Crisis Management Training at Alltech Symposium

Chuck Zimmerman

Alltech Crisis Management WorkshopIs your farm or company ready to handle a crisis? Unfortunately, in today’s world the possibility of having to deal with one has become very high. During the 2013 Alltech International Symposium attendees could get some hands on training during a session on Crisis Management.

I worked with one of the session presenters, David Wescott, VP, APCO Worldwide. He created a crisis simulation in which a fictional company was used and a volunteer found to be the CEO of the company. David outlined a situation in which the fictional company was purported to have caused nursing home deaths from a company food product and information spread virally via Twitter. During a break I approached our fictional CEO as a news reporter with a video camera putting him on the spot to answer, “What do have to say to the public about your company product causing these deaths.” Of course, nothing had been proven and the Twitter messages were all false or completely speculative. It was fun, at least for me. Then after the break the video was played to critique how the fake CEO handled my questioning. I’d post the video but I don’t think we need to have a fake online crisis. We have enough of those as it is.

I visited with David after the first of the two sessions held during Symposium. You will hear that there is a need to have a crisis management plan so that you and your company know what to do if something should happen.

Listen to my interview with David here: Interview with David Wescott

2013 Alltech International Symposium Photo Album

Agribusiness, Alltech, Audio

Zimfo Bytes

Talia Goes

Zimfo Bytes

Rural Interests Concerned About Losing Local TV

Cindy Zimmerman

“Water, sunlight, and soil are essential ingredients to agricultural businesses and the communities that rely on them. So too is spectrum, and the free, local news and information broadcasted on it.”

That’s the first line of a letter sent to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) this week from agricultural interests regarding concerns about television translator service and low
power television (LPTV).

tv-translatorSeveral organizations representing agriculture, conservation and cooperatives signed letters to the FCC and Congressional committee members urging them to research the impact that impending spectrum incentive auctions could have on television translator service and low power television service in rural areas. Last year Congress authorized the FCC to conduct voluntary spectrum incentive auctions allowing television broadcasters to sell their channels to wireless companies for a portion of the auction proceeds. Low-power television stations and TV translators are not guaranteed a channel location and will not be compensated for their moves, which may result in viewers losing current channels and limiting access to local news and information.

Dennis Wharton with the National Association of Broadcasters explains the issue: NAB Executive Vice President, Communications, Dennis Wharton

Organizations that signed letters sent to the FCC and Congress this week included, American Agri-Women, Association of Range Consultants, National Association of Conservation Districts, National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, National Farmers Union, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, United States Cattlemen’s Association and Women Involved in Farm Economics.

Audio, Media

New Ag Leader Responsive Website

Melissa Sandfort

Ag Leader New Website ScreenshotGrowers using a smartphone, tablet or laptop will now have an optimized experience when visiting agleader.com, thanks to the launch of Ag Leader’s new responsive website.

“Responsive web design is an approach that businesses are implementing to provide users with the best possible viewing experience, no matter what device they are using,” explains Jake Smith, web developer for Ag Leader Technology.

According to the 2012 Media Channel Study sponsored by the Agri Council, 52% of all US farmers and ranchers access digital ag resources weekly; websites and e-newsletters were sited as most common.

Ag Leader’s goal is to provide every grower who visits agleader.com with improved readability and simplified navigation.

Responsive web designs rely on media queries in order to determine the resolution of the device it is being served on. Images are then scaled to fit on the screen correctly.

Become a fan of Ag Leader on Facebook today, and get the latest precision ag videos on the YouTube channel. For more information about Ag Leader products and services, or to visit the blog site, go to www.agleader.com.

Ag Leader, Agribusiness

Alltech Young Scientists Award

Maggie Seiler

alltech-symposium-13-12Alltech awarded its annual Young Scientist Awards at the closing ceremony of the Alltech International Symposium on May 22.

The first award was for undergraduate research. Amanda Pesqueira was the recipient of this honor. Pesqueria attended the University of Maringa in Brazil before transferring to the University of Kentucky for her final year of undergraduate studies in animal science. Her research presentation, titled “Contractile Response of the Different Ergot Alkaloids in Bovine Cranial Branch of the Lateral Saphenous Vein In Vitro,” examines the compounds involved with fescue toxicosis syndrome in cows through the use of an advanced testing system. She plans to pursue a graduate degree in animal science.

Nimesha Fernando received the award for graduate research. She is a a graduate student at the University of Melbourne and looked at how high levels of CO2 in the environment affect the growth of grain through her research presentation titled “Free Air CO2 Enrichment Altered Wheat Grain Protein Quality and Rheological Characteristics: A Comparative Proteomic Analysis.” Using proteomic analysis, she showed that exposure to high levels of CO2 results in grains with lower levels of protein, and then applied her research findings to the use of wheat in food production.

Six other students had the opportunity to travel to Lexington as finalists for the awards. They were selected from an initial field of more than 8,000 students.

Find out more information about registering for the next Alltech Young Scientist Competition here.

