I was actually supposed to interview Steve and his dad back in the freezing December of 2009 for BASF Headline Harvest reports, which was certainly not the best harvest year to do interviews! It just so happened that the frigid day we were scheduled was the same day that little Cam decided to enter the world, so dad and granddad both were a little tired and preoccupied. We did interview Henry but Steve had other matters on his mind that took priority.

This year, little Cam is big enough to start learning about farming and the season so far has been fabulous. As of last week, Steve says they were already half done with beans and the corn was coming up. “We got the corn sprayed so we’re sitting pretty good,” Steve said.

According to USDA, nearly all of the corn in Iowa is planted already and over 80% is emerged and most of it in good to excellent condition. Steve probably has the rest of his beans planted by now since 85% was planted in the state as of Sunday with over a quarter of the crop emerged.

Last year, the wind blew all their corn down, “so we definitely took a look at height on corn and root structure and doing more of the smart stacks,” he said. They are sticking to their normal 50/50 rotation and were happy to be able to get lots of preparation for planting done last fall.

Steve said they did change their herbicide program for corn this year. “We went to a pre-emerge herbicide. Last year, we went post-emerge and we got caught when it started raining and rained for about two weeks,” he explained. “So we’re doing things differently to make sure we get the chemical where it needs to be at the right time.” They scout both corn and soybeans to determine the best time to apply Headline.

BASF wants to know – what types of crop protection products are you using this year on soybeans? Answer the Production Poll here.

Listen to or download my interview with Kip here and watch for more Great Grower interviews coming up. BASF Great Grower Steve Miller

Corn farmers from 14 states and the National Corn Growers Association are supporting the Corn Farmers Coalition program to introduce a foundation of facts seen as essential to decision making, rather than directly influencing legislation and regulation.

The Corn Farmers Coalition is launching its major advertising campaign by taking over every available ad space at Union Station. The effort will also put prominent facts about family farmers in Capitol Hill publications, radio, frequently used websites, and other Metro locations in June and July.

The coalition will meet with media, members of Congress, environmental groups and others to talk about farming’s bright future: how U.S. farmers, using the latest technologies, will continue to meet the demands of a growing population and how this productivity can be a bright spot in an otherwise struggling economy.

Landowners interested in applying for funding should contact their local NRCS office. Signup dates may vary based on the individual project.

NRCS provides funding for these new projects through its Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Program, part of the agency’s Wetlands Reserve Program. Since 2010, NRCS has formalized WREP agreements under MRBI with 47 landowners in the Mississippi River Basin, investing $17.8 million in long-term conservation easements and wetland restoration projects.

Note: Chuck will be covering the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) 2012 Conservation in Action Tour thanks to support from CTIC and AGROTAIN.

This weekend has officially been declared “Thank Domino’s Ag Pizza Party Weekend” by the agriculture social media community. It is our way of saying thanks to the pizza corporation for not caving into the demands of HSUS (Humane Society of the U.S.) Last month, Domino’s Pizza shareholders voted against a resolution that would have required pork suppliers to stop housing gestating sows in stalls. Domino’s made that decision after consulting industry experts about what is best for the animals. “We rely on established industry experts and the USDA to determine best practices in this area, and will continue to do so,” they said. Yes!!!

Thousands have joined “The Truth About Agriculture” movement called “Farmers Paying it Forward with Pizza” and are planning to purchase pizza from Domino’s this weekend to say thanks! They have even created a custom thank you note for people to print out and deliver to Domino’s.

When you get your pizza this weekend, make sure to take photos and share them on the Pizza Party FB page and tweet using the hash tag #agpizzaparty with handle @dominos.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “Should raw milk be allowed for sale?” This week’s question is prompted by one of the panelists here at the 2012 Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit. She is a reporter with a food safety publication who says that this issue is the one that gets the most comments and response of any other. Seems people get pretty passionate about their beliefs when it comes to milk. Raw milk is still the suspect in an E. Coli breakout with 14 confirmed cases in central Missouri that put a couple of people in the hospital. What do you think?

Let your friends and neighbors know they can participate by sharing this link.

ZimmPoll is sponsored by Rhea+Kaiser, a full-service advertising/public relations agency.

You may not realize it, but New Holland is kind of a big deal in combines. “New Holland was the first company to launch a rotary combine in the market,” Combine Market Manager Nigel Mackenzie told us. “That was back in 1975 with the TR70. That combine was built and designed in Nebraska and the latest evolution, the CR models, are still built there.”

