Sweet Holiday Greetings from Pioneer

Cindy Zimmerman

Pioneer made my day a little sweeter yesterday when a package of holiday cookies arrived on our doorstep in a cute Pioneer Plenish coffee mug.

Can’t show you a photo of the cookies because daughter Chelsea and I gobbled them up. We didn’t even save any for Chuck, they were just so AMAZING! Chocolate chip and cranberry and I presume made with Plenish(TM) high oleic soybean oil. They tasted like they were just baked! Thanks to the Plenish team at Pioneer Hi-Bred for the treat.

We’ve been hearing about Plenish for some time now and have even had a taste of the soybean oil used in cooking and in salad dressings at events like Commodity Classic. Pioneer VP for Crop Genetics R&D John Soper talked about the Plenish soybean trait during an interview at NAFB Trade Talk last month and said it is coming for growers in 2012. “It’s a great new product, the first really biotech trait for end use,” he told me. “It provides an oil much more like olive oil, very stable, very heart-healthy, doesn’t require hydrogenation so no trans fatty acid issues. Really a wonderful product for end users and the food industry.”

John also talked about some other new products in the pipeline, like improved drought-tolerant corn. Listen to my interview with John here: Pioneer's John Soper

Plenish was also one of the topics addressed by Pioneer senior marketing manager for soybeans Don Schafer during Trade Talk. He explained that they still need to get regulatory approval for the new soybean trait before it can go on the market. “That is one of the things we have to do in the industry is make sure that we have this product completely registered worldwide so that the grower doesn’t have any concern about being able to utilize the crop in the marketplace,” Don said.

Don also discussed the 29 new Y-series soybeans from Pioneer coming out in 2011, which will bring the total for the Y-series up to about 80. Listen to Don’s interview here: Pioneer's Don Schafer

Audio, Corn, NAFB, Pioneer, Soybean

BASF Team Supports NAAA

Chuck Zimmerman

Here’s the BASF team looking good at the National Agricultural Aviation Association convention. Their booth has been really busy and the stress relieving corn cobs are going fast!

Dr. Gary Fellows (second from left) has been busy not only interacting with customers in the booth but also conducting educational presentations and presenting the NAAA/BASF Agricultural Aviation Scholarships. I’ll have interviews with the winners posted soon.

I asked Dr. Fellows to tell my about all the ways that BASF has become involved in supporting and working with NAAA. He says that the ag aviators have become extremely important to modern production agriculture and BASF is proud to be a major sponsor. You can listen to my interview with Dr. Fellows here: Dr. Gary Fellows Interview

2010 NAAA Convention Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the NAAA Convention is sponsored by BASF.

Ag Groups, Audio, BASF, NAAA

NAAA Convention Live Auction

Chuck Zimmerman

Like a lot of associations, the National Agricultural Aviation Association conducts an auction to raise funds during their convention. Actually, there are both a silent and live auction. The live auction took place at the end of the day yesterday and it was a packed house and a good party. One of the big ticket items was a Pratt & Whitney Canada new PT6A-34 AG engine with basic warranty coverage of 1000 hours, with no calendar limit, new parts primary parts service and extended engine service policy.

I don’t know what the results were but I’m betting they were good since there is a record attendance at this year’s convention. You can get a feel for the action in a short video clip below.

2010 NAAA Convention Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the NAAA Convention is sponsored by BASF.

BASF, NAAA, Video

Status of Syngenta Seeds Product Launches

Chuck Zimmerman

It was almost deja vu for me at the recent NAFB convention Trade Talk session because I interviewed Wayne Fithian, Syngenta Seeds, just like last year. However, since the topic is “what’s new” you’ll hear a new story.

Wayne says they’re very lucky to have three major launches this year including Agrisure Viptera, Aphid Management System and a first wave of drought tolerant corn with Agrisure Artesian. In my interview he will tell you the status of each of these product launches. You can listen to my interview with Wayne here: Syngenta Interview

Incidentally, Syngenta Seeds just announced that they have submitted a petition for the deregulation of its Event 5307*, a next-generation corn rootworm trait to USDA.

Syngenta’s Event 5307 expresses the eCry3.1Ab protein, which has demonstrated resistance to corn rootworm in Syngenta trials. This protein has a novel mode of action that binds differently in the gut of target insects than the protein in Syngenta’s Agrisure® RW corn rootworm trait. As such, once approved, the new event will provide Syngenta with the opportunity to create proprietary trait stacks with multiple modes of action against corn rootworms.

Read more here.

NAFB Convention Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, NAFB, Syngenta

Ag Day Essay Contest

Melissa Sandfort

The Agriculture Council of America (ACA) calls on 9th to 12th grade students to submit an original, 450-word essay or a two-minute video essay about the importance of agriculture. This year’s theme is “American Agriculture: Your Food. Your Farmer.” and the deadline is Feb. 4, 2011.

