Mohawk Racing IFAJ Style

Chuck Zimmerman

Tonight the IFAJ attendees went horse racing at Mohawk Racetrack. We had some great Standardbred action for about seven races before departing back to the hotels.

Here’s most of our group out on the track after the 6th race presenting an IFAJ Congress horse blanket to the winner. Now that’s cool.

I’ve updated the photo album from this afternoon and will have more stories to post in the morning. We’re now moving to the official Congress activities starting with business sessions and then getting a little Canada Agriculture 101.

2011 IFAJ Congress Photo Album

Coverage of the IFAJ Congress is sponsored by PIONEER Hi-Bred
IFAJ

GIPSA Likely Topic for Regulation Hearing

Cindy Zimmerman

The title makes it sound more like a morality play than a government hearing but “How a Broken Process Leads to Flawed Regulations” is what the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is calling the hearing on Wednesday morning to look into government over-regulation. One of the scheduled witnesses is Colorado cattle producer Robbie LeValley and you can bet your boots that she’ll be talking about the proposed Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyard’s Administration (GIPSA) proposal.

Robbie, who is also part owner of Homestead Meats, already testified about the impact the GIPSA rule would have on cattle producers before a House Small Business Committee hearing in July. “The proposed GIPSA rule will destroy our small business model, force us to lay off our employees, cripple our ability to market our cattle way we want to and limit consumer choice,” she said. Robbie also talked about how the threat of over-regulation is her biggest concern in an interview from the summer cattle industry meeting.

Another hearing on Wednesday that has the attention of the cattle industry is the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry hearing on feed availability, especially considering the latest USDA report showing tighter grain supplies and higher prices. That hearing will be held at 1:30 pm Eastern time, while the regulation hearing is scheduled for 9:30 am.

Mike Deering with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) did a great Beltway Beef interview with their Executive Director of Legislative Affairs Kristina Butts on both the hearings, as well as what the USDA announcement today regarding additional strains of E. coli means for beef producers. In it, I note that both Deering and Kristina skillfully avoid the technical details of that announcement “declaring six additional strains of non-O157 shiga toxin-producing E. coli (non-O157 STECs), including O26, O45, O103, O111, O121 and O145, as adulterants.” I think Mike missed his calling as a farm broadcaster!

Beef, GIPSA, Livestock, NCBA

Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show Kicks Off

Chuck Zimmerman

This morning Mike Wilson, President, International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) and editor, Farm Futures, kicked off the 2011 Canada Outdoor Farm Show. I’ve got video coming and will add as soon as it’s ready.

We had a ribbon cutting of a different kind. Mike cut the ribbon on a batch of balloons which then floated over the show. Mike made opening remarks to a crowd that gathered for the official opening ceremony. He introduced the visiting agricultural journalists to everyone and told the farmers not to be surprised if someone taps them on the shoulder and asks for an interview with an “accent!”

It’s a beautiful day out here and I’ve added a bunch of new photos to the photo album that include the new permanent building that was dedicated this morning for New Holland.

2011 IFAJ Congress Photo Album

Coverage of the IFAJ Congress is sponsored by PIONEER Hi-Bred
IFAJ, New Holland

National Corn Growers Unveils Farm Bill Proposal

Cindy Zimmerman

ncgaThe National Corn Growers Association has officially unveiled its idea for a new disaster assistance title in the next farm bill.

NCGA is proposing the Agriculture Disaster Assistance Program (ADAP) “that will modify and replace the existing Average Crop Revenue Election Program and provide a more effective and responsive safety net for growers.”

“Responding to a charge by our voting delegates to investigate transitioning direct payments into programs that allow producers the ability to mitigate risk, our grower-led Public Policy Action Team developed a crop-specific, revenue-based risk management tool that provides a safety net when growers are facing a loss,” said NCGA President Bart Schott. “We are focusing on simplification and faster delivery of assistance when it is needed.”

