Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

    NAFB Convention President’s Report

    Chuck Zimmerman

    New National Association of Farm Broadcasting President Tom Steever, Brownfield, just sent out a post-convention report. It sure makes sense to send out a report we can listen to from this group doesn’t it?

    In Tom’s report you’ll hear about the value of increased professional improvement opportunities for the organization. I had the pleasure to chair the professional improvement committee again this year and hope to see that initiative continue to grow.

    Tom also mentions that Jennifer Saylor is leaving the organization. I was sad to hear that since she has been the person I have most relied on for a number of years now whenever I needed a question answered or help on a project. I wish her all the best in the future.

    Listen to Tom’s report here for more on what happened at this year’s NAFB Convention: NAFB President Post-Convention Report

    2011 NAFB Convention Photo Album

    Coverage of the NAMA Trends in Agriculture & NAFB Convention is sponsored by BASF
    Audio, NAFB

    Great Outlook for Beef Exports

    Cindy Zimmerman

    ncba at nafbThe first six months of 2011, exports of U.S. beef and variety meat exports totaled over $3 billion, a 40% increase over the same time period in 2010 and something that has made beef cattle producers very happy this year.

    “It’s looking really good,” said National Cattlemen’s Beef Association president-elect J.D. Alexander of Nebraska during an interview at NAFB Trade Talk. “Our exports today can add about $200 to our individual animal value, and that is huge.”

    J.D. notes that the new Free Trade Agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama will continue to increase U.S. beef exports. “The other good thing about it is we export a lot of our beef products that really are not used in the United States,” he said. “Some of the things that we don’t utilize in the United States are looked at as delicacies in other countries.”

    Even though other markets are growing, J.D. says Mexico and Canada remain the biggest customers for U.S. beef, comprising a third of total exports. “We’ve got great relationships with those countries,” he said.

    I also talked with J.D. about the mood of the industry – which he says is very positive – and the efforts of NCBA to keep Washington from over-regulating producers out of business.

    Listen to my interview with J.D. here: NCBA president-elect JD Alexander

    2011 NAFB Convention Photo Album

    Coverage of the NAMA Trends in Agriculture & NAFB Convention is sponsored by BASF
    Audio, Beef, NAFB, NCBA

    Alltech Global 500 Coming Up Next Week

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Coming up next week in Lexington, Kentucky is an event that dairy and beef producers should not miss.

    alltech global 500Since 2008, more than 800 of world’s most progressive dairy and beef producers have convened for the Alltech Global 500 to network and discuss the most relevant and challenging topics in the industry.

    This year, the Global 500 explores the future landscape for the dairy and beef industries and provides a rare opportunity for global colleagues and friends to engage in open discussion on critical topics such as sustainable strategies and practices that can be implemented now and in the future.

    I talked with Alltech Beef Division Manager Ty Yeast about the event, which will be held December 6-8. “Originally it started as a dairy event and with the success after the first two years in the dairy event, we expanded to the beef side as well,” Ty said. “Last year was our first ever addition of the beef event and we had over 125 participants from all over the world.” This year, Ty says they already have more than doubled last year’s registration.

    Ty says the conference is really about looking at new ways of approaching a business that’s been around for a long time. “It’s innovation, it’s looking at new ways of doing things, and really breaking old paradigms on how to move forward and get to that next level of efficiency.”

    Interested producers can still register for the event by going to the Global 500 website. You can be sure it will be worth your while.

    Listen to or download my interview with Ty here: Ty Yeast - Alltech Global 500

    Alltech, Audio, Beef, Dairy, Livestock

    Nuseed Expands Seed Platform with Acquisition

    Cindy Zimmerman

    nuseedNuseed, a wholly owned subsidiary of Nufarm Limited, this week announced the acquisition of Seeds 2000 Inc, based in Breckenridge, Minnesota, USA.

    Seeds 2000 is a seed research, production, sales and marketing company focused primarily on the development of elite oil and confection sunflower hybrids that benefit both the farmer and end-use food customer. The company has significantly expanded its international activities in recent years and today conducts development and sales activities in the USA, Canada, China, Argentina and a number of European markets.

    Nuseed is a global seed and traits company focused on the enhancement of food and feed value through seed technology. The company develops proprietary canola, sunflower, and sorghum products that are marketed in over 25 countries. Nuseed has existing sunflower breeding and marketing operations based in California, Argentina, Serbia and Australia.

    Sunflower is an important oilseed and snack food crop, occupying approximately 24 million hectares of land globally and producing approximately 32 million metric tonnes of grain annually.

    Seeds 2000 President, Steve Kent, said he expected the transition to be seamless and to facilitate additional opportunities to expand the business in both the US domestic market and globally.

