The Executive Director of Ag United For South Dakota is Steve Dick, pictured here at the NAFB Washington Watch Issues Forum.
Steve says that AUSD is a coalition of 5 farm groups that include corn and soybean growers, pork producers, cattlemen and SD Farm Bureau. They were set up to educate the public about agriculture and particularly livestock production in SD. He says they want people to know that farmers have a message to get out to people which is that they’re working everyday to produce a safe, reliable source of protein. He wanted to emphasize that agriculture has changed significantly and in ways that aren’t always easy to see from the highway.
You can listen to my interview with Steve here:
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There are two big issues for corn growers this year in Washington, DC, climate change and higher blends for ethanol. I spoke with two representatives of the National Corn Growers Association at NAFB’s Washington Watch Issues Forum about them.
Unlike the weather, not only is everybody talking about climate change, but they are trying to do something about it – and the concern is that farmers could get caught in the storm. According to National Corn Growers Association Public Policy Director, Rod Snyder, climate change has emerged as one of the top priorities in this Congressional session and pressure is being put to bear to get some kind of legislation passed. “We’re taking a look at the legislation as it’s being drafted now and one of the things that we are closely watching is to make sure that agriculture is not part of the ‘capped sector,’” says Snyder. “We are going to try to ensure that our farmers is not regulated under a cap because our emissions are very diffuse, much like a non-point source situation, and it would be very expensive for the government to try and regulate our sources of greenhouse gas emissions.”
Listen to my interview with Rod here:
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NCGA’s Jessica Bennett is actively involved in the regulatory issue of increasing the blend level for ethanol allowed in gasoline to 15 percent. “As corn growers, ethanol is top priority for our association,” Bennett said. “We’re quickly approaching a ten percent blend wall of ethanol that can be blended into conventional gasoline and we need to move beyond that.”
The Environment Protection Agency is currently seeking comments on a waiver that would allow blends of up to 15 percent. “We’re encouraging all of our growers to go to the legislative action center on our website to submit comments to EPA to encourage the granting of that waiver application,” said Bennett. In the first week after the comment period was opened, over 300 comments were submitted to EPA by corn growers.
Listen to my interview with Jessica here:
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Hello and welcome to another ZimmCast. This week I’m going to feature a couple of the interviews I did at last week’s NAFB Washington Watch Issues Forum.
Up first after opening comments is Mark Maslyn, Executive Director, Public Policy, American Farm Bureau Federation. He’s seen here getting all fired up in an interview with Tricia Braid Terry, RFD Radio. That’s what we need in our nation’s Capitol these days, passionate spokespersons for agriculture.
Mark speaks about the mixed results of the opening month’s of our new administration. He says some things are encouraging and some are troubling which you might say about most administrations. On the troubling side he mentions the environment and proposed increased rules and regulations. Climate change regulations are something he thinks should not be ruled on until a lot more questions are answered. On the encouraging side he’s pleasantly surprised at moves on international trade.
Next up in the program is an interview with Ken Hobbie, President/CEO, U.S. Grains Council. I hadn’t spoken with Ken in quite a while so I asked him to tell us what’s new with USGC. We started off talking about the potential impact of H1N1 on demand and Ken says he hopes that consumers will listen to the fact and we can move past it. Another thing that Ken says they’ve invested a lot in is distillers dried grain promotion internationally.
This week’s program ends with music from the Podsafe Music Network. It’s a song titled, “Pearls and Swine”, by Drunken Prayer. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
You can download and listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 218 (20 min MP3)
Or listen to this week’s ZimmCast right now:
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The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired which you can subscribe to using the link in our sidebar. You can also subscribe in iTunes
Rick Stearn is chairman of the production committee for the United Soybean Board. He was attending the NAFB Washington Watch Issues Forum.
The United Soybean Board was a major sponsor and had people on hand like Rick to address issues like animal agriculture and the impact of animal rights groups. The reason for this Rick says is because domestic animal production agriculture is the number one customer for domestically produced soybean meal (over 96%). He agrees that if animal rights groups who want to end animal agriculture are successful it will change the whole industry since many elements are very interdependent.
Some other issues important to USB from a production standpoint include soybean rust, soybean quality and soybean yield.
You can listen to my interview with Rick here:
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When you go to any type of farm meeting you can be pretty sure you’ll be fed well. NAFB’s Washington Watch is no different. This year we all were treated to a fine meal at Founding Farmers.
