Previewing ARC Annual Meeting

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast 342The 2012 Annual Meeting of the Agricultural Relations Council takes place this week in Charleston, SC. I’ll be on site starting Wednesday afternoon and will bring you all the sights and sounds that I can.

To get a preview of this year’s ARC annual meeting agenda I spoke with ARC President, Mace Thornton, AFBF. Mace says more people are attending this year which marks the third year of growth for the revitalization effort that’s underway to grow ARC into the organization that it once was. The Golden ARC Awards program is also larger with more entries this year too. Mace also points to a new element of the program – the inaugural inductees to the new Agricultural Public Relations Hall of Fame. We’ll be honoring Lyle Orwig, Charleston Orwig and Don Lerch, an ARC founder. Find out more about the program in this week’s program. If you think you still want to attend it’s not too late if you get your registration done now. If you can’t make it then check AgWired or you can also follow the conference hashtag on Twitter – #ARC12.

Post Update: The official Twitter hashtag for the ARC Annual Meeting is now: #AgRC

Listen to this week’s ZimmCast here: Preview of ARC Annual Meeting

Thanks to our ZimmCast sponsor, GROWMARK, locally owned, globally strong, 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.

Ag Groups, ARC, Audio, Public Relations

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • The Agricultural Marketing Service Fruit and Vegetable Program invites you to take part in a series of free, interactive webinars on our many programs and services.
  • Now is the time for farmers to support their school district through America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education, a program that gives farmers the opportunity to nominate their public school district to compete for a grant of $10,000 or $25,000 to support a science and/or math educational program.
  • California agricultural producers who are certified organic or transitioning to organic production may qualify for technical and financial assistance. Applications are due by March 30.
  • Dakota Micro is proud to announce a new factory install partnership with Kinze Manufacturing.
Zimfo Bytes

First Look at New iPad

Chuck Zimmerman

This is not meant to be an exhaustive review of the new iPad. Just a first look. Okay? Hey, I just got it and haven’t had a lot of time to “play” with it. In the photo my new iPad is standing next to my Macbook Air. One of the first things I noticed was that the new iPad fits my old iPad 2 cover just fine. My old cover consists of an Apple Smart Cover for the front and a Hypershield Snap On back cover. No need for a new one!

A lot has been said about the new display on the new iPad. Putting it side by side with my iPad 2 it is noticeably different just looking at the home screen and app icons. The colors are richer and looking at some photos I would say they are definitely sharper on the new iPad. It’s a beautiful screen. Of course, I thought the same on both the previous versions.

Here’s a screenshot from the new iPad with the AgWired App showing using the 2X display feature. Looks good and works fast. My new iPad is wifi only since I carry around two different hot spot making phones. I tried several different apps including Weather Channel, USA Today and others. They all seem to be working just a touch snappier.

The new iPad is noticeable thicker and just a tad heavier. However, it feels extremely solid just like the others and I don’t mind the difference. I have been using an Apple wireless keyboard with my other iPads and will do so with this one. It’s small enough to keep in a small bag I have when taking it to the coffee shop. When I go on an extended trip my iPad goes in my rolling mobile journalism kit.

I took a couple of quick photos with the new iPad and my iPhone 4S to compare side by side. The new iPad photo is significantly better than my old iPad but not quite as good as the iPhone 4S. Let’s call it a major improvement though. I don’t shoot a lot of photos with my iPad since my iPhone is kind of like permanently attached to me.

In conclusion, if you don’t have an iPad, then get it! If you can upgrade from your original ipad then do it! If you’ve got an iPad 2 I’d only upgrade if you just want to have the slightly better feature set.

Equipment

Farmers Are Sustainable

Chuck Zimmerman

A grower sustainability panel took place during the Bayer CropScience 2012 Ag Issues Forum. The theme of the session was “Hands in the Dirt: First-Hand Grower Experiences.” One of the panel members pictured is Nancy Kavazanjian, a farmer from Wisconsin who grows corn, soybeans and wheat.

