RFA Ethanol Podcast

Being A Social Media Marketing Ag Leader

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast 292Last week we heard how one of the major ag groups is using social media. This week we’ll hear how one agribusiness “leader” is doing so. I spoke with Katie Beeler, Ag Leader Technology, about how the company is incorporating social media into the marketing mix. Ag Leader Technology is a long time sponsor of our Precision Pays website!

In our conversation Katie describes how they measure effectiveness, ways they incorporate a blog (Precision Point), Twitter, Facebook and YouTube into their overall marketing plan. She also provides some tips for those just getting started.

Hear how Ag Leader Technology is going social in this week’s program: ZimmCast 292 - Ag Leader Technology

This week’s program ends with some music from Music Alley. It’s called “Young Leaders of Tomorrow” by Duwende.

Thanks to our ZimmCast sponsor, Growmark, locally owned, globally strong, for their support.

The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired. Subscribe so you can listen when and where you want. Just go to our a Subscribe page

Ag Leader, Agribusiness, Audio, Precision Agriculture, Social Networking, ZimmCast

Ag Lawyer Warns of Government Regulation

Cindy Zimmerman

The challenge to American agriculture to produce more food, fuel, and fiber on decreasing acreage continues to be challenged by governmental regulation, according to Gary Baise, agricultural lawyer with Olsson, Frank, Weeda, Terman, Bode, and Matz law firm in Washington, D.C.

“Don’t think they (the EPA) can’t shut you down,” he said at the recent GROWMARK FS Green Plan Solutions “In Pursuit of Maximum Yields” conference in East Peoria. “There are policies in place and in the works that will restrict food production in the United States.”

“EPA can absolutely shut you down, or make it so expensive in terms of coming into compliance that you have to go out of business,” Gary told me in an interview after his address. He specifically talked about water issues, and the Chesapeake Bay Initiative in particular. “According to one study, 48 percent of the land in the six states around the Chesapeake Bay, that’s in corn, soybeans, grain sorghum, would have to come out of production and go into pasture land and timber in order to reduce the amount of phosphorus and nitrogen running into the bay. I think that’s very serious,” he said.

While Baise says EPA has taken many beneficial actions for the environment since its inception during the Nixon administration, he would say “at this point, it’s misguided, misdirected and ill-informed.” He believes the agency now refuses to take into account all the improvements and successes that agriculture has achieved through the use of new technology and advancements. “I don’t think that they think that we want to save money. We do not want to waste any of these expensive inputs. I don’t EPA takes that kind of commonsense into account.”

Listen to my interview with Gary Baise here: Gary Baise Interview

GROWMARK

NCGA to Feature IRM Calculator at Commodity Classic

Cindy Zimmerman

Hard to believe that Commodity Classic is just around the corner now, but it is – and, thankfully, so is spring!

As spring approaches, growers must again consider refuge requirement compliance. The National Corn Growers Association, along with agribusiness partners, offers the Insect Resistance Management Refuge Calculator as a tool to help farmers determine how to comply with varying and often complex regulations. The calculator is both easy to use and represents the latest products available.

“The calculator is a great jump forward for helping growers stay compliant,” said NCGA president Bart Schott. “We have been working on this tool for several years and are glad that we can share this type of tool with our growers.”

Listen to an “Off the Cob” interview with Bart, and Director of Biotechnology and Economic Analysis Nathan Fields, discussing the importance of this tool for growers. Off the Cob Feature on IRM Calculator

NCGA staff will be demonstrating the calculator at the organization’s Commodity Classic booth this year, along with information about other programs including the American Ethanol- NASCAR partnership, CommonGround and potential legislation for 2011. If you have not registered for Classic yet – hurry up! The deadline is Friday for on-line registration. Hope to see you there!

Audio, Commodity Classic, NCGA

BASF Continues Support of Operation S.A.F.E.

Cindy Zimmerman

basfBASF will continue support of Operation S.A.F.E. (Self-Regulating Application and Flight Efficiency) fly-ins in 2011 through its collaboration with the National Agricultural Aviation Association (NAAA). Through the partnership, BASF provides financial support for participating aerial applicators, which can be used towards membership in NAAA or for new spray equipment.

“More than 800 aerial applicators participated in 99 Operation S.A.F.E. fly-ins over the last two years,” said Tony Goede, BASF Plant Health Coordinator. “This important program helps ensure efficiency for the entire aerial application industry.”

basfIn order to take advantage of the BASF Equipment and NAAA Membership Rebate Program, an operator or pilot must be an NAAA member. Although it is not necessary to be a member to participate in an Operation S.A.F.E. fly-in, that person must become an NAAA member before applying for and being granted approval for the rebate application. Then the operator or pilot can apply to be reimbursed for some or all of their 2011 membership dues or submit receipts to receive a rebate for nozzles and/or tips purshased for the aircraft.

“This program is proven to enhance professionalism in the aerial application industry by directing aerial applicators to join NAAA, where they have access to the library of education and communication stewardship services offered by the association,” said Andrew Moore, Executive Director of NAAA. “The program also allows applicators to equip their aircraft with new equipment to ensure precise applications. We appreciate BASF’s commitment to the industry, and thank them for making this incentive program available.”

