Let’s Give #FoodThanks this Thanksgiving

Chuck Zimmerman

FoodThanksThis Thanksgiving let’s all give a little thanks for the food we have to eat. When it comes to food what are you thankful for? Let everyone know via your social media channels using the hashtag – #FoodThanks. I’ll start with this platter of surf and turf from my grill last weekend. Grilled T-bones, asparagus and Gulf Amberjack foil wrapped with green chiles, tomato, mushrooms, garlic, red onions, olive oil and my own selection of special slices. It was all good and all good for you. And every bit of it was available because of hard working farmers and fishermen. Thank you!

The AgChat Foundation just started its fourth annual FoodThanks campaign which features “Give a Bag. Get a Bag.” to encourage participants to help their local food bank.

“The campaign aims to bring together everyone in the food system, no matter who you are, how you fit into in, or your favorite social media channel,” says Jeff VanderWerff, a Michigan farmer and president of the AgChat Foundation. “It’s about forgetting the food fights and taking time to share thanks for safe, abundant food.”

Use Instagram or Vine to show a meal that’s special to you and explain why. Share a recipe and tag someone you’re enjoying it with.

Join the #foodthanks Twitter chat and Google Hangout – Thursday, Nov. 21 at 8/7 CST.

“In addition to saying #foodthanks online, the AgChat Foundation is encouraging participants to give #foodthanks offline this year,” adds VanderWerff. “Consider giving your time—whether 10 minutes or an hour—to make a meal for a neighbor or to volunteer at the food bank or homeless shelter.”

FoodThanksStarting Nov. 18, participants can pledge to donate a bag of food to a local food pantry via an online form at www.foodthanks.com. Those who take the pledge will receive a special edition #foodthanks tote. Quantities are limited.

“It’s a simple pledge, followed by a lasting reminder to be thankful every time we visit the grocery store—even when the holiday season is over,” VanderWerff says.

Ag Groups, Food

Separating Fact from Fiction on Renewable Energy

John Davis

NFUlogoSeparating fact from fiction is the goal of a new curriculum from National Farmers Union (NFU) focusing on renewable energy. The curriculum will be made available free to organizations, schools, institutions and businesses that build cultural awareness and acceptance of renewable fuels.

“Renewable energy is fast becoming a way of life for millions of Americans,” said NFU President Roger Johnson. “Technological advances are delivering sustainable, reliable, and increasingly affordable sources of renewable energy. At the same time, Americans are curious about the economic and environmental costs of relying on fossil fuels.”

Lessons are available for use with students in high school grades 9-12, as well as separate lessons for both college and adult students. Each module contains three unique areas of focus, for a total of nine different lesson plans. The sessions are tailored to appeal to the specific audiences and use a variety of educational activities to engage students in the learning process. The lessons come with separate guides and resource sheets to assist teachers in understanding and implementing the curriculum.

The curriculum is available here or by contacting NFU Director of Education Maria Miller at mmiller@nfudc.org.

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Borlaug Award Nominations Now Open

Jamie Johansen

A_World_Supported_3F35257001FD1You can now place your nominations for the 2014 Borlaug CAST Communication Award. The award is organized by the Council for Agricultural Science & Technology, sponsored by DuPont and carries on the legacy of Dr. Norman Borlaug.

The honor recognizes professionals working in the agricultural, environmental or food sectors who are promoting ag science in the public policy arena. This award serves as a way to showcase efforts made to keep agricultural issues and programs in the public eye.

Jeff Simmons, President of Elanco and 2013 prize winner joins a list of notable recent winners Dr. Carl Winter of the University of California-Davis, Professor Catherine Bertini, former head of the World Food Program, and Dr. Akin Adesina, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development for Nigeria.

CAST welcomes nominations for those who effectively communicate Dr. Borlaug’s call to feed the world through words, deeds and programs to help farmers and consumers worldwide. The award winner receives a bronze sculpture, an honorarium and the opportunity to give a presentation at a CAST award ceremony during the 2014 World Food Prize Symposium.

Nomination forms can be found here.

Agribusiness, Food, International, World Food Prize

Meet DairyUS – The REAL Seal of Approval

Jamie Johansen

image008The animated Dairy REAL Seal Character finally has a name. After a nationwide vote, the cartoon character who is helping to build awareness of the advantages of real dairy foods has been named DairyUS. The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) made the announcement today during their annual meeting.

The character was modeled after the iconic REAL Seal logo and will help educate a new generation of consumers about the difference between genuine U.S. dairy products and imitations. The icon is part of an effort to revitalize the seal, which was created in the 1970s and is already used on more than 10,000 food products.

NMPF asked the public to suggest names for the character last summer, using the REAL® Seal website and new REAL® Seal Facebook page. Three finalists were selected from among more than 100 names submitted. An online vote was held from mid-September through Election Day, November 5.

In all, nearly 800 votes were cast. DairyUS, suggested by Kathryn in Clermont, Iowa, received 379 votes. The runner-up, Milkdrop, received 343 votes, while the third finalist, Roscow, received 74 votes. The results of the vote were announced today at the NMPF annual meeting, being held in Phoenix, Arizona.

“DairyUS will help both kids and adults learn about foods made with real dairy products,” said NMPF Chief Operating Officer Jim Mulhern. “The REAL® Seal not only means a product is a real dairy product, but that it is made with milk from cows on U.S. dairy farms and without imported, imitation or substitute ingredients.”

