Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced USDA is making $20 million available for agricultural water conservation efforts throughout California to combat the effects of drought. “This $20 million will be directed to drought mitigation, focused on improving irrigation efficiency, providing producers resources to stabilize fallow ground and to assist with watering facilities and grazing distribution,” said Vilsack during a press …
Cattle Industry Convention
It looks like all systems are go for this year’s Cattle Industry Convention in Nashville, TN. It’s the first time I’ll be missing it in a long time. But that’s the way things work sometime. I enjoyed the opportunity to be the Beef Board Blogger for eight years and it’s in the hands of the very capable staff of the …
Getting Some MapShots
I’ll be getting some MapShots this week at the 2014 MapShots Customer Conference. It will take place February 6-8 in Atlanta. This year’s conference will feature presentations from industry partners. In addition to MapShots staff providing attendees with information and hands-on experience with the use of AgStudio for precision crop management and record keeping, seven industry partners will present how …
4-H Club Wins World Ag Expo’s Video Contest
Ashly Anderson submitted a video on behalf of the Desert Sandblasters 4-H Club and won the World Ag Expo’s “Feeding Tomorrow’s World” video contest. Members of the club from Indio, CA showed different careers they might pursue as adults and how they related back to the agriculture industry. Entries were evaluated by a panel of judges and the top videos …
Predicting Social Media Trends
Q: Hey Chuck, what’s the next big thing? A: I dunno. But what I do know is that there’s no stopping social media and its impact on agricultural marketing. For that reason I strive to learn about and try everything I can. Hence the ZimmGlass Project. I don’t really make predictions because things can change so suddenly. However, there are …
Agri-Pulse Open Mic with Sen. Roberts
New on Agri-Pulse this week: As the U.S. Senate prepares to approve a new farm bill this week, supporters and critics are still weighing in on key provisions in the 949-page package. Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, understands the difficult dynamics involved with gaining approval of complex food and farm legislation, having served as chairman of the House Agriculture Committee in …
Texas Cattle in Super Bowl Ad
There was a lot of social media buzz surrounding the 2014 Super Bowl commercial for Chevy Silverado featuring a Hereford bull on the make for some sexy ladies. Texas A&M University reports the cattle in the ad belonged to one of their board regents. Regent Jim Schwertner’s ranch was the set for Chevrolet’s “Romance” commercial, which is slated to be …
Novus Sponsors Poultry Science Student Lunch
Keeping with the Novus International dedication to supporting scientific careers, the company this year sponsored the Poultry Scientific Forum student luncheon this year as part of the activities at the International Production and Processing Expo in Atlanta. Bob Buresh, North American Technical Services Manager, says the founding societies sponsoring the student events at the forum set up the luncheon a …
Zimfo Bytes
The Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) announced the launch of GreenDecoys.com, a website devoted to exposing radical environmentalists camouflaged under outdoor-sounding names whose real objective is to serve the interests of their wealthy backers. The Aurora Cooperative, a leading grain marketer and agricultural supplier based in Nebraska and serving America’s farmers in multiple states, announced finalization of its Aurora Agronomy …
Novus Endowed Poultry Professorship
In 2003, Novus International inaugurated a new Endowed Professorship in Poultry Science at the University of Arkansas and the first recipient was poultry nutrition professor Park Waldroup. Last week at the International Production and Processing Expo, Novus honored professor Waldroup for his work and endowed a new professor with the honor – Dr. Casey Owens, who specializes in Poultry Processing …