It’s Peterson Farm Bros parody video time again. This time Greg, Nathan and Kendal tackle Fresh Prince. Share it if you like it.
Truth About Trade & Technology Update
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. This is episode #400! Seems like a milestone in a weekly agricultural podcast.
Ensuring that the Truth About Trade & Technology is told, TATT is hard at work. It has been a while since I’ve had a TATT Chat. But I got my chance during last week’s Bayer 150th Anniversary Celebration. Thanks to Michael Zirkle for the photo of me with Bill Horan, TATT Chairman and Mary Boote, TATT CEO. We talked about the big issues that TATT is currently working on. Here’s one of the things I like about TATT. Bill says “We’re able to say what a lot of companies and organizations would like to say but for political reasons and others they can’t say it.” And they don’t pull any punches!
Listen to this week’s ZimmCast here: Update on TATT
Thanks to our ZimmCast sponsors, GROWMARK, locally owned, globally strong and Monsanto, Roundup Ready Plus, for their support.
LMA Makes Moves Towards Future
Montgomery, Alabama opened it’s door last week to attendees of the 2013 World Livestock Auctioneer Championship. Members from the Livestock Marketing Association (LMA) came together from around the world to discuss policies, gather information on industry issues and of course take in the competition.
Maybe one of the most important things to take place during the event was the board of directors and membership meeting. LMA is led by its members from the ground up. During this session attendees heard reports on industry and service issues, discussed committee recommendations and developed association policy.
Chuck caught up with Dan Harris, Vice President of LMA from Holton, KS about hot topics discussed and what the future holds for the organization. “We will continure to work on the animal handling situation and animal welfare here in the United States. We are going to contract with a third auditor and stay on top of this situation.”
Dan also talked about the use of technology in livestock marketing auctions and how they are looking into how auctions can advance themselves to stay connected with the ever-changing world of agriculture.
“What LMA is here for is to protect the local auction markets and protect the auction method of selling livestock in a competitive setting and gain the maxium amount of money for our producers.”
You can listen to Chuck’s interview with Dan here: Interview with Dan Harris
Here you can find photos from the event: 2013 LMA/WLAC Photo Album
From ASTA to IFAMA
As this busy week on the agriblogging highway continues, I am leaving the last day of the American Seed Trade Association convention in the young but capable hands of our summer intern Maggie Seiler while I head to the 23rd World Forum of the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA) in Atlanta.
This is an event we have never covered before but it definitely sounds like it will be interesting with the theme of
“The Road to 2050: The Talent Factor – Meeting Future Global Needs of Food and Agriculture.” Speakers will include executives from Monsanto, DuPont, National FFA, the National 4-H Council, Heifer International and more.
Incoming president of IFAMA is a man we know very well – Thad Simons, President & CEO of Novus International – so we are very much looking forward to talking with him about this group and its focus on developing the talent and technologies needed to create sustainable food security solutions.
As always, I will be uploading photos and audio here on AgWired and on AgNewsWire.AgWired.com which are available for download to use by the media. Should be some great content coming from this one!
Working With Former WLAC
Last week I got to work right along side a bunch of champions. Champion like Lex Madden, Torrington Livestock Market and 1998 World Livestock Auctioneer Champion. Lex is pictured next to me second from right. This is the group of judges for the 2013 World Livestock Auctioneer Championship interview judging. In addition to Lex and myself, from the left are Jess LaFleur, LaFleur Brothers, Mark Barnett, Kentucky-Tennessee Livestock Market and Debra Davis, Alabama Farmers Federation.
We judged the 31 contestants in this year’s contest who each had to answer three questions posed by 2012 WLAC Bailey Ballou. I feel very honored to have been chosen to be a part of this group. Making careful judgement of the cream of the crop of livestock auctioneers is a responsibility and one I fully enjoyed.
Lex is a great example for any aspiring auctioneer and I think you’ll enjoy his remarks in my interview with him. He’s been attending the LMA Annual Convention since 1990 and says it’s a place where you make lifelong friends. He talks about the changes he’s seen in the industry and mentions technology as one of the biggest with the use of computers and growth in internet auctions.
