on the show w/us). So listen for the theme song at the beginning and during commercial breaks.”
Ever wonder what farmers do during the winter after the crops are harvested?
We’re in a part of Nebraska where fields sits on hillsides, have terraces and curves. And, we have a lot of precipitation during the year, so this means top soil has the potential to wash away and end up in the creek bed instead of staying in the field where it’s needed. To help prevent that from happening, farmers can receive additional funds through the USDA’s Conservation Stewardship Program (www.ne.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/CSP.html) to install drainage tiles in their fields.
That’s what they’ve been doing the past couple of months, among many other things. On any drive within 60 miles from home, you could see dozers and back hoes hard at work. They’re parked now because the ground has frozen and it’s turned colder, but farmers were doing their part to preserve the integrity of the land and make it as optimal as possible for next year’s crop.
I’ve always heard that farmers are the world’s best environmentalists and they are.
2012 is likely to be a very interesting year for agricultural policy as we face the writing of a new Farm Bill during a presidential election year with a huge federal deficit.
Since the GROWMARK cooperative system represents the interests of farmers on the federal level, I talked with GROWMARK government affairs director Chuck Spencer to get his perspective on what might happen in 2012 as it relates to farm policy, after the “super committee” failed to reach an agreement which would have created an new farm bill. “The super committee did find that the agriculture community stepped up to the plate and were in agreement to a $23 billion reduction over a ten year period in farm program spending,” he said. “The discussion now is ‘where do you begin?’ Do you start over? Do you begin where everybody agreed and then move forward?”
Chuck believes the groundwork has been laid and he expects the agriculture committees in Congress to use that as a framework for discussion. “It’s important to note that while the farm bill will expire in 2012, it either needs to be extended or they’ll need to come to agreement and pass a new one or the 1949 Farm Bill goes into play which is dealing with parity prices, and that would certainly be a budget buster,” Chuck noted.
Chuck also pointed out what most of us in the agriculture business already know – that of the 15 titles in the farm bill, the commodity title is what gets most of the attention, even though it only makes up 2/10ths of a percent of the federal budget. “It’s provided as a safety net, a way to manage risk,” Chuck said. “You’ll notice that 90% of the groups offering proposals to the super committee asked for a revenue-based, risk management-based safety net.”
I’ll bet you can come up with lots of ideas for the perfect gift for the farmer. How about a brick? A brick to be placed on the Farmer’s Walk of Fame at the Ag Hall of Fame? Gift bricks come in two sizes.
The National Agricultural Hall of Fame serves to educate the public about the past, present, and future of farming in America. Without the dedication and hard-work of the farmer we could not eat, wear the clothes we wear, or live the quality of life we enjoy today. Through the brick program at the Ag Hall of Fame you can show your appreciation of the American Farmer and recognize a loved one at the same time! Brick Order Form (pdf)
For your gift of $125 you will receive . . .
An engraved 4×8 brick with wording of your choice (up to three lines of 13 characters or less) placed on the Farmer’s Walk of Fame at the Ag Hall of Fame permanently
A frame-suitable certificate mailed directly to you or your loved one
One-year membership to the Ag Hall of Fame so you can view your brick on display
A tax deduction on your Federal taxes (we are a 501c3) The knowledge that you are supporting the National Agricultural Hall of Fame and our ability to honor the American Farmer and help educate all who visit about the past, present, and future of farming
For your gift of $225 you will receive . . .
An engraved 8×8 brick with wording of your choice (up to six lines of 13 characters or less) placed on the Farmer’s Walk of Fame at the Ag Hall of Fame permanently
A frame-suitable certificate mailed directly to you or your loved one
One-year membership to the Ag Hall of Fame so you can view your brick on display
A tax deduction on your Federal taxes (we are a 501c3)
The knowledge that you are supporting the National Agricultural Hall of Fame and our ability to honor the American Farmer and help educate all who visit about the past, present, and future of farming Special Recognition for Farmers: Let us know if your contribution is in honor/memory of a farmer and we will be sure to place your brick in our walkway specifically designated for farmers. The Ag Hall of Fame is funded solely through private and corporate donations generated through admission, special events, and event rentals.
One day I was thinking to myself, “I wish there was a calendar that had all the ag events for the year on it.” I had never seen such a thing, so I decided to make one.
This was not an easy task. It took me about a month to get it the way I wanted it, including photos from events throughout this past year and getting as many dates for the major ag events included. Not sure how it would actually look in person, we ordered a limited quantity to give as Christmas gifts to some of our clients.
We think they actually came out pretty sweet and now we are wondering if there is any interest among AgWired readers to get their very own copy.
Dr. Jim Branstad, Keota Veterinary Clinic, spoke about PRRS Surveillance in area regional control projects during the Boehringer Ingelheim PRRS Seminar. He should know all about pig surveillance since as he says, “I spend about 90 percent of my time with pigs.”
