I don’t know how many of these little oil wells I’ve seen driving around the countryside. Coming back from Kentucky this week I got up close and personal with one at a highway rest stop in southern Indiana. It was very windy out but you can get a good sense of what it’s like being close to one. Does anybody …
Green Field Work
I saw about 8 farm machines working in the field during a 400+ mile drive today through Missouri/Illinois/Indiana and Kentucky. Of those, 6 were green. Just in case you were wondering. I’d say that when it comes to being green (I just got another email release from another company proclaiming their green-ness) farmers and companies like John Deere have been …
Farm Field Work
It’s a beautiful day in mid Missouri so I got out on the Katy Trail and found that there’s some field work going on. As Jeff Caldwell put it on Twitter, “Man, is that a beautiful sight to see!” #farm. Amen. I hope we have a great spring planting season and thanks to all farmers for what they do. Picture …
Agriculture Week According To The Chairman
Welcome to Ag Week and the ZimmCast. This week we’re all about celebrating American agriculture and thanking our farmers and ranchers who feed and fuel the world. In this week’s program I spoke with Greg Webb, ADM, who is currently Chairman of the Agriculture Council of America. He says the purpose of this week and National Agriculture Day on March …
On the Road Again…
After a busy week of tests and projects, I finally headed out of Brookings to start SDSU’s Spring Break. While I’m not headed to Cancun like a lot of my classmates, I have a week of fun things planned to do, both work and play. While I was on my way home yesterday, I stopped at Schlagel Farms to work …
Big Planter Topic at Classic
This monster planter was too big for the John Deere booth at Commodity Classic this year, but it was still the talk of the town. The DB120, as the name implies, is a 120 foot planter – the biggest ever. It was introduced at the National Farm Machinery Show last month (see previous post), but it was still too big …
A Classic Event
Everyone at Commodity Classic this year seemed to be impressed that attendance was as good or better than ever, despite the economy. “As I understand it, we are either right at the record or over it, so that is phenomenal,” said National Corn Growers Association CEO Rick Tolman. Unofficial numbers I heard were about 4500 total registration with 1500 of …
Sustainability Practices Now Determined Via New Online Calculator
Sustainability is a hot topic and growers have often been put in the hot seat defending their use of the land. But today, sustainability practices can be assessed using the new online Fieldprint Calculator, created by Field to Market, The Keystone Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture. As the world population explodes, producing food, feed, fuel, and fiber in a sustainable manner …
All American Beef Battalion Raffle
For some time now, I have served as a volunteer press secretary for the All American Beef Battalion. This organization works to provide steak feeds for troops fighting the global war on terror. Started by Vietnam veteran and cattle producer, Bill Broadie, this non-profit group has served thousands of individuals in its year of service. The goals of the AABB …
Farm Manager of the Year
Steve S. Myers, an 18-year veteran at Busey Ag Services, LeRoy, Il, has been named Farm Manager of the Year by the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers. The presentation was made during the ASFMRA Annual Meeting held in November in San Antonio. Steve was raised on a grain and livestock farm in Western Illinois. His passion for …