NAFB Scholarship Winners

Cindy Zimmerman

Each year, the NAFB Foundation provides financial support and educational opportunities in the form of college scholarships to assist students in pursuit of careers in agricultural communications and once again this year three scholarships were presented to promising young people.

This year’s winners are Paige Wallace of Missouri, Spencer Chase of South Dakota, and Stephanie Morgan of Missouri. They are pictured here from left to right with Katie Knapp of Charleston Orwig, which presented each of the students with a print of the commemorative “Farm Broadcasting Through the Decades” art series being created especially for the Foundation.

Paige, who received the Glenn Kummerow Memorial Scholarship, grew up on a registered Angus farm in Stotts City, Missouri and is attending Oklahoma State University, pursuing a degree in Agricultural Communications. This summer, Paige was a communications intern for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association in Washing-ton D.C. She started co-hosting “The Angus Report” in 2011 on RFD-TV and is now reporting for Oklahoma Horizon, a show that also airs on RFD-TV and local Oklahoma channels.

Listen to my interview with Paige: NAFB Scholarship winner Paige Wallace

Spencer is a Junior Broadcasting Major at South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota. He first became aware of NAFB when working as an intern in the National FFA Convention newsroom and became a student member shortly thereafter. He interned this summer with NAFB members Michelle Rook and Tom Riter at WNAX Radio in Yankton, South Dakota.

Listen to my interview with Spencer: NAFB Scholarship winner Spencer Chase

Stephanie Morgan is a senior at Missouri State University William H. Darr School of Agriculture and has worked in agriculture broadcasting for three years at a radio station in Pittsburg, Kansas and also had the opportunity to work for Missouri Farmers Care, the Missouri Soybean Association and the Missouri Pork Producers. After she graduates in May, she will be starting full time with the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association as communications director – working with our good friend Mike Deering.

Listen to my interview with Stephanie: NAFB Scholarship winner Stephanie Morgan

2012 NAFB Convention Photo Album

Audio, NAFB

ZimmComm Team at NAFB

Chuck Zimmerman

Here’s the ZimmComm team (Jamie, Cindy and me) collecting all our photos and interviews from Trade Talk today at the NAFB Convention. We’ve got lots. Photos are being updated in the photo album right now. Interviews will be showing up for days and days!

We’ve moving on to NAFB business meetings this afternoon with a reception and dinner tonight. Right now I don’t think my lips are working very well after my 17 interviews with the Golden ZimmComm Microphone. Time for a break.

Thank you to Hugh Whaley, Photographer, USFRA, for taking our photo.

2012 NAFB Convention Photo Album

Media, NAFB

New ASFMRA President Honored to Serve

John Davis

The recent 83rd Annual Meeting and Trade Show of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers and AgroNomics Conference & Trade Show held in Indianapolis, Ind. saw the election of the group’s new president. Paul Joerger, AFM, grew up on a dairy farm in Minnesota and now is the Director of Asset Management and a vice president with John Hancock in Boston. He said he is honored and looking forward to serving the members of ASFMRA.

“There’s a lot of help around here… a lot of talent, and I think we have a lot of things to accomplish,” he said. Joerger added that, as with any organization, keeping and maintaining membership is a key to success. “We have some infrastructure that we need to develop to better allow us to mine and manage our membership. If 10 people took one class last year, and this next class would be a good fit for them, it’s easy to send an email to the folks saying, ‘Hey, please consider this.'”

Joerger is also a big advocate of the Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers accreditation program and what it means to practitioners of their craft. “It’s recognition in the marketplace that those who have taken accreditation have taken time and effort to try to be one step above our commitment to our profession. It also puts us at a higher level of accountability and that we’re ready to accept and to share.” He said that once he received his accreditation, he found even more satisfaction by teaching others.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Paul here: Interview with Paul Joerger, AFM, new president of ASFMRA

2012 Agronomics Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the ASFMRA Agronomics Conference is sponsored by Halderman Farm Management.

Agribusiness, Audio

ASFMRA Members Watched Election Closely

John Davis

The election was a big topic of discussion at the recent 83rd Annual Meeting and Trade Show of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers and AgroNomics Conference & Trade Show held in Indianapolis, Ind. (And, frankly, where WASN’T the election a big topic of discussion?) During the show and just prior to last night’s results, Chuck caught up with Merrill Swanson, a partner with the appraisal firm Dugger, Canaday, Grafe, Inc. out of San Antonio, Texas, and he said they were already feeling the effects of the election even before any ballots were cast.

“Much of our work applies to estate planning work, and with the tax law changes coming up, our firm has been extremely busy with estate planning appraisals of farms and ranches,” he said, highlighting that the end of the $5 million lifetime exemption ending on December 31st, has a lot of land owners are scrambling to get things in order. That includes a lot of sales with owners trying to beat that deadline. Swanson added that’s what makes networking at an event like the ASFMRA conference so important.

“Trends happen earlier some places than others,” he said, pointing out that land prices are at an all-time high in the Midwest with some Iowa farms going for as much as $10,000-$20,000 an acre. And those rising prices are lifting values all over the country as well. Plus with those changes in values and the pending estate taxes changes, they have their fill of work and won’t give any more appraisal reports until after the first of the New Year. He added the uncertainties of what will happen with all taxes and a lack of a farm bill now are prompting a lot of movement in the land appraisal business.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Merrill here: Interview with Merrill Swanson, a partner with Dugger, Canaday, Grafe, Inc.

2012 Agronomics Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the ASFMRA Agronomics Conference is sponsored by Halderman Farm Management.

