McCormick Company recently announced becoming part of the sandbox agency. According to Mark Perrin, President of McCormick and a principal with sandbox, the agencies that make up sandbox “play together well.” I spoke with Mark about this new relationship. sandbox is a full service advertising agency established through the combination of complementary entrepreneurial firms that share the “play together well” …
First Doan Award Presented
The very first Doan award honoring Excellence in Reporting Agriculture was presented at Washington Watch this week to Michelle Rook, managing farm director at WNAX in Yankton, SD. The Doan is named after Stewart Doan, a farm broadcaster and senior editor at Agri-Pulse, who passed away suddenly in May 2012. He was known for his passion for politics and determination …
Chicken Litter – A Hot Commodity
Jenny Rhodes, Extension Educator for University of Maryland in Queen Anne’s County and local poultry farmer, was asked to attend the 2015 Chicken Media Summit to talk about chicken manure. For her first 10 years in extension, Jenny wrote nutrient management plans. These plans are state mandated and any farmer meeting it’s requirements must have one for their operation. “In …
GROWMARK Crop Update
Another 10% of the nation’s corn crop was planted last week, bringing the total now a couple of points ahead of last year but still behind the five year average. According to the latest progress report from USDA, farmers now have 19% of the corn crop in the ground and two percent has emerged, most of it in non-Corn Belt …
Hoard’s Dairyman’s Acquisition of Hay & Forage Grower
A company with a long history of innovating in the dairy world is taking over a publication that covers a wide variety of feed for cattle, especially in the dairy realm. Hoard’s Dairyman magazine recently bought Hay & Forage Grower, including the publication’s database. I met with Gary Vorpahl, Vice President at Hoard’s, during the Agri-Marketing Conference to talk about …
FAO & Partners Launch Pastoralist Knowledge Hub
Do you know what a pastoralist is? Here’s one definition: a grazier or land-holder raising sheep, cattle, etc, on a large scale. Kind of sounds like a rancher to me. Why do I bring it up? Because the FAO and partners announced an online Pastoralist Knowledge Hub today. Their hope is that this will provide a platform for these folks …
USDA Presents Climate Change Initiative
In a speech Thursday at Michigan State University, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack introduced “Building Blocks for Climate Smart Agriculture & Forestry”, an initiative that will utilize voluntary, incentive-based conservation, forestry, and energy programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase carbon sequestration and expand renewable energy production in the agricultural and forestry sectors. “American farmers and ranchers are leaders when it …
Chicken Summit Tackles Industry Myths
The 2015 Chicken Media Summit is a wrap, but the dialogue will continue. A panel titled “Chicken Myths & Facts” answered questions many not directly involved in the poultry community simple don’t understand. Panelist discussed hormones, antibiotics, chicken litter, environmental issues and other hot button issues on the minds of consumers. Tom Super, VP of Communications for the National Chicken …
Why FMC Joined Field to Market
During the Agri-Marketing Conference my Mini Golden ZimmComm Microphone for iPhone got a workout that included an interview with Aaron Locker, FMC Marketing Director. Aaron stopped by the ZimmComm Connection Point booth so I asked him to talk about the reasons FMC has joined Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture. This is a multi-stakeholder initiative working to define, …
Global Soybean Stakeholders in China
Representatives from U.S. soybean organizations are in China this week joining their counterparts from several other countries to discuss the biotech-approval process there. United Soybean Board (USB) chairman Bob Haselwood of Kansas, the American Soybean Association (ASA) president Wade Cowan of Texas, and the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) chair Laura Foell of Iowa teamed up with their fellow soybean …