Alltech Announces #AgFuture Blog Contest

Chuck Zimmerman

Hey ag bloggers. Alltech has a contest you might be interested in. Three winners will get to attend one of the best private agricultural events on the calendar.

In 2050 the population will be over 9 billion. How will we feed that many people? What does the future of agriculture hold for you?

We are inviting ag bloggers to imagine the future of agriculture and their place in it. What would you like to change? What would you like to preserve? Where do you want to go and who do you want to be? What does the future of agriculture hold for you?

Three winners will receive free registration to Alltech’s 28th Annual International Symposium, May 20th – 23rd in Lexington, Kentucky and $500 for travel and lodging.

It’s simple to enter:

Send a guest blog post to contest@alltech.com.
We will post all of the entries on our blog on Tuesday March 27th.
Send your readers to the post to vote for you.
Voting closes on Tuesday April 10th.
The three bloggers with the most votes win.

Official Rules

Entries must be received no later than 11:59 PM EST Tuesday March 27th, 2012.
Voting opens at 12:00 PM Wednesday March 28th, 2012.
Voting closes at 12:00 PM Tuesday April 10th, 2012. Winners will be contacted at that time.
Alltech reserves the right to reject posts.
Winners must attend Alltech’s 2012 Symposium to receive $500 for travel and lodging.

Agribusiness, Alltech

Blogging Very Alive and Well

Chuck Zimmerman

I couldn’t agree more with this opening statement of a post on Nielsen Wire about some new research results. It seems to me like many agrimarketers are solely focused on social networks as opposed to creating their own buzz via a well managed blog. Could it be because a good blog requires more effort? All too often new blogs I see created are not maintained and therefore don’t contribute much to a marketing effort.

Blogs are sometimes overlooked as a significant source of online buzz in comparison to social networking sites, yet consumer interest in blogs keeps growing. By the end of 2011, NM Incite, a Nielsen/McKinsey company, tracked over 181 million blogs around the world, up from 36 million only five years earlier in 2006.

Head on over to the report to read more about the current impact of blogging in the online world. And consider how a blog can be an effective part of your marketing campaign.

Thanks to Podcasting News for the heads up.

Uncategorized

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Brownfield Mobile, the most comprehensive and user-friendly mobile agriculture information product available today, is getting an upgrade.
  • The PrecisionAg Give-Away winners were announced at the 2012 Commodity Classic. Click here to see a list of winners.
  • Farm Progress Companies is pleased to announce its latest honor as a finalist in the MediaPost Appy Awards in the Business Media App category for its Farm Futures app.
  • Farm Journal Media announced it has acquired the PEAK agricultural peer network.
Zimfo Bytes

Hog Producers Adjusting to Higher Feed Costs

Cindy Zimmerman

Hog producers are now able to compete with ethanol producers for corn, according to Purdue agricultural economist Dr. Chris Hurt.

Dr. Hurt spoke to swine veterinarians on the topic of “Global Feed Economics in a Biofuel World” during the Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica (BIVI) Swine Health Seminar in Denver on Friday.

“This is an amazing difference from just five years ago,” Dr. Hurt said about the hog industry’s adjustment to higher corn prices. “The hog industry was largely set up with $2-2.50 corn going into 2006. After that we saw major increases in those corn prices.”

Hog producers initially absorbed those higher costs by reducing margins, which meant big losses and ultimately resulted in reduced supplies. “You reduce the supply enough, you bring those hog prices up. That’s where we are today. Hog producers can pay $6-7 for corn with the prices they’re getting for hogs,” he said. “That up to $7 is higher than ethanol plants can pay for corn and still cover all their costs.”

Dr. Hurt talked about the demand drivers for both corn and soybeans that are causing increased acreage globally and how he expects feed prices to moderate in the next several years. “That brings us back to more like in the $5-5.50 corn range.”

Listen to my interview with Dr. Hurt here: Dr. Chris Hurt

BIVI Summit at Mile High 2012 photo album

Audio, Boehringer Ingelheim, Corn, Ethanol, Pork

FS System Lubricants Keep Motors Running Smooth

Cindy Zimmerman

From heavy-duty diesel engine oils and tractor hydraulic fluids to motor oils, industrial fluids and greases, GROWMARK is a leading manufacturer and supplier of lubricant products through the FS System.

GROWMARK’s lubricant marketing manager Tom Drew says the lubricants division includes a wide range of products and brands. “We also have Archer lubricants, United lubricants, we do private label and we provide products for original equipment manufacturers,” Tom told me at GROWMARK’s recent Dieselex Gold Rush. “We have introduced a new product, a synthetic blend 10W-30 that’s now part of our Suprex Gold ESP line.”

Because fuel has always been an integral part of the FS System, lubricants have been important as well. “The lubricants and the fuels go together very well because all the equipment out there take both,” Tom said.

The FS lubricants division manufactures a large variety of products for the agricultural, commercial, industrial and consumer sectors at its recently renovated lubricant manufacturing facility in Council Bluffs, Iowa. “For the past year we’ve been expanding and adding new processes so we can do more things in house that we would have other companies do for us before,” said Tom, noting that they can do custom blending at the plant. “If someone has a specific application, we can do a 2,000 gallon custom blend for them for that specific need.”

Listen to my interview with Tim Drew here: GROWMARK Lubricant Marketing Manager Tim Drew


See photos from the FS Dieselex Gold Rush event

Audio, GROWMARK

2012 National Agriculture Day Proclamation

Chuck Zimmerman

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack signed a proclamation making March 8, 2012, National Agriculture Day. Here’s an excerpt of the proclamation which you can read in its entirety here (pdf).

UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Office of the Secretary
Washington, D.C. 20250

NATIONAL AGRICULTURE DAY
March 8, 2012

By the Secretary of Agriculture of the United States of America

A PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS the Nation recognizes the outstanding contributions of the men and women of agriculture; and

WHEREAS the United States Department of Agriculture seeks to promote an understanding of America’s agricultural industry; and

WHEREAS American agriculture helps feed the world, fuels our Nation’s economy, and
is the largest positive contributor to our Nation’s net trade balance; and

WHEREAS agriculture provides jobs throughout the farm and food industry, including employment for farmers, farm workers, scientists, processors, shippers, and
retailers; and

2012 National Agriculture Day Activities Photo Album

Coverage of the 2012 National AgDay Activities is sponsored by the American Seed Trade Association
Ag Day

2012 National Ag Day Essay Contest Winners

Chuck Zimmerman

Here are the winners in the 2012 National Ag Day Essay Contest. Pictured is written essay contest winner Miriam Martin, Bucklin, MO
Meadville R-IV High School, with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. Miriam read her essay during the Celebration of Agriculture dinner.

The National Ag Day Essay Contest is sponsored by: CHS Inc., The Council for Agricultural Science & Technology, Farm Progress Companies, High Plains Journal, National Association of Farm Broadcasting, National Agri-Marketing Association, Country Living Association and McCormick Company. I’m sure another contest will be announced soon so start thinking about what you would like to say now!

Listen to Miriam read her essay here: Miriam Martin Winning Ag Day Essay

You can watch the winning video essay by Diane Gress, Shreve, Ohio, here:

Both winners received $1,000. Miriam also received the trip to Washington, DC where we recognized her at the banquet last week.

2012 National Agriculture Day Activities Photo Album

Coverage of the 2012 National AgDay Activities is sponsored by the American Seed Trade Association
Ag Day, Ag Groups, Audio, Video

2012 Conservation in Action Tour

Chuck Zimmerman

The Conservation Technology Information Center has announced their 2012 Conservation in Action Tour and it’s going to be done “southern style.” At Commodity Classic I spoke with Karen Scanlon, CTIC Executive Director about this year’s program. I’ll be there again this year thanks to support from CTIC and AGROTAIN. Here’s information on the tour which is open for registration now.

Join us May 31, 2012, as we visit the Mississippi Delta region near Tunica, Miss. The Tour promises educational field visits, technology demonstrations and opportunities to speak directly with growers about their on-farm solutions to natural resources issues.

The Mississippi Delta is one of the largest contiguous coastal ecosystems in North America, boasting both ecological and economic value. The Delta hosts the United States’ largest fishery, by weight, and its port activity rivals those worldwide. The region also generates a significant portion of the United States’ energy and provides critical wildlife habitat.

Natural resource issues include soil erosion, water quality and habitat loss. Human activity destroyed about a fourth of the region’s beneficial wetlands. A Louisiana State University study reports that wetlands will disappear during this century if losses continue at the present rate.

CTIC partners with Delta Farmers Advocating Resource Management (Delta F.A.R.M.) to host the Conservation In Action Tour 2012. Delta F.A.R.M., an association of growers and landowners who strive to implement recognized agricultural practices that will conserve, restore and enhance the Northwest Mississippi environment, recently celebrated 1 million acres enrolled in its conservation programs.

For more information email CTIC or call 765-494-9555. Sponsorship opportunities (pdf) for the 2012 Tour are available.

Listen to my interview with Karen here: Interview with Karen Scanlon

2012 Commodity Classic Photo Album

Coverage of the 2012 Commodity Classic Show is sponsored by BASF and New Holland
Ag Groups, Audio, Commodity Classic, Conservation, CTIC

BIVI Mile High Swine Health Seminar Takes Off

Cindy Zimmerman

As swine vets are gathering in the Mile High City for the start of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) annual meeting, many are attending the Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica (BIVI) annual pre-conference swine health seminar.

The first part of the seminar is focused on higher feed costs and right now attendees are hearing about “Global Feed Economics in a Biofuel World” from Dr. Chris Hurt, Purdue University Professor of Agricultural Economics. After Dr. Hurt, Dr. Steve Pollmann of Murphy-Brown will talk about how to deal with the high cost of feed in commercial pig production.

Dr. John Patience, Iowa State University Professor of Animal Science, will discuss the challenges and opportunities of expanding the base of dietary ingredients for swine. Finally, Dr. Tom Painter, Cargill Pork Director Veterinary Health Services, will answer the question, What does it cost to have multiple pathogens in your flow?

Topping off the seminar will be an evening of dinner and entertainment at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

I’ll be interviewing all the presenters about what they had to say and bringing you that information over the next few days. Meanwhile, the BIVI Summit at Mile High 2012 photo album is already live for your viewing pleasure.

Boehringer Ingelheim, Pork, Swine

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Issues Ink announced that it has continued the expansion of its client offerings and services with the appointment of Jeff Hamilton to the role of Director, Integrated Strategies.
  • Farm Journal announces that Jim Bartelson has joined the company in the newly formed role of Senior Vice President and General Manager of its Database Strategies division.
  • Wyffels Hybrids rolled out 27 new products, including 12 new base genetics, for 2013.
  • FMC Corporation and Kumiai Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., announced that they have entered into an exclusive global agreement to evaluate a new herbicide for potential global development and commercialization.
Zimfo Bytes