The CR Combine was actually voted “Machine of the Year” last year at Agritechnica. “A lot of new features introduced on the model year 12 machines, primarily driven by greater fuel efficiency and emissions regulations,” Nigel says. “It was really great to be recognized by a group of journalists in Agritechnica for what we’ve done.”

One of the coolest features that I experienced driving the combine was the IntelliView IV color touchscreen display that monitors all combine functions and allows you to see a wide variety of performance information at a glance from up to three camera inputs, with direct USB connectivity for data collection.

Nigel says New Holland has six rotary combine models and three conventional models – he tells us all about it in this interview – Nigel Mackenzie Interview

New Holland Media Event album

Watch me drive the combine – thinking of switching careers to become a custom harvester!!! Well, actually I did run over a cone – but it was my first time. Thanks to Lucas Sjostrom of Hoard’s Dairyman for shooting the video and photos for me.

“The Obama administration is firmly committed to promoting family farmers and respecting the rural way of life, especially the role that parents and other family members play in passing those traditions down through the generations,” said the department in a press release. “Instead, the Departments of Labor and Agriculture will work with rural stakeholders — such as the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Farmers Union, the Future Farmers of America, and 4-H — to develop an educational program to reduce accidents to young workers and promote safer agricultural working practices.”

“This victory for farm families is due to the thousands of farmers and ranchers who sent comments to the Labor Department opposing the rules and continued to voice their concerns with members of Congress,” American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman. “This announcement shows the strength of American agriculture and grassroots action.”

The Labor Department said it received “thousands of comments” against the proposal rule regarding youth in agriculture. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) President J.D. Alexander commended the administration’s action and said farmers and ranchers made their voices heard. “This ridiculous rule would have prevented the next generation of farmers and ranchers from acquiring skills and passion for this very noble profession. It also would have restricted urban kids from working on farms and acquiring a solid worth ethic and enthusiasm for this very diverse industry,” said Alexander. “We absolutely have to have a sensible regulatory environment in Washington, D.C. We should not have to worry about negligent rules being promulgated by out-of-touch regulatory agencies. We encourage the administration to venture off the city sidewalks and learn more about where their food comes from.”

The Labor Department made it clear that the “regulation will not be pursued for the duration of the Obama administration.”

Noting that no two years are alike when it comes to farming, Kip says 2011 was definitely a “unique year” but they still did well. “One thing we’ve learned about this business is we treat it as manufacturing and we have a ‘pick list’ that if something is occurring in our weather that requires a change, we know how to adapt,” Kip said. “Yields were surprisingly better than we thought they would be.”

A wet fall kept them from getting some fall tillage done, which put some pressure on them to get work done this spring but they are off to a “fabulous” start. “We’re about 45% planted on commercial corn acres and about 15% planted on soybeans,” Kip says, which is ahead of schedule.

To deal with weed pressure, Kip says they use winter annual herbicides to control weeds like henbit, dandelion and chickweed. “We apply a herbicide on during the fall and early winter. Then we come in with a pre-emerge grass herbicide on our corn acres and follow up with Roundup,” he said.

However, Kip says they are getting concerned about the resistant weeds and he thinks BASF is being very pro-active in that area. “I applaud BASF and the other companies that have been working hard on new formulations that will allow us to stop resistance yet make sure that we’re good stewards with our neighbors,” he said, particularly noting the work being done on lower volatility Dicamba formulations.

Listen to or download my interview with Kip here and watch for more Great Grower interviews coming up. BASF Great Grower Kip Tom

How do you think this crop year is looking so far? Give your opinion in the BASF Production Poll.

Beginning this spring, farmers will have an opportunity to participate in the new program that will give them first-hand experience with pipeline products under commercial-scale planting conditions.

“Ground Breakers allows farmers to obtain a better understanding of product benefits and an opportunity to give us feedback on the product,” said Matt Kirkpatrick, Monsanto Corn Traits Marketing Manager. “A farmer will now have a chance to see how products will perform on their own farm in large-scale trials in addition to plot trials prior to commercial introduction.”

Pending key regulatory approvals, Monsanto plans to evaluate a Ground Breakers program for the Roundup Ready® Xtend Crop System for soybeans. This system is designed to provide farmers with more consistent, flexible control of weeds, especially tough-to-manage and glyphosate-resistant weeds, to help maximize crop yield potential.

This is the third year that Monsanto has partnered with American Agri-Women to judge the entries, which will be accepted until April 23. Each of five regional winners will receive $5,000 and will be featured on AmericasFarmers.com from May 1–12, where online voting will determine the national winner. The new America’s Farmers Mom of the Year will be announced on the site on Mother’s Day, May 13, and she will receive an additional $5,000. Entries are judged on how mom supports her family, her farm, her community and agriculture in general. Last year’s winner was Bette Lu Lerwick of Wyoming.

