Here’s the Happy St. Patty’s Day crew of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. I visited today and really appreciate them ordering up a beautiful sunny day for my drive.
The photo was actually taken yesterday and I talked Jennifer out of it.
Pictured are Stacia Cudd, Mark Vail, Susan Tally and Jennifer Saylor (not picture is Rose Marie Lawrence). They’re busy since Mark is the new boss and he’s asking lots of questions. As any new boss should.
Members of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting got together for their traditional Commodity Classic photo this evening during the media reception that was sponsored by New Holland.
Our good buddy Gene Hemphill, New Holland, was on hand as we welcomed new Executive Director for NAFB, Mark Vail, who is in his first week on the job.
More photos have been added to our photo album so check them out and keep stopping by as we add even more.
AgWired coverage of the 2010 Commodity Classic
is sponsored by: 
and 
Starting March 1, the National Association of Farm Broadcasting will have a new Executive Director. He’s Mark Vail and many of you know him from his career in farm broadcasting both on the microphone and in management. In fact, Mark was just serving again on the NAFB board! So they’ve got a new staff leader with strong roots in the business and experience at all levels. Makes sense to me.
I spoke with Mark about his career move this morning and you can listen in to our conversation in this week’s program. Mark says he really looks forward to continuing to work on behalf of two of his favorite industries, agriculture and broadcasting. He’s going to walk the talk, at least that’s his goal. Mark says that the changes in communications technology along with the globalization of agriculture present some challenges for NAFB but he wants the relationship between farm broadcasting and agriculture, especially in the area of marketing to remain strong.
Thanks to our ZimmCast sponsors, Novus International, and Leica Geosytems for their support.
You can listen to this week’s ZimmCast below.
The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired. Subscribe so you can listen when and where you want. Just go to our a Subscribe page.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
I’d like to congratulate Mark Vail in his new position of Executive Director for the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. NAFB just made the announcement this morning.
Vail brings with him 34 years of experience in the broadcast arena, encompassing a variety of positions including farm broadcaster, general manager and director of operations.
“I’m very excited to have Mark on board as our executive director,” said Greg Akagi, NAFB president. “Mark has truly done it all for NAFB, and his knowledge and experience will give the organization a strong voice for many years to come.”
For the past 19 years Vail has worked for Eagle Communications, Hays, Kan., in various capacities, during which he was executive producer and co-creator of the national ag show AgriTalk. Since 1998, he has served as vice president of radio for the employee-owned company.
“It is an honor to be selected as the executive director of NAFB. I look forward to working with the board and the many dedicated industry leaders as we build on a strong foundation established by generations of legacy farm broadcasters and innovative agricultural and rural partners,” Vail said. “The association has a solid strategic plan in place, and I am confident the membership will continue to use the plan as a guide for continued growth in a very dynamic media environment.”
Veteran farm broadcaster Milt Bliss received his heavenly reward this week on January 27 – 100 years and 6 days old, bless his soul.
Milt’s century mark was recognized by Willard Scott on the Today show last week and he received numerous birthday wishes from friends around the world. Milt was inducted into the NAFB Hall of Fame in 1994 after a career in agricultural communications that spanned six decades.
You can find out more about Milt’s long and accomplished life, arrangements for his funeral and visitation, and even send condolences to the family on-line here.
Weeds are still the number one enemy of growers, costing some $95 billion a year in lost global food production. But this new year brings a new herbicide technology that kicks weed control up to a whole new level.
BASF Kixor herbicide technology was approved for use just as the 2009 season was coming to an end, so growers can plan now to identify their weed control challenges and modify their weed control program for cleaner fields in 2010.
Dr. Dan Westberg is the Kixor Man at BASF and I talked to him back in November at the NAFB Trade Talk but have been saving that interview for the new year since the harvest was running so late. There is still some corn left in the fields, but most growers can now start thinking seriously about the 2010 season with 2009 behind them. Dr. Dan says Kixor-powered products offer growers a chance for a clean start in 2010. “Start clean next spring, making sure they get excellent burndown of any emerged broadleaf weeds, particularly glyphosate-resistant marestail,” Dan said. “Because if you are in soybeans and you do not get control of glyphosate-resistant marestail in your pre-plant burndown, your solutions for an in-crop application are really limited.”
