Back In The Coffee Zone

Chuck Zimmerman

I have to express to Missouri for having potentially record high temperature today. After some time staying on the beach I can’t say I was looking forward to January weather here at home. Another good thing about being home is Coffee Zone.

Here’s my favorite Barista Man, Taisir Yanis, Coffee Zone. I took some Rocket Fuel with me to the beach so I’ve been in good shape. It just tastes better made here for some reason.

This week Cindy and I head off to Nashville. It’s time for the Cattle Industry Convention. Tomorrow I’ll be conducting a session at the first NCBA Communications Workshop called “Techie Talk” with a focus on smart phone and mobile apps for creating online content. This workshop is for the communications staff at state associations around the country and we’ve got a good group signed up. Then it’s on to the full convention where I’ll be the Beef Board Blogger while Cindy focuses on NCBA activities. So we’ll be seeing you from there where the official Twitter hashtag is #CIC12.

Cattle Industry Conference

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • A pocket guide designed by Purdue Extension to be an in-field reference for corn and soybean producers is now available.
  • Eddie Sandberg, Courtland, Kan., was selected as the 2012 Hereford Herdsman of the Year.
  • In 2012, Deere & Company marks the 175th anniversary of its existence, which began when company founder John Deere successfully manufactured and marketed the self-scouring plow in 1837.
  • The Iowa Soybean Association announces the winners of new awards the association has established this year to recognize those who have demonstrated commitment and leadership in the field of agriculture.
Zimfo Bytes

They just won’t stay up!

Melissa Sandfort

Socks have many eras. There were men’s dress socks, tube socks with stripes, leg warmers, socks that were worn scrunched down (two colors and two pairs at a time), knee socks, anklets and a whole slew of others. Ever had a pair of basketball socks that were supposed to stay up around your calf and the elastic either was getting old or they just plain wouldn’t stay up?

Many of us have grown up in the era where socks actually have elastic! Back when my grandfather was growing up, his father didn’t have that luxury so he had to wear men’s garters. I like to call these sock suspenders. The garter just went around the upper calf muscle and clipped to the tops of your socks to hold them up all day.

Makes you thankful for the advent of elastic, doesn’t it?

Until we walk again …

Uncategorized

Novus Commitment to Sustainability

Chuck Zimmerman

During the Animal Ag Sustainability Summit 2012 held in conjunction with International Poultry Expo, Scott Hine, Vice President – Product Management and Operations, Novus, spoke about the company commitment to sustainability.

Scott says the Summit was an opportunity for Novus and his message was that “if you want to be engaged in sustainability, which Novus believes is core to the future, that you really need to set up a way forward to engage your people and then set your goals and then achieve those goals and report on it.” He says they’ve developed their platform around SEE (Social, Economic and Environmental) which helps employees visualize what they’re doing. Those are linked to their goals. It’s obvious that it is critical to have employees understand and buy in to the company sustainability plan.

Listen to my interview with Scott to learn more about how Novus is working toward sustainability here: Interview with Scott Hine

2012 International Poultry Expo Photo Album

Coverage of the 2012 International Poultry Expo is sponsored by Novus International
Agribusiness, Audio, Novus International, Poultry Expo, Sustainability

Eggmeister is the Egg Mascot

Chuck Zimmerman

Thanks to the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association for providing a photo of the winner of the
name the International Poultry Expo egg mascot contest.

The International Poultry Expo’s egg mascot has been officially named Eggmeister! After receiving over 1,350 name submissions, the list was narrowed down to five names. On Thursday, January 26, the name with the most votes was announced during the 2012 International Poultry Expo in Atlanta, GA. The event was sponsored by the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY) and the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB).

Dave Roets, Prime Equipment Company, submitted the winning entry. The iPad was presented to Roets by John Starkey, president of USPOULTRY. Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau’s Cookie Smoak, director of convention services; Ellie Westman Chin, vice president; and Mark Sussman, director of trade show sales, assisted in the presentation. The remaining four participants will receive a 2012 souvenir t-shirt.

For those who may not know Eggmiester’s story before he joined the International Poultry Expo, following is a brief history of Eggmeister’s life: Read More

Ag Groups, Poultry, Poultry Expo

Wrapping Up International Poultry Expo

Chuck Zimmerman

The 2012 International Poultry and Feed Expo exceeded expectations. Here are some statistics on this year’s event.

The 2012 International Poultry Expo and International Feed Expo drew over 20,500 poultry and feed industry leaders from all over the world. In addition, the show had 895 exhibitors as compared to 900 last year. Sponsored by U.S. Poultry & Egg Association and the American Feed Industry Association, the annual Expo is the world’s largest poultry and feed industry event of its kind.

