Alltech Announces #AgFuture Blog Contest

Chuck Zimmerman

Hey ag bloggers. Alltech has a contest you might be interested in. Three winners will get to attend one of the best private agricultural events on the calendar. In 2050 the population will be over 9 billion. How will we feed that many people? What does the future of agriculture hold for you? We are inviting ag bloggers to imagine …

Agribusiness, Alltech

Blogging Very Alive and Well

Chuck Zimmerman

I couldn’t agree more with this opening statement of a post on Nielsen Wire about some new research results. It seems to me like many agrimarketers are solely focused on social networks as opposed to creating their own buzz via a well managed blog. Could it be because a good blog requires more effort? All too often new blogs I …

Uncategorized

2012 National Agriculture Day Proclamation

Chuck Zimmerman

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack signed a proclamation making March 8, 2012, National Agriculture Day. Here’s an excerpt of the proclamation which you can read in its entirety here (pdf). UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Office of the Secretary Washington, D.C. 20250 NATIONAL AGRICULTURE DAY March 8, 2012 By the Secretary of Agriculture of the United States of America …

Ag Day

2012 National Ag Day Essay Contest Winners

Chuck Zimmerman

Here are the winners in the 2012 National Ag Day Essay Contest. Pictured is written essay contest winner Miriam Martin, Bucklin, MO Meadville R-IV High School, with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. Miriam read her essay during the Celebration of Agriculture dinner. The National Ag Day Essay Contest is sponsored by: CHS Inc., The Council for Agricultural Science & …

Ag Day, Ag Groups, Audio, Video

2012 Conservation in Action Tour

Chuck Zimmerman

The Conservation Technology Information Center has announced their 2012 Conservation in Action Tour and it’s going to be done “southern style.” At Commodity Classic I spoke with Karen Scanlon, CTIC Executive Director about this year’s program. I’ll be there again this year thanks to support from CTIC and AGROTAIN. Here’s information on the tour which is open for registration now. …

Ag Groups, Audio, Commodity Classic, Conservation, CTIC

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Speaks To Ag Day

Chuck Zimmerman

This evening our U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, the 30th Secretary, addressed the Celebration of Agriculture Dinner for National Agriculture Day activities. We had a wonderful dinner highlighted by a bone-in Berkshire pork chop. Mmm . . . mmm . . . I think that we’ve had a weekly visit with the Secretary each week lately. We saw him …

Ag Day, Ag Groups, Audio

Helping Congress Better Understand Farming

Chuck Zimmerman

Congressman Collin Peterson, Ranking Member, House Committee on Agriculture, took to the microphone during the Meet and Mingle Luncheon at the House Longworth Bldg. during National Ag Day Activities. He only had a couple of minutes to speak due to a vote that had just been called. The Congressman started off his remarks about his desire to do what he …

Ag Day, Ag Groups, Audio

Youth In Ag Groups Attending National Ag Day Activities

Chuck Zimmerman

One of the best parts of National Ag Day Activities is seeing and meeting all the young people who attend. Most are receiving support to come to Washington, DC through the organization they belong to. We have a lot of blue coats here for example. I met two of them this morning and asked what brought them to the events. …

Ag Day, Ag Groups, Audio, Education, FFA

We Need Both RFS and Farm Bill According to Senator Stabenow

Chuck Zimmerman

Addressing the attendees to the Agri-Pulse reception last night was Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chairwomen, U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. I visited with her briefly after her remarks. I first asked her what she thought about the importance of the work that’s being done by groups like USFRA which held a Food Dialogues event prior to the reception. …

Ag Day, Ag Groups, Audio, Farm Bill, Food, USFRA

Senator Pat Roberts Just Tells It Like It Is

Chuck Zimmerman

The Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, Senator Pat Roberts, made comments during the Agri-Pulse reception last night. I got to visit with him briefly afterward. Senator Roberts says the idea of trying to get urban America better understand where their food comes from is “a mountain we’ve been trying to climb for years …

Ag Day, Audio, Farm Bill, Food, USFRA