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
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
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
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
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
Farm Futures released the results of a 2013 planting intentions survey. I visited with Arlan Suderman, Market Analyst, to learn what they found out.
U.S. farmers are unsure about whether to increase corn acreage next spring, despite high prices and sharply lower production caused by this year’s historic drought. Instead, Farm Futures magazine’s first survey of 2013 planting intentions shows growers would rather boost soybean and wheat seedings.
Results of the survey of some 1,800 growers were released Tuesday morning on the opening day of the Farm Progress Show held Aug. 28, 29 and 30 in Boone, Iowa.
Corn and Soybean Acres Shift
Farmers plan to put in 93.1 million acres of corn in the year ahead, down 4% from this year, when they planted the most corn ground in 75 years. Farm Futures’ survey found producers actually planted slightly more corn in 2012 than reported in June by USDA, though they abandoned more of that ground than the agency estimates due to the ravages of the drought.
Instead of increasing corn plantings, as most experts assume, farmers want to continue expanding soybean acreage in the year ahead. Growers said they want to seed 78.1 million soybean acres next spring, up 1.2% from this year’s total. Farm Futures also found higher soybean acreage this year, though greater abandonment, too.
“Ironically, this shift from corn to soybeans mirrors a similar shift taking place in South America as well, casting doubts on the world’s ability to rebuild tight global feed grain stocks without a significant shift in global weather patterns to boost yields in 2013,” notes Farm Futures Market Analyst Arlan Suderman.
You can listen to my interview with Arlan here: Interview with Arlan Suderman
2012 Farm Progress Show Photo Album
AgWired coverage of the 2012 Farm Progress Show is sponsored by New Holland and Monsanto Roundup Ready Plus
Good morning AgWired fans. We’ve got a beautiful morning for the start of the 2012 Farm Progress Show. Cindy is attending a Koch Agronomic Services breakfast while I’m uploading my first batch of photos from here at the show, including from last night’s Monsanto media dinner. Things will warm up today but that’s expected and we’ll be working out of the New Holland sponsored media tent.
Speaking of Farm Progress, the company just announced the launch of its new website.
Farm Progress has retooled and launched its state and regional magazines’ websites to provide users with a more feature-packed and flexible Internet portal. The producer-centered website will be presented to readers and show visitors at the 2012 Farm Progress Show Hospitality Tent, hosted by Wallaces Farmer, Aug. 28, 29 and 30 near Boone, Iowa.
The introduction brings more than a new look to its Internet environment; it gives users more graphics, an enhanced “markets” window that includes the key business markets, commodity reporting with handy charts from the homepage, and an upgraded weather display.
AgWired coverage of the 2012 Farm Progress Show is sponsored by New Holland and Monsanto Roundup Ready Plus
The media tent at the Farm Progress Show is ready for the over 300 ag journalists that have pre-registered. Helping get things ready for us for the 26th year is Gene Hemphill. I visited with Gene to see how things were going here at the city in the field.
Gene says we’ve got more permanent buildings and he’s seen more exhibit decorations than ever. I think we’ve also got more exhibits than ever too. Need to check on that. I’d like to thank New Holland for being our coverage sponsor once again and Monsanto for their support as well.
You can listen to my interview with Gene here: Interview with Gene Hemphill AgWired coverage of the 2012 Farm Progress Show is sponsored by New Holland and Monsanto Roundup Ready Plus
The Agvocacy 2.0 Training would not of have been complete without a surprise performance from the Peterson Farm Boys. Their YouTube video, “I’m Farming and I Grow It” went vial this summer and has almost reached 7 million views. Greg and Nathan Peterson not only performed but took time out of their busy schedule to talk with us about why they made the music video parody and why they share their passion for agriculture.
After I waited in line for fans to take the opportunity for some photo opts, I got to talk with the boys. You can find my complete interview below.
The Peterson Farm Boys YouTube Channel is stock full of videos educating viewers about the world of agriculture. Greg shared the simple equipment he uses to shoot and edit the videos. You don’t have to be a professional. We can all share our story.
Both Greg and Nathan will be at K-State this fall while their younger brother Kendal finishes up high school. All three brothers still work on the farm and even if their future careers take them off the farm, they won’t go too far from their roots of faith, family & agriculture.
You can order your very own I’m Farming and I Grow It t-shirt. Wear it proudly and see how many conversations you can strike up about agriculture anywhere you go.
Listen to my interview with the Peterson’s here: Interview with The Peterson Farm Boys
Here’s where our photos can be found. 2012 Agvocacy 2.0 Conference Photo Album
