Skim or Whole?

Melissa Sandfort

You can learn a lot about someone from their garden. For instance, do they use Clorox or Downy; do they drink more skim milk or more whole milk? And because of the popularity of home gardening these days, our back yards have taken on quite a different look than in years past.

I posted a while back about putting down roots, and included a picture of my seeds that had sprouted. Last week, I had the crazy idea of putting the cups outside (they were now 4 inches tall and getting spindly) to get them adjusted to the weather since it had been cold. The day I decided to put them out, the wind blew like we lived in western Kansas and some of the leaves wilted before I could get them in the ground.

Some of them were too far gone, and others, I’m trying to save. See, that’s the thing about a garden – it’s so fulfilling, knowing that you’re actually GROWING something. It makes me feel successful. It’s the little accomplishments in life.

So, for the tomato and pepper plants I transplanted, I’ve used one of the tricks from Grandma’s “I learned it from my mother” book of knowledge and put milk jugs over them. This creates a sort of greenhouse effect and I must say, out of the 27 plants that made their beginning in red Solo cups, I’ve managed to save 15 of them. The wind took out about 9, so I’d say that’s a pretty good save-rate.

Some things about modern gardening haven’t changed. Including knowing what your neighbors are drinking and washing their clothes in.

Until we walk again …

Uncategorized

Iowa Corn Growers Join The Team

Chuck Zimmerman

Here’s the whole group of participants at the Iowa Speedway last week doing the Iowa Corn Growers Join The Team promotion. You’ve got Iowa State, Indy Car, University of Iowa and Iowa Corn Growers gathered together. The emcees for the program and games that were played included Craig Floss, CEO, Iowa Corn Growers and Bruce Gaarder, former farm broadcaster and one of the announcers at Iowa Speedway. I visited with Craig after the games had ended.

Craig says the main purpose of the event was to promote the Join The Team program. This consist of two main sporting events, the Iowa Corn Indy 250 race and the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series, the two biggest in the state. He says Join The Team is a great metaphor for what they’re all about. He wants Iowa corn growers to be a part of the team that’s not just Iowa Corn but corn growers nationally.

You can listen to my interview with Craig here: Craig Floss Interview

Iowa Corn “Join The Team” Indy 250 Promotion Photo Album

Ag Groups, Audio, Corn, Ethanol, Indy Racing

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Hoosier Ag Today has launched a web services division to better serve its sponsors and radio stations.
  • Broadhead has added six new team members who will help strengthen the agency’s ability to meet the needs of its growing client base and evolving business challenges.
  • DRAKE & COMPANY announced that it has recently been awarded reaccreditation by AMC Institute.
  • A “Corn Replanting Decision Tool” has been released as part of the FAST series of Microsoft Excel spreadsheets.
Zimfo Bytes

Importance of Panama Canal Highlighted

Meghan Grebner

With soybean  exports doubling over the last ten years and the continued demand for US soy, the question arises can we handle it?  Now, we know we can physically make that happen.  We plant, grow and harvest more efficiently and effectively than any other country in the world, the concern arises if our ports and infrastructure will last the next ten years.

Early last week, the Soy Transportation Coalition and the Panama Canal Authority signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with a promise to continue to develop global commerce.  Also involved in Monday’s MOU signing was the American Soybean Association and the United Soybean Board.  The objectives of the agreement are to undertake joint marketing efforts, data exchange to forecast future trade flows and market trends, and the sharing of information related to modernization and improvement projects.

With the Panama Canal increasing in size to be able to accommodate “Suezmax” ships – it could be a great thing for American Agriculture, especially since 60% of our exports currently travel through the Panama Canal.  Except our infrastructure is failing and the Department of Commerce thinks existing ports will be incapable of handling the shipments within the next decade.

I sat down with immediate past Chairman of the United Soybean Board and a farmer from Griggsville, Ill. and he detailed Monday’s announcement. Bradshaw Talks Panama

ASA, Soybean, USB

Iowa State Coach Ready To Wrestle Corn Growers

Chuck Zimmerman

He’s not a sideline kind of guy. At least I don’t think so. He’s Iowa State Wrestling Head Coach Kevin Jackson. He also was not selected to compete in the Iowa Corn Growers Join The Team competition at Iowa Speedway last week.

He says he’s disappointed and was “overlooked” since he’s the best athlete on the staff. He says he could have done it all better than the ones selected. But he says it’s all in fun. He still thought it was a special day to be at the event that brought together two universities, Indy Car and Iowa corn growers. You can listen to my interview with Coach Jackson here: Coach Kevin Jackson Interview

I thought you might enjoy that. Hope he doesn’t ever want to try to twist me into a pretzel.

Iowa Corn “Join The Team” Indy 250 Promotion Photo Album

Ag Groups, Audio, Corn, Indy Racing

AgWired Makes It To Afghanistan

Chuck Zimmerman

It might be a first. An AgWired shirt proudly displayed over Kandahar Air Field in Afghanistan.

Showing off is John Davis, one of the long time editors who has posted mostly on our Domestic Fuel website but also on AgWired. He’s helping develop a radio journalism/production program and I’m sure we’ll get some updates from him from time to time. I saw John briefly in Washington, DC Reagan Airport. I was flying out and he was flying on. Glad to see he made it safe and sound.

ZimmComm Announcement

Drive Green Challenge at Hudson River Tractor

Chuck Zimmerman

It’s Drive Green Challenge time again this weekend. Today I’m in Clifton Park, NY visiting with Hudson River Tractor Company. I spoke with one of the owners, Tory Northrop, who gave me some background on how the company came together. He’s in the group photo of the family members out here for today’s event.

