Interactive Website for American Century Farms

Cindy Zimmerman

Celebrating our nation’s rich agricultural heritage and educating others about it are the goals of a new interactive website launched by the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture with the sponsorship of Bayer CropScience.

Appropriately named “Agriculture’s Lasting Heritage,” this website tells the story of American farm and ranch families who have shaped the history of our nation.

“Agriculture’s Lasting Heritage” also commemorates more than the proud tradition of the American farm and ranch family, according to AFBF President Bob Stallman, who also serves as president of the foundation.

“Farms and ranches that have been in the same family, and supporting family members and local communities for generations stand as testament to the true sustainable character of American agriculture today,” Stallman said. “Farmers and ranchers, by nature, are always committed to leaving the land in better condition for the next generation. We are proud to help raise awareness of that through this new website.”

“Agriculture’s Lasting Heritage” features a variety of components to interest non-farmers as well as farmers and ranchers. An interactive map allows the visitor to quickly link to a comprehensive list of state century farm programs and resources. Users will find an immediate connection with the farmers who operate our century farms, as they watch the story unfold through video profiles of a variety of farms. Written profiles also will be provided to offer additional stories of those who have contributed to the sustainability of our agriculture industry, and our nation.

Find out more here.

AFBF, Bayer

Corn Board Manufacturing

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast 308We’ve all heard about “new uses” for corn. How about skateboards? That’s just the first of many products planned by Corn Board Manufacturing, Inc. according to founder Lane Segerstrom. I just got off the phone with Lane and our conversation is this week’s program.

Lane grew up on an Iowa farm and has founded a company that uses technology developed by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The corn-based structural composite technology was invented by the university’s Dr. Nancy Sottos, Dr. Scott White and Dr. Thomas Mackin. CornBoard™ is a version of wood composite board that uses corn husks and stalks, prepared by mixing the fibrous corn component with a polymer matrix, laminating the mixture, and applying heat and pressure.

Skate boards are the first product and Lane even rode one to a world record more than 78 mph on a towed Stalk It™ longboard, made from corn stover. He envisions CBMI manufacturing facilities in rural communities where corn is grown. He hopes it will become a real rural development business. Besides skate boards, other products on the horizon include pallets, building materials and furniture. Lane is working on USDA Bio Preferred labeling and points out how using corn stover is a great way to lessen environmental impact.

Listen in and learn more about CBMI: Corn Board Manufacturing

This week’s program ends with some music from Music Alley. It’s called “Skate” by Mano Reza.

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

The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired. Subscribe so you can listen when and where you want. Just go to our Subscribe page.

Agribusiness, Audio, Corn, ZimmCast

The Future of Food Business

Chuck Zimmerman

Dr. Marcos Fava Neves, Professor, University of Sao Paulo, is the author of “The Future of Food Business.” He autographed books following the stage celebration last week at Novus International headquarters.

I spoke with Dr. Neves while he was signing books. He says his book analyzes the major effects that are happening in the world that we can’t control. He says they are happening very fast and have major impacts on food companies. He calls it a “book to read and to think.” Dr. Marcos Fava Neves Interview

Novus 20th Anniversary Photo Album

Audio, Food, Novus International

9-1-1 It’s an emergency!

Melissa Sandfort

Where do I live, you ask? Well, it’s two miles south of the big river bridge. It’s a mile east of Uncle Bob’s. It’s just north of Mrs. Tate’s place, you know, the lady who used to write children’s books? (As always, names have been changed to protect the innocent, or in this case, deceased.)

Don’t you love how us country folk give directions? At least I didn’t mention the big black dog. Because we all know the big black dog is always sitting in the same spot.

What we do have are 911 addresses. No rural route, no county road … just long numbers like 52684 523 Road. That’s what a real address looks like. No joke.

An E-911 address, as they’re officially known, is assigned using a mileage measurement, accurate to 1/100 of a mile, to a driveway on a named road. Measurements start at the south or west end of a through road. The county office even came out with GPS to get an accurate number for ours. Driveways on the left side of the road have odd numbers and driveways on the right side of the road have even numbers.

Why did they come about? Because when people dialed 911, the emergency guys had a hard time finding RR1 Box 36A. Rural Route 1….then look for a mailbox with the number 36A on it? That’s probably the house next to the big black dog, right?

And if the caller is unable to give their address, the home phone number, building (house), etc. is most often linked to the address. I don’t think the 911 address is linked to cell phones, but isn’t the government tapping into our cell phones anyway?

Until we walk again …

Uncategorized

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Syngenta announces the registration of Besiege insecticide for use on cotton, tobacco and pastures.
  • Fresh Produce Locator, a new website created to make the procurement process of selling and buying produce easier and more efficient, is eager to welcome its newest selling members.
  • Online followers can track the 2011 wheat harvest with family-owned, custom wheat-harvesting crews as part of the 2011 All Aboard Wheat Harvest Tour.
  • McCormick USA is proud to announce the new and innovative lineup of the X10 Series compact and utility tractors.
    Zimfo Bytes

    Going Social With Sunflowers

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Next week I get to do something I love to do. Get up on stage and talk about social media and networking. The venue will be the National Sunflower Association Summer Seminar in Deadwood, SD.

    The National Sunflower Association (NSA) is a non-profit commodity organization working on problems and opportunities for the improvement of all members. Membership in the NSA includes growers and the support industry. There are four general categories of NSA activities: Market Development and Promotion; Production Research; Education and Policy Issues.

    I’ll be conducting two sessions. The first one will provide an overview of social media and examples of how it is being used by agribusiness today. Then I’ll conduct a session that will be a “how-to” and hopefully attendees that don’t have social media accounts will have them by the time we’re done!

