Wyffels Announces 2012 Iowa Corn Strategies Location

Chuck Zimmerman

Wyffels Hybrids showed their appreciation to the Cummmings family for making their farm available once again for the 2011 Corn Strategies in Iowa. Pictured is the Cummings family with Marty Cummings receiving a very nice award from Bill Wyffels, Jr., company president. Marty was asked how long the family has been planting Wyffels products and what he likes about the company. Although he couldn’t remember how many years they’ve been using Wyffels products he said, “Of all the companies we’ve done business with, the President (Bill) came out personally to see what he could do to make it (their farm) more profitable. I thought that was pretty good for a President to come out.”

You can listen to Marty’s comments here: Marty Cummings Comments

Wyffels also announced that the location of next year’s Corn Strategies will be in a new location. I spoke with Matt Barnard to get a wrap-up of this year’s event. He says that as soon as they leave this location they’ll start on next year’s event. It will be held at Harmon Farms in Vincent, Iowa.

You can listen to my interview with Matt here: Matt Barnard Interview

Wyffels Hybrids Corn Strategies 2011 Iowa Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Corn, Seed

Wyffels Experts Talk Corn Strategies

Chuck Zimmerman

We heard what Iowa farmers thought about the 2011 Wyffels Hybrids Corn Strategies, now let’s hear from some Wyffels people. First up is National Sales Manager, Brian Humphries (pictured on the left). Brian gets a chance to travel throughout the Wyffels territory so I asked him to describe the crop conditions he’s seen. In Kentucky things are wet and as you move through Illinois the crops are below average up through the middle of the state above which they look good. Then moving into Iowa the crops for the most part look good, especially in the northern part of the state. With all the weather challenges in the corn belt Brian says Wyffels has more research testing locations than their competitors to take a broad look at a broad range of genetics. The weather has provided some very real world “test” situations this year. He says the biggest concern he’s hearing from growers is grain marketing. That’s why Wyffels has made sure their Corn Strategies program has experts to talk about it.

You can listen to my interview with Brian here: Brian Humphries Interview

Next up is Chris Eichorn (pictured on right), Product Development Manager. He says that’s a fancy way of saying he’s a corn breeder. Chris says the company has one of the largest research programs for a company of their size. They don’t like surprises so when they release a hybrid with a Wyffels number on it they are confident they know what that hybrid can and cannot do. One of the new ones he especially wanted to point out is W5077 (pdf), a 107 day hybrid that has “popped to the top.” He’s also high on W7477 (pdf) which they call the “corn breeders nightmare” since they can’t find anything wrong with it.

You can listen to my interview with Chris here: Chris Eichorn Interview

And finally we have Rick Buresh (pictured left), Central Iowa Region Manager. In his territory he says growers have been very fortunate. The wind that blew through recently mostly affected the eastern part of the territory. Now the main concern is heat. Rick says that being in pollination like the crop is right now, the plants need a rest at night. He says customers are upbeat but are asking questions about increasing input costs. I saw mostly smiles and he says, “They deserve to smile.”

You can listen to my interview with Rick here: Rick Buresh Interview

Wyffels Hybrids Corn Strategies 2011 Iowa Photo Album

Audio, Corn, Seed

New Holland Oscar in Agriculture Call For Entries

Chuck Zimmerman

The New Holland Oscar in Agriculture Award “recognizes the high levels of journalistic performance in broadcasting by agricultural communication professionals who are members of the NAFB.” Now is the time to enter this year’s competition. You can find the entry form and rules on the National Association of Farm Broadcasting website. The entry deadline is October 7, 2011. All work submitted must have aired since September 1, 2010. Here’s some information from the rules.

RULES

The New Holland Oscar in Agriculture program is designed to recognize and encourage excellence in broadcast reporting on
a wide variety of issues.