“From the outpouring of entries we’ve received thus far, it’s clear that farm moms are loved and appreciated by their families, students, neighbors and friends,” says Consuelo Madere, America’s Farmers spokesperson. “I encourage everyone whose life has been impacted by a farm mom to visit AmericasFarmers.com and nominate her before the contest ends this month. It’s one small way to say ‘thank you’ and ‘Happy Mother’s Day’ to that extra-special farm mom.”

To nominate your mom, you are asked to describe in 300 words or less how she represents the caring, values and hard work that embody the family farm way of life. You have about ten more days to do that and you can click here for the on-line entry form.

I’m sure it is a tough decision for the judges every year to pick just five farm moms around the country to compete for the overall Mom of the Year – and even harder for the online voters to pick just one! All farm moms are the best!

Contact farmersfight2012@yahoo.com for more information.

Follow on Twitter and Facebook.

Our first interview is with one of the most famous farmers in the country – Kip Cullers of Purdy, Missouri. To call Kip a “great grower” is an understatement, considering he holds the title of World Champion Soybean Grower with a record 160.6 bushels per acre set in 2010. Even with last year’s “horrible” season, Kip still managed to break 100 bushels an acre. So, what about this year?

Kip says he is already planting away down in southwest Missouri and some of his corn has already started emerging. “We planted for 12 straight days and never shut the planters off,” he said. “It’s just been unbelievable.”

While Kip was very disappointed with his 2011 crop, he says it has not had much of an impact on his plans for this season. “I haven’t seen a year like that since 1980 so we’re just on track to do everything like normal,” he said. Winter in Kip’s part of the country was the same as pretty much every where else. “It’s just crazy how warm it was,” Kip said. “Mildest winter I’ve ever seen in my life.”

As pleasant as it was, the mild winter combined with a warmer than normal March has led to increased weed pressure. “The weeds are absolutely horrible,” Kip says. “We’ve got crabgrass that normally doesn’t come out until May” along with henbit and chickweed. “But we used the Kixor technology along with some Roundup and that just burns it down within seven days. Then we come back over the top later on.”

Kip says he is planning to plant more corn and soybean acres this year and he is really pleased right now with his barley crop on which he used Headline at the flag leaf stage. “It’s the best barley I’ve ever raised,” he says.

Listen to or download my interview with Kip below and watch for more Great Grower interviews coming up soon!

Those interested in more information about how they can contribute to the “Meet America’s Farmers” YouTube channel can contact Mark Crouser at Mark.Crouser@foodintegrity.org.

I picked out one of the videos on the channel that features our good friend, Andrew McCrea. Here’s what he says about farming.

The best thing about being a farmer: Being around family, bringing kids with you in the combine or tractor and giving them rides on the horse, and living in the country. It’s hard work, but a good living.

So what do you think about this effort?

Use this link to experience Gaikai’s Facebook app: https://apps.facebook.com/gaikai-games/

I visited with Ann Irvin to learn how they got this beautiful place started. Ann says she grew up on a farm and wanted to get back to that lifestyle. At first they were just interested in having a place to go and have a garden. But they found a larger piece of property and after a drive through central Florida where they stopped at a winery they got the idea to start their own winery. They grow their own grapes and have learned along the way.

Irvin~House Vineyards is the only domestic winery in Charleston, SC. We grow the grapes, harvest them, make the wine, and bottle our wines on the property.

Even the grapes we grow have Southern roots. Our wines are hand-crafted from the humble muscadine grape . This sweet grape with a fruity aroma grows practically everywhere in the South. People tell us how the taste of muscadines transport them back to their childhood.

In addition to the winery, the Irvins also work with a local tea plantation to make the first ever hand-crafted sweet tea flavored vodka called Firefly.

The Firefly Distillery is located on Wadmalaw Island, South Carolina, 30 miles south of Charleston. We don’t have the bright lights of the big cities. The pace is a little slower down here. We have plantations, hundred-year-old oak trees and dirt roads. Everyone is your neighbor and folks enjoy relaxing on the front porch swing, on a lazy Sunday afternoon. It’s where you can hear the crickets chirping at night and you can still see the fireflies light up the sky. It was this wonderful environment and the special ingredients found right in our own backyard that inspired us to created handcrafted vodkas unlike those made anywhere else.

Listen to this week’s ZimmCast here: The Irvin~House Vineyard

Thanks to our ZimmCast sponsor, GROWMARK, locally owned, globally strong, for their support.

The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired. Subscribe so you can listen when and where you want. Just go to our Subscribe page.