At Founding Farmers we believe that everyone benefits by knowing more about the source of the food they eat. We understand the journey of our products from seed to harvest, and from Farm-to-Table. Owned by a collective of American family farmers, Founding Farmers exists to promote the products and services of family farms, ranches, and fisheries. We celebrate and share the long-standing connection between farmers – the first to lead the “green” movement – and their historic stewardship of natural resources.
Our host was Founding Farmers General Manager Christian Holmes, pictured with NAFB President Pam Jahnke.
When he was 14 years old washing dishes in the Italian restaurant down the road from his house in rural upstate New York, Christian Holmes had no idea he’d already found his calling. While he pursued his love for history in undergraduate and graduate school, Christian worked in bars and restaurants to help pay the bills. When the opportunity to manage a popular college town restaurant became available, working in a fast-paced fun environment lured him away from his plans to teach history.
Before we settled down to dinner a few NAFB members got together with Christian for an interview. I recorded it for you. In the interview Christian says the restaurant is the vision of the North Dakota Farmers Union. He says it presents the American family farmer to legislators as well as consumers. He was attracted to the facility because “It’s not just about the food and the restaurant experience. It’s the fact that we’re owned and supported by farmers.”
You can listen to our group interview with Christian here:
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These smiling faces are (l-r) Dennis Nuxoll, Director of Government Relatisons, Jim Baird, Mid-Atlantic States Director and Jennifer Morrill, Director of Media Relations, American Farmland Trust. They were smiling at the NAFB Washington Watch Issues Forum.
I asked what’s new at AFT. Jim started out by saying, “We’re the No Farms/No Food people.” He says that people are waking up to the fact that farms provide a lot of value to communities in the area of heritage and environmental benefits. Dennis says that from his perspective farmers need to be really involved in water quality and climate protection. There is legislation being worked on right now and he thinks farmers need to be educated and involved.
You can listen to my interview with Dennis and Jim here:
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I was interested to see the National Rifle Association participating at the NAFB Washington Watch program this week. Seems like what they’re doing would be of high interest to most people involved in agribusiness though.
On hand was John Howard, NRA National Instructor Trainer. He says they’ve got 58,000 registered instructor/trainers across the country. John says that their base is in the rural areas. I learned that NRA was founded to improve the marksmanship skills of soldiers and citizens. So he teaches that along with safety. He says that NRA wants people to utilize their second amendment rights responsibly.
You can listen to my interview with John here:
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Those of us who have attended a lot of NAFB Washington Watches over the years know that they wouldn’t be anywhere near as beneficial without the help of Larry Quinn, Assistant Director for Communications Operations, USDA. Everyone in ag communications should know Larry and for those in farm broadcasting in particular, he’s documented our “happenings” in his weekly e-newsletter for as long as I can remember.
We gave Larry another thank you last night at dinner by presenting him with an NAFB commemorative edition tractor (to add to his collection). Larry is pictured with his wife Christine.
So we give Larry big thanks for helping us out and getting us in and out of USDA one more time during the early part of this transition year.
Members of NAFB are hearing from a variety of senators and congressmen this morning in the Longworth House Bldg. First up on the program was Senator Tom Harkin, D-IA.
Harkin pointed out that he’s the only person to ever serve as chairman of the Senate Ag Committee 3 times. His remarks touch on a lot of subjects important to agriculture and I thought I’d just go ahead and post them here for you. Please feel free to download and use.
You can listen to Senator Harkin here:
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You can also download his remarks with this link (mp3 file).
Julie McPeake, Southeast AgNet, is attending her first NAFB Washington Watch program. I spoke with here in between presentations this morning.
Julie says this is a great opportunity, especially for farm broadcasting newcomers, to dip their foot in the water (interviewing DC politicos). She says she’s in “sponge mode” which means she’s listening and learning so she can better serve her listeners back home.
Julie also has the honor of receiving a Pam Jahnke nickname which is Peaches. You’ll find out why when you listen to her interview.
You can listen to my interview with Julie here:
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Sign up for the long-awaited Average Crop Revenue Election Program, or ACRE, started yesterday on the same day that farm broadcasters from around the nation were in Washington DC for the annual Washington Watch Issues Forum, so naturally it was a hot topic for representatives from the National Corn Growers Association to discuss.
NCGA Vice President of Public Policy Jon Doggett answered lots of questions about the program that was part of the 2008 Farm Bill and represents a fundamental reform in the farm safety net. “It is based on revenue rather than just a price trigger,” Jon explains. “It’s really more of a risk management tool than a price support.”
