Investing Back In Agriculture

Meghan Grebner

Illinois and fiscal responsibility aren’t exactly words that go hand in hand but Illinois State Treasurer Dan Rutherford is trying to change that.  Earlier this week Rutherford announced his Ag Invest program in conjunction with the Illinois Farm Bureau.  Ag Invest (formerly known as Cultivate Illinois) partners with eligible lenders to offer low-interest loans to Illinois farmers that can be used for operating costs, equipment purchases, construction related expenses and livestock purchases.

So why tweak Cultivate Illinois?  Rutherford says their goal is to give Illinois farmers the opportunity to pay less interest in operating expenses.  He adds along with increasing the amount producers can now borrow – the Illinois Treasurer’s office has made the loan process less cumbersome for lenders and farmers.  By reducing the paperwork and tedious questions they are able to streamline the lending process.

The changes made to Ag Invest are key for Illinois Farmers.  Illinois Farm Bureau President Philip Nelson says, “Farming is a capital intensive industry and having access to capital is important to farmers.” He adds this is a positive step the Illinois is taking to assist its largest industry.

Ag Invest
Agribusiness

Foursquare Show Down at United Fresh

Chuck Zimmerman

Here’s an idea for your next convention or farm show. Wish I was going to United Fresh 2011 to compete in the DMA Solutions, Foursquare Showdown. DMA Solutions, Inc., is a marketing firm focused on the produce industry. I assume you all know about and use Foursquare by now right?

United Fresh 2011 attendees that have GPS-enabled mobile devices can download the foursquare app, connect with the contest and “check in” with The Core Blog at various points of interest throughout the week to win prizes.

“The fresh produce industry as a whole is finally starting to see the opportunities that social media marketing has to offer,” says Dan’l Mackey Almy, president. “We are hosting this contest to engage the industry at one of our most well attended events and to give our peers the opportunity to experience first-hand how social media marketing vehicles work to connect.”

United Fresh 2011 attendees that enter the contest should follow these simple steps to enter and win:

Download the foursquare app to their mobile phone
Login or create a foursquare account
Add The Core Blog as a friend in foursquare
Follow The Core Blog’s “check in” status on foursquare for tips and information throughout the Convention
Play to win one of several gift card prizes

To top it off, each of The Core Blog’s foursquare friends will be entered into a drawing for a $250 VISA gift card. For every new friend of The Core on foursquare, DMA Solutions will also give $10 to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans, up to $500. DMA Solutions will host a booth at the Global Conference on Produce Technology and Innovation on Thursday, May 5, 2011 at the Hilton Riverside Hotel. The booth will feature DMA Solutions’ new PLUG IN campaign designed to help fresh produce companies plug into consumers utilizing social media marketing.

Produce, Social Networking

Farm Podcaster Tool

Chuck Zimmerman

Here’s a great gift for your favorite farm podcaster. A USB microphone made by Samson that also looks very cool on your desktop or wherever you need to record. It’s the Meteor Mic.

Meteor Mic is the universal solution for recording music on your computer. Perfect for your home studio, Meteor Mic is also ideal for Skype, iChat or voice recognition software. With Meteor Mic, you can make incredible recordings that are out of this world.

Since there’s no need for drivers, you can start recording right out of the box on any computer. And Meteor Mic is compatible with most computer-based digital audio workstations. A USB cable and carry pouch are also included.

Read all about it on their website.

Equipment

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Bayer CropScience and DuPont announced that they have entered into a global licensing agreement for a canola herbicide tolerance trait.
  • Verde Bio-Science has added a line of patent-pending EPA-registered and USDA-certified organic products available for licensing by others.
  • GROWMARK announced it intends to purchase the assets of Select Seed, Camden, Ind.
  • A new online tool to help farmers decide which cover crops will benefit their row crop rotation is now available in Indiana.
    Zimfo Bytes

    Getting Logistical With GROWMARK

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Here’s the latest installment of our “Getting To Know GROWMARK” series. I talked logistics with Tracy Mack.

    He says they deal with storage and movement. That includes well over 100,000 truck loads of product a year, 650 barge loads, 9,000 rail cars and an occasional vessel. They do wholesale operations for members but also have a supply chain optimization tool they take out to them to analyze their retail movements, warehousing and blending. Then they can make sure it’s all integrated and optimized.