I asked Nancy what the word “sustainability” means to her. She says that when “a farmer hears the word sustainable they kind of cringe . . . because it concerns them that they’re being forced to do something that they’re not already doing.” But she says that most farmers are being sustainable. She points out that many farmers are multi-generations on the farm and they have to be sustainable for that to happen. To become more sustainable Nancy says they use cover crops and precision ag to make sure they can strip-till. She says they know they need to reduce tillage but in their climate they need to do some. She says they definitely use new technology and that includes seed technology to get the best yields. The use of these technologies reduces the amount of inputs they have to use.

You can listen to my interview with Nancy here: Interview with Nancy Kavazanjian

2012 Bayer CropScience Ag Issues Forum Photo Album

Agribusiness, Bayer

FMC Stand Up and Be Heard Anthem Contest

Chuck Zimmerman

How would you like a chance to sing the National Anthem on national tv? It’s possible if you win the FMC “Stand Up and Be Heard Anthem Contest.”

We’re investing in farming’s future with our new Anthem™ herbicide (coming soon—EPA registration pending) and $25,000 in college scholarships as prizes in our Anthem Singing Contest.

Beginning soon, enter by submitting a video of you singing the National Anthem. Videos will be posted online for popular voting to determine four finalists. The four finalists will be interviewed and their performances recorded for airing on national TV. Online voting will determine the grand prize winner.

Students must be a member of a national ag-related student organization such as FFA, 4-H or student NAMA to enter.

At Commodity Classic I visited with Rick Ekins, Anthem Brand Manager, to learn more about the contest. Students should be able to submit entries “very soon” according to the contest web page. The entry deadline is Jun 15. Online voting will begin in July and run through August 17. Four finalists will be selected from a new round of online voting. The grand prize winner will be announced October 24. Finalists receive $5,000 and the grand prize winner receives $10,000.

Listen to my interview with Rick here and learn more about Anthem too: Interview with Rick Ekins

2012 Commodity Classic Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Commodity Classic, FMC

Ag Groups Testify at Senate Farm Bill Hearing

Cindy Zimmerman

The Senate Agriculture Committee heard testimony from farmers and farm organizations Thursday on risk management priorities for the 2012 Farm Bill.

Among those who testified was National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) First Vice President Pam Johnson. “NCGA has invested time and resources to develop and analyze concepts for a new farm bill that would help farmers in times of need and be a good investment of taxpayer dollars,” said Johnson, a grower from Floyd, Iowa. “We learned that risk management is the number one priority and that federal crop insurance is the cornerstone of a sound farm safety net for the future.”

Johnson says corn growers support a transition away from the direct payments to a revenue-based risk management tool that complements crop insurance, such as the Aggregate Risk and Revenue Management program proposed by Senators Brown, Thune, Lugar and Durbin last fall. “NCGA appreciates the difficult task before your committee to write a comprehensive and balanced farm bill, especially under the current budget constraints,” said Johnson. “But, we urge Congress to pass a farm bill this year. We look forward to working with the Senate Agriculture Committee and other agriculture organizations to craft new farm legislation.”

American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) President Bob Stallman told the Senate panel that national farm policy must strike a balance between the need for a strong, effective safety net to protect farmers and ranchers against catastrophic revenue losses and fiscal soundness for the nation.

“Continuation of a multi-legged stool remains the best approach for providing a fair and effective safety net,” Stallman said. “This should consist of a strong crop insurance program, continuation of the current marketing loan provisions and a catastrophic revenue loss program.”

Stallman said AFBF supports a “deep loss” program that would “not provide producers with payments as often as other proposals contemplated, it would provide more coverage in times of catastrophic losses when assistance is most critical.”

In addition, “As a general farm organization, we place high priority on ensuring the new farm bill benefits all agricultural commodity sectors in a balanced, coordinated manner,” Stallman said. He urged coverage for five fruits and vegetables – apples, tomatoes, grapes, potatoes and sweet corn – in new national farm policy and he expressed Farm Bureau’s support for the concepts included in a bill introduced by Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) that would reform and improve the dairy program.