Tory says the merger that made what is now Hudson River Tractor Company happened in 2005. They serve a combined ag/consumer market with consumer now counting for over half of their business. The territory includes the Albany, NY metro area, northern New York City area and Chatham area. He says the Drive Green Challenge helps bring a lot more attention to all the products that John Deere offers and is a big draw. He says compact tractors and anything to do with improving their landscape seems to be of high interest right now. You can listen to my interview with Tory here: Tory Northrop Interview

You can see photos from the event in the Hudson River Drive Green Challenge Photo Album.

Agribusiness, Audio, John Deere

Lots of Trade Talking This Week

Cindy Zimmerman

Since May is World Trade Month, you would think it would be a great time for Congress to pass those pesky pending Free Trade Agreements with Korea, Colombia and Panama that have been awaiting approval for years. Several of the nation’s largest agricultural organizations who testified before the House Agriculture Committee this week on why it is so important to get those agreements operating think so. Actually, most would say that last May World Trade Month would have been better!

Among those testifying was National Cattlemen’s Beef Association president Bill Donald of Montana. “Each day that goes by without implementing these agreements is another day we risk losing American jobs by losing market share to other countries. With 96 percent of the world’s consumers living outside of the United States, future growth of the U.S. economy depends upon our ability to produce and sell products competitively in the global marketplace,” said Donald. May is also National Beef Month, coincidentally.

National Corn Growers Association CEO Rick Tolman told the committee that passing the FTAs and developing new markets for our country’s agricultural products will help our sector lead the nation in economic growth and international competitiveness. “The United States is the largest corn producer and exporter in the world, and exports of corn and corn co-products are essential to producer income,” Tolman said. “Our members want to maintain current export markets and significantly increase demand for corn through opportunities in value-added corn products.”

The committee also heard from American Farm Bureau Federation president Bob Stallman, which you can see on the AFBF website. “These trade agreements are not only important to the bottom line of America’s farmers and ranchers but the economic health of our rural communities and the overall U.S. economy,” said Stallman. “There is a long supply chain made up of American workers who get products from the farm gate to foreign consumers.”

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack also noted the importance of the FTAs for jobs in this country. “”These three trade agreements will create jobs. Through agricultural exports alone, they will yield over $2.3 billion in sales and help support more than 19,000 American jobs in agriculture and related industries,” said Vilsack.

Some progress has been seen recently on moving the FTAs forward and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk indicated to the committee that all three agreements will be submitted to Congress with a view to having them considered this year.

AFBF, NCBA, NCGA, Trade, USDA

Indy Lights Driver Loves Corn

Chuck Zimmerman

I don’t think he makes his living shooting baskets. He’s Josef Newgarden, Indy Lights driver. He was also one of the competitors at the Iowa Corn Growers Join The Team promotion at Iowa Speedway. Josef gets pumped up, about competing and about corn. I think you’ll hear his intensity in my interview with him.

Josef called our event a “prep rally” for the Iowa Corn Indy 250 race weekend coming up in June. It will be his first time racing at the track. When it comes to Iowa Corn Growers he says, “Corn growers are cool!” He loves the unique way they are promoting their product.

You can listen to my interview with Josef here: Josef Newgarden Interview

Iowa Corn “Join The Team” Indy 250 Promotion Photo Album

Ag Groups, Audio, Corn, Ethanol, Indy Racing

Can We Actually Communicate The Farm Story To Public?

Chuck Zimmerman

We’ve got a lot of initiatives going to help consumers better understand where their food is coming from. I’ve had several discussions lately with people about this. Topics include inter-organizational coordination, competition for funding, differences in approaches and membership. What do you think about all the different groups trying to reach the non-farm public about farming? The more the merrier? A ZimmPoll we conducted had the largest percentage saying there are too many. We’re hearing a lot of talk about unity in agriculture in the face of increasing urbanization and regulation. I’m just wondering if the proliferation of groups attempting to do what appears on the surface to be the same thing sends a different message. I applaud everyone who is trying to tell agriculture’s story. This is not an easy task. Farming is not an easy thing to explain to those who have never been exposed to it. Forget about the complexities of policy and foreign trade. All right, got that out there. Would be interested in your thoughts.

AFACTI was prompted to post these questions after receiving an announcement today that the American Farmers for the Advancement of Conservation and Technology has joined with the Alliance to Feed the Future. The Alliance was announced during National Ag Day activities. Their goal is to “help tell the story of modern farming from the heart of the family farmer.”

The Alliance currently has 63 members and continues to grow. All sectors of the food value chain have come together in the alliance – including professional societies, commodity groups, farmer organizations, industry and academia. Membership in the Alliance will help multiply the effects of their individual and joint efforts to tell the true and balanced story of modern food production. The Alliance to Feed the Future website is home to an assortment of resources and information regarding modern food production from farm to fork.

It is great to see so much effort being put into telling the farmer’s story. But collectively, what is the budget of all the groups trying to do this? I know I haven’t mentioned others. You probably know who they are. I think that if all the groups trying to reach the consumer could somehow actually pool their funds and create a coordinated campaign they might just reach the budget of a very large extremist group that wants to end production agriculture. Do I sound pessimistic? Probably. But I think all these efforts need to be done. And beside them we need farmers themselves to do what they can. Let’s all “agvocate.” It’s what we can do regardless what our budget is.

Ag Groups