Broadcasters interested in applying for the Oscar should consider submitting entries that:

• Relate broadly to food, agriculture, natural resources, rural affairs and related matters of vital public interest;
• Have the necessary components to potentially cause or encourage positive changes, or neutralize negative
issues impacting agriculture;
• Encourage a call to action by listeners to improve themselves, their communities, their industry or the
communities in which they live.
• The purpose of this award is to recognize excellence in reporting skill, thoroughness and attention to audience
interest. Each entry should describe the approach used to develop the reporting and coverage of that issue.
• The nomination should also include enough examples of articles or taped programs to illustrate the scope of
the work.
• All work submitted must have been aired since September 1, 2010.

JUDGING

The New Holland Oscar in Agriculture program is administered by Kansas State University.

ELIGIBILITY

The intent of the New Holland Oscar in Agriculture program is to provide recognition to an individual who is a professional agricultural communicator and is a voting member of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting.

Media, NAFB, New Holland

NACD Names John Larson as New CEO

Melissa Sandfort

The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) has named John Larson as its new Chief Executive Officer. Currently serving as Executive Director of the Washington Association of Conservation Districts (WACD), Larson has worked directly with conservation districts for more than 15 years, including several years as President of the Washington Association of District Employees (WADE). Larson is a lifetime resident of Washington State and an alumnus of Washington State University, where he studied Agricultural Economics.

Larson has served as WACD’s executive director since 2004, having previously worked as manager of the Conservation Districts Partnership—a consortium of four central Washington conservation districts—and district manager for the Othello Conservation District. Prior to his work with districts, Larson ran his family’s irrigated farm in Royal City, Wash., for six years.

A registered lobbyist in Washington State, Larson and his wife, Shanon, currently live in Olympia with their two children, Tyler, 17, and Cassandra, 15. Larson will officially begin his new role with NACD in Washington, D.C. on August 8.

Conservation

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • As part of its continued commitment to responsible antibiotic use and milk and meat drug residue avoidance, Pfizer Animal Health introduces a new Residue Free Guarantee along with a website.
  • Swanson Russell welcomes Kara Cordell and announces the promotions of Zeljka Hassler and Justin Young.
  • The USDA announced that it is adopting the final rule to add two importer seats and change the boundaries of all districts under the Watermelon Research and Promotion Plan.
  • Merck Animal Health announced that it has embarked on the expansion of a vaccine manufacturing unit at its Biosciences Center Boxmeer campus in the Netherlands.
    Zimfo Bytes

    USFRA Launches Campaign Inviting Farmer/Rancher Participation

    Chuck Zimmerman

    This week the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance announced an ad campaign to encourage participation. So what if you’d like to get involved? There are a number of ways which you can find on the USFRA website. So take a few moments and raise your voice and join the conversation about the industry’s commitment to continuous improvement and dedication to producing healthy food for people everywhere.

    The campaign includes advertisements that are featured in Meat & Poultry, The Packer, AgWeb.com and Agriculture.com. Other elements of the campaign will include:

    Digital media and banner ads
    Town hall style meetings
    Social media and peer-to-peer networks

    We want to hear from you and invite you to raise your voices! Please visit our newly redesigned website at www.USFRAonline.org where you can share your ideas and opinions. In fact, we invite you to go to the site and tell us what you wish Americans knew about their food.

    Join us in leading the dialogue with Americans about where their food comes from and how it is produced. After all, as America’s farmers and ranchers, you’ve raised pretty much everything. Except your voices.

    You can hear a radio spot here: USFRA Radio Ad

    There’s also a “Raise Your Voices” video available to share:

    You can find more materials to share here.

    Ag Groups, Audio, USFRA, Video

    Farmers Take Away A Lot From Wyffels Corn Strategies

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Farmers attending the Wyffels Hybrids Corn Strategies feel like they get real value from their experience and investment of time. I spoke with three Iowa farmers during the event in Malcom, IA. Let’s start with Sue Utt who farms on the central southern edge of the state. Sue is also a sales person for Troy Elevator. She brings a couple of her customers to Corn Strategies and says she she learns a lot from all the speakers on the program. She says that conditions in her area are pretty good although the corn is somewhat uneven from having too much moisture early in the season. However, she’s very optimistic about the crop this year.

