College Aggies Online Awards Announced

Chuck Zimmerman

Jacob NyhuisThe winner of the College Aggies Online scholarship competition is Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, represented at the Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit by Jacob Nyhuis. In the photo Jacob is accepting the school’s $750 award. The award also included his costs to travel to the Summit. I interviewed him after the presentation and you can hear him talk about participating in the program below.

College Aggies Online is a joint program between the Animal Agriculture Alliance and the American National CattleWomen, Inc. The goal is to help college students utilize social media tools to share agriculture’s story. The program was started last fall and has attracted 600 college students from more than 50 universities

Members have earned points by posting blogs, photos and videos related to agriculture and by participating in Aggie Homework agriculture advocacy challenges via Twitter, Facebook, and e-mail.

With 765 total points, the individual high score went to Jessie McClellan of the Casper College Ag Club in Wyoming. She will receive a $250 scholarship. Jacob Nyguis of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Georgia came in second place with 655 points and will be awarded $100.

Members of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s Cattlemen’s Club formed the top-scoring club with 3,030 points. The group will receive a $750 scholarship and a trip to Washington, D.C. for one representative to attend the Alliance’s Stakeholders Summit in April. Casper College’s Ag Club came in second place with 2,525 points and will receive $300. Other high-scoring schools included Pennsylvania State University, Western Kentucky University, and the University of Missouri.

You can listen to my interview with Jacob here: Jacob Nyhuis Interview

Animal Ag Alliance Stakeholders Summit Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2011 Agri-Marketing Conference is sponsored by NCBAAgWired coverage of the 2011 Agri-Marketing Conference is sponsored by United Soybean
Ag Groups, Animal Agriculture, Audio, Social Networking

Nebraskans Believe Farmers Take Care of Animals

Chuck Zimmerman

Sen. Tom CarlsonProtecting and growing agriculture amidst the activist conflict was the topic of the first panel discussion at the Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit. Nebraska Senator Tom Carlson was a panelist and he made it very clear that animal rights activists are not welcome in his state. He says that when these groups come into a state, they don’t know the state and they try to paint all of agriculture with a broad brush. The fact is that farmers love their animals and take very good care of them. He uses an anecdote of how during a winter blizzard farmers were out in the severe weather taking care of their livestock and HSUS was no where to be seen. He also pointed to research that found that ninety percent of people in Nebraska believe the livestock industry is important and ninety four percent trust farmers to take humane care of their animals!

The Senator believes the mission of the Church is number one and the mission to raise food to feed people follows and is a noble mission. He says activists just want to stop killing animals for food. They really aren’t in favor of the humane treatment of animals for food. He says this conference helps bring out how important it is for different agricultural interests to come together in the face of a common threat.

You can listen to my interview with Sen. Carlson here: Sen. Tom Carlson Interview

Animal Ag Alliance Stakeholders Summit Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2011 Agri-Marketing Conference is sponsored by NCBAAgWired coverage of the 2011 Agri-Marketing Conference is sponsored by United Soybean
Animal Activists, Animal Agriculture, Animal Health, Audio

Government Regulations Top Of Farmers Minds

Chuck Zimmerman

Sen. Pat RobertsKansas Senator Pat Roberts, ranking member, Senate Agriculture Committee, addressed the Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit. He spoke to a number of issues that included the farm bill and burdensome and troubling government regulations. Sen. Roberts is seen here receiving some cowboy cookie mix from our moderator, Jason Shoultz, America’s Heartland.

I’ll add some audio from his remarks later since I’ve got that recorder in use. However, I did get to ask him one question in the hall on his way out. I asked about anything animal agriculture interests should know when it comes to farm bill discussions and how things were going with efforts to curb unnecessary regulations from the EPA. He says that talking to farmers and ranchers around the country right now they don’t even bring the farm bill up. They’re most interested in regulations which he says they’re dealing with bill by bill. He thinks it’s premature to discuss the farm bill until hearings are held around the country and they determine a “number.”

You can listen to comments from Sen. Roberts here: Sen. Pat Roberts Interview

Listen to Sen. Roberts full comments here: Sen. Pat Roberts Full Remarks

Animal Ag Alliance Stakeholders Summit Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2011 Agri-Marketing Conference is sponsored by NCBAAgWired coverage of the 2011 Agri-Marketing Conference is sponsored by United Soybean
Ag Groups, Animal Agriculture, Audio

Martin|Williams Adds Kinze Manufacturing to Client Roster

Melissa Sandfort

Iowa-based Kinze Manufacturing, a leading agricultural equipment manufacturer, has selected Martin Williams, Inc. to create a new integrated branding and selling effort encompassing brand strategy, engagement strategy, social media, event marketing, advertising and public relations.

The win adds to Martin Williams’ roster of business and global corporate clients, which includes Cargill, Syngenta, Pfizer and Raymond James. Kinze is one of the largest,
privately-held, agri-business companies in the United States, specializing in high-tech equipment for planting and hauling grain.

Agencies

Speaking Up For Animal Agriculture

Chuck Zimmerman

Dr. Elizabeth ParkerThe past Chair of the Animal Agriculture Alliance is Dr. Elizabeth Parker, Chief Veterinarian, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Dr. Parker welcomed us all to the Stakeholders Summit of the Animal Agriculture Alliance and I caught up with her on our morning break.

Dr. Parker says that when she took over as Chair for the Animal Agriculture Alliance her goal was to help further develop the groundswell efforts of both individual farmers and farm organizations to tell their story and not let others do it for them. She says it’s a big challenge to become more of a “voice.” But she’s seeing more and more of what I call agvocating going on at the state level now. She points to the NCBA Masters of Beef Advocacy program as an example. She uses a great family example of how social media has an impact on what people know, or think they know, about where their food comes from. Social media is on the program here by the way.