BASF has four new products powered by Kixor technology – Integrity for corn, Optill for soybeans, Sharpen for both corn and soybeans as well as a number of other crops, and Treevix for fruit and nut tree crops.
Listen to my interview with Dr. Dan here:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
This pioneer farm broadcaster will be celebrating his 100th birthday on January 21.
Milton E. Bliss was inducted into the NAFB Hall of Fame in 1994, the same year that Dix Harper took this photo of him. Milt’s career in radio dates back to the early 1930’s when he took a job at WHA in Madison, Wisconsin to help work his way through the University of Wisconsin. He later joined NBC in Chicago as producer of the “National Farm and Home Hour.” He also started radio and television programs on WFIL in Philadelphia. After that, Milt traveled extensively as a member of the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization, serving in Brazil, Rome, Saudi Arabia and India helping to develop farm broadcasting in other countries.
Congratulatory letters and greetings are being compiled in a keepsake book for him and can be sent to:
Jennifer Guenther
7530 Roosevelt Road
Hartford, WI 53027-9730
Or you may send him a message directly:
Milton E. Bliss
N1324 Highway O
Hartford, WI 53027
I learned what’s new with Syngenta Seeds from Wayne Fithian at the recent NAFB Trade Talk. He says that because of biotechnology the pace of new products is becoming more rapid. According to Wayne, they’re in the final stages of regulatory approval of their Agrisure Viptera for corn which they hope to have available for planting in 2010. Following that they’ll have “water optimization” which is an improved drought tolerance trait. And the list goes on and on.
You can listen to my interview with Wayne below:
See NAFB and NAMA Trends photos here.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
To tell us what’s new with John Deere I spoke to Matthew Arnold, Sr. Marketing Representative. Matthew was attending the NAFB Trade Talk to discuss the new 8R and 8RT tractors. These tractors range in horsepower from 225 to 345 with larger cabs and more fuel efficient engines. They also have a new suspension system on the 8RT Track models.
The new tractors were introduced to dealers in August and Matthew says the response has been great. The new cab is a feature that has really caught people’s attention since with the redesign the operator can swivel in the seat and have all the tractor’s command controls move with him.
You can listen to my interview with Matthew below:
See more NAFB and NAMA Trends photos here.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
What’s new with Alltech? That’s a good question and one I posed to Billy Frey at the NAFB Alltech Trade Talk booth recently.
According to Billy one of the things this year is the fact that crops are still in the fields and that means a greater chance of molds and mycotoxins. He says that one of their core competencies is being able to understand how they will affect feed and animal nutrition. He says they’ll continue doing new research, especially since they have their new Nutrigenomics Center. They have a number of new products in the pipeline.
I asked him how the World Equestrian Games are going since Alltech is the sponsor of the games in 2010. He says almost 200,000 tickets have already been sold and it’s going to be a great place for promoting the brand.
You can listen to my interview with Billy below:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The National Association of Farm Broadcasting recently released its latest Internet Usage Study. Cindy spoke with Ted Haller at their convention and I thought I’d have a chat with him about it too since the organization sent our a release on it last week. You can download a pdf with some of the key findings of the study on their website (pdf).
The survey explores producer activity and preferences in accessing the Internet for agricultural business information, as well as use of texting and social media. Specific to broadcaster interests, it also probes interest in e-newsletters and the preferred content of agribusiness-focused Web sites.
Among key findings noted by Haller in the new research:
Agribusiness marketers and agencies interested in specific demographic detail or a customized presentation should contact Ted Haller at teddymedia@live.com. Association member broadcast organizations interested in learning more about how the NAFB Internet Usage Study© may benefit their cross-media programming strategies and local business development can contact Mike Parry at mike@nafb.com.
As you’ll hear Ted say in our conversation, traditional media options like radio will not go away. However, the use of the internet by farmers will only continue to grow and these numbers are proof of that. He also describes how useful the internet is now to companies with a limited budget and those who have a “big budget” and are now spreading it across more media options.