    You’ll be seeing the #NSASS11 hashtag in my tweets next week. If you’re there please feel free to add it to your tweets too. Also, if any of you are sunflower growers, let me know your social networking identity so I can feature you in my presentations!

    Ag Groups

    Sharing The Novus Vision

    Chuck Zimmerman

    The President/CEO of Novus International is Thad Simons, seen here addressing the audience for the company’s 20th Anniversary Celebration at the headquarters in St. Louis, MO. Thad says that 20 years “seems like yesterday.” Many of the original founders and Novus team were on hand. He says this celebration provides an opportunity to take a look back and see “where we came from.” The original vision is still the vision of today.

    In order to better learn what the needs of their customers are Thad says Novus has brought in people from fifteen countries to share their perspectives. Part of the discussion is looking forward to the next twenty years. As most companies and farmer know, the need for food is going to double in a very short time and Thad says that Novus and their customers take that challenge seriously and are looking for ways to meet the challenge. He says that interaction with international visitors shows how common the challenges are in all countries around the world. Thad Simons Interview

    You can watch Thad’s remarks to the Novus 20th Anniversary Celebration in this video:

    If you’d rather, you can download or listen to Thad’s remarks here: Thad Simons Celebration Remarks

    Novus 20th Anniversary Photo Album

    Agribusiness, Audio, Novus International

    Congratulating Novus International On Twenty Years

    Chuck Zimmerman

    We had a fantastic lineup of speakers for the Novus International 20th Anniversary Celebration. They all lined up at the conclusion of the festivities. I have captured remarks and interviews with a couple of them to share with you and will have a couple more later.

    Missouri’s Director of Agriculture, Dr. Jon Hagler, was on the program. Jon says that what Novus has accomplished is a serious benefit to Missouri. He loves the slogan, “Innovation with Integrity,” which “so well suits Novus International. Having a company like Novus here for twenty years make such a difference not only for communities like St. Charles and St. Louis but also for farm families all across the state, all across the nation and frankly if you look around us, all across the world.” I also asked him about the current status of farm disasters from flooding and storms. He points to Missouri Agriculture Disaster Relief Fund as a place that people can get information about how to help those who are struggling to recover. Dr. Jon Hagler Interview

    I also recorded his stage comments for you which you can download and listen to here: Dr. Jon Hagler Remarks

    Another one of our speakers was Dr. William Danforth, Chairman, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. He says that it’s great to have a company like Novus that “serves the world.” He calls their growth an “expansion into something very important and that is providing enough food for people to eat.” He says we’ve got great challenges and Novus is going to help solve them. Dr. William Danforth Interview

    I also recorded his stage comments for you which you can download and listen to here: Dr. William Danforth Remarks

    Novus 20th Anniversary Photo Album

    Agribusiness, Animal Health, Audio, Novus International

    Zimfo Bytes

    Melissa Sandfort

      Zimfo Bytes

    • Lextron, Inc. and Animal Health International, Inc. announced the close of their transaction and completion of the merger.
    • NSF Davis Fresh has changed its name to NSF Agriculture to more accurately reflect new services that include GlobalGAP certification and food safety services for livestock, poultry and egg production operations.
    • Dr. John Varty is setting out to chronicle how and why agriculture production has changed in Canada as farmers work to meet the demands of an increasing global population. As Varty travels across the country, driving a Massey Ferguson 1660 compact tractor, he will explore a variety of agriculture-related subjects.
    • The 13th annual International Food Aid & Development Conference will be held in Kansas City, Mo., June 27-29, 2011. The theme of this year’s conference is “Food Aid: Results that Matter to Hungry People.”
      Zimfo Bytes

      Senate Votes to End Ethanol Blenders Tax Credit

      Cindy Zimmerman

      An amendment to end the ethanol blenders tax credit (VEETC) passed the Senate today by 73 to 27, a vote that some agricultural groups applaud while some denounce, while the ethanol industry says it is unlikely to matter.

      “Today the Senate voted against rural America and domestic, renewable energy, and in favor of more foreign oil,” said National Corn Growers Association President Bart Schott of North Dakota.

      The Renewable Fuels Association calls the vote disappointing but “ultimately inconsequential” since the underlying economic development bill to which this amendment is attached is “unlikely to make it to the president’s desk.” American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) Executive Vice President Brian Jennings added that the votes are “symbolic and will not become law. The ethanol industry notes that just last month, the Senate voted to protect tax subsidies for the oil industry. “Ironically, the United States Senate has spent the better part of a week on an amendment that is unconstitutional and going nowhere, even while the news pours in that OPEC has hit a high-water mark of $1 trillion in revenues,” said Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis

      U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says the Obama administration opposes an abrupt end to the VEETC. “We need reforms and a smarter biofuels program, but simply cutting off support for the industry isn’t the right approach. Therefore, we oppose a straight repeal of the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC) and efforts to block biofuels infrastructure programs.”

      On the other side of the corn field, National Cattlemens Beef Association (NCBA) President Bill Donald called the vote “a giant step toward leveling the playing field for a bushel of corn” noting that cattle producers “support our nation’s commitment to reducing our dependence on foreign oil. But after 30 years and more than $30 billion in taxpayer support, the day has come to let the mature corn-based ethanol industry stand on its own two feet.”

      A coalition of groups, including food retailers, poultry organizations and environmental interests also applauded the vote as “the start of a new era for U.S. biofuels policy.”

      Immediately after the vote to end the VEETC, senators defeated an amendment that would have stopped federal funding for ethanol blender pumps by a vote of 41 to 59. At the same time, the House approved an amendment to the ag appropriations bill for the same thing by 283 to 128. The appropriations measure must still go through the Senate and is likely to change there.

      Beef, Corn, Ethanol, NCBA, NCGA