Livestock 101 at NAMA Boot Camp

Jamie Johansen

Animal agriculture seems to be under a constant fire from those who don’t understand it. During the recent NAMA Boot Camp, Dr. Dan Thomson, Assistant Dean of Outreach and Professor at Kansas State University Vet School, addressed the basics of the industry along with issues and challenges so agri-marketers could help educate the growing population of non-ag consumers.

“I think the big thing is understanding the issues in agriculture aside from the current drought and other things like that. We are facing a constant decrease in the number of people directly involved in ag. We are becoming 2-4 generations removed from the farm, so getting our message out to the consumer, educating the consumer where there food comes from and down playing some of the myths that are sensationalized by non-ag groups are some of our bigger issues.”

Listen to my interview with Dan here: Interview with Dr. Dan Thomson

You can find photos from the event here:2012 NAMA Boot Camp Photo Album

Ag Groups, Agribusiness, Audio, Beef, Dairy, Education, Farming, Food, Horses, Livestock, NAMA, Pork, Poultry, Swine

Talking About Farmers

Chuck Zimmerman

Usually I do the interviews but sometimes I become the interviewee. That was the case yesterday when Michael Libbie stopped by the Farm Progress Show media tent to find out what we were hearing from farmers. Here’s what I had to say. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts in comments.

2012 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2012 Farm Progress Show is sponsored by New Holland and Monsanto Roundup Ready Plus
Farm Progress Show, Farming, Video

Monsanto Announces FieldScripts

Chuck Zimmerman

Prior to the start of the Farm Progress Show, Monsanto held a media briefing to announce the first product in their Integrated Farming System (IFS) – FieldScripts. On the program were Dr. Robb Fraley, Dr. Ted Crosbie, Gregg Sauder, Precision Planting and farmer Kip Tom. I’ve captured their comments for you below.

This coming planting season, farmers in four Midwestern states will participate in Monsanto’s Ground Breakers testing program for FieldScripts, the company’s first product from the Integrated Farming Systems (IFS) platform. FieldScripts is designed to provide farmers with a valuable new approach to boost on-farm productivity while also supporting more sustainable agriculture systems for our growing world.

Monsanto’s IFS Commercial Lead John Raines anticipates that the product will provide significant value for U.S. farmers.

“We have been testing FieldScripts over the past two years, and we’ve seen consistent yield increases when farmers use the product,” said Raines. “For our 2013 Ground Breakers trials, we’re more than doubling the farmers testing the product. We are looking forward to finalizing our product offering for farmers to provide accurate, effective and easy-to-use planting prescriptions and hybrid recommendations that help to increase yield potential and mitigate risk on farm.”

Listen to or download the presentation comments here: Monsanto Media Presentation

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, Precision Agriculture

Farm Progress Show Sunrise Day Two

Chuck Zimmerman

Welcome to day two of the 2012 Farm Progress Show. Here’s the sunrise view from the media tent this morning.

Cindy and I are on location again enjoying the cool temperatures before things heat up. We’re hoping to get out in the field for some harvest demonstrations since this will be the first show in a while where they can be done. There’s a lot of talk about the hope of rain moving north from the storm in the Gulf that finally hit land. It may be late in the season but the midwest sure needs to get some soil moisture to at least get a head start on next season.

2012 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

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

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

    Farm Bill Now Coalition at FPS

    Cindy Zimmerman

    As the Farm Progress Show kicked off in Boone, Iowa, representatives from several of the more than 45 organizations that make up the Farm Bill Now coalition spoke out to urge Congress to finish work on new agricultural policy legislation as soon as possible.

    “Agriculture is one of the few bright spots in the American economy,” said National Corn Growers Association First Vice President Pam Johnson. “Our farmers continue to be more productive and innovative. But to continue that trend, we need to have some certainty about how we plan our business. And that is exactly what the farm bill does.”

    Among the diverse representation in the coalition is the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. “We represent 850 equipment manufacturing companies, with 450 of them involved in the agricultural industry,” said AEM president Dennis Slater. “Our farmers, our manufacturers, our American workers and families, simply cannot afford to have Congress keep delaying this.”

    Other speakers for the coalition at the FPS included Ron Heck, board member of the 25×25 Alliance, American Soybean Association president Steve Wellman, Iowa Farm Bureau president Craig Hill and Iowa Farmers Union president Chris Peterson.

