Positive Outlook from AgCareers.com

Cindy Zimmerman

An analysis of 2011 trends from AgCareers.com yields a positive outlook for the agriculture industry in North American. AgCareers.com found that agriculture companies are anticipating gains, rewarding employees and looking to fill job openings with qualified talent.

The AgCareers.com newly published 2011 U.S. Agribusiness Job Report and 2011 Canadian Agribusiness Job Report found that job postings were up significantly from 2010, demonstrating the strength of the agriculture industry.

Jobs posted on AgCareers.com in 2011 included agronomy, crop protection/chemicals, biotechnology, dairy, and equipment/machinery, with a wide variety of career types, from manager to technician. The number of jobs posted in North America grew by 18% with over 43,000 jobs posted by companies in the United States and Canada in 2011. There were more than 26,000 jobs posted in the Midwest region of the United States (highest posting region on AgCareers.com). The largest number of applicants also came from the Midwest region.

This is the fourth year AgCareers.com has published the Agribusiness Job Report. The report contains information based on an analysis of jobs posted on AgCareers.com, job seeker activity on AgCareers.com, and insight from the employers using our services.

Coming up this summer, AgCareers.com will celebrate 10 years of the AgCareers.com Ag HR Roundtable with the event being hosted this year by Tyson Foods in Springdale, AR. The 10th annual Roundtable will be held August 7 – 9, 2012. The Roundtable is an annual conference that brings together human resource professionals, managers, university/college career services staff, and association representatives within the agribusiness industry to discuss high interest issues in recruitment and retention. At last year’s event, covered here on AgWired, they had a record high attendance of more than 190 participants from across North America.

We’ll be there – will you?

AgCareers

Donating Eggs for Easter Again

Chuck Zimmerman

I wonder how long it would take to crack 10 million fresh eggs. A long time for one person that’s for sure. That’s how many eggs that are being donated again this year by America’s egg farmers. The Easter bunny is getting a helping hand from United Egg Producers. The eggs are being donated to Feeding America’s 78 food banks in 40 states.

This is the 5th year of the program. The total is now almost 5 million dozen eggs donated! We’re going to do our part this weekend to support America’s egg farmers in our household. Colored eggs or not, we love eggs!

“If you’ve ever met an egg farmer, you know just how incredibly generous and giving these men and women are,” said Gene Gregory, president of United Egg Producers. “All year long, but especially at Easter, they proudly do what they can to support the communities in which they live and work.”

For food banks across America, high quality sources of protein, such as eggs, are especially needed and valued. According to the USDA, one large egg delivers six grams of protein, along with 13 essential nutrients, including choline, folate, iron and zinc. After a review of the nutrient composition of standard large eggs last year, USDA concluded that the average amount of cholesterol was 14 percent lower, and vitamin D content was 64 percent higher, than previously measured.

“It’s no longer just unemployed people who seek out help from their local food banks,” explained Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America. “More than ever, we’re working with people who just can’t make ends meet and need help feeding themselves and their families.”

Ag Groups, Food, Poultry

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Diamond V announced the hiring of Mark Upton as National Accounts Manager.
  • Agri-Inject, Inc., announced that Erik Tribelhorn has returned to the company as chief executive officer and Neal Saxton has been named Director of Global Sales.
  • Redesigned for easier navigation, www.corntechconf.org offers the quickest, simplest way to keep abreast of developments as the 2012 Corn Utilization and Technology Conference approaches.
  • Please mark your calendars for July 19 for the FOOD & AGRICULTURE 2012 NATIONAL CONFERENCE which brings together national industry leaders, in-house counsel, business executives and regulatory representatives. To be added to the invitation list, please contact us at events@FaegreBD.com.
    Zimfo Bytes

    Protect The Harvest Video

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Are you familiar with Protect the Harvest? Just received a press release from them about the video below. I sure understand their message but wish there was more information on who they are.

    “Protect The Harvest” released a controversial web video entitled “The Humane Society’s Rotten Eggs,” adding its voice to the growing outcry against the attempts by The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to enact dangerous new federal restrictions on egg farmers.

