Doing Corn

Melissa Sandfort

20130802_130935These days around our parts, you may hear the phrase “We’re doing corn today” quite often. I think of city folks who go to Hy-Vee or their local grocery store, pick up a few ears of sweet corn for the evening meal, take it home, shuck it and grin as the butter runs down their chin and arms to their elbows. And for special occasions or family get-togethers, they might pick up as many as 10 ears.

*I do have to throw in a bit of humor as I once dated a man from Missouri who had no idea how to tell the difference between field corn and sweet corn. I tried my best not to laugh at him, only to fail miserably. *

That said, it can be an honest mistake if you didn’t grow up around it. But when my family “does corn”, that means that about three back ends of pick-ups are full with corn that someone has picked. We gather at my brother’s shop where there’s a turkey roaster or two filled with boiling water. We set up stations: two people shuck, two people cook and toss them into cold water, then two people cut the corn off the cob and another person or two bag it up in freezer bags. It’s hot. There are knives involved (and I’m not good with knives!). And your fingers eventually go numb from picking the silks off each ear.

But at the end of the day when you have nearly 200 pint and quart bags of sweet corn to enjoy for the year ahead, it’s fabulous.

That’s how we “do corn” around here.

This is just a snapshot of my kitchen where I only did about 25 ears.

Until we walk again …

Uncategorized

GROWMARK Report on China Demand

Cindy Zimmerman

Is demand from China really driving commodity prices?

growmarklogoThat was the question that GROWMARK economic and market research manager Kel Kelly set out to answer in a recent research report.

“Overall the report concludes that China does not have the dominant impact on commodity prices that everyone thinks they do,” said Kelly in an AgWired interview. “The primary reason for this is that China simply does not buy enough of our agricultural commodities to have that much impact on price.”

Kelly says that while China’s population is indeed growing rapidly, “China produces the majority of what they consume.”

So, what has been driving commodity prices higher in the last decade? “That is simply massive amounts of money that were originated on Wall Street and injected into the commodity markets,” said Kelly. “That’s what pushing up the prices of all commodities since the early 2000s, including ones that China does not buy.”

Kelly adds that the same reasoning applies to those who want to blame ethanol production for rising commodity prices, that it is not physical demand driving higher prices, but instead is monetary demand from Wall Street.

Click here to read the entire report and listen to Kelly explain some of the major points in this interview: Interview with GROWMARK economist Kel Kelly

Audio, Grains, GROWMARK, International

2013 W.D. Farr Scholarships Awarded

Jamie Johansen

cisc-13-turnerDuring the 2013 Cattle Industry Summer Conference, two recipients were awarded the W.D. Farr Scholarship from the National Cattlemen’s Foundation (NCF). THe $12,000 award recognizes superior achievement in academics and leadership and will allow the students to further their study in fields that benefit the cattle and beef industry.

Benjamin Turner is from Rapid City, South Dakota. He is a Ph.D. candidate studying Biological Sciences at South Dakota State University. He received his bachelors of science degree in Agriculture Business from Sam Houston State University. And then later received his masters of science in Agribusiness from Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

Over the past year Turner has been a graduate assistant for South Dakota State University in the Natural Resources Management Department. His career goals involve teaching and developing useful teaching tools, such as a textbook on ecological economics and management so that students can make better decisions of consequence under real-world conditions. Turner’s Ph.D. Dissertation is: To Plow or Not to Plow: Investigating Grassland to Cropland Conversion in the Northern Great Plains Using Systems Thinking and Dynamics. He is expected to graduate in 2014.

Listen to Benjamin’s remarks here: Remarks from Benjamin Turner

9471085097_0c2a181d3f_bJohn Wood is from Greeley, Colorado. He is a MS-MBA candidate in Food and Agribusiness Management at Purdue University. He received a bachelors of science degree from Colorado State University in Beef Production and Business Leadership & Management. For the past couple of years he has had several positions at JBS Five Rivers Cattle Feeding.

