Sun Sets on Great Tour of Great Farms and Great Lake

Cindy Zimmerman

The rosy glow over the Maumee River as we returned from the 2011 CTIC Conservation In Action Tour Tuesday was reflective of the mood of the participants about the future of the Great Lake Erie and the agriculture that surrounds it.

The theme of the tour was “Great Farms, Great Lake” and we heard from so many agricultural producers in the area who are taking pro-active steps to keep it great. I have lots of interviews and video but am exhausted after a very long day so we will work on that in the days to come. Meanwhile, the photo album has been updated and you can enjoy the tour just like you were there! A big thanks to the CTIC staff, board of directors, tour organizing committee and the great sponsors – including our coverage sponsor Agrotain.

CTIC 2011 Conservation in Action Tour Photos

AgWired coverage of the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Field Tour is sponsored by AGROTAIN
CTIC

Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur at CTIC Tour

Cindy Zimmerman

The 2011 CTIC Conservation In Action Tour concluded with a visit from Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) who represents the district that includes much of the area of Ohio that we visited today.

This 15-term representative is an advocate for agriculture and conservation in her district and was pleased to take time to meet with the tour group. “My main message was to thank them for being in the greatest tradition of the United States – our love of the land, the ethic of conservation and land stewardship that is rooted deep in our history,” she told me in an interview.

Challenges to the water quality of Lake Erie was the main focus of the CTIC tour and Marcy just participated in a ceremony Monday announcing a new $1.3 million wetlands restoration project in the latest round of Great Lakes Restoration Initiative awards at the Lake Erie Center in Oregon. She says the manufactured wetland will filter e.coli and phosphorus “in a very creative way, perhaps even being able to reuse phosphorus where it is needed.”

I also asked Marcy about her thoughts on the current attitude in Congress and, as a member of the House Agriculture Appropriations committee, what she thinks might happen with conservation funding in the upcoming 2012 Farm Bill negotiations.

Listen to my interview with Marcy Kaptur here: Rep. Marcy Kaptur

CTIC 2011 Conservation in Action Tour Photos

AgWired coverage of the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Field Tour is sponsored by AGROTAIN
Audio, Conservation, CTIC, Environment

Promoting Ethanol at Sturgis Motorcycle Rally

Chuck Zimmerman

You might not think of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally as an agricultural event but there’s a tie-in. That tie is the fact that one of the sponsors of the event and my coverage here and on Domestic Fuel is the Renewable Fuels Association. There is prominent visibility for “Ethanol, Fueled with Pride.”

On location here representing RFA is Robert White (right) being interviewed prior to the start of yesterday’s Legends Ride in Deadwood, SD. The ride ended here where I’m staying at the Buffalo Chip Campground. Cindy asked me to describe the rally when I spoke with her from the CTIC Tour she’s on. I said, “There is no easy way to describe this. The Chip is a temporary city that almost defies description.” I’ll try to do that somehow over the next few days.

Meanwhile, back to ethanol. Robert was interviewed on the street over the Legends event PA and I recorded him describing the importance of this renewable fuel to America. You can listen to the interview here: Robert White Interview

Robert also spoke at a press conference held prior to the start of the ride You can hear his introduction and statement here: Robert White Press Conference

I’ve got a photo album started which you are very welcome to visit: 2011 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Photo Album

Robert took part in the Legends Ride with his bike. You can see the start of the ride with this video clip:

Ag Groups, Audio, Ethanol, Video

Learning About Lake Erie on CTIC Tour

Cindy Zimmerman

Lake Erie is the most important lake in the world but it is facing some challenges.

The first part of the 2011 CTIC Conservation In Action Tour allowed us to get a first hand look at and learn more about the Great Lake and the Maumee River and Bay that feed it.

Jeff Reutter, Director of Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Laboratory at Ohio State University says Lake Erie is very different than the other four great lakes. “The other lakes are all in excess of 750 feet deep while the deepest spot in Lake Erie is 210 feet. The average depth of the whole western basin is only 24 feet, so it’s really a shallow lake.” Jeff says Lake Erie has only two percent of the water of all the Great Lakes combined, but 50% of the fish.

It’s also the most southern and the warmest of the lakes, which makes it a breeding ground for algae. “Because we have a lot of agriculture and cities around the basin, we end up with a lot of nutrients coming into the lake. If you put fertilizer on crops, the crops do really well, if you put fertilizer out in Lake Erie, the algae does really well.”