Thanks to AgWired Sponsor, Fluidigm, for their support of the ZimmCast.
You can listen to this week’s ZimmCast below.
The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired. Subscribe so you can listen when and where you want. Just go to our a Subscribe page.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Novus International is new to the beef market and at the NAFB Trade Talk session their focus was on preparing for winter feeding and early spring calving. With them to talk about research he’s done on their products was Dr. Monty Kerley, University of Missouri.
Dr. Kerley says that he’s had a special interest in “strategic supplementation” which means putting the nutrients the animals need with the forage they’re consuming to maximize performance, increase average daily gain and enhance reproductive development and to do it with less feed. With Novus he says they’ve focused on bypass methionine products. He says that these products help the sustainability of beef producers by increasing their bottom line while making for efficient use of resources. In my interview with him he also discusses some of his latest research.
You can listen to my interview with Dr. Kerley below:
See more NAFB and NAMA Trends photos here.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
In this holiday shortened week the ZimmCast will feature two interviews I conducted at the recent NAFB convention to find out what’s new in the world of agribusiness from Trimble and Pioneer Hi-Bred.
I interviewed George Huber, Trimble, who talks about virtual reference stations and “the connected farm.” He says this allows you to get data to and from your vehicle while it’s working in the field. I also interviewed Jeff Schussler, Pioneer Hi-Bred, who talks about the work the company is doing with drought tolerance in corn.
Thanks to AgWired Sponsor, Fluidigm, for their support of the ZimmCast.
You can listen to this week’s ZimmCast below.
The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired. Subscribe so you can listen when and where you want. Just go to our a Subscribe page.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Here is the perfect present for that tractor lover on your list – the 2009 NAFB Foundation Farmall Super M model tractor by Joe Ertl.
Ertl has personally autographed each of the numbered Farmall Super M 1/16 scale toy tractors for NAFB. To make it even more special for the organization, Joe designed and mounted a replica of a tractor radio. Best of all, your gift will also help to support future farm broadcasters. What more could you ask?
Only 200 of these tractors have been produced to benefit the NAFB Foundation. Numbers 1-5 were auctioned live during the Foundation Auction and Reception at the NAFB Convention – one of which was purchased by Monsanto’s Tami Craig Shilling, pictured here with Lyle Orwig of Charleston-Orwig (who also bought one, if I remember correctly.)
Numbers 6-200 are now available, just in time for Christmas, for just $80 plus shipping and handling – and you can even charge it! Place your order by Friday, December 11 to ensure delivery before December 24.
Don’t delay, order today – operators are standing by…. all you have to do is go to the website!
Just a couple of weeks ago, former NAFB president Ken Root was grinning from ear to ear as he accepted the coveted Farm Broadcaster of the Year award from the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. This week, he was unceremoniously let go by a company that has a reputation for not appreciating the work of talented and respected farm broadcasters. But Ken is still smiling!
On his Facebook page, Ken wrote: I’m in the unemployment line! Clear Channel terminated my employment yesterday afternoon. I finished my reports, packed my belongings under supervision and toured the building shaking hands with my former co-workers. I am greatly relieved and moving on.
This is not the first time that Clear Channel has terminated a highly respected farm broadcaster. While the company owns several properties – both networks and stations – that serve the agricultural community, they just don’t seem to understand the importance of that. Ken is a wonderful person, a fabulous on-air talent, and a great farm broadcaster. His audience in the WHO listening area is the loser here because he not only informed, but entertained – and not just farmers, but the general public as well.
Best of luck, Ken. You are an original and one of the very best in the business.
The Vice President of the National Pork Board is Gene Nemecheck. I met him at the NAFB Trade Talk session in Kansas City, MO. Gene is a veterinarian with Tyson.
I asked him “What’s new with the Pork Board?” and he says that the swine genomic project just recently reached completion. He says that after years of work by a team of international researchers, the genetic code for domestic swine was uncovered. That should lead to a host of new insights in agriculture, medicine, conservation and evolution.
Or course I had to ask about the impact of H1N1. He says he just wants people to know that pork products are safe to eat and they’re nutritious. Looking forward he says the Pork Checkoff has benefited producers greatly and points to the Pork Quality Assurance Program in particular.
