USFRA Announces Panelists For Nov. Food Dialogues

Chuck Zimmerman

The U.S. Farmers and Rancher Alliance is gearing up for a November Food Dialogues event, November 15 in New York City following their board meeting. I will be there to provide live coverage here on AgWired. The Alliance has just announced the panelists for each of the topic areas for this event. You can find the list below.

Media can look forward to a special briefing on Friday, November 16, at 7:00 AM, CT, following the event. It will recap the event itself and USFRA’s board meeting.

To participate, go to:
• WebEx Link
• Call-in toll-free number: 1-(877) 319-8506
• Call-in number: 1-(408) 773-6320
• Conference Code: 3001175046

The Food Dialogues event will be streamed live at www.fooddialogues.com.

See the panelist lists after the break: Read More

Ag Groups, USFRA

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • New Pioneer brand Optimum AQUAmax products from DuPont Pioneer demonstrated a significant yield advantage in the second year of on-farm evaluations in North America during unprecedented drought conditions.
  • The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s government affairs office in Washington, D.C., is accepting applications for internships during the 2013 Cattle Industry Convention in Tampa, Fla., Feb. 6-9, 2013.
  • Accelerated Genetics is pleased to announce Amy VanderMark as Vice President Domestic Sales.
  • Bernard Leonard, retired Group Vice President, Food Service Poultry and Prepared Foods for Tyson Foods, has been appointed to serve on the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance Board of Directors as a representative for the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association.
    Zimfo Bytes

    Celebrating National Co-op Month

    Cindy Zimmerman

    ZimmCast 366Each October, cooperatives across the United States celebrate the cooperative difference, business model and the contributions of cooperatives to their communities during National Co-op Month and this year continues the celebration of 2012 as the International Year of Cooperatives with the slogan “Cooperative enterprises build a better world.”

    As one of the nation’s largest cooperatives, GROWMARK has been celebrating all year long, so we talked with president and chairman of the board Dan Kelley about why co-ops are so important for agriculture, both nationally and globally. Dan says he was surprised to learn this year that nearly a billion people around the world are members of some type of cooperative. In addition to celebrating a year and a month dedicated to cooperatives, Dan says GROWMARK has been celebrating 85 years of existence as a cooperative.

    Listen to this week’s ZimmCast with Dan here: ZimmCast with GROWMARK President Dan Kelley

    We are also celebrating Co-op Month with our ZimmPoll this week, that asks What cooperatives play a role in your life/business?

    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, Cooperatives, GROWMARK, ZimmCast

    Charleston|Orwig Hoofs It for Charity

    Chuck Zimmerman

    The company that has been mainly responsible for our ability to cover World Dairy Expo on World Dairy Diary.com year after year is Charleston|Orwig. This integrated marketing and reputation management agency has quite a few clients in the dairy business, including our marquee sponsor, New Holland. I spoke with Charleston|Orwig’s Mike Opperman, Sr. Director, Strategy and Planning, (left on the show lot with his client) to learn how the agency is doing and found out that they have a unique project going on here at Expo.

    Charleston|Orwig announces that every step its employees take during this week’s World Dairy Expo will be for a good cause. The company will donate a penny for every step taken by each of its employees to Farmers Feeding the World. Given the massive scale of the week-long event and the dedication of its employees, the company anticipates a sizeable donation.

    Every member of the Charleston|Orwig team will wear a pedometer to record how much he or she walks throughout the five days. The companies working with Charleston|Orwig at World Dairy Expo also are invited to participate in “hoofing it” or to match the donation.

    You can listen to my interview with Mike here: Interview with Mike Opperman

    2012 World Dairy Expo Photo Album

    Agencies, Audio, Dairy, World Dairy Expo

    School Lunch Program Gets an ‘F’

    Melissa Sandfort

    Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “What grade would you give the new student lunch program? Tell us why with a comment.”

    Our poll results: seventeen percent said A; six percent said B; nine percent said C; nineteen percent said D; and forty-nine percent said F. Looks like there are a lot of frustrated parents (and kids) on this issue.

    Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “What cooperatives play a role in your life/business?” October is National Cooperative Month and lots of rural folks rely on local cooperatives for everyday things like fuel and home mortgages. Which ones impact your life? Let us know.

    ZimmPoll is sponsored by Rhea+Kaiser, a full-service advertising/public relations agency.

    ZimmPoll

    Nominations Open For Ag Relations Hall of Fame

    Chuck Zimmerman

    It’s time to think of someone you’d like to nominate for the Agricultural Public Relations Hall of Fame, an award program honoring agricultural public relations professionals who have made lifetime contributions to the industry.

    The program, sponsored by the Agricultural Relations Council and Agri Marketing magazine, will recognize its second group of recipients at the March 2013 ARC annual meeting in Oklahoma City, Okla. Nominations will close Jan. 15, 2013.

