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 …

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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

    NASCAR Driver “Blown Away” by FPS

    Cindy Zimmerman

    farm progress show 2011There were quite a few race cars mixed in with the tractors and combines this year at the 2011 Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Illinois.

    In addition to the American Ethanol NASCAR Sprint Series car at the Growth Energy exhibit, over at the Illinois Corn Growers exhibit, the Illinois Family Farmers NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Kenny Wallace was signing autographs and doing interviews.

    farm progress show 2011Kenny said he was “blown away” by the Farm Progress Show. “This is like our Daytona 500! I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said in an interview with Chuck.

    Kenny visited with lots of farmers during the three day show who made him feel very happy to be the Family Farmer American Ethanol spokesperson. “Farmers make me feel good,” he said. “They say thank you so much for putting up for us and that really humbles me,” he added.

    Listen to Kenny’s interview here. NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace

    The next big races for Wallace and all of NASCAR are coming up Chicagoland on September 16-18. Speedway president Scott Paddock says that triple header NASCAR weekend is a the first race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup – the first of ten ‘playoff’ style NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in pursuit of the 2011 championship. “NASCAR was looking for a major media market and a big platform to kick off their playoffs and they chose Chicagoland and we’re honored to have that designation,” he said.

    Scott says Illinois’ corn farmers will have a major presence at the Chicagoland event. “They’re going to have some combines and harvesters out there,” he said. “We’ll have over 100,000 fans out there that weekend so it’s a great way to get their message out about the important role farmers play in society.”

    Listen to Chuck’s interview with Scott here. Chicagoland Raceway president Scott Paddock

    The Fast Five 225 truck series will kick off the weekend on Friday, September 16. The Dollar General 300 Nationwide series, Kenny’s race, will be Saturday, Sept. 17 and the three day weekend will conclude on Sunday, Sept. 18 with the GEICO 400 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

    2011 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

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

    Early Registration Open For NAMA Trends in Agriculture

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Trends in Agriculture 2011 returns to Kansas City in November just before the National Association of Farm Broadcasting convention and I’ll be there. Looking forward to a great program again this year.

    Get the dates on your calendar now and save on registration when you take advantage of the special early bird rate.

    Progress through Productivity is this year’s theme, and you’ll have the opportunity to examine it from every angle as it pertains to American agriculture.

    Here’s an at-a-glance look at conference topics:

    Find out about the new technologies and policies needed to meet the growing demands for increased export and trade.
    Discover the latest trends in the development of plant-based fuels.
    Get the real story on consumers’ perceptions of the use of technology in food production.
    Learn tips you can use right away to increase your productivity.
    Reconnect with colleagues and expand your network.

    Go to nama.org/trends for more information and full speaker line-up.

    NAMA

    QR Codes Add Mobile Info To Farm Shows

    Chuck Zimmerman

    See the funny looking black and white design in the picture? That’s a QR code. If your mobile device has a QR Code reader on it, just point it at that image and voila, you’ll be taken to the latest Boomer information on the web. It’s that simple. Got your device with you now? Give it a try. It even works right off your computer screen right now! I saw a lot of these around the Farm Progress Show last week.

    You’ll notice that the picture also includes a New Holland Boomer. I can’t forget to mention the New Holland Boomer 555 Contest we’ve been helping promote. New Holland is giving away a five year lease on a new Boomer 30 with front end loader to eight regional winners. Here’s where you can enter. While at the Farm Progress Show I spoke with Abe Hughes, New Holland Agriculture Sales & Marketing Vice President about the contest.

    Listen in to my conversation with Abe about the Boomer 555 Contest: Interview with Abe Hughes

    2011 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

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

    USFRA Announces The Food Dialogues

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Are you ready to talk about food? The U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance is. On Sept. 22 they’re holding The Food Dialogues. During the event you’re encouraged to follow the Twitter hashtag: #FoodD and participate!

    During the Farm Progress Show last week USFRA held a press conference to announce the upcoming event. In the photo is General Manager, Hugh Whaley (left) and USFRA Secretary Bart Schott. You can listen to or download a portion of the press conference remarks and Q&A here: USFRA Press Conference
    Americans have a lot of questions about how our food is raised, the impact on our health and the health of the planet. Today it seems there are more questions than answers. Join us, journalist moderator Claire Shipman and Chef John Besh right here on September 22 for The Food Dialogues – the launch of a new effort to bring together different viewpoints on farming and ranching and the future of food to solve our most challenging problems. This Town Hall-style discussion will take place in Washington, D.C., California, New York and the Midwest, and virtually – to connect Americans interested in a dialogue about their food.

    The Food Dialogues will be held in four locations:

    The Newseum in Washington, D.C.
    Chelsea Studios in New York City
    UC-Davis Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science in California
    Fair Oaks Farm in Fair Oaks, Indiana

    You can participate in The Food Dialogues remotely through our webcast on this site and on our Facebook page.

    2011 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

    AgWired Coverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by New Holland GROWMARK Trellis Growing Systems
    Ag Groups, Food, USFRA

    Richard Childress Races Green, Farms Blue

    Cindy Zimmerman

    farm progress show 2011NASCAR team owner and former racer Richard Childress was at the 2011 Farm Progress Show last week to talk about the partnership between the racing series and American Ethanol, but he also put in a plug for the New Holland equipment he uses in his farming operation.

    “I been over to the New Holland booth,” Richard said during a press availability with Growth Energy and the National Corn Growers Association. “That’s what we run on our farm, our vineyards. They have special tractors and it really works out great.”

    Listen to Richard sing the praises of blue tractors in this sound bite, courtesy of Dave Russell, Brownfield Ag News (Thanks, Dave!)
    Richard Childress likes New Holland

    Richard says he has had a cattle operation since the 1980s and is growing some soybeans this year in addition to his vineyard. “I got about 100 acres of grapes at home that we make some good North Carolina wine out of,” he told me.

    The agriculture connection is what made Richard want to be a part of the American Ethanol NASCAR partnership when the series started using a 15% ethanol blend this year. Richard says it has been great. “I’m a huge supporter of everything we do in America, from our farmers to our military,” he said. “This country has to quit depending on so much foreign energy and resources. We gotta do better.”

    He says that NASCAR has had no problems making the transition to 15% ethanol fuel and next year they will go to fuel injection. “The fuel injection and the American Ethanol is really going to work out great,” Richard says.

    Listen to or download my interview with Richard here. Richard Childress and American Ethanol

    2011 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

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