In Perfect Design

Melissa Sandfort

Being the mother of a little farm boy, I fully expect to find leaves in his jeans pockets, worm “dirt” under his fingernails and an assortment of other wigglers and crawlers under the seat of his big wheel. In fact, the day he came toting his first fish into the house on the stringer, dripping on the wood floor the whole way, my smile couldn’t have been any bigger. I was so proud of him.

On the farm, we have all kinds of things for little boys to explore and entice their amazement. And I love their curiosity and figure for most things, it will wash off, and for those stains that don’t come out of the shirt, well, that shirt becomes a “work with daddy” shirt.

I wish he would’ve been here this morning as I stepped outside to get the mail and almost stepped right on this monster-sized moth. It’s beautiful – the perfectly symmetrical circular designs painted on faint green fuzzy canvas. I have no idea what kind of moth it is, but if I were a little boy, I would’ve tried to catch him and keep him.

Guess as the mom of a little boy I’ll be doing a lot of Googling about what moths eat, how to keep toads alive, and how to build a healthy environment for turning a caterpillar into a butterfly.

Until we walk again …

Uncategorized

Kinze Has Tips for a Breakdown-Free Harvest

Chuck Zimmerman

This year’s drought has made it tough enough for farmers; the last thing they need is a breakdown or equipment failure when trying to get in what crop they can. Phil Jennings, the service manager at Kinze Manufacturing, reminded me at the recent Ag Media Summit that there are some basic items producers should be checking before they head out to harvest. “We’re going to look for wear on our augers. We’re going to check our hoses to make sure they’re not scuffed or leaking.” Plus, he said we need to check the belts on the auger and, of course, the warning lights, flashers and slow-moving vehicle signs. Phil also said that with tougher conditions out there, checking the tires and track systems, including wheel lugs and bearings, is always a good idea.

More information on Kinze equipment and how you can avoid a breakdown is available at www.kinze.com.

You can listen to my interview with Phil here: Interview with Phil Jennings

2012 Ag Media Summit Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2012 Ag Media Summit is sponsored by FMC
Ag Media Summit, Audio, FMC

Farm Bill Now Coalition Calls for Action by Congress

John Davis

A coalition of 39 farm groups, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Corn Growers Association, and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, is calling on Congress to pass a new farm bill before the old one expires at the end of September. The group, Farm Bill Now, has an interactive web portal at www.FarmBillNow.com, that lets you connect with your members of Congress and show your support for a new five-year farm bill. The coalition points out that this isn’t just for farmers; consumers need to get involved in the effort as well since any farm bill is really a jobs, food, conservation, research, energy and trade bill… something for every American!

Members of Farm Bill Now plan to meet at Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa this coming Tuesday, August 28th to discuss the effort. In addition, representatives of many of the groups in the coalition will gather on September 12th, 2012 at the U.S. Capitol to encourage Congress to pass the bill before programs expire at the end of that month.

AFBF, Farm Bill, NCBA, NCGA

Pipestone System Explained at BIVI Swine Seminar

Chuck Zimmerman

One of the presentations at the recent 12th annual Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Swine Health Seminar held in North Carolina included information about the Pipestone System in Minnesota. “The Pipestone System is an organization of about 250 farmers who own their sows and hire us to manage them,” Barry Kierkart, one of the managing partners at the Pipestone Veterinary Clinic explained to me. Pipestone then produces high-quality, weaned pigs and return them to those independent farmers for them to raise and bring to market.

During his presentation, Barry wanted producers to understand the importance of research and the importance of very small numbers that could make the difference in their bottom lines. “That’s really been our focus for them: to measure things that we think are important that they can change to try and improve their efficiency,” he said. One example includes how to improve the gut health of the animal to better use the feed they get. He added that most people are interested in how to apply research done by others to their individual operation.

Interview with Barry Kierkart

2012 BIVI Swine Health Seminar Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Boehringer Ingelheim, Swine

FMC Launches “Meat and Greet” Road Tour

Chuck Zimmerman

Our friends at FMC are on the road with the Capture® LFR® Insecticide “Meat and Greet” Road Tour, a series of meeting events that are taking place at more than 20 retailer locations across the Midwest now through September 28. “We’ll be visiting retailers to talk with them and their growers about Capture LFR and the benefits of using Capture with a starter fertilizer to control seed and seedling pests,” FMC’s Amie Dunn explained to me during the recent Ag Media Summit.

Amie added they’ll be cooking hot dogs and burgers at these events, which are open to the public and have prize drawings for attending. Capture LFR insecticide is a unique at-plant, liquid insecticide that has been proven to significantly increase corn yields. It works by eliminating soil pests before they ingest (bite and damage) Bt or seed-treated crops. You can find out more about Capture LFR and the “Meat and Greet” Road tour by going to www.zoneofprotection.com.

You can listen to my interview with Amie here: Interview with Amie Dunn

2012 Ag Media Summit Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2012 Ag Media Summit is sponsored by FMC
Ag Media Summit, Audio, Corn, FMC

Bayer Crop Protection for Corn and Soybeans

Cindy Zimmerman

At the recent Bayer CropScience Respect the Rotation event in Collinsville, Illinois, growers learned more about some of the company’s crop protection products for corn and soybeans to help them better avoid resistance issues in the future.

