This good looking trio will be the new officer team for the National Association of Farm Broadcasting in 2013.
From left to right they are: President-elect Janet Adkison of KMZU Radio in Carrollton, Missouri; President Mark Oppold of RFD-TV; and newly-elected Vice President Susan Littlefield of KZEN Radio in Columbus, Nebraska.
I talked with Susan last week after she won the election for vice president about some of her goals in the coming three years. “The broadcasters that I’ve talked to, no matter the size of their entity, they want a level playing field,” Susan said, noting that they want to be able to market and promote themselves better to clients and agencies. Another issue important to Susan is helping farm broadcasters talk to consumers more. “We kind of dabble in it here and there, but I think we really need to take a stand and say this is what happens behind that gate on those farms.”
Susan has been an NAFB member since 1996 and has worked her way up through the ranks to get to the position of vice president.
Listen to my interview with Susan here: New NAFB Vice President Susan Littlefield
2012 NAFB Convention Photo Album
The NAFB president’s banquet Friday night honored Tom Steever of Brownfield Ag News who received toasts and more than a few little roasts for his distinguished career as a farm broadcaster and officer for the National Association of Farm Broadcasting.
A hoarse Orion Samuelson emceed the dinner, which provided lots of laughs in itself, such as a quip that he was doing a great imitation of Max Armstrong. Orion hired Tom many moons ago as an anchor for the quickly defunct Channel Earth, a 10 month episode of Tom’s life that was the butt of several jokes during the evening, but to which Tom himself noted “he would do it all again” even knowing how it would end.
Brownfield’s entire staff of ten broadcasters was there for the banquet and it is worth noting that while this Missouri-based farm network is the biggest and one of the nation’s oldest, this is the first time a Brownfielder has served as president of NAFB. His boss Cyndi Young, pictured here getting a buss from Tom, could hardly contain her pride and praise for him. She had almost nothing but good things to say about Tom, unlike his first boss who hired him at KSOO and related a couple of classic stories to prove what a “dork” Tom was and still is.
To make up for Cyndi’s flowing praise, and in honor of Tom’s love of music, her husband Jim Puyear composed and performed a tribute to Tom at the dinner, complete with plenty of wise cracks about those in attendance and some not. Just a warning – it does contain a few blue words just to make Tom blush!
2012 NAFB Convention Photo Album
A veteran farm manager from Illinois has been named Syngenta’s in North America Professional Farm Manager of the Year for 2012. Brent Bidner, accredited farm manager and vice president of Hertz Farm Management, Inc., has been providing professional farm management services for Hertz for 24 years. The Monticello, Ill. resident manages more than 18,000 acres across Illinois, Iowa, Indiana and Colorado.
Bidner’s approach to managing clients’ land includes taking care of the land the same way he would if he owned it himself. “I look at it as a long-term, not just a short-term, investment,” said Bidner. “My goal is to leave it for the next generation in better shape than it was when I took over management of the property.”
His careful management and innovative approach has paid off for long-term client, Kenway Farm. “Through a number of improvements, Brent has increased our corn production nearly 12 percent and soybean production by 10 percent when you compare pre-management averages to recent averages,” said Paul Gorden, president of Kenway Farm in Blue Mound, Ill.
“Professional farm managers play a crucial role in agriculture today,” said Brent Rockers, district manager for Syngenta. “At Syngenta, our goal is always to help farmers increase yield and return on investment by growing more with less. Dedicated farm managers like Brent are a key partner working with us to accomplish the exact same thing for their clients.”
In addition to honoring Bidner, Syngenta made a $1,000 donation in his name to the 4-H Memorial Camp in Monticello, Ill.
Communication is important for any organization, and at the recent 83rd Annual Meeting and Trade Show of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers and AgroNomics Conference & Trade Show, Chuck caught up with George Baird, an accredited farm manager (AFM) who has a company called Baird & Brunson Land Management Group based in the Mid-South. He explained what one of ASFMRA’s communications tools is AgProLink, which Baird likens to a social network site just for farm managers.
“[We] work on problems, discuss issues… and it’s just another way to keep everybody tied together,” Baird said. He added AgProLink is helping farm managers do more things more efficiently. “We can’t do everything. Some of us are good at some things, [others are good at others]. This is a perfect way to lean on each other.”
And Baird stressed the importance of attending conferences like this one and the networking opportunities it brings. “People tell me it costs too much to go. I tell them, ‘I can’t afford not to go!'”