To get a wrap up on the event I spoke with John Starkey, President, U.S. Poultry & Egg Association. He says, “It’s been a great show for us.” Holding on to about the same size as last year considering the difficult year many had in 2011 makes them very pleased. Looking ahead to having the American Meat Institute show co-located in 2013 has them pretty excited. He says that all three industry organizations will be taking their net revenues from the show and putting it back into the industry.

Listen to my interview with John here: Interview with John Starkey

2012 International Poultry Expo Photo Album

Coverage of the 2012 International Poultry Expo is sponsored by Novus International
Ag Groups, Audio, Poultry Expo

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Wheat Growers promotes Stephen Briggs to Senior Vice President of Agronomy and Corporate Marketing and Roger Krueger to Senior Vice President of Grain.
  • Terry Sekel joined Rural Media Group, Inc. as senior vice president of advertising sales; Andrew Eder joined as vice president of sales; Sandy Lawson as director of equine sales; and, Sally Stith-Burdette as account representative.
  • The National High School Rodeo Association has joined the Alltech Ag Network on iHigh.
  • First Lady Michelle Obama and U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack unveiled the final regulations for the nation’s school lunch program.
Zimfo Bytes

BASF Presents New Herbicide Research at Weed Science Meeting

Cindy Zimmerman

Weed scientists meeting in South Carolina this week got a look at a new product in the BASF Crop Protection pipeline to help in the war against herbicide resistant weeds.

BASFDuring the 65th Annual Meeting of the Southern Weed Science Society (SWSS), BASF presented research related to Engenia™ herbicide, the company’s next-generation formulation of dicamba.

“Engenia will be an important new tool for soybean growers battling herbicide- resistant weeds, like Palmer amaranth, waterhemp and marestail,” said Paul Rea, Vice President, U.S. Crop Protection, BASF. “Research presented at the half-day symposium at SWSS showed that Engenia will provide a valuable, new herbicide option as part of a comprehensive weed control system to help growers protect their crops from yield-robbing weeds.”

Engenia will be used with the dicamba-tolerant soybean system currently in development. BASF anticipates making the Engenia submission to the regulatory agency in the United States in 2012. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approval of Engenia is anticipated prior to commercialization of Monsanto’s Genuity® Roundup Ready 2 Yield® dicamba-tolerant soybean system. U.S. commercialization of the new system for soybeans is expected mid-decade with cotton, corn and canola to follow.

BASF, Crop Protection

Boehringer Ingelheim to Sponsor World Livestock Auctioneer Championship

Cindy Zimmerman

LMASold! To Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. (BIVI) the platinum level sponsorship for this year’s Livestock Marketing Association 2012 World Livestock Auctioneer Championship (WLAC).

The WLAC, now in its 49th year, is considered to be the “World Series and Super Bowl” of the livestock auctioneering profession.

“We are very pleased to be working with a worldwide leader in cattle vaccine products, a company that shares our members’ concerns about livestock health,” said LMA President David Macedo of BIVI’s highest level sponsorship of the competition.

BIVI logo“We realized that the livestock auction market owner has a key role in the value that producers capture for the cattle they sell and has a significant influence on the health protocols that producers follow,” BIVI Brand Manager Monica Porter said. “We want to partner with LMA members to help educate cattle producers on ways to improve their end product through flexible health programs, like our Range Ready Quality Feeder Calf program.”

The 2012 WLAC will be held June 16 at Turlock Livestock Auction Yard, Inc., Turlock, Calif. Thirty-three contestants will compete at an actual livestock sale and three titlists will be selected – world, reserve and runner-up champion. The Championship will be broadcast live at LMAAuctions.com.

Boehringer Ingelheim, Livestock

Foundation for Agriculture Book of the Year

Cindy Zimmerman

Presenting accurate information to children about where their food comes from is the goal of the 2012 American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture “Book of the Year” – “How Did That Get In My Lunchbox? The Story of Food.”

afbf book of the yearAuthor Chris Butterworth received the Foundation’s fifth annual “Book of the Year” award during the recent AFBF annual meeting. The book shows young readers how each ingredient made its journey to their lunchbox with illustrations by artist Lucia Gaggiotti that highlight many aspects of farming and include information on food safety and nutrition.

Butterworth, a native of England, is the author of more than 70 nonfiction books for children, covering a diverse range of issues.

“There’s always something else to find out about, and writing about a thing is the best way to find out about it,” said Butterworth. “I started writing information books when my own children were little. I couldn’t find the sort of book I wanted them to read, so I wrote one of my own.”

The Book of the Year award is part of the foundation’s effort to identify “accurate ag books,” a data base that now includes more than 400 books for children, teenagers and adults. In addition to their accuracy, Book of the Year selections are educational, reflect farmers’ and ranchers’ love for the land and what they do, create positive public perceptions about agriculture, inspire readers to learn more and touch their readers’ lives as well as tell the farmer’s story.

AFBF, Education