The message he had included the need to talk individually with producers in the project area. That one on one approach works well since he’s only had one producer who didn’t want to cooperate in the program. So besides having full participation if possible he says the next crucial thing is testing and this is a challenge. He says they’re doing surveillance testing but not as often as “we need to, to know everything.” He also spoke about there being too much pig movement within the area project he’s been involved with. He believes this is causing a lot of the problems they’ve been having.
Among the many ways BASF supports NAAA is by sponsoring the convention kick off breakfast, which always features a speaker with an aviation theme. This year, that speaker was Brian Shul, pilot and author of the coffee table book Sled Driver – Flying the World’s Fastest Jet, which is a compilation of the best photos that he took over many years flying the SR-71 Blackbird. It would make a great Christmas gift for anyone on your list who appreciates military aircraft and/or breathtaking photography! You can order yours at SledDriver.com.
I interviewed Brian at the NAAA about the plane, the book, how he got such great shots, and his continuing love of photography – listen to that conversation in this week’s ZimmCast: Pilot and Author Brian Shul
The U.S. Potato Board Nutrition Campaign Signature Regulations are official and ready for the industry’s use.
A new case study released by BiOWiSH Technologies finds BiOWiSH Manure & Odor Treatment quickly and significantly reduces ammonia levels in poultry bedding.
Learfield Communications, Inc. announced the closing of a strategic investment by Shamrock Capital Growth Fund III, a key component in the company’s growth plans.
NutWare has been nominated for Best Product of the Year by the World Ag Expo.
Those of you who visited with BASF at the 2011 Commodity Classic may have gotten a chance to see corporate magician Jon Petz perform there. BASF liked him so much that they brought him to NAAA to entertain the aerial applicator folks. Jon, pictured here in the middle with some of the BASF crew, is a fun and really interesting guy. Not only is his magic amazing, it’s equally impressive how he works in the BASF message at the same time. Entertaining and educating!
The Irish Guild of Agricultural Journalists has just released a 50th Anniversary document (pdf) that includes historical information and photos. Here are a couple of samples:
In 1961 we had a visit from John Hayhurst, President of the Guild of Agricultural Journalists, London. He was editor of a weekly called The Smallholder. He was exploring Ireland’s potential for membership. He was met by Henry Kennedy, director of IAOS (now ICOS) and General John Costello, chief executive of the Irish Sugar Company.
New scope had arisen with the imminent launch of RTE television and the growing significance of public relations for the larger agricultural bodies like the Department of Agriculture, the Irish Sugar Company and the newly formed Bord Bainne.
and
The Guild’s Journalism awards honour professionals who have achieved excellence in journalism and communications. The awards were initiated in 1976 in honour of the late Vincent Colgan, public relations manager with Bord Bainne (now the Irish Dairy Board).
The Journalist of the Year was selected by nomination and ballot of Guild members and was presented with the bronze bull. There was just one annual award which was presented at the Bord Bainne sponsored function for the Guild, held on the eve of the RDS Spring Show.
The 2012 Great Plains Growers Conference is set for Jan. 5-7 at the Fulkerson Center on the campus of Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Mo.
Everyone is welcome to attend the International Agri-Center’s annual Brunch with Santa in Tulare on Sunday, December 11, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Wilbur-Ellis has developed a recruitment and leadership program called Next Generation designed to attract and train new talent for the future of agriculture.
Cooperative Network bestowed its Cooperative Builder Award, the organization’s highest honor, on three cooperators: Dennis Hunwardsen, Ron Tenner and Lee Uldbjerg.
Dr. Jim Lowe is an independent veterinarian and one of the attendees at the Boehringer Ingelheim PRRS ARC&E Seminar. He’s the guy on the Mac. I asked him why he attends this seminar.
Jim says that he spends a lot of time dealing with PRRS and this program allows him time to visit with colleagues and share information. He’s involved with several regional control projects and says this ability to share information is very valuable. He says these projects are “a tough row to hoe.” One of the things he’s been seeing is that the small well-defined projects with good producer participation are having some success. There’s that need for participation coming up again in one of my interviews. Jim says that sometimes it’s not so much a science project as much as a “persuasion” project to get producers to participate.
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.
It’s holiday greeting time. It’s also Christmas time too you know.
At the 
Since the 
One day I was thinking to myself, “I wish there was a calendar that had all the ag events for the year on it.” I had never seen such a thing, so I decided to make one.
Last week I attended the 
Among the many ways BASF supports NAAA is by sponsoring the convention kick off breakfast, which always features a speaker with an aviation theme. This year, that speaker was Brian Shul, pilot and author of the coffee table book 
There was magic in the air at the 
In this week's program Chuck talks with David Armano, Global Innovation and Integration.
