Innovations, Trends and Visions… In Germany

Laura McNamara

2007 Agritechnica in Hanover GermanyFor the next couple of days, Agwired.com is going to be your portal to one of the world’s biggest showcases for farm equipment. I’ve made my way all the way from Kansas City, MO to Frankfurt, Germany to cover Agritechnica 2007.

This event is being held next week, November 13 through 17, but John Deere is hosting a group of us reporters for the Agritechnica preview days. The German Agriculture Society hosts the event once every two years to foster a forum of innovation and vision in the world’s development of agriculture machinery.

The trip will also feature an inside look at the John Deere identity in Europe. John Deere will be taking our group of reporters on a factory tour of the John Deere Werke Mannheim Plant, where we’ll get to learn about and witness John Deere Product Verification and Validation. The John Deere European Parts Distribution Centre is also scheduled stop, along with a tour of both a German arable farm and vegetable farm. Of course, we’ll also get a warm welcome from the German Agriculture Society.

It won’t be all work with no play though. John Deere will be taking good care to ensure we get a good look at some Deutschland landmarks, including the old German town of Heidelberg and it’s historic castle. And, the trip wouldn’t be complete without a stop at an authentic German winery.

Agribusiness, Equipment, Farming, John Deere, Technology, Tractor

National Farm-City Council Awards

Chuck Zimmerman

FFA kids with Michael PetersonThe Farm-City Council is all about our youth and many of them were represented here at the National Farm-City Week Kickoff Luncheon. These FFA’ers are posing with Michael Peterson our keynote speaker. I’ve got some video of Michael I hope to post later when I get a chance to edit it. Besides hearing from Michael who spoke eloquently about the value of agriculture and those involved in it, a number of awards were presented:

“Our Farm-City Council partners at the state level play a critical role in helping non-farming consumers understand the vital importance of U.S. agriculture to our economy,” said National Farm-City Council Chair Al Pell. “We’re pleased to honor several state organizations today for their outstanding work in accomplishing the Farm-City mission.”

Pell presented the following organizations with national awards for outstanding accomplishment: Frederick County Farm Bureau Women, Maryland; Coffee County Farm-City Committee, Alabama; Chambers County Farm-City Committee, Alabama; Long Island Farm Bureau, New York; and Chautauqua County Farm Bureau, New York.

State awards for outstanding accomplishment were presented to Reno County Farm Bureau in Kansas and the following organizations in South Carolina: Greenville County Farm-City Committee, Lexington County Farm-City Week Committee, Richland County Farm-City Week Committee, Beaufort County Farm-City Week Committee, Saluda County Farm-City Week Committee and Darlington County Farm-City Week Committee.

Farm City Week Kickoff Luncheon Photo Album

Ag Groups

Rock and Rolling Tree Farmer Gets Award

Chuck Zimmerman

Chuck Leavell receives awardAt today’s National Farm-City Week Kickoff Luncheon Rolling Stones keyboardist, Chuck Leavell (left) received the first ever American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture, “Book of the Year” award. He received it for his book “The Tree Farmer.” Terry Gilbert, a Kentucky farmer and Foundation board member, presented the book award to Leavell.

“The Tree Farmer is a rare treasure among children’s books on agriculture,” Gilbert said. “It tells a story from a farmer’s perspective about his love of the land and his appreciation of the beauty of trees. The farmer’s love of the products trees provide and how they touch the souls of the people whose lives they grace shines through on every page,” she said.

The Tree Farmer was written for 6- to 14-year-olds and is one of 160 “Accurate Ag Books” recommended for children and adults by the Foundation.

“In our efforts to correct misconceptions about agriculture, we need to be careful not to just use facts and figures,” Gilbert said. “We need to refocus our efforts and start reaching people’s hearts as well as their minds when telling agriculture’s story. The Tree Farmer does just that.”