ADAP builds on the existing structure of ACRE and is designed to address the need for simplification and elimination of overlapping coverage with individual crop insurance. Changes include the use of harvest prices and crop reporting districts to set the crop revenue guarantee and would establish a guarantee based on the five-year Olympic average of revenue.

Read more here.

farm progress show 2011I talked to NCGA first vice president Garry Niemeyer at the Farm Progress Show about what they want to see in a new farm bill. “We’re really interested in a farm bill that provides critical assistance to farmers when they face a loss due to adverse weather, crop diseases and volatile markets,” Garry said, adding that the NCGA team was working on ways to upgrade ACRE. “Since that is part of what we started a year ago, get it fine tuned, and get an ACRE program that will work.”

I posted my interview with Garry earlier, but you can listen to or download it again here. NCGA 1st VP Garry Niemeyer

2011 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

Audio, Corn, Farm Bill, NCGA

Tweet the White House About US-Korea FTA

Cindy Zimmerman

The US-Korea FTA Business Coalition is tweeting the White House for free trade this week.

The coalition is sending out messages on Twitter this week during the “White House Office Hours on the American Jobs Act” to address the importance of the US-Korea FTA and other pending trade agreements in creating American jobs and they are urging other supporters to do the same. You can use the hashtag #WHChat to ask your questions on President Obama’s speech and the American Jobs Act, and senior staff will respond to your questions in real-time via Twitter from the @WHLive account.

The Coalition itself is tweeting one specific message – “Pres. Obama, will you pass pending #FTAs to create US #jobs before US companies get shut of foreign markets? #WHChat @whitehouse” – and encouraging others to retweet it, but you could certainly come up with your own questions. The president did mention free trade in his address to Congress last week on jobs even though he has not yet formally submitting the pending FTAs to them for consideration.

“Now it’s time to clear the way for a series of trade agreements that would make it easier for American companies to sell their products in Panama and Colombia and South Korea -– while also helping the workers whose jobs have been affected by global competition,” the president said. The White House is reportedly waiting on an extension of an expired program that provides aid to workers displaced by foreign competition.

U.S. farmers and ranchers are highly supportive of moving forward with all the trade agreements, which have been languishing for years now. USDA estimates that the agricultural exports results from the FTAs will yield over $2.3 billion in sales and help support more than 19,000 American jobs in agriculture and related industries. According to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association says, just the agreement with South Korea alone could result in a more than $1 billion market for U.S. beef once fully implemented.

So, tweet the White House this week during one of the times listed below and ask these guys why the president is holding up the agreements. The upcoming Office Hours scheduled for this week are:
Tuesday, September 13th:
5:30 p.m. EDT: Office Hours with David Plouffe, Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor
Wednesday, September 14th:
4:00 p.m. EDT: Office Hours with Brian Deese, Deputy Director of the National Economic Council
Thursday, September 15th:
4:00 p.m. EDT: Office Hours with Jason Furman, Principal Deputy Director of the National Economic Council

Trade

Canada Outdoor Farm Show

Chuck Zimmerman

Welcome to the Canada Outdoor Farm Show. This is where I’ll be today with other IFAJ members before the 2011 IFAJ Congress officially kicks off tomorrow evening. I’m assuming I’ll be away from internet access all day but I’ll be taking photos and have stories to share after I get back.

With helicopters landing and equipment arriving and animals getting bedded, the weekend was a busy one at Canada’s Outdoor Park in Woodstock, Ontario – all in preparation for Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show this Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday – September 13, 14 & 15, 2011. As the nation’s largest agricultural trade show, Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show showcases the latest in agricultural technologies and innovations through demonstrations and interactive displays.

2011 IFAJ Congress Photo Album

Coverage of the IFAJ Congress is sponsored by PIONEER Hi-Bred
Farm Shows, IFAJ, International

IFAJ Master Class and Boot Camp Graduation

Chuck Zimmerman

The IFAJ Master Class and Boot Camp is over for 2011. Here are the combined groups before we went to dinner together tonight in downtown Guelph.