AFBF, Farm Bill, NCGA

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

    Farm Podcaster Tool

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Hey farm podcasters. Looking for a low cost (as in free) audio editing option? The Audacity developers just released Audacity 2.0. I have helped many people with their Audacity download and setup so for those of you using it, it’s time to upgrade.

    Here are some features of the new version:

    • Many effects significantly improved, especially Equalization, Noise Removal and Normalize. Vocal Remover now included plus GVerb on Windows and Mac. VAMP analysis plug-ins now supported.
    • Improved label tracks with Sync-Lock Tracks feature in the Tracks Menu.
    • Multiple clips per track. Tracks and selections can be fully manipulated using the keyboard. Many more keyboard shortcuts.
    • New Device Toolbar to manage inputs and outputs. Timer Record feature. New Mixer Board view with per-track VU meters.
    • Automatic Crash Recovery in the event of abnormal program termination.
    • Fast “On-Demand” import of WAV/AIFF files if read directly from source.
    • FLAC now fully supported. Added support for optional FFmpeg library for import/export of AC3/M4A/WMA and import of audio from video files.

    Podcasts

    Georgia Peanut Referendum

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Georgia peanut producers are being asked to vote in a referendum to reaffirm support for the Georgia Peanut Commission (GPC).

    The vote is being held March 15 through April 15 under the state law mandates that a referendum be held every three years. Georgia peanut producers invest $2 per ton to fund the commission and its research, education, promotion and communication programs. The last referendum in 2009 passed with an 87.4 percent reaffirmation.

    Georgia’s peanut farmers have experienced record prices this past year and the industry has also witnessed record yields and consumption of peanut products the past several years. “I urge all peanut producers to vote in this referendum. Research, education, and promotion continue to be the core focus of the commission,” says Armond Morris, GPC chairman and Irwin County peanut farmer. “With continuing budget cuts at the federal and state level it is extremely important for growers to continue to focus their efforts on supporting research and promotional efforts through their checkoff dollars. One way for farmers to do that is by continuing their support of the Georgia Peanut Commission.”

    Among the many promotional efforts that GPC supports is the annual “Peanut Proud” event. Peanut Proud 2012 is set for March 24 in Blakely, Georgia, starting with a 5K & Fun Run, followed by the Peanut Proud Parade, and including lots of entertainment, activities, food and fun.

    Peanut Proud will also be hosting an educational symposium on the day before on March 23 in Blakely. That event will feature a variety of government officials and industry representatives who will be talking about the importance of peanuts and peanut butter as a nutritious and sustaining foodstuff for disaster situations, malnourished children, and hunger victims around the globe.

    Peanuts

    Rhea + Kaiser Promotes Two

    Chuck Zimmerman

    New promotions means new Vice Presidents at Rhea + Kaiser.

    Rhea + Kaiser has promoted Jeff Walter to Vice President, Group Account Director, and Kathy Sedlacek to Vice President, Director of Finance.

    “Jeff and Kathy embody what makes R+K successful – smart thinking, outstanding knowledge of our clients’ businesses and an unwavering commitment to delivering great work and results,” said Diane Martin, president and CEO of Rhea + Kaiser. “We’re thrilled they accepted these new opportunities.”

    Jeff joined R+K nearly 12 years ago working on the Bayer CropScience business and has led the Bayer CropScience business in its entirety since 2010 in his previous role as Group Account Director. Among other accomplishments, Jeff led teams that launched LibertyLink® soybeans and Balance® Flexx and Ignite® herbicides. Jeff has a bachelor’s degree in agricultural communications from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.

    Kathy, previously Controller, Accounting, joined R+K in 1988 and has been a member of the agency’s management team since June 2010. She will continue to manage all accounting functions and to guide R+K on the path of continued financial strength and growth. Kathy earned a B.A. in business, major accounting, from Governors State University in University Park, Ill.

    Agencies