One of the guys on the program yesterday at the Chicago Board of Trade Greening of Racing tribute was IndyCar Series President, Terry Anstadt. I interviewed Terry right before the program got started. He says the partnership with ethanol fits in perfectly with their mission. “The Indianapolis Motor Speedway was built in 1909 literally as a test track to support …
USDA Under Secretary Dorr on Rural Broadband Proposal
Last week I mentioned that USDA was proposing new rules for rural broadband development. That’s high speed internet access for those of you who aren’t fully AgWired yet. USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development, Tom Dorr, spoke at yesterday’s CBOT Greening of Racing event and I got to ask him to explain more about that. Secretary Dorr says that research …
World Trade Organization Podcasting
It looks like the World Trade Organization is podcasting. Here’s a notice I received that pointed to it with this episode being a 17 minute press conference on the following. FARM TALKS CHAIR SEES REAL NEGOTIATION IN COMMENTS ON TEXT – Members’ comments on his “challenges paper” showed they were starting to negotiate the content rather than rejecting it, Ambassador …
More On Missouri Flooding
I think the national news has certainly drawn people’s attention to the flooding problem here in Missouri. I was out and about today and took a few pictures along a couple different parts of the Missouri River. This is a country road that’s covered by the creek that flows into the Missouri. With the river rising many of these creeks …
Racing and Food On The ZimmCast
This week on the ZimmCast (I know I’m a little late) you can hear an anecdote from Bobby Rahal about his racing career and learn more about the World Agricultural Forum. Bobby says that his best time in racing was when he won. That’s not surprising. I’m sure I’ll see him again later this month in Indianapolis at the Indy …
Address By Mariann Fischer Boel, EU Ag Commissioner
The Commissioner of Agriculture and Rural Development for the European Economic Union is Mariann Fischer Boel. She was the keynote speaker on the program today here at the World Agricultural Forum. You can listen to her speech here while she’s finishing up with questions and answers. In her talk she tries to clear up misconceptions about farmers, farming and the …
Grower Perspective on the World Agricultural Forum
One of the directors of the World Agricultural Forum is Dick McWard. He’s taking notes during this morning’s speech by Mariann Fischer Boel, EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development. Dick is a producer from Illinois who is also retired from Bunge North America where he worked in industry affairs. I asked him for his perspective on an event like …
Flowers From Columbia
The flower man from Columbia is Ernesto Velez, Columbian Association of Flower Exporters. He gave us a presentation at our evening reception at the World Agricultural Forum here this evening. He said that there was a 90+% chance that the dozen carnations I bought Cindy on Sunday came from Columbia. If you’d like to learn about where a major source …
Bunge North America CEO Wants Us To Think Global
The President and CEO of Bunge North America is Carl Hausmann. He was part of a panel today at the World Agricultural Forum that addressed the needs of food, fuel, fiber and water. I interviewed Carl after the session and asked what he thought one of the main concerns was that people expressed here. He says that when it comes …
WAF President Sees Ag As Economic Engine For Growth
The president of the World Agricultural Forum is Raymond Cesca, pictured here to the left of Leonard Guarraia. I interviewed Ray in between sessions earlier today about what he hopes to see accomplished. He says the theme of investing in agriculture is meant to be about more than just food and fuel but about successful business models and food production. …