North-Central Illinois PRRS Project Update

Chuck Zimmerman

During the Boehringer Ingelheim PRRS ARC&E Seminar participants heard reports from some of those area regional control & elimination projects. One of those was the North-Central Illinois Project. Our speaker was Dr. Noel Garbes, Bethany Animal Hospital Swine Services.

Noel says the PRRS (porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome) project has been going on for about two years and early on they were feeling pretty good about it. However, as many have noticed, the fall season presents challenges. He says the question being dealt with now is manure pumping at that time of year. As he puts it, “we’re chilling pigs and stressing them so maybe there’s something that happens there.” So they’re taking a look at that like other projects in other areas are also doing. He also mentions that participation in the area has to be one hundred percent which is a constant struggle. Looking ahead he says that using filters may be the way to go.

You can listen to my interview with Noel here: Dr. Noel Garbes Interview

2011 Boehringer Ingelheim PRRS ARC&E Seminar Photo Album

Animal Health, Audio, Boehringer Ingelheim, Swine

Raven Simplified

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast 329It is hard to believe that the AgWired App has been out for over a year! And the company staking an immediate sponsorship claim was and still is Raven, Precision Simplified. In this week’s program we’re going to learn that Raven has just “Simplified” their website and sees social media as a great opportunity to engage with their customers.

I spoke with Paul Welbig, Director of Marketing and Slingshot Operations this morning. He says that as it relates to information, reaching customers and new technology, the sponsorship of our smartphone application fit right in with Raven’s strategy moving forward, “We thought it was a great avenue to communicate with customers through that venue because a lot of those customers using those types of tools are also going to be customers using Raven and the Slingshot solution in the future.” When it comes to social media Paul says Raven has ample evidence that it is helping them engage with their customers, “That’s what it’s all about is making those connections and really helping support those folks as well.” He says Raven actively watches their social media channels and responds quickly to their customers.

When it comes to the new Raven website Paul says they’ve included a brand new section that provides technical help which you can find at RavenHelp.com. The company is also running a promotion right now where farmers can enter to win a complete RTK system that includes: Cruizer II™ guidance with sub-inch RTK accuracy — delivered by Slingshot® via wireless networks. The company will be exhibiting at a majority of the winter farm shows if you need to see them in person. You can find their schedule here.

Listen to my conversation with Paul in this week’s ZimmCast and learn more about what’s going on with Raven: Raven Simplified

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

This week’s program ends with a song called “Raven” by Mark Shepard from Music Alley. I hope you enjoy it and thanks for listening.

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, Precision Agriculture, ZimmCast

Ag Aviators are Unsung Farming Heroes

Cindy Zimmerman

naaaAerial applicators really don’t get the credit they deserve when it comes to helping to feed a growing population.

“I do think we’re the unsung heroes,” said National Agricultural Aviation Association president Rick Richter of Richter Aviation in Maxwell, CA. “We don’t get the credit but we don’t ask for it. We just want people to let us do our job to help feed the world. We get satisfaction from doing our job right.”

Rick has been in the business for 32 years and is proud to have his family very involved in his northern California ag aviation company where 95% of their work is rice-related. “My son is becoming an ag pilot,” Rick says. “I just enjoy and love what I do.”

Like all of agriculture, aerial applicators are struggling with government regulations that get tougher all the time, with the most recent issue they are dealing with being the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program. We’ll hear more about that in another interview.

Listen to my interview with Rick here: NAAA president Rick Richter

2011 NAAA Convention Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2011 NAAA Convention is sponsored by BASF
Audio, BASF, NAAA

Vegh Presented With Charles Eastin Award

Melissa Sandfort

Ferenc X. Vegh, Jr., Shelby County, Ky., has been awarded the first annual Charles Eastin Outstanding Service Award from the National Farm-City® Council. The award is presented to an outstanding individual who has contributed to Farm-City activities as an advocate for accurate communications between rural and urban audiences.

The award is in honor of Charles “Charlie” Eastin, DVM, who passed away earlier this year and played a fundamental role in Farm-City activities. A National Farm-City Council board member for many years, Charlie was especially active in planning and initiating Farm-City events in the Lexington, Ky., region.

Vegh, a Shelby County businessman, farmer and Kiwanis club member, was recognized for reviving the Shelby County Farm-City Banquet, one of the oldest such gatherings in the nation, and making it a major event that brings together urban/suburban and rural communities. Several years ago, the event was dying due to lack of leadership and interest. Vegh helped revive the banquet, and it now attracts 200 to 250 people each year to promote recognition of farming efforts among urban audiences.

Those interested in nominating candidates for the 2012 Charles Eastin Outstanding Service Award can do so by going to the National Farm-City Council for nomination rules and the application form.

Uncategorized

Deadline Moved Up For IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders Award

Chuck Zimmerman

Calling on future young leaders in agricultural journalism. The deadline for the IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders in Agricultural Journalism award is being moved to March 1, 2012. Previously, the deadline had been set at April 15, 2012. The change was made to allow award winners time to make travel plans as economically as possible.

“Travel is becoming increasingly complicated and expensive,” says IFAJ Secretary General Owen Roberts, chair of the awards program. “The earlier deadline allows the selection committee time to make its choices much sooner, so the winners can proceed making their travel plans in an orderly fashion.”

Applicants must fill out a form and submit to their country guild. Guilds are encouraged to nominate candidates 35 years of age or younger for these scholarships.

For full awards information, visit http://www.ifaj.org/contests-and-awards/young-leaders-award.html.

IFAJ

BASF Supporting Young Ag Aviators

Cindy Zimmerman

basf at naaaThe kick-off breakfast for the National Agricultural Aviation Association convention for the last several years has included the awarding of two scholarships, sponsored by BASF Ag Products, for young ag aviators.