Jeff was pleased to have the opportunity to have this agricultural group tour the area and see the proactive steps the industry can take to reduce runoff and still maintain productivity.

Listen to my interview with Jeff here: Jeff Reutter, Ohio Sea Grant Director

Check out the photo album from the CTIC Tour, which started with a boat tour of the Maumee River and out into Lake Erie. On Tuesday, we will be touring agricultural operations in the area to see the innovative conservation practices they are implementing.

CTIC 2011 Conservation in Action Tour

AgWired coverage of the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Field Tour is sponsored by AGROTAIN
Audio, Conservation, CTIC

2011 CTIC Conservation in Action Tour Kicks Off

Cindy Zimmerman

Greetings from Toledo, Ohio and the 2011 CTIC Conservation in Action Tour!

The Conservation Technology Information Center annual tour is taking place in Northwest Ohio and focusing on the impact of agriculture on the Maumee River and Bay, as well as Lake Erie.

We started out the event with a boat tour of the river and bay and out into the lake to get a view from the water of what the issues are for agriculture in the area. I talked with Ron Olson (left) of The Mosaic Company and Rex Martin of Syngenta about the purpose of the tour and why their companies are involved with the event and CTIC.

Florida-based Mosaic, which is the world’s leading producer and marketer of concentrated phosphate and potash, is the sponsor of this year’s tour. “The industry has adopted the 4R stewardship campaign,” Ron said. “The right product at the right rate, at the right place at the right time – and this is part of getting that message out to the farmers and the fertilizer dealers who are users of our product.”

Listen to my interview with Ron here: Ron Olson, Mosaic

Rex is head of industry relations for Syngenta and chairman of the CTIC Board of Directors. “We do a good job of taking folks that need to learn about conservation technology and matching them with folks that need to know about conservation technology,” Rex says about CTIC. This year’s tour has record-breaking attendance and Rex says they have lots of great stops planned on Tuesday to find out more about innovative conservation practices in the area.

Listen to my interview with Rex here: Rex Martin, Syngenta

CTIC 2011 Conservation in Action Tour Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Field Tour is sponsored by AGROTAIN
Audio, CTIC, Syngenta

NCBA PAC Fundraising Campaign Underway

Joanna Schroeder

The political needs of cattle producers across the country may seem like a no brainer for many, but they are not well known or well supported by enough current senators. That is why it is so important for the beef industry to have representation on the Hill. And that’s why the Political Action Committee (PAC) plays such an important role for the industry.

Phil Hardy is the chair of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Political Action Committee (PAC) and he educated me on what the mission of the PAC is. “What we try to do is raise money so that we can elect people who understand and appreciate our business and our needs.”

Hardy said the PAC’s goal is to raise $1 million per election cycle, which equates to $500,000 a year. “Our goal in the 2012 election year is to hopefully elect enough more conservative senators that we’ll have the majority in the Senate who understand our business and appreciate and support our issues,” explained Hardy.

He said that today we have a conservative body in the House and would like to maintain the general make-up of the House. However, although the industry has gained some seats in the Senate, more support is needed. The PAC committee is hoping that more pro-cattle senators are elected in the 2012 election.

The fundraising campaign is well underway and thousands of dollars were raised during the Cattle Industry Summer Conference 2011 in Florida last week. But much, much more is needed. Hardy said each person who sends in money – from $1 to $25,000 plus – is credited for their contributions. Those interested can find information on the new NCBA website at www.beefusa.org.

Listen to my interview with Phil Hardy here: PAC Fundraising Campaign Underway

Photos from the conference are posted to this photo album: 2011 Cattle Industry Summer Conference Photo Album.

Ag Groups, Audio, Beef, Cattle Industry Conference, NCBA

Allied Industry Council Focuses on Market Research

Joanna Schroeder

The Cattle Industry Summer Conference 2011 might have officially ended last Thursday afternoon, but the work for most is just ramping up. I had a chance to speak with Rod Nulik, who is the chair of the Allied Industry Council group, to discuss some of the issues they would be focused on in the coming months. Nulik explained that the members of the council are stakeholders from the feed and animal health industry along with any other group that contributes to keeping beef moving forward.

