Preview of NAMA Trends in Agriculture

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast 325Let’s look ahead to the 2011 National Agri-Marketing Association’s Trends in Agriculture conference. It precedes the NAFB Convention and AgWired will be there covering all the action. Our sponsor for coverage of both meetings this year is BASF!

To get a preview I spoke with Trends committee chair, Gardner Hatch, Bader Rutter. Gardner gives us a review of program highlights and talks about the differences between this fall conference and the spring conference. It’s not too late to register. You can go to the NAMA website or register onsite at the Hyatt Regency at Crown Center in Kansas City, MO. See you from there. And don’t forget to use the official Twitter hashtag for the NAMA conference, #NAMATrends. The one for the NAFB convention is #NAFB.

Listen to my conversation with Gardner in this week’s ZimmCast: Preview of NAMA Trends in Agriculture

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

The program ends this week with music from Music Alley, called “Work in Progress” by the Underdubs. I hope you enjoy it and thank you 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.

Audio, NAMA, ZimmCast

Deadline Coming Soon for BASF Trip to Daytona 500

Cindy Zimmerman

kixor daytonaThe white flag signifying the final lap for growers to enter the BASF Crop Protection Kixor® herbicide technology Road to DAYTONA® sweepstakes is waving.

BASF is sending one lucky winner four tickets to the 54th annual DAYTONA 500® to the Feb. 25, 2012 race along with an expenses-paid three-day, two-night trip to Daytona Beach, Florida. BASF will also be awarding $100 gift cards to 10 additional sweepstakes entrants.

The sweepstakes is open to all growers 18 years or older with an operation of 250 acres or more and entries are due by Dec. 31, 2011.

Click here for the official rules and entry form.

BASF

New Free Trade Agreements Viewed Positively

Chuck Zimmerman

Our latest ZimmPoll didn’t excite too many people judging by the response. Thanks to all of you who did take the poll though. We asked the question, “How do you view the new free trade agreements for U.S. ag?” The majority view the agreements as Positive at 54%, while 28% view them as Negative and 18% as Neutral. I guess we’ll see what happens. You know that time will tell!

Our new ZimmPoll is now live. We’re asking the question, “What is the cause of obesity?” It seems like we read about this “crisis” all the time. Is this something we should look to the government to fix? Or is this something that people need to take personal responsibility for? Do we blame someone else or look in the mirror? Are efforts like the USDA’s Choose My Plate having any affect on obesity? What do you think? Let us know and thank you.

ZimmPoll is sponsored by Rhea+Kaiser, a full-service advertising/public relations agency.

ZimmPoll

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

Zimfo Bytes

What Affects Fall Leaf Color

Chuck Zimmerman

I think the fall colors are fading here in mid Missouri. We have had some real contrasts this year and it seemed to me like the trees turned color in a couple of waves instead of all at once. Here’s our maple tree when it was in full color.

So, have you wondered about the science behind leaf changing? Then read about it on the USDA Blog.

Daylength (or more correctly, the length of nights) is the real cause of trees’ transition to autumn colors. (Read more here about how longer nights translate into the vibrant color of autumn.)

So what role does frost play in the changing color of autumn leaves? Frost actually ruins vivid fall colors by causing cells in the leaf to rupture and die.

The appearance of fall colors shifts each year due to weather. Heavy cloud cover limits ultraviolet light, so the chlorophyll lasts longer, and leaves stay green longer. High night temperatures cause cells to burn accumulated sugars, so less red and purple pigments are formed and yellow and orange are the predominant colors. Drought stress or a windy interlude cause leaves to drop prematurely.

The ideal conditions are warm, sunny days and cool nights with little wind or drought stress.

USDA

Drink Orange Juice, Be Happy

Chuck Zimmerman

According to new research from the Florida Department of Citrus, drinking orange juice “actually made participants feel positive, carefree and rejuvenated.”

Through a patented research process designed to reveal unconscious emotions, consumers shared their thoughts and feelings about orange juice and its role in their lives. Findings showed that while participants view their daily life as a “hard road,” the simple act of drinking orange juice provides a momentary “escape” to a more positive mindset. The rejuvenating feelings they get from a glass of orange juice helps give them the energy and resolve to take on the day.

Research participants shared positive emotions about orange juice through analogies and memories. For example, one respondent likened orange juice to a “water station” in the marathon of life, while another described life as an everyday battle in which orange juice helps to “carry you through the day and help you win the war.” Another participant shared, “orange juice almost makes me feel like a child again, where I was comfortable, cozy, and secure.”

