There’s a new sheriff in town. Sheriff Barry Nelson, John Deere. He wants you to love his Chip Foose 4020 and that’s an order son.
It’s a 1970 John Deere 4020. The tractor will be given away to one winner as part of the John Deere Big Buck Promotion. You may find rules to enter on the John Deere website.
The mild mannered public relations coordinator by day job, turned into one mean enforcement machine at Commodity Classic. He was guarding the Chip Foose designed 4020 model tractor along with sidekick, Deputy Kelly Schwalbe (left). They made sure no one took a peek under the veil over this promotional machine. I can tell you I wasn’t about to try!
So after the unveiling which you can still watch in the video clip below, I spoke to Sheriff Barry about the promotion and what the plans are. Barry says they entered into a partnership with Chip Foose to take an old 4020 tractor and put his special brand of design work on it. People can go to their local John Deere dealer to enter to win the tractor and it will also be part of this year’s Drive Green event. Barry says the project came out of a brainstorming session and a willingness on Chip’s part to do the work.
The Pioneer exhibit at Commodity Classic got lots of attention from pancake lovers with the Pioneer corporate chefs demonstrating the versatility of soybean oil for cooking.
I stopped by and happened to catch Adam Moore flipping flapjacks on the griddle and later was able to do a video interview with Chef Charlie Baggs who showed off the dishes they were making for the trade show crowd, including Chicken Marsala and a sweet Romaine and cranberry salad with feta cheese and a soy oil/mustard vinagrette dressing. Charlie is president and founder of Charlie Baggs, Inc., and he and his Chicago-based staff travel around the country doing this kind of gig for Pioneer and other corporate clients. Seems like a pretty sweet job!
There is a rare treasure nestled in the heart of the Ozarks in Southern Missouri – a college that offers students a degree in hard work.
I’ve lived in Missouri for 18 years but never knew about the College of the Ozarks until this week when I joined the Missouri Beef Industry Council (MBIC) for a luncheon and tour at the school located just south of Branson in a picturesque spot called Point Lookout. It was originally founded as a Presbyterian high school in 1906 and today is a Christian-based four year liberal arts college with 1500 students who pay their tuition by working 15 hours a week on campus and two 40 hour work weeks at the end of each semester. Students are chosen on the basis of financial need as well as academics and only about 1 in 7 who apply each year actually get the opportunity to attend.
The college offers 48 different degrees, including culinary arts, hotel and restaurant management, agribusiness, animal science, and ag education. There are about 125 students majoring in some area of agriculture there, but the school offers amazing hands-on experience for them, including hog, dairy and beef operations, a meat processing facility and a feed mill. They also have a beautiful center that is open to the public which features fine dining, historic lodging, meeting rooms, and more. During the 2008 presidential campaign, candidate Sarah Palin chose to visit the college as one of her stops in Missouri.
You can find out more about the college by listening to the MBIC podcast here or in the player below the video. And you can see all the photos from the tour online in this Flickr photo album.
One of the highlights of the tour was a culinary demonstration and gourmet lunch prepared by college Chef Robert Stricklin. The menu included Cranberry Cinnamon Biscuits, Pear and Feta Cheese salad with Baby Greens, Braised Short Rib Shank with roasted vegetables and rosemary jus, Black Walnut Coffee Toffee Ice Cream made by the students – and everything was fabulous! Chef Stricklin made his five star gourmet entree look amazingly easy to prepare in his short demonstration, which you can view below:
Last week John Deere unveiled a very unique promotional tractor designed by Chip Foose.
It’s a 1970 John Deere 4020. The tractor will be given away to one winner as part of the John Deere Big Buck Promotion. You may find rules to enter on the John Deere website.
I interviewed Chip right after the unveiling. He talks about how he got into automobile design and this project in particular. You can listen to that interview below.
You can find out more details about the project by reading the post about the unveiling on our Precision Pays website.
I also shot the unveiling so you can watch it as well. As of this writing it has been viewed 3,134 times.
Precision is the name of the game when it comes to farming these days. It’s getting hard to find a farmer anymore who doesn’t use auto steer at the very least – and the options to save resources, time and money just keep growing.
At the New Holland exhibit at Commodity Classic, I talked to Matt Ahrens about some of the products they offer for growers and a program they have that can help farmers see exactly how they can benefit from using different types of precision solutions on their own operations. “We have a website – PutYourFarmOnTheMap – and on that website we have a cost savings calculator and you can go in and put your input costs on their, how much fuel usage per acre depending on implement width, and you can see what kind of savings you can get,” Matt said. “The good thing with that is that it’s their numbers, their input costs, so they get to see what their savings are.”
