Big Data Privacy Agreement

Cindy Zimmerman

A coalition of major farm organizations and agriculture technology providers today announced an agreement on data privacy and security principles. The agreement was designed to encourage producers to use the full range of innovative, technology-driven tools and services to boost productivity, efficiency and profitability of agriculture with more assurance that personal data will be protected. The organizations and companies that …

AFBF, Audio, NAFB

NAFB Panel Focuses on Integrating Tech in Ag

Taylor Truckey

The 71st Annual NAFB Convention brought together a panel of industry members to discuss integrating technology into the agriculture industry. Sitting on the panel were Dave Rhylander, IFS Lead – Monsanto, Matt Waits, CEO – SST Technologies, Rachelle Thibert, Integrated Solutions Manager – John Deere, and Ron LeMay, Founder and CEO – FarmLink. The consensus was that data-driven performance tools …

Audio, NAFB, Precision Agriculture

Meet the New USFRA Faces

Cindy Zimmerman

At the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) convention on Wednesday, the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA®) announced the winners of its second class of the Faces of Farming and Ranching program. The new “Faces” are (pictured left to right) Thomas Titus of Illinois, Jay Hill of New Mexico, Erin Brenneman of Iowa, Carla Wardin of Michigan, and Darrell …

Audio, Farming, NAFB, USFRA

2014 NAFB Scholarship Winners

Cindy Zimmerman

The NAFB Foundation awarded scholarship numbers 98-100 today at the annual convention in Kansas City to three promising young industry leaders. From left to right, they are Liz Koehler of Illinois, Joel Penhorwood of Ohio, and Shannon Yokely of Missouri. Liz is a senior at the University of Illinois majoring in agricultural communications, Joel is a junior at The Ohio …

Audio, NAFB

Animal Welfare Panel at LPC Vision Event

Chuck Zimmerman

The inaugural Livestock Publications Council “Vision, and industry celebration” event, held in Kansas City, MO, featured a panel discussion. The topic was “Animal welfare in today’s world of agriculture.” As you might guess, animal activist, rights and welfare continue to be a hot topic of discussion in the industry. The panel was moderated by Mike Adams, AgriTalk, and panelists were …

Animal Activists, Animal Agriculture, Audio, LPC, Media

2014 NAFB Convention is Underway

Cindy Zimmerman

The 71st annual convention of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting is officially underway here in Kansas City with the theme “From Our Roots, Our Future Grows.” Susan Littlefield of KZEN radio in Columbus, Nebraska is NAFB President-Elect and this year’s convention organizer. “We’ve got a variety of different speakers to hit everyone’s tastes,” said Susan, from new technology to …

Audio, NAFB

Improving Plant Health Through Nutritional Balance

Jamie Johansen

Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA) is a plant nutrition consulting company that works with fruit and vegetable growers from across the country. They have become known for helping farmers grow crops that are completely resistant to diseases and insects using nutrition and enhancing plant immunity through nutritional balance. During Crop Health Laboratories’ Power Growers Seminar I spoke with founder and CEO …

Agribusiness, Audio, Crop Science, Nutrition, Vegetables

A Blood Test for Plants

Jamie Johansen

Crop Health Laboratories presented Power Growers Seminar over the weekend in Santa Clara, CA. The event provided a comprehensive introduction to plant sap analysis technology. This new nutrient management strategy was created by Sjoerd Smits, owner of NovaCropControl and HortiNova. Both companies are based out of the Netherlands and currently sap samples are shipped there for analysis. Crop Health Labs …

Agribusiness, Audio, Nutrition, Vegetables

Role of State FFA Officers on National Level

Cindy Zimmerman

With FFA organizations in 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, there are well over 1,000 state FFA officers who play a role as delegates at the National FFA Convention. State FFA officers lead the membership of the state associations and are elected by state FFA convention delegates. Samantha Marre of Elsberry, Missouri who represents Area 5 in …

Audio, FFA

Purpose, Passion and Persistence Makes FFA Proud

Cindy Zimmerman

When National FFA Advisor Dr. Steve Brown talked to the thousands of students in attendance at the recent convention, he summed up the mission of FFA in three simple words – purpose, passion and persistence. “We also talked about being “FFA Proud,” said Brown in an interview with Jamie Johansen. “They’re here for a purpose, to learn about agriculture and …

Audio, Education, FFA