New Communications Director at Animal Ag Alliance

Melissa Sandfort

Animal Agriculture Alliance President and CEO Kay Johnson Smith announced the appointment of Emily Meredith as the Alliance’s new Director of Communications.

Meredith, formerly of USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, joins the Alliance after receiving her J.D., with a concentration in food and drug law, from Seton Hall University in Newark, New Jersey.

As the Director of Communications, Meredith will develop, oversee and implement all aspects of the Alliance’s communications strategy, including social media initiatives.

During her time at USDA, Meredith served as a speechwriter for several agency officials. She also participated in managing communications relative to recalls, authored congressional testimony and participated in strategy sessions for issues management.

Meredith holds a B.A. in International Affairs and Journalism from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Currently, Meredith is awaiting admission to the state bar associations of New York and New Jersey.

Agribusiness, Animal Agriculture

A Worldly Discussion on Beef

Jamie Johansen

A highlight for my first trip to Alltech’s Global 500 was the discussion dinners. Being a beef producer myself, I was excited to attend one on the beef industry. How often do you get the chance to discuss and share ideas about farming with people from around the world.

After an intimate steak dinner with about 40 Global 500 attendees from various countries, Steve Elliott, Alltech USA, served as our moderator leading the discussion. The general question posed was how to improve efficiencies in the beef industry.

Discussion spiraled from, should we all be seeking an ideal beef animal, to should the consumer drive the demand or do we have an over abundance of beef cattle. I spoke with Steve after the event to get his thoughts on the topics mentioned and what he thought the overall take home message was.

“Tonight we wanted to see how as a group we could improve efficiences in the beef industry. We know tremendous variability is an issue. We had a very lively discussion on various things that the group thought we could do to help improve efficiency.”

“The challenge is how do we bring that variability down a bit and prop up the product that we offer the consumer because the consumer is king and they are going to make decisions on what products they buy.”

Listen to my complete interview with Steve here: Steve Elliott - Global 500

Check out all the photos from this years Global 500 here: 2012 Global 500 Photo Album

Alltech, Audio, Beef

BASF on Becker Underwood Acquisition

Cindy Zimmerman

The acquisition of Becker Underwood by BASF brings together two market leaders in the areas of innovation, crop protection, seed and biological technology, which means a broader range of products for growers to increase yields.

BASF VP US Crop Protection Paul Rea says Becker Underwood technology is complementary to BASF’s existing product portfolio and raises the bar for plant health as a means of increasing yield. “Obviously we have a great foundation with Headline, Headline AMP and Priaxor,” Paul said at last week’s ASTA CSS 2012 and Seed Expo. “The addition of the Becker Underwood portfolio should allow us to look at combining technologies and push that limit even further by using traditional, biological and seed treatment technology to get more from each acre.”

Paul talks more about the acquisition in this interview: Interview with Paul Rea, BASF

BASF Canada Crop Protection Director Scott Kay says the acquisition of Becker Underwood is important for growers in North America. “It’s a great synergy because our pipelines do not overlap so it’s a brand new portfolio for us,” said Scott. “Whether it’s the inoculants or biologicals, they all have a place and it goes along with helping farmers get the most out of every acre and to manage risk throughout the season.”

Learn more from Scott here: Interview with Scott Kay, BASF


ASTA-CSS Photo Album

ASTA, Audio, BASF, Crop Protection, Seed

Claire Celsi Joins Lessing-Flynn

Chuck Zimmerman

Lessing-Flynn announces that Claire Celsi has joined the company as Director of Public Relations.

This newly created position was added due to the steady growth and expansion of the agency. Celsi previously owned and operated her business, The Public Relations Project, LLC, which she founded in 2009.

With category experience in agriculture, biofuels, construction, economic development, financial services, higher education, manufacturing, telecommunications and tourism, Celsi brings immediate value to current Lessing-Flynn clients. In addition, her extensive network of contacts in the community will help to create new opportunities for the firm.

“The timing is perfect to bring someone with Claire’s experience in public relations and marketing to Lessing-Flynn,” said Tom Flynn, President of the company. “Our clients are looking for new ways to tell their stories through both traditional and new media and Claire has been a leader in this – both locally and nationally.”

The Des Moines native is passionate about social media, trying recipes out of fancy-schmancy cooking magazines, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Jim, her children and Trixie the Wonderdog.

Agencies

Pesticide Guy Resource

Chuck Zimmerman

I’ve been meaning to bring Leonard Gianessi, the Pesticide Guy, to your attention for a while now. Leonard is the Director of the Crop Protection Research Institute. Here’s what he’s doing with the Pesticide Guy blog.

For the past thirty years, I have been collecting articles and reports on the benefits of using pesticides in crop production. I have integrated information from these articles and reports into summaries of pesticide benefits for fifty crops in the U.S. These summaries cover fungicides, insecticides and herbicides and are available at http://www.croplifefoundation.org. For the past five years, I have been collecting similar reports for crops worldwide and have integrated those into a series of case studies, also available on our website.

