Shoppers Pay Higher Prices for Breakfast Items

Melissa Sandfort

Shoppers paid slightly more for food at the grocery store during the third quarter of the year, with many popular breakfast staples showing an increase in retail price. Higher retail prices for eggs, bacon, orange juice, milk and toasted oat cereal, among other foods, resulted in a slight increase in the latest American Farm Bureau Federation Quarterly Marketbasket Survey.

The informal survey shows the total cost of 16 food items that can be used to prepare one or more meals was $51.90, up $1.00 or about 2 percent compared to the second quarter of 2012. Of the 16 items surveyed, 9 increased and 7 decreased in average price compared to the prior quarter. The cost for the overall basket of foods decreased about 2 percent compared to one year ago.

Most of the slight quarter-to-quarter increase in the marketbasket of foods can be attributed to higher retail prices for breakfast staples, apples and bagged salad.

According to USDA, Americans spend just under 10 percent of their disposable annual income on food, the lowest average of any country in the world.

AFBF, Agribusiness, Food

MCA Names New Director of Communications

Melissa Sandfort

Stephanie Morgan will now serve as the director of communications for the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association. She started the position on a part-time basis Oct. 23rd. Morgan will be graduating from Missouri State University in May 2013 with a degree in agricultural communications. Morgan will be based at MCA headquarters starting on May 22, 2012.

She previously worked as an agricultural broadcaster for KKOW-AM, Pittsburg, Kan. For three years. She also interned for the Missouri Soybean Association and Missouri Farmers Care.

Morgan is from Lamar, Mo., where she grew up on a diversified family farming operation, consisting of largely of cattle.

Agribusiness, Beef

Farmers are Authentic Voices

Chuck Zimmerman

The farmers I know are “Authentic Voices” when they speak out on their industry – Agriculture. Thanks to a piece I got in the mail I just learned about Authentic Voices. Melanie Wilt wants to help farm organizations and their members. As the mailed piece says, “Free your farmers from the restraints of public opinion.” We’ve got so many great efforts underway to accomplish this. Perhaps your organization should give Melanie a call.

Authentic Voices is a combination of classroom and interactive programming that helps farmers own their voice to connect with the public. Advocates practice message development and delivery by working through real agriculture scenarios.

Melanie Wilt is the Owner and Chief Experience Officer of Wilt Public Relations, Inc. Melanie has over a decade of experience helping non-profits and state government as in-house counsel and as a consultant. She has served as Communication Director for the Ohio Department of Agriculture and technology start-up, non-profit Avetec.

Learn more in this introductory video:

Agribusiness, Education

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • MANA Crop Protection announced its KlearSky Technology brand, which represents advanced formulation technology that embodies a range of attributes to deliver high performance and reduced impact on the environment.
  • SFP recently named Dave Schwartz as vice president of new product development.
  • CF Industries is a new bronze sponsor of the Progressive Agriculture Safety Day program and the Progressive Agriculture Foundation.
  • MGEX is pleased to announce the launch date of Oct. 26, 2012 for the MGEX Information Xchange.
Zimfo Bytes

Meet the Who’s Who at NBB Conference

Joanna Schroeder

There are more than 10 reasons to attend the National Biodiesel Board’s Conference: Momentum, and here is reason number 5: Meet People. This conference marks the 20th Anniversary of the event and is still the place to meet and greet the real players in the biodiesel industry.

The event is being held in Las Vegas (how apropos they would offer a “wheel of savings” for early bird registrants – enter WHEEL100 when you register to receive your discount) beginning February 4, 2013 and ends on February 7, 2013. This gives you plenty of time to work out your elevator, or in this case, 10 second casino pitch.

Momentum offers four tracks: technical, regulatory, marketing, and petroleum so no matter what, your interests will be covered and your question answers.  And if you play your cards right, you may also walk away with a set of great contacts to develop future partnerships.

In anticipation for the event, NBB CEO Joe Jobe filmed some brief remarks.

Now that you’re duly inspired, why don’t you register already?

Agribusiness, Biofuels, National Biodiesel Conference, Soybean

Monsanto’s Robb Fraley Talks Technology at WFP

Cindy Zimmerman

Biotechnology and precision agriculture technology are twin advancements in farming that are working together to help increase productivity to feed the world.

Monsanto‘s executive vice president and chief technology officer Dr. Robert Fraley addressed the topic of game changing innovations that are shaping the future of green technology during the 2012 World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogue last week in Des Moines.

“What’s exciting is the explosive amount of new technology that’s possible,” said Fraley, noting that while biotechnology is important – and in fact is the most rapidly adopted technology in the history of agriculture, there is so much more. “The advances in science and technology, across plant breeding, across equipment, across information technology – and biotechnology – are going to be part of that systems approach that will allow us to meet and exceed that need” for increasing food production to meet a growing population.

“It’s clearly possible for us to achieve doublings or triplings in crop yields as we are fully able to deploy and use technologies to meet that need,” Fraley noted.

Fraley had a really interesting observation about technology advances in farming equipment. “There’s more computational power in today’s tractor than there were in the first spaceships,” he said. “And that’s giving farmers literally the capability to farm meter by meter and use that information technology to be more precise in the positioning of seeds and chemicals.”

And did you know that every Indian farmer now has a cell phone? “The ability now to prescribe agronomic recommendations, to warn in the advance of insect flights, has become a global part of the incorporation of those tools,” said Fraley.

Listen to Fraley’s comments at the World Food Prize here: Monsanto's Robb Fraley

View the World Food Prize Photo Album here.

