Lettuce Harvest

Melissa Sandfort

What a great feeling – reaping the first harvest from your home garden. This is my mixed lettuce and spinach, and if it would ever stop raining, I’d pick some iceburg lettuce. Now I’m kicking myself for not planting carrots; and my cucumbers seem to be late bloomers (pun intended).

Seems like these days, I’m growing a variety of things: veggies in the garden, flowers, my business, and a little boy. And I think they all need about the same ingredients – – hard work, lots of love, at least an hour of sunshine every day, patience and hope. And a lot of faith.

My husband wonders why I’m so excited about my garden. If you take a closer look, there really are so many similarities between the garden and my son. My garden flourishes with sunshine and a good attitude; my son excels when praised and encouraged. My garden has weeds that are an annoyance, and require a lot of attention and work; my son has 2-year-old “habits” that touch my last nerve, and require persistence and love to steer him in the right direction. And they both have taught me an insurmountable amount of patience!

Maybe when he’s older, I’ll have him work in the garden with me to see if he sees the same reflection in life that the garden has already, in such a short time, shown me.

But I’ve found that with all the right ingredients, for both life and salad, you can make the perfect mix.

Until we walk again …

Uncategorized

Angus Cattle History

Cindy Zimmerman

From the basement archives of the American Angus Association, comes this great historical video that cattle producers are sure to enjoy.

Originally shot and edited in 1941, this historical film tells the story of Loyal Alumnus IV, the grand champion steer at the International Livestock Exposition in Chicago. The Angus steer was produced by Purdue University.

Uncategorized

Monsanto Names 2011 Farmers Mom of the Year

Cindy Zimmerman

A Wyoming cattlewoman has been named Monsanto’s America’s Farmers Mom of the Year for 2011.

Bette Lu Lerwick of Albin was nominated by her daughter, Kosha Olsen, who visited AmericasFarmers.com earlier this spring and submitted a 300-word nomination describing a few of the contributions her mother makes to her family, farm, community and the agricultural industry. She was selected as the Northwest Region’s Farm Mom of the Year by a panel of judges from American Agri-Women and Monsanto. Online voting determined Lerwick the national winner.

“This is a wonderful privilege and I feel honored to be the 2011 Farm Mom of the Year when there are so many deserving farm moms out there,” said Lerwick. “I am proud to be from Wyoming and I’m excited to bring recognition to this wonderful state.”

Ron and Bette Lu Lerwick, in partnership with son, Monte, and his wife, Megan, raise wheat, corn, dryland beans, hay, sunflowers and beef cattle on the high plains of their centennial ranch in southeastern Wyoming.

“What does it take to plant a garden the size of a townhouse, or a square mile of sunflowers?” asked Kosha Olsen in her nomination. “How do you raise teenagers 60 miles from the nearest fast food?” Kosha outlined a few of the ways her mother supports others – from serving as “event planner, caterer, custodian, hired hand and manager” at home to driving the tractors, baking bread and delivering calves on the farm to having served as EMT for the rural volunteer fire department and attending many memorial services in the community. In addition, Bette Lu and Ron Lerwick have welcomed exchange students and at-risk youths to their farm for months at a time.

Beef, Farming

Illinois Farm Families Open Gates to City Moms

Cindy Zimmerman

Illinois Farm Families are offering mothers from the Chicago area a chance to see first-hand what farmers do, ask questions and connect with the people who produce food for their families and then share what they learn with others as Field Mom reporters.

Illinois Farm Families (IFF) will equip the “Field Moms” with video cameras so they can record and share what they see and learn. Their videos, stories, and photos will be available to everyone on the IFF website WatchUsGrow.org. The Field Moms will also be participating in media interviews and offering insights about their experiences on Twitter and Facebook.

Chicago-area Moms can apply for the opportunity to become a Field Mom at Watch Us Grow. To be eligible, a Mom must be an Illinois resident at least 18 years old, with at least one child under the age of 13 living at home. Applications will be accepted until August 21, 2011.