Every day I read new reports and articles that have some information on the benefits of using pesticides in crop production. I have decided that instead of filing them away for the next article or report that I will write, I want to bring them to the attention of as wide an audience as would have interest in learning about this subject. So every week I intend to post 2-3 summaries of articles highlighting the key findings regarding pesticide benefits. As this blog grows, we will index the individual entries by crop and country. After a year or so, there will be enough entries for anyone to have a comprehensive view of the subject.

So, got questions about pesticides? Follow Leonard. ‘Nuff said.

Ag Groups, Crop Protection

Social Media/Mobile Tech Webinars for Farm Biz

Chuck Zimmerman

University of Nebraska Extension is partnering with Ohio State Extension and Penn State Extension to offer a Social Media & Mobile Technology for Ag Businesses webinar series. The series is designed to help small business owners understand how to integrate social media and mobile applications into the company’s marketing plan. Seems like a good idea to me! As more and more farm owners are finding out, social media allows you to connect directly with customers and that means relationship development that will pay off in the future.

Social media tools (Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest, etc.), offer easy methods to communicating, connecting, and engaging with customers and the public. Mobile tools, operated from a smart phone or tablet (such as an iPad), offer many other options to both businesses and customers in finding and connecting with businesses, increasing ease of transactions, and other benefits.

Webinar participants will gain a better understanding of social media and mobile tools, and more importantly, learn how the tools can improve their marketing effectiveness and customer service. Topics in the series include Mobile Usage & Payment Technology, Introduction to Linkedin & Pinterest, Mobile and Location-based Marketing, Social Media Analysis Tools for Facebook, Twitter, & Pinterest, Top 10 Trends & Cool Tools in Social Media, Keeping Up with the ‘Technology,’ Using Content for More Than One Social Media Tool, and Getting the Most from Facebook.

The Social Media & Mobile Technology for Ag Businesses webinar series begins on January 17, 2013, taking place weekly until March 7, 2013. Webinars are one hour in length and begin at 2:00 PM Eastern. Pricing for the webinar series is $10 per webinar or $50 for all eight. This fee provides access to chosen webinars and recordings of the webinar(s) that participants can view again after the initial webinar.

To register for the webinar series, please visit http://agsci.psu.edu/social-media-mobile-tech

Education, Farming, Social Media

Helping Rice Growers Manage Tough Weeds

Melissa Sandfort

During the 2012 Rice Outlook Conference, BASF Crop Protection and FMC Corporation announced that Command herbicide is now recommended for use in the Clearfield Production System for rice. Command herbicide adds value to growers by controlling tough grasses in rice production, which can rob growers of yield.

Weed management in rice has become more challenging as weed species are developing resistance to existing herbicides.

Command herbicide provides Clearfield growers with a different mode of action to control difficult grasses, such as barnyardgrass, that threaten profits and return on investment.

Barnyardgrass is a competitive weed in Southern rice that poses a major threat to Clearfield growers, especially with the rise in resistant strains. Experts agree that a comprehensive weed management system that includes early weed control and the use of multiple herbicide modes of action are vital to managing resistance concerns.

Agribusiness, BASF, FMC, weed management

Get Ready for Championship Tractor Pull

Melissa Sandfort

High-horsepower, high-volume competition returns to the 52nd Annual Western Farm Show in 2013 with one of the show’s most popular attractions – the Championship Tractor Pull.

More than 150 drivers and machines from 15 states will compete for $64,600 in prize money during the three-day pulling competition, which gets under way at 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 21-23, at the Kemper Arena in downtown Kansas City.

Featuring past and present champions, the tractor pull is staged by the Outlaw Truck and Tractor Pulling Association of Carthage, Mo., in partnership with the Western Farm Show. Each night will feature different shows with a total of 10 competing truck and tractor classes, including Light Super Stock Tractors, Super Farm Tractors, Modified Tractors, Pro Stock Trucks and Tractors, and the powerful Unlimited Super Stock Tractors.

Fans can meet many of the drivers and see their machines on display from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 22-23, at Kemper Arena. Access to this display is open only to attendees of the Western Farm Show, which will be held Friday through Sunday, Feb. 22-24, 2013, at the American Royal Complex a short walk from Kemper Arena. Tickets to the Western Farm Show and to the tractor pull are sold separately and can be purchased beginning in January.

Agribusiness, Events, Tractor

Save the Date: NAMA and NAFB Reception!

Melissa Sandfort

Save the date now for the joint NAMA and NAFB reception at the AgConnect Expo & Summit in Kansas City.

When: Jan. 30, 2013
Time: 5-7 p.m.
Where: Room 3501-G (below Bartle Exhibition Hall)

No cost or registration necessary.

Agribusiness, NAFB, NAMA