    Tracy sees lots of growth and price volatility in the future for the products they move and the freight to move the products. It’s fast moving with lots of competitive pressures. Since things have to move fast it makes “every day different and more exciting.” Flexibility is key for them.

    You can listen to my interview with Tracy here and learn even more about GROWMARK: Tracy Mack Interview

    Audio, GROWMARK

    Stealth Tweet Photo

    Chuck Zimmerman

    You never know when your photo is being taken these days thanks to smart phones. So while I was talking about new media I was also being tweeted via Twitpic, courtesy of Janice Person aka @JPLovesCOTTON.

    I was in St. Louis visiting with Monsanto and learning more about some of the things they are doing in corporate communications. Hopefully it was a two way learning/sharing experience!

    By the way, we’re nearing the deadline to submit nominations in the 2011 Farm Mom of the Year Contest.

    Uncategorized

    Teixeira Joins International Agri-Center

    Melissa Sandfort

    The International Agri-Center announced that it has named Liza Teixeira as Director of Communications. In her role, Teixeira will manage communications for the International Agri-Center, World Ag Expo, California Antique Farm Equipment Show and the Heritage Complex.

    Teixeira graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural science with minors in both agricultural communications and agricultural business. Born and raised in California’s Central Valley, she will use her background to relate with the changing needs of the agriculture industry.

    Prior to the International Agri-Center, Teixeira worked as the Public Relations Specialist for the California Strawberry Commission. In her role, she provided support for media relations, industry communications and public outreach. Most recently, she was responsible for membership, communications and education programs as Program Coordinator for the Tulare County Farm Bureau.

    Agribusiness, Farm Shows

    Alltech Opens Iowa Office

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Alltech moved into the heartland of America this week with the opening of the animal health and nutrition company’s newest location in Ames, Iowa.

    alltechFrom left to right, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey, Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds, Alltech Director of North America Dr. Mark Lyons, Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and Alltech President and Founder Dr. Pearse Lyons did the ribbon cutting honors to open the company’s 16th office in North America on Wednesday.

    Governor Branstad said he was pleased to welcome Alltech to Iowa. “Alltech has consistently demonstrated a commitment to quality in all facets of their business and I believe they will thrive in Iowa where they will have access to a superior workforce and provide valuable resources to Iowa’s agriculture and livestock industry.”

    The new Alltech facility will support sales in Iowa, offer a local support site for its growing customer base and help the company to develop a closer partnership with Iowa State University.

    Alltech

    The Watering Hole

    Melissa Sandfort

    I took a pottery class once in college. I think I made a coffee mug or an ash tray with the help of one of my artistic friends. That piece of clay wouldn’t mold if I willed it to.

    But this piece of artwork was made to be both beautiful and functional. It’s a vintage whiskey jug or water jug. They’d hand-pump the cold water from the well into this jug, soak a burlap cloth in water and wrap it around to keep it cool, and take it out to the threshers in the field on a hot afternoon.

    It’s from the Macomb Pottery company, incorporated in 1880, which eventually became Plant Number Three of Western Stoneware Co in 1906. The most recognizable stoneware they produced was the Cardinal brand of redware along with other specialty lines of stoneware and pottery. Facilities were sold in 1956.

    I bet this jug has seen a lot of whiskey and water.

    Until we walk again … ]

    Uncategorized

    Missouri Farmers Rally to Support Changes To Prop B

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Here’s to hoping Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon will sign SB 113 into law to try to bring a little common sense to the misguided Prop B that the wackos at HSUS conned voters into supporting. This afternoon a rally was held on the Capitol steps and organized and promoted by Missouri farm groups. You can find out more at Missouri Farmers Care.

    Rally to support Missouri Farmers! Using Prop B as a Trojan Horse, radical animal rights groups launched an attack on Missouri agriculture. Now, with Governor Nixon’s help, Missouri Farmers and animal welfare advocates have joined together to create a Missouri solution, but groups like HSUS are none too happy and are planning to protest. We need to send a strong message that Missouri will always Stand Up For Farmers!

    I think they did!

    Animal Activists