Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • The U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, National Chicken Council, National Turkey Federation, and United Egg Producers have made available a new economic impact study and four new websites that highlight the positive impact the poultry industry has on jobs, wages, and federal and state revenue in the United States.
  • The Sorghum Checkoff is now accepting applications from individuals interested in serving as an external committee member on one of the board of director’s three committees: Crop Improvement, High Value Markets and Renewables.
  • Leica Geosystems has recently appointed multiple industry experts to further strengthen the growing precision agriculture business.
  • Rabo AgriFinance is launching a new, interactive mobile application for the iPad.
Zimfo Bytes

Meet the New NCBA Communications Director

Cindy Zimmerman

Members of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) probably know Chase Adams, who has been a farm broadcaster with KBHB radio in Sturgis, South Dakota for the past eight years. But, Chase just left the Black Hills behind him and moved inside the Beltway to become the new Director of Communications for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), filling the cowboy boots of Mike Deering who has moved back to his home state to serve as executive director of the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association.

ZimmCast 366I chatted with Chase for this edition of the ZimmCast to learn a little more about his background and his plans for the future in his new job. He’s excited about the opportunity moving forward and pleased that it means he will still be involved with NAFB. He has served as regional director for NAFB this past year and while he has to give up that position since he will no longer be a Broadcast Council member, he still intends to be just as active in the organization as an Allied Industry member.

Listen to this week’s ZimmCast with Chase here: ZimmCast with NCBA's Chase Adams

Thanks to our ZimmCast sponsors, GROWMARK, locally owned, globally strong and Monsanto, Roundup Ready Plus, for their support.

The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired. Subscribe so you can listen when and where you want. Just go to our Subscribe page.

Audio, Beef, NAFB, NCBA, ZimmCast

Federation Adds $6.6 Million to Checkoff Efforts

Melissa Sandfort

Beef producers serving state beef council boards throughout the country have chosen to supplement national and international research, education and promotion programs funded by the Beef Checkoff Program by about $6.6 million in fiscal year 2013, which began Oct. 1. The supplemental funds, invested through the Federation of State Beef Councils, are to be added to $40.3 million invested through the Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB) and approved by the Beef Promotion Operating Committee, which met in Denver Sept. 19 – 20. The Committee’s decisions were submitted to the full CBB and the USDA for approval.

Some of the funds from states with high cattle numbers and low populations are invested through the Federation to extend national and international Beef Checkoff Program efforts in a coordinated way. Decisions about specific programs to fund are made by individual state beef councils.

National programs are being supplemented through the Federation by $4.9 million, while international programs are receiving $1.7 in state checkoff funds.

Agribusiness, Beef, NCBA

2012 Blog Action Day

Chuck Zimmerman

It’s time once again for Blog Action Day. I’ll be participating again and you can too. Go to their website to register your blog. Here’s another great opportunity to help get out the farm message folks. You’ll notice that they unfortunately have Greenpeace as a “partner” or sponsor or whatever. I’m sure they won’t be posting any flattering farm messages! So let’s take part and tell what’s really going on down on the farm. There is a lot of power of we in the farm coummunity!

Founded in 2007, Blog Action Day brings together bloggers from different countries, interests and languages to blog about one important global topic on the same day. Past topics have included water, climate change, poverty and food with thousands of blogs, big and small, taking part.

In 2012, Blog Action Day will be held on October 15. This year our theme is the Power of We. You can find out more about the theme and why we selected it on our blog

Anyone can take part in Blog Action Day register your blog, vlog, podcast, photo, info graphic or data site and we will send you updates about the day, exclusive content from our partners and a reminder to post your blog on October 15, 2012

Ag Groups, Farming

Find PrecisionPays on Facebook!

Melissa Sandfort

Precision Pays is now on Facebook, delivering news and special event coverage on the topic of precision agriculture in all its forms.

In fields across the country, more growers are making precision farming a way of life, no matter how large or small their operation, no matter what the crop. With increased input costs and the pressure to do more with less, growers are continually looking for ways to improve farming efficiencies, production and profitability. Precisionpays.com was created with this in mind.

Now on Facebook, you can find timely precision farming information, links to other resources and coverage from industry trade shows. In addition, you’ll find interviews with technology experts and leading growers who have incorporated precision technology into their operations.

Visit us on Facebook to find out how “Precision Pays” for your farm.

Agribusiness, Precision Agriculture, Social Networking

Harvest for Kids World Record

Chuck Zimmerman

The most combines harvesting simultaneously, ever. That just happened in Saskatchewan for a Harvest for Kids project! Can you imagine seeing 249 combines in action all at once. Combines of all colors! Here’s a note from Derek Unrau
Director, Harvest for Kids.

We were able to fill all 249 swaths with combines but a few did not finish so we do not yet have a final number. We will need to review footage in order to see exactly but we were right around 245 combines harvesting simultaneously on a sings field. A new Guinness World Record.

