Bayer CropScience Greenhouse 5 Media Briefing

Chuck Zimmerman

Bayer CropScience just held an online media briefing for ag journalists who could not make last week’s grand opening of Greenhouse 5. I was actually in the air but our John Davis was able to dial in and record the call.

Opening up the online media briefing was Courtney Beck, U.S. BioScience Outreach Manager. She welcomed the participants and introduced presenters Dan Tomso, BioScience Research & Development and Amy McCaskill, one of the scientists working in the facility. We missed introductions on our recording but you’ll hear Dan’s comments followed by Amy and then the audio of a tour video. I’ll be adding a link to that video when one is available.

So if you missed the grand opening or today’s briefing feel free to listen or download and use: Bayer Greenhouse 5 Media Briefing

You can find photos from the grand opening event that you are also welcome to download and use here: Bayer CropScience Greenhouse 5 Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Bayer

Greenhouse 5 = New Products for Bayer CropScience

Jamie Johansen

Mathias Kremer is head of Global BioScience for Bayer CropScience LP and Chuck took the opportunity to chat with him at the grand opening of Greenhouse 5. They discussed Bayer’s upcoming plans for new product development that will help farmers across the world.

“Our key message is that we want to be one of the most innovative and most professional biotech companies in the world. This new facility is going to help enhance our research work in row crops, especially in soybean, cotton and corn. We have done this in the past with other greenhouses in the area, with universities and now we have this wonderful new facility.”

“Our lab facility is close so we are now perfectly equipped to advance in our work and to bring more innovative products to the market to benefit farmers all over the world. We are working here on new products such as wheat resistance, something that is spreading intensely in the United States, so we are working on new solutions to deal with that problem.”

Listen to or download Chuck’s entire interview with Mathias Kremer here: Interview with Mathias Kremer

You can find the photo album for the Bayer event here: Bayer CropScience Greenhouse 5 Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Bayer

USDA Announces More Drought Aid for Farmers

Cindy Zimmerman

Following President Obama’s directive last week to take additional steps to support struggling producers, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack today announced new measures that will help livestock and crop farmers in drought-stricken areas of the country.

Vilsack announced new flexibility and assistance in USDA conservation programs to get help to livestock producers as the most wide-spread drought in seven decades intensifies in the United States. Vilsack also announced plans to encourage crop insurance companies to provide a short grace period for farmers on unpaid insurance premiums, as some farming families can be expected to struggle to make ends meet at the close of the crop year.

“USDA will open opportunities for haying and grazing on lands enrolled in conservation programs while providing additional financial and technical assistance to help landowners through this drought,” said Vilsack. “And we will deliver greater peace of mind to farmers dealing with this worsening drought by encouraging crop insurance companies to work with farmers through this challenging period. As severe weather and natural disasters continue to threaten the livelihoods of thousands of our farming families, we want you and your communities to know that USDA stands with you.”

Vilsack stressed that options to help farmers are very limited and what is needed most now is passage of a new food, farm and jobs bill.

Listen or download Vilsack’s announcement here. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack

Audio, USDA

Sustainability in Bayer CropScience Expansion

Jamie Johansen

During the Bayer CropScience Greenhouse 5 grand opening, Chuck took a few minutes to sit down with James Blome, president and CEO for Bayer CropScience LP and head of Crop Protection for the North American region. Sustainability was the goal for Bayer CropScience as plans came into place in building Greenhouse 5.

“Greenhouse 5 is our lastest expansion with 62,000 sq. ft. of steel and greenhouse capability here in North Carolina and is the pinnacle for our new research operations for cotton, corn, soybean, canola and our leadership position in biotechnology to feed a growing world.”

“It is state-of-the-art. We focused on sustainability; capturing rainwater, filtering everything. Pollination is very important in separating research trials so everything is separated out with different air handling capabilities. We have flexibility in our heat lamps and in our lights to change crops as our research needs change in the future and really just optimizing the latest state-of-the-art use of water, light and air conditioning capabilities for this facility in North Carolina.”

Listen to or download Chuck’s entire interview with James Blome here: Interview with James Blome

You can find the photo album for the Bayer event here: Bayer CropScience Greenhouse 5 Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Bayer

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • The 2012 Cambridge Tractor Show and Ag Day will be held Aug. 4, 2012 in Heritage Park in downtown Cambridge. For more, contact Karen Hutchinson at 309-937-5859 (Home) or 309-945-2858.
  • NCBiotech has established theBiotechnology Crops Commercialization Center, targeting potentially valuable crops adapted to the state’s diverse soil, climate and agribusiness conditions.
  • Broadhead announces six new hires at the Minneapolis office: Chris Strohmeyer, Matt Connell, Travis Thompson, April Hollander, Phil Rademacher and Amy O’Brien.
  • Leica Geosystems announces the new Leica GeoAce RTK base station.
    Zimfo Bytes

    RIP Beloved Farm Broadcaster Dix Harper

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Our beloved friend and veteran farm broadcaster Dix Harper went to his eternal reward today, surrounded by his devoted wife and members of their church family.

    Many of us have been following the journey of Dix and his wife Harriet after he was diagnosed with cancer in the spring of this year. She has been keeping friends and family up to date with Dix’s condition on CaringBridge, especially in the last couple of weeks. It has been a beautiful story of facing the end of life on Earth with the promise of eternal life in Heaven. Harriet’s description of her husband’s last moments are very poignant. “It was a Holy time, a moment of peace and love and joy that there was no longer any pain but a joyful reunion with those he loved who were waiting for him,” she wrote.

    Harriet says she is considering having his service at St. Luke’s in Hickory on Saturday morning, but no details yet. Dix was 89 years old and is survived by Harriet, two children and several grandchildren.

