Commodity Classic Already Shatters Attendance Records

Cindy Zimmerman

commodity classicThe 2012 Commodity Classic is still two weeks away, but the annual meeting of corn, soybean, wheat and sorghum growers has already shattered attendance records.

Last year, total attendance set a record of 4,826 show participants. This year, registrations for the 17th annual event have already surpassed the 5,000 mark with two more weeks left until onsite registration opens.

commodity classic“We are thrilled that more and more growers and industry professionals recognize the value of attending Commodity Classic,” said Commodity Classic co-chair Martin Barbre. “Agriculture is both an exciting and challenging way of life. Because Commodity Classic addresses farming from a grower’s perspective, attendees find they can take information they’ve gathered from the show and put what’s practical for their operations into the field.”

More farm families, first-time attendees and agribusiness representatives will be at Commodity Classic than ever before. To celebrate the record breaking attendance, Commodity Classic’s 5,000th registrant, Kirk Zinkievich from Medina, N.Y., received a complimentary registration.

If you want to be part of the record-setting 2012 Commodity Classic March 1-3 in Nashville, visit www.commodityclassic.com.

Uncategorized

CME Fund to Protect Cattlemen is a Start

Cindy Zimmerman

One of the touchiest topics for cattle producers at the recent Cattle Industry Convention was last year’s bankruptcy of MF Global, which cost many of them money they have yet to get back. CME Group Inc. is attempting to address producers’ concerns by establishing a $100 million fund to protect farmers and ranchers who utilize the exchange.

CME chief operating officer Bryan Durkin told cattlemen at the meeting that that MF Global found a way to manipulate a system that has been working flawlessly for 75 years and that CME felt an “inherent” responsibility to help their customers. “We are in unchartered territory,” said Durkin. “There are a lot of facts that still need to be sorted out. We took an important first step for farmers and ranchers.”

However, the fund will not help former MF Global customers who haven’t received all their money as a result of the bankruptcy, with an estimated $1.2 billion shortfall in customer segregated accounts.

Durkin said customers with accounts in the United States have received about 72 cents on the dollar. Under the new fund, farmers and ranchers will be eligible to receive up to $25,000 per account if they lose money resulting from the bankruptcy of a clearing member. Durkin said farming and ranching cooperatives will be eligible for up to $100,000 per cooperative. He said if losses are more than $100 million, those customers will be eligible for a pro-rate share of the fund up to $100 million.

Durkin said doing everything possible to prevent a repeat of MF Global is top priority for CME.

“All viable solutions should be explored. We understand the significant risk you face every day,” said Durkin to the room full of cattlemen and women. “It is our responsibility to restore your confidence. We will work with industry groups including the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) to explore options to give farmers and ranchers more protection.”

NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Colin Woodall said the action taken by CME represents a good first step and speaks volumes for CME’s commitment to protect their customers.

Uncategorized

Alltech Town Branch Bourbon Samples

Chuck Zimmerman

During the Cattle Industry Convention trade show attendees stopping by the Alltech booth got a rare treat, if you were there for the Alltech Beef, Bourbon and Beer Happy Hour Reception. Served at the reception were Alltech’s new Town Branch Bourbon and Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale. I’m not sure what the status is of distribution and availability of the bourbon yet but the beer is world class award winning.

When tasting Town Branch Bourbon, you will find a golden amber honey color, which is your inviting introduction to this masterfully crafted bourbon. Pleasant woody and oaky aromas lead into caramel, toffee, brown sugar and hints of cherry. The lavish and complex flavors are smooth and sweet with a gentle warming leading to a long finish.

Yes. That pretty well describes our taste taste in Nashville.

I think you’ve got to love a company that buys a brewery (Lexington Brewing & Distillery) and turns it into a major component of its overall marketing campaign. I think I’ve said this before!

The reception was part of the effort to acquaint cattle producers with the new Alltech Beef Advantage Program.

Alltech, Cattle Industry Conference

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan invites state departments of agriculture across the United States and its territories to submit applications for specialty crop block grants.
  • Reims Management School has launched a new chair dedicated to agri-bio-industrial research, confirming its contribution to the development of the bio-based economy.
  • SFP announces its next generation of executive leadership.
  • US Secretary of Agriculture Thomas J. Vilsack appointed/reappointed 32 grower members to serve on the United States Potato Board for three-year terms beginning March 1, 2012, and ending February 28, 2015.
    Zimfo Bytes

    Getting Social with NCGA and GROWMARK

    Cindy Zimmerman

    ZimmCast 337In this week’s ZimmCast you can hear about how GROWMARK is using social media to create a buzz and how the National Corn Growers Association is using social media for membership recruiting and grower services.

