In an email to readers, members, stakeholders and friends, CLA director Courtney Yuskis wrote that economic conditions forced them to make this difficult decision.

It’s with some sadness that I am writing to you this week. The Country Living Association has decided to discontinue operations effective today.

The content posted on the www.countrylivingassociation.org will remain live until December 2011. We will monitor any comments or discussion; however, effective today, there will be no new CLA Tips, events or other information posted.

Sad news for rural lifestyle fans. Thanks for the memories, CLA!

It’s actually a pretty simple process.  As Christopher Bell, Regional Director with the National FFA Foundation explains all retailers have to do is sign up on Red Brand’s website and for every roll of Red Brand agricultural fencing purchased by a participating retailer $1 is donated to the designated FFA chapter or chapters of their choice.

It’s an easy way to give back and help continue to fund a program that does so much for the future of the agriculture industry.  Also a huge round of applause to Keystone Steel and Wire Co for giving back to a program that does so much (it makes a girl even more proud to be from Central Illinois).  Here’s to a successful 2011 Home Grown Initiative!

>Christopher Bell - National FFA Foundation

So why tweak Cultivate Illinois?  Rutherford says their goal is to give Illinois farmers the opportunity to pay less interest in operating expenses.  He adds along with increasing the amount producers can now borrow – the Illinois Treasurer’s office has made the loan process less cumbersome for lenders and farmers.  By reducing the paperwork and tedious questions they are able to streamline the lending process.

The changes made to Ag Invest are key for Illinois Farmers.  Illinois Farm Bureau President Philip Nelson says, “Farming is a capital intensive industry and having access to capital is important to farmers.” He adds this is a positive step the Illinois is taking to assist its largest industry.

However, this year is going to be different. Thanks to Agriculture Online, buying the perfect gift for that special farmer in your life is as easy as 1-2-3! In their article, Gift-giving guide for farm folks, there are several handy ideas to choose from including: coats, cookbooks, charitable donations, folding chairs, cutting tools, toolboxes, heaters, etc.

You can’t go wrong this Christmas with this handy, dandy gift-giving guide. Check it out! What are you getting your farmer this year?

Today, I’m asking each and every single AgWired reader out there to share their definition of the American cowboy. Leave it in the comments section here, as well as on the article. It’s time we connect with our urban customers once again. It’s time they understand the people behind the products in the grocery stores. It’s time we stand up and speak out before our story gets told by someone else. Remember to share the facts and your personal story to deliver the most effective message. Here is my comment that I left on the website… I hope you’ll take the time to share your story, too.

It’s been said that most Americans are so far removed from American agriculture, they have never even met a farmer/rancher in their lifetimes. However true that may be, I thought I would take this opportunity to introduce myself to the American public as a fifth generation cattle rancher from South Dakota. My name is Amanda Nolz, and my family has been in the cattle business in what seems like forever.

Ranching is a tough profession, especially today, with the increasing price of food, fuel and fiber, and it’s not always easy to earn a living in this career. It’s tough, but necessary work. According to the most recent agriculture census, for every consumer dollar spent on food in the United States, the farmer or rancher only receives 18 cents of that dollar. However, despite the challenges, the people involved in raising food are a passionate group. Over 90% of farms and ranches are family owned and operated, which means that families just like yours are dedicated to raising a safe, affordable wholesome food source that is abundantly available for families across the globe.

For me and my family, we are proud to raise nutritious, delicious beef. It graces our dinner table on most nights. Despite the common misconceptions in the media today about our nation’s food supply, we firmly believe that American farmers and ranchers produce the safest food in the world. Maybe you have never met a cowboy before, but I hope that you will remember people like me that are working hard everyday to fill the center of your dinner plate. We are “cowboys,” and it’s a lifestyle we are dedicated to, no matter how difficult it gets at times.

Amanda Nolz
5th generation cattle rancher
Mitchell, SD

While at the fairs, I took in cattle shows, Century Farm Awards, Beef Cookoffs, speech contests, town hall meetings, carnival food, concerts and more. In the upcoming weeks, I will share all of it with you. So, get ready for a fun recap of my state fair adventures. And, while we’re at it, why don’t you tell me some of your state fair stories? What have you been up to lately? What fairs did you attend, and what did you do while you were there? Can’t wait to hear all about it!

The theme of the 2009 National Farm Safety & Health Week is “Rural Roadway Safety: Alert, Aware, & Alive.” From Monday through Friday, each of Farm Credit’s 20 branch offices selects at least one farm family to provide a lunch meal. The Farm Credit staff serves the lunch wherever the farmers are working that day – whether that is in the field, in the machine shed, or around the kitchen table.

Agriculture continues to rank as one the most dangerous occupations and industries in North America and across the globe. Illinois farm-related deaths increased for the second consecutive year last year. Farm fatalities in the state numbered 33 from July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009 – up from the 29 deaths in 2007-2008. Roadway collisions were the second leading cause of death; tractor rollover is number one. Especially during the long harvest work days, farmers are reminded to take breaks and drink plenty of water to help them stay alert while operating machinery – both in the field and on the public roads.