Matt also demonstrates the new AgGPS® FM-1000™ integrated display working with the Trimble Field-IQ in the video below. You can find out more about New Holland’s product line-up and more on the website PutYourFarmOnTheMap.com. We offer our sincere thanks to New Holland for helping to sponsor our coverage from Commodity Classic here on Agwired!
The Commodity Classic Trade Show kicked off today and Cindy was there with a camera. Watch the ribbon cutting and start to the show which is where we’ve spent a lot of time this afternoon.
David Roehm and his lovely wife Sue of Leesburg, Ohio are the grand prize winners of the 2009 SOY Challenge Program. David was on the program for the BASF Science Behind Soybeans seminar for the media Wednesday at the 2010 Commodity Classic in Anaheim and he gave Sue plenty of credit as his partner for their achievement in the 2009 Secure Optimal Yield (SOY) Challenge, sponsored by the American Soybean Association and BASF Crop Protection.
In the challenge, they used a couple of BASF products – Scepter and Headline – and did a side by side yield comparison on several different varieties beans. “We did come up with a yield bump, about four bushels better in every case, pays for the application – especially with $10 beans,” David told me. “I think the economics were especially good in 2009, as well as the pressures with the added rain and moisture we had.”
As winners of the challenge, the Roehms got a new Dodge truck, but as an added benefit, they also got a new kitchen.
Since Sue takes care of the bookkeeping on the Roehm farm and she admits to being a little skeptical when they entered the challenge because of the additional upfront cost involved. “With the chemicals, that’s a very big portion of our budget for farming,” Sue said. One of those additional costs was for Headline, which increases plant health. “And by increasing the plant health, you hopefully get a better yield – and it was through that better yield that I got to remodel my kitchen!”
Listen to or download back to back interviews with the Roehms in the player at the bottom. And watch a video of David’s presentation at “The Science Behind Soybeans” below.
Attendees to the 2010 Agricultural Relations Council in Memphis, TN, toured a local ADM barge and elevator loading operation. Here’s a short segment of Q&A with the group during our tour. It was very well done and I think we learned a lot. For example, the tour guide said they were unloading up to 300 trucks per day during last season.
The new watchdog project on the tail of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is really showing a bite that matches its bark.
The Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) just launched HumaneWatch.org earlier this week to expose the agenda and activities of HSUS. It includes a sharp-toothed blog written by CCF’s Director of Research David Martosko, as well as a document library and database tracking the organizations related to the HSUS financial empire. They also have a Facebook page with nearly 2,000 fans so far this week. You can tell it’s already ruffling some feathers.
Speaking of ruffled feathers, it appears the backlash against [yellow tail] wine for its donation to HSUS finally hit the mark. John Casella, managing director of Yellow Tail’s parent company Casella Wines, gave a statement to ABC News this week that said the company will only make contributions to animal groups “without lobbying interests” in the future.
Mr. Casella says he never anticipated any negative criticism of the donation and the intention of the partnership with the HSUS was to celebrate and save animals.
“Being farmers ourselves, we acknowledge those who care for their land and their environment, just as we do,” he said. “We are proud of our rural heritage and value a solid relationship with agricultural communities around the world.”
The company also sent a letter today to the American Agriculture Alliance seeking to mend fences with farmers and ranchers. Meanwhile, Yellow Tail has also apparently taken down all the negative comments about the donation on their Facebook page, but there are still some great videos out there expressing discontent. Check out this one that really hits the mark, produced by Nebraska corn growers.
Here at the U.S. Grains Council International Marketing Conference n this morning’s general session we had a panel discussion on trade with Mexico. In the discussion attendees were able to ask questions and answers. In fact, it was mostly a Q&A session. Allan Mustard, Minister Counselor, Office of Agricultural Affairs, US Embassy, Mexico City, introduced our panel.
Our panelists and their specialties included:
Enrique Dominguez (Director – pork producers confederation)
Discussion topic
-Excessive exports of pork into Mexico (why and what is causing in terms of jobs and capital loss)
-How long will that tendency last and what effects will result (everybody is asking this question)
-What can be done from a regional point of view (north America, NAFTA to correct this issue)
Ricardo Calderon (Executive Director APPAMEX – grain traders association)
Discussion topic
-Integration of the market MEX-USA, trends and role of different actors.
-Obstacles that can disrupt trade (which ones can be prevented)
-Future of grain trade MEX-USA
-How to keep free flow of feed grains
Carlos Lopez Coello (Scientist UNAM – National University of Mexico poultry specialist)
Discussion topic
There are 5 areas in developed countries where commercial poultry has received special attention, attributed in large part by consumer demand
1. Animal Welfare.
2. Environment Conservation.
3. Food Safety.
4. Traceability.
5. Animal and Human Health.
You can watch or listen to the Mexican trade panel. I recorded our live feed.