Prior to receiving the award I interviewed Chuck. In our interview he talks about his career in rock and roll and how he got started tree farming. That farming experience has lead him to a passion for conservation and helping the public understand the truth about forestry as a business that impacts every aspect of our lives.

You can listen to my interview with Chuck here: farm-city-07-leavell.mp3

You can get a copy of The Tree Farmer on Amazon.

Farm City Week Kickoff Luncheon Photo Album

Ag Groups, Audio

Zimfo Bites

Melissa Sandfort

  • The next meeting of the Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City will be breakfast on Friday, Nov. 9, 7:30 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center (Chouteau Room.) The featured speakers will be Jim Finnerty and Julie Doane, both involved with the public television show: America’s Heartland. Breakfast will be $15.00 for Council member and $20.00 for nonmember. Please RSVP to GinaB@kc.rr.com no later than Wed., Nov. 7 by 5:00 p.m.
  • The Mid-Atlantic Hereford Association is hosting the 1st Annual Fall Round-Up Junior Hereford Show. The junior show will be held in Harrisonburg, Va., Nov. 10, beginning at 3 p.m. The show will include owned heifers, bred-and-owned heifers and steers. More than 130 head of Hereford cattle have been entered in the inaugural show with exhibitors representing more than eleven states. Grand champion award winners will each receive $750 in cash premiums.
  • Hank DeShazer, Hearne, Texas, was announced as the new president of the American Hereford Association at the Annual Membership Meeting in Kansas City, Mo., Oct. 22. DeShazer owns DeShazer Cattle Co. in Hearne, where about 400 Hereford calves are born each year and 150-200 bulls are sold private treaty.
  • The U.S. Poultry & Egg Association board of directors has selected John Starkey to become the association’s new president effective Dec. 1. He will manage the total business affairs of the association, in keeping with the policies of the board of directors, under the supervision of the officers of the executive committee and the board. Starkey joined USPOULTRY as vice president of environmental programs in 2000.
    Zimfo Bytes

    Watching AgriTalk at Farm-City Week Luncheon

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Chuck Leavell and Mike AdamsHere’s your on the road AgriTalk photo. This is Mike interviewing Rolling Stones keyboardist (formerly with the Allman Brothers), Chuck Leavell. We’re eating lunch at the National Farm-City Week Luncheon while we listen to Mike’s show.

    Chuck is here to receive an award for a book that he wrote for kids about tree farming, something he does on his farm in Georgia. I interviewed Chuck myself and will be posting that here after lunch.

    Farm City Week Kickoff Luncheon Photo Album

    Ag Groups

    National Farm-City Council Chairman

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Al Pell and Michael PetersonThe Chairman of the National Farm-City Council this year is Al Pell, AgDay TV. He’s on the scene here in Washington, DC for the National Farm-City Week Luncheon and I caught up to him while our entertainer, Michael Peterson, was warming up. Al’s on the left by the way.

    Al says the purpose of the luncheon is to draw attention in advance to National Farm-City Week which officially kicks off the Friday before Thanksgiving. Having this event in Washington, DC really helps create awareness. You can listen to Al explain this in an excerpt from an interview I did with him just a few minutes ago: farm-city-07-pell-1.mp3

    Michael PetersonI’ll post my full interview with Al in next week’s ZimmCast.

    Al says that Michael Peterson will have a very inspirational message for us today and I’ll be recording it to post for you this afternoon. I know we’re going to hear some of Michael’s famous songs. At least that’s what he was doing during his sound check.

    We’re also going to hear from AgriTalk’s Mike Adams today. In fact, the show will be live and we’re going to start the luncheon at halftime with Mike being our emcee.

    Ag Groups, Audio

    Dallas Family Got Milk

    Laura McNamara

    Think About Your Drink Family ChallengeYou’ve seen the milk commercials imploring “Got Milk?” Well, one Dallas family “got milk,” then got wined and dined. The Bogle Family is one of 25 winners selected in the Think About Your Drink Family Challenge. Officials selected the Dallas family from hundreds of families nationwide.