    At the NCGA biennial Membership Symposium last week in Florida, Chuck talked with Director of Development Tim Brackman and Nebraska Corn Growers Association chairman Brandon Hunnicutt about the symposium program that featured a variety of topics, including use of social media. Brandon is pictured here on the left with Tim on the right.

    Meanwhile, at the at the Pursuit of Maximum Yields event last week in Iowa, I interviewed GROWMARK Electronic Communications Specialist Heather (Miller) Thompson about how the GROWMARK system is using social media and smartphone tools, like Facebook, Twitter and QR codes. They are also promoting CropNAtion, a social site for agriculture introduced last year. “That’s still really in it’s infancy,” Heather said. “We’re trying to get word spread about it to get a base and also waiting for an iPhone and Android app that should be out any day now.”

    Listen to this week’s ZimmCast here: ZimmCast with NCGA and GROWMARK

    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.

    Audio, Corn, GROWMARK, NCGA, ZimmCast

    Rural Broadband Opportunities

    Chuck Zimmerman

    You could look at this map and see lots of black areas that show there is no local broadband coverage and think negatively. Or you could see these areas as opportunities like the FCC does. This is an interactive map released last week showing areas with “potential” for broadband support via a program as described in their release. I agree with this statement contained in it, “Broadband has gone from being a luxury to a necessity for full participation in our economy and society for all Americans.”

    The FCC today announced steps to close our nation’s gaps in mobile service as part of the agency’s groundbreaking reforms under the Connect America Fund, which the Commission adopted last year to put America on the path to universal broadband and advanced mobile coverage by the end of the decade. The Commission recently released a public notice (PN) announcing a reverse auction to award $300 million in one-time Mobility Fund Phase I support starting the implementation process. It also has developed and released a new interactive map to illustrate areas potentially eligible for support.

    FCC Chairman Genachowski said, “As our new map demonstrates, millions of Americans still live, work, and travel in areas where advanced mobile networks have not been built out. Through the FCC’s Connect America Fund, we’re helping complete our nation’s wired and wireless infrastructure, which will lead to job creation, economic growth, and innovation in the 21st century.”

    Internet

    Majority of Corn Yield Contest Winners Use BASF

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Last year was a challenging year for corn growers, but the winners in the 2011 National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) National Corn Yield Contest proved that good yields are still possible with good crop protection.

    Nearly two-thirds (61%) of the winners for last year’s growing season used a BASF Crop Protection product to achieve their outstanding yields, according to the folks at BASF Crop Protection. They report that half of the 18 national winners applied Headline® fungicide or Headline AMP™ fungicide to their winning cornfields, and contest winners also used other BASF crop protection products including Guardsman Max® herbicide and Status® herbicide.

    BASFIn the national 2011 NCGA Yield Contest, BASF Crop Protection products helped to capture three first-place finishes, four second-place finishes and three third-place finishes. Headline AMP was overwhelmingly the fungicide of choice, helping yield four of the top five overall national winners.

    For the third consecutive year, David Hula of Charles City, Virginia, had the highest overall yield. By producing 429.02 bushels per acre (bu/A), Hula’s winning fields more than doubled the national yield average. Hula utilized Headline AMP on his winning cornfields.

    “I’ve used Headline on my winning yields for the past two years. This year I used Headline AMP, which includes the same active ingredient as Headline fungicide but with an added triazole, and my corn looked better than ever,” Hula said. “Each year, BASF fungicides prove an ability to fight disease, provide Plant Health benefits and help maximize yields. There are a lot of things when you’re growing corn that aren’t predictable, but the fungicides from BASF always provide consistent reliability.”

    Winners in the contest will be recognized on Friday, March 2, at the National Corn Yield Contest State Award Winners Breakfast during the 2012 Commodity Classic in Nashville.

    BASF, Commodity Classic, Corn

    Beef’s Shrinking Environmental Footprint

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Contrary to popular belief, eating beef is not bad for the environment and Dr. Jude Capper with the Department of Animal Sciences at Washington State University has the research to prove it.

    Jude talked about her findings to the media and during National Cattlemen’s Beef Association committee meetings at the recent Cattle Industry Convention in Nashville. “There’s a popular perception that the advances we’ve seen in productivity over the last 30-50 years have had a negative environmental impact,” she says. “But by improving productivity and everybody better understanding how to feed and raise cattle, we’ve actually cut the carbon footprint per pound of beef by 16% since 1977.”