Anyway, regardless of the very sad and disturbing truth that there are many people out there that have absolutely no clue where their food comes from, I hope this video gives you a laugh this afternoon!

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), there are two times as many farmers over 65 as under 35 in the United States today. In addition, it is estimated that one-quarter of the nation’s farms will change hands in the next decade. Yet, it’s a rare occasion for a young person to return to production agriculture, which is why a young person like Seth Zilverberg is making the news. Seth is a fellow Limousin breeder, and I recently chatted with him and his mother about his move back to his family’s cattle operation. Here is what his mom, Peg, has to say about young people in production agriculture.

We are so proud of Seth and happy to have him home. I wish there were more young people returning home to production agriculture, and I think it’s so disappointing to know that more often than not, these kids are encouraged to pursue outside opportunities. So many people told Seth he was ‘too smart’ to return home to the farm, and I think that’s the biggest mistake of all.

So, who are the future of food producers? Where is the next generation going? How can we help beginning farmers? What’s your story? Do you come from a farm background? How many generations of agriculturalists are in your family? What are your plans for the future? Inquiring minds want to know?

Featured speaker will be Matt Sutton-Vermeulen, nationally known for working with leaders in the community and agricultural industry to help them reach out to the community with factual information about animal agriculture. If you’re in the area, this workshop sounds like a valuable resource for spokesperson training.

Sutton-Vermeulen will focus on the myths and misinformation from animal rights groups that are out of touch with today’s agriculture and putting our food supply at risk. He is well-know for working with non-governmental groups to help them become animal agriculture activists.

The June 19 workshop is open to all interested people who want to be spokespersons for animal agriculture and its importance to our country. Threats are coming from the Humane Society of the United States that they are coming to Ohio with a program to restrict sound, approved livestock practices. Such restrictions, if imposed, would reduce our food supply and increase the cost.

Registration for the workshop can be done by calling the Northeast Farm Bureau Office at 800-410-4613 by June 15. Registration is free if made by June 15 and $30 after that date. Westwood Park is located at 9465 Kinsman Road, state Route 87, in Russell Township, Geauga County.

For more information, link to John Parker’s article at Trib Today.

Miss America had some awesome experiences in 4-H as a kid, spending every summer in the performing arts and creative dramatics program and visiting 4-H friends and family at the Jackson Co. Fair. Stam credits her 4-H experiences to her values in leadership, mentorship and community service. As an American starlet, Stam could use her crown and her platform to transform the way young people think about giving back to the communities and the power of 4-H.

Stam is currently being considered for Time Magazine’s annual 100 Most Influential People List. The annual list asks the public to rate each candidate on his or her influence on the world. Those recognized fall in one of five categories: Leaders & Revolutionaries, Builders & Titans, Artists & Entertainers, Scientists & Thinkers, and Heroes & Icons. Within each category, the 20 most influential people are selected, for a grand total of 100 each year. If you think Stam deserves your vote, visit TIME. Voting ends April 28

As a past 4-H member, I’m so proud of Katie Stam, the 2009 Miss America, for her strong background in 4-H, local communities and agriculture. Stam will undoubtedly make a huge impact during her year of service in representing America.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the most radical animal “rights” and anti-hunting organization in the country, has been quietly trying to get Carrie Underwood voted Entertainer of the Year via the Academy of Country Music. The problem is, a large percentage of country music fans are also gun owners and hunters who do not like Carrie Underwood’s active support for HSUS. And HSUS knows it.

Underwood and American Idol have already listed HSUS as a beneficiary of the proceeds of one of her songs and now HSUS is enlisting their radical animal rights supporters to vote for her in the Entertainer of the Year contest. But they are trying to keep it quiet. In an e-mail sent out to supporters by Kathy Bauch, the HSUS Senior Director for Corporate Relations & Promotions, she asked people to vote for Underwood, but added, “Feel free to distribute this to friends and family, but please don’t post to lists, twitter, etc.–anything that would identify that HSUS is urging people to vote for her, or it could just breathe life into the opposition.”

Oops, too late! Perhaps someone should tell the folks at HSUS that e-mails are not exactly the most secure way of communicating their “secret” agendas. Country music fans who do not appreciate Underwood’s support for HSUS should go and vote for an entertainer who shares their values and supports America’s hunting heritage. Please share this with every meat-eating, freedom loving American you know and then VOTE!!!

The first one is from NPR, “Stimulus Stirs Debate Over Rural Broadband Access.” In it they quote former FCC Economist, Michael Katz. He’s obviously a city boy who doesn’t have a clue. Here’s an example of what I mean.

But he also spoke of rural places as environmentally hostile, energy inefficient and even weak in innovation, simply because rural people are spread out across the landscape.

Dude, could you possibly show more of your arrogance and ignorance? Fortunately this is a pretty well-balanced story as the following shows.