    “Enough is enough,” declared Erik Helland, a Protect The Harvest board member. “It’s clear that HSUS cares less about protecting chickens from inhumane treatment and more about making it impossible to produce eggs or raise poultry in America. If Americans aren’t careful, HSUS will succeed in pricing eggs out of the market for most U.S. families while putting countless farmers out of business.”

    The two minute animated video details the continuing efforts by HSUS to control America’s egg farmers that began with California’s Proposition 2 campaign in 2008 and have now reached Congress with H.R. 3798. The video explores the impact these proposals by HSUS will have on the economy and the food supply.

    Ag Groups, Animal Activists, Video, Wackos

    First USDA Twitter Chat

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Tomorrow at 1:30pm EDT, Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack will hold the first “USDA Virtual Office Hours on Twitter.” Most of you probably know how this works, especially if you’ve been a participant in AgChat. I’d recommend using TweetChat, Twubs or an app like TweetDeck or HootSuite to follow along. It looks like these planned monthly sessions will focus on different topics. Tomorrow it’s renewable energy. You’re asked to submit your questions via Twitter to either @USDA or #askUSDA.

    Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will sit down to answer YOUR questions on the Department’s renewable energy programs, and how USDA is helping build a secure energy future for America. He will be joined by Sarah Bittleman, USDA Senior Advisor on energy policy.

    USDA Virtual Office Hours, a live question and answer series that will be held monthly, allows stakeholders to directly engage with USDA leadership and subject matter experts through Twitter. Sessions will be focused on a specific mission, issue or program, as aligned with the Department’s strategic goals and based on stakeholder interests.

    In January, USDA launched www.USDA.gov/energy to serve as a one-stop shop for data and information about energy efficiency and renewable energy programs. This site allows individuals to learn more about USDA’s programs and see how their community can get involved in an expanding renewable energy and bio-based economy that is creating jobs and driving economic growth across rural America. To learn more about USDA’s accomplishments in renewable energy, read the results document HERE.

    Remember to tune in online by following @USDA and using #askUSDA and #energy.

    Biodiesel, Biofuels, Energy, Ethanol, Social Networking, USDA

    Monsanto Reports Record Second Quarter

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Early spring sowing has already reaped record sales for Monsanto.

    monsantoWith half the fiscal year complete, company executives reported today that the strong performance of their seeds and traits business, combined with an early start to the U.S. planting season drove a record quarter and increased the outlook for earnings this year.

    “Our strong U.S. selling season and growth from Latin America during the first six months have come together to set us up for a great 2012,” said Hugh Grant, chairman, president and chief executive officer for Monsanto. “We’ve seen contributions from growth across crops and geographies, which position us well to deliver high-teens ongoing earnings growth this year. We’re also pleased growers have recognized the value of our product portfolio and given us the opportunity to earn their business.”

    Net sales increased $617 million or 15 percent in the three-month comparison driven by global gains in corn and a strong selling season in the United States. Second quarter gross profit rose 17 percent to $2.7 billion compared to the prior year second quarter. For the first six months, gross profit is up 21 percent or $667 million.

    While still early in the season, Monsanto expects acres of its Genuity® Roundup Ready 2 Yield® soybeans and Genuity® reduced refuge corn family to increase by more than 10 million acres each, which if realized would allow the company to reach its projections for those new products this year.

    Corn, Seed, Soybean

    Fast Stop General Store More than Convenience

    Cindy Zimmerman

    If you want to fill up with E85, get your propane tank refilled, grab some food for your llama and new Muck boots for spring field work, satisfy your sweet tooth with bulk candy, pick up some locally produced noodles and Fluffy Burgers for dinner, enjoy some Champ’s chicken for lunch, order a new garage door, and maybe bring your truck around back to the diesel pump – then the Fast Stop General Store in Effingham, Illinois is the place for you.

    Operated by South Central FS, the Fast Stop General Store has something for everyone, according to store manager Bryan Dahnke. “We’ve tried to make this a destination for people, because they can get gas anywhere, they can get a candy bar anywhere, you can’t Illinois homegrown products anywhere,” Bryan told me when we stopped by the store on a GROWMARK media tour last week.