Field Mom applicants should have a strong interest in learning more about their food and where it comes from. They are expected to be honest, willing to ask questions among peers and farmers, and able to attend up to five day-long farm tours over the next year. Most tours will leave the greater Chicago area at 8 a.m. and return about 6 p.m. More information about Field Mom expectations is available on our website.

Even if you can’t commit to being a Field Mom, you can subscribe to follow the Field Moms on their farm tours, and communicate with them online. Illinois Farm Families will send you email alerts when the Field Moms are on the move, posting thoughts, pictures or videos, or when there’s other news to share.

Sounds like a great way to address that disconnect that non-farmers have with the people who feed them.

Farming, Social Networking

FFA Names 50 New Century Farmers for 2011

Cindy Zimmerman

The National FFA is preparing 50 young people from 23 states this year to take on the challenge of new century farming.

The FFA’s 2011 New Century Farmer program is designed to help young men and women who are pursuing a career in production agriculture.

The participants will take part in an intensive seminar July 24-30 in Johnston, Iowa where they will learn from each other and industry experts during a series of workshops and sessions. Topics will include the global marketplace, farm financing, demographic trends and risk management. New Century Farmers will hear from motivating and informative keynote speakers who will educate them on the risks and rewards involved with agriculture production. In addition to classroom learning, students will experience the latest developments in agricultural technology.

The New Century Farmer program is sponsored by Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business; Rabo AgriFinance; Case IH; and CSX Corporation; with media partner Successful Farming as a special project of the National FFA Foundation.

Education, Farming, FFA

Budget Cuts for Agriculture

Cindy Zimmerman

The budget deficit is taking its toll on agriculture programs.

The House Appropriations Committee approved a spending bill last night that includes major cuts to food safety and nutrition programs, as well as an amendment that would end direct farm payments for those with adjusted gross income over $250,000 per year.

The appropriations bill also includes cuts in research, food aid, conservation and renewable energy programs. While the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) received $1.3 million, the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) was eliminated from the fiscal year 2012 appropriations bill, despite pleas from a variety of agriculture, biofuels and even environmental organizations.

Other funding cuts in the bill made some agricultural producers happy. Several livestock organizations, including the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) and the National Turkey Federation (NTF), are pleased with the appropriations bill because it prevents USDA from implementing its controversial Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) proposal to regulate livestock and poultry marketing.

“This is the first step in preventing an unprecedented government invasion into the private marketplace. Big government has invaded banking, healthcare and more. The last thing we need is the federal government setting up shop on cattle ranches throughout the country,” said NCBA President Bill Donald of Montana.

The bill now goes to the full House for a vote but is likely to change substantially in the Senate.

Uncategorized

AgChat Discusses EPA Over Regulation of Farming

Chuck Zimmerman

Over regulation by the EPA was the topic of last night’s AgChat which I had the pleasure to moderate once again. It was an interesting conversation as always and we had some very different points of view expressed. And that’s what it’s all about. How often do you participate in a conversation where everyone agrees? Nothing wrong with that.

Here’s the list of questions that were posed. You can see the list of responses to each on the AgChat Archives page already.

Q1: What’s the single most disruptive regulation the EPA has imposed on U.S. Farmers and why? via @derekbalsley
Q2: What are the most helpful EPA regs to your operations? via @TruffleMedia
Q3: How can farmers communicate the real-life struggles w/EPA regulations to politicians & consumers? via @amyserves
Q4: How can any farmer make sure they are in full compliance with EPA regs? via @AgriBlogger
Q5: Does there need to be a better system of checks & balances for EPA & their regulations? via multiple sources
Q6: Is this really a problem with EPA or the administration? via @BeltwayBeef
Q7: How could the EPA expect to harness dust the way they’re talking in the Clean Air Act? via @DarrenOlafson
Q8: What are resources available to farmers who are having trouble with EPA regs?
Q9: What if there were no EPA and damage caused to environment was settled in court as property damage? via @derekbalsley
Q10: What will you do after participating in tonight’s convo as it relates to EPA regulations and farming?
Q11: What’s your executable idea?