We’re going to be broadcasting the final general session from the U.S. Grains Council Marketing Conference.
Post Update We were live. Now we’re recorded.
The Chairman for the U.S. Grains Council is Rick Fruth. Rich took the stage today to speak to attendees of the International Marketing Conference and Membership Meeting. I have recorded his comments for you in video and audio. I also spoke with him during a break to see what he considers the challenges and opportunities for the U.S. Grains Council.
You can watch or listen to Rick’s comments here:
You can also download (mp3) and listen to Ricks’s remarks here:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 6 or above) is required to play this audio clip. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
You can also download (mp3) and listen to an interview I conducted with Rick here:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 6 or above) is required to play this audio clip. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
While I’m attending the Grains Council Conference, Cindy and Carly are covering the National Ethanol Conference. They’re broadcasting the opening general session live right now. Afterward we’ll be posting a recording of it for you you to view at your leisure.
*Post update*
Below is the recorded video of the opening general session which includes comments from Renewable Fuels Association chairman Chris Standlee, President and CEO Bob Dinneen and part of the first session on the RFS2.
The Hon. Carole L. Brookins, Managing Director of Public Capital Advisors, LLC, gave the keynote speech at 7th International Marketing Conference in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Her presentation is filled with facts, figures and her personal outlook on the future. She brought the group a unique perspective about how we may not agree with a lot of what is happening on issues like climate change but there are considerations that we should be making that include ways to profit in spite of them.
She summarizes challenges facing the industry that include energy security movements, groups pushing consumers to a vegetarian diet, consumer perception that food is bad and more. So from one of her slides she offered the following:
Where Do We Go From Here?
• Re‐balancing the global axis of power and markets
• Re‐inventing energy and technology that Runs our world
• Restructuring production and markets for the food we eat, where we produce it, who controls it and how it is traded.
Both Your Risk and Reward will be Multiplied. Your Complexity of Choices and Competition will be Magnified.
This morning we streamed the opening general session of the U.S. Grains Council International Marketing Conference and Membership Meeting. I did it in two parts. In this first one you can listen to USGC Chairman Rick Fruth welcome attendees and introduce President/CEO Tom Dorr. Tom proceeded to make remarks about the purpose of the conference and posed questions the group will need to answer over the next several days.
One of the great things about the National Farm Machinery Show here in Louisville, Kentucky is that it is held in conjunction with the Championship Tractor Pull … the largest, oldest and most prestigious indoor tractor pull, according to Corinne Fetter, Director of Expositions for the Kentucky State Fair Board.
I sat down with Corinne to talk a bit about the tractor pull and its association with NFMS.
“This is the 42nd year for the tractor pull and the 45th year for the National Farm Machinery Show, and so the two have worked together for quite a while now. And we feel they complement each other rather well.”
She says for the men and women who compete in the tractor pull that it is truly a labor of love, that takes a lot of time, effort and money to get the kind of performance and down-to-your-toes rumble and roar that these machines produce.
But she also credits the crews who get the track ready to give the pullers a world class area to put their machines through their paces. And she says none of this would be possible without the fans.
“For some of them, this is their vacation every year. And I can tell you, there are plenty of red fans, and there are plenty of green fans.”
You can see a short clip of a few of the pulls below:
AgWired continuing coverage at the National Farm Machinery Show sponsored by:
You can also here more of my interview with Corinne here:
There’s so much to see at New Holland exhibit at the 2010 National Farm Machinery Show that I had Dennis Hann take me on a tour and explain a little bit about everything. It ended up being just a few minutes longer than the 10 minute limit for YouTube, so I split it into two parts. Definitely worth watching.
John Deere’s AutoTrac™ RowSense™ makes more sense than ever for growers to use automatic guidance in corn, improve harvest efficiency and reduce operator fatigue. That’s because they now offer a universal version that can be used on older models and even other brands of combines and corn heads.
I talked with Aguimar de Souza of John Deere at the National Farm Machinery Show about AutoTrac RowSense and its benefits for growers. We also talked about the adoption of precision technology in his home country of Brazil and other parts of the world. “It’s growing everyday,” he said. “I would compare GPS technology for tractors and combines and sprayers to computer technology many years ago. Now, farmers in South America, North America, Australia, Europe understand that they need to buy these systems to be more productive.”
Listen to or download my interview with Aguimar in the player below and you can watch a video of him talking about AutoTrac RowSense here:
I talked to Dave Wendt with John Deere, who was demonstrating the new addition to the 2510 high speed nutrient applicators. “This machine is a 23 row model, set up on 30 inch spacing to not only side dress, but to run in fall or spring pre-plant.”
The machine folds up into a nice 18 foot package for on-road transport, but the really cool thing that Dave was demonstrating was how it hooks up to the PitStop Pro tendering system to help customers quickly and efficiently change anhydrous ammonia tanks without leaving the cab of the tractor.