You can listen to my interview with Dr. Parker here: Dr. Elizabeth Parker Interview

Animal Ag Alliance Stakeholders Summit Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2011 Agri-Marketing Conference is sponsored by NCBAAgWired coverage of the 2011 Agri-Marketing Conference is sponsored by United Soybean
Ag Groups, Animal Agriculture, Audio, Beef, NCBA

The Sickle Mower

Melissa Sandfort

Careful where you go burning grass or haphazardly cutting weeds because you never know what might be hiding amongst the rubbish. Along with the spike tooth disk, I found this sickle mower for mowing hay, grass or weeds. (Looks like it needed to be used right where it was sitting!) The operator sat on the seat to drive the horses that pulled the mower.

A short history on this mower:
Sickle mowers have a long bar on which is mounted fingers with stationary guardplates. In a channel on the bar there is a reciprocating sickle with very sharp sickle sections (triangular blades). The sickle bar is driven back and forth along the channel. The grass is cut between the sharp edges of the sickle sections and the finger-plates (this action can be likened to an electric hair clipper).

The bar rides on the ground, supported on a skid at the inner end, and it can be tilted to adjust the height of the cut. A spring-loaded board at the outer end of the bar guides the cut hay away from the uncut hay. The so-formed channel, between cut and uncut material, allows the mower skid to ride in the channel and cut only uncut grass cleanly on the next swath. These were the first successful horse-drawn mowers on farms and the general principles still guide the design of modern mowers.

Source: Wikipedia.(Where else?)

Today, we use large hay and forage disc mowers, built for compact tractors or full-size operations. If you want big, they got big. This modest sickle mower got its start around 1914 and is anything but big, but it got the job done.

Until we walk again …

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Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit

Chuck Zimmerman

Kay Johnson SmithThe tenth Stakeholders Summit of the Animal Agriculture Alliance is underway in Arlington, VA. The Executive Vice President is Kay Johnson Smith who welcomed us just a little while ago.

I spoke with Kay before we got started to learn more about what the Alliance does and get a preview of the program here. She says the AAA is a national umbrella organization that works to connect all stakeholders across the animal agriculture food chain to educate the public and media about the importance of the industry and to protect our ability to raise food in the United States. The Stakeholders Summit provides an opportunity to bring everyone together to make connections and listen to educational presentations. I’ll be conducting interviews with many of them, including farmer participants which will be posted during the next several days.

You can listen to my interview with Kay here: Kay Johnson Smith Interview

Photos from the the Summit: Animal Ag Alliance Stakeholders Summit Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2011 Agri-Marketing Conference is sponsored by NCBAAgWired coverage of the 2011 Agri-Marketing Conference is sponsored by United Soybean
Ag Groups, Animal Agriculture, Audio

Chuck Leavell and Sterling Microphones

Chuck Zimmerman

I’m sure you remember Chuck Leavell from stories we’ve done due to his involvement with New Holland. I haven’t heard from Chuck in a while. Then this evening I got my Mix Magazine e-newsletter and there’s an ad featuring Chuck for Sterling Microphones. Maybe ZimmComm should look into these further. What do you think? Does a tree farming rock and roller know what he’s talking about?

As you should know, he’s the piano man. At least in my mind (sorry Billy Joel). Here’s an associated video clip you farm podcasters might enjoy.

Equipment

USDA Wants Input on Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement

Melissa Sandfort

The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service is requesting comment on the creation of a voluntary National Leafy Green Marketing Agreement that would assist all segments of the leafy green industry in meeting commercial food quality and safety requirements.

To reflect the different climates, production practices and markets handling leafy green produce, USDA is proposing that there be eight regional zones represented on the Board. Representatives from these zones, appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture, would form a Board to manage the Agreement. The Board would include 26 representatives – 12 handlers, 10 farmers (at least two of which must be small farmers), one importer, one retailer, one food service representative and one member of the public.

“We are asking for extensive public participation with input from farmers and handlers as well as the public to develop a comprehensive, voluntary agreement that will meet the needs of everyone,” said AMS Administrator Rayne Pegg. “This agreement is a proposal at this point and we encourage your comments over the next 90 days. We will analyze the comments and decide how or whether to proceed with an agreement.”

Hear Administrator Rayne Pegg in radio interviews and a podcast below.

Radio Interview #1
Radio Interview #2
Radio Interview #3
Podcast

Audio, USDA

Agri-blogging Highway Ends (or at least Detours) for Davis

John Davis

My Dear Friends,

It looks like I have come to an end of my agri-blogging highway for AgWired.com. Well, maybe not an end, but at least a detour. For the next year, I won’t be able to provide you with periodic updates as I have accepted a new job.

I have been offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go to Afghanistan to help the Afghans start a radio journalism/production program, so they can get good information to the people of that country and not just what some mullah wants to tell them. Don’t worry about my safety; I’ll be warm and safe and dry in the cozy confines of Kandahar Air Base, protected by the finest collection of fighting men and women the world has ever seen. I only hope that my efforts will make their jobs a little easier and help Afghanistan recover from decades of war and strife.

In the meantime, I hope to check in from time to time and give you a glimpse of our efforts there.

I can’t tell you how much I have appreciated Chuck’s and Cindy’s efforts and opportunities they have afforded me. They are true friends. I also feel confident that between them and their pool of talented, sophisticated freelance journalists, they’ll continue to educate the world about the importance of American farmers and ranchers.

Thank you again for your readership, and I hope we can see each other again down that agri-blogging highway.

John

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