We were welcomed to Japan (Yokoso Nippon) by Kazumasa Numura, president of the Japan Agricultural Journalists Association (left) and Masaru Yamada, the main coordinator. Our welcoming reception included lots of food and beverage. Just what you need when you’ve been on the go sitting in an airplane for over half a day. Besides welcoming comments we were also entertained with …
Visit to the European Parliament
Our BASF Agricultural Products sponsored trip to Brussels included informative visits to all segments of the European Union political system. That includes the European Commission, where we met with ag commissioner spokesman Michael Mann, the EU Council, and the European Parliament, which was not in session as it was Friday and they have a four day work week. It was …
Reporting from Brussels
BASF Agricultural Products set up a nice visit for ag journalists here in Brussels at a great time to get some real news for the farmers back home. It was announced just yesterday that the European Commission was proposing to eliminate the mandatory ten percent set aside to help increase production for the coming crop year, and possibly permanently. We …
OECD-FAO Assumption Outlook
The more information I receive and read from the FAO, the more I’m disillusioned with the whole organization. I think there’s a lot of well-meaning people there but between them and the Organization for Economic Co-operation (OECD) I’m now more inclined to put them in the whacko classification. Take their “OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook – 2007-2016” report that’s already being quoted …
Getting Ready For Japan
In just a couple days Cindy and I will be winging our way to Japan and the IFAJ Congress 2007. What a week for ZimmComm New Media. Cindy’s in Brussels now as you’ve probably read and I’m back from Canada. Actually I got back last night and went up to Des Moines today to host the first in a video …
Interview with BASF Ag Products President
BASF Agricultural Products division president Michael Heinz is in a good mood because prices for farm products are higher and farmers are spending more money on their input costs to increase production. “It makes us very excited because when the farmer is in a good mood, in general, we are in a good mood,” Heinz says. This optimism was the …
Global Press Conference
I have been an ag journalist for 25 years and never participated in an event quite like the global press conference for BASF here in Germany. Michael Heinz, President of BASF’s Agricultural Products Division, and Dr. Klaus Welsch, head of the European Crop Protection business, were the headliners at the event and the main news was how BASF sees the …
BASF Wine Tasting
BASF is into just about everything, including wine. We toured the compnay’s Weinfachgeschaft, which handles about a million bottles of wine a year – about 2,000 different labels. Most are German wines, but they also handle a nice selection from around Europe and some other countries as well. BASF even has its own private label wines. So, this was part …
Willkommen to Germany
Hello from Germany. I am here in a cute little hotel in Speyer, feeling much better today after feeling pretty horrible last night. A long, delayed trip got me here just as everyone was ready to leave on the first leg of BASF visit, so I barely had time to change before heading out to see the BASF welcome center …
Traveling to Guelph
It’s a travel day for me and a better one than Cindy had yesterday I hope. She’s on her way (maybe there?) to Germany but had flight cancellations and delays that were hard to believe and added many hours to her trip. Me, I’m on the way to Guelph, Canada to teach a new media class for ag communications grad …