“Today, to hook and unhook anhydrous tanks manually might take 10-12 minutes,” Dave said. “With the PitStop System, we’re looking at about a minute and a half to two minutes.” The system is controlled through the same GS2 display in the cab that runs the AutoTrac or rate controller.
Listen to or download my interview with Dave in the player below and watch a demo video here:
If you’ve ever attended a National Biodiesel Conference then you know Emily Richards and Jason Brock. These music stars are passionate about their belief in renewable fuels and have been regular performers at the conference.
This morning they took the stage during the closing general session and played some songs from a new album they’ve put together to promote biodiesel. I’ll have more on that in a later post. I’ve got full coverage in progress on the Biodiesel Conference Blog and on Domestic Fuel.
In the meantime, I thought you’d enjoy a video of them being joined on stage by National Biodiesel Board Chairman, Ed Hegland and CEO, Joe Jobe. They did a variation of a song you’ll recognize and so give a listen to “Time For A Fuel Change.”
It was kind of a slow start to the 2010 National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, thanks to the weather, but by lunch time it appeared to be just about back to a normal crowd.
I talked with Harold Workman, president and CEO of the Kentucky Exposition Center which handles the big show, and he emphasized that it’s business as usual for the four day show. “We got some pretty northern weather here with 6-8 inches of snow that came in yesterday,” he said. “But the interstates are clear, we got the parking lots cleared off, and a lot of people are coming in to the show.”
This is the 45th year for the show which Harold said started in one little corner of one of their wings and grown to more than 800 exhibitors filling over 1.2 million square feet of blessedly indoor space. “It really has become an icon – kind of a barometer for the agribusiness industry,” he said. Attendance is normally right around 300,000 for all four days of the show, including the Championship Tractor Pull sponsored by Syngenta. That event is just a few years younger than the NFMS and is always a sell out.
Listen to or download my interview with Harold Workman in the player below, and enjoy a little 360 degree view video of one of the exhibit hall wings from high atop the John Deere tower here:
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.
There’s a new sheriff in town. Sheriff Barry Nelson, John Deere. He wants you to love his Chip Foose 4020 and that’s an order son.
The mild mannered public relations coordinator by day job, turned into one mean enforcement machine at Commodity Classic. He was guarding the Chip Foose designed 4020 model tractor along with sidekick, Deputy Kelly Schwalbe (left). They made sure no one took a peek under the veil over this promotional machine. I can tell you I wasn’t about to try!
The 
and 
There is a rare treasure nestled in the heart of the Ozarks in Southern Missouri – a college that offers students a degree in hard work. 
The college offers 48 different degrees, including culinary arts, hotel and restaurant management, agribusiness, animal science, and ag education. There are about 125 students majoring in some area of agriculture there, but the school offers amazing hands-on experience for them, including hog, dairy and beef operations, a meat processing facility and a feed mill. They also have a beautiful center that is open to the public which features fine dining, historic lodging, meeting rooms, and more. During the 2008 presidential campaign, candidate Sarah Palin chose to visit the college as one of her stops in Missouri. 
I interviewed Chip right after the unveiling. He talks about how he got into automobile design and this project in particular. You can listen to that interview below. 
Precision is the name of the game when it comes to farming these days. It’s getting hard to find a farmer anymore who doesn’t use auto steer at the very least – and the options to save resources, time and money just keep growing. 
David Roehm and his lovely wife Sue of Leesburg, Ohio are the grand prize winners of the 
The Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) just launched 
Here at the U.S. Grains Council International Marketing Conference n this morning’s general session we had a panel discussion on trade with Mexico. In the discussion attendees were able to ask questions and answers. In fact, it was mostly a Q&A session. Allan Mustard, Minister Counselor, Office of Agricultural Affairs, US Embassy, Mexico City, introduced our panel.
The Hon. Carole L. Brookins, Managing Director of Public Capital Advisors, LLC, gave the keynote speech at 7th International Marketing Conference in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Her presentation is filled with facts, figures and her personal outlook on the future. She brought the group a unique perspective about how we may not agree with a lot of what is happening on issues like climate change but there are considerations that we should be making that include ways to profit in spite of them.
This morning we streamed the opening general session of the U.S. Grains Council International Marketing Conference and Membership Meeting. I did it in two parts. In this first one you can listen to USGC Chairman Rick Fruth welcome attendees and introduce President/CEO Tom Dorr. Tom proceeded to make remarks about the purpose of the conference and posed questions the group will need to answer over the next several days.
John Deere’s 
What is NUE from John Deere at the 
It was kind of a slow start to the 2010 
It's time to thank our farmers and ranchers for all their hard work to feed us.