Trent says the app is available for both iPhone and Android. It allows you to upload photos from your smart phone, view all your Kodak Gallery photos, share your photos either individually, by photo album or group sharing. He says they are continuing to update the app based on feedback from users. Right now the new update is sharing to Pinterest which is only available for Android. It will be available for iPhone in the future. Trent says the Kodak Gallery app tries to combine all the different features you can find individually in other apps. One of the upcoming updates for the iPhone version will be the ability to print your photos.

AgWired fans know I’m a power user of Flickr and I don’t see that changing. However, I can see this app being very appealing to the agricultural community. For example, organizations running events might want to consider using it to create a shared photo gallery that allows attendees to add their photos.

Listen to this week’s ZimmCast here: An Interest in Pinterest

KODAK Gallery is the leading online destination for storing and transforming photo memories—at their most life-like best—into a more high-profile part of people’s everyday lives and environments. Anyone can express their creativity by making a wide variety of personalized gifts such as photo books, greeting cards, and wall décor for themselves and others to enjoy. It’s also easy to share creative projects with friends and family through direct access to social media including Facebook, Twitter and many others.

KODAK Gallery is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eastman KODAK Company.

Thanks to our ZimmCast sponsor, GROWMARK, locally owned, globally strong, for their support.

The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired. Subscribe so you can listen when and where you want. Just go to our Subscribe page.

The amendments include one by Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) which will exempt drivers of farm vehicles from having to acquire a commercial driver’s license, and another by Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) which will waive hours of service restrictions during harvest seasons.

These were among 2012 priority issues for the National Cattlemen’s Association (NCBA). “Farmers and ranchers are not professional truck drivers and shouldn’t be treated as such,” said NCBA Associate Director of Legislative Affairs Kent Bacus. “Hauling livestock to market two times a year is hardly the same as hauling goods across the country on a daily basis. Subjecting family farmers and ranchers to costly and requirements is an unnecessary burden we cannot afford.”

Meanwhile, amendments to the bill related to biodiesel and advanced ethanol tax incentives failed to make it in the final bill. An amendment offered by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and another by Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) would have extended the $1 per gallon biodiesel tax incentive, which expired at the end of last year, through the end of this year. “We thank Sen. Stabenow and Sen. Roberts for including biodiesel in their amendments, and we urge Congress to break this partisan gridlock and find a way to enact policies like the biodiesel tax credit that have strong bipartisan support,” said Anne Steckel, vice president of federal affairs for the National Biodiesel Board.

The Senate bill now moves to the House for consideration.

April is the farmer in the family. Her husband works at a job in town. She was nominated by her daughter. Here’s an excerpt of the essay she wrote for the nomination:

Hi, I’m Ruth. I’m 16, and I would like to nominate my mom, April Hemmes, for Farm Mom of the Year. My mom IS the farmer in our family. My dad works in town, and mom operates our family’s century farm, totaling 1000 acres, and has a 30-head cow/calf herd. She makes all the decisions from planting to harvest, bulls to banking.

. . . She also found time to raise funds for my junior prom and took me on a Caribbean cruise! She always tells me “Do what you love doing – happiness and success will follow.” I know this is true because my mom is the most enjoyable and funniest person know.

April is very passionate about farming and is a great advocate for farming. She tells the full story of her nomination in my interview with her: Interview with April Hemmes

The 2012 Farm Mom of the Year Contest is now underway.

2012 Commodity Classic Photo Album

The KYF Compass is a digital guide to USDA resources related to local and regional food systems. The Compass consists of an interactive U.S. map showing local and regional food projects and an accompanying narrative documenting the results of this work through case studies, photos and video content.

Agriculture’s Lasting Heritage commemorates more than the proud tradition of the American farm and ranch family, according to American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman, who also serves as president of the foundation. If you would like your farm or ranch to be considered, please go to www.agricultureslastingheritage.org/profiles and click “Submit Your Own Profile”. You may also email inquiries to alh@fb.org.

Share your story. Many people are not connected to what really happens in agriculture or rural America. Others can attempt to tell your story, but it is better told by the true expert – YOU!

He says that way back when he was a dealer for SuperB Grain Dryers he started coming to the show and he’s been coming ever since. The show has exploded since his first visit. He says he likes “to meet people and likes machinery.” I asked him if he could tell some stories about his experiences over the years and he laughed and said “I don’t know. I’ve had so many.” He says everyone should see this show at least once because “it grows on you.”

