FAO Gets James Butler as Deputy DG

Chuck Zimmerman

FAOThere will be a new number two at the FAO. This is making the announcement a little early when you consider he doesn’t start until January!

FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf today announced the appointment of James G. Butler as Deputy Director-General, the number two post at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Mr Butler, a citizen of the United States of America, comes to FAO from the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture, where he has served as Deputy Director-General since December 2005. He is expected to assume his duties at FAO in January 2008.

Mr Butler previously served as Deputy Undersecretary of the Farm and Foreign Agriculture Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture from November 2002 to December 2005. He holds a Ph.D. in Animal Physiology from the University of Arizona, an M.S. in Animal Science from New Mexico University, and a B.S. in Animal Science from Texas A&M University. Mr Butler follows David Harcharik, who has held the position since January 1998.

International

Great American Desserts

Chuck Zimmerman

Great American Dessert ExpoNow this would have been a sweet event to blog from. I didn’t know there was an Expo just for desserts but there is. It’s the Great American Dessert Expo which was just held in Atlanta.

Here are the winners of the 2007 “Small Bite, Big Taste” Competition they held:

Best New Products
Mercer’s Dairy
Mercer’s has created a wine ice cream that is both an elegant and sophisticated adult dessert. The first of its kind. This wine ice cream has up to 5% alcohol by volume yet it retains the texture and creaminess of a true ice cream.

Trish Pat, Nettie and Angel’s Gorgeous Grub
This warm delectable concoction is a myriad of rich, most decadent flavors & textures. The toffee incused sauce enveloping the tart green apple canopy marned with the sweet tongue teasing sponge is sublime! We dare you to Indulge!

Best Chocolate
Barry Callebaut
This 66% new single origin dark chocolate is bittersweet and lightly acidic and its fragrance unveils a delicious note of licorice.

Best Confection
Trish Pat, Nettie and Angel’s Gorgeous Grub
This exotic Sulky Combination of passion-fruit, apricot, mango and rich clotted cream coddled in marbled chocolate casing floating in passion fruit.

Best Pastry
DePree Rum Cakes LLC
The recipe for our traditional Rum Cake was handed down from generation to generation. Our cakes are hand made with all the finest natural ingredients to bring you the best cake you will ever eat.

Food

Agriculture’s ‘Nobel’ Goes to Purdue Food Science Professor

Laura McNamara

Purdue UniversityPurdue University Professor Philip E. Nelson has secured this year’s World Food Prize for his innovation in food processing and preservation. Purdue’s Scholle Chair Professor in Food Processing developed technology that enables the transport of processed fruits and vegetables without spoilage. Nelson’s “aseptic bulk storage and distribution” process is credited with revolutionizing the global food trade.Purdue Scholle Chair Professor in Food Processing Philip E. Nelson

More than 90 percent of the approximately 24 million tons of fresh tomatoes harvested globally each year are aseptically processed and packaged for year-round remanufacture into various food products, according to the World Food Prize Foundation.

The foundation annually recognizes the achievements of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity or availability of food worldwide. Norman E. Borlaug, recipient of the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize, established the World Food Prize in 1986. The award is considered the Nobel of agriculture.

Previous prize winners were responsible for such innovations as high-yielding rice hybrids, a vaccine for cattle plague, a technique to control food-damaging insect parasites and the concept of Integrated Pest Management.

Nelson will receive his $250,000 award at an Oct. 18 World Food Prize ceremony in Des Moines, Iowa.

“It’s quite an honor to be recognized and also very humbling because of the past winners,” Nelson said. “This award also recognizes the profession of food science and Purdue. Purdue certainly receives a lot of credit because it’s where I spent my career of some 47 years. Without the support and facilities that were available at Purdue, the aseptic technology wouldn’t have happened.”

