Mizzou Capstone Class

Chuck Zimmerman

MU Capstone ClassI’m going to be adding to this post later today. Right now I’m just posting as a demo for this class. I told you I’d update this post and I’ve still got a YouTube clip to add which I’m editing right now.

Bill Allen invited me in to talk to his Ag Journalism Capstone class today since they’ve now all got their own blogs started. In fact, if you’d like to see them here’s the list:

MU Capstone ClassThis is a quick shot of Bill’s computer projected on screen. He’s certainly got a good website up there in his bookmarks!

While I was there we really had a kind of open forum discussion. As you’ll see in the video clip that I’ll be adding here shortly the students have lots of good questions. They’re learning a form of journalism that didn’t exist back in my University of Florida days.

Post Update: Here’s the video I know you’ve been waiting for:

University, Video

Harold E. Ford Lifetime Achievement Award Presented

Melissa Sandfort

ipe08_4230.jpgThe inaugural Harold E. Ford Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Don Dalton by the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association during the annual chairmen’s reception at the 2008 International Poultry Expo in Atlanta.

Dalton retired in December as president of the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association.

Dalton succeeded Ford as the staff head of the association. His ties to the organization date back to the 1970s, when Dalton was general manager of Valmac Industries, a broiler processor in Arkansas, later acquired by Tyson Foods. It was during those years that he was elected to the board of directors of what was then known to most in the industry simply as “SOUTHEASTERN.” After several years on the board, he became a member of the executive committee. He served as what is now chairman in 1978.

In 1989, Dalton joined the staff of the association as exhibit manager and director of government relations. He was named president when Ford retired in 1992. He led the organization as it continued to expand and serve the U.S. poultry industry in all aspects of poultry and egg production and processing. The major emphasis has been in areas such as education, research, communication, environmental management, food safety, and of course, the annual International Poultry Expo.

The Harold E. Ford Lifetime Achievement Award is presented occasionally to an individual whose dedication and extra effort over the years have far exceeded the ordinary and who has had significant impact on the poultry industry and the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association. It is a periodic award to recognize exemplary service and unique visionary leadership.

Poultry

Beef Says I Love You

Chuck Zimmerman

Piggly Wiggly Say It With BeefAt least it does at Piggly Wiggly according to a story on Adrants.

For Valentine’s Day, grocery chain Piggly Wiggly is offering a $5,000 diamond necklace to its Angus beef buyers. The winner will be selected on February 11.

This ought to create some buzz in Reno next week at the Cattle Industry Convention. I’ll be there starting Monday evening.

Of course this is after another annual “holiday” called the Super Bowl. Want some beefy ideas for it? Then check this out.

Advertising, Beef

Agri-Culture: Curry Red

Laura McNamara

Open fruit from red curry plantHave you ever wondered where red curry get it’s color. It comes from the chalky red seeds of what my guide called the “curry plant”. My research shows that his “curry plant” is not the same plant known as the curry plant in English. Nor is it the same as the curry tree. I couldn’t quite identify what we call this plant in English, but the guide on my mountain excursion in Vietnam says the fruit of this plant is where the Vietnamese find the red-coloring to use in their red curries.

Red curry lipstickI found out it also works great as a lipstick. Talk about long-lasting! Really, I couldn’t get that streak off my cheek for about two days. The red powder “lipstick” doesn’t have much of a curry taste, or much of any taste for that matter. When I said as much to my guide, he agreed and explained the plant is used just for the coloring.

Farming, Food, International

Agri-Culture: Going Bananas

Laura McNamara

Green fruit hanging from a banana tree in VietnamBananas are a staple of Southeast Asia. In Thailand, small crepes stuffed with bananas, chocolate and condensed milk are popular treats and are often the staple for the average backpacker. Banana shakes are also a favorite. (Personally, I go for banana-coconut shakes.) The same goes for Cambodia as well as Vietnam. Although, neither of those countries offer “banana pancakes” that can rival those in Thailand. I’m in Laos now and I heard the “banana pancakes” here are just as good as those in Thailand. We’ll see…

The bananas here in Southeast Asia sometimes look funny, like midget bananas. I didn’t know they could come so small. You see bunches of dwarfed bananas that barely stretch beyond the length of your palm. They’re great snacks and you can usually get a huge bunch of them for about $2.

In Thailand, banana flower salad is an excellent local dish. Watch out though! It’s spicy!!