Find out more at plant-health-pilots.com for the variety of resources BASF provides aerial applicators, including an “Ask the Expert” section for your toughest aerial application questions and true flight stories from aerial applicators across the country.

BASF, NAAA

South Dakota Beef Industry Council Names Exec Director

Melissa Sandfort

The South Dakota Beef Industry Council names Ron Frederick as its new Executive Director effective Feb. 21, 2011.

Frederick has a long history with the beef industry, working in animal health for twenty years as a sales representative and regional sales manager with Fort Dodge Animal Health/Syntex. Prior to his sales career, Frederick worked in agricultural extension for South Dakota State University as an educator in Hyde, Faulk and Potter counties. Most recently, Frederick has been focusing attention on his cow/calf operation, the Forty 5 Cattle Company, near Mission, S.D.

Frederick comes to the SDBIC with years of experience in working with cattle producers across the region. “I enjoy the people side of the business and I look forward to meeting with producers to spread the message of the effectiveness of the Beef Checkoff Program.” Frederick points to a recent University of Florida study which found a $5.55 return for every dollar invested in the program.

Frederick believes the beef industry faces many challenges today with rising input costs and the current consumer economy. Frederick, along with the SDBIC Board of Directors, will administrate the Beef Checkoff in the state in an open and transparent manner, welcoming input from all producers.

Beef

ADVENT From Novus Keeping Broilers Healthy

Chuck Zimmerman

Bruce KingI’m still learning about the new things going on at Novus International, especially when it comes to poultry. At the recent International Poultry Expo I spoke with Bruce King, Biologicals Director, about a product called ADVENT.

Bruce says ADVENT is a vaccine for coccidiosis control in broilers. He says that other products are seeing some resistance to the disease and the industry is becoming more open to vaccines. He says they’ve learned that they can use the product in small birds. Coccidiosis is estimated to be the number one disease in broilers in the world.

You can listen to my interview with Bruce here: Interview With Bruce King

2011 International Poultry Expo/International Feed Expo Photo Album

AgWired IPE/IFE coverage sponsored by: Novus

Animal Health, Audio, Novus International, Poultry, Poultry Expo

AgCam Gives You an OverView

Chuck Zimmerman

Need a camera on your combine, tractor, grain bin or just about anywhere else on the farm? Try AgCam by Dakota Micro. The photo shows just one of the many places (pdf) you can put these cameras.

Dakota Micro, Inc., manufacturers of the AgCam camera system, is proud to announce the arrival of our newest product line. The OverView camera system (pdf) is the final component that allows us to offer our customers a complete camera lineup.

The AgCam was designed as the top of the line, quality product to survive rugged, wet and just plain gruesome environments. The OverView fills the gap, offering customers a well built camera system at a lower cost. The addition of this system allows Dakota Micro to fill the needs of both quality and price point.

Starting at an MSRP of just $322, the OverView will boast a high color contrast ratio monitor with bright LED backlighting, watertight cameras, forward/mirror image selection, high intensity night vision, choice of standard or quad display, and an 18 month warranty. Customers will be able to upgrade their systems easily to wireless without having to buy their equipment all over again. The OverView will also feature the same connectors as the currently available low cost systems.

As a small token of our appreciation of our American Service Men and Women who defend our freedom to be the best we can be every day of our lives, we have decided to donate a portion of profits from the OverView camera system to a program called AnySoldier. Please check out their website to see what it’s all about: www.anysoldier.com.

To see how tough these cameras are watch the video:

Agribusiness, Equipment

Visit AgWired at Western Farm Show and Enter Drawing

Chuck Zimmerman

AgWired will be at the Western Farm Show and with this map you can easily find us. The show runs February 25-27 in Kansas City, MO and we’re a media partner for the first time.

I’ll be conducting social media seminars on Friday and Saturday and providing general show coverage right here. If you stop by the booth you’ll be able to enter a drawing for an iPod Touch courtesy of ZimmComm and our sponsor Raven Industries.

Western Farm Show

National Farm Machinery Show

Chuck Zimmerman

If you can see the logo then you know where I’ll be this week. That’s right. Time to get back on the agriblogging highway and head to Louisville for the National Farm Machinery Show.

This will be the 46th show and once again it will be combined with the annual Championship Tractor Pull now in its 43rd year. Last year’s combined attendance was 299,137. This year you can expect eight interconnected exhibit halls totaling more than 1.2 million square feet of indoor exhibit space and containing more than 850 agricultural displays.

Here’s hoping for that warm weather trend to continue. I’ll have coverage starting on Wednesday.

National Farm Machinery Show

Did You Back-Up Your Safe Deposit Box?

Melissa Sandfort

Okay, so you probably can’t back-up your files in a safe deposit box unless you make photocopies of them and put them in … you guessed it … another safe deposit box. This is an old-timer version of a PDA, or an iPad, or whatever hand-held device is small enough