The link between orange juice and a more positive outlook revealed through in-depth interviews with a small group of participants was also supported by a recent survey of 1,002 adults nationwide, which showed more than half of the respondents believe drinking a glass of orange juice provides an energizing boost, while 33 percent said it is a simple way to help improve their mood. Furthermore, when American adults drink orange juice, 56 percent of those surveyed said they feel rejuvenated, followed by calm, positive, happy and alive.

This sounds like a good alternative to “energy” drinks and a lot less expensive.

Ag Groups, Citrus, Food

Pheasant Hunting Success

Chuck Zimmerman

You may find it hard to believe but I enjoyed a couple days off the grid. Only used my computer to import photos from my camera and a couple of the guys I was hunting pheasant with. It was a nice break but I’m back at ZimmComm World Headquarters and ready to rock and roll.

This is our group with most of a day’s batch of feisty pheasants. Central South Dakota conditions were just about perfect. Sunny, dry but very dusty. The birds were there but we had to cover a lot of ground to find them. But after is was over we all had our daily limits of roosters!

We hunted on a row crop/livestock farm. It is a beautiful operation. Most of the birds we found were in Conservation Reserve Program fields with shoulder high grass. That made for some leg muscle burn! The farm is a good example of how serious farmers take responsibility for good care of the land they tend. They’re helping feed many other people, taking care of the environment and providing an opportunity for outdoor recreation. It doesn’t get any better than that.

Hunting

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Canada’s Outdoor Shows Limited has been acquired by Vancouver-based Glacier Media.
  • As part of the inaugural “Yield Signs 4 Success” Program, SFP recently announced the National 4-H Council won its 30-Day Facebook Challenge. SFP will donate $2,000 to 4-H to further its agricultural education endeavors with America’s youth.
  • ABS Global, Inc. is pleased to announce Chris Berning has joined the North America team as Business Development Director.
  • The Verifi bed bug detector is a breakthrough in bed bug inspection technology.
Zimfo Bytes

UN Kicks off International Year of Cooperatives

Cindy Zimmerman

On the same day the world was officially proclaimed home of seven billion souls, the United Nations General Assembly officially declared 2012 as the International Year of Cooperatives with the theme of “Cooperative Enterprises Build a Better World”.

“This Day of 7 Billion – is not about one newborn, or even one generation,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. “This is a day about our entire human family.”

According to the U.N., one billion of the seven billion souls on the planet belongs to a cooperative and such cooperatives, especially in agriculture, are important to alleviating poverty and increasing economic opportunities in less developed countries.

According to the latest Global300 report, released today and prepared by the International Co-operative Alliance, the world’s largest 300 co-operatives generate revenues of $1.6 trillion—equal to the GDP of the world’s ninth largest economy. Most of the 300 largest cooperatives are found in the developed economies of France, Germany, Japan, Netherlands and the United States, with 30 per cent engaged in the agriculture and food sectors, 23 per cent in retailing, 22 per cent in insurance and 19 per cent in banking.

Among the successful cooperatives that will be participating in the yearlong cooperative celebration is GROWMARK. More than 150 representatives of the world’s largest co-operatives are in New York City for the official launch and side events this week.

GROWMARK is a member of the National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA) and the Canadian Cooperative Association (CCA) – both of which are supporting the campaign – and member cooperatives are being encouraged to participate on a local level with promotional materials, such as window clings, posters and other graphic pieces. GROWMARK will publish a 2012 calendar with photos that exemplify the cooperative spirit.

Cooperatives, GROWMARK

Black and Blue

Melissa Sandfort

I’ll spare you the details. Let’s just say black kitty had a bout with my husband’s truck. May have been a fan belt, may have been the motor, we’re not really sure. But we found two large tufts of fur laying in the driveway and a black kitty missing the back 2/3 of her tail. Well, the fur anyway.

She was making quite a mess around the house. I spent the better part of an hour on my hands and knees scrubbing the cement with Clorox water to remove the blood stains and we knew we had to do something to help.

So we played veterinarian for a day.

I flopped her on her side and grabbed her legs. It probably looked like I was calf-tying her. She didn’t put up much of a fight to my surprise. My husband then wrapped gauze around her tail, followed by blue electrical tape. It was either a black and blue kitty or a Halloween kitty (his second color choice was orange tape). Given the time of year, we should’ve picked orange.

She seems to be fine and leaving the tape alone. But it’s a sad, sad sight to see this kitty and I think she’s embarrassed because she’s hiding in the trees out front. Hopefully she’ll heal and we’ll see if the fur grows back.

Farm cats. Gotta love ‘em.

Until we walk again …

Uncategorized