Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

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NAMA Fall Conference Next Week

Chuck Zimmerman

The NAMA Fall Conference is coming up quick! As in next week. Are you registered? The Fall Conference takes place September 25-26 in Minneapolis. Remember that this is a new format. It’s no longer the NAMA Trends in Agriculture conference. Here’s some information you might find helpful.

Our venue is the Graves 601 Hotel which is located at 601 First Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN. The hotel is about a 20 minute drive from the Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport. The Minneapolis/St.Paul Super Shuttle service is available to take you to and from the hotel. The shuttle cost is $16.00 one way, $32.00 for a roundtrip ticket and reservations are not necessary.

Once you arrive at the hotel and get checked in, the Fall Conference registration desk will be located in the Ballroom Foyer of the hotel. Stop by to pick up your name badge. The Fall Conference kicks off at 2 p.m. with keynote speaker Steven Schussler, founder of the Rainforest Café.

All Fall Conference sessions are business casual. For a schedule at a glance visit http://www.nama.org/fall/.

For a complete List of those registered for the NAMA Fall Conference visit http://www.nama.org/fall/2012Fallattendees.pdf (pdf).

You can follow along or contribute to the Twitter conversation at #NAMAFall12.

If you have other questions about the Fall Conference, give the office a call at (913) 491-6500. I’ll be attending the conference and hope to see you from there.

Ag Groups, NAMA

Cast Your Hambone Award Vote

Chuck Zimmerman

This is just too good to pass up. It’s the VPI Pet Insurance Hambone Award.

It’s that time of year again to crown America’s weirdest pet insurance claim with VPI’s Hambone Award!

From the cat that survived a 15-mile ride under the hood of a car to a potbellied pig that troughed through a medicine cabinet and lived to oink about it, VPI Pet Insurance has received more than a million insurance claims this year and narrowed the field for this year’s Hambone Award to twelve lucky finalists! Voting runs through 25 September on VPIHamboneAward.com. A press release with information on the nominees is attached.

The Hambone was named after a dog who was locked in a refrigerator and ate an entire Thanksgiving ham. After enjoying his meal (and suffering a mild case of hypothermia in the process), he made a full recovery. Who will join the ranks of previous Hambone winners like Harley, the Rhode Island pug who ate more than 100 rocks, or Ellie, the California dog who ate an entire beehive and thousands of its inhabitants?

Voting for the 2012 VPI Hambone Award will be open to the public Sept. 12-25, 2012 and the winner will be announced on Sept. 26, 2012. For regular updates on the 2012 contest, you can follow VPI on Twitter, like us on Facebook or sign up to receive emails on all things Hambone.

Insurance

New Holland Supporting Illinois Corn Growers

Chuck Zimmerman

Sitting next to the Illinois Family Farmers exhibit outside of Chicagoland Speedway this past weekend was some big iron. As in a New Holland combine and other equipment like tractors and utility vehicles. New Holland is the official ag equipment of NASCAR and lent their support to the exhibit by bringing out the equipment along with some educational materials.

On hand to visit with race fans was Greg Kiesewetter, north Illinois sales manager. Greg is pictured talking with several visitors to the exhibit area on race morning. He says they brought out a variety of equipment for not only farming but also for the construction and consumer market. In supporting Illinois Corn Growers he says they brought a combine with a corn head and a tractor pulling a grain cart to show how the equipment is used in the field. Greg says New Holland is very pumped up about their partnership with Growth Energy and American Ethanol as well as working with the Illinois Corn Growers.

Listen to my interview with Greg here: Interview with Greg Kiesewetter

2012 NASCAR Dollar General 300 Race Photos

Agribusiness, Audio, Ethanol, NASCAR, New Holland

AgVantage FS Puts InVISION and HiSoy in Focus

Cindy Zimmerman

The 2012 Farm Progress Show was a chance for AgVantage FS to put the spotlight on a fresh new look for FS Seed products HiSOY and InVISION corn.

FS seed marketing and development specialist Amanda Weigel told us during FPS that AgVantage FS just expanded into the Boone county area this year. “So I’m doing some marketing to get our name out here in the Boone county area … letting people in the area know what’s going on with FS and GROWMARK.” AgVantage FS is a full-service agriculture and energy supplier headquartered in Waverly with locations in 30 surrounding Iowa counties.