Listen to my interview with Kenneth: Interview with Kenneth Fry

2012 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

Dale says they have a very simple message, “Roll bars and seat belts work only if you put the roll bar up and you click the seat belt. It’s your choice. It’s life and death.” Scott says that ASABE has a major focus on safety as the standards setting organization. They have committees for specific safety components like lighting and marking. You can find information on farm safety from both of these organizations online.

Listen to my interview with Dale and Scott: Promoting Farm Safety Interview

2012 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

Maybe you’re already growing roses, personally or professionally, but if not I thought I’d look up a few resource sites to share:

GrowingRoses.org
All-America Rose Selections
American Rose Society

Looking for a St. Valentine’s Day recipe? Try here, here and here.

Cindy is my Valentine but I also have to say that I love agribusiness in all it’s many forms, which includes rose farmers. So thank you to all the farmers out there and everyone involved in the industry.

Ben and Jennifer Moore of Tennessee won the Achievement Award, which recognizes young farmers and ranchers who have excelled in their farming or ranching operations and exhibited superior leadership abilities.

Heather Barnes of North Carolina won the Discussion Meet, where participants are evaluated on their ability to exchange ideas and information on a predetermined topic.

Andy and Ellie Holt of Tennessee won the Excellence in Agriculture Award, which recognizes young farmers and ranchers who do not derive the majority of their income from an agricultural operation.

All the winners receive their choice of either a 2012 Chevrolet Silverado or 2012 GMC Sierra, courtesy of GM and paid registration to attend the 2012 AFBF YF&R Leadership Conference in Grand Rapids, Mich., in February.

Photo courtesy of AFBF.

AFBF 93rd Annual Meeting Photos

A coalition of agricultural commodity groups and farmers from Maryland, Pennsylvania and Delaware are reaching out to consumers in Washington DC by launching the Mid-Atlantic Farmers Feed US.

“The Mid-Atlantic Farmers Feed US program is a tremendous opportunity to introduce the region’s consumers to the hard-working men and women who raise healthy, nutritious and affordable food,” said Charlie Arnot, CEO of the Center for Food Integrity. “We need to show that even though our systems have changed and our use of technology has increased, the farmer’s commitment to do what’s right has never been stronger.”

Open to residents of those three states and Washington, D.C., the program will offer consumers the chance to win one of four “Free Groceries for a Year” sweepstakes prizes, while introducing them to 10 of the region’s farmers. The diverse group of farmers includes producers of livestock, poultry and eggs, grains, vegetables, watermelons and even mushrooms.

Since July 2009, Farmers Feed US has been connecting farmers and consumers in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Minnesota and Illinois. During that time, those programs have accounted for more than 1.35 million consumer sweepstakes registrations, with each one introducing consumers to farmers from their state. Additionally, the program has built a consumer “opt-in” list of more than 85,000 consumers in participating states, who have requested on-going communication on farming and food, as well as social media platforms on Facebook and Twitter with more than 20,000 likers and followers.

“It is sit down, one on one with that farmer and make recommendations that fit that producer’s risk tolerance, risk profile and needs at that time,” said Cory Winstead, Senior MaxVisor Representative.

MaxVisor is a service of AgriVisor, an agricultural advisory firm that is part of the GROWMARK family of companies. “We have multiple different silos, or bins, that are part of AgriVisor,” Cory says, from research and pricing strategies, to crop insurance and brokerages service relationships. MaxVisor specifically includes hedge accounting and professional services with timely and frequent communications updates by email, text and audio reports.

Cory says AgriVisor is owned 51% by GROWMARK and 49% by Illinois Farm Bureau, but anyone can take advantage of their services. “You don’t need to be a GROWMARK customer, or an FS customer – you don’t even need to be a Farm Bureau member to be a part of us. If you’re a farmer who has some needs or questions about the market – that’s what we’re here for.” Cory adds that they have customers from Ohio to Kansas, and Canada to Alabama.

To find out more about MaxVisor, Cory says there is a link on the side bar of the AgriVisor home page that takes you to a free trial sign up page – no risk, no obligation – just to check it out. What do you have to lose?

Find out more about MaxVisor in my interview with Cory here: Cory Winstead Interview

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.

And don’t forget the 2012 ZimmComm Ag Events Calendar!

I got a notice from the casting company looking for “the hardest working women in America to celebrate the tough women who aren’t afraid of disgusting, terrifying, or even backbreaking labor. Women who are proud to be Wonder Women!”

They gave a few examples – mining, roofing, hanging from scaffolding, installing power lines, deep sea fishing, fighting fires, working in sewers, slaughterhouses – but not farming or ranching! I think ladies of the ag persuasion need to apply and show these folks the real Wonder Women of this world!

The application form can be found at wonderwomencasting.com.