I could crack some walnuts with this thing. I could break open the ice that forms in the horse’s water tank. I could threaten … well … better not. I could pound in some nails with this thing. Or I could use it for its intended purpose – to pull nails. Today, I’d just flip over the hammer and yank …
Update On Vault HP
At the NAFB Trade Talk I visited with Russ Berndt, Becker Underwood. We had visited earlier this year at the Ag Media Summit where we talked about their bio-based, growth-promoter for soybeans, Vault HP. Russ says that’s still the big news with Becker Underwood. Russ says they’ve had a big increase in sales this year which is the second year …
Increasing Corn Yield In 2012
Maximizing corn yields in 2012 was the theme of information shared during the NAFB Trade Talk this year by FMC. I visited with Gail Stratman (not pictured), FMC Midwest Technical Lead to find out what’s new with FMC. He says that as demand for corn continues to grow worldwide, farmers are trying to eke out every bushel they can from …
Zimfo Bytes
Gary Wagner, CAC, owner of Great Earth Agri-Business, Inc., Madison, Wisc., was elected president of the American Society of Agricultural Consultants. The Illinois 4-H Livestock Judging Team bested a field of 28 states to become the 2011 national champions at the National 4-H Livestock Judging Contest. The Mid-America Alfalfa Expo & Conference has announced its program for the 2012 event, …
Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving from the ZimmComm Team. We like Thanksgiving cards so I thought I’d share this one from the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. We’ve got a lot to be thankful for today. For starters, we can’t say enough how much we appreciate our clients and sponsors. Your support means more than we can say. We also thank everyone in …
The Story of the Skates
A few months ago, we cleaned out my parents’ house that they lived in since I was just 9 months old. Without giving away my age, let’s just say it’s been a few years. In the boxes buried in basement closets, we found all sorts of things from when my brother and I were kids: flattened basketballs, R2D2, Strawberry Shortcake, …
Thanksgiving Dinner Still a Bargain
Thanksgiving dinner this year will cost more, but it’s still a bargain no matter how you slice it. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), the retail cost of menu items for a classic Thanksgiving dinner including turkey, stuffing, cranberries, pumpkin pie and all the basic trimmings increased about 13 percent this year. That may seem like a lot, …
New Research On Benefits Of Atrazine
During the recent NAFB convention, AgriTalk recorded a panel discussion about new research on Atrazine. This herbicide, which has been on the market for more than 50 years is very beneficial from an economic and environmental standpoint in the production of corn, sorghum and sugar cane according to this new research. I interviewed one of those researchers, Dr. Mike Owen, …
Cattlemen’s Beef Board Update
The Cattlemen’s Beef Board is enjoying the best relationships with its contractors in years according to new CEO Polly Ruhland. I spoke with Polly, pictured on the right, at the NAFB Trade Talk session to find out how things are going after some of the recent changes. Polly says that the Beef Board is taking a look at the structure …
Government Role In Ethanol Future
At the recent NAMA Trends in Agriculture conference one of our panel discussions focused on “Trends In Energy/Alternative Fuels.” On the panel were Nathan Schock, POET & Matt Roberts, PhD. What are the main influences escalating the demand for ethanol and other plant-based energy? This session examines the trends in the alternative fuel market and the initiatives needed to drive …