Commodity Classic Trade Show Ribbon Cutting

Chuck Zimmerman

Commodity Classic Trade ShowThe Commodity Classic trade show is now in session right after a ribbon cutting. I was a little slow on the trigger but there was a ribbon up there.

During the special time the media gets to attend before the show is open to all attendees Cindy and I took some photos and did some interviews which we’ll be posting soon. So please check our photos and see who you know.

Visit our photo album often: 2011 Commodity Classic Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2011 Commodity Classic
is sponsored by: BASF New Holland and AgHaven

Commodity Classic

The Hay Rake

Melissa Sandfort

I’ve mentioned that I’m a corn and soybeans kind of gal. But I’m broadening my horizons and learning more about hay.

This rake sits outside my Grandpa and Grandma’s house. Back in the late ‘teens, the rake was pulled by two horses while the operator would sit on the seat. He had two pedals –- one to engage the dogs in the hubs of the wheels to raise the teeth to drop the hay when you had a load, and the other pedal to drop the teeth back down to the ground to rake the hay. The loads were dumped in windrows and when they were dry, they’d rake the windrow into bunches and pick them up with a pitchfork and load them onto the hay rack.

Sometimes in the spring when corn stalks were heavy, they’d use this rake to break the corn stalks and then windrow them and burn them. It cleaned up the field – back then, they didn’t utilize no-till farming practices.

The rake was soon replaced with a ground-driven side-delivery rake that moved hay laterally to a windrow. Today, a windrower cuts it and windrows it all in one operation.

Did you see that? I said “dogs in the hubs” like I knew what I was talking about. I had to ask Grandpa for further clarification. Dogs are notches.

I knew that.

Until we walk again …

Uncategorized

BASF Xemium Fungicide Difference

Cindy Zimmerman

2011 commodity classic basfBASF Crop Protection is well known for the super effective and ever popular Headline fungicide, but company officials say the newly developed Xemium is a totally different animal that will serve to complement Headline.

BASF is developing uniquely-designed formulations that provide complete coverage of the leaf surface and systemic distribution to ensure the product not only moves within the leaf but also to other parts of the plant not covered during application. These optimized molecular formulas should provide several characteristics that will make Xemium valuable to growers.

“In two years of U.S. on-farm research, we have seen impressive results from Xemium fungicide, especially in disease control,” said Scott Walker, Ph.D., BASF Biology Project Manager for Fungicides. “Field trials show Xemium to be a highly effective fungicide against several major crop diseases in a variety of crops including cereals, corn, soybean and specialty crops like pome and stone fruits.”

Listen to or download my interview with Scott here: BASF Scott Walker Interview

2011 commodity classic basfIn the United States, Xemium will be a brand of fungicides, sold under the trade names Merivon™ fungicide, Priaxor™ fungicide and Systiva™ fungicide.

“Research has been conducted on these individual products, and we have seen consistent performance because of the continuous protection provided by Xemium,” said Nick Fassler, BASF Technical Market Manager. “Merivon, Priaxor and Systiva will also be important tools for managing fungicide resistance. When used rotationally with other chemistries, products containing Xemium will help combat resistance to tough fungal pathogens.”

Listen to or download me interview with Nick here: BASF Nick Fassler Interview
BASF Commodity Classic Photos

2011 Commodity Classic Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2011 Commodity Classic
is sponsored by: BASF New Holland and AgHaven

Audio, BASF, Commodity Classic

Learning the Science Behind Xemium Fungicide

Cindy Zimmerman

2011 commodity classic basfBASF Crop Protection presented educational information and research results on a new active ingredient, Xemium® fungicide, during the fifth annual “Science Behind” media symposium Wednesday in Tampa, just prior to the kickoff of the 2011 Commodity Classic. This new chemistry demonstrates strong field test results in disease control in a variety of crops being researched. BASF hopes to introduce products containing this new active ingredient in the United States in 2012.

Xemium, a next-generation fungicide in the carboxamide family, was discovered by researchers at BASF headquarters in Limburgerhof, Germany. Xemium is a result of BASF experience in research and development, specifically in the carboxamide class of chemistry.