    It is definitely a destination stop. Over 100 locally produced products line the front wall of the store including jellies, jams, salsa, noodles, and candles, with more in the freezer like the Matoon, Illinois trademarked Fluffy Burgers and other local meats. In the feed section you can get food for every animal from dogs and cats, to hogs and cattle, to rabbits and llamas. Along the back wall is the garage door display. “As part of South Central, we own Altamont Overhead Garage Doors, and that’s a good business for us,” Bryan said. In addition, they have grain handling and diesel truck facilities in the back of the store.

    Bryan says the general store concept has worked very well for them. “From year one to year two, we increased about 30-35% in inside sales and about 30% in fuel and this year we’re still running about another 15% on fuel sales and another 35% on inside sales,” he said.

    Listen to an interview with Bryan here and watch a video of the store below: Interview with Bryan Dahnke

    Audio, FS System, GROWMARK, Video

    Third Anniversary AgChat

    Chuck Zimmerman

    AgChat celebrated its third anniversary with last night’s session. I didn’t make it all the way through but it was going strong when I had to drop out. Hopefully you’ve been able to participate sometime. Judging by all the tweets things are still going strong. I am constantly amazed by the diversity of tweeters both by occupation and location. Here’s the list of questions from last night. The topic was “what’s need in SM for ag.” Our moderator was @CowArtAndMore.

    • Q1 via @mm98273 @TerraFresh What app or tool [as a farmer or rancher] do you find most useful for your daily operations (inc. SM)?
    • Q2 via @TruffleMedia Over last 3 yrs new SM channels added. Others updated. How do you feel on change?
    • Q3 via @cowartandmore How does Pinterest and other ‘picture type’ sites fit into a social media strategy?
    • Q4 via @OwyheeProduce Has the agriculture community learned how to correctly become social in terms of social media?
    • Q5 via @TruffleMedia Producer or Farmer? Profit or Earn A Living? What words do you use?
    • Q6 via @OwyheeProduce What type of content do you find most engaging in terms of agriculture through social media?
    • Q7 via @carabecca What are some of the ways agvocates are reaching their non-ag audience – hashtags, etc?
    • Q8 via @TerraFresh What has been your biggest challenge when using social media in terms of agriculture?
    • Q9 via @OwyheeProduce What are your goals to the non-agriculture community through the use of social media?
    • Q10 via @LaurenMSea @Mouseinmypocket How do we improve relating to the general public instead of other farmers?
    • Q11 Ok folks, what’s your one executable idea from this evening’s convo?
    Ag Groups

    ABC News Should be Held Liable

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “Should ABC News be Liable for Job Losses due to Lean Beef Trimmings Story?” Sixty percent of you said Yes and forty percent said No.

    As Cindy has said about this issue, “Yellow journalism makes pink slime.” Couldn’t agree more. Have you read various online stories about this? Maybe worse than the terrible and slanted reporting are the comments I’ve been reading. There are really some seriously stupid people out there judging by their comments. Of course the reporting is giving them an outlet to showcase their ignorance. But the real tragedy is the impact this has had on people’s lives. This includes the ones who have lost their jobs and the consumers who will be paying more for beef.

    Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “Will we have a farm bill by end of 2012?” Hmm. Election year, budget issues, should be interesting.

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

    Beef, Food, ZimmPoll

    Zimfo Bytes

    Melissa Sandfort

      Zimfo Bytes

    • U.S. Farm Land Values: Boom or Bust? is the topic for the next Farm Foundation Forum on Wednesday, April 11, 2012. RSVP to julie@farmfoundation.org.
    • The U.S. Grains Council is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Bryan Lohmar as its new director in China.
    • The Farm Credit Administration has appointed Dr. Steve Gabriel to serve as Associate Director of the Agricultural and Economic Policy Team and as FCA’s Chief Economist.
    • America’s egg farmers are giving the Easter Bunny, and families in need, a helping hand by donating nearly 10 million fresh eggs to Feeding America 78 food banks in 40 states.
    Zimfo Bytes