The American Angus Association says that “It’s more than just a breed of cattle – it’s about people and our relationship with the land.” That is truly evident in this edition of I Am Angus.
This is part of a series of posts we’re doing to introduce you to the American Angus Association via the library of videos they’ve produced over the years.
Sushi Peeps. That’s right. I thought this was just too good to pass up. PEEPS Sushi looks like a very healthy and sweet surprise for the office or anywhere. Actually, it’s not really sushi but sushi shaped. There is a difference.
Roll into something new this Easter – create fun sushi shapes with your favorite PEEPS(R)! Visit ww.marshmallowpeeps.com for more delicious recipes or to submit your own!
Get the recipe after the break: Read More
Ever watch the Sesame Street skit with Grover where he’s comparing near and far? It’s been a while since I’ve done then and now, so it was time to bring that back to the repertoire. I guess it’s an equal comparison: then (far) and now (near).
Then: This is a photo of a 2-row check row planter used in the 1920s and before. The mechanism was horse-drawn through the field as a wire was put down the row; and every 42 inches there was a knot in the wire and when it was tripped, the seeds were planted. They’d go back to the starting point, move the wire over by hand, and do it all over again down the next row.
Back then, they didn’t have mechanical weed control, so the 42-inch row/seed spacing allowed for a horse to fit through to cultivate. The result? A checkerboard or tic tac toe field pattern. And, this one was an improvement over the first of its kind as it has planter plates.
Now: Growers have abundant technology to farm faster, more acres, more hours, and more yield potential through the use of guidance systems and 24, 36 or 48-row planters. And that’s all in one shot: seed, fertilizer and crop protection.
Back then, if you farmed 80 acres you were a BIG operation. These days, 80 acres is just one small field.
Until we walk again …
This morning on KFEQ-AM 680 you could hear a conversation between me and Farm Director, Tom Brand. Tom likes to chat with other farm broadcasters on his weekly program and in this case he made it more of a farm webcaster. I really appreciated the opportunity to talk about what we do and in our conversation we also get into social media and how it’s being used by farmers today.
Tom and I worked together at the Brownfield Network once upon a time!
Listen in here: KFEQ Saturday Morning Get Together
Here’s the latest installment of our “Getting To Know GROWMARK” series. We’re going to talk about facilities planning and logistics with Tom Nealey, Facility Planning/Certified Grain Systems Specialist. He says they touch many parts of the company from an equipment standpoint. That includes fuel and propane delivery trucks. Also included are national account programs for members for equipment, vehicles and grain handling systems. There is a construction group to build elevators and an engineering department.
Tom says there are two parts to what they do for members that includes on-farm bins with full support and commercial construction for elevators. They have several of these projects in progress right now. He says they’re very busy this season. When it comes to facilities production they really cover the full process from design to construction. Although most of their work is for members they also bid on non-member work projects too. Safety and training are very important in this area and the company conducts on-going training support for members and customers.
You can listen to my interview with Tom here and learn even more about GROWMARK: Tom Nealey Interview
You should know by now that the AgChat Foundation has turned one year old this week and the weekly AgChat Twitter conversation is two years old. I’ll bet even Michele Payn-Knoper (founder) would not have predicted that! So the baby is growing up and there’s lots of interesting things going on as this farmer led organization continues to plough new ground in agricultural communications.
I spoke today with Jeff Fowle, President, AgChat Foundation and California farmer (that’s him under the hat probably tweeting away) to get an update on where we’re at and where we’re going. I also serve on the board of the Foundation and we had a very well attended and exciting board meeting by conference call last night.
Americans may have noticed a new social media trend this past year: more Facebook posts from the farm, more tweets from the tractor and more blogs from the back forty.
The timing of this social media “stampede” couldn’t be better, says Jeff Fowle, president of the AgChat Foundation. Celebrating its one-year anniversary this week, the AgChat Foundation is a 100-percent volunteer organization formed to empower farmers and ranchers to effectively tell their stories using social media. He says in one 2010 study conducted by the Hartman Group, 59 percent of consumers purchasing local said they wanted a “connection to the farmer.”
Bring yourself up to date on what’s going on with the AgChat Foundation by listening to this week’s program: ZimmCast 298 - AgChat Foundation Turns One
Thanks to our ZimmCast sponsor, Growmark, locally owned, globally strong, for their support.
The program ends this week with a song from Music Alley called “Chatshow Queen” by Stuart Willmott.
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
Home Farming Day is April 12th, and you can join the Home Farming movement by growing your own veggies and herbs at home. It’s easy. It all begins with a love of fresh, home-grown food…and a seed. From a pot on the windowsill of your apartment to a raised bed in your backyard, Home Farming has all you need for your home farm. Whether you’re a beginner or green-thumbed pro, there’s a place you can go to share and grow.
Here’s what the site can do:
– The Farm Plan tool can help you plan your plot.
– Keep track of your farm activity and share your successes with the community and your Facebook friends.
– Ask and answer questions to gain knowledge, help others, and get involved.
The season kicks off on April 12th with live “plantathons” in New York, L.A. and Tampa…and you could win $1,000 to create the ultimate home farm.
Sign on today and put your home farm on the map.
Probably should have done this before her first post, but AgWired is proud to introduce Meghan Grebner as our newest blogger.
Many of our readers probably already know Meghan, as she is an active member of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) and is currently serving as regional vice president for the organization. In 2009, she was honored with NAFB’s Horizon Award. She is a great agricultural reporter and photographer and we are grateful to the management of WMBD/WIRL in Peoria for allowing her to blog for us. She has served as agribusiness director for those radio stations since 2007 and is already well known in agricultural communications and marketing circles.
You can expect to hear from Meghan at least once a week with some of the enormous amount of coverage she generates for her stations, both on-air and on the website, CentralIllinoisAg.com. She will also be using her great agricultural background, reporting experience and photography skills to help us with event coverage.
You can also follow Megs on Twitter.com/@mkg81.
Welcome, Megs!