The theme presents an opportunity for students to address how the agriculture industry continues to feed a growing population. Entrants may choose to either write an essay or create a video that acknowledges the many ways today’s growers are providing a safe, stable food supply and sustaining the significant role agriculture plays in everyday life.

The national written essay winner receives a $1,000 prize and round-trip ticket to Washington, D.C., for recognition during the Celebration of Ag Dinner held March 15 at Whitten Patio at the USDA. During dinner, the winner will have the opportunity to read the winning essay as well as join with industry representatives, members of Congress, federal agency representatives, media and other friends in a festive ag celebration. The video essay winner wins a $1,000 prize, and the winning video will play during the Celebration of Ag Dinner.

This is the 38th anniversary of National Ag Day.

All written entries should be sent to: Ag Day Essay Contest, Agriculture Council of America, 11020 King Street, Suite 205, Overland Park, KS 66210, or submitted by e-mail to essay@agday.org. Students may upload video essays here and follow the directions on the page, or students may choose to mail video entries to the address above on a CD. Click here to read official contest rules and for more details regarding entry applications.

Ag Day

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Ag Leader Technology, Inc., announced the February 2011 release of Advanced Seed Monitoring through the SeedCommand system.
  • Legendary agribusiness broadcaster Orion Samuelson will be recognized by the City of Chicago with an honorary street naming commemorating his 50 years of broadcasting on Tribune’s WGN Radio.
  • Chicken Farmers of Canada has responded to the high expectations of Canadian consumers by creating a new website, featuring a revamped, searchable recipe database, shareable content, social media options and other special features.
  • The StrategyOne Annual Holiday Shopping Index found that 79% of Americans believe the U.S. remains in a recession; only 10% rate the economy as excellent or good, and just 8% think the economy will be much better by next year.
    Zimfo Bytes

    Moon Over Savannah

    Chuck Zimmerman

    The moon has risen over Savannah, GA. The NAAA convention will continue tomorrow but I will be traveling back to Missouri. However, I have multiple interviews to post over the coming days so my coverage is not done.

    This evening the NAAA live auction took place and there are photos in the online photo album. It was very well attended and one of the more active ones I’ve attended.

    2010 NAAA Convention Photo Album

    AgWired coverage of the NAAA Convention is sponsored by BASF.

    Ag Groups, BASF, NAAA

    AgSync Is About More Than Mapping

    Chuck Zimmerman

    One of the exhibitors at the NAAA Trade Show is AgSync. I met Sales Manager, Clay Rassi who explained what the company offer agricultural applicators. Their slogan is “It’s not just about maps anymore.” It sure isn’t. For one thing the company has expanded their product and services via integrated partnerships that includes AgWired sponsor BASF.

    Clay says the company offers everything from customer management to mapping to communicating work orders to creating missions and organizing the loads and efficiency of the airplanes and more. From a precision ag standpoint their products help aerial applicators be more efficient while helping them make sure they’re in the right field and applying the right product. In my interview with Clay he describes their partners. BASF for example, assists with marketing their products.

    You can listen to my interview with Clay here: Clay Rassi Interview

    2010 NAAA Convention Photo Album

    AgWired coverage of the NAAA Convention is sponsored by BASF.

    Agribusiness, Audio, BASF, NAAA, Precision Agriculture

    Hey Santa – How About Some Green For the Holidays?

    Joanna Schroeder

    Oh, the weather outside is frightful,
    But the fire is so delightful,
    And since we’ve got no place to go,
    Fill Out a Survey! Fill Out a Survey! Fill Out a Survey!

    The snow doesn’t show signs of stopping,
    And I’ve bought some corn for popping,
    The lights are turned way down low,
    Fill Out a Survey! Fill Out a Survey! Fill Out a Survey!

    When I’ve completed the short questionnaire,
    How I’ll hate going out in the storm!
    So I’ll daydream about my online shopping spree,
    Where I’ll buy a sweater to keep me warm.

    I’ve clicked “register me to win,”
    And, my dear, I may win $250.
    All because it was snowing,
    And I Filled Out a Survey! Filled Out a Survey! Filled Out a Survey!

    I hope my rendition of “Let it Snow” hasn’t offended you too much to fill out our AgWired survey. If not, those who complete the survey will have a chance to win $250. Happy Holidays and may Santa bring you some extra green this year.

    ZimmComm Announcement

    Cute Baby Blogging At NAAA

    Chuck Zimmerman

    I’m taking a cue from my daughter Chelsea and doing a little cute baby blogging. She has it as a regular feature on her website.

    In this photo we have cute NAAA Trade Show baby after stopping by the BASF booth. She’s holding one of the corn cob stress relievers that attendees will find when they stop by. Somehow I don’t think this potentially future aerial applicator is under a lot of stress at the moment!

    2010 NAAA Convention Photo Album

    AgWired coverage of the NAAA Convention is sponsored by BASF.

    Ag Groups, BASF, NAAA