There were a lot of interesting ideas and answers that came out during the course of our conversation. Some things that stood out for me include:

1. An idea that the topic was not “objective.” Really? Of course that was posed by someone who does not farm and works for an environmental extremist organization. I have never met a farmer of any size or kind who believes EPA regulations are not burdensome and often incomprehensible.

2. There was a suggestion that if you farm “organic” you will somehow not have to deal with EPA (just USDA). However, if you look at the EPA website you’ll find a whole page of information and links dealing with organic. Doesn’t look like being organic exempts you from this problem.

3. Q2 got the most responses of all. The whole idea of finding anything helpful regarding EPA regulations seemed like a foreign concept to most of our active participants. I don’t know about all you lurkers out there.

4. Someone made a point that seemed to get good agreement that it’s not just EPA that’s a problem, but Congress which created the agency and gives it the powers that it has. Of course there is also the issue of how EPA administrators interpret their role and rules as well as judges who make decisions in their courts that impact how regulations are enforced.

There’s a lot more but I won’t take time to point them all out here. Check out the archives and see for yourself and join in next time! Thanks to all who participated.

Environment, Farming

Online Version of Precision Laboratories Mix Tank App

Chuck Zimmerman

Now you can get the Precision Laboratories Mix Tank App without having to have a smart phone handy. Now you can “get it” from your online computer or tablet! Give it a try.

Precision Laboratories recently announced the release of an online version of its popular, new Mix Tank app for iPhone. Thousands of growers and retailers have already downloaded the app and are using it to prevent costly mixing sequence errors that lead to compatibility problems and nozzle plugging. Now, Precision Laboratories is able to offer the app to anyone with a computer and internet access.

Like the iPhone and iPod touch app, applicators can now choose from over 900 crop protection products from over 16 different manufacturers at www.mixtankapp.com. The Mix Tank app is able to process any combination of products and determine the correct mixing sequence. Users can also share their recommended mixing orders through email, Facebook or Twitter and can request the addition of any crop protection product not currently in the database.

The Mix Tank App is free of charge both online and on the iPhone. The iPhone app also features a series of training videos on proper mixing sequence from the adjuvant experts at Precision Laboratories, which can be viewed at www.youtube.com/mixtankapp.

The first of its kind, the Mix Tank App helps growers get the most out of every tank mix. Users can access the online app from any internet-connected computer at www.mixtankapp.com.

For more information, visit precisionlab.com.

Apps

Changes Needed in Farm Bill

Chuck Zimmerman

Of course we planned our latest ZimmPoll to coincide with the first public hearings on the new farm bill. Uh. Right. But that’s how it worked out. This past week we’ve asked the question, “What is your opinion about the farm bill?” Early in the poll there was not a large gap in response but then things changed and the choice of Needs Overhaul zoomed out in front with 61% choosing it. That’s followed by 31% who said it Needs Minimal Change and then 8% with Leave as is. I guess the bottom line is that something needs to change, eh?

If you missed the first hearings by the Senate Ag Committee you can still watch them:

Food for Thought: The Role, Risks and Challenges for American Agriculture and the Next Farm Bill in Meeting the Demands of a Growing World

Opportunities for Growth: Michigan and the 2012 Farm Bill

Our new ZimmPoll is now live. We’re asking the question, “Have you ever used your smartphone to scan a QR code?” Well, have you?

And if you have any questions you want to suggest for future ZimmPolls please let us know.

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

ZimmPoll

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Syngenta announced that it has received cultivation approval for its MIR162 trait, branded Agrisure Viptera, from the Ministry of Agriculture in Argentina.
  • Farmers must decide whether to plant row crops or take the prevented planting payment from their crop insurance policy. University of Illinois agricultural economist and farm management specialist Gary Schnitkey has provided calculations to help farmers choose the option with the best net return.
  • WATT recently unveiled its new and improved corporate website.
  • Merial is pleased to announce the addition of a new web-based audiovisual training module, Mastitis Control, to www.BestInClassDairies.com. A third module, Dairy as a Profit Center, is also featured on the new enhanced site – giving dairy operations even more tools to be successful.
    Zimfo Bytes