We had an inside look at ethanol press conference here at Iowa Speedway this morning. Participating were (l-r), Toni Nuernberg, EPIC, Craig Floss, Iowa Corn Growers Association, Mike Sobetski, LifeLine Foods and Troy Hobbs, Monsanto. They helped answer questions journalists here had about the fuel that’s burning in these IndyCars. You can see individual posts with each of them on …
Ryan Hunter-Reay Pumps Up Team Ethanol
I finally got to meet the Team Ethanol driver, Ryan Hunter-Reay. Ryan was on hand at the Kum & Go pump promotion and posed here with the Highway Patrolmen who helped us with security and traffic and other drivers. He’s the tall guy on the left. Cindy and Laura have already had a chance to meet him. This is my …
Talking Ethanol With Pioneer’s Russ Sanders
Pioneer Hi-Bred is sponsoring the Iowa Corn Indy 250 again this year and I spoke to Russ Sanders, Marketing Director, about how the company is involved. He’s pictured here (left) with Team Ethanol driver, Ryan Hunter-Reay and EPIC Director of Communications, Joanna Schroeder. Russ says that the company sees a great opportunity in the biofuels arena and their participation in …
Rock and Roll Meets Tractor and Country
We certainly had a little bit of rock and roll getting together with country at the Michael Peterson/New Holland Celebrity Tractor Race. One of the contestants who held the lead for a while was Rolling Stones keyboardist, Chuck Leavell (left), seen here with Michael Peterson. Chuck is a central Georgia tree farmer where he and his wife have 2,500 acres. …
Bio Economy Transition
Biofuels have been making headlines all over the place lately. I’m sure the weather in the central United States is going to continue to fuel the issue. It’s also taking us out on the road a bit this month. Cindy’s at the Fuel Ethanol Workshop and later this week I’ll be at the Iowa Indy Corn 250. Next week I’ll …
CUTC Media Mania
While I was attending the Corn Utilization and Technology Conference recently, I turned the tables on one of the media representatives covering the conference. Pictured on the left is Andy Vance, Buckeye Ag Radio Network along with NCGA’s Christina Koboldt. Christina was a big help by the way, helping those of us who haven’t attended a CUTC in a while. …
Jimmie Van Zant Riding a Blue Boomer
One of the celebrities competing in the Michael Peterson/New Holland Celebrity Tractor race was Jimmie Van Zant, pictured on the left with Michael. Jimmie is a cousin to Johnny, Ronnie and Donnie Van Zant, deceased members of the band, Lynyrd Skynyrd. He’s been making quite a career on his own. He thinks the tractor race is an excellent opportunity for …
AgWired & AgriTalk is Winning Combo
Mike Adams (right), Host of AgriTalk was the celebrity announcer of the celebrity tractor race. He and I talked about the Michael Peterson/New Holland Celebrity Tractor Race right before it got started. AgriTalk producer, John Herath, got this photo of us sporting our Frogg Toggs to keep cool. This was Mike’s second year as the emcee for the race and …
Great Pork BBQLossal
The winners of the 21st Great Pork BarbeQLossal have been officially announced – and the Grand Champions are Mike and Beth Wozniak of Brimfield, Illinois. They are the second two-time champions in a row for the event. They previously won in 2004. I spent some time at the BBQlossal before heading home on Saturday and got to speak with the …
Celebrities Riding Tractors
My latest road trip ended at the Michael Peterson/New Holland Celebrity Tractor Race in Nashville, TN. So this week’s program has been produced there and includes an event wrap-up with Michael. Michael Peterson has become a good friend after I’ve had so many opportunities to work with him since this event started 3 years ago. Today he got the crowd …