You can listen to my interview with Gene below:
See more NAFB and NAMA Trends photos here.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Tom Dean is the Marketing Manager for high horsepower tractors at Case IH (seen here in his NAFB Trade Talk booth). He says those are classified as 100+ horsepower. He says what’s new is the Magnum CVT Line. CVT stands for Continuously Variable Transmission. He says the tractors are just now shipping this month.
They’re very simple to operate for any hired hand and very efficient. He says there are several models available in time for spring planting.
You can listen to my interview with Tom below:
See more NAFB and NAMA Trends photos here.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
This is Chip Foose on a John Deere 4020 that he’s getting ready to customize. The tractor is the focal point of a new giveaway and purchase incentive program the company is offering in 2010. They’re calling it the Big Buck Sales Event.
I got a preview of what it’s all about at the recent NAFB Convention from Barry Nelson, Manager, Media Relations John Deere Ag and Turf Division. He explains that the company started building the 4020 in 1963 and stopped in 1972. 170,000 tractors were built. So, Deere partnered with Chip Foose to do his thing with the tractor and it will be given away next year.
Potential customers can register to win this vintage workhorse tractor from John Deere, or one of three John Deere Gators, by completing a registration form at their local John Deere dealership by June 30, 2010. No purchase or other obligation is required.
Barry says the finished custom tractor will be highlighted at several trade shows and John Deere events planned for the first half of 2010, including stops on the continuation of the Drive Green Utility Tractor Show. Winners of the tractor and Gators will be announced in July.
In addition to the giveaways he says John Deere is offering significant financial incentives on its 20-166 horsepower utility tractors from November 2, 2009, to February 1, 2010. “Customers can get cash discounts from $500 to $4,000, depending on the tractor and equipment packages they purchase, or zero percent financing,” Nelson explains.
You can listen to my interview with Barry below.
See more NAFB and NAMA Trends photos here.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The American Farm Bureau Federation is pleased with a decision by Senate leadership last week to delay consideration of climate change legislation until the spring of 2010.
I talked with AFBF president Bob Stallman about that legislation and a number of other issues affecting agriculture during the recent National Association of Farm Broadcasting annual meeting. Stallman says they opposed the climate change bill that was passed by the House, despite provisions included that were beneficial to agriculture. “That bill we believe will downsize American agriculture by at least 20 percent,” he said. “Long term it reduces our ability to produce food.” Stallman says they disagree with USDA’s projections that climate change legislation will help agriculture. “We’re still asking USDA to explain how they come up with those numbers and we’re not getting an answer to that yet.” Stallman also comments on indirect land use change and health care, all issues that will likely be topics of discussion at the AFBF 91st annual meeting coming up January 10-13 in Seattle.
Stallman also comments on the importance of social media use for Farm Bureau and farmers in general. “These are new communications tools that are being rapidly adopted by society and we have to communicate with society. Even I have a Facebook page now!”
Listen to my interview with Bob here.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Farm Foundation is a 76 year old organization for agriculture that never stops looking ahead.
Last month’s Farm Foundation “30-Year Policy Conference” drew agribusiness leaders, government officials, and other interested parties. “Because 30 years from now, we’re going to be looking at over 9 billion people on the planet and with rising incomes, people begin to eat more meat and a more varied diet and that means that agriculture has to deliver more,” says Farm Foundation President Neil Conklin. “As we deal with how to make the best use of our increasingly scarce natural resources to produce food, feed fiber, fuel – and even flowers – we need to be sure that we are thinking about policies that will help us in that environment, not the environment we have lived in for the last 30 years.”
Farm Foundation sponsors regular forums on timely policy issues important to agriculture, normally held at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. This month, the topic was “Research Perspectives on Carbon and Climate Change Issues.” Coming up on December 8, they will discuss “The Economics of Structural Change and Competition in the Food System.” Find out more about past and upcoming forums here on the Farm Foundation website.
Neil is pictured here at the recent NAFB Trade Talk with ag economist Barry Flinchbaugh who serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees of Farm Foundation. Listen to my interview with Neil here:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
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.
