There are actually a good number of ag journalists here at the National Biodiesel Conference this year - more than usual.
Of course, we had our good friends from AgriTalk, seen here interviewing NBB CEO Joe Jobe for Monday’s show. They did a show Tuesday also and then took off to head for Reno for the Cattlemen’s meeting.
Other farm broadcasters included Tom Steever from Brownfield Network and Dale Minyo with Ohio Ag Net.
On the print side, we had lots of hard working folks like Greg Lamp with Corn and Soybean Digest, seen here on a conference call with Diane Johnson planning the 2009 IFAJ meeting in Dallas. Yes, he is working harder than it might appear!
Others on hand were Mike Wilson with Farm Futures, our former intern Margy Fischer with Farm Journal, and an old friend of ours from the Florida days, Jerry Jackson with the Orlando Sentinel. It was great to see Jerry again. He has been covering the ag beat for the Sentinel for as long as I can remember.
Maybe you remember student blogger on AgWired, Margy Fischer? She helped me cover Commodity Classic this year.
Well she’s now a working professional for Farm Journal, seen here in the field. I hope she’ll put those blogging skills to work in the future!
Thanks to Mica DeLong at Monsanto for the picture.
This post isn’t being written by Margy Fischer. It’s being written about her. You will remember Margy from her coverage of Commodity Classic on AgWired that was sponsored by Monsanto. Margy will be graduating soon and just announced that she’s got a job.
After graduation in May, I’ve got a job! I’ve recently accepted the position of assistant editor with Farm Journal magazine. Along with my assistant editor responsibilities I’ll also be the Assistant Test Plot Director.
Thank you all for being part of my professional development. I wish you all the best and hope we’ll be seeing each other soon.
Congratulations Margy. I hope we get to hear from you again soon.
Ag Journalism – what is that? Well, my five-second explanation is it’s journalism with a focus on agriculture, the food system, and the life sciences.
The biggest appeal for me in Ag Journalism is the variety of issues impacting this industry.
Although I spent the last few days in Anaheim, California at the Commodity Classic with the focus of discussions on the corn, soybean and wheat industries, there are numerous topics impacted by these commodities. For example, the Secretary of Agriculture’s speech yesterday included comments about CAFTA, the Doha Round, river navigation, trade with China, the Farm Bill, soybean rust and biofuels.
Agriculture is united in the interest in technology, productivity, markets, and rural development. No matter where farmers are meeting, or where news is announced, the implications are global because of their breadth of influence.
Now who wouldn’t want to report on something like that?
My final day at Commodity Classic is coming to an end. Rain and mostly cloudy skies were not able to put a damper on my last day.
It was an early morning due to the Monsanto press conference at 7:30. Not strategically, or comfortably thinking, I wore shoes with a heel. As the day went on, the amount of time spent on my feet started to accumulate just as fast as my feet started to swell.
Regardless of any inflation below the ankle, I was mentally charged by the energy of all the people in the general session this morning. John Phipps from Farm Journal Media was an entertaining and focused emcee introducing the dynamic set of speakers from Secretary Johanns to the governor of Minnesota and of course one of the favorite country artists from this conference, Michael Peterson.
The phrase “conference center” can be misleading, especially for anyone involved in the media at a meeting such as this. One would think the phrase would imply a central location for all activities, but me (in my poorly planned high heels) trekked from the second floor media room to the third floor general session and then across the street to one hotel and then back to the second floor media room and back across the street to another hotel. Again, I reiterate my poorly planned footwear complicated these travels.
All of these walks were before lunch and completely worth everything I learned.
After lunch I attended a learning session presented by Tom Dorr, Undersecretary of Rural Development for USDA. He is a self-professed optimist for rural America and presented his vision for prosperous rural economies across the country. Part of his plan enables Americans to have choices on where to live and how to where. One of the main tools for allowing these opportunities would of course be technology and connectivity.
Tonight I was able to meet with different ag media such as Successful Farming and Farm Journal. Companies and their publications such as these show a high level of interest for students to be developed agriculture journalists. They are looking for educated and experience writers who will embrace the opportunities technology allows for today and will present for us in the future.
I am fortunate to take part in a program that offers this level of professional development and networking opportunities. I think this is a testimonial for all of those that I’ve met, been sponsored by, or have spent time with this week toward their level of dedication for quality of coverage of this industry. I am sincerely grateful for the time and experience I’ve had here in Anaheim.
I have an early flight, but I will hopefully be able to post one more entry from the OC…
The presidents of ASA and NCGA joined emcee John Phipps on stage and discussed the current status and the future of their respective commodities. They sat in a conversational setting with three leather chairs for a casual-setting discussion.
Phipps asked these men questions about the challenges and opportunities that have arisen in their industries in this last year. Bob Metz, president of ASA, noted the USDA went beyond expectations in regards to soybean rust. Gerald Tumbleson, NCGA president, said ethanol has been in the works for so many years that when consumption and consumer acceptance rose to such a high level as it is today, it was unexpected but fully welcomed.
