Sturgis Coffee Company Serves Up Bliss

Chuck Zimmerman

I am a coffee snob. I admit it. And I know there are other coffee snobs out there. So when I find something good I like to share it. Most of you know that when I’m home it’s all about Coffee Zone. But when traveling it’s usually a Panera or a Starbucks.

That is unless I come across something like a Sturgis Coffee Company. I stopped in on my way out of Sturgis recently and I would go back. Well, only if I need to go to Sturgis. But you can order their coffee online! I brought back Bliss and we’re about out. Time to place an order. So what’s your favorite coffee or coffee place?

Food

AgWired a Seametrics Top 20 Agriculture Blog

Chuck Zimmerman

I just learned that the folks at Seametrics have named AgWired to their list of Top 20 Agriculture Blogs! They said this was based on “recommendations from other bloggers and because we think your blog provides awesome content for people interested in agriculture.”

Seametrics is a “water flow measurement company that helps farmers, manufacturers, and municipalities to reduce water use and save money.”

Thank you Seametrics. We’ll keep trying to earn it!

Uncategorized

Heartland NAMA Fun At Farm Progress Show

Chuck Zimmerman

The Heartland Chapter of the National Agri-Marketing Association held a reception at the Farm Progress Show.

Here’s Susie Decker, Lisa Rigoni, Vicki Henrickson & Patty Kisner having fun in the shade.

I couldn’t make it, grrr! But I wanted to. Maybe in 2013?

To see who else had fun with Heartland NAMA you can see photos here.

2011 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

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

NAMA ABEF Supporting New Agrimarketers

Chuck Zimmerman

There are many reasons to support the National Agri-Marketing Association’s Agribusiness Educational Foundation. In this chapter of my series of interviews with ABEF operational committee members we’ll hear why Sheri Seger, DTN/The Progressive Farmer, is a big supporter. Sheri is national accounts manager for the company. I visited with her at a recent stop on the agriblogging highway.

Sheri says she is happy to be involved with the foundation because when she started her career she didn’t know what the opportunities were. The ABEF provides and supports ways for others getting started in their careers to find the opportunities that exist. Examples include the NAMA student marketing competition as well as scholarships, student training and internships. She encourages contributions to the foundation and there are many ways to do so. You can find out more online.

Interview with Sheri Seger
Audio, NAMA

Growers Learn From Illinois Soybean Challenge

Cindy Zimmerman

farm progress show 2011Some of the high yielding innovators in the 2010 Illinois Soybean Yield Challenge were at the 2011 Farm Progress Show to talk about the program and what they learned.

The Shipman Elevator Team, sponsored by BASF, took first place in District 6 last year and also won the Novel Practices Award in the challenge funded by the Illinois soybean checkoff. Team member Dwayne Milner, pictured here with his BASF rep Kaleb Hellwig, says they are competing again this year to build on what they learned last season. “As a whole, we learned that we’ve got to manage soybeans, we’ve got to plant them early and we’ve got to manage more like corn,” Dwayne told me.

Teams of growers, working together in nine districts across Illinois, farm side-by-side plots using traditional techniques on one and innovative methods on the other. The common goals for all Challenge participants are to maximize soybean yields while producing valuable data that will benefit researchers and growers alike. The Shipman team averaged 85.3 bu/ac of the top five growers, which was the highest of all the district averages last year. “Everybody did a lot of different approaches, but our most common were seed treatments, planting early, fertility management, used Headline as our fungicide, used an insecticide on it and residual herbicides,” Dwayne says.

Listen to or download my interview with Dwayne here. Dwayne Milner Interview

2011 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

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

Little Helper Dude

Melissa Sandfort

I’m starting a series of posts about the construction of our new shed/shop. My husband is building it and our son is playing little helper dude. You see, our house looks like a barn – shaped like a barn and is painted red and white. Some people thought we were building a church when the big wooden front doors were installed; then they guessed we were living in a barn. Well, I guess we are in a way.

The next big project is a shop out front for my husband. I “get” to use it for the mower and that’s about it. One side will be open so the horses can come in and out in the winter, and for hay storage. It’s going to be the exact opposite of our house – red roof, trim and wainscot with white walls.

