Farm Bureau Estimates Flooded Farm Acres at Over 3.5 Million

Cindy Zimmerman May 23, 2011

The American Farm Bureau Federation is estimating that nearly 3.6 million acres of farmland in the southern United States have been impacted by flooding, including about 40 percent of the rice crop.

AFBF received flood damage estimates from individual state Farm Bureaus in the affected areas.

Arkansas topped the list with a million acres affected, including 300,000 acres of rice and 120,000 acres of wheat. Illinois was estimated to have 500,000 acres of farmland under water, with Mississippi and Missouri coming in at 600,000 and 570,000 acres, respectively. Tennessee reported 650,000 acres and Louisiana was pegged at 280,000 acres.

“There is no doubt about it, the effect of the flooding on farmers and ranchers is being felt deeply across the south,” said AFBF Chief Economist Bob Young. “One is reminded of the ’93 or ’95 floods in terms of scale of affected area.”

But, said Young, it’s critical that the government acts quickly to rebuild the levees and allow producers to make plans for the future.

“In many of these areas, agriculture is the major economic driver for the region,” said Young. “While some may be able to get a crop in the ground this year, we need to also think about the long-term economic health of these farms and communities.”

Without the levees in place to protect homes and farms however, it may be hard to make those investments, added Young.

AFBF, Weather

Alltech iPhone App For Pork Producers

Chuck Zimmerman May 23, 2011

Now Dr. Pearse Lyons can say, “There’s an app for that.” That app is the Alltech iPhone App. It was just announced this morning during the Alltech International Symposium. I’ve got it on my iPhone.

The app:

Helps pig producers search for information about swine health issues, environmental concerns and pork quality. Includes customizable commodity listings and local weather forecasting.

You can get it in the iTunes store with this link or just search the keyword Alltech.

Follow the action on the Alltech Innovations Blog, including photos, interviews and there will be live streaming of certain sessions.

2011 Alltech Symposium Photo Album

Alltech, Apps, Pork, Swine

Alltech Future of Farming Announced

Chuck Zimmerman May 23, 2011

The founder and President of Alltech, Dr. Pearse Lyons, gave us a number of game changing ideas today at the Alltech International Symposium. These included:

1. Fiber not corn
2. No antibiotics
3. Programmed nutrition
4. Feed to the genetic potential
5. Algae – the farm of the future
6. Be a leader

You can listen to him describe each of these ideas in detail below. He also introduced the Alltech Future of Farming website that interactively describes his vision of the type of farm we will see. Check it out.

Dr. Pearse Lyons Presentation

Follow the action on the Alltech Innovations Blog, including photos, interviews and there will be live streaming of certain sessions.

2011 Alltech Symposium Photo Album

Alltech, Audio, Farming

Alltech Symposium Press Conference

Chuck Zimmerman May 23, 2011

The Alltech International Symposium press conference just concluded. All of our morning speakers were on stage. The session was moderated by Alltech’s Dr. Aidan Connolly.

These include:

Dr. Inge Russell
Damien McLoughlin
Dr. Ronan Tynan
Dr. Mark Lyons
Dr. Pearse Lyons

I recorded the question and answer session for you to listen to. There are quite a few questions and some dealt with the idea of moving from corn as a feedstuff for livestock to a form of fiber. That ought to generate some discussion. Alltech Symposium Press Conference

Follow the action on the Alltech Innovations Blog, including photos, interviews and there will be live streaming of certain sessions.

2011 Alltech Symposium Photo Album

Alltech, Audio

Dr. Ronan Tynan Keeping The Faith

Chuck Zimmerman May 23, 2011

Did I happen to mention that I like Dr. Ronan Tynan? In fact, I’m a new fan. I really appreciate Christina Lombard, Alltech, for taking a photo for me.

I spoke with Ronan before the press conference that just concluded here at the Alltech International Symposium. He had a “game changing” message for us: “I think the biggest game change in everyone’s life is “the will is inside us all” and when you capture it you bring the greatest from you.” You can hear that kind of message and more in my interview with him. Dr. Ronan Tynan Interview

Follow the action on the Alltech Innovations Blog, including photos, interviews and there will be live streaming of certain sessions.

