A record breaking field day on a record breaking farm kicked off Monday night in Purdy, Missouri at the home of Kip and Michelle Cullers. Kip is the man who put this tiny town in southwest Missouri on the map by being the world champion soybean yield grower two years in a row, not to mention numerous National Corn Yield …
Interview with the Secretary
We like to pack as much into a trip as we can, so this morning we left Tampa early to get to Orlando for the Florida Farm to Fuel Summit where Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer was speaking. I got a chance to sit down with him and chat for a few minutes, and since this was mainly for programs I …
AMS Awards and Memories
The Ag Media Summit 10th Anniversary Celebration on Tuesday night was an evening of fond memories and awards for achievement and service. Among the awards presented were the AAEA Lifetime Achievement Award to Claude Gifford, long time associate editor of Farm Journal and USDA director of information, and to the late Larry Harper, editor of the Missouri Ruralist. The AAEA …
Propane Running All Around My Brain
From propane-powered irrigation systems to tankless water heaters and pickup trucks, today’s propane innovations are helping farmers save money and the environment. Here at the Ag Media Summit, the Propane Education and Research Council (PERC) was talking about the green benefits of propane and some of their upcoming events where they will be showcasing new propane innovations for agriculture. PERC …
Ag CommuniGators of Tommorrow
There are over 80 students in attendance at the Ag Media Summit this week with high hopes of making a career in this fabulous field. Being Gator alumni ourselves, we have a special affection for the contingent from the University of Florida. I think they said there are 15 or 16 of them here and I did get most of …
Dive In Movie
“Caddy Shack” was the feature film at the Ag Media Summit party by the pool Monday night. For those of you who have seen the movie, you will likely recall the classic “doodie” in the pool scene. Organizer Diane Johnson, however, had never seen the flick – so when someone asked her yesterday if there would be Baby Ruth candy …
Rolling Stone is Down to Earth
Gene Hemphill of New Holland became fast friends with Chuck Leavell, tree farmer and keyboardist for the Rolling Stones, as soon as Chuck Zimmerman introduced them some time last year. Since then, Leavell has been on the rock and roll side for New Holland, with Michael Peterson being the country side. By the way – Gene is the one on …
Trimble Continues to Innovate
Trimble just announced last week that revenue for its second quarter of 2008 was up approximately 15 percent compared to last year. For the Field Solutions segment of the company, the increase was 68 percent, driven primarily by strong demand for agricultural products. I had a chance to sit down with Rob Lindores, Director of Marketing for Trimble Agricultural, about …
Major New Ag Trade Show Announced
The big announcement at the Ag Media Summit today was a new major agricultural trade show to take place in 2010. The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) announced AG CONNECT Expo, “a new international agriculture event that will showcase the latest industry innovations, products and technology and offer access to leading industry experts worldwide.” The inaugural Expo is slated for …
Corn Blog Wins Gold Award
Gotta admit to being pretty proud of this – the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and the Center for Association Leadership has awarded the National Corn Growers Association with a 2008 Gold Circle Award in the category of “Blogs – Association Annual Budget Greater than $2 Million” for Corn Commentary. John H. Graham IV, CAE, president and CEO of …