The Farmer of the Future

Jamie Johansen

During the Marketing Forum at the 2012 Alltech International Symposium, Dr. Dwight Armstrong, Chief Executive Officer for the National FFA Organization, answered the question, “Who is the farmer of the future?” The FFA works with 500,000 potential youth farmers to help fill the need for young agriculturalists.

The National FFA Organization is dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.

Dr. Armstrong highlighted the FFA’s efforts to make career success a priority for its future members, current members and alumni.

“The farmer of the future is an individual who can step forward and supply technology, business and science into farming because farming is far more complicated and complex then it has been in the past, but certainly we hope the 500,000 FFA members that are involved in agriculture education and FFA will be the farmer of the future.”

Dr. Armstrong is a former FFA member from Kentucky and served as the 2005 chairman of the National FFA Foundation Sponsors’ Board. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Murray State University and his master’s degree and Ph.D from Purdue University.

Listen to the complete interview with Dwight Armstrong here: Interview with Dwight Armstrong

2012 Alltech International Symposium Photo Album

Agribusiness, Alltech, Education, FFA

Alltech Launches Crop Science Business

Chuck Zimmerman

Alltech launched their Crop Science business during the 2012 International Symposium. During a lunch time press conference we heard from (r-l) Geoff Frank, CEO of Alltech Crop Science; Robbie Walker, Regional Director of Europe and the Middle East for Alltech Crop Science and Jon Carloftis, award-winning garden designer, garden writer, television guest, author, and lecturer.

Alltech has actually been in the plant science business for a number of years but has just pulled the business into the Alltech brand. The company is making all natural products that can be used on a wide variety of plants from grains to gardens. The products are especially helpful to plants that experience stressful conditions. They promote more stable growth and greater yields. I asked about the grain market for midwest U.S. growers and they told me that they are conducting trials right now in Iowa. With higher corn prices growers now have a new alternative application to get the most out of their crop.

Listen to the full press conference here: Alltech Crop Science Press Conference

Listen to Geoff’s opening remarks here: Geoff Frank Opening Remarks

Listen to Robbie’s opening remarks here: Robbie Walker Opening Remarks

Listen to Jon’s opening remarks here: Jon Carloftis Opening Remarks

2012 Alltech International Symposium Photo Album

Agribusiness, Alltech, Crop Protection

Food Styling at Alltech

Chuck Zimmerman

I’m borrowing from the Alltech blog here. I thought it was interesting to hear a food stylist talk about her craft.

Erica Ryan, a food stylist from Dublin, Ireland has spent the last 20 years styling food for TV and film and photography for food packaging and cookery books. Erica is over in Lexington this week helping to put the finishes touches on the display food at ‘The World’s Market’ at Alltech’s Symposium. Erika’s skills require her to maintain the color, texture, composition and quality of the display food that best represents the product.

2012 Alltech International Symposium Photo Album

Agribusiness, Alltech, Food, Video

Alltech Tweetup

Chuck Zimmerman

During the 2012 Alltech International Symposium we held a tweetup. Here’s our happy group. Thanks to Jamie for taking our photo.

Tweetups provide a great opportunity to meet people in person whom you follow or interact with on Twitter. We got together for a few minutes prior to the Kentucky Night dinner celebration at Kentucky Horse Park last night. Most of these folks were on their smartphones tweeting before, during and after the tweetup.

2012 Alltech International Symposium Photo Album

Agribusiness, Alltech

Alltech’s Nutrition Revolution

Chuck Zimmerman

He’s a revolutionary in the area of nutrition. Dr. Karl Dawson, Chief Scientific Officer, Alltech, took the stage the opening session of the 2012 International Symposium. The company is doing breakthrough research in nutrigenomics to find new ways to feed our animals to enhance their performance, health and longevity and enhance the consumer experience. Dr. Dawson also talks about how Alltech is branching out into new research strategies for addressing human health and wellness. I interviewed Dr. Dawson during the press conference held after the opening session and have included it as well as Dr. Dawson’s remarks on stage this morning.

