Conversation with a Speaker

Cindy Zimmerman

The 59th Speaker of the House spoke about leadership and the importance of the nation’s energy security during an appearance at the GROWMARK, FS System “Gold Rush” event in East Peoria, Illinois to introduce re-formulated Dieselex Gold.

Denny Hastert, who is an Illinois farm boy, says growing up on a farm taught him the responsibility and leadership that helped serve him well in public life. He spoke of how he became an “accidental Speaker” after Newt Gingrich retired in 1998, and then a “war-time Speaker” after 9/11. He is the longest-serving Republican Speaker in history.

I enjoyed getting the opportunity to interview the former speaker (appropriately with the gold microphone at the Gold Rush!) about his remarks, and about his thoughts on energy and farm policy. “I think you’ll see some of the subsidies that farmers have grown to rely on are going to be gone just because of the shortage in the budget,” Hastert said, noting that he has two farms himself. “What we need to do in the farm community is to make sure we keep those markets for our products that we have and can be independent of government subsidies.”

Listen to my interview with the Speaker of the House here: Dennis Hastert Interview


See photos from the FS Dieselex Gold Rush event

Audio, Farm Bill, GROWMARK

National Ethanol Conference Kicks Off

Chuck Zimmerman

I’m back, back in the Gaylord again. Almost sounds like a line from an Aerosmith song. Now I’m not going to get that out of my head. But I am back in a Gaylord hotel again. This time it’s the 2012 National Ethanol Conference. Cindy will be joining me tomorrow as we provide full coverage on our Domestic Fuel website.

We’re planning to live stream opening comments from Renewable Fuels Association President/CEO, Bob Dinneen on Thursday morning. More on that to come.

Ag Groups, Biofuels, Ethanol, National Ethanol Conference, RFA

First Agricultural Public Relations Hall of Fame Inductees

Chuck Zimmerman

The Agricultural Relations Council (ARC) just announced the inaugural inductees to the new Agricultural Public Relations Hall of Fame which is sponsored by ARC and AgriMarketing Magazine. They are Don Lerch, founding member of the Agricultural Relations Council, and Lyle Orwig.

The two will be honored at the ARC Annual Meeting, scheduled for March 22-23 in Charleston, SC. The induction ceremony will be Friday evening, March 23. The board of directors of the Agricultural Relations Council (ARC) approved creation of the first agricultural hall of fame for public relations to recognize individuals for lifetime achievement this past year.

“Don Lerch and Lyle Orwig epitomize what agricultural public relations is all about,” said Mace Thornton, ARC board president. “Both men have exhibited a true dedication to agriculture and to upholding the invaluable role that professional communicators play in making our industry strong. They have helped pave the way, through example, for all of use who work in ag PR.”

Lerch was one of 20+ people who met in Chicago nearly 60 years ago to discuss improving the image of American agriculture. The end result was what today is the ARC. His 66-year career involved ag customer outreach, farm broadcasting for CBS, among others, and his own PR firm in Washington, D.C.

Orwig has spent nearly four decades involved in agricultural publishing and ag communications at numerous organizations. He co-founded Charleston│Orwig in 1992, an agency that focuses on building strong voices for agricultural brands.

“We are thrilled to recognize these winners,” said Lynn Henderson, Agri Marketing magazine publisher and award sponsor. “This new award program for ag PR professionals who have distinguished themselves and promoted this profession is long overdue.”

ARC, Public Relations

AgRacer From Fastline Off To A Fast Start

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast 338This week’s program is coming to you from the agriblogging highway. I’m on my way to the 2012 National Ethanol Conference while Cindy is on her way to the GROWMARK Dieselex Gold event. It’s a beautiful morning here at the St. Louis airport.

In this week’s program you can listen in on my conversation with Bill Howard, Fastline. The company was one of our sponsors for coverage of last week’s National Farm Machinery Show. At the show they introduced AgRacer, the mobile farm racing app.

