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
IFAJ Master Class and Boot Camp Graduation
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-BredBurton Eller Retires From NCBA
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.
AgroBlogger Adrian Krebs
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-BredRhea + Kaiser Adds Technical Writing Emphasis
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.
Zimfo Bytes
- Alltech broke ground on its $4.5 million distillery project in downtown Lexington, Ky.
- To help farmers track actual results, AgWeb introduces the interactive Corn Harvest Map to give users and followers a chance to see real-time corn harvest results from across the country.
- Farm Foundation has launched a new initiative to deliberate critical issues facing today’s food and agricultural systems.
- Brighton Agency welcomes Ted Haller as Media Director.
Find the Data Offers Crop Comparisons
Here’s a cool on-line tool that offers yield and production comparisons of various crops by county.
I received an email a few weeks ago from the guy who built the tool for a comparison engine called “Find the Best,” and also FindtheData.org.
Woody Robinson is a recent graduate of the University of California Santa Barbara who now works for FindTheBest, which he describes as “an objective, socially curated comparison engine that allows you to find a topic, compare your options and decide what’s best for you.”
He says that not only is the crop comparison tool “pretty fun to play around with,” it can also offer farmers some insight into crop production in various regions of the country. “Using data from the USDA, crops are compared using several categories (state, county, harvested, production, yield, etc). These categories can also be filtered to narrow crop search results,” Woody says. “It does provide an interesting perspective for the diversity of American farming.”
Heat Beats the Corn Crop
The hot, dry summer has taken a toll on the corn crop, according to the latest USDA forecast.
The estimate for corn production this year is now 12.5 billion bushels, down 3 percent from the August forecast but still more than last year and would still be the third largest corn crop in history. Yields are expected to average just over 148 bushels/acre, however, the lowest in six years. Meanwhile, soybean production is forecast at 3.09 billion bushels, up 1 percent from August with yields expected to average 41.8 bushels per acre, up 0.4 bushel from last month. That’s still less than last year, but at least the crop is not suffering as much as corn from the heat.
World Soybean Yield Champion and Rock Star Kip Cullers describes his corn crop in southwest Missouri this year as “horrible at best.” His first 4,000 acres averaged just 23 bushels an acre.
However, Kip says his soybeans actually look pretty good. “Soybeans are a lot more forgiving. They bloom 75 days so basically you got 75 days to mess up and 75 days to redeem yourself.” Kip was on stage at the Pioneer tent at Farm Progress Show talking about his grand champion soybean yield strategies.
Listen to or download my interview with Kip here. Kip Cullers at FPS 2011
2011 Farm Progress Show Photo Album
AgWired Coverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by New Holland GROWMARK Trellis Growing SystemsBedford Buildings For A Lifetime
Got a building need and want it to last a lifetime? Bedford Reinforced Plastics may have the answer.
Shannon says the company manufactures all sorts of structural shapes like this building for their shared exhibit with Trellis Growing Systems. The focus at the Farm Progress Show was the ag market of course. He says the primary problem in the market is corrosion but the fiberglass material they use is impervious to it. Basically their products last a lifetime. And almost everything they produce is custom designed. This includes fertilizer storage, hog barns, poultry houses and more.
You can listen to my interview with Shannon here: Interview with Shannon Foor
2011 Farm Progress Show Photo Album
AgWired Coverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by New Holland GROWMARK Trellis Growing SystemsIFAJ Master Class & Boot Camp Sessions
This morning the IFAJ 2011 Master Class is in session while Boot Camp meets separately. Yesterday both groups were together. Here’s a little information about the Master Class:
Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business, is supporting a pilot project called the IFAJ-Pioneer HiBred Master Class. This program will bring a group of journalists from developing countries to a two-day journalism and leadership workshop prior to the congress.
The workshop will focus on journalistic training, global agriculture and communications trends. Journalists will have a chance to share ideas with colleagues, and network with professionals from around the world. Master Class participants will be selected from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe.
The project will be based on a workshop with developing-country journalists initiated at the 2010 Belgium Congress, which was managed by AgriTerra, a Dutch-based agri-development agency. AgriTerra will help coordinate the master class program in Canada, owing to its experience in networking with journalists from underdeveloped countries
Here’s our Boot Camp group getting their first lesson of the day.
Alltech will expand its sponsorship of the successful IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders in
Agricultural Journalism award to include a Boot Camp workshop. This activity will provide
select young journalists with expert training and feedback through on-site writing or
broadcasting assignments and further develop their leadership skills through formal in-class
training.
2011 IFAJ Congress Photo Album