The Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) proposed rule that was published in June is causing quite a bit of concern among cattle feeders, who would be impacted right along with every other aspect of the meat and poultry industry. I talked about the issue with Jerry Bohn, general manager of Pratt Feeders in Kansas, who will be taking …
Digital Media Impact On Farmers and Ranchers
The Impact of Digital Media on Farmers and Ranchers was the title of a NAMA Boot Camp presentation by Jack Semler, Readex Research. I’ve been hoping to see Jack’s research which was done for the American Business Media’s Agri Council but have missed presentations at events like the Ag Media Summit. The farmers surveyed for this project were taken from …
Communications Plans Don’t Have To Be Scary
Communications plan? What communications plan? Sound familiar? You need a plan and helping NAMA Boot Campers with a method to create one was Beth Burgy, Broadhead+Co. Her presentation is titled, “Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Scary Communications Plan.” To learn how little red riding hood figures in you’ll need to listen to my interview with her. Beth says …
How To Communicate With Farmers
Those pesky producers. How do you communicate with them? Isn’t there just one way that reaches all farmers? Not. So to help beginning agrimarketers the morning session at NAMA Boot Camp features a producer panel led by Janelle Buxton, Successful Farming/Agriculture.com (seated on left). Next to her are Colleen Gerke, Lonny Duckworth and Ken McCauley. I spoke with Ken before …
NAMA Boot Camp Underway
The 2010 National Agri-Marketing Association Boot Camp is in full swing in KC, MO. This is the 7th annual event. Time flies when you’re having fun. Seems like just yesterday the first Boot Camp was held. The Chair for this year’s event is Melanie Acklin, Director of Marketing, SFP. I spoke with Melanie after the farm tour today that was …
GIPSA Rule Hot Topic At Next USDA/DOJ Workshop
The next USDA/DOJ public workshop on competition in the livestock industry is scheduled for next week in Ft. Collins, CO, and I will be attending. The session will be held on Friday and there will be a separate session the evening before hosted by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and National Pork Producers Council which I will also be attending. …
Swine Health Seminar Take Aways
It’s always good to hear from the producers who attend a farm production meeting like the Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Swine Health Seminar. I’ve posted interviews with all the presenters so let’s hear from a couple of the attendees. First up is Mark Daughtry, Prestage Farms. He actually has a contract farm with Prestage bu also works for them. He says …
Wyffels Attendees Hear About Great Potential in Ag
Too often we hear about all of the negatives in agriculture – bad weather, bad markets, opposition from groups that really don’t understand production agriculture. But attendees of the recent Wyffels Hybrids Corn Strategies 2010 held in a tent on the Cummings family farm just outside of the eastern Iowa town of Malcom heard that there is tremendous potential in …
Treating Post Weaning Scours
The last presentation at the Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Swine Health Seminar did not focus on PRRS. Instead we heard a presentation from Chad Stahl, North Carolina State University, on controlling post wean scours. Yeah, it’s as nasty as it sounds too. Chad was talking about post E. coli caused post weaning diarrhea and ways to mitigate it in your herd. …
Train Your Pig To Test Orally
We’ve heard about the oral testing of hogs for disease from Jeff Zimmerman, DVM, Iowa State University, before, here and here. But a guy with a last name of Zimmerman is worth hearing again! And that’s what we did at the Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Swine Health Seminar. Jeff has found in his work that there is a better way to …