Purdue President Martin C. Jischke called Nelson “one of Purdue’s sources of pride.”
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Agribusiness, Food, Technology

Kyle Wilson Wins New Holland Celebrity Tractor

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast-124 - Wrapping Up The CMAThis week on the ZimmCast I wrap up some things related to the Michael Peterson/New Holland Celebrity Tractor Race.

Me and Eddie GeorgeTo start with one of the contestants that I interviewed was Eddie George, former Tennessee Titans running back. He said that this would be his first time on a tractor. He had his family along and his wife, Ty, competed too. They had a lot of fun and as he says, it was all to support some worthwhile causes.

I also want to announce that Kyle Wilson, Agro Equipment Co., Uvalde, TX was the New Holland Celebrity Signed Tractorwinner of the auction for last year’s celebrity tractor that was signed by the contestants in the first race. We didn’t know it at the time but he and his family were at this year’s race so we didn’t get to see each other. I talked to him by phone and learned that his son, Trey, is an aspiring music artist himself. You can find out all about him on his website.

Kyle says that he thinks New Holland should do more of this type of high visibility promotion and he really likes the tie-in with Michael Peterson and country music.

You can listen to Michael Peterson’s song, “Down on the Farm,” while watching a slide show from the week of activities by using this link.

The program ends with music from the Podsafe Music Network and a band called Straight 88’s. The song is “Draggin Down Main Street.” I was just in a rockabilly mood today so I hope you enjoy it.

You can download and listen to the ZimmCast here: Listen To ZimmCastZimmCast 124 (14 min MP3)

Or listen to this week’s ZimmCast right now:

zimmcast124-6-18-07.mp3

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.

Audio, New Holland, Tractor, ZimmCast

Farmboy Showcases Five Farm Animals in One

Chuck Zimmerman

FarmBoy MovieJake Gorst is the writer, producer and director of a documentary called “Farmboy.” This is a film that’s based on the writings of John Babcock who grew up on the farm of his father, H.E. Babcock. According to the website H.E. “was the first professor of farm marketing (1921) and later Chairman of the Board (1940s) at Cornell University. He was a key figure in the development of today’s food nutrition standards. H.E. was also well known for his column, “Kernels, Screenings and Chaff” in the farm magazine American Agriculturist.”

FarmBoy UnimalSo Jake sent me an email asking if I knew what kind of animal this is. To find out he directed me to a YouTube video which explains. I assume this is an outtake from the movie itself.

If you’re just hanging out with “Dad” on his day you might want to check it out for a real farm learning experience. It’s five farm animals in one.

Farming

New Ag Scholarships For Illinois

Laura McNamara

Rhea & Kaiser, a marketing communications agency based in Chicago, has created two one-time scholarships to be offered by The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Illinois State University. The scholarships honor long-time clients of Rhea & Kaiser who have recently retired.

The $750 scholarships were established in the Department of Agriculture in honor of Illinois State graduate Dave Striegel and in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) in honor of U of I graduate Vern McGinnis. Both Striegel and McGinnis were long-time employees of GROWMARK, Inc., a regional farm supply and grain marketing cooperative based in Bloomington, Ill.

“Rhea & Kaiser has enjoyed a 25-year relationship with GROWMARK, and we are proud of the friendships we’ve enjoyed with Dave and Vern during those years,” said Steve Rhea, president and CEO of Rhea & Kaiser. “This is an opportunity to recognize these relationships while helping support tomorrow’s agricultural leaders.”

The scholarships are open to any student of agriculture who achieved at least an equivalent, cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. The money is intended for educational expenses, such as tuition, fees and textbooks.
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Education

Soybean Checkoff Gets on Board with Tractor Pullers

Laura McNamara

Soybean CheckoffSoybean Checkoff and the National Tractor Pullers Association are working together to promote the use of soy biodiesel. The United Soybean Board anticipates entertainment and education for the spectators of various summer tractor pulls.