Here’s some more information on the project and Harvest for Kids:

On October 6, the stage will be set for a new harvesting world record for the most combines harvesting simultaneously on the same field. In 2010 Harvest for Kids ran 200 combines on a single field in southern Manitoba. This time it’s Saskatchewan’s turn and we’re proud to have their support in this great event. Come out for a day of celebration as we witness the unity of farmers and volunteers all in the name of bringing HOPE to children around the world.

Harvest for Kids focuses on Community Development programs directly linked with bringing hope to kids in the developing world. Our community development programs involve Children’s Programs and Micro Projects.

We work in many areas where children grow up being told they will never amount to anything and are never given a chance at life. Supporting leaders and camps through a Harvest for Kids Connexion can change that.
Through the camping programs, we have seen lives of children and young people changed with the new sense of value they receive. We have also seen children who have been through the camping programs return to become leaders of the camps and their communities.

We are working towards setting up micro-finance projects in Cuba, India and Cambodia in order to help feed communities and sustain the growth of the church and ministry programs. Monthly funding of these projects has the potential to make a huge and positive impact in Cuba. This new type of Connexion has great potential for lasting change.

Ag Groups, Harvest

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Many cooks in the kitchen was the recipe for delicious and nutritious foods at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Va. Senegalese healthy foods school founder Ali Baba Gueye and Victor Albisu, a member of the State Department Diplomatic Culinary Partnership, shared their experiences with T.C. Williams Chef Craig Scheuerman’s class.
  • Applied Ecological Services, Inc., has acquired an aerial camera that captures color and near-infrared imagery.
  • Recent Clarke University graduate Stephanie Kronlage has joined Lessing-Flynn as a graphic designer.
  • Engle Creative Solutions, LLC announced the launch of its newly re-designed website.
Zimfo Bytes

2013 National Beef Ambassadors Announced

Melissa Sandfort

Erin Morrison (Minnesota), Katie Stroud (California), Emma Jumper (Arkansas), Jacquelyn Brown (Oregon) and Chandler Mulvaney (Alabama) were chosen as the 2013 National Beef Ambassador Team at the annual National Beef Ambassador competition, which is funded in part by the beef checkoff. Twenty-two senior contestants ages 17-20, were judged in the areas of consumer promotion, classroom presentation, media interview technique and issues response at the event held in Sacramento, Calif.

Photo L to R: Jacquelyn Brown, Emma Jumper, Chandler Mulvaney, Erin Morrison, Katie Stroud

Contestants from throughout the country vied for a place on this elite team of agriculture advocates and $5,000 in cash prizes sponsored exclusively by Farm Credit. Additionally five educational scholarships totaling $5,000 were given by the American National CattleWomen Foundation, Inc. and Monsanto.

Agribusiness, Beef

Flavor Infused Cottonseed Oil From Alcala Farms

Chuck Zimmerman

Pure cottonseed oil from Alcala Farms. It’s what I’ll be cooking with. Here’s why: “Silky-clear, lightweight body and flavor-neutral palate. Pure Cottonseed Oil is the perfect base for salad oils, marinades, sauces, frying, stir-frying, searing and sauteing.” It’s the original vegetable oil. Bet you didn’t know that CRISCO stands for Crystallized Cottonseed Oil. I didn’t either until I got to sample some Alcala Farms products at World Dairy Expo. Or did you know that the original Wesson Oil was made from cottonseed oil? Interesting eh? I’ve got a bottle of the Cilantro to try and looking forward to it.

This new cottonseed oil product comes out of a cotton sustainability project that was implemented by New Mexico State University with funding from Cotton Incorporated. Also involved was the Oregon State University Food Inno-vation Center.

Ag Groups, Cotton, Food, Sustainability

Iowa BASF Great Grower Happy With Yields

Cindy Zimmerman

The Iowa harvest is coming along well ahead of schedule according to the latest USDA numbers – 56% of corn harvested compared to 8% average for this time of year and soybeans are 54% harvested compared to 21% average. The condition of the crops is not as bad as some of the Corn Belt states, although nearly half the corn is rated poor to very poor, beans are doing better with nearly 70% rated at least fair.

I caught up with BASF Great Grower Steve Miller in the middle of his harvest to see how the season has been for him and he is pretty happy with the yields he has seen so far, considering the weather. He finished harvesting his soybean fields Sunday night. “We average 64 on our further west farms and 58 the further west we went,” Steve told me. “Corn, on the other hand, we go from zero to 230 in the same field and the corn on corn is worse than the corn in bean stubble.” With his corn harvest about one third complete, Steve says his yields are actually exceeding his expectations given the fact that they had virtually no rain from June until the end of August.

The weather impacted Steve’s weed control, which was difficult for soybeans, since they do have some glyphosate resistance. “We got some waterhemp that just laughed at us when we sprayed, dandelions, giant ragweed,” he said. “We were spraying 44 ounces of Roundup and it didn’t seem to do much.”

Steve did use Headline fungicide for plant health this year. “When we sprayed, beans were $16 and it wouldn’t take much to make up for the product, so we thought that was a good decision.”

Listen to or download my interview with Steve here: BASF Great Grower Steve Miller

Audio, BASF, Corn, Farming, Soybean