Ag Groups, Dairy, Education

Pork Checkoff Launches Free Electronic Cookbook

Jamie Johansen

pork checkoff logo_151An electronic cookbook, titled Cooking for Comfort, has just made it’s debut from the Pork Checkoff. This free e-book features favorites and new twists on classic recipes from James Beard, Award-winning Chef Michelle Bernstein, barbecue expert and author Ray Lampe, along with food bloggers from across the U.S.

“Pork plays a part in many of our favorite comfort food dishes – they are nutritious, soothing, savory and delicious,” said Karen Richter, National Pork Board president and a producer from Minnesota. “This e-cookbook is the perfect way to celebrate pork and engage our consumers this holiday season.”

The quick and easy guide to pork recipes highlights great ways to warm up this winter and serves as an inspiration for us all in the kitchen.

The first 15,000 people to download Cooking For Comfort in November will receive a $1 coupon for fresh pork, with another 10,000 coupons available starting December 1. To download visit PorkBeInspired.com and don’t forget it’s free.

Ag Groups, Food, Pork

Iowa Farmer Claims AP Report is Misleading

Cindy Zimmerman

apLeroy Perkins is an Iowa farmer who will be featured in an Associated Press “investigative report” being released this week about ethanol and the environment. He claims that his comments were taken out of context and reporters who interviewed him never told him it was for a “story to put down ethanol.”

“I think the AP folks wrote a little different story than they told me they were going to write,” said Leroy during a Fuels America press call today about an advanced draft of the report which was circulated on the internet last week. He says he was contacted by the reporters to talk about “the county fair, along with absentee out of state landlords and of course, water quality.”

Leroy says one of the reporters asked him what he thought about ethanol. “I told them I was for ethanol, I believe in it and we use it in our vehicles and equipment all the time … because it’s a product of the land,” he said.

Leroy is described in the article as “a white-haired, 66-year-old farmer in denim overalls” who is “agonizing” over whether he should put the “91 acres that he set aside for conservation years ago” into corn production. Much of the pre-released article is focused specifically on Wayne County Iowa, where he lives, to illustrate how ethanol policy is “raping the land” by encouraging more corn acreage.

“The AP article tried to paint Wayne County as a poster child for cropland expansion under the RFS but they … omitted some key facts,” said Geoff Cooper, Vice President of Research and Analysis for the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). “Farmers in Wayne County Iowa planted far more corn in the past than they do today,” he added, noting that 88,000 acres were planted in 1985 compares to 58,000 last year. “Cropland is not expanding in the United States.”

Listen to a conference call on the AP article here:AP ethanol story fact check

RFA has composed a
Counterpoint Fact Sheet on AP story and we also have spoken to RFA president and CEO Bob Dinneen who was interviewed for the article. Ethanol Report with Bob Dinneen on AP story

Audio, Corn, Ethanol

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Register for 2014 Agri-Marketing Conference

Chuck Zimmerman

2014 Agri-Marketing ConferenceCome on down to my territory next April. You’ll be glad you did. The Sunshine State will be waiting for you. It’s registration time for the 2014 Agri-Marketing Conference.

Shed some new light on your agri-marketing career. NAMA is taking the conference to Jacksonville, Florida in 2014. Soak up the rays as well as the latest trends in ag communications, social media, and industry news. The location may be new, but the forecast for making new connections and chances to rub elbows with leaders in the ag industry is as sunny as ever. You bring the sunscreen — we’ll bring the fresh ideas.

Registration is open so get it done early. You’ve only got until March 20!

Agencies, Agribusiness, Media, NAMA

AgroNomics 2014

Chuck Zimmerman

AgroNomics Vision 2014It’s time for some vision from the 2014 AgroNomics. This is just one of the places I’ll be this week while the rest of the ZimmComm team is in KC, MO for the NAFB convention. AgroNomics is a U.S. ag investment conference that is held in conjunction with the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers annual meeting and trade show.

AgroNomics – Vision 2014 to be held November 11-15, 2013 in Reno, Nevada offers interaction opportunities for investors and fund managers together with the land management, property valuation, agricultural consulting, and rural land & property sales experts of the American Society of Farm Managers & Rural Appraisers.

With the increasing interest among national and international investors and fund managers to acquire U.S. farm land, ASFMRA is working to meet the needs of all parties involved in these transactions.

Ag Groups

14 Billion Bushels of Corn!

Cindy Zimmerman

harvestDespite all the challenges that faced farmers this season, the nation’s corn crop is on track to be a record high 14.0 billion bushels, according to the new crop production report released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

NASS revised the planted corn acreage downward in the new report, but increased the yield estimate to average 160.4 bushels per acre, with corn growers in 18 states forecast to reach record yields this year. Soybean production is forecast at 3.26 billion bushels, up 3 percent from the previous forecast and up 7 percent from last year.

Mike Krueger of The Money Farm gave a good overview of the new production estimates, as well as the new supply-demand report out from USDA, during today’s Minneapolis Grain Exchange (MGEX) Crop Report Conference Call. Listen to or download that here: MGEX November Crop Call

After a slow start, the 2013 harvest is pretty much back on schedule in most of the country, but it seems late compared to last year’s record pace. As of Sunday, USDA reports 73 percent of the corn crop was harvested, two points ahead of average, but more than 20% less than last year at this time. The soybean harvest is 86% complete, which is a bit ahead of normal, and only about six percent behind last year.

Found this YouTube video from Cross Implement in central Illinois using Luke Bryan’s Harvest Time to help celebrate this special time of year!

Audio, Corn, Soybean, USDA, Video