Wood has been involved in the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Young Producers Council since 2008 and currently serves as the group’s chairman. He has also been part of many agricultural based clubs and teams. Wood’s career goals are to serve in an upper management position that allows him to employ a macro perspective as he helps lead, manage, develop and coach a high caliber team to obtain organizational objectives.

Listen to John’s remarks here: Remarks from John Wood

The National Cattlemen’s Foundation established this annual scholorship in 2007 to recognize outstanding students who plan to pursue careers in meat science and animal agriculture. W.D. Farr was the first president of NCF and also served as president of the American National Cattlemen’s Association, now known as NCBA. Farr’s career spanned 75 years in the beef industry.

Here are photos from the event:2013 Cattle Industry Summer Conference Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Beef, Cattle Industry Conference, NCBA

Zimfo Bytes

Talia Goes

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Visitors to www.SoyGrowers.com will find a cleaner, more streamlined web home for the American Soybean Association following a comprehensive redesign and facelift for the association’s website.
  • Paradowski Creative announced it has expanded its team with the addition of six new team members.
  • This week, the more than 22,000 farmer members of the American Soybean Association (ASA) will receive their premiere issues of American Soybean, a new quarterly magazine from ASA designed to explore the on-farm impacts of the policy, production and marketing issues that affect producer profitablility.
  • Syngenta announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved the Agrisure Duracade 5122, E-Z Refuge and Agrisure Duracade 5222, E-Z Refuge trait stacks.
Zimfo Bytes

Monsanto Press Release Hoax

Cindy Zimmerman

This just goes to show that we need to be ever vigilant these days when it comes to our electronic communications.

monsanto-thumbA very official looking release came in by email today with the headline “Mexico Grants Monsanto Approval To Plant Large-Scale GM Corn Fields.” It had technical details about varieties and quotes from Monsanto and Mexican officials. Without double-checking on it, we went ahead and posted it as worded, although we did notice it had not been posted on the Monsanto website.

We were quickly notified by Monsanto that it was hoax and we immediately pulled the post down. A post on the Monsanto Blog explains that the release came from “an unidentified cyber group” that developed and posted a deceptive web page called www.monsantoglobal.com designed to appear as though it was posted by Monsanto. “This page and its related communications, including a fake news release entitled “Mexico Grants Monsanto Approval To Plant Large-Scale GM Corn Fields,” are an intentional misrepresentation and are not in any way associated with our company.” Monsanto officials further say that information on this “hoax web site and its related communication properties has been turned over to the appropriate authorities to further investigate the matter.”

We admit it – we got scammed. You can be sure that this was a lesson learned for us – check our sources before we post or tweet, just in case.

Agribusiness, Biotech, Media

Total Rewards Programs That Will Woo Employees

Joanna Schroeder

Glowa and Kantor Aon HewittDuring the recent Ag & Food HR Roundtable held in Urbandale, Iowa at the DuPont Pioneer headquarters, several sessions were held on total rewards programs. As the ag industry gets more competitive, employers are discovering that the same old, same old rewards programs are not working. During Engaging Multiple Generations in the Workplace Through Rewards Programs, presenters Tim Glowa and Richard Kantor with Aon Hewitt discussed what excites and motivates the different generations to be the most productive in the workplace – and it’s not always what you think.

During the session, Glowa and Kantor reviewed recent research that showed what types of rewards and incentives were favored by the different generations and also discussed some companies that have had huge success with their rewards programs, such as Google.

faukenOn the same day, AgCareers.com, the host of the roundtable, also released results of its Total Rewards Insights for Multiple Generations. The survey was taken in the spring of 2013 and is aimed at helping the ag industry develop stronger benefit and incentive packages for employees. To learn more I spoke with Kristen Fauken, who oversaw the survey.

Fauken said the two important factors that affected overall performance across generations were the company’s social responsibility initiatives as well as the company’s efforts toward innovation and advancement. Other valued rewards and benefits included health care benefits, retirement savings plans, paid time off, challenging and meaningful work and professional development and learning opportunities.

You can learn more about the AgCareers.com total rewards survey by listening to my interview with Kristen Fauken: AgCareers.com Total Rewards Survey

Visit the AgCareers.com Ag & Food HR Roundtable photo album.