Jon says the program gives farmers an alternative and they have lots of time to research whether it is a good option for them, since the sign up period runs through August 14. NCGA has developed an on-line ACRE Resource Center website where farmers can get more information about the program and even calculate payments.
Listen to Chuck’s interview with Jon about ACRE here:
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In true traditional style, NAFB members attending the Washington Watch program got their picture taken with the Secretary of Agriculture. Thank you to the USDA photographer for taking this photo for me. The full size version is in the photo album.
Internet access was lacking at the NAFB USDA visit this morning so I couldn’t live stream Sec. Vilsack’s comments as I had intended to do. During last year’s visit you may recall that I live streamed his predecessor which was the first time I had done that on location. But I did record Sec. Vilsack and have the audio available for you here.
I was surprised that he didn’t mention swine flu in his remarks but he does address the issue in the question and answer session. Before he arrived we were instructed not to ask anyone except him about this issue. I understand that they may want to have some control over who speaks for USDA on this issue but can’t ever remember being told what we can or cannot ask and of whom. Interesting way to treat the press.
Several of us were live tweeting the morning’s session. I had to leave early since I needed internet access and my aircard couldn’t pick up a good signal in the USDA building. Some of us need to multitask you know.
So for now I’ll leave you with the full audio, including questions and answers.
You can listen to Secretary Vilsack here:
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You can also download his remarks with this link (mp3 file).
The President of the Humane Society of the United States, HSUS, Wayne Pacelle, spoke to the National Association of Farm Broadcasting this evening. I would characterize his comments as a challenge to everyone involved in agriculture and especially animal agriculture. On the one hand he suggested that we should join with them on areas of common agreement but then on the other hand he made it very clear that the world is changing and farmers have to accept it that things are different. Kind of like saying that we have no choice but to succumb to their agenda so why not make it easy.
I had an opportunity to ask a question and although I had many like, “Why do you use your name to suggest that you’re affiliated with local humane societies and animal shelters when you really aren’t?” However one of my Twitter followers sent in a couple of questions and I posed one of hers. She’s a farm wife in Tennessee and here’s what she wrote.
I have so many questions for Mr. Pacelle and other animal rights activists. My first question would be how he plans to help those families he is so strongly trying to put out of business or are we to try and find a new way of life, a new home, a new life style? We’ve heard it before, but farming isn’t just a job – it’s a passion. We certainly don’t do it because we’re getting rich. We do it because we love the land, the animals, and the work. The attack on animal agriculture is really an attack on the entire ag industry as we are inter-dependent on one another.
I’m posting his answer to my question to see if you can understand what he said. I think he got a little defensive and avoided a direct answer. Feel free to post your thoughts.
You can listen to my question of Wayne and his answer here:
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Wayne claims the organization has over $200 million to work with so I would suggest that agriculture take them seriously. Their emotional pitch is very seductive as evidenced by the number of celebrities who publicly support them and all the folks giving them money. But rather than be afraid of them I think we have a great opportunity to get out and use the new social media forms of communication to battle the sensationalized, isolated stereotypes these groups employ so effectively. Farming is a way of life and we wouldn’t have the great country we have today if if wasn’t for the American farmer. I think that’s a story the public wants and needs to hear and I encourage farmers in particular to tell and show it. I am seeing more and more of them doing it too.
Post Update: At the request of several followers I’m posting the full comments and question and answer session for you to listen to here. Basically, it is a good idea to know what the enemy says directly from their mouth. Please let others know so they can hear this. Agriculture as a way of life is very threatened by groups like HSUS and I think you’ll hear that very clearly.
You can listen to the full session here:
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After the NAFB business meeting this afternoon it was time for the Issues Forum. This is where various organizations are set up with tables at which their spokespeople are available for interviews on the issues important to their constituents.
So, farm broadcasters like Gary Cooper, Southeast AgNet, get out their recorders and get to work. I think I did at least 10 interviews of my own which I’ll be posting here in coming days. There are a number of new photos in the online album of these NAFB members at work.
To get a better understanding of what the level of conversation is like in the room I shot a short video clip of it right when things got started.