Agribusiness, Audio

Rabobank’s Gilligan Tapped to Lead Ag Consultants

Melissa Sandfort

Paige Gilligan, CAC, a senior vice president with Rabobank, NA, Fresno, Calif., was elected president of the American Society of Agricultural Consultants at the organization’s recent annual meeting.

Gilligan holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business management from Purdue University and an MBA from the University of Phoenix. She received her Certified Agricultural Consultant designation in 2007. She is currently the Director of Collateral Valuation & Field Services for Rabobank, N.A. and is responsible for all of the bank’s appraisal functions as well as collateral verification services for both agricultural and commercial clients.

Other newly elected officers for ASAC are: President-Elect Russell Morgan, CAC, Covenant Accounting and Tax Services, PLLC, Paducah, KY; Vice President Norman Brown, FBS Systems, Inc., Aledo, IL; Chief Financial Officer Erin Pirro, Farm Credit East, Enfield, CT, and; Immediate Past Gary Wagner, CAC, Great Earth Agri-Business, Inc., Madison, WI.

Elected to the Board of Directors was Joseph Kluender, CAC, Farm Family Dynamics, LLC, North Mankato, MN; and, Angie Vandergriff, Weaver Boos Consultants, LLC, Ft. Worth, TX. Continuing in terms on the Board are: Robert Mehrle, Ph.D., CAC, Agricultural Information Management, Lambert, MS, and; Robert E. Lee, CAC, Lee Agribusiness Connections, Inc., Harrison, ME.

Agribusiness

Former Ag Secretaries at NAFB

Cindy Zimmerman

Three former secretaries of agriculture at the National Association of Farm Broadcasting convention in Kansas City on Wednesday had the opportunity to comment on the election results and what might happen now.

Bob Bergland, who served under President Jimmy Carter, said the outcome of the election was no surprise to him, the question is where we go from here. “Majority leader in the House, Congressman Boehner, is a very fine man,” said Bergland. “He’s trying to get his caucus to agree on provisions in the new farm bill that up til now they have not been willing to do…it’s come back here soon in the lame duck session – I have no clue how that thing will turn out.”

John Block, who was secretary under President Reagen, says now that the election is over, nothing has changed and the fiscal issues facing the country are paramount. “We have the same president for four more years who didn’t get anything done, we have Harry Reid who’s going to run the Senate again, they never even put forth a budget,” he said. “Any farm or family’s got to have a little idea of how much money they’re going to take in and how much money they’re going to spend but the federal government…hasn’t even had a budget – it’s indefensible.”

Former Bush secretary and USTR Clayton Yeutter said amen to Block’s comments and offered his ideas of what might happen with a farm bill. “I’m not sure it will get done in a lame duck session,” said Yeutter. “I think the chances of that happening are probably less than 50-50 which means that they’ll do something temporary, kick the can down the road a bit, then deal with it next year.”

Former Ag Secretaries election comments: Ag Secretaries on election outcome

The former secretaries had the opportunity to reflect on their time running USDA and tell a few “war stories.” Interestingly, all three talked about how much more bipartisan government was during their times.

Former Ag Secretaries opening remarks: Ag Secretaries at NAFB

2012 NAFB Convention Photo Album

Audio, NAFB, politics

GMO Labeling Proposal Defeated

Cindy Zimmerman

The good news from election results is the defeat of the GMO food labeling proposition in California.

Unlike our poll here on AgWired, the vote on Proposition 37 in California was much less close and went the right way for those in agriculture who were opposed to the plan to require labeling of all foods containing genetically modified crops. The vote went 55% against the measure.

“California family farmers can breathe a little easier today,” said Jamie Johansson, an Oroville farmer who grows olives to make olive oil and serves as an officer of the California Farm Bureau Federation. “Prop. 37 would have imposed costly new regulations on California family farmers that no other state requires, putting us at a competitive disadvantage. Thankfully voters understood this and rejected Prop. 37 and voted instead to protect family farmers.”

Biotech, Farming

2012 NAFB Convention Underway

Chuck Zimmerman

The 2012 National Association of Farm Broadcasting Convention is underway.

Farm broadcasters are broadcasting and meetings are taking place. The ZimmComm team is on the scene and we’ve already started a convention photo album for your viewing and sharing pleasure. You can find it here: 2012 NAFB Convention Photo Album. And remember that you can get the free AgWired App on your smartphone to easily follow our coverage.

Big thanks go out to BASF for being the sponsor of our coverage of this year’s convention.

Media, NAFB

Almost Split Vote on GMO Food Labeling

Chuck Zimmerman

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “Should foods containing GMO crops be labeled?” The Prop 37 ballot initiative in California prompted us to ask the question. Well, the initiative failed while our poll showed that most answered yes to our question by a very narrow margin. Interesting. Your thoughts? Feel free to chime in with a comment.

Our poll results: Just over fifty percent said Yes and just over forty nine percent said No.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “How do the election results make you feel?” Of course there are still votes being counted but we know most of the results and especially the big one for President. I will say I am not happy about that result. Take our poll and let us know how you feel.

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

ZimmPoll

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Alltech has launched a $2.5 million Alltech – Chinese University/Institute Research Alliance with leading Chinese universities and academic research institutes.
  • DTN/The Progressive Farmer announced that it has been selected by the National Corn Growers Association as the custom publishing partner for the 2013 NCGA National Corn Yield Contest guide.
  • America’s Farmers Grow Communities gives eligible farmers the opportunity to win a $2,500 donation to direct to their favorite local nonprofit organization. Farmers can enter between now and Nov. 30 for their chance to help a nonprofit in need.
  • The Alltech Mycotoxin Hotline is once again open at 866-322-3484 this season and ready to discuss any concerns about this year’s harvest.
Zimfo Bytes