This year’s winners were Jordan Loewen of Valley Sprayers in Park River, ND and Brad Taylor of Corinth, MS. They are pictured here in the center, Brad on the left and Jordan on the right, between Dr. Gary Fellows of BASF to the far left and NAAA Executive Director Andrew Moore on the far right.

Brad received a $2500 scholarship to help with his ag aviation training. “It means everything to me. You know a lot of people work hard getting into this business and any help we can really goes a long way,” he said. Brad is currently working in Arkansas and the main crop he deals with there is rice. Taylor was sponsored by Dennie Stokes of Stokes Flying Service, which is based in Parkin, Arkansas.

Listen to my interview with Brad here: NAAA/BASF Scholarship winner Brad Taylor

Jordan was sponsored by Glen Wharam of Valley Sprayers, who hired him when he was still a senior in high school. “Now I’ve been working there for four years and got interested in the spraying part and now I’m spraying for that,” Jordan said. “Right out of my senior year I went to airplane mechanics school and Glen helped me out with that.”

We will hear more from Glen and the rest of the Wharam family – a great bunch of folks really dedicated to the work they do helping North Dakota farmers. The diversity of crops they work with in that area include sugar beets, potatoes, wheat, sunflowers, corn and soybeans.

Listen to my interview with Jordan here: NAAA/BASF Scholarship winner Jordan Loewen

2011 NAAA Convention Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2011 NAAA Convention is sponsored by BASF.
Audio, BASF, NAAA

ARC Public Relations Hall of Fame Nominations Open

Chuck Zimmerman

The Agricultural Relations Council (ARC) just announced that nominations are open for the Agricultural Public Relations Hall of Fame, a new award program honoring agricultural public relations professionals who have made lifetime contributions to the industry.

The program, sponsored by the Agricultural Relations Council and Agri Marketing magazine, will recognize its first recipients at the March 2012 ARC annual meeting in Charleston, SC. Nominations will close Jan. 15, 2012.

Nominees must be current or past members of ARC to be considered. Inductees will be selected based on criteria including:

  • Years of membership in ARC
  • Service to ARC (president, board member, committee chair, etc.)
  • Professional accomplishments/achievements in ag communications
  • Awards/Recognition in service to ag communications within ARC and also outside of the organization

Three inductees will be chosen for 2012. In future years, one or two individuals will be inducted annually. Nominations will be reviewed and chosen by a committee of ARC members.

For additional questions, please call the ARC office at: 952/758-5811. Or review the nomination form on the ARC web site at: www.agrelationscouncil.org. E-mail ARC at arc@gardnerandgardnercommunications.com.

ARC

2012 Ag Media Summit – Enhance. Enchant. Enjoy.

Chuck Zimmerman

It’s all right to go ahead and look forward to the 2012 Ag Media Summit. I’m sure the ABQ loudly proclaims that we’ll be in Albuquerque, NM next August 4-8 at the Albuquerque Hyatt Downtown.

No real news yet. Just a “look” to tease you. Online registration opens May 1. Get that on your calendar too.

If you’re looking for the best place to promote your company or organization’s products and services, then you’ll want to be at the 14th Annual Ag Media Summit in Albuquerque, New Mexico, August 4-8, 2012. This annual get-together, the largest meeting in the United States of the ag industry’s top writers, editors, photographers, publishers and ag communicator specialists, begins with pre-meeting events on Saturday, August 4, followed by the AMS program August 5-8. We invite you to participate as a sponsor or an exhibitor at our InfoExpo or both, and be a part of this important agricultural media event.

The AG MEDIA SUMMIT is a joint meeting of the American Agricultural Editors’ Association, the Livestock Publications Council and the American Business Media Agri-Council. This industry-wide gathering of agricultural communicators offers one of the best opportunities for professional improvement and industry networking. More than 600 attend this event each year, and the InfoExpo annually exceeds 85 booths.

Ag Media Summit

Farm Podcaster Tool – TASCAM PCM Recorder

Chuck Zimmerman

If TASCAM ever releases their iM2 Microphone for the iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch you’ll be able to use it with their new PCM Recorder app. I just added it to my iPhone but haven’t used it yet.

PCM Recorder is a free app from TASCAM that turns your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad into a portable stereo recorder. Use it with the iM2 to record yourself any- where you go.

PCM Recorder has input and output level faders with an “on-screen” meter to help you check levels. It includes high and low EQ and a limiter to prevent overload. Save your recordings to your computer as WAV files or share with friends and fans by uploading them to Soundcloud.

PCM Recorder is a available free on the iTunes App Store.

Apps

Sunrise in Nebraska

Melissa Sandfort

My son’s morning routine looks a little something like this:
Get up and quietly sneak down the stairs
Use the restroom
Eat donuts with stuffed monkey while watching Dinosaur Train
Ask where daddy is
Complain about getting dressed
Request to watch Scooby Doo
Finally give in and get clothes on
Meander out the door but stall as much as possible

Our morning routine is just that – routine. But there’s usually one conversation with our 3-year-old that makes each day unique. This morning it was the sunrise.

My mother always said, don’t look right at the sun or it will hurt your eyes. I tell my son the same thing. So when I stopped to snap this picture and my son asked, “Mommy, are you looking at the sun?” I said, “No, the camera is.”

Conversations like this make me want to get up and out the door and show my son more beautiful things each day, even though I know it’s going to take an extra 10 minutes …

Insert: “Get our winter coats on, shoes, mittens and hats, then take them off in the car, then put them back on again before we get out at our destination” into the morning routine above.

Until we walk again …

Uncategorized