Birmingham, AL was the place to be for the 47th National Chicken Cooking Contest. A “spectacular” dish combining boneless chicken breasts with jasmine rice, shredded coconut and a crunchy Thai-style slaw took first place and the grand prize of $100,000 in the 47th National Chicken Cooking Contest here Friday. Michelle Anderson, a training analyst from Eagle, Idaho, created the dish …
Farm Journal Honors Sonja Hillgren
As a way to honor the late Sonja Hillgren, Farm Journal has set up the Sonja Hillgren/FARM JOURNAL Ag Journalism Field Reporting Institute. This “will allow the spirit of the late Sonja Hillgren to live on in future reporters at her alma mater, the University of Missouri-Columbia.” The Sonja Hillgren/FARM JOURNAL Ag Journalism Field Reporting Institute is the backbone of …
I’m A Godfather Again
Here’s me with the Mizzou agribloggers Julia and Nicki from earlier today at the World Agricultural Forum. According to their blog, I’m the Godfather of ag blogging. Now that’s a catchy title don’t you think? Besides writing for their blog Julia and Nicki are helping the World Ag Forum staff by writing reports from the “Breakout Sessions.” World Agricultural Forum …
The World Ag Forum On AgriTalk
Mike Adams, the host of AgriTalk (center) thought I must be going through AgriTalk withdrawal on AgWired since I haven’t posted a picture of them in so long. No, they don’t pay me to do this (they should). I just run into them so many places. This is Mike interviewing World Agricultural Forum Chairman, James Bolger, this morning. Next to …
A Fighting Slogan For R-CALF
R-CALF has an official slogan. They say it was approved along with all the resolutions proposed at their annual convention in January. The votes were handled via mail-in ballot. The record 23 resolutions dealt with topics ranging from animal health to animal identification to marketing to property rights to international trade issues – and to the organization’s now-official slogan: “R-CALF …
Missouri River Flooding
Here in central Missouri we’ve all the sudden become river watchers. Who knows how high this is going to go. AgWired fan, Lane McConnell was out and about today with her camera and got this picture of the state capitol from underneath the Hwy. 63 bridge over the Missouri River just outside Jefferson City. The river has definitely risen since …
Address By Mariann Fischer Boel, EU Ag Commissioner
The Commissioner of Agriculture and Rural Development for the European Economic Union is Mariann Fischer Boel. She was the keynote speaker on the program today here at the World Agricultural Forum. You can listen to her speech here while she’s finishing up with questions and answers. In her talk she tries to clear up misconceptions about farmers, farming and the …
Grower Perspective on the World Agricultural Forum
One of the directors of the World Agricultural Forum is Dick McWard. He’s taking notes during this morning’s speech by Mariann Fischer Boel, EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development. Dick is a producer from Illinois who is also retired from Bunge North America where he worked in industry affairs. I asked him for his perspective on an event like …
Rex Parsons Passes Away
I have to take a moment to post about the passing away of Rex Parsons, former Executive Director of the National Agri-Marketing Association. The full information as posted by the NAMA office is included below (click on “more”). I would dare say that any of us who were members during the Rex era have our stories to tell. I will …
Flowers From Columbia
The flower man from Columbia is Ernesto Velez, Columbian Association of Flower Exporters. He gave us a presentation at our evening reception at the World Agricultural Forum here this evening. He said that there was a 90+% chance that the dozen carnations I bought Cindy on Sunday came from Columbia. If you’d like to learn about where a major source …