    Listen to or download comments from all here: Farm Bill Now at FPS

    2012 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

    AgWired coverage of the 2012 Farm Progress Show is sponsored by New Holland and Monsanto Roundup Ready Plus
    AEM, AFBF, ASA, Audio, Corn, Farm Bill, Farm Progress Show, NCGA

    Custom DEKALB Bike Helps Red Cross

    Cindy Zimmerman

    The DEKALB® brand’s custom 100th Anniversary Bike by Paul Jr. Designs revved up the excitement at the 2011 Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Ill., when the bike made its engine-roaring debut to a crowd of onlookers at the main gate of the show.

    At the 2012 Farm Progress Show in Iowa on Tuesday, the bike’s year-long tour came full circle as Rick Brandt, CEO of BRANDT from Springfield, Illinois, was announced the online auction’s highest bidder. Through multiple DEKALB fundraising opportunities, including the chopper auction, American farmers raised a grand total of $250,000 for the American Red Cross. Jason Hoag, DEKALB Brand Lead and Rick Brandt, on behalf of America’s farmers, presented a check to Leslie Schaffer, Regional Chapter Executive Officer for American Red Cross, Greater Iowa Region.

    2012 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

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

    Do The Right Thing

    Jamie Johansen

    During the 2012 NAMA Boot Camp a highlight for me was a breakout session on crisis management. Daren Williams, Executive Director of Communications for NCBA, spoke with attendees about the ins and outs of dealing with crises in the agriculture industry.

    In my interview with Daren he shared his role of promoting the wonderful world of beef to consumers, how social media has changed how crises are handled and his simple motto, “Do The Right Thing.”

    “The most important message I have learned throughout my career in crisis management is that it’s all about doing the right thing. If a company is committed to doing the right thing then you can get out and talk about what you are doing. When I say the right thing it may mean correcting the problem, fixing the problem or taking steps to make sure it never happens again. For example: you have a product in the market place that is faulty, you have to make it right by the people who were affected byt it. Doing the right thing is kind of my montra in crisis management. If you do right thing and communicate everything will turn out okay.”

    In an effort to promote education about beef, NCBA, started the Masters of Beef Advocacy program to equip beef producers across the country in telling their story through presentations to schools and church/civic groups, in local media and in the “virtual” world of the Internet. Get your MBA for free and learn how to effectively answer the ever burning questions consumers are asking everyday.

    Listen to my interview with Daren here: Interview with Daren Williams

    You can find photos from the event here:2012 NAMA Boot Camp Photo Album

    Ag Groups, Agribusiness, Audio, Beef, Education, Livestock, NCBA

    Farm Progress Show Heating Up

    Chuck Zimmerman

    It is a sunny opening day at the Farm Progress Show. Things have been heating up in the media tent! Fortunately, we’ve got a nice breeze outside on the exhibit grounds.

    Cindy and I have been doing interviews and taking photos and have quite a few in the process of uploading now. We’re going to have lots of stories to show over the next couple week. Day one is always a crazy day between press conferences, in person interviews and other media events. Day two slows down a little and then the final day is pretty relaxing.

    2012 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

    AgWired coverage of the 2012 Farm Progress Show is sponsored by New Holland and Monsanto Roundup Ready Plus
    Farm Progress Show, Farm Shows, Farming

    Social Media Beyond the Choir

    Jamie Johansen

    AgNerds from across North American came together in Kansas City, MO to attend the 2012 Agvocacy 2.0 Training. “Beyond the Choir” was a common theme throughout the week as we tweaked how to use social media in telling our story of agriculture to those not quite as familiar with it. Some came as social media gurus and others with a lot to learn. Some came from a life-time of farming and others a simple passion for agriculture.

    Briåna Belko grew up a city girl in California, but her roots went back to the family farm. Now she works on her families calf ranch and uses social media to share her story, relating to those wearing heels and those in boots.

    “It started when I went to college in LA. I had a conversation with a classmate about milk and he honestly thought milk came from the grocery store. I could tell how he said it that he had no idea it came from a cow. That totally through me off because I was born and raised in the city, but I had dairy farms all around me. I knew where my milk came from. So, going into this job I went in with a passion. Knowing there are a lot of people who don’t have the advantage of knowing where there food comes from. It has been a huge learning curve for me. When farmers are talking about different things on the farm I don’t know what they are talking about. I know I represent a larger majority of people who have even less of a clue as to what goes on on farms.”

    You can follow Briåna on Twitter @HeelsToBoots and don’t forget to check out her blog, From Heels to Boots.

    Listen to my complete interview with the Briåna here: Interview with Briåna Belko

    Here’s where our photos can be found. 2012 Agvocacy 2.0 Conference Photo Album

    Ag Groups, Audio, Dairy, Education, Social Networking