2011 commodity classic basf“Our history and experience with carboxamides led us to the discovery of Xemium, which will be a strong addition to our existing global fungicide portfolio,” said Dr. Ulf Groeger, BASF Global Project Leader for Xemium. “The unique mobility in the plant ensures a long-lasting preventative and curative effect to protect the crop from damaging fungal pathogens.”

I interviewed Dr Groeger to get a brief explanation of the science behind Xemium. Listen to or download that interview here: BASF Ulf Groeger Interview

The development of Xemium marks a continuation of BASF’s strong fungicide portfolio, which includes the popular Headline. “BASF is committed to developing new chemistries and innovative products to advance the industry,” said Paul Rea, Vice President, U.S. Crop Protection, BASF. “We are rooted in research and development, and the discovery of the Xemium molecule is yet another testament to our promise to help growers get the most out of every acre.”

Xemium fungicide was submitted for registration through a workshare joint review between the U.S. EPA, Canada PMRA and Australia APVMA in early 2010. U.S. registration of Xemium is anticipated in 2012.

I also interviewed Paul about the new ingredient and BASF’s commitment here. Listen to or download that interview here: BASF Paul Rea Interview
BASF Commodity Classic Photos

2011 Commodity Classic Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2011 Commodity Classic
is sponsored by: BASF New Holland and AgHaven

Audio, BASF, Commodity Classic

Classic Weather in Tampa

Chuck Zimmerman

Hello from Tampa, FL. It’s warm and sunny and that’s a welcome relief for farmers who have been dealing with some pretty severe winter weather.

Cindy and I are set up in the New Holland sponsored media room. We waited until this morning to get our photo album started. Attending various company media events yesterday didn’t allow us good internet access time. So, we’ll be reporting on our sponsor activities as well as other stories we find through the next several days. Next on our agenda is the media only time in the trade show in just a little while.

Night Water TampaJust to give you a contrasting look at Tampa, here’s one from last night of the convention center. I call it picture perfect and hope it stays that way!

Activity here in the media room has really picked up. I can hear on-air ag journalists doing their shows and interviews are being scheduled as the ag media check in. We’ll see you from the show!

Visit our photo album often: 2011 Commodity Classic Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2011 Commodity Classic
is sponsored by: BASF New Holland and AgHaven

Commodity Classic

The Ag Industry Now Has An AgHaven

Chuck Zimmerman

AgHaven LogoLet me introduce you to AgHaven, an ag-specific community website and search engine. I have been an AgHaven Beta tester and am also happy to announce that AgHaven will be one of the sponsors of AgWired coverage of Commodity Classic where the official announcement of the new online location is being made.

I got a preview of what members of the agribusiness industry will find from Brian McGahey, AgHaven Director.

You can learn more about AgHaven from my interview with Brian here: Brian McGahey Interview
Growers, ranchers and other agriculture industry professionals who are frustrated by Internet search engines not turning up relevant results now have a better option.

AgHaven announced the launch of its breakthrough website www.aghaven.com this week at Commodity Classic, which is designed to provide relevant search results specific to agriculture and offer online marketplace and networking opportunities.

“The ag industry is one of the most important industries in our country and in the world, but we realized this market was underserved when it came to online experiences,” said Srik Soogoor, president of AgHaven. “It is exciting to develop the next generation web application that’s just for agriculture without the challenges that people may experience on other sites.”
 Read More

Agribusiness, Audio, Commodity Classic, Internet

BASF Presents The Science Behind Xemium

Cindy Zimmerman

BASF Science Behind Xemium SymposiumBASF Corporation introduced an exciting new fungicide technology to the agricultural media during a seminar held at Busch Gardens prior to the kickoff of the 2011 Commodity Classic in Tampa.

BASF used the latest in video technology to introduce the newest in fungicide technology by kicking off the seminar with a 3-D presentation that used high-tech animation to explain how it works. Not only cool, but informative – and their 3-D glasses are WAY better than the kind you get at the theater!

