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Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • The FDA has granted approval for feeding Optaflexx (ractopamine hydrochloride) to beef cattle as a topdress to increase live weight gain and improve feed efficiency during the final 28 days to 42 days of the finishing period.
  • Farm Market iD announced it has made available for commercial use previously unavailable information on more than 26,000 agricultural producers in Florida derived from local ownership records, and enhanced by GIS data and satellite imagery.
  • CHS Inc., announced it has named veteran agribusiness leader Carl Casale as its new president and chief executive officer, effective Jan. 1, 2011.
  • Boot Media, LLC, announced that “PegasusTV” will launch as digital channel 57.4 in the 10-county Houston television market on March 1, 2011, the first local affiliate channel of the new nationwide Pegasus Television Network.
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    Happy Thanksgiving!

    Cindy Zimmerman

    If you have food on your table today – thank God and thank our nation’s fabulous farmers and ranchers for the affordable, safe and abundant food supply they produce for the world.

    I found this poem online that gives good reasons to give thanks today for those who produce the food, fuel and fiber that we all enjoy everyday:

    I’m Just a Farmer, Plain and Simple
    By Bobby Collier

    Happy Thanksgiving From ZimmComm New MediaI’m just a farmer,
    Plain and simple.
    Not of a royal birth
    But rather, a worker of the earth.
    I know not of riches
    But rather, of patches on my britches
    I know of drought and rain,
    Of pleasure and pain.
    I know of the good and the bad,
    The happy and the sad.
    I am a man of emotions.
    A man who loves this land,
    And the beauty of its sand.
    I know of a spring’s fresh flow
    And autumn’s golden glow,
    Of a newborn calf’s hesitation,
    And the eagle’s destination.
    I know of tall pines,
    And long, waiting lines.
    Of the warmth of campfires,
    And the agony of flat tires.
    But I am a man who loves his job
    And the life I live.
    I am a man who works with God,
    I cannot succeed without his help,
    For you see,
    I’m just a farmer
    Plain and simple.

    Uncategorized

    Missouri Beef Council Thanks Farmers

    Chuck Zimmerman

    This week’s Checkoff Chat, the Missouri Beef Industry Council podcast, is all about #thankafarmer. Cindy talked with Whitney Wallace about the importance of thanking farmers for food, fuel and fiber.

    You can hear about ways that the MBIC has helped consumers better understand where their food is coming from and who produces it for them: MBIC Checkoff Chat

    Ag Groups, Audio, Beef, Food

    Give Farmers A High Five

    Chuck Zimmerman

    AlpharmaOn this #thankafarmer and #foodthanks day how about giving farmers a high five? Voting is now open in the 2010 Alpharma Reach Teach Learn Student Video Contest.

    Their are five videos entered in the contest and I just voted. Voting is being done via Facebook and it’s hard to decide but someone has to win!

    Uncategorized

    Zimfo Bytes

    Melissa Sandfort

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    • Premier Companies will be moving its main headquarters to a location at 875 S. Marr Rd. (Columbus, Ind.). The current office was damaged by floods in June 2008, yet the company has experienced financial growth over the past two years.
    • Paulsen Marketing interviewed producers to uncover why, when and where they are adopting new communication technologies.
    • John Deere has taken its annual preseason equipment sales promotion to new heights with the creation and launch of the Green Fever Sales Event and Sweepstakes.
    • John Deere has added three new lines of offset disks to its Frontier family of tillage products: the DH51 Series, the DH52 Series, and the DH53 Series.
      Zimfo Bytes

      Thank A Farmer For Food Aplenty

      Chuck Zimmerman

      We’re going to be doing a little bit of #thankafarmer while giving #foodthanks today.

      Let’s start with the National Corn Growers Association. They are thanking family farmers for providing “food aplenty.” The focus is on protein which is created by chickens, turkeys, cows and pigs who eat the corn produced throughout the country. You can learn more about it on their “What does protein do?” page.

      Ag Groups, Farming, Food

      Bioponica – The New Wave of Food Production?

      Joanna Schroeder

      Who wants to grow food in a box? Maybe not a lot of you yet but you just might after reading this story.

      David Epstein, D.O. a holistic osteopathic physician and Kenneth Lovell, P.E., a professional engineer have developed Bioponica, a food production system that turns food, yard and body waste into feed and then from feed to food. The system works by converting waste, that is more often than not sent to a landfill, into worm castings and worm teas that are used to fertilize soil-less hydroponic plant beds. Waste products used include grass clippings, table scraps, and other sources of carbon and nitrogen rich waste.