    Nominees must be current or past members of ARC to be considered. Inductees will be selected based on criteria including:
    Years of membership in ARC;
    Service to ARC (president, board member, committee chair, etc.);
    Professional accomplishments/achievements in ag communications; and
    Awards/Recognition in service to ag communications within ARC and also outside of the organization.

    For 2013, up to two inductees will be chosen. Nominations will be reviewed and chosen by a committee of ARC members.

    “We hope all members of the agricultural communications community will consider nominating a deserving individual,” said ARC Hall of Fame committee chair Deron Johnson, of Pfizer Animal Health. “Recognition of this type not only honors the individual, but validates all of the professionals who work in agricultural public relations every day.”

    For additional questions, please call the ARC office at: 952/758-5811. Or review the nomination form on the ARC web site at: www.agrelationscouncil.org. E-mail ARC at arc@gardnerandgardnercommunications.com.

    Ag Groups, ARC

    The Night Has Eyes

    Melissa Sandfort

    Photo by Nate Slagle of Kuehn Farms.

    There are so many things I love about this time of year: the cool, fall days (in a normal year), the changing of the colors of leaves, hay rides, bonfires, football and combine rides. I seem to have a lot of fond memories associated with autumn.

    One of the sights that triggers a good memory is a combine in a field at dusk, its headlights reflecting through the soybean or corn dust as a farmer works into the wee morning hours. I didn’t like how my father was gone so much in the evening during harvest time, but I sure did enjoy combine rides. When I wasn’t riding along, I remember packing up a hot supper, wrapping it in a kitchen towel to stay warm, and driving to the edge of the field to meet my father. We’d have to wait until he returned to the end of the row, lower the tailgate and hop on the back of the truck, legs swinging, to keep him company while he ate.

    As we drive home this time of year after the sun has gone down, my son and I count how many “eyes” we see in the field. I remind him to say a quick “thank you” to all those farmers out working long, hard hours in order for us to have food on our dinner table.

    Until we walk again …

    Uncategorized

    Let’s Move Salad Bars to California Schools

    Jamie Johansen

    The United Fresh Foundation just announced the new campaign Let’s Move Salad Bars to California Schools. The goal is to donate salad bars to 350 California schools at the United Fresh 2013 convention in San Diego. The campaign is spearheaded by four California produce industry leaders passionate about increasing children’s consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables.

    “This is truly a win-win for all involved. Childhood obesity has become a serious problem in the United States and by providing salad bars to schools, students will develop healthy eating habits and influence their parents to purchase more fresh produce at the grocery store,” said Dick Spezzano, President, Spezzano Consulting.

    The United Fresh Foundation set a goal to donate 350 salad bars based on the large number of requests from California schools. The Task Force will raise funds from produce and retail industry colleagues, related businesses and foundations. Over the last two years, more than 180 California schools have already received salad bars through contributions from United Fresh members and other Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools contributors.

    “I’ve seen the success salad bars have had in my local schools. The demand for salad bars is driven by students, parents and educators that recognize a trip to the salad bar is an effective way to help our nation reduce childhood obesity,” said Margaret D’Arrigo-Martin, Vice President of Community Development, Taylor Farms.

    To learn more about how you can make a difference in California and support the Let’s Move Salad Bars to California Schools initiative, contact Andrew Marshall, United Fresh policy and grassroots manager at 202-303-3407 or amarshall@unitedfresh.org or visit saladbars2schools.org.

    Citrus, Education, Food, Produce, Vegetables

    World Dairy Expo Farm Babe

    Chuck Zimmerman

    It’s Fabulous Farm Babe time at World Dairy Expo. The Farm Report with Pam Jahnke is in full swing.

    I got to sit down with Pam for a few minutes to talk about what she hears from her audience of dairy folks here in Wisconsin. When it comes to the dairy industry she says it is thriving with milk production up even with hot dry weather in the summer. Some southern producers are having to source feed due to the dry weather though. Listen in to our conversation to learn more about what’s going on in Wisconsin agriculture.

    You can listen to my interview with Pam here: Interview with Fabulous Farm Babe

    2012 World Dairy Expo Photo Album

    Audio, Media, World Dairy Expo

    Zimfo Bytes

    Melissa Sandfort

      Zimfo Bytes

    • A growing number of soybean, corn and cotton farmers are staying ahead of tough-to-manage weeds and reducing the risk of weed resistance by utilizing Monsanto’s Roundup Ready PLUS Weed Management Solutions.
    • The National Association of Farm Broadcasting Foundation has commissioned the first of a series of high quality artwork to celebrate the role of farm broadcasting in the lives of farmers, ranchers and rural communities. The series is entitled “Farm Broadcasting Through the Decades”.
    • AGCO announced the release of its first global sustainability report.
    • Hampel Animal Care introduces the Calf-Tel ECO hutch.
    Zimfo Bytes