Chuck and Cindy have been providing international ag coverage for the past several weeks, and in November, it will be my turn. I’m planning to join John Deere at the preview days for the 2007 Agritechnica exhibition in Hanover, Germany. Agritechnica leadership is getting excited about the event and about the record setting number of exhibitors. Dr. Reinhard Grandke, Chief …
IFAJ Arts and Crafts
Here is our group from the United States at the IFAJ Congress in the lobby of the Sendai Excel Hotel doing some arts and crafts. We were preparing our bottle opener presents to be given out to the group in preparation for our hosting of the 2009 Congress in Fort Worth, Texas. They are very nice boot-shaped openers with tags …
Promotions at Elanco
A couple of consultants from Elanco Animal Health have moved up in ranks. Dr. Bill Platter oversees consultants for beef cattle and Dr. Bill Mies is Elanco’s latest beef consultant. Elanco Animal Health has announced the promotion of Dr. Bill Platter to the position of manager of technical consultants for beef cattle. In this role he will lead a team …
Zimfo Bites
The National FFA Foundation and Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. are proud to announce the arrival of the Red, White, and Forever Blue College Tour at the University of Nebraska. The college tour will appear at five major NCAA college football games across the country this fall, premiering at the University of Nebraska. The tour celebrates more than 30 years …
Sendai Shopping
Cindy and I have had a very relaxing stay in Sendai the past two days. We’ve wandered around town, including the Sun Mall Ichibancho. It’s a big shopping mall that goes on for blocks in every direction. This big clock plays music on the hour and the doors open and things move. I don’t know what it meant but it …
The Rice Man
This is one of the workers at the Furukawa Agricultural Research Center. He was posing for us ag journalists so I’ve got to post him for you. Cindy and I both like rice and we’ve noticed that people do eat it for breakfast as well as other meals during the day. It mostly seems to be white rice and not …
Precision Agriculture in Rice Planting
Precision agriculture is hitting the rice industry in Japan. At least it’s in R&D now at the Furukawa Agricultural Research Station. I interviewed Yoshisada Nogasaka, Research Team for Farm Machinery and Systems for NARC, the National Agricultural Research Center. He’s the guy who’s developing the software to run the prototype Autonomous Rice Transplanter we saw on demonstration at the Furukawa …
Japan Ministry of Agriculture Press Conference
During our visit to the Tokyo University of Agriculture we attended a press conference with Mr. Masanori Sato, Director General in charge of International Affairs, Japan Ministry of Agriculture. I’ve got a video of his presentation so you can see him make a statement and then listen to the interpreter. In this segment he talks about the dietary policy and …
Planting in a Rice Paddy
This is the way people have transplanted rice into paddies for who knows how long. That’s changed a lot now that machinery has been built to make the task much easier and faster. When I interviewed one of the officials with the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization he asked me why man invented machines. I was stumped so he …
Leaving Tokyo Station
We moved on from Tokyo to Sendai via Furukawa on Wednesday. Moving a couple hundred people through a crowded train station is not an easy task. The Japanese journalists helped out though by stationing themselves at various places with signs pointing us to the right track. Our train ride was very nice. Somehow the beverage cart only made it halfway …