Grains Council Opens Office in Panama

Cindy Zimmerman

U.S. Grains Council has officially opened a new international office in Panama City, Panama to serve Latin America and the Caribbean Region. USGC Chairman Rick Fruth commented, “By establishing an office in Latin America and the Caribbean region, the Council is strategically positioning itself to defend U.S. markets while simultaneously enhancing the quality of life of our trading partners.” Kurt …

International, USGC

Your PB&J Recipes Can Help Feed the Hungry

Cindy Zimmerman

How do you like your PB&J? Since March is National Peanut Month, Southern Peanut Growers (SPG) is celebrating with “PB&J My Way,” a national recipe contest looking for nutty new takes on the classic PB&J. For every peanut butter sandwich recipe received, SPG will donate a jar of peanut butter to hunger relief organization Feeding America. No matter how you …

Peanuts

Raising the Bar at Commodity Classic

Cindy Zimmerman

With 202 companies exhibiting in 816 booths, the 2010 Commodity Classic Trade Show once again raised the bar on must attend industry events in agriculture. The show surpassed previous turnout for a Commodity Classic held in California with 1,369 growers attending and a total attendance of 4,330. ZimmComm’s coverage of the 2010 Commodity Classic also raised the bar once again, …

BASF, Commodity Classic, John Deere, New Holland

Taking the SOY Challenge

Cindy Zimmerman

Each year, soybean growers around the country take the American Soybean Association (ASA) and BASF up on their challenge to reduce weed competition, increase plant health and protect yields – but only three are chosen. We already met first place winners David and Sue Roehm in an earlier post. Today we meet Dave and Mary Jonas of Pinnconning, Michigan, one …

ASA, Audio, BASF, Commodity Classic

Farmer Cooperatives Can Tell Story at Workshops

Cindy Zimmerman

Workshops on competition in agriculture, like the one held last week in Iowa, can allow farmer-owned co-ops to tell their story. According to the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC), Friday’s joint workshop between the Department of Justice (DOJ) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) set the stage for farmer-owned co-ops to show how they promote a more competitive agricultural …

Agribusiness, Cooperatives, USDA

Headline News from Commodity Classic

Cindy Zimmerman

BASF Headline fungicide continues to make headlines, even after years on the market. The more research they do with growers using this product, the better it gets. During a press conference at Commodity Classic, BASF Regional Sales Manager Gary Schmitz and Technical market Manager Nick Fassley talked about the more than 6,000 on-farm trials that have been held just in …

Audio, BASF, Commodity Classic

Cooking with Soybean Oil at Classic

Cindy Zimmerman

The Pioneer exhibit at Commodity Classic got lots of attention from pancake lovers with the Pioneer corporate chefs demonstrating the versatility of soybean oil for cooking. I stopped by and happened to catch Adam Moore flipping flapjacks on the griddle and later was able to do a video interview with Chef Charlie Baggs who showed off the dishes they were …

Commodity Classic, Food, Pioneer, Video

State Soybean Checkoffs Team Up for Research

Cindy Zimmerman

Taking a team approach to problem solving often saves both time and money and that has been the goal of the North Central Soybean Research Program (NCSRP) in using soybean checkoff dollars more efficiently for the benefit of growers. During the Commodity Classic I talked with NCSRP executive director David Wright, seen here with South Dakota farm broadcaster Michelle Rook, …

Audio, Commodity Classic, Soybean

Case IH CVT Hits the Sweet Spot

Cindy Zimmerman

CVT stands for Continuously Variable Transmission and Case IH was spotlighting its benefits over power shift during Commodity Classic, both at their exhibit and during a WIN session. “The advantage of having a completely variable transmission is that you can allow the computer to operate both the engine and the transmission to dial in the ‘sweet spot’ for power and …

Audio, Commodity Classic, Equipment, Tractor

ASA Vice President Works for Agriculture

Cindy Zimmerman

His wife calls him a “PMG” – Professional Meeting Goer – because Alan Kemper has been serving on the boards of state and national agricultural organizations for over two decades now. As First Vice President for the American Soybean Association, Alan will soon be the first person to have served as president for both ASA and the National Corn Growers …

ASA, Audio, BASF, Commodity Classic