    Dix will be remembered by many in this industry as a prominent farm broadcaster who began his career in 1946 after graduating from Iowa State University. He was best known for his time with WRAL-TV and the Tobacco Radio Network with Ray Wilkinson and Ken Tanner. Dix was an integral part of the National Association of Farm Broadcasters (NAFB) for 65 years of the association’s 69 year history as both a broadcaster and allied industry member. Dix received the Meritorious Service Award in 1959, served as President in 1988 and was Historian for a number of years. NAFB has honored Dix by inducting him into the Hall of Fame in 1988 and naming the meritorious service award in his honor in 2006.

    Watch Dix talk about farm broadcasting and his career on YouTube below:

    Rest in Peace with the Lord, Dix. You will be missed.

    NAFB, Video

    Agvocating With Kenny Wallace

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Illinois Corn Growers got to hang out with “The Agvocate” Kenny Wallace at Chicagoland Speedway today. It’s NASCAR racing weekend and Kenny will be driving in tomorrow’s Nationwide STP 300 race.

    Kenny attracted a big crowd to the exhibit area outside the grandstands this afternoon. He talked to them and signed autographs for an hour. I heard one fan say after he got an autograph that he had just had a conversation with Kenny Wallace and his day was complete. You’ll see why his fans love him in the video below.

    Kenny loves farmers and he loves ethanol and lets everyone know about it. He says there may be some people who disagree about using ethanol but they need to talk to him because he knows everything there is to know about the subject. I hope a lot of people talk to him!

    Listen to my interview with Kenny Wallace here: Interview with Kenny Wallace

    You can find photos from the weekend activities here: Illinois Corn Growers NASCAR Weekend Photo Album

    I’ll be doing some guest blogging for the Illinois Corn Growers Corn Corps this weekend.

    Ag Groups, Audio, Corn, Ethanol, NASCAR

    House Ag Committee Chair at Peanut Conference

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Peanut growers are very happy with House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK) for his work in crafting a farm bill that is very different than the Senate bill in that it addresses the needs of southern farmers.

    Speaking at the Southern Peanut Growers Conference     in Panama City Beach on Saturday, Rep. Lucas (R-OK) went through the process of how his committee worked to mark up a farm bill, technically called the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management (FARRM) Act, following the legislation that was passed by the Senate. “The Senate language works really well in the Midwest, but it doesn’t work very well, according to my experience as a farmer, for everybody else,” he said. “It violates that fundamental rule of everybody needs to be able to participate.”

    During a press availability after addressing the farmers, Lucas talked about might happen now with the bill, since Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) has yet to commit to bringing it to the floor. “I served with him for three farm bills, John understands the base principals,” he said. “Mechanically, in the US House, it’s actually the majority floor leader who assigns floor time. That’s Mr. Cantor’s responsibility. So, I’m spending time with both of them.”

    “But, regular order, or whatever process we have to take, we have to have a farm bill,” he said.

    Listen or download Lucas’ press availability or watch the video below. Rep. Frank Lucas

    Check out the SPGC blog for his remarks to the growers and see the SPGC photo album for all pictures from the event.

    Audio, Farm Bill, Peanuts, SPGC, Video

    NASCAR and Ethanol at Chicagoland Speedway

    Chuck Zimmerman

    It’s NASCAR race weekend in Joliet, IL at Chicagoland Speedway. My home today and tomorrow. I’m joining the Illinois Corn Growers and Family Farmers for two races. First up will be tonight’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series American Ethanol 225.

    Then on Sunday we’ve got the second annual STP 300 which is part of the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The Sprint Cup Series has the weekend off.

    Family Farmers cannot be missed at the event, with a 17,000 square foot exhibit area onsite to be complemented with both a Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series “Family Farmers” entry. This work is aimed at improving the trust between consumers and family farmers. In corn checkoff funded research, it was revealed that most influential people in the Chicago area think that corporations own most of the farms in Illinois. This erodes the base of support among that same group for issues that are important to farmers regarding regulations, food safety, transportation, and trade.

    I’ll be hanging out with Kenny Wallace and Illinois Corn Growers this afternoon. Kenny will be driving the #99 Family Farmers car in the STP 300.

    “Chicagoland Speedway is a great track for me. We finished seventh in this race last year with our Family Farmers Toyota Camry. Since they closed Gateway International Raceway in 2010, Chicago has become sort of like a home track for me since it is only about four hours away from my hometown of St. Louis. Not only that, but it is the home of Family Farmers and American Ethanol, so I want to run well for them and I feel confident that we will run well.”

    So, look for photos and interviews later today and tomorrow from an Illinois NASCAR weekend. See you from the track.

    Ag Groups, Corn, Ethanol, NASCAR

    Bayer CropScience Greenhouse 5 Grand Opening

    Chuck Zimmerman

    The ribbon has been cut to open the Bayer CropScience Greenhouse 5. This massive facility will be the home to corn/soybean/cotton/canola research as soon as the company can get “moved in.” This morning we got a tour of the facility and you can see photos just as soon as I get them uploaded to the photo album.

    To learn more about the facility and what it means to Bayer CropScience and its customers I visited with Dr. Wolfgang Plischke who is on the Bayer Board of Management in Germany. He cut the ribbon as you can see in the photo and video clip below.

    Dr. Plischke says that it was about two years ago that they decided to “build a new world class greenhouse to accommodate the research for our corn and soybean programs.” The 30,000 sq. ft. of greenhouse space facility has massive air handling capabilities as well as complete control over lighting and other important elements of doing new plant research. You can more about the new facility in my conversation with Dr. Plischke.

    Listen to or download my interview with Dr. Plischke here: Interview with Dr. Wolfgang Plischke

    I’m putting photos from the Bayer event here: Bayer CropScience Greenhouse 5 Photo Album

    Agribusiness, Audio, Bayer, Video