American Coalition for Ethanol President’s Award

Cindy Zimmerman

The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) President’s Award was a family affair this year.

ACE President Lars Herseth, a South Dakota farmer and rancher, was honored to present the award this year to his daughter and former Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin. Three generations of Herseths are pictured here – Lars, Stephanie and her son Zachery – who is absolutely adorable.

It was a great pleasure to meet this distinguished and talented woman who is very proud of her agricultural heritage and was a great advocate for farmers and ranchers and the ethanol industry while serving in Congress from 2004 to 2011. It was an even greater pleasure to find out that she has taken a position as general counsel with Raven Industries, the sponsor of our AgWired app!

“Growing up on my family’s farm has defined me,” Stephanie told me. “One of the key reasons that I took the opportunity to join Raven Industries was to be home full time and to raise Zachery closer to family where he can spend time on the farm and have that same experience.”

Listen to my interview with Stephanie here: Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin
2012 ACE Conference Photo Album

ACE, Audio, Ethanol

Support I Love Farmers

Chuck Zimmerman

I Love Farmers.org was one of the busiest booths during InfoExpo at the Ag Media Summit. T-shirt sales were doing well. If you didn’t get yours then go to their website to order.

Working the booth was Luke DeGroot who says that in the last year they’ve made some great partnerships with businesses “who believe in the same things we believe in.” With support from one of those organizations they’ve started Awareness Days on college campuses and plan to increase the number of these they do in the future. For an Awareness Day they get materials in participating students hands and have them distribute those materials in their school plazas while talking with their peers about where their food comes from. In their first effort they had 16 schools involved!

Has your company thought about supporting I Love Farmers – They Feed My Soul? I recommend it. We need to see this program grow. Please like them on Facebook.

You can listen to my interview with Luke here: Interview with Luke DeGroot

2012 Ag Media Summit Photo Album

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

Welcome AgChatOZ to AgCareers Roundtable

Jamie Johansen

AgCareers welcomed Danica Leys, founder of AgChatOZ, to the 2012 Ag & Food HR Roundtable. After learning about AgChat Foundation here in the United States, she felt a similar dialogue was needed in Australia. AgChatOZ holds weekly online conversations on Twitter about topics and issues farmers face in Australia. I was fortunate to sit down with Danica and chat with her about some of the similar issues facing us in agriculture.

“A lot of the issues talked about here in the last day or two are really similar to some of the issues we face back home. One of the most important areas being discussed was getting kids interested in agriculture and therefore getting them to universities and graduating. We don’t have enough graduates at the moment to fill all the jobs that are posted every year and if that keeps continuing we will have some serious problems.”

“The other positive message I take home is that it is a really good time to be involved in agriculture. We are the same in Australia. There are lots of things happening, new technology, new developments, the people involved in agriculture are very passionate at what they do and that is the same back home.”

You can listen to my interview with Danica here: Interview with Danica Leys

Check out our photo album for the 2012 North American Ag & Food HR Roundtable.

AgCareers, Agribusiness, Audio, Education

AgCareers Recognizes Russ Weathers

Jamie Johansen

In honor of the 10th Anniversary of the North American Ag & Food HR Roundtable, AgCareers took time to recognize a few people who have supported them since the beginning. One of those individuals was Russ Weathers, President of Agriculture Future of America (AFA). Both organizations started about the same time and each has grown successful in the support for career placement in the agriculture industry.

“Our organization really focuses on helping college students who are talented, passionate and committed for a career in agriculture prepare for that career. So, on a daily basis we are doing programming, student identification, recruiting and we work with universities and corporations across the country leverage that student into intern working situations.”

“I attended the very first HR Roundtable and from that very first experience one finds that it is a terrific place to network with not only the collegiate leadership that works with students in career services, but also with corporate recruiters.”

You can listen to my interview with Russ here: Interview with Russ Weathers

Check out our photo album for the 2012 North American Ag & Food HR Roundtable.

AgCareers, Agribusiness, Audio, Education

Zimfo Bytes

Jamie Johansen

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Nominations for the 2011 St. Louis Agribusiness Club Agribusiness Leader of the Year are due September 17. The award is given to an outstanding individual in the St. Louis region who demonstrates leadership and promotes agriculture throughout the area.
  • Arkema and United Phosphorus Inc. have agreed that Arkema will assume all sales and marketing responsibilities for Paladin soil fumigant for United States and Mexico. Arkema is the world’s largest producer of thiochemicals.
  • The National Grange welcomes Austin Miller to the D.C. headquarters as the new Program Assistant for the 145-year-old nonprofit, fraternal advocacy organization focusing on rural America and agriculture.
  • Kent Meister, field staff member of Pioneer FBFM, was recently elected to serve as the president of the Farm Financial Standards Council. He succeeds Kathy Rancour, accounting manager for Christiansen Land and Cattle Company, who will now serve as the past-president on the organization’s Executive Committee.
    Zimfo Bytes

    Ag Industry Not Ready for Cloud Data Storage

    Chuck Zimmerman

    It doesn’t look like the ag world is ready to embrace the cloud to store precious data. Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “Will you use the cloud to store your data?” According to the results 62% said No, too many risks. Only 20% said Yes, already do and 18% said Yes but looking for better options. So how do you handle the storage of all your data today? Stick it onto an external hard drive? Keep it on your computer’s hard drive? Are you backing up? Do you keep a copy of that data off site? Something to think about if you haven’t already. We don’t use the cloud to store data for the reason that we have lots of data and in order to upload and access it you need more massive internet access capabilities than currently available. Then there’s the whole cost of that storage on an on-going basis. We triple back up our data too. This system is working for us right now.

    Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, Do ag journalists (broadcast/print/web) adhere to good ethical practices in reporting? This topic of ethics always comes up at meetings like the Ag Media Summit. It usually generates a lively debate. How do ag journalists handle the interaction with advertisers and maintain some kind of neutrality in their reporting? That’s a good question. Our belief is that transparency is the key. We do our best to make sure our sponsors are known and the interviews we do with them are right there for you to listen to directly. Feel free to respond or posts your thoughts here in comments.

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

    Farming, ZimmPoll

    Dupont Pioneer Honored for Continued Support

    Jamie Johansen

    Long-time supporter of AgCareers, Cindy Heser, HR Talent Acquisition Representative for Dupont Pioneer, was honored during the 10th Annual HR Roundtable for her continued support. I took the opportunity to talk with Cindy during the event and ask her a few questions about what Dupont Pioneer looks for in recruiting potential employees for careers with their company.

    “What we’re looking for in new employees are people that can be good team players, people that are collaborative in their approach and are innovative problem solvers. That’s what we really need in the agriculture industry, globally, as well as across the United States. Universities that are here are all trying to develop those students for us and we are ready to hire and really help us grow agriculture because ag is hot right now. We have never really felt the giant impact of the recession and we have been growing for years.”

    “Look for an organization that fits you and know your strengths. If you know yourself best then you can figure out where that match is going to be.”

    Dupont Pioneer is proud to be the host of the 2013 North American Ag & FOod HR Roundtable, so don’t worry if you missed this years event. Plans are already underway and it is guaranteed to be a success.

    You can listen to my interview with Cindy here: Interview with Cindy Heser

    Follow the event on Twitter using #AgRT and check out our photo album for the 2012 North American Ag & Food HR Roundtable.

    AgCareers, Agribusiness, Audio, Education

    Soybeans Used for Tractors Now… and Back Then

    John Davis

    Attendees at the USB Biobased Products Stakeholders Workshop this week in Dearborn, Michigan got a chance to step back in history. Antique Ford tractor collector Dave Schafer showed off his pair of 1939 Ford 9Ns, one that was given to his father by Henry Ford himself! “My father worked for Henry Ford as a tractor demonstrator,” Schafer explains. “The day that my dad was driving that tractor, that 179, was the day I was born, and Henry Ford gave him that tractor that day.” The other tractor was built the very last day of production for the 1939 model, so Schafer has the very first and last Ford 9Ns built in 1939.

    While these days, we hear a lot about using soybean-based biodiesel in farm equipment, Schafer points out that the beans were also used for other parts way back when. “The tractor I have, the very first one, that had a soybean seat made on it in 1939,” he says. “Ford was already using soybeans to make the seats, steering wheels. They also used it on all the knobs in the car,” ranging from gearshifts to window cranks. “It’s terribly strong material. It lasts forever!” And Schafer says we can keep using soybeans for all those parts and more today.

    Listen to Cindy’s interview with Dave here: Antique Ford Tractor Collector Dave Schafer

    Check out the photo album below and the SoyBiobased.org website as well.

    2012 USB Biobased Products Stakeholders Workshop Photos

    Audio, Soybean, USB

    Time to Vote in FMC Anthem Singing Contest

    Chuck Zimmerman

    It’s time for voters to stand and be heard by casting their votes in the FMC Stand and Be Heard Anthem Singing Contest. Rick Ekins, FMC Product Mgr., says voting has been going well with over 61,000 votes so far. I spoke with him during InfoExpo at the Ag Media Summit.

    All you need to do is go to the FMC Singing Contest web page and you can see the entries and vote for your favorite. Rick says FMC is ready to give away some scholarship money ($25,000 in all). There are about two weeks left to vote so let’s get it done.

    You can listen to my interview with Rick here: Interview with Rick Ekins

    2012 Ag Media Summit Photo Album

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

    Meet New AAEA President

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Let’s meet the new President of the American Agricultural Editors’ Association, Lauri Bedord. Here’s Laurie presenting now past President Greg Horstmeier his plaque with gavel during the AAEA business meeting at the Ag Media Summit.

    Laurie says she’s going to have several priorities that include the strategic plan which calls for an increase in membership. She encourages members to get involved. She says that although things have been great for AAEA they must not become stagnant. AAEA is also looking ahead to celebrating 100 years soon and making plans on how to celebrate it.

    You can listen to my interview with Laurie here: Interview with Laurie Bedord

    2012 Ag Media Summit Photo Album

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