2011 Alltech Symposium Photo Album

Alltech, Audio

Dr. Ronan Tynan Receives 1st Alltech Humanitarian Award

Chuck Zimmerman May 23, 2011

The first ever Alltech Humanitarian Award was presented this morning to Dr. Ronan Tynan. What a voice this man has. I’ll add some audio to this post later. His talk is awesome.

Post Update:

Here’s Ronan’s presentation from this morning. I highly recommend it. If you can listen to his message and not be moved then I feel sorry for you. At the end of his presentation he sang us “Hallelujah.” You may remember that song from “Shrek.” Ronan tried out to sing it but wasn’t chosen for reasons I can’t imagine. I hope you enjoy it. Ronan Tynan Presentation - Hallelujah

Follow the action on the Alltech Innovations Blog, including photos, interviews and there will be live streaming of certain sessions.

2011 Alltech Symposium Photo Album

Alltech, Audio

Dr. Inge Russell Receives Alltech Medal of Excellence

Chuck Zimmerman May 23, 2011

This morning Dr. Inge Russell received the Alltech Medal of Excellence. She was presented the award on stage by Dr. Pearse Lyons, Alltech President, during the opening general session.

Professor Inge Russell is an accomplished researcher. Her work on the biotechnology and fermentation of yeast and algae has resulted in significant improvements in the production of feed, food, beverages, and fuel. She has over 100 publications and obtained Canada’s first patent for a genetically modified yeast specifically designed for biofuel production. She is a Professor at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Western Ontario, Canada.

This is the 21st year of the Medal of Excellence program.

Post Update:

I spoke with Dr. Russell after this morning’s program. You can hear her talk about the importance of Alzheimer’s research in my interview with her: Dr. Inge Russell Interview

Follow the action on the Alltech Innovations Blog, including photos, interviews and there will be live streaming of certain sessions.

2011 Alltech Symposium Photo Album

Alltech, Audio

Waiting for GIPSA

Cindy Zimmerman May 23, 2011

It’s been 11 months since it was first published and six months since the comment period ended, but it will be several more months yet before USDA makes a decision on the proposed Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) rule.

“There were 66,000 comments, about 30,000 of which are unique,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told an agriculture committee meeting last week. “Our hope is that we get this done sometime in the fall.”

Last week, 147 members of Congress sent Vilsack a letter about the proposed rule urging him “to proceed in a manner that allows further public comment on revisions to the proposal and the pending economic analysis” before a final rule is published, adding that a timeline for completion of the economic analysis and any further action is also needed.

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Bill Donald of Montana says the members of Congress are standing up for U.S. cattlemen and women. “The proposed GIPSA rule puts big government smack dab in the middle of our business. It is the most pervasive invasion of federal government into the private marketplace I have ever witnessed,” he said.

National Pork Producers Council President Doug Wolf says the regulation as written “would be bad for producers, bad for consumers and bad for rural America” and would cost the U.S. pork industry nearly $400 million a year.

American Meat Institute president and CEO J. Patrick Boyle noted that an “almost unprecedented” third of House members signed the letter. “The sheer number of signatories on this letter is a testament to the growing concern on Capitol Hill about the proposed GIPSA rule. Congress is asking a fundamental and essential question: when will USDA tell us the price tag on this rule?”

Beef, GIPSA, NCBA, NPPC, USDA

Getting With Gibbs & Soell

Chuck Zimmerman May 23, 2011

Gibbs & Soell is the highlight in this week’s ZimmCast. This is another installment in my series of interviews with the leadership of agricultural marketing and communications agencies. I spoke with Ann Camden, Senior Vice President. You can bet we talked about social media and how that has impacted their business. But we also talked about sustainability.

Gibbs & Soell conducted a survey this year on the subject of how consumers perceive what a company is doing to be more sustainable. The agency has a Greentech & Sustainability Practice to assist customers in this area.

The 2011 Gibbs & Soell Sense & Sustainability® Study – the annual survey that gauges consumer and business perceptions on the corporate commitment to “going green” – shows a disturbing gap in communications.

Our research found that although 88% of business leaders report their company is “going green,” only 29% of executives and 17% of consumers believe that a majority of businesses are committed to sustainability.

The message is crystal clear: Many companies have taken steps on the path toward sustainability, but their stakeholders remain skeptical of their progress. More details about the study can be found online here.

Learn what else is new with Gibbs & Soell in this week’s program: Getting With Gibbs & Soell

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.

Agencies, Audio, ZimmCast

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