BASF Science Behind Xemium SymposiumWe’ll have lots more details on Xemium, but here’s the bottom line. According to the research, Xemium has high intrinsic activity, long-lasting residual control, consistent distribution in the plant for preventative and curative effects, and broad spectrum control. Like Kixor herbicide, Xemium is a technology that will be used in a number of new fungicide products for a variety of different crops. BASF is hoping for approval by early 2012.

More to come!

AgWired coverage of the 2011 Commodity Classic
is sponsored by: BASF New Holland and AgHaven

BASF, Commodity Classic

Catching up with a Former Ag Secretary

Cindy Zimmerman

Prior to the start of the 2011 Commodity Classic in Tampa, Bayer CropScience held its annual Ag Issues Forum featuring a number of prominent experts in the areas of trade, policy, finance and environmental issues.

2011 commodity classic clayton yeutterOne of those experts was an old friend, former Secretary of Agriculture and U.S. Trade Representative Clayton Yeutter, who is pictured here with Bayer CropScience executives Mike Deall and Alan Ayers. It’s been a couple of decades since I had the opportunity to interview Clayton, so it was a real treat to spend a few minutes with him to get his thoughts on agriculture and trade policy, 2011 and beyond.

His remarks to the agricultural journalists centered on how we keep American agriculture profitable in the future. “The key to that really is the international side,” he said. “Basically, what’s happening in Asia today is an absolute explosion in demand for food, for example.”

The former USTR, who is still very much involved in global trade issues as the Senior Advisor for International Trade with the law firm Hogan Lovells, said it is important for the U.S. to approve the pending trade agreements with Columbia and Korea. “The present administration has been sitting on these agreements for two solid years now because they haven’t wanted to challenge the labor unions who don’t like them,” he said. “At some point, the president has to exercise some leadership and say ‘enough is enough – I want to get these agreements approved and I’m going to send them to Congress. Vote for them!'”

Yeutter also talked about how agriculture might fare in the upcoming Farm Bill debate, gave some thoughts on the ethanol issue, and said he is excited about the future for U.S. agriculture. “From the demand perspective, we’ve never seen it this good, globally,” he said. “Only five percent of the people in the world are in the U.S., the other 95 are outside. And fortunately for U.S. agriculture, a lot of those folks are in a position to buy food – way more today than when I was secretary of agriculture 20 years ago!”

Listen to or download my conversation with Clayton Yeutter here: Clayton Yeutter Interview

We will be starting to upload photos from Classic soon and coverage of the entire event is just beginning – so stay tuned!

Audio, Commodity Classic, Trade

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • American Farmland Trust, USDA NRCS and Farm Foundation NFP invite you to participate in a forum to address the future of U.S. agriculture, natural resource conservation and rural lands.
  • The 29th National Beef Cook Off is kicking off a recipe contest for everyday home cooks and entertaining enthusiasts nationwide. Submit your best beef recipes online for a chance to win $25,000 cash and a trip to the Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show in Washington D.C.
  • AGROTAIN International has launched new websites for two of its flagship agricultural products: AGROTAIN PLUS and SUPERU.
  • Certified Angus Beef recently released a video titled, “Why Beef Is Getting Better”.
    Zimfo Bytes

    Agri-marketing Is a Profession

    Chuck Zimmerman

    I thought we’d have a little fun with our latest ZimmPoll just to see what people really think about the professional nature of what we do – agrimarketing. I got a lot of comments like “I’ve never considered that it isn’t.” However, I was curious if we’d have any no votes and we did!

    So the question was, “Is agricultural marketing and communications a profession?” 89% say yes and 11% say no. If you voted no I’d love to know why. Feel free to post a comment here.

    Our next ZimmPoll is now live and we’d love your thoughts on a current topic of interest. “How much do you think the public understands about GMO crops?” I would prefer to call it biotech or GM crops but most media seem to like the GMO designation. For example, look at a poll going on over at MSNBC Health that’s asking the question: “Do you believe genetically modified foods should be labeled?” What’s interesting is not the question and answers but the over 1,000 comments so far. Some are extremely vicious. Let’s know what you think and thanks for participating.

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

    ZimmPoll