      “It is unfortunate that we have relied on our municipalities to dispose of waste, whether that be urine, food or yard trimmings, “ said Epstein. “It is not practical or sustainable. When nutrients that come from the environment or from the food we eat are buried in landfills or else incinerated then we lose that valuable resource and it becomes a greenhouse gas that negatively impacts our climate and environment. The alternative is to recycle nutrients with the least amount of effort and cost.”

      According to a company release, the system also hosts the growth of algae and duckweed, along with the microbes and aquatic animals that feed on the algae. All this, plus earthworms, become food for the fish. Yes, you read correctly. Bioponica is designed to use waste to feed fish in large-scale fish farms similar to the Farm in a Box aquaponic system.

      So on top of the fish farm is a table, or garden, that is designed to grow micro-greens and wheatgrass along with your variety of edible and medicinal plants. In other words, you can grow your own salad. The fertilizer for your greens comes from the fish below, which convert the waste into plant feed.Read More

      Agribusiness, Aquaculture, Fertilizer

      Broadband Out of the Wild Blue

      Chuck Zimmerman

      During the NAFB Trade Talk session I spoke with Matt Farr (not pictured), Wild Blue, about the company’s development. We’ve all been hearing about Wild Blue for years and according to Matt things have developed nicely. Here’s a short history:

      WildBlue launched its service aboard the U.S. capacity of Telesat’s Anik F2 satellite launched in July 2004. WildBlue-1, WildBlue’s second satellite, was built by Space Systems / Loral and went into service in early 2007. In August 2009, WildBlue activated service on a third satellite, AMC-15. In late 2010, ViaSat-1 is scheduled to launch, and will deliver next generation broadband services to customers in North America.

      Matt says they have almost a half million customers now, virtually all in rural areas. Next year they will be launching a new satellite which will deliver even faster service than current. Sounds like new choices coming to areas with no other options!

      Listen to my interview with here Matt: Interview with Matt Farr

      NAFB Convention Photo Album

      Audio, Internet

      Pope Stresses Importance of Agriculture

      Cindy Zimmerman

      Pope Benedict calls agriculture an “indispensable resource for the future” that is not given enough importance today.

      During an address on November 14, the Pope reflected on the importance of agricultural work in light of the global economic situation. “In this context a strategic re-launching of agriculture appears decisive. In fact, the process of industrialization has often overshadowed the agricultural sector, which, while also drawing benefit from modern technologies, has nevertheless lost importance, with notable consequences, even at the cultural level. I believe that this is the moment for the reevaluation of agriculture, not in a nostalgic sense, but as an indispensable resource for the future.”

      The Pope called for “a truly unified way to a new balance between agriculture, industry and services, so that development be sustainable, and no one go without bread and work, and so that air and water and the other primary resources be preserved as universal goods.”

      Something to think about this week as we “give our thanks to God for the fruits of the earth and the work of man.” Amen!

      Food

      American Gulf Coast Thanksgiving

      Chuck Zimmerman

      We are so blessed in this country to not only have so many choices of food but to actually have food to eat. Speaking of choices, you might want to check out the Food Channel’s American Gulf Coast Thanksgiving. It’s a tribute to the “resilient spirits of America’s Gulf Coast residents with a fabulous Thanksgiving feast full of sumptuous seafood, Creole accents and plenty of Southern tradition.” Sounds good I guarantee!

      In celebration of the inspirational efforts made by people rebuilding along the coast in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Texas after the devastating oil spill that followed several natural disasters, The Food Channel has prepared an entire Gulf Coast-style Thanksgiving menu, in tribute to the flavors and traditions that make that region of America distinctive. The Thanksgiving recipe collection is part of a series of articles on foodchannel.com chronicling the comeback of America’s Gulf Coast residents.

      Get the dish on recipes for everything from Southern-favorite starters, such as the French 75 champagne cocktail and Creole-spiced toasted pecans, to decadent desserts, including pumpkin cheesecakes with bourbon sauce and pear and cranberry tarts . Also, learn how to prepare New Orleans Oyster Dressing to blend perfectly with a Creole-Butter Roasted Turkey. Guests will delight in creative, taste-tempting sides served with Southern charm. Try the Crab-Stuffed Artichokes and Corn Maque Choux for truly fantastic additions to your Turkey Day plate.

      Food