National Tractor Pullers AssociationThis summer the United Soybean Board (USB) and soybean checkoff will gear up with the National Tractor Pullers Association (NTPA) to co-sponsor six events in the 2007 NTPA Championship Pulling Series. The sponsorship represents an opportunity to promote the diesel engine benefits provided by soy biodiesel.

With the message of “Do something nice for your engine,” the soybean checkoff continues to focus its message on fuel quality and soy biodiesel performance that provides lubricity to reduce engine wear.

“We are excited about the opportunity to inform a wider audience on the advantages of soy biodiesel through new promotional efforts, like summer tractor pulls,” says Jack Reed, USB Communications chair and a soybean farmer from Salem, Ind. “We are experiencing record soy biodiesel usage among farmers, and we hope to carry our momentum to mainstream diesel users who are interested in fuel quality and engine performance.”

Soy biodiesel continues to grow at a rapid rate in the United States, as over 3,000 retailers, suppliers and distributors currently carry the fuel. With such a rapidly growing market, it makes sense that the performance-driven diesel users should be on the fast track to fuel benefit awareness. The widely attended tractor pulls provide the necessary forum.

Biodiesel blends run smoothly in engines across the United States with the most common being a B2 blend (2 percent soy biodiesel with 98 percent petroleum diesel). Advantages of using soy biodiesel include improved engine lubricity and performance compared with most diesel fuels, a reduction in air pollution and increased handling safety.
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Biodiesel, Soybean, Tractor

From the Fields of Indiana to Hoosier Radio

Laura McNamara

Hoosier Ag TodayHoosier Ag Today and Indiana AgriNews are partnering up to offer Indiana AgriNews’ From the Field reports on the radio. The reports feature farmers around the state of Indiana who share their experiences with weather, crop conditions, weeds, insects, diseases and farm management. The partnership will also offer a special page on on the Hoosier Ag Today Web site, where listeners can access unedited versions of From the Field interviews.

Indiana AgriNews“This is farmers talking to farmers,” said Gary Truitt of Hoosier Ag Today. “This kind of thing can only be done by Indiana-based media organizations like HAT and AgriNews who are in touch with their audience and with what is happening on the farms of the state.” Hoosier Ag Today produces daily radio programming for 30 leading stations across the state. Indiana AgriNews is a recognized leader in Indiana farm news coverage serving over 21,000 farm families with its weekly publication. In addition, to the radio and print versions, From the Field reports will also be included in the Official Podcast of Indiana Agriculture, produced by Hoosier Ag Today, and a free daily e-mail newsletter. This podcast is available at both the Hoosier Ag Today and AgriNews Web sites.

Farmers involved in the program are from Pulaski, Kosciusko, Tipton, Jay, Clay, Rush, Dubois, and Washington counties. “These firsthand reports on current field and crop conditions are vital, especially this year with drought conditions spreading across the state,” said Jim Henry, Editor of Indiana AgriNews.

Ag Groups, Farming

NBB CEO Joe Jobe Competes in Celebrity Tractor Race

Chuck Zimmerman

Michael Peterson, Joe Jobe and FFA'ersOne of the competitors in the Michael Peterson/New Holland Celebrity Tractor Race was National Biodiesel Board CEO Joe Jobe. He’s pictured here on top of the tractor with Michael Peterson and all the FFA students who helped out at the event.

Unfortunately Joe didn’t win but he had a good competitive time. You can watch his efforts on this YouTube video.

CMA Music Festival Photo Album

Ag Groups, New Holland, Video

Environmental Defense Ruminates on Farm Policy

Chuck Zimmerman

Environmental DefenseThe Environmental Defense group now has a farm policy blog called “The Ruminant.” It’s written by Scott Faber who manages the Healthy Farms, Healthy Food Campaign for Environmental Defense.

The slogan for the site is “A daily update on the debates shaping the 2007 Farm Bill.” Thanks to Meg Little for bringing it to my attention. They also have a podcast called Insider Podcast which you can subscribe to in iTunes.

Environment, Farm Policy, Podcasts