They both commented on the immense opportunity growers have today. Renewable fuels gives future generations exciting and new ideas to bring to their farms. And both of their farm families take pride in their innovations. As Metz said, “The next generation will always do a better job than the previous.”
Okay, Agriculture Secretary Johanns just entered to a standing ovation, so I will take to switch back to taking notes…
Yesterday was the grand opening of this year’s trade show here at the Commodity Classic. There was a lot to discover on the trade show floor, and Mary and I were not shy to test some of the interactive components of the displays.
At our first stop, we were pulled in by the energetic team at the Golden Harvest booth to take part in a remote control car race. Mary won the race. Mary won the race big time. I was completely unable to make the remote control car go forward much less make it go around a small track. Let’s just say I lacked the motor skills.
Next, we were the first to try out the Whac-A-Worm game sponsored by Yield Guard Plus at the Monsanto booth. Thank goodness that we tied. Otherwise, I would have been zero for two in our impromptu trade show game competition.
Margy Plays Wack-a-worm (:21 wmv file) Mary Plays Wack-a-worm (:31 wmv file)
Then it was off to the race track again, except this time I climbed into the copy of the ethanol-powered Indy car and was more successful. Margy In the IndyCar Simulator (:22 wmv file) In fact, I got the high ranking of the day finishing fourth out of 26. As the driver, I played a video game that was connected to an X-box. I hit the wall almost every time around the turns, but my secret to success was flooring the gas pedal the entire time.
And our last stop before getting ready for dinner was at the John Deere booth, where Mary (who bleeds John Deere green), played Combine Combat. She harvested $59,000 worth of corn in the minute-long game. Test your harvesting skills at this direct link on Agriculture.com
Podcast: Play in new window
| Download
The Marconi Museum hosted the yield winners of the NCGA 2005 yield contest representing Dekalb and Asgrow.
Singer Gary Morris performed before the awards portion of the evening, and he did an amazing job. It was a night of an unexpected flashback as Morris played “Wind Beneath My Wings,” which was the song my sixth class sang at our graduation. Yes, I am young, but that was quite a few years ago.
Farmers yielding impressive amounts such as 306 bushels/acre as the Mez-Farm in Bagley, Wisconsin did were surrounded by cars worth up to one million dollars.
I’m not really touching this million-dollar 1999 Jaguar Roadster Concept car. It was at the Marconi on loan, and goodness, it was a great looking car.
It was a night of celebration, a night of pride in hard work, and a night focusing on the promise of the future of agriculture and what high yields can mean toward renewable energies and the commodity markets. The 31 states that represented the winners in this contest, indicate the strong national production that U.S. farmers can be very proud of.
As Chuck posted, Mary and I got a sneak peek of the trade show. This year’s show is featuring over 180 companies in over 645 booths. At 3 (Pacific time) the show will officially open to the press, and yes, Mary and I were able to receive press credentials although we are getting some funny looks from people. Maybe they are confused about our blogging…
Already we’ve seen many of the booths, and I am really impressed by the technology, business strategies and other aspects of this industry being presented.
I am especially looking forward to further investigating a special section about renewable fuels, which is new to the show this year.
Already, I’ve had a chance to sit in a copy of the ethanol powered Indy car.
But be assured that both Mary and I will have much more to report back on later.
The first assignment I gave to my student bloggers was to cover this morning’s FFA Breakfast. The breakfast was FFA’s venue to launch their LifeKnowledge Center for Agricultural Education. This Center is going to be the focal point for FFA’s leadership initiative that not only supports FFA’s core principles but also has the goal of establishing 10,000 quality agricultural science programs by the year 2015.
Mary Irelan took the picture and Margy Fischer did the interview. Margy’s interview is with Michelle Spoelstra, a high school junior at Hanford High School, Hanford, CA. That interview is available here: 
Michelle Spoelstra Interview (2:12 MP3 File)
As expected, I had an early start to my first full day at Commodity Classic. I attended a breakfast hosted by FFA regarding their program LifeKnowledge.
It was the best way to start a day here – with lots of agricultural products. From the orange juice, to the egg quiche, to the French toast with almonds and peaches, our tables celebrated our diverse food supply.
FFA promoted their exciting initiative of engaging and interactive leadership lessons called LifeKnowledge. The program is sponsored by John Deere, Monsanto, the National Pork Board, Chevrolet, and Cargill.
There were four student leaders of the Hanford FFA chapter, Hanford California present at the breakfast, so they got a day off from school and the chance to boast about the advantages of LifeKnowledge, which their teacher Kris Elliot who uses these lessons in his classrooms. From what I learned this morning, these lessons can be used to integrate leadership lessons into all classrooms, even technical classes.
FFA was not available at my high school, but I was enthused to see what the organization is doing to improve our youth leadership education which can have powerful impacts on our society and the agricultural industry.
I’ve come down from the clouds of my in-flight nap and am happy to report that I am in California!