Roger’s presence was very timely when you consider some of the things going on in Nebraska and in Washington, DC right now that are affecting farming. I spoke with Roger after the luncheon, which was sponsored by the United Soybean Board. He says they want farm broadcasters to join with A-FAN to tell the farm story since there are so many organizations and efforts that are working tear down the industry. I think that’s what all NAFB’ers do so he had a very open audience. We spoke about the use of social media which allowing farmers to tell their own story even though it’s not really their nature to do so. He says that if farmers don’t do it they’ll be in trouble in the future. Roger says he’s learning Facebook now and hopes to tackle Twitter next.
You can listen to my interview with Roger here:
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You can also download the interview with this link (mp3 file).
This afternoon the National Association of Farm Broadcasting is holding an official membership meeting. Broadcast Council members of the organization are required to attend at least one a year to maintain their membership.
Besides discussing NAFB business it’s another opportunity to network with counterparts in the farm broadcasting world. I spoke with NAFB members Ken Root, WHO, and Jeff Nalley, Cromwell Ag Network. I first asked them why they attend. Ken says it’s the best meeting they have to gather news and interact with people in the industry. Jeff says the reality is that “it’s about relationships,” that farmers depend on them to “know” the news and this program helps them do that. They also talk about some of the items on the program like tonight’s dinner remarks from HSUS.
You can listen to my interview with Ken and Jeff here:
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The Fabulous Farm Babe and I spoke about what NAFB is doing in Washington, DC this week just prior to their board meeting. We’re sure here at an interesting time when you consider issues like swine flu, animal rights activism and all the legislative activity that will impact farming in America.
Over the next couple days I’ll be covering the meeting which gets kicked off with a lunch sponsored by the United Soybean Board. Then this afternoon we’ll be talking with representatives of many farm groups at the Issues Forum.
So getting back to Pam Jahnke, seen here in the board meeting that’s taking place as I post this, she tells us about the NAFB Washington Watch program. She says this is a great opportunity for farm broadcasters to get face to face with policy makers and obtain good programming material to take back home. I brought up the “T” word and Pam admits that a lot of people are looking to Twitter these days for information. She’s on Facebook now but still hasn’t created a Twitter account. I’ll be glad to help her with that though.
This week’s program ends with music from the Podsafe Music Network. It’s a song titled, “My Babe”, by The Brymers. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
You can download and listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 217 (13 min MP3)
Or listen to this week’s ZimmCast right now:
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The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired which you can subscribe to using the link in our sidebar. You can also subscribe in iTunes
It is a beautiful day in Washington, DC. Glad to make it finally. The Potomac River was lined with people out biking, walking, boating and having a picnic. I couldn’t resist a short run out on the Mall in front of our Nation’s Capitol.
The WX Channel said 92 degrees when I landed. That’s hotter than I’ve been in since last summer.
I’m ready to meet up with some NAFB peeps to see what all is on everyone’s mind. Swine flu sure popped up on the radar fast. Already lots of rumor floating around and I’ve heard more than one reporter call it a “crisis.” I hate that word.
The National Pork Board has issued a statement about the subject too:
Amid public concern about the reports of swine influenza in humans, the National Pork Board wishes to reassure the public that pork is safe and will continue to be safe to consume. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has posted this statement on its Web site (cdc.org/swineflu):
“Swine influenza viruses are not spread by food. You cannot get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork products is safe.”
The CDC and other health organizations continue to caution that the virus is contagious and is spreading from humans to humans. The CDC has said it has not found any evidence to indicate that any of the illnesses resulted from contact with pigs.
Nonetheless, the National Pork Board is encouraging pork producers to maintain strict biosecurity procedures on their farms.
Hey you NAFB’ers who will be attending the National Association of Farm Broadcasting, Washington Watch. You may know that we’ll have Wayne Pacelle, CEO, HSUS, speaking at dinner on Monday evening. Good thing we have a reception first. I think I’ll need some fortification to listen to his remarks. Maybe it will be entertaining though (in a sick, twisted sort of way).
If you’d like to get a little flavor for just one situation these folks have gotten involved in you might want to check out Amanda’s post, “HSUS In Nebraska” and the comments posted so far. Feel free to weigh in btw.
I’ll be getting in to DC late on Sunday and the program will get started on Monday. Our annual Issues Forum session is that afternoon, where we get to meet with representatives of most of the ag groups with local offices. Then on Tuesday we’re off to USDA where we’ll meet with Secretary Vilsack and other departmental leaders. On Wednesday we’ll meet at the House office building with a list of senators and representatives.
