Romney Announces Farmers and Ranchers Coalition

John Davis

Presumptive Republican nominee for President Mitt Romney today announced a coalition of agricultural leaders for his campaign. The Farmers and Ranchers for Romney coalition is chaired nationally by Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, Ambassador Tom Nassif, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey, Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner James Comer, Sen. Mike Johanns (R-NE), and former USDA Acting/Deputy Secretary Charles Conner.

“I’m honored to have so many farmers and ranchers standing with my campaign,” said Mitt Romney. “They are the backbone of America and play a critical role in ensuring Americans across the country have access to safe and affordable food. The fruit of their labor nourishes the world, and I admire their hard work in harvesting our country’s bountiful resources. Our farmers and ranchers also have a critical role in the health of our economy, employing millions of Americans. I’m grateful to have their support in my efforts to turn around the economy and strengthen the middle class.”

Commissioner Adam Putnam said, “As Florida’s Agriculture Commissioner, I’m proud to be supporting Governor Romney’s campaign to get this country moving in the right direction again. While agriculture in America has its own set of unique challenges, farmers are looking for a leader in the White House who knows how the private sector works.” Read More

politics

IFAJ Congress Arrival Day

Chuck Zimmerman

It is arrival day for attendees of the 2012 International Federation of Agricultural Journalists Congress in Sweden. Kelly Schwalbe, BCS Communications and myself took the morning to try a little golf. It is a beautiful day and no matter what our score was, it was an awesome round of golf at the Troxhammar Golf Cub. We played with flashes of brilliance and then a lot of that other kind of play.

So, people are arriving and this afternoon we have registration and our first professional development sessions. I’ve already got a photo album started and will be filling it over the coming days as we learn about Swedish agriculture together.

2012 IFAJ Congress Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2012 IFAJ Congress is sponsored by DuPont Pioneer
IFAJ, Media

Seeking Nominations for Charles Eastin Award

Melissa Sandfort

The National Farm-City Council is now seeking nominations for its second annual Charles Eastin Outstanding Service Award. The award pays tribute to an outstanding individual within the United States who has contributed to Farm-City activities as an advocate for accurate communications between rural and urban audiences.

The national award is in honor of Dr. Charles “Charlie” Eastin, DVM, who played a fundamental role in Farm-City activities. A board member for many years, Eastin was especially active in planning and initiating Farm-City events in the Lexington, Ken., area.

Nominees to the Charles Eastin Outstanding Service Award can be any person 25-years-old or older, who has actively supported national, state or local Farm-City initiatives. He or she can be nominated by anyone active in a Farm-City program.

The award will be presented to the recipient at the National Farm-City Symposium and Farm-City Week kickoff luncheon on November 13, 2012, in St. Joseph, Mo. The winner will be reimbursed for travel expenses.

Agribusiness

Most Believe Ag Journalists Are Ethical

Chuck Zimmerman

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “Do ag journalists (broadcast/print/web) adhere to good ethical practices in reporting?” This is just in time for the ag journalists gathering in Sweden for the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists Congress. I’ll be sharing the results with them.

Our poll results: Sixteen percent said they all do; sixty-eight percent said most do; and sixteen percent said most do not.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “Which team for President would be best for agriculture?” What do you think…who is the better choice for office when it comes to supporting our nation’s farmers and ranchers?

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

Media, ZimmPoll

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

    Preview of 2012 IFAJ Congress

    Chuck Zimmerman

    The 2012 International Federation of Agricultural Journalists is about to kick off in Sweden. We’re somewhere to the west of Stockholm at the moment with farm tours coming up later this week. To get my coverage started I spoke with soon to be past IFAJ President Mike Wilson, Farm Futures, during the IFAJ leadership dinner this evening.

    Mike has been President of IFAJ for 4 years. Mike says that he has gotten more out of IFAJ than he has put into it and I would echo that statement. IFAJ has become very stable financially and has kicked off a new strategic plan that will provide opportunities for more ag journalist to get involved. Next year we’ll be in Argentina for the annual Congress.

    Mike and I talked about the Swedish Congress and what we hope to see an learn. As usual, it’s going to be something new and different and that’s a hallmark of an IFAJ Congress and why I wish all my American ag journalist friends would attend at least one of these meetings.

    Listen to my interview with Mike here: Interview with Mike Wilson AgWired coverage of the 2012 IFAJ Congress is sponsored by DuPont Pioneer

    Audio, IFAJ, International, Media

    Managing Enteric Disease

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Dealing with a tough subject at the Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Swine Health Seminar was Dr. Michael Appley, Kansas State University. He talked about antimicrobials and the control of enteric disease and the future of using them including the issue of resistance. He says producers need to know how and why they use them. But he also says that a lot of the concerns over their use are driven by people and organizations with an agenda that is not based on science. That makes it tough to respond to those concerns. He talks about a specific concern of MRSA which is an overblown concern if you look at the science, especially here in the United States.

    Interview with Mike Appley

    2012 BIVI Swine Health Seminar Photo Album

    Agribusiness, Animal Health, Audio, Boehringer Ingelheim, Swine

    TopCon’s New System 350

    Chuck Zimmerman

    What’s new at TopCon Precision Agriculture is their System 350 which features their X30 console. TopCon was one of the exhibitors at the Ag Media Summit. The console features:

    • Mini-view windows with drag-and-drop positioning
    • Interaction keypads with “expandable menus”
    • Dashboard readouts provide constant, convenient basic data
    • Integrated LED lightbar for manual guidance
    • Full-screen views available for more detailed information
    • Advanced setup wizard provides simple icon based setup control

    To learn more about it I spoke with Javier Hernandez. He says the system provides variable rate control, auto-steer and more. He wants people to know that TopCon is pioneer in the use of ISO control with plug and play options.

    You can listen to my interview with Javier here: Interview with Javier Hernandez

    2012 Ag Media Summit Photo Album

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

    Farm Foundation Webinar on RFS Waiver Impact

    John Davis

    There’s been a lot of talk about waiving the Renewable Fuels Standard for ethanol, especially since the USDA’s latest estimate shows the drought knocking down the projected corn crop 13 percent. Our friends from the Farm Foundation will be hosting a web conference, Thursday, August 16, 2012 at 10 a.m. CDT. Three Purdue University economists will take part in the free conference, which you can register for here.

    Severe drought has reduced corn production and driven up the price of corn. Faced with significantly higher feed costs, livestock producers have asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a partial waiver of the Renewable Fuel Standards, which mandates blending of ethanol in gasoline. Purdue University economists Wally Tyner, Farzad Taheripour and Christopher Hurt have completed an analysis of a potential waiver and what it could mean for the ethanol industry and the price of corn. Their findings will be presented at Thursday’s web conference. Read More

    Corn, Ethanol, Farm Foundation

    Time For Hog Producers To Check Protocols

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Working as a herd health and production veterinarian for Standard Nutrition Services is Keith Kinsley, one of the presenters at the Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Swine Health Seminar. Keith’s topic was “A Review of Nursery Scouring.”

    I asked Keith what he wanted the attendees to take away from his talk and he says that it’s not always scours that is the problem but other issues and “we’ve got to be good at measuring all aspects of what’s going on in these barns so we know if we’re dealing with an enteric disease and how we can correct it.” He says it’s a good time for hog producers to review their protocols they’ve got in place.”

    Interview with Keith Kinsley

    2012 BIVI Swine Health Seminar Photo Album

    Agribusiness, Animal Health, Audio, Boehringer Ingelheim, Swine