AgCareers, Agribusiness, Audio

AgCareers.com Takes Over Ag Warriors Program

Joanna Schroeder

AgWarriors logoAgCareers.com is taking over the Ag Warriors program, launched in February of 2012 to assist veterans looking for jobs in the ag industry. The employment program was originally developed by the International Agri-Center.

“In an effort to better serve returning veterans and their career needs, we have partnered with AgCareers.com to continue to grow the Ag Warriors program,” said Jerry Sinift, CEO for the International Agri-Center. “The program has grown exponentially in the past year and we believe the time has come to entrust the program to experts in the career building field. AgCareers.com is a highly respected authority in the ag industry and they have our full support as they continue to serve our veterans.”

osmundsonWith AgCareers taking the helm, Ericka Osmundson, director of marketing communications for the largest ag-related employment service in the country, said they will now work with employers to help match their needs to the qualifications of veterans. She noted that often times veterans don’t know how to tailor their unique skills to the ag industry while the ag industry doesn’t know how to translate “military” language to their field. They will assist both sides in this process.

“AgCareers.com is honored to be chosen to continue the efforts of the International Agri-Center’s Ag Warriors program,” said Eric Spell, president of AgCareers.com. “We are excited to open the door for both employers and veterans to connect regarding employment and careers within the agribusiness and food industries through AgCareers.com. We view the program as a way to honor veterans’ service and assist them in taking the next steps to career success.”

With the ag industry short on talent, they are looking for new ways to recruit people into the industry. Osmundson said the Ag Warriors program is the perfect way to do this. During their recent Ag & Food HR Roundtable, they offered several sessions for hiring managers to learn how to write their job descriptions in ways that veterans understand and as well as how to spot a veteran with the skills they are looking for.

Veterans and employers interested in the Ag Warriors program should contact Erika Osmundson.

Learn more about Ag Warriors in my interview with Erika Osmundson. AgCareers.com Takes Over Ag Warriors Program

Visit the AgCareers.com Ag & Food HR Roundtable photo album.

AgCareers, Agribusiness, Audio

ZimmComm Team Welcomes New Intern

Jamie Johansen

Kristyn StidhamOur internship program kicked off at the beginning of the summer, giving a young college student interested in agriculture communications a chance to get their feet wet in the industry. Now the ZimmComm team would like to introduce our new intern for this fall.

Kristyn Stidham, grew up raising registered Angus cattle and growing pecans on her family’s farm in Welch, Oklahoma. She currently attends Missouri State University and will graduate in May 2014 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Agriculture Communications. Throughout her college career she has written for the William H. Darr School of Agriculture’s Ag Review Journal and worked with the media team during the Missouri State FFA Convention. After graduation, Kristyn, plans to obtain a career in public relations for a agricultural based company while sharing her agriculture story.

Kristyn will jump onto the agri-blogging trail with us as we attend the Farm Progress Show at the end of August. You will also see her at other events throughout the fall snapping pictures and gathering interviews.

Education, ZimmComm Announcement

Biotechnology & Antibiotics in Food Production

Talia Goes

zp-nhOur latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “What is the biggest growth area for ag jobs?”

Our poll results:

· Precision Technology 22%
· Management & Biotechnology 17%
· Agronomy 13%
· Biofuels, Engineering & Media 9%
· Advertising/PR 4%

If you are looking for a job in agriculture, or seeking to fill a position in your company or organization, check out AgCareers.com.

With the constant negative pushback from activists regarding the techniques and technologies being used to increase yields in both crops and livestock, our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question “How important are biotechnology and antibiotics for food production?”

ZimmPoll is sponsored by New Holland Agriculture.

ZimmPoll

Monsanto Glyphosate Infographic

Cindy Zimmerman

Here is the second in Monsanto’s infographic series for the 2013 growing season. The topic addressed in this one is “Glyphosate Attributes,” which illustrates how the chemistry may be used as the foundation for Diversified Weed Management Practices (DWMPs) for increased weed control.

Click here or on the graphic for the full size version.

monsanto-info-2

Agribusiness, Farming, weed management