I visited with Bill during their annual customer appreciation dinner. In the photo Bill is awarding door prizes to the crowd of nearly 650 attendees. He says that’s a lot more than the first dinner they held at the show. As he puts it, “It’s a great time to be in ag.” I couldn’t agree more. However, Bill says that Fastline realizes the changing demographics of the farming community. That’s why they’ve launched Jill’s Junction and AgRacer to reach out to women and youngsters who are not only involved in the farm but are also the future of the farm.

Listen to this week’s ZimmCast here: Going To The Races With AgRacer

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.

2012 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by Fastline AgRacer FMC New Holland
Apps, Audio, Media, National Farm Machinery Show, ZimmCast

Catching Up With Harry Siemens at NFMS

Cindy Zimmerman

It was an unexpected pleasure to see Harry Siemens and his lovely wife Judith at the National Farm Machinery Show last week. Harry was one of the very first contributors to AgWired with his “Siemens Says” column, starting way back in September of 2005.

He has been keeping plenty busy these days with a variety of freelance gigs sharing his Canadian commentary with audiences all over North America. “I’m in my 41st year as a farmers’ advocate in Manitoba, Canada,” he says. Among his many activities, Harry appears regularly with Max Armstrong and Orion Samuelson on RFD-TV’s ‘This Week in Agribusiness’ giving his unique Canadian perspective. He can also be heard regularly on the Linder Farm Network in Minnesota and that was how he happened to be at the NFMS this year, replacing Lynn Ketelson as the host of a bus tour for 49 Minnesotans.

Harry’s relationship with Max and Orion and Lynn goes back to 1978 when he took a trip to Minneapolis to meet the late farm broadcast legend Maynard Speece of WCCO to ask him what he could do to become a better broadcaster. “He says ‘Join the National Association of Farm Broadcasters of America,'” Harry recalls. “That fall I was at the meeting and for the next seven meetings.” And that was where he met Max and Orion and Lynn and “all the good people there.”

As a communicator, commentator and journalist, Harry has been quick to adopt new communications technology and the use of social media. He’s on Twitter and has his own blog “SiemensSays.com” where he posts regular news and commentary – like the video he did with fellow bus traveler Machinery Pete at NFMS. He says he also uses his iPhone to do interviews, take photos and shoot video.

Find out more about Harry in my interview with him from NFMS: Harry Siemens Interview

2012 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by Fastline AgRacer FMC New Holland
Audio, National Farm Machinery Show, Social Networking, Technology

FMC Waiting on Registration for Anthem Herbicide

Cindy Zimmerman

Like waiting on ketchup to come out of the bottle, FMC Corporation is eagerly anticipating the registration of new pre-plant, pre-emergence and early post Anthem herbicide.

“The label is pending for sometime in the fall of 2012 or into 2013,” FMC Technical Service Representative Joe Reed told me during an interview at the National Farm Machinery Show last week. “As weed resistance becomes a bigger and bigger issue, this is probably the newest of any of the chemistries coming out in herbicides.”

Joe says what is unique about Anthem is that it can be used on both corn and soybeans. “What dovetails nicely with that is the chemistry and its mode of action is very effective on these herbicide-resistant weeds like tall waterhemp, palmer amaranth, mare’s tail, what have you,” he says. They will also have an atrazine formulation of the herbicide called Anthem ATZ that will only be used for corn.

We had a little preview of how Anthem works during the FMC Summer Plot Tour last July.

Listen to or download my interview with Joe from NFMS here: Interview with Joe Reed, FMC

2012 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by Fastline AgRacer FMC New Holland
Audio, Crop Protection, FMC, National Farm Machinery Show

Illinois Farmer Has Only Missed One National Farm Machinery Show

Chuck Zimmerman

Kenneth Fry has only missed one National Farm Machinery Show. That’s 46 out of the 47! He’s about to celebrate his 90th birthday and farms with his sons in central Illinois.

