2025 Tech Hub Live

Putting a Face on CommonGround

Cindy Zimmerman

What is not to like about finding CommonGround? National Corn Growers Association Communications Manager Cathryn Wojciki recently did a post on Corn Commentary about how farmers can start a conversation with a simple photo. From Main Street to MTV, everyone is talking about food. Unfortunately, this conversation does not often include the people who grow it. CommonGround Conversations creates a …

Corn, Farming, NCGA, Social Networking

Canadian Potatoes Debut for IFAJ Dinner

Chuck Zimmerman

During pre-IFAJ Congress activities we were treated to dinner in downtown Guelph at the Woolrich Arrow. We were also being used in an experiment with a local potato grower. Here’s Kevin Smith, Smoyd Potato Farm, holding some of his product while he talked to us about a new variety we were to have served with our dinner. So we ate …

Audio, Farming, IFAJ

Find the Data Offers Crop Comparisons

Cindy Zimmerman

Here’s a cool on-line tool that offers yield and production comparisons of various crops by county. I received an email a few weeks ago from the guy who built the tool for a comparison engine called “Find the Best,” and also FindtheData.org. Woody Robinson is a recent graduate of the University of California Santa Barbara who now works for FindTheBest, …

Farming

Pioneer Offers Local Resources to Improve Profitability

Cindy Zimmerman

Pioneer Hi-Bred’s big announcement at the 2011 Farm Progress Show was a new program focused on evaluating innovative production practices on a local basis through a national network of agronomy trial managers (ATMs). “The focus is really local,” says Curt Clausen, Pioneer agronomy sciences director. “It’s really about local crop management, innovation and knowledge.” Pioneer is doubling the number of …

Farm Progress Show, Farming, Pioneer

Illinois Farm Bureau is Proud GROWMARK Parent

Cindy Zimmerman

As GROWMARK enters its 85th year, the Illinois Farm Bureau (ILFB) is proud to have watched the cooperative grow into something bigger and better over the years. “The GROWMARK system started under the auspices of Illinois Farm Bureau years ago, so we’re kind of the parent of the organization,” said ILFB president Philip Nelson at the cooperative’s annual meeting last …

Audio, Farming, GROWMARK

GROWMARK Annual Meeting is Value Driven

Cindy Zimmerman

The theme of the 2011 GROWMARK Annual Meeting is Value Driven and there are over 1,000 stakeholders attending the meeting in Chicago this week. I spent a few minutes with Dan Kelley, Chairman of the Board and President of GROWMARK, prior to the opening reception Thursday night about what value-driven means to GROWMARK. “The GROWMARK system has historically been recognized …

Audio, Farming, GROWMARK

Tweet Your Farmer To Learn About Food

Chuck Zimmerman

In this week’s program we get a wrap-up of the AgChat Foundation’s Agvocacy 2.0 Conference. I spoke with Michele Payn-Knoper, founder of the weekly AgChat conversation on Twitter and an AgChat Foundation board member and also Amanda Sollman, who took on the project this summer of helping us put on the conference. Michele says we had 115 attendees which is …

Audio, Farming, Food, Social Networking, ZimmCast