From what I’ve heard the participants were very happy with the program and feel like they got a lot out of the experience. I know I have and will alway remember it. There are more photos, including full size ones you can download in my photo album. I hope you enjoy them.

2011 IFAJ Congress Photo Album

Coverage of the IFAJ Congress is sponsored by PIONEER Hi-Bred
IFAJ

Burton Eller Retires From NCBA

Cindy Zimmerman

Burton Eller was fighting for the rights of cattle producers when Ronald Reagan was president, but now he plans to finally ride off into the sunset and spend more time on the ranch.

Burton has served the cattle industry in many capacities, most recently as National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Senior Vice President of Member Services and Industry Affairs. He started back in 1981 as vice president of government affairs for the former National Cattlemen’s Association (NCA) from 1981-1991, served as CEO of NCA from 1991-1996 and was actively involved in the merger of the former National Livestock and Meat Board and NCA to form NCBA in 1996.

NCBA CEO Forrest Roberts said Eller has been an unwavering advocate of the U.S. beef cattle industry and also contributed to the development of the beef checkoff. “Burton played a pivotal role in the development and passage of the Beef Promotion and Research Act in the 1985 Farm Bill,” said Roberts. “He led the efforts to secure congressional passage of the one dollar per head national beef checkoff.”

Burton also served as the deputy under secretary of marketing and regulatory programs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) during the Bush Administration, then returned to NCBA in 2008 to lead the association’s DC office. He is retiring as of September 30 to spend more time with his family and his cattle operation, but says he plans to remain active in NCBA and the cattle industry.

NCBA

AgroBlogger Adrian Krebs

Chuck Zimmerman

He is the AgroBlogger. He’s Adrian Krebs. Adrian is the president of the Swiss Agricultural Journalists Guild and he was my partner for a presentation to the IFAJ Master Class and Boot Camp yesterday. I thought I’d share a conversation with him about why he’s blogging even though he is currently not working as an agricultural journalist.

However, he still blogs and it’s really because of his personal passion for agriculture. I introduced him to the word, “agvocate” and he like it! I think you’ll enjoy hearing him talk about why he blogs and what it means to him personally and professionally.

You can listen to my interview with Adrian here: Adrian Krebs Interview

Our on-farm dinner included fresh picked and boiled sweet corn. It is definitely some of the best I’ve ever eaten. Having more than one ear was desert for me! There are plenty more photos in my photo album from our trip to the farm this evening.

2011 IFAJ Congress Photo Album

Coverage of the IFAJ Congress is sponsored by PIONEER Hi-Bred
Audio, IFAJ

Rhea + Kaiser Adds Technical Writing Emphasis

Cindy Zimmerman

Rhea + Kaiser is expanding its areas of agency services to formally include technical writing.

“We have always valued and embraced technical writing at R+K,” said CEO Diane Martin. “It’s time to use our expertise in this discipline to garner greater value for both the agency and our clients.”

This new area of emphasis allows R+K to accomplish several core objectives. Foremost, it allows R+K to integrate technical writing directly with client business objective and strategies; provide market knowledge on best practices and benchmarks; and inform, develop and implement technical writing projects.

Heading up this area is Ben Potter, who has been promoted to Manager of Technical Writing. Potter has worked for R+K since 2005 in various public relations roles, driving core communications initiatives for several key clients. Martin is confident the new area of emphasis will have a “viral” quality that will positively affect the entire agency.

“We fully expect that Ben’s analysis, collaboration and expertise, along with his writing and editing skills, will create greater consistency and foster strong technical writing across the agency,” Martin said.

According to Martin, focusing on areas such as technical writing and digital strategy further positions R+K to remain in a constant state of discovery and maintain momentum heading into 2012 and beyond.

Agencies