You can listen to my interview with Lex here: Interview with Lex Madden
ASTA President and CEO Welcomes Attendees
Andy LaVigne, ASTA President and CEO, opened the ASTA 130th annual meeting by welcoming everyone to Nashville and taking a look at what attendees would hear about and discuss over the next two days. His opening remarks surrounded the evolution of the seed industry. LaVigne said the seed industry has a great opportunity to bring its message to the world, and it comes with the responsibility to feed the world.
LaVigne said participants could look forward to hearing more about advocating their industry and their strategic plan to do so. “You will see our focus in the future in our strategic plan is intellectual property,” LaVigne said. “It’s a responsibility to tell a story.”
He concluded his comments by saying, “Your association’s in great shape, and it’s because of you.”
Listen to LaVigne’s full remarks here: Welcoming by LaVigne
ASTA Honorary Lifetime Member
Kelly Keithly was awarded the Honorary Lifetime Member award at the ASTA 130th annual meeting. Keithly is the president of Keithly-Williams Seeds (KWS). He has been involved in the seed business since he graduated from college. Keithly began the company in 1981 with his partner, Walt Williams, and two employees, and it has since expanded to 150 employees and in 18 western states and more than three-quarters of Mexico. KWS is now the largest seed dealer in North America with over $110 million in sales.
As a member of ASTA, Keithly has served as the 2008-2009 ASTA Chairman, a Director-at-Large and the Western Regional Vice President. He got involved with ASTA and had the opportunity to meet many of his suppliers and people in the industry. He said he also had the opportunity to learn about seed beyond vegetables. “The future for the organization is great because the staff and the people involved will continue to figure out how to meet those needs and changes and be a part of them,” Keithly said.
Listen to Cindy’s full interveiw with Kelly Keithly here: Kelly Keithly Honorary Lifetime Member
Zimfo Bytes
- Ticket on sale June 18th for Farm Aid 2013 which will be held September 21st at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, New York
- Chicago Farmer welcomes you to the new and improved Chicago Farmers website.
- U.S. Poultry & Egg Association is now accepting nominations for the 13th annual Family Farm Environmental Excellence Award.
- JCB has announced a successor to Chief Executive Officer Alan Blake who is to retire at the end of the year.
Shoot It Straight Video Contest
Lights, Camera, Action! The Illinois Corn Growers Association is calling on all students to channel their “inner Spielberg” and create a video highlighting agriculture. All high school and college students are eligible to submit a short video (2 minutes or less) into the Shoot it Straight Video Contest.
Sponsors will be looking for a fresh, original and convincing approach that persuades the viewer of the positive impact agriculture has on the state of Illinois, the United States and the world. All types of videos are welcome; show us your serious newscaster side or make us laugh, just remember to be positive in tone and highlight agriculture (extra points for emphasis on corn!). Video should be in one of the following categories: ethanol and the environment, locks and dams and exports, farmer imaging, nutrients/regulations, or other.
Completed application must be received no later than 11:59 PM on August 5, 2013. For complete rules, click here.
Don’t delay, you won’t want to miss out on winning the $2000 grand prize!
First Honey Bee Health Summit
A first-of-its-kind Honey Bee Health Summit concluded at Monsanto Company’s Chesterfield Village Research Center. The three-day event hosted by Project Apis m. (PAm) and Monsanto’s Honey Bee Advisory Council (HBAC) included nearly 100 members of the bee community representing academics, beekeepers, industry associations and government sectors.
Summit attendees heard from some of the nation’s top apiculture researchers on the challenges facing honey bees, an important ecosystem service provider and natural pollinator.
“Healthy honey bees are essential for productive agriculture and the environment,” said Jerry Hayes, who runs Monsanto’s bee industry efforts as the Beeologics commercial lead. “As a company focused on sustainable agriculture, Monsanto has made significant investments in collaborations and R&D for the betterment of honey bee health, including the formation of Monsanto’s Honey Bee Advisory Council.”
Year-one results of a three-year partnership between PAm and Monsanto also were provided during the summit. The goal of the partnership is to educate and provide forage with growers and landowners in California about the value of planting honey bee forage on land they would otherwise leave unused. The selected flowering plants provide pollen diversity to keep pollinating bees strong.