I’m planning to live stream our USDA session which will start at 8:15am. So check in here at that time to get a Washington Watch viewpoint.
And for you tweeters, please remember to use the #NAFB hashtag in your tweets!
Commodity Classic took place in Anaheim, CA. You'll find all of Chuck, Cindy and Joanna's photos here.
Happy Ag Week
It's time to thank our farmers and ranchers for all their hard work to feed us.
In this week's program I interview Linda Tank, CHS, Inc., who is Chair of the Agriculture Council of America, the group coordinating National Ag Day. Learn more about their activities, especially this week in Washington, DC.
The Executive Director of Ag United For South Dakota is Steve Dick, pictured here at the NAFB Washington Watch Issues Forum. 
There are two big issues for corn growers this year in Washington, DC, climate change and higher blends for ethanol. I spoke with two representatives of the National Corn Growers Association at NAFB’s Washington Watch Issues Forum about them.
NCGA’s Jessica Bennett is actively involved in the regulatory issue of increasing the blend level for ethanol allowed in gasoline to 15 percent. “As corn growers, ethanol is top priority for our association,” Bennett said. “We’re quickly approaching a ten percent blend wall of ethanol that can be blended into conventional gasoline and we need to move beyond that.”
Hello and welcome to another ZimmCast. This week I’m going to feature a couple of the interviews I did at last week’s NAFB Washington Watch Issues Forum.
Up first after opening comments is Mark Maslyn, Executive Director, Public Policy, 
Next up in the program is an interview with Ken Hobbie, President/CEO, 
Rick Stearn is chairman of the production committee for the United Soybean Board. He was attending the NAFB Washington Watch Issues Forum. 
When you go to any type of farm meeting you can be pretty sure you’ll be fed well. NAFB’s Washington Watch is no different. This year we all were treated to a fine meal at 
Our host was Founding Farmers General Manager Christian Holmes, pictured with NAFB President Pam Jahnke.
Before we settled down to dinner a few NAFB members got together with Christian for an interview. I recorded it for you. In the interview Christian says the restaurant is the vision of the 
These smiling faces are (l-r) Dennis Nuxoll, Director of Government Relatisons, Jim Baird, Mid-Atlantic States Director and Jennifer Morrill, Director of Media Relations, 
I was interested to see the 
Those of us who have attended a lot of NAFB Washington Watches over the years know that they wouldn’t be anywhere near as beneficial without the help of Larry Quinn, Assistant Director for 
Members of NAFB are hearing from a variety of senators and congressmen this morning in the Longworth House Bldg. First up on the program was Senator Tom Harkin, D-IA.
Julie McPeake, 
Sign up for the long-awaited Average Crop Revenue Election Program, or ACRE, started yesterday on the same day that farm broadcasters from around the nation were in Washington DC for the annual Washington Watch Issues Forum, so naturally it was a hot topic for representatives from the 
Internet access was lacking at the NAFB USDA visit this morning so I couldn’t live stream Sec. Vilsack’s comments as I had intended to do. During last year’s visit you may recall that I live streamed his predecessor which was the first time I had done that on location. But I did record Sec. Vilsack and have the audio available for you here.
The President of the Humane Society of the United States, HSUS, Wayne Pacelle, spoke to the National Association of Farm Broadcasting this evening. I would characterize his comments as a challenge to everyone involved in agriculture and especially animal agriculture. On the one hand he suggested that we should join with them on areas of common agreement but then on the other hand he made it very clear that the world is changing and farmers have to accept it that things are different. Kind of like saying that we have no choice but to succumb to their agenda so why not make it easy. 
After the NAFB business meeting this afternoon it was time for the Issues Forum. This is where various organizations are set up with tables at which their spokespeople are available for interviews on the issues important to their constituents. 
Roger Berry is Field Director for the 
This afternoon the 
So getting back to Pam Jahnke, seen here in the board meeting that’s taking place as I post this, she tells us about the NAFB Washington Watch program. She says this is a great opportunity for farm broadcasters to get face to face with policy makers and obtain good programming material to take back home. I brought up the “T” word and Pam admits that a lot of people are looking to 
It is a beautiful day in Washington, DC. Glad to make it finally. The Potomac River was lined with people out biking, walking, boating and having a picnic. I couldn’t resist a short run out on the Mall in front of our Nation’s Capitol.
Hey you NAFB’ers who will be attending the 
It's time to thank our farmers and ranchers for all their hard work to feed us.
