Alltech Sponsoring IFAJ Boot Camp

Chuck Zimmerman

The IFAJ Boot Camp participants, seen here, heard from their sponsor during their pre-Congress program in Guelph. My good friend, Aidan Connolly, Alltech VP, was able to be with us for a while this week.

Aidan told our participants that “food and food policy has never been more critical, has never been more relevant, has never been more times on the front of a newspaper or indeed in the media in general.” That really makes it very important for good quality ag journalism at this time! When it comes to solutions to today’s food problems Aidan suggests there are a number of interventions needed, not just one. He has already seen some online reporting from the class participants so I applaud them for getting right to work.

You can listen to my interview with Aidan here: Aidan Connolly Interview

2011 IFAJ Congress Photo Album

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

Farmers Fighting Poverty

Chuck Zimmerman

One of the organizers for the IFAJ Master Class and Boot Camp program is Cees van Rij (pictured left), Agriterra. Cees is from the Netherlands.

Cees says his organization is guided by Dutch farmer groups and cooperatives and believes that farmers can do a lot to work with people in poverty stricken areas to help them. That led to the start of an effort called Famers Fighting Poverty. He says this effort needs more communication outreach and hopes IFAJ Congress participants will assist them. He would especially like to see support from companies and organizations in the United States.

You can listen to my interview with Cees here: Cees van Rij Interview

2011 IFAJ Congress Photo Album

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

IFAJ Congress Overview

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast 319The 2011 IFAJ Congress gets into full swing today. There are some business meetings for the organization as well as an afternoon session called Canada Agriculture 101. I visited with Co-Chair Owen Roberts, faculty instructor at the University of Guelph. We were on the bus last night on our way to Mohawk Racetrack.

In the program you can hear Owen describe the difference between the two pre-Congress educational activities, IFAJ Master Class and IFAJ Boot Camp. Then he runs through what all the ag journalists will be doing the rest of the week. We split apart into groups for farm tours upon leaving Guelph but meet back up in Niagra Falls.

Listen to my conversations with Owen in this week’s ZimmCast: IFAJ Congress 2011

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

This week’s program ends with with music from Music Alley. It’s “Journalism 101” by Highah Seekah. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.

2011 IFAJ Congress Photo Album

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.

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

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • The nation’s top experts in agricultural lending will gather in Indianapolis, Ind. for the American Bankers Association National Agricultural Bankers Conference Nov. 6-9.
  • Two state-of-the-art bale-wrapping systems, designed to help producers turn silage bales into individually wrapped high-nutrition silage packages, were introduced by Vermeer.
  • The Food and Drug Administration has every confidence in the safety of apple juice. Learn more about how FDA tests juices and concentrates for safety here.
  • Designed to deliver more power, burn less fuel and meet Tier 4 emissions standards, Case IH has now released a complete family of high-horsepower equipment utilizing Efficient Power technologies.
    Zimfo Bytes

    Majority Favor Broadband Over GPS

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “Which is more important to rural America: GPS Service or Broadband Internet?” A majority of 66% said Broadband Internet with 34% choosing GPS Service. So perhaps most of you place more importance on being able to use the internet for whatever reason than having the ability to use your GPS device, which would include location based services on your mobile phone and of course there’s always precision ag applications like auto steer. Interesting. What do you think?

    Our new ZimmPoll is now live. We’re asking the question, “What is best for ag to add jobs to the economy?” Jobs is a political key word right now and the economy sure needs a boost. Let us know what you think and thank you.

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

    ZimmPoll

    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