He says that way back when he was a dealer for SuperB Grain Dryers he started coming to the show and he’s been coming ever since. The show has exploded since his first visit. He says he likes “to meet people and likes machinery.” I asked him if he could tell some stories about his experiences over the years and he laughed and said “I don’t know. I’ve had so many.” He says everyone should see this show at least once because “it grows on you.”

Listen to my interview with Kenneth: Interview with Kenneth Fry

2012 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by Fastline AgRacer FMC New Holland
Audio, Farm Shows, Farming, National Farm Machinery Show

The New Holland MegaCutter

Chuck Zimmerman

It kind of sounds like a Transformers character, MegaCutter. Actually, it’s one of the new products from New Holland that was on the display floor at the National Farm Machinery Show. Pictured in front of the unit is Jordan Milewski, Marketing Specialist, Hay & Forage Brand Marketing for New Holland. I spoke to him about this new addition to the product portfolio.

New Holland’s new MegaCutter mounted triple disc mower-conditioners offer big haymaking capacity by cutting a triple-wide swath that nearly doubles the cutting width of a traditional 16-foot self-propelled mower-conditioner or windrower.

The Megacutter is actually a three-machine cutting system: with the 11′ 5′ cutting width of the MegaCutter 512 front-mounted disc mower-conditioner combined with the MegaCutter 530 twin rear-mounted disc mower-conditioner, producers can take down 29′ 6′ with each pass. The V-tine flail conditioning system provides a range of conditioning intensities appropriate for a wide variety of crops, from delicate legume crops to the most robust grass hays.

Jordan says the the MegaCutter is the next big thing with the most acres per hour of mowing. The machine is ideally suited to the dairy producer who’s putting up hay for silage.

Listen to my interview with Jordan: Interview with Jordan Milewski

2012 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by Fastline AgRacer FMC New Holland
Agribusiness, Audio, National Farm Machinery Show, New Holland

New Holland Club Blue

Chuck Zimmerman

New Holland customers and dealers got invited to Club Blue during the 2012 National Farm Machinery Show. This first ever event was held at the Brown & Williamson Club at Papa John’s Cardinals Stadium.

After the hustle and bustle of a day on the show floor, this was a quiet oasis to relax in a very “blue” atmosphere. New Holland product experts were on hand to answer questions. Attendees also came away with some nice t-shirts and of course there were door prizes too.

2012 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by Fastline AgRacer FMC New Holland
Agribusiness, National Farm Machinery Show, New Holland

GROWMARK CEO Pleased with Pursuit of Maximum Yields

Cindy Zimmerman

GROWMARK CEO Jeff Solberg is very pleased with response to the FS Green Plan Solutions program to help growers discover new methods that will help them attain maximum yields.

I had a chance to chat with Jeff as he attended the Pursuit of Maximum Yields (POMY) grower event last week in Collinsville, Illinois. He told me that the program is designed to help growers meet the challenges of feeding a growing world population. “We believe that the production that we have to have to feed the world is so important,” Jeff said. “The way that you go about it is through good, sustainable, environmentally-sound practices which allow us to farm with freedom, to do it in the right way, and to make sure that we get the yields to feed all the people we’ve got coming at us in the next 30 years.”

2012 is a big year for GROWMARK and for cooperatives throughout the entire world. “We have a double celebration this year,” Jeff says. “It’s the International Year of Cooperatives, but it’s also GROWMARK’s 85th anniversary. It’s a unique way of doing business and it’s also a really great way of doing business.”

Listen to my interview with Jeff Solberg here: GROWMARK CEO Jeff Solberg

Check out photos from the two Pursuit of Maximum Yields events held in Iowa and Illinois this month.

Photos from Illinois Pursuit of Maximum Yields Event

Photos from Iowa Pursuit of Maximum Yields Event

Audio, Cooperatives, Events, FS System, GROWMARK, International