    Jude also busts the myth that grass fed beef is better for the environment. “On average, a grain fed system is going to be significantly more environmentally friendly than a grass fed system,” she says. The main reason is that grass fed animals are harvested at a lighter weight, but they take longer to get to that weight. “They take an average of 606 days to get from birth to harvest, versus about 420 or so in the corn-fed system,” Jude explains. “That means more total animal days (for grass fed), and that’s more feed, more land, more water, and more energy – and so therefore greater carbon footprint overall for the grass fed.”

    Listen to my interview with Jude here: Jude Capper Interview

    2012 Cattle Industry Convention Photo Album

    Audio, Beef, Cattle Industry Conference, Livestock, NCBA

    Keeping Beef Safer than Ever

    Cindy Zimmerman

    American consumers have never had a safer supply of beef, but there’s always room for improvement, according to Dr. Guy Loneragan, professor of food safety and public health at Texas Tech University,

    At the recent Cattle Industry Convention in Nashville, Guy presented some of his recent research to committees of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA). “Our research focuses on both pre-harvest and harvest aspects to safety,” he said, particularly on the prevention of salmonella and E. coli.

    Guy says that there are several ways producers can do even more to avoid problems on the pre-harvest level. “The first thing I would say is for producers to stay engaged and be engaged, because knowledge is a very powerful weapon,” he said. “Beyond that, the industry has invested quite heavily into the development of several promising controls, like pro-biotics – the beneficial bacteria we find in yogurt, some strains appears to be quite effective in cattle too.”

    At the harvest level, Guy says great strides have been made toward preventing contamination with disease-causing organisms. “There has been since 2000, more than 90% reduction in ground beef testing positive,” he said. “The challenge is, once you make all those tremendous gains, the ability to make more gains becomes less.”

    However, Guy adds that while improvements at the harvest level have been largely focused on beef as the potential source for organisms like E. coli, recent outbreaks of produce contamination have focused more attention in that realm.

    Listen to my interview with Guy Loneragan here: Guy Loneragan Interview

    2012 Cattle Industry Convention Photo Album

    Audio, Beef, Cattle Industry Conference, NCBA

    The Next Big Thing In Ag Communications/Social Media

    Chuck Zimmerman

    I tweeted this yesterday morning, “Chuck. What’s the next “big” thing in ag communications/social media?” I get asked a lot. What do you think?” And I got replies thank you very much. Here are some of them:

    From Twitter:

    currently, Pinterest RT @AgriBlogger: “Chuck. What’s the next “big” thing in ag communications/social media?” What do you think?

    Pinterest RT @AgriBlogger: “Chuck. What’s the next “big” thing in ag communications/social media?” I get asked a lot. What do you think?

    Understanding integration of new technologies, forces & needs. Are you agile enough to adjust? RE: next big thing in ag comm/sm @AgriBlogger

    @AgriBlogger I think #Pinterest…..

    @AgriBlogger Rural #4G LTE and the smart #farm #app revolution?

    @AgriBlogger Video, both one-on-one , group and broadcast streams are the next wave in social media.

    Rise of the App Internet http://bit.ly/xu9GSz MT @AgriBlogger: What’s the next “big” thing in ag comm/social media?” What do you think?

    From Facebook:

    If we knew, it wouldn’t be the next “big” thing. I think Pinterest is catching a lot of momentum though. Google+ doesn’t seem to be getting much traction though. Probably the next “big” thing hasn’t arrived yet or we just aren’t aware of it.

    We almost have it today but a “reality tv” show about the farm. That is correct and unbiased (well maybe slanted a little our way)! You could be the leader Chuck. BTY, I don’t want to be in it.

    So there seems to be one word that’s popping up enough to take a look and that’s Pinterest. Hopefully I won’t get in trouble here but I have been aware of Pinterest for a while since my daughters use it and have showed it to me. I looked at it and mostly saw fashion photos and thought, “This is not for me.” Interestingly, the responses above mentioning Pinterest are all from women. I’m not sure what to make from that but . . . If you search “agriculture” in Pinterest you’ll find a couple of boards and some pins. “Pinterest is an online pinboard.
    Organize and share things you love.” How about agriculture photos and images? Maybe this is a good place to share your farm message!

    You’ll also notice in the responses that mobile apps and 4G LTE are mentioned. I personally agree with this. We’re going to see more and more use from mobile devices and the apps that let us do customized tasks.

    Please feel free to add your thoughts via comments.

    Social Networking