AgWired coverage of the World Food Prize is sponsored by Elanco
Audio, Biotech, Elanco, Precision Agriculture, Technology, Tractor, World Food Prize

John Deere Sponsors Wheat Harvest Documentary

Chuck Zimmerman

That’s a John Deere S Series Combine taking care of a field of wheat. The company has announced that it will be a Legacy Sponsor for the Great American Wheat Harvest documentary film being produced by Maryland-based filmmaker, Conrad Weaver of ConjoStudios, LLC. The film is an effort to help better connect consumers to those who produce their food. So it will encapsulate the stories of North America’s wheat growers and custom harvesters.

John Deere celebrates its 175th anniversary as a long-time leader in agricultural equipment and technology. Barry Nelson, manager of media relations for John Deere Ag and Turf Division, says John Deere applauds the contributions hard-working U.S. and Canadian custom harvesters and farmers make every day to help produce the world’s food supply.

“We want to thank and honor those farmers whose mission it is to provide healthy and nutritious food to a growing world population,” says Nelson. “We recognize the value of supporting a documentary film like the Great American Wheat Harvest to further open the dialogue between producer and consumer and to demonstrate how we bring food from the field to the market.”

Weaver recently worked with Miss America 2011 Teresa Scanlan, who endorsed and supported the project by filming a public service announcement to help recruit interest in sponsorship. The film’s trailer recently received international recognition when it won the 2012 Silver Award at the 33rd Annual Telly Awards competition.

Agribusiness, John Deere

Importance of Cooperatives in Feeding the World

Cindy Zimmerman

“Co-operatives are a reminder to the international community that it is possible to pursue both economic viability and social responsibility.” Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General

That is a quote on the official United Nations 2012 International Year of Cooperatives web page and the UN Secretary General’s visit to the 2012 World Food Prize last week indicated the importance that they place on agricultural cooperatives in feeding the world. Agricultural cooperatives, already enriching millions of small-scale farmers, could expand and make an even greater contribution against poverty and hunger, according to the World Food Programme.

Amy Bradford with GROWMARK attended the World Food Prize last week to engage with attendees from over 70 countries and find out what more the Illinois-based farmer co-op can do to help increase global agricultural productivity. “We are involved in cooperative education, most recently in Ghana, working with local farmers there to form cooperatives,” Amy said. GROWMARK is also hosting a group of Brazilians this month to share with them how working together really does improve their long term profitability. “How it can help collaboration, how it can help them get the inputs they need to grow food for a growing population,” said Amy. “We help educate farmers and others about the value of cooperatives and what that brings to the table in terms of raising incomes and socioeconomic impact.”

I ran into Amy right after the Global Agricultural Productivity (GAP) report was released, and she said she would be sharing that report with GROWMARK farmer members to help them see areas of the world where they could help provide education on cooperatives. Incidentally, GROWMARK is also helping to feed the world with the GROWMARK cookbook which was sold for $20 each this year and proceeds donated to Farmers Feeding the World.

Listen to my interview with Amy from World Food Prize: Interview with Amy Bradford, GROWMARK

View the World Food Prize Photo Album here.

AgWired coverage of the World Food Prize is sponsored by Elanco
Audio, Cooperatives, Food, GROWMARK, World Food Prize

Early Harvest Provides Weed Control Opportunities

Cindy Zimmerman

Corn and soybean harvest in the Midwest has been running at least two weeks ahead of schedule, with some states like Iowa almost done already. This situation provides farmers with a unique opportunity to get an early start fall weed control measures to lighten their spring workload.

Justin Pollard, Monsanto Weed Management Technology Development Representative in Iowa, recommends that growers take things on a field-by-field basis when considering fall herbicide applications and/or fall tillage. “Applying both burndown and residual herbicides in the fall can give farmers a larger window next spring for herbicide applications,” says Pollard, who notes that fall herbicide applications are especially effective on late-germinating annual weeds and those annuals that germinate early in the spring. “Recommended herbicides for fall application
include Roundup® Agricultural Herbicides tank mixed with dicamba and/or 2,4-D.”

Control of chickweed and henbit where manure has been applied is especially beneficial, as is knocking back populations of marestail, some of which may be glyphosate-resistant. “We are finding that marestail has changed in germination pattern and will germinate in late summer and fall as well as early in the spring,” Pollard explains. “It’s important to use multiple modes of action in your herbicide program, and dicamba is an excellent choice that provides some residual control.”

For more information on weed control, visit RoundupReadyPLUS.com.

Farming, weed management

O.H. Kruse is Support System for Dealers

Chuck Zimmerman

Here’s the happy winner of a new iPad courtesy of O.H. Kruse Grain & Milling. He is just one of the door prize winners at the company dealer appreciation day. In fact, there were a lot of winners. If you signed up for the event text messages we were being updated on winners throughout the day. This prize was awarded during the evening meal.

Presenting this prize on the left is Ashli Cole, Marketing & Customer Care Manager. Ashli was part of the staff that worked so hard to make this a special day for customers. She says that the dealer appreciation day is a sort of culmination of a number of changes and efforts within the company during the last year. She says it’s all about being relevant to their customers in the dynamic market that exists right now. Ashli says dealers were shocked when they arrived at the event expecting to receive a hard core sales pitch. Instead they were greeted in a friendly social atmosphere that included excellent meals, educational seminars, product displays and evening entertainment. So new relationships were formed and old ones developed further. Ashli hopes they came away thinking, “That we don’t just sell feed. That we’re a support system for them.”

Listen to my interview with Ashli here: Interview with Ashli Cole

O.H. Kruse Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Feed, O.H. Kruse