Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack chose the John Deere Des Moines Works facility to talk about his priorities for the 2012 Farm Bill, which he says is really a misnomer. “After all, for decades this bill has been about a whole lot more than just farming. It’s been about energy, it’s been about nutrition, it’s been about jobs. Now, some may …
The Double Pyramid From Barilla Center For Food & Nutrition
So we had the USDA Food Guide Pyramid. Now we’ve got the Barilla Center For Food & Nutrition Double Pyramid? Okay. What do you think about that? Good research and information? Just another organization trying to insert their ideas into the food conversation? One side of the double pyramid focuses on food types by their definition of nutritional value and …
Farm Show Smartphone Apps Getting Traction
Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “Are Farm Show Smartphone Apps Helpful?” Although 55% said they had Never used one, 27% said Yes and only 18% said no. I think these results reflect the fact that these apps are new. I used several during the course of the year and some are more helpful than others. One of the features …
Zimfo Bytes
Farm Journal Media’s AgWeb.com launched its mobile application, providing smartphone users with easier, more graphic access to its market-leading content. Croplife recently released a new video on fertilizer, crop protection product handling and distribution. Watch the video here. The soybean-checkoff-funded U.S. Soybean Export Council launched a revamped website for its global aquaculture program to communicate the benefits of soy in …
America Needs Farmers at Iowa Football Game
This is a great picture. It’s from the University of Iowa and Iowa Farm Bureau’s “America Needs Farmers” first-ever ‘card stunt’ at Kinnick stadium celebrating ANF Game Day a little over a week ago. Today, the organizations jointly announced a $20,000 donation to the Iowa Food Bank Association in recognition of the “ANF” and “Farm Strong” initiatives. “We are proud …
The Myth of Meat Glue
Meat MythCrushers (The American Meat Science Association and the American Meat Institute) has just released a new episode in their library of videos to help people find the truth behind a lot of meat myths. Let’s take a look at this one on transglutaminase which is being called “meat glue.” There’s a rumor going viral on the web about this. …
Engle Creative Solutions
What’s new in the world of agricultural marketing is Engle Creative Solutions, LLC. This morning I visited with Steve Engle, President. This is another episode in my informal series of interviews with the leadership of agricultural marketing agencies. Steve started the new venture just last month. Steve says he’s focusing on small to mid sized businesses and wants to help …
GROWMARK Among Top Ten Co-ops
Once again this year, the GROWMARK cooperative system is among the nation’s top ten co-ops. The GROWMARK System of cooperatives, headquartered in Bloomington, Ill., was ranked seventh on the NCB Co-op 100 listing of the nation’s 100 highest revenue-earning cooperative businesses. GROWMARK was ranked sixth on the 2010 list. “The boom of cooperative organizations and the key role they play …
Food Day?
Welcome to food day. For me that’s every day. Thank God we live in a blessed country where we have the most plentiful, safe and affordable food supply in the world. The food we produce is safe to eat, safe for the environment, high quality and protects our national security. Thank all you farmers of all kinds who produce it. …
The Horse Trainer
Have you seen Robert Redford in The Horse Whisperer? He had a remarkable way of knowing and understanding horses, and it seemed as though they had their own secret language between horse and man. I believe that some people are born with the gift of understanding animals, and I’m not one of them — shoot, I can’t even understand my …