When I was on my 5-day motorcycle trek through the central highlands of Vietnam, my guide explained that the pulp from banana trees is used by villagers to feed their pigs. They chop up the trees, then grind the pulp and put it in a stew of sorts. The pigs love it.

Farming, Food, International

Agri-Culture: Viet Tea

Laura McNamara

Vietnamese green tea plantationTea is just as common of a drink in Vietnam as coffee. Well, green tea that is. Vietnamese black tea is used for exports. But the green tea is a local favorite. At most restaurants, you get Vietnamese tea free with every meal. Some restaurants serve better local tea than others. Sometimes, it can be quite bland. Other times, the tea can be deliciously tasty. Subtle, but tasty. I hope that’s not too confusing. Anyway, we zigzagged our way through plenty of tea plantations on that 5-day motorcycle trip.

Agribusiness, Farming, Food, International

Lisa O’Brien New Executive Director Of USB

Chuck Zimmerman

Lisa O'BrienWelcome Lisa O’Brien to the United Soybean Board as the new Executive Director.

In her new role, O’Brien will be responsible for day-to-day administration of all contracts related to the soybean checkoff, as well as outreach with directors, Qualified State Soybean Boards (QSSBs), contractors and staff. O’Brien’s responsibilities will commence March 1, 2008.

“I’m excited about being selected as USB’s new executive director,” says O’Brien. “Coming from a non-for-profit organization, I was drawn to USB because of the time and effort farmers give to benefit the overall industry. Also, it’s an unprecedented time to be in agriculture, particularly as you look at the new innovations and technologies that are emerging.”

O’Brien has spent the past fifteen years of her career in managerial positions. She was recently employed as executive director of the world renowned Susan G. Komen for the Cure St. Louis Affiliate.

She also served as executive director for Clayton Chamber of Commerce (Clayton, Mo.) as well as a business manager for Marsh, a Videojet Company, which retails coding and marketing equipment supplies.

Ag Groups, Soybean, USB

Rick Got His Ride Wrapped

Chuck Zimmerman

Rick Tolman's RideHere’s Rick Tolman’s new ride. He’s the CEO of the National Corn Growers Association. I was in St. Louis today to have a little strategy session about Corn Commentary. You can read the Rick’s Ride story there. We’ve been working with NCGA on Corn Commentary for 6 months now. Kind of hard to believe. While I was there I did an interview with Mimi Ricketts and Jennifer Crichton about the project which I’m going to feature in next week’s ZimmCast.

I also spent some time at the Apple store getting a couple lessons on things like their iWork ’08. I think I’m just going to quit using the old Microsoft Office stuff (Word, Excel, PPT, etc.). You’ll find the iWork programs way more feature rich and easier to use. Plus I can still open and save to those files types for you who are still stuck in a PC mode. I really shouldn’t talk though. Cindy’s not on a Mac yet and doesn’t want to so we’ve still got them all over the place. Macs are just more fun.

Ag Groups, Corn

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • CDMS, Inc. and ZedX®, Inc. announced the formation of a technology and marketing agreement resulting in the combination of technology and services associated with CDMS’ Advisor System and ZedX’s AgFleet® product line. Under this agreement, CDMS and ZedX will integrate and incorporate components of their current and future information technologies into a single solution serving the various sectors of the agricultural industry.
  • Ag Leader Technology, Inc. introduced the AgGPS® EZ-Guide® 250 lightbar guidance system. The EZ-Guide 250 is an entry-level guidance system, designed to meet the needs of growers. This lightbar has an easy-to-use interface, an integrated WAAS/EGNOS GPS receiver with sub-meter pass-to-pass accuracy and real-time coverage mapping capabilities. Ag Leader expects the EZ-Guide 250 lightbar guidance system to be available for shipments in March 2008.
  • Governor Blunt decides to not seek second term: “While we are disappointed that Governor Blunt will not seek re-election this year, we certainly understand his desire to spend more time with his family and wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors,” said Dale R. Ludwig, Missouri Soybean Association Executive Director/CEO. “Governor Blunt has been a dynamic leader and a great friend to agriculture. We could not be more appreciative of his leadership over the course of the past three years.”
    Zimfo Bytes

    Winter Blast

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Winter BlastThe road tripping agriblogger is ready for some action. I’m just glad it’s not today. Cindy and I will be heading in different directions starting this weekend. In the meantime I’ve still been taking pictures like this one outside ZimmComm world headquarters.

    This morning it was 60 degrees. Right now it’s 18 degrees with a wind chill of -1 and falling still. This is definitely not the type of weather you want to travel in.

    Uncategorized