    You can listen to my interview with Sue here: Sue Utt Interview

    Brad Klodt (pictured left) is a little further east in Iowa than Sue. He says conditions in his area are pretty good although sub surface moisture is starting to disappear. He’s very happy about his corn even though there are some spotty areas due to early season moisture. The heat has really evened up his corn. He says he takes away “a little bit of everything” from Corn Strategies. He says the program opens his eyes to a lot of things like the fact that we’re all in a global marketplace.

    You can listen to my interview with Brad here: Brad Klodt Interview

    In a completely different part of the state, south of Spencer, is Marcia Langner. She says that conditions are good but pretty wet. There was quite a bit of rain last week for example. She says educational opportunities like Corn Strategies are very valuable and she likes to get as much out of them as possible. I asked her what she heard that would be a take-away for her. She laughed about hearing the range of prices discussed by all the speakers but says that it’s good information you have to consider and figure out how it will work for you.

    You can listen to my interview with Marcia here: Marcia Langner Interview

    Wyffels Hybrids Corn Strategies 2011 Iowa Photo Album

    Audio, Corn, Seed

    Tractor Parts Talk

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Here’s a new blog to add to your feeds. It’s called, Tractor Parts Talk, from TISCO. The company provides “all-makes of aftermarket tractor and agricultural equipment parts and accessories in North America.”

    “Tractor Parts Talk is an informative hub where everyone in the agriculture community can connect,” said William Stuckert, president of TISCO. “Our goal is to translate our many decades of experience serving the ag industry into an easy to use resource to help the farming community — whether they are a farmer in the field on their smartphone or a parts distributor in a store on their laptop.”

    Tractor Parts Talk blog topics to date have covered the effect of heavy spring rains on the 2011 growing season, tractor part tips on air filter maintenance, a refresher on farm safety, and the importance of agriculture in creating jobs, stimulating the economy, housing wildlife and improving the environment. At tractorpartstalk.com, visitors can also find and purchase tractor parts through tractorpartmart.com to keep their equipment running in the field and connect with a local parts dealer in TISCO’s extensive dealer network.

    Find TISCO on Facebook and Twitter too.

    Agribusiness, Tractor

    USDA Acreage Predicitions Way Off According To ZimmPoll

    Chuck Zimmerman

    The majority of you who responded to our latest ZimmPoll think USDA’s acreage predictions are way off. We asked the question, “How accurate do you believe the USDA acreage predictions are?” 55% said Way Off while 41% said Close and 4% said Spot On. So there you have it. Take ’em with a grain of salt. Hey, they’re a prediction after all. Does anyone know what the future looks like?

    Our new ZimmPoll is now live. We’re asking the question, “Are you worried about how government regulations will hurt your business?” This is a big topic in Washington, DC right now and applies to all businesses. Please chime in and let the world know what you think. Thanks.

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

    ZimmPoll

    Time for Peanuts on the Beach

    Cindy Zimmerman

    It’s time once again for peanuts on the beach in Panama City, Florida – where it’s cooler than it is here in the Midwest!

    It’s the 13th Annual Southern Peanut Growers Conference (SPGC), being held once again at the beautiful Edgewater Beach Resort, July 21-23, and I will once again be the official SPGC blogger. This will be the fourth year we have been providing this forum for all the action from the event – photos, interviews and video – officially kicking off today with registration and yummy grilled PB&Js! Follow all the action, and check out the past three years of SPGC on the blog.

    The theme this year is “Windows of Opportunity” and the schedule is packed full of powerful peanut production presentations, like the general sessions on “The Marketplace” and “Production Agriculture & The Land Grant System” as well as “Challenges for Agriculture,” including insight on the next Farm Bill debate coming in Congress. In addition, the motivational keynote speaker for lunch on Friday will be none other than AgChat Foundation founder Michele Payn-Knoper!

    The annual event is hosted by the Southern Peanut Farmers Federation, which includes the producers associations of Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi and has a whole host of great sponsors. The blog is once again jointly sponsored this year by Trimble Agriculture and Ag Technologies. Be sure to check it out and feel free to download and use any of the photos or audio you happen to find there.

    See you on PCB!

    Peanuts