I go to school almost 800 miles away from home, so I have flown quite a bit for personal reasons to go home for holidays and such, and over the past four years, I have made a consistent observation of in-flight beverage choices – people love tomato juice or ginger ale when they fly. In fact, I don’t think I’ve seen such a high concentration of consumption of those two beverages unless I am on a plane. Even our cab driver on the way home from dinner chuckled when I announced what I had noticed to our group. By the way, I love being close to the coast for fresh seafood because I had a delicious dinner. So thank you again to my sponsors.
It was a long flight, and watching what people order from the flight attendant is only entertaining for so long. So I read Vanity Fair and Farm Journal and had my iPod Nano playing G. Love and Ella Fitzgerald.
The first half of my week was full of class, group meetings, and homework to catch up on before my departure, but it was nice to be on my way to California, and now that I am here I am ready to fully engage in this event!
It’s great to know that my peers back at Mizzou can keep track of my blogs on CAFNRCornerpost.com. This is a site that is completely student-driven with reporting, editing, photography and posting all done by MU Ag Journalism students.
Yesterday morning I woke up at 4 a.m. Pacific time in order to pack, attend my first class and meet my shuttle to the airport on time, and this morning won’t be an exception. It shall be a day full of events and interactions with interesting people, and I look forward to relaying the day’s events back to you.
Hello! My name is Margy Fischer, I’m a senior at the University of Missouri – Columbia studying Agricultural Journalism, and I’ll be blogging on this site during the 2006 Commodity Classic thanks to a student fellowship with Monsanto. It was almost three weeks ago that I learned of this opportunity from Bill Allen and am very grateful for this trip.
Blogging is completely new to me. The closest I may have ever come to posting a blog would be the weekly e-mail updates I would send my friends this past summer while interning in Washington DC. If those e-mails can serve as any precedent, then my posts will be full of anecdotes and observations of my surroundings. But my lack of experience with “new media” could be interesting enough that you’ll want to stay tuned.
I am intrigued by the idea that blogs have the power to turn bystanders into sources and reporters. In my journalism classes we discuss the philosophies behind our journalistic principles and practices, and blogs have done an amazing job of throwing convention to the wind. This week in Anaheim I want to experience as much as I can and in turn present all of that to you.
It was beautiful here in Columbia today, so the weather in California will be hard pressed to beat a day like this. However, I hope that I am so busy attending events and meeting people that I won’t be able to leave the convention hall. Those are probably the reasons why I am very excited to be attending this year’s event. So a big thank you again to everyone who made this possible.
It’s Commodity Classic week here on AgWired. That means you must enter our contest to win a video iPod, which is being sponsored by New Holland and watch for event coverage that includes student bloggers Mary Irelan and Margy Fischer, sponsored by Monsanto. This week’s ZimmCast is a little different. No one on one interview. You can hear some of the music from Michael Peterson’s new CD, “Down on the Farm” and I interviewed both Mary and Margy to find out what they want to accomplish at Classic and what they think about blogging it.
You can listen to this week’s ZimmCast here: 
(13:11 MP3 File)
The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired which you can subscribe to using the link in our sidebar.
You can also now find the ZimmCast on CoolCast Radio or subscribe in iTunes.
Podcast: Play in new window
| Download
Meet Mary Irelan, University of Illinois student and about to become, AgWired blogger. Actually, she’ll just be blogging her experiences as a first time visitor to Commodity Classic next week. Her trip is being sponsored by Monsanto as part of it’s Future Ag Journalists Fellowship program. Monsanto wants to make sure the future agricultural communicators get some “new media” training.
Meet Margy Fischer, University of Missouri student and also blogging her Commodity Classic experience right here on AgWired. Both Mary and Margy will begin blogging their trip next Tuesday. All their posts will be categorized by their name so you can easily find them, since they’ll be mixed in with my coverage of the event. Additionally, they’ll also be helping me with my coverage. I was very happy to find out that they will be bringing a digital camera and notebook computer. That’s what the ag journalist of the future must be equipped with.
This is very cool and I can’t wait to see what our Monsanto Future Ag Journalists have to say. The same goes for Monsanto Public Affairs Manager Mica DeLong. She says the opportunity will provide the students with a unique real-world media experience. Monsanto has a long- standing commitment to promoting youth involvement in agriculture by supporting programs such as Future Farmers of America, 4-H, Agriculture Future of America, Ag in the Classroom and other notable agriculture youth and leader development organizations.
“These students will make some new contacts and learn more about the agricultural industry at one of the largest and most widely recognized ag events of the year,” says DeLong. “ZimmComm has offered a unique opportunity for both students to write for AgWired, which gives them exposure to one of the newest forms of communications and can really broaden their knowledge.”
I think Monsanto is one of the companies that’s “getting it.” They’re already video podcasting and now they’ve created an opportunity for students like Mary and Margy to create event coverage via a blog. Who would have imagined this a year ago when we got AgWired kick started?
Guess who ZimmComm will be looking for at graduation time.
Farmers are twittering and then there's The Twittering Farmer.