Nulik noted that the industry has some distractors out there so the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is doing a great job of understanding what the issues are and making sure it is gathering relevant information and disseminating that among its members. He said one important thing the Council has been working on is understanding consumer’s ideas about beef and understanding what they’re hearing from the media. The Council works with NCBA to ensure that proper messages and materials are developed and that the industry is defending itself with sound science.

One issue in particular that seems to pop up quite frequently in the media is beef safety. Nulik said the best way they’ve addressed concerns is through the research done by the Beef Checkoff Program. He said the organization is able to measure what they’re getting done and monitoring how safe beef actually is and making sure they’re getting the information to those producers so that they keep a safe product out there.

Nulik also stressed that beef safety goes beyond the producer. It is also important to educate consumers about how to prepare beef to avert any kind of safety issue that could arise. He added that ultimately, what their research shows is that, “we have the safest food product on the planet.”

Listen to my interview with Rod Nulik here: Focus on Market Research

Photos from the conference are posted to this photo album: 2011 Cattle Industry Summer Conference Photo Album.

Ag Groups, Audio, Beef, Cattle Industry Conference, NCBA

What’s New With Becker Underwood

Chuck Zimmerman

At the Ag Media Summit I visited with Russ Berndt, Becker Underwood. I asked him what’s new.

Russ says one of the relatively new products he’d like to point to is their Vault HP product line. He says they had a phenomenal increase in sales last year. You’ll hear him explain why in our interview. He says that the ag media were interested to know what the trends are that he sees in the marketplace. Those include the increase in use of seed applied treatments and interest in biological solutions to disease and pest problems, both of which are being worked on by Becker Underwood.

You can listen to my conversation with Russ here: Russ Berndt Interview

2011 Ag Media Summit Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by BASF and AgHaven
Ag Media Summit, Agribusiness, Audio, Seed, Soybean

Social Media at AgCareers.com Ag HR Roundtable

Cindy Zimmerman

ZimmCast 314This edition of the ZimmCast features a couple of interviews from the AgCareers.com 2011 Ag HR Roundtable held last week in West Lafayette, Indiana where social media in the spotlight – like it is everywhere!

One of the featured speakers at the event was Eve Mayer Orsburn, CEO of Social Media Delivered, one of the largest social media optimization companies in the world. Eve has developed this multi-national company in just three years, serving clients like GM and Sheraton with consulting, training and managing their social media services. Eve also hosts a weekly radio show called “Social Media for the CEO” and is author of a book by the same name.

Eve spoke to the Ag HR Roundtable about how companies can use social media in their recruiting efforts, as well as their marketing efforts. She will get more in-depth on that topic at an AgCareers.com workshop in Des Moines, October 12-13 titled “Implementing A Successful Social Media Strategy to Boost Recruitment.” The first 25 participants to register for the workshop will get a complimentary copy of her book “The Social Media Business Equation.”

Kathryn Doan coordinates social media efforts for AgCareers.com from the company’s Guelph, Ontario office. Kathryn grew up on a dairy farm and is now a turkey and cash crop farmer with her husband in Ontario. She talks about the AgCareers.com social media strategy and their goals to create conversation within the agriculture and food industries.

Listen to my conversations with Eve and Kathryn in this week’s ZimmCast: Social Media and AgCareers

2011 AgCareers Ag HR Roundtable photo album.

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

AgCareers, Audio, Social Networking, ZimmCast

Baby Raccoons?

Melissa Sandfort

What do you get when you cross a Black Kitty with a raccoon? Four odd-looking baby kittens! I doubt if Black Kitty mated with a raccoon, but her offspring sure look as though she did. These newborn kittens have gray bodies, black heads and ringed tails. They’re the oddest foursome I’ve ever seen – and faces only a mother (and me) could love.

Of course, the birth happened while I was out of town, but my husband and son took good care of them. We’re still debating about names and as creative as we get, they’ll probably end up named One, Two, Three and Four.

Black Kitty’s mothering skills have been superb but I’m not sure where she’s getting the strength and energy since she’s still scrawny as all get-out.

Pretty soon they’ll be able to move from the garage to the shed we’re building out front. I think the hay bales will make for a perfect winter get-away. In the meantime, we just have to be careful pulling in and out of the garage!

Until we walk again …

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