The other night, my husband dug post holes and poured quick crete. He had to attach wood to all four sides of the bottom of the posts, and little helper dude was put to work. He’s a boy, so instead of taking the top piece off the pile, he was on his stomach, digging for the hardest piece to reach.

The unspoken deadline for completion is about three weeks from now. I’ll be glad to have things moved out of the garage and into the shed. And in the meantime, little helper dude is getting his first lesson in construction.

The scrapes on his knees and sliver in his hand were nothing compared to the satisfaction of being able to help daddy. It’s nothing a bath and a little Neosporin can’t fix.

Until we walk again …

Uncategorized

Newest AgChat Foundation Board Member

Chuck Zimmerman

It’s a challenge to get all the board members of the AgChat Foundation in one place. We’re going on two years old and it hasn’t happened yet. But we got a lot of us together at the recent Agvocacy 2.0 Conference. We get a lot done for a group of farmer led volunteers who are committed to agvocacy.

One of our newest board members is Zack Hunnicutt. Zach is a fifth-generation family farmer from Aurora, Nebraska, who farms with his dad, brother, and cousin raising irrigated corn, popcorn and soybeans. I visited with him during the conference. Zack says he started in social media about six years ago with Facebook. Then he got involved with Twitter and started getting connected to other farmers. Next he started participating in the weekly AgChat conversation. While watching the growth of social media use by farmers he thought the idea of conducting training sessions like this one was fascinating. He’s passionate about helping people get involved in social media and doing it right. Zack hopes the AgChat Foundation can conduct more training sessions throughout the year in the future and branch out to other audiences like college students.

You can listen to my interview with Zack here: Interview with Zack Hunnicut

You can find Zach on Twitter at @zhjunn.

2011 AgChat Agvocacy 2.0 Conference Photo Album

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

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • The Mosaic Company announced that it recently received patent approval for Nexfos, a granulated feed-grade monodicalcium phosphate for use in animal and poultry feed.
  • The Nebraska Corn Growers Association presented a $66,588.07 ceremonial check to the American Red Cross at the Nebraska State Fair.
  • At the Farm Foundation Forum on Tuesday, Sept. 13, discussion will focus on Data Collection on Agriculture in a Time of Fiscal Constraints.
  • The new Fendt “Build and Quote” website lets producers configure and price new tractors from the comfort of home.
    Zimfo Bytes

    New From New Holland

    Chuck Zimmerman

    During the New Holland press conference at last week’s Farm Progress Show we learned what’s new. Abe Hughes, New Holland Agriculture Sales & Marketing Vice President introduced three members of the team to talk about their market segments and products. We heard from Ed Barry, New Holland Cash Crop Marketing Manager; Mike Cornman, New Holland Hay and Forage Segment Marketing Manager and John Elliott, New Holland, Director, Marketing NAR. Some of the items they discussed include:

    New SuperFlex draper head specifically designed to match the high capacity of New Holland CR Series Twin Rotor® and CX8000 Series Super-Conventional combines.

    Special limited edition of New Holland’s FR9000 Series, which we’re producing in 2011 to celebrate the 50th anniversary New Holland’s first self-propelled forage harvester.

    Tier 4A engines with the addition of five new CR Series Twin Rotor® combines and three new CX8000 Series Super Conventional combines equipped with ECOBlue™ Selective Catalytic Reduction engine technology.

    Listen to their presentations in the video:

    2011 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

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

    Commercial Cellulosic Ethanol Production Still Years Away

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “How many years before cellulosic ethanol matches corn ethanol production?” So what did you say? 42% said More than ten years; 23% said Five to ten years; 18% said Five years; 14% said Never and 3% said Next year. We’ve seen huge strides in the efficiency of corn ethanol production and research on the use of new feedstocks but we’re not quite there for mass quantity cellulosic production. Will we be? What do you think? Feel free to add your comments here.

    Our new ZimmPoll is now live. We’re asking the question, “Which is more important to rural America: GPS Service or Broadband Internet?” We thought it would be interesting you get your thoughts on this in light of the Lightsquared rural broadband service that seems to pose some serious problems for GPS service. Your input and thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

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

    ZimmPoll