    The Bogle family entered the photo contest by submitting a creative snapshot of their gang choosing nutrient-rich milk. As part of a nationwide education campaign, the nation’s milk processors launched the Think About Your Drink Family Challenge encouraging families around the country to make milk their beverage of choice. The Bogle family will receive the royal treatment with healthy chef-prepared meals, along with a glass of milk, delivered to their house for an entire week!

    Over the past decade, milk at dinner has steadily declined and today nearly 60 percent of children’s dinners do not include milk, according to new findings from The NPD Group. Many experts are concerned, especially since the percentage of overweight American children and teens has tripled in the last two decades and a recent report called What America Drinks suggests that beverage choice may impact weight and the overall quality of the diet. Research shows drinking the recommended three servings of lowfat or fat free milk everyday is an important part of a healthy diet for parents and their kids, and may also contribute toward maintaining a healthy weight.

    Family Challenge winning photo entries can be viewed on the Think About Your Drink website. Web surfers can also access a free, personalized nutrition analysis of their daily drinks to see how their choices in beverages impact nutrition.

    Ag Groups, Dairy

    And the Award for America’s Worst Cook Goes To…

    Laura McNamara

    The American Egg BoardNo. That’s not a typo. The American Egg Board really has an award for ‘America’s Worst Cook’. This year’s “kitchen klutz” winner prepared Thanksgiving Stuffing in a clothes dryer.

    It’s not often that a clothes dryer is a part of cooking Thanksgiving dinner, but then again, you probably haven’t spent much time with Shannon Mountjoy and her family. Her sister, Debby, has, and when she heard about the American Egg Board’s “Search for America’s Worst Cook” contest, she knew that Shannon’s infamous Thanksgiving stuffing — prepared in a clothes dryer — would be a top contender.

    The “Search for America’s Worst Cook” contest was launched to find the home “cook” who needed the most help in the kitchen — and today it’s official: Out of nearly 700 entries, Shannon Mountjoy of Houston, Tex. has been selected as “America’s Worst Cook.”

    Shannon gets a cooking makeover:
    Years after her infamous Thanksgiving meal, Shannon still struggles when it comes to preparing quick and easy meals. But, that is all about to change. As the winner of the “America’s Worst Cook” contest, Shannon and a guest will soon be whisked off to New York City, where in addition to cooking classes at the famed Institute of Culinary Education, they also will receive a personal egg cooking lesson from Howard Helmer.
    Read More

    Ag Groups, Food

    New ‘Ag Tag’ For Maine Drivers

    Laura McNamara

    A sample of Maine's new Ag Tag License PlateDrivers in Maine have a new option for displaying their agriculture pride on their bumper. No, I’m not talking about a bumper sticker. I’m talking about a license plate. The Morning Sentinel based in Waterville, Maine reports that new license plates supporting Maine agriculture went on sale in October. The plates depict a sunrise, emerging over a farm and rolling cropland. The glowing sunrise silhouettes a farmer and a young girl, walking hand-in-hand.

    Maine’s agriculture license plate — one of six state specialty plates that raise money for various programs — became available Oct. 1. It can be purchased in 355 municipal offices around the states and at 13 Bureau of Motor Vehicles branch offices.

    Exact numbers on how many of the plates have been sold won’t be available until mid-November, but several branch offices reported that first-month sales were brisk. The state printed about 4,500 plates.

    Click here to view the entire article.

    Farming

    Farm-City Get Together

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Fun Facts BookmarksNational Farm-City Week doesn’t officially start until November 16 but we’re going to kick things off tomorrow in Washington, DC at the National Farm-City Week Luncheon. So that’s where I’m headed today.

    In case you didn’t know it, the National Farm-City Council has materials available for schools to help educate children about agriculture. These Fun Facts bookmarks are an example. You can order them online.

    If you want to plan a last minute farm-city event in your area then use some of the resources they have available.

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