Listen to my interview with Dr. Dawson here: Interview with Dr. Karl Dawson

Listen to Dr. Dawson’s remarks here: Dr. Karl Dawson Remarks

2012 Alltech International Symposium Photo Album

Agribusiness, Alltech, Animal Health, Audio, Food

Wheat Growers Promote Travis Antonsen

Melissa Sandfort

Wheat Growers grain and agronomy cooperative announces that Travis Antonsen has been promoted to lead Wheat Growers’ grain origination efforts as the Producer Marketing Manager.

Prior to joining the Wheat Growers team, Antonsen was the head of origination for the Minnesota Soybean Processors plant in Brewster, Minn. Before that he was a merchandiser for the South Dakota Soybean Processors facility in Volga, S.D.

Ag Groups, Wheat

The New Holland Field Smart Blog

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast 350New Holland has a new blog called Field Smart. It’s part of the New Holland Field Smart campaign.

At New Holland we’re dedicated to continuing this tradition, and we’ve launched our Field Smart campaign to celebrate not only our approach to delivering new innovations to the marketplace, but the farmers that put this technology to use.

To learn more about the project, Cindy interviewed John Elliott, New Holland, Director, Marketing NAR. That’s the feature of this week’s program. ZimmComm is providing content creation assistance to New Holland for this project.

Listen to this week’s ZimmCast here: The New Holland Field Smart Blog

Thanks to our ZimmCast sponsors, GROWMARK, locally owned, globally strong and Monsanto, Roundup Ready Plus, for their support.

The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired. Subscribe so you can listen when and where you want. Just go to our Subscribe page.

Agribusiness, Audio, New Holland, ZimmCast

Alltech Kentucky Night

Jamie Johansen

Alltech’s Kentucky Night was full of down-home country music, mouth watering good food and even better company. The event was held at the beautiful Kentucky Horse Park, home of the Alltech Arena and the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games and the Alltech National Horse Show. Everyone came decked out in their boots, denim and cowboy hats. A evening full of fun and fellowship where storying were told and new friends were met.

Check out photos from the event here: 2012 Alltech International Symposium Photo Album

Agribusiness, Alltech, Food

My First Harvest

Melissa Sandfort

I liked it so much last year I had to do it again – plant my loose leaf blend lettuce, that is. It’s taken a little more time and care this year though to get it started since the weather has turned out so dry and I have a sneaky suspicion that for once the climatologist had it right … Nebraska is in for a very dry summer. This is so much the opposite of last year when during the whole month of May, my garden was under water and the highs were in the 50s.

This garden isn’t big by any means – this first harvest is probably enough to accompany my lunch tomorrow – but that doesn’t squelch my pride one bit. My onions, carrots and broccoli need a little grandmotherly TLC and she’s so graciously offered to come help me thin them once I wet it so the ground is loose. She even has a special contraption that consists of a jar with a hole to help you evenly space those seeds that are so tiny they require a tweezers to pick them up. I might have to carefully inspect the design of hers and then make one of my own!

So while the farmers are busy getting their irrigation primed and ready, I’ve been watering away on my garden, hoping it’s enough to save the poor tomato plants from burning to a crisp in late-May.

Until we walk again …

Uncategorized

Alltech Symposium Press Conference

Jamie Johansen

A press conference was held following the morning session of the 2012 Alltech International Symposium. Panelists included Dr. Pearse Lyons, President/CEO of Alltech, Governor John Y. Brown Jr., Dr. Mark Lyons, Vice President of Corporate Affairs for Alltech, Dr. Karl Dawson, Alltech’s Chief Scientific Officer & Tim Gannon, Co-Founder Outback Steakhouse. Catch a recap of the question and answer session as these panelists share the importance of Alltech’s efforts to preserve the future of agribusiness and food production.

Listen to the complete Alltech International Symposium press conference here: Alltech Press Conference

2012 Alltech International Symposium Photo Album

Agribusiness, Alltech, Audio, Food, Media, Research, Technology