Listen to Chuck’s interview with George here: Interview with George Baird, AFM, Baird & Brunson Land Management Group
AgWired coverage of the ASFMRA Agronomics Conference is sponsored by Halderman Farm Management.
Rising prices in the ag sector are prompting a lot of companies to look at investing in those areas. But since these companies might not know that sector, they’re going to need good farm managers and appraisers to make sure their investment is well spent. At the recent 83rd Annual Meeting and Trade Show of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers and AgroNomics Conference & Trade Show held in Indianapolis, Ind. attendees were able to hear exactly what that might mean for their fields.
“Those companies [looking to invest in farmland] are looking for good farm management talent to do the due diligence on those properties, see if they’re worth acquiring and at what level, which may lead into the management and appraisal of that asset,” explained Gary Thien, AFM, owner of Thien Farm Management in Council Bluffs, Iowa. And he says it’s why an organization such as ASFMRA and conferences like these are important. “It’s always a leading-edge conference, and you always come home with something afterwards.”
Listen to Chuck’s interview with Gary here: Interview with Gary Thien, AFM
AgWired coverage of the ASFMRA Agronomics Conference is sponsored by Halderman Farm Management.
The coveted NAFB Horizon and Farm Broadcaster of the Year awards were presented during the Friday awards luncheon.
This year’s Horizon winner was Leslie Smith of KNEB/Rural Radio Network in Scottsbluff, Nebraska and the 2012 Farm Broadcaster of the Year is Al Gustin of KFYR/KBMR in Bismark, North Dakota. They are pictured here with retiring NAFB Awards Committee Chairman Mike Perrine of AgriTalk (left) and Steve Goldsmith of Syngenta, awards sponsor (right).
2012 NAFB Convention Photo Album
It’s not all business and hard work at the National Association of Farm Broadcasting convention. It can also be a hilarious educational opportunity. The Egg Lady, Jo Manhart, orchestrated an egg souffle making demonstration just prior to today’s luncheon. Four NAFB members were given separate jobs to get an egg souffle in the oven before the end of the William Tell Overture finishes. Do they do it? You’ll have to watch the video. According to Jo, the last time a group got it done was an FFA meeting in the 1980’s!
Conducting the music was NAFB President Tom Steever, Brownfield Ag News. See if you can identify the chefs in the video below.
Be sure to check out the 2012 NAFB Convention Photo Album for some great photos from this really funny demo.
BASF Crop Protection had great news to talk about with farm broadcasters at the NAFB meeting in Kansas City this week.
According to a new BASF survey, a majority of consumers and growers agree that modern agriculture can achieve two critical goals simultaneously: Feed the world’s growing population while demonstrating responsible stewardship.
More than 80 percent of the growers and nearly 70 percent of the consumers who participated in the survey were confident that growers will be able to strike a balance between producing enough food for the planet and preserving it for future generations. “Technology and knowledge advancements” were cited by both groups as the primary reasons for their confidence.
“Technology is and will continue to be the number one driver behind our ability to meet the demands of a growing population in a way that stewards resources,” said Paul Rea, Vice President, U.S. Crop Operations, BASF. “We know there is no room for failure—we have to make it happen. This is what drives our commitment to invest $2 million a day in research and development on innovations that will help growers preserve the land and maximize yields.”
Listen to or download my interview with Paul at NAFB here: BASF VP Paul Rea
I also got a comment from Paul on the recent announcement that BASF will be acquiring the assets of seed treatment company Becker Underwood. “We expect to close on that transaction here in the next few weeks and we’re very excited to bring their technology to our very extensive BASF crop protection technology,” said Paul. “We already have some very well established seed treatment technologies and there will be nice synergy between those products and what the Becker Underwood team has.”
Listen to or download Paul’s comments on Becker Underwood here: BASF-Becker Underwood
2012 NAFB Convention Photo Album
New research shows how the management style of younger dairy producers and corn growers compares and contrasts with that of their older counterparts. The survey, commissioned by McCormick Company, considered management practices, ownership structures, decision-making processes, business and transition planning, and the role of information — including digital media — in running respondents’ operations.
What the study found was that younger managers embrace the same values and reasons for farming, but they often consider new ways to get information and manage their operations.
McCormick’s goal is to share proprietary insights from this research with select companies seeking innovation as they connect with key customers.
An independent research firm interviewed more than 600 corn farmers and dairy producers, half of which were younger than 45 years of age. The vast majority of their farms were owned by two or more family generations; but one in four of the younger dairy producers were first-generation owners. Read More