Amanda says they were highlighting the FS HiSOY® brand of soybeans and the new FS InVISION brand of seed corn. “Growers need to know that HiSOY and InVISION are brands that are locally grown, you get local recommendations, and the trials are done locally,” she said. A focus on local results led to a selection of hybrids best suited for wherever a farmer may choose to plant.

Amanda suggests that growers contact their local FS representative to find out more – and check out and like them on the FS Facebook page!

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Amanda from FPS here: Amanda Weigel with FS AgVantage

2012 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2012 Farm Progress Show is sponsored by New Holland and Monsanto Roundup Ready Plus
Audio, Farm Progress Show, GROWMARK, Seed

Family Farmers Meet Kenny Wallace

Chuck Zimmerman

It was NASCAR race weekend once again for the Illinois Corn Growers and Illinois Family Farmers. Our favorite driver and just a stand out agvocate, Kenny Wallace, stopped by to visit with farmers before Saturday’s Dollar General 300 Nationwide Series race. Race fans love Kenny and you’ll see that in the video of his presentation below. Here’s Kenny posing with some of his family farmer fans.

I also got to talk with Kenny after his presentation. He was excited to see some new farmer faces at this race weekend. He says farmers are interested in the same things as all race fans like team communication during the race, how many tires the team gets to run on and more.

You can listen to my interview with Kenny here: Interview with Kenny Wallace

Here’s Kenny entertaining his fans:

2012 NASCAR Dollar General 300 Race Photos

Ag Groups, Audio, NASCAR, Video

How to Subscribe to AgWired

Chuck Zimmerman

It’s been a while since I’ve shared different ways you can get your dose of AgWired. Back when we introduced AgWired Mobile a lot of folks were worried about their costly texting plans. Now we’ve mostly got unlimited text plans (right?) so it’s not as big a concern. So one way you can get your AgWired is via our text service – AgWired Mobile. Just text “agwired” to 46786.

Some other ways you might want to be in the know via Agwired include:

Of course you can always just leave a tab on your browser open to AgWired.com. That’s easy too.

ZimmComm Announcement

Austin Dillon Talking To Family Farmers

Chuck Zimmerman

During race weekend at Chicagoland Speedway the driver of the American Ethanol car, Austin Dillon, paid a visit to the Family Farmers exhibit in Champions Park outside the track. He made some remarks to the people who had gathered around to see him before signing autographs.

I was able to get a moment with Austin. He says he’s always excited to come to the midwestern tracks in the heart of corn country where a majority of the feedstock that’s making the Sunoco Green E15 he’s racing on is grown. He’s glad that corn growers can come out to see him race and have a good time at the track.

Listen to my interview with Austin here: Interview with Austin Dillon

Listen to Austin’s remarks to the crowd here: Austin Dillon Remarks

Austin had a great race in Saturday’s Dollar General 300 Nationwide Series with a 3rd place finish!

2012 NASCAR Dollar General 300 Race Photos

Ag Groups, Audio, Corn, Ethanol, NASCAR

Mike Rowe Has a Thirst for Ethanol

Chuck Zimmerman

Now this looks like a show that will be fun to watch. Mike Rowe getting thirsty. It’s a new short series starting this week on the Discovery Channel. Check out what Mike has to say about Energetic Ethanol.

Mike Rowe is thirsty. Really thirsty. And after doing hundreds of dirty jobs, who can blame him? In Discovery’s brand-new three-part series HOW BOOZE BUILT AMERICA, premiering on Wednesday, Sept.19, at 10 p.m. ET/PT (and airing on the following two Wednesdays), host Mike Rowe takes a break from the dirty jobs … and takes a seat at the bar.

Did you know that the Puritans landed the Mayflower early on Plymouth Rock … because they ran out of beer? Or that Johnny Appleseed was actually creating farms to sell hard apple cider? Mike Rowe does, and he’ll walk you through all of this and more. He’s proven that dirty jobs can be fun. He’s ready to do the same for history.

Corn, Energy, Ethanol, Media

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Broadhead has added four new employees to its growing team: Megan Fallon, Jessica Katz, Duncan Salyer and Carrie Isaacson.
  • Ryan Weston has been named Chairman of the American Sugar Alliance.
  • The Farm Science Review has launched an app for attendees and exhibitors to utilize on their mobile devices during the 50th event. Search for Farm Science Review.
  • End use buyers can now take advantage of a new, unique data/search engine platform developed by AuctionPriceResults.com to help them define specific, actual prices on sought-after pieces of equipment, and just as important, where to find them.
Zimfo Bytes