Rural advocates say high-speed access is a necessity in a global economy, and a critical part of economic revival and survival for rural places. Obama agreed during his campaign for president. His rural platform included this plank:

“Barack Obama will ensure that our rural Americans have access to modern communications infrastructure. He will … [promote] affordable broadband coverage across rural America as well.”

Let’s hope he keeps that pledge.

Then there’s another story pointed to in this article which is on the Daily Yonder titled, “Broadband Connection Highs and Lows Across Rural America.” The article pulls data from the Census of Agriculture and PEW Internet surveys. We’ve pointed to them before but this article has some nice charts and summaries of the data like the following.

Over 2.2 million farms were included in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Census, which is conducted every five years. In 2002, the Census found that half the farms in the country were connected to the Internet in some way (broadband or dial-up). By 2007, the percentage of farms with some kind of Internet connection inched up to 56.5%.

However, only 33% of farms in 2007 had broadband connections.

In a chart showing internet and broadband percentage for farmers by state it was interesting to see that Connecticut had the highest percentage of farmers with broadband and Mississippi had the lowest. We need to get some of that broadband stimulus money going in the deep south!

I know that a lot of AgWired fans are pro photographers themselves or at least have a real interest in taking pictures so I hope you’ll really enjoy getting to know Russell and listening to our conversation about his work. Russell also teaches high school ag technology classes. He has a passion for his home state and looks at his work as a way to chronicle the rural lifestyle he grew up in so that current and future generations will still be able to enjoy it captured in pictures. If you take time to look through his pictures I’m sure you’ll see many that will make you think, “I’ve seen that same picture before (in your own life).” He could probably live anywhere he wants but he chooses to raise his children in a country environment and I applaud him for that decision.

Russell and I talk about equipment, software, work flow and why we love what we do and do what we love. I think this is a great conversation and I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for listening.

You can download and listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 206 (35 min MP3)

Or listen to this week’s ZimmCast right now:

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

“Country Connections” is affordable and effective. The program combines monthly e-mails and direct mail pieces to help local dealers and representatives promote events, special offers and promotions, pricing incentives and more to Country Living Association members in their area.

One of the interesting things I heard was the high level of importance that rural lifestylers’ place on new media. Very interesting. I asked Courtney to tell us some of the things they found out besides this. She says that this group is being hit with a lot of messages from lots of different types of companies and that suggests to me that there may be some real opportunities for companies to do some co-promotions.

You can hear more about the survey in my interview with Courtney here:

If you’d like to purchase the full survey, contact Susan at Market Directions.

NAMA/NAFB Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the NAMA Trends in Agriculture/NAFB Convention is being sponsored by:

.

At the NAMA Trends In Agriculture conference I learned about “Idyllic Lifestyle Seekers” from Dan Duffy, CEO, United Country Real Estate. He was on the program to talk about how they’re marketing to those you like to live a rural lifestyle. I’ve never heard them referred to as that but it works for me.

Dan says the term they use to describe this market came from research they conducted after he started working with the company.

He says that their job at United Country Real Estate is to help people make the transition to the rural lifestyle.

You can download and listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 195 (8 min MP3)

Or listen to this week’s ZimmCast right now:

NAMA/NAFB Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the NAMA Trends in Agriculture/NAFB Convention is being sponsored by:

.

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

The Marketing Director for John Deere Commercial and Consumer Equipment is Dennis Docherty. He says that the ruralpolitans have a strong desire to re-connect with the land and try to bring back a lifestyle that was very common decades ago. He views their dealer organization as the primary tool to communicate with people in this market category.

While I talked with him he told an interesting anecdote about visiting with their Ocala, FL dealer who met a gentleman from the west coast who wanted to move to the country locally and approached him to ask his advice, including walking the property with him even before he bought it. He uses this as an example of how important the local dealer is, who often gets very involved in their community. I also thought it was interesting how important being in touch with local real estate agents is.

Dennis says the internet is very important since these are people who are searching for information online. He says you really have to develop a network that includes your local retail partners, the media and having a good internet presence.

P. Allen Smith is “an award-winning garden designer and host of the public television program, P. Allen Smith’s Garden Home and the syndicated 30-minute show P. Allen Smith Gardens. He has emerged as America’s most recognized and respected garden design expert, providing ideas and inspiration through multiple media venues.”

He confirms that the ruralpolitan “longs to be on the land whether that’s 3 or 300 acres.” He says education is the key to this market and that organizations should make sure they’re providing opportunities for it. He lives the lifestyle himself and has his studios on his farm. He says, “My farm is my golf.” He does have a relationship with John Deere and uses a lot of their equipment. When he designed his gardens he made sure he had “Gator-sized paths.” For advice he says, “Listen to your customers” and he polls his audience 5 to 6 times a year.

The program this week ends with music from the Podsafe Music Network. This one is called “Gator Bait” from Robb McMahan. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.

You can download and listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 191 (22 min MP3)

Or listen to this week’s ZimmCast right now:

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