    Nufarm, Seed

    2011 Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica PRRS Seminar

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Hello from the agriblogging highway at the Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica PRRS ARC&E Seminar in Chicago. We’ve got a good crowd. The ARC&E stands for Area Regional Control & Elimination of this seriouis swine disease.

    I’m collecting photos and interviews. The interview will be posted during the next week since I’ve almost completely lost my voice. I’ll have to edit myself back in so you can understand me better. Hate it when this happens. Actually it has never happened like this before!

    So, here’s where you can find photos from this event: 2011 Boehringer Ingelheim PRRS ARC&E Seminar Photo Album

    Agribusiness, Boehringer Ingelheim, Swine

    BASF Urges Sites of Action for Weed Management

    Cindy Zimmerman

    BASFAs the spread of resistant weeds continues, the term “site of action” is becoming a factor in managing resistance. BASF wants growers to understand herbicide site of action – and what it means to their weed management plan – because it can spell the difference between losing yield or gaining profit.

    BASF offers four tips     to unlock the benefits of herbicide sites of action:

    Know the tool
    Site of action is a term used by weed scientists to group or classify different herbicide active ingredients. A critical element in managing or preventing development of herbicide resistant weed populations is employing multiple sites of action during a growing season. Therefore, classifying herbicides by their site of action provides a tool that enables grower and retailers to design an effective weed management program.

    “Site of action specifically refers to the biochemical site within a plant where a herbicide has its direct impact on weed growth and development,” said Dan Westberg, Ph.D., BASF Technical Market Manager. “In other words, the site of action is where a herbicide controls a weed.”

    Recognize the enemy
    The Weed Science Society of America has confirmed 13 different species of glyphosate-resistant weeds across 28 states. Some weeds, such as waterhemp, are developing resistance to multiple herbicide sites of action. Waterhemp, along with its close cousin Palmer pigweed, is especially scary because of its ability to produce at least one million seeds from a single plant. That seed production could result in 6.25 million waterhemp plants in one acre if not adequately controlled with multiple sites of action.
    Read More

    BASF

    Zimfo Bytes

    Melissa Sandfort

      Zimfo Bytes

    • The Kansas Soybean staff now includes a director of operations: Adam O’Trimble.
    • The National Cattlemen’s Foundation is announcing ten $1,500 scholarships to be awarded to outstanding students who are pursuing careers in the beef industry.
    • The U.S. Grains Council announced that registration is now open for its 9th International Marketing Conference and 52nd Annual Membership Meeting to be held Feb. 13-15 in Panama City, Panama.
    • A new video, “U.S. Dairy Farmers Care,” tells the story of dairy farmers and their commitment to their animals, the environment, local communities and consumers.
    Zimfo Bytes

    AgChat Foundation Planning For The Future

    Chuck Zimmerman

    The board of the AgChat Foundation has been hard at work for two days planning for the future. We’re still in the process and will have some very positive and exciting announcements coming out soon.

    It’s hard to believe that farmers have been engaging online via a weekly Twitter chat that began over two years ago. The AgChat Foundation has grown out of that effort and community and now encompasses much more than just one social media platform. The organization is specializing in training agvocates. As the mission statement says:

    Empower farmers and ranchers to connect communities through social media platforms.

    We do that by reaching out and engaging with farmers and conducting an annual training conference. Let’s just say that the effort is going very well and I’m proud to be a part of it. I’m also proud of all the people who are volunteering past and present. We’ve got a lot more work to do but in retrospect it’s amazing what we’ve accomplished so far. I’ll have more after we get done with the rest of our agenda here.

    Uncategorized

    February 1 Deadline for National Ag Day Essay Contest

    Melissa Sandfort

    The Agriculture Council of America (ACA) calls on ninth- to 12th-grade students to submit an original, 450-word essay or a two-minute video essay about the importance of agriculture for this year’s National Ag Day Essay Contest. This year’s theme is “American Agriculture: Feeding the Future, Filling the Gaps” and the deadline is Feb. 1, 2012. The ACA asks teachers and parents to encourage student participation.

    The theme “American Agriculture: Feeding the Future, Filling the Gaps” presents an opportunity for students to address how the agriculture industry continues to feed a growing population. Entrants may choose to either write an essay and/or create a video focusing on how today’s growers are overcoming challenges to provide a safe, stable food supply and sustain the significant role agriculture plays in everyday life.

    The national written essay winner receives a $1,000 prize and round-trip ticket to Washington, D.C., for recognition during the Celebration of Ag Dinner held March 8 at Whitten Patio at the USDA. During dinner, the winner will have the opportunity to read the winning essay as well as join with industry representatives, members of Congress, federal agency representatives, media and other friends in a festive ag celebration. The video essay winner wins a $1,000 prize, and the winning video will play during the Celebration of Ag Dinner.

    Ag Day