Listen to the full presentation ceremony here: Young Scientists Awards

2013 Alltech International Symposium Photo Album

Agribusiness, Alltech, Audio

Grasping the New Reality

Maggie Seiler

alltech-symposium-13-13Dr. Patrick Wall’s presentation during the closing ceremony of the Alltech International Symposium was about managing crisis situations in the food industry. He made reference to many of the recent scandals within the food industry and described issues companies should be aware of as well as how they should manage them. The message Wall left with the attendees was a great reminder for everyone involved in agriculture. “When you go home and people ask you what business you’re in, tell them you’re in the human health business,” Wall said.

You can listen to Wall’s full speech here: Grasping the New Reality

2013 Alltech International Symposium Photo Album

Agribusiness, Alltech, Audio

A Glimpse of Algae Uses

Maggie Seiler

alltech-symposium-13-14According to Rebecca Timmons, Director or Applications Research and Quality Assurance at Alltech, many uses and opportunities are available with algae. She shared her vision for algae in the future at the closing ceremony of the Alltech International Symposium. Timmons said that algae produces three-quarters of the oxygen in the world. She believes there is huge room for development with algae and thinks that by 2020 it could be used to provide DHA (omega-3 fatty acids) to humans through animals.

Listen to Timmons full speech here: The Future of Algae

2013 Alltech International Symposium Photo Album

Agribusiness, Alltech, Audio

Peanut Butter to Help Oklahoma Tornado Victims

Talia Goes

peanutsDisaster relief missions have been working over time this past week aiding to those who were affected by the severe weather. Any type of donation is appreciated by those who lost everything – like peanut butter, which is a great source of protein for emergency situations where power and water are lacking.

pnut-proudPeanut Proud and the Georgia Peanut Commission are mobilizing a joint effort to help families in Oklahoma who have suffered from the devastating tornadoes. The Georgia Peanut Commission has donated $5,000 towards this effort. On Friday, May 24 at 3:00 p.m. the first load of peanut butter, which consists of 22 pallets or 31,680 jars, will depart from Albany, Ga. and head towards Oklahoma.

The peanut industry will be distributing peanut butter, peanut snacks and other non-refrigerated items to donate to area food banks and distribution centers and plans to send a second delivery next week. The peanut industry across the U.S. is working with Oklahoma Emergency Management Association (OEMA) to get peanut products to at least three distribution centers in the areas most affected.

Monetary donation for additional peanut products are welcome:
Project Oklahoma Relief
c/o Peanut Proud
P.O. Box 446
Blakely, GA 39823

Agribusiness, Peanuts

First Annual Ozarks Bacon Festival

Melissa Sandfort

baconIt was bound to happen and now it is official – KOZL and the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds are putting on the first annual Ozarks Bacon Festival.

Ozarks Bacon Fest – a tribute to Bacon, Bourbon & Beer – holds its inaugural tasting event on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2013, at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds E-Plex. Tickets give tguests accss to a bacon-infused wonderland where the Ozark’s best chefs prepare amazing creative bacon snacks. National brand,s artisan bacon-makers, and bacon purveyors display, sample, and sell a multitude of bacon and bacon inspired products. The best mixologists and brewers hand out bacon-inspired cocktails, beer and wine. And in honoring bacon in all its glory, Ozarks Bacon Fest will be holding a Bacon Eating Contest, a Best Bacon Recipe contest and a Bacon Art contest.

For more information, contact Larry Krauck at 417-862-1010 or lkrauck@ozarkslocal.tv.

Agribusiness, Food, Pork

Reaction to COOL Decision

Chuck Zimmerman

usda-logoUSDA has issued the final rule for mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL), including an amendment to the regulations for muscle cut covered commodities derived from animals slaughtered in the United States.

The decision pleased some livestock organizations, but disappointed others.

“We are deeply disappointed with this short-sighted action by the USDA,”said National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) President Scott George. “Our largest trading partners have already said that these provisions will not bring the United States into compliance with our WTO obligations and will result in increased discrimination against imported products and in turn retaliatory tariffs or other authorized trade sanctions.”

“It is incomprehensible that USDA would finalize a controversial rule that stands to harm American agriculture, when comments on the proposal made clear how deeply and negatively it will impact U.S. meat companies and livestock producers,” said American Meat Institute Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and General Counsel Mark Dopp in a press conference.

Listen to Dopp’s comments here: American Meat Institute - COOL Press Conference

Groups pleased with the decision include National Farmers Union and R-Calf.

“The decision to bring the law into compliance with the WTO’s ruling is a win-win situation for all interested parties,” said NFU President Roger Johnson. “We further applaud the administration for deciding to take a proactive approach in bringing COOL into compliance by providing more information on the origins of our food, instead of simply watering down the process.”

“USDA’s final rule is right on the mark,” said R-CALF USA COOL Committee Chair Mike Schultz adding, “We are pleased that USDA did not weakened COOL in response to the WTO’s attack on our domestic food labeling program.”

Ag Groups, Audio, Livestock, Meat, USDA