“We want to continue to use the products that we have,” said Mark Waddington, Bayer tech services rep, who talked about insecticides and fungicides for soybean management. Among the products he discussed was Stratego YLD, a dual mode of action product. “Last year we had 51 on-farm trials and saw a positive yield response about 90% of the time, resulting in an average increase of 4.75 bushel per acre.”

Listen to my interview with Mark: Mark Waddington interview

Bayer seed treatment marketing lead for corn and soybeans Ethan Luth talked to growers mainly about Poncho/VOTIVO, which provides a biological seed treatment opportunity to control nematodes in both corn and soybeans. “The bacteria is really the unique part of Poncho/VOTIVO,” he said. “They’re a living organism that grows with the seed.”

Listen to Ethan explain more and talk about what’s in the pipeline: Ethan Luth interview

Mike Weber talked about both Stratego YLD and Poncho/VOTIVO for corn, but also about Corvus and Capreno residual herbicides. “Corvus is our soil-applied herbicide, kind of our one-pass solution for the corn market,” he said. “Capreno is our post-emerge product.” He notes that, like all residuals, these products need some water to work, so the drought had a significant impact on them this year, but normally they work very well and they expect use of these relatively new products to continues to grow because they offer a complementary mode of action to help control weed resistance.

Listen to my interview with Mike: Mike Weber interview

See pictures from the field day in Collinsville in the Bayer CropScience Respect the Rotation photo album.

Audio, Bayer, Farming, weed management

2012 NAMA Boot Camp Kicks Off

Jamie Johansen

The 2012 NAMA Boot Camp just got underway in Kansas City, Mo. Those just entering the working world, as well as veterans have come together to learn more about the agri-marketing industry. I had the opportunity to chat with Erin Nash with Woodruff Sweitzer and the events chair person, about what attendees can look forward to in the coming days.

“We are covering any and all things related to agriculture. Topics, events, new and notes that are timely and kind of the bread and butter of our industry to help either those new to the communications industry within the agriculture sector or those that need a little primer and help them to get up to speed on the lastest topics.”

Listen to my interview with Nash here: Interview with Erin Nash

Follow the event on Twitter using #12NAMABootCamp.

2012 NAMA Boot Camp Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, NAMA

Poll Reveals a Close Presidential Race

Melissa Sandfort

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “Which team for President would be best for agriculture?”

Our poll results: Forty-two percent said Romney/Ryan; thirty-five percent said Obama/Biden and twenty-three percent said neither, we need a better choice.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “Beyond commodity prices, what will this year’s drought have a greater impact on?” From crop insurance to feed and fuel costs, there are a lot of potential items the drought could impact. But what do you think is going to take the biggest hit?

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

ZimmPoll

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • The Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour provides accurate late-season information about likely corn and soybean yields during the upcoming harvest season at the state and regional level.
  • The Meat Industry Hall of Fame is delighted to announce Dr. Temple Grandin will deliver the keynote presentation at the Annual Induction Ceremony and Dinner.
  • Rhea + Kaiser has recently promoted four current staff and added seven new staff to the agency following recent account growth and diversification.
  • The Dairy Business Association is pleased to announce that Deb Barlament has been selected for the position of Development Director with the organization.
    Zimfo Bytes

    Poultry Groups Pleased RFS Waiver Process to Start

    John Davis

    Add Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal to those calling on the EPA to waive the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS). In a letter to the EPA (available from the National Chicken Council website), Deal joins Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe and North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue asking for the waiver because of the impact the drought is having on corn. The EPA has posted the notice in the Federal Register and is accepting public comments for the next 30 days. A decision would come within 90 days.

    One of the biggest backers of the waiver has been the poultry industry. In a news release, the National Chicken Council says “it is now abundantly clear that severe economic damage has occurred, and will continue, as a result of the RFS’ strain on the corn supply that has been exacerbated by the worst drought in more than 50 years.” Their colleagues at the National Turkey Federation agree. In an interview with AgWired, the group’s president Joel Brandenberger says that lawmakers created the waiver just for disastrous droughts. “If this isn’t such a situation, you would have to conclude that the waiver process as written is worthless.” Brandenberger says the premise behind the waiver is pretty simple: it will reduce the amount of corn used to make ethanol, and thus, reduce the amount of overall corn used, leading to lower prices.

    Poultry folks make no effort to hide their dislike of the RFS, with Brandenberger asserting that it is the standard combined with the drought that is pushing up prices. “The [RFS] has been distorting the corn market from the first day it was created in 2005,” adding that everyone who uses corn … including ethanol makers … could benefit from a more realistic market price. He also says it unfair for the government to mandate the use of a product, such as corn, for one user, while not guaranteeing markets for others. “As one of my members said, ‘There’s no federal mandate that everyone has to throw a turkey in their basket every time they go to the supermarket.’ We’d really like to get the government out of the business of picking winners and losers.”

    Listen to my interview with Brandenberger here: Interview with Joel Brandenberger, President, National Turkey Federation

    Audio, Corn, Ethanol, Poultry