Media Tent Is Open For Business at Farm Progress Show

Chuck Zimmerman August 29, 2011

Here’s the media tent maestro, Gene Hemphill, New Holland Agriculture. He’s making sure we’re all being taken care of.

The weather here on the final day of set up is beautiful. Let’s hope it stays that way although the forecast is for it to turn much warmer by Thursday. The ZimmComm team is on location and Cindy’s off getting our first interview with the Illinois Corn Growers.

I’ve got a photo album in the beginning stages but you can bet it will be full by the end of the show. 2011 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

AgWired Coverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by New Holland GROWMARK Trellis Growing Systems

Uncategorized

Time For Farm Progress Show

Chuck Zimmerman August 29, 2011

Guess where the ZimmComm team will be this week. Yep, it’s Farm Progress Showtime!

This is the layout of this year’s show. By Thursday afternoon we should have photos from all over the place. We’re on our way today to get set up and check things out.

You can expect lots of story posts this week and we have to thank all our sponsors for making our attendance possible. You can see them below. We love you sponsors!

Besides getting show updates right here you can get them on your phone with the AgWired App and the Farm Progress Show is offering audio updates via Max Armstrong. So, there’s no excuse not to know what’s going on even if you can’t be there! See you from the show.

AgWired Coverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by New Holland GROWMARK Trellis Growing Systems

Farm Progress Show

Just in Case

Melissa Sandfort August 29, 2011

Living out in the country, I don’t have the luxury of just running to the grocery store around the corner if I find myself in the middle of a recipe, missing ingredients. The closest grocery store is 10 miles away and it’s no bigger than my kitchen. The next store of any size is 25 miles away and it’s still a drop in the bucket as compared to bigger cities. So our pantry is quite large and I keep multiples of everything on hand.

Did I mention we have three freezers, too? Is that overkill?

Last week though, I ran out of eggs. I had to make a cake for a funeral and that used up the last of my supply. So the next night when we were making French toast and bacon for supper (yes, it’s called supper around here), I sure was missing the side dish of scrambled eggs.

If I had one of these egg cases around – and a few chickens – maybe I wouldn’t have been in that situation. This is a Quality Egg case from Dannen Feeds and it held 12-dozen eggs and had flats and fillers to keep the eggs from cracking.

That’s a lot of busy chickens. And, there was a super-size version of this egg case that held 30-dozen eggs!

Now if only I could convince the grocery store to put in a drive-through window for bread, milk and eggs, we’d be all set.

Until we walk again …

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Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort August 29, 2011

Ted Haller has accepted the position of Media Director for the Brighton Agency in St. Louis.
The new Farm Progress Show app presents a wealth of show information by using the latest technology for smartphones and additional app-compatible hardware. Locate the app in either marketplace by searching for “Farm Progress Show.”
The 2011 Summit, sponsored by the Center for Food Integrity, the International Food Information Council and the National Restaurant Association will address the theme, “Food Choices – Challenges – Realities.”
A pro-ethanol documentary, “Freedom”, has been released, which gets back to basics about ethanol, noting that it creates jobs, it displaces more polluting fossil fuels and doesn’t take away food from humans.

Zimfo Bytes

An Agvocacy 2.0 Wrap Up

Chuck Zimmerman August 29, 2011

We know Michele Payn-Knoper, Cause Matters, as the founder of the weekly Twitter conversation, AgChat. She’s also on the founding board of the AgChat Foundation and has done more work for it than anyone that I know. But she gives all the credit for what we’ve accomplished as an organization to the board and all the volunteers. Well, sometimes you have to give credit back and I’m doing that here. You’ve done an awesome job Michele and a whole army of agvocates love you for it!

I visited with Michele at the end of the Agvocacy 2.0 Conference. She gave me a good wrap up of how things went starting with attendance. There were 115 people attending which I believe more than doubles last year’s inaugural conference. The conference is all about training in social media that includes blogging and effectively using social networking. She says that even before the conference new agvocates had started a blog or Facebook page. One of the things that struck her about this year’s conference is the personal connections that were being made since so many of the attendees had never met each other except online. Because of the value of that networking time was extended this year. So in case you missed my interview with Michele which was part of last week’s ZimmCast I’m posting here for you.

You can listen to my interview with Michele here: Interview with Michele Payn-Knoper

2011 AgChat Agvocacy 2.0 Conference Photo Album

AgChat Agvocacy 2.0 coverage is sponsored by The New Holland Boomer 555 Contest.

Audio

Recognizing an AgChat AgNerd

Chuck Zimmerman August 29, 2011

During the Agvocacy 2.0 Conference one of the board members of the AgChat Foundation received some special recognition. He’s John Blue, Truffle Media.

John says that what drew him to the AgChat Foundation was the hashtag on Twitter, #AgChat. As a media person and now officially an AgNerd he figured out how to archive the weekly Twitter conversations. He also believes in the idea of connecting with consumers to help them better understand where their food comes from. He sees continued growth in farmers becoming agvocates. In the photo John received some special recognition for his supportive efforts of the AgChat Foundation from Michele Payn-Knoper during the conference.

You can listen to my interview with John here: Interview with John Blue

2011 AgChat Agvocacy 2.0 Conference Photo Album

AgChat Agvocacy 2.0 coverage is sponsored by The New Holland Boomer 555 Contest.

Audio

Illinois Farm Bureau is Proud GROWMARK Parent

Cindy Zimmerman August 28, 2011

As GROWMARK enters its 85th year, the Illinois Farm Bureau (ILFB) is proud to have watched the cooperative grow into something bigger and better over the years.

“The GROWMARK system started under the auspices of Illinois Farm Bureau years ago, so we’re kind of the parent of the organization,” said ILFB president Philip Nelson at the cooperative’s annual meeting last week in Chicago. “It’s been successful, they continue to grow in all regions of the country providing goods and services that farmers utilize.”

Phil conducted the nomination and election of new directors for GROWMARK during the business session. Five of the cooperative’s 16 director seats, established by geographic zone, were elected and will serve three-year terms. Bob Phelps of Rockton, Ill., who has served on the GROWMARK Board since 1997, David Watt of Murrayville, Ill., and Matt Heitz of Farley, Iowa were re-elected to the board. Jack McCormick of Ellis Grove, Ill., and Kim Fysh of Thamesville, Ont. were elected to first terms on the GROWMARK Board.

You may recall that when President Obama visited Illinois this month, Phil was able to challenge him about the regulations being considered by the federal government that could make it more difficult for farmers to do their jobs. “We’re not asking for a favor but we need some common sense or you’re going to regulate what we think is the biggest industry in the country right out of production,” Phil said he told the president. “I think the president addressed the question somewhat but I think it shows that we need to get further engaged with the EPA so that they better understand what they’re doing.”

I also asked Phil about the crops in Illinois this season – listen to or download the whole interview here. IL Farm Bureau President Phil Nelson

2011 GROWMARK Annual Meeting Photos

Audio, Farming, GROWMARK

Dale Minyo Speaks at Mavis Farm Stop on CTIC Tour

Cindy Zimmerman August 28, 2011

It’s always great to see farm broadcasters as featured speakers at events, so it was fun to see our good friend Dale Minyo with the Ohio Ag Net as luncheon speaker at the Conservation Technology Information Center tour August 9 in Northwest Ohio.

Dale talked about the importance of messaging for agriculture. “Sometimes we’ve got to clear up the message,” he said, using the example of increasing profitability in farming. “The way we’ve been able to make a profit is we’ve become more efficient,” Dale said. “It’s more about efficient, it’s about environmental concerns, it’s about being more effective about what we’re doing.”

Dale was pleased that the CTIC chose the Ohio region around Lake Erie to showcase some of the important initiatives that farmers are doing.

Listen to my interview with Dale here: Dale Minyo on CTIC Tour

The luncheon where Dale spoke was on the Mavis Farm near Edgerton, Ohio. The corn and soybean operation is a fourth generation farm owned by Gary Mavis (pictured) and his wife Pat with son Scott and his wife Jenny. Gary says they follow a corn-soybean rotation on nearly 3,000 acres and divide each field into different yield zones. “We started yield mapping back in ’95 and after a few years of collecting data was able to established yield zones that we felt comfortable with,” he said. “Now we’re applying fertilizer based on those yield zones and we’re varying the rate as we go across the field it might varying 150-200 pounds depending on what the soil test has showed.”

That results in more efficient use of fertilizer and lime, less pounds applied, and money saved.

Listen to my interview with Gary here: Gary Mavis on CTIC Tour

CTIC 2011 Conservation in Action Tour Photos

AgWired coverage of the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Field Tour is sponsored by AGROTAIN

Audio, Conservation, CTIC, Precision Agriculture

John Deere Goes Way Back With CTIC

Cindy Zimmerman August 28, 2011

John Deere has been a partner with CTIC since the T stood for Tillage. Now the T stands for Technology, and John Deere’s relationship with the Conservation Technology Information Center is stronger than ever.

“John Deere was a founding member with CTIC back in 1982,” said John Deere product manager Pauley Bradley on the recent CTIC 2011 Conservation in Action Tour. “John Deere needed a partner where education was required.”

Pauley says CTIC and John Deere have evolved together over the years. “In 1986, there was the realization that conservation was going beyond tillage that that’s when it was re-named the Conservation Technology Information Center,” he said. “And that’s when we started focusing on other aspects of farming besides just seeding and tillage.”

Listen to my interview with Pauley here: John Deere's Pauley Bradley on CTIC Tour

John Deere Solutions Specialist Kim Fletcher gave participants on the bus tour a little pop quiz about the history between John Deere and CTIC – watch it below and see if you know the answers!

CTIC 2011 Conservation in Action Tour Photos

AgWired coverage of the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Field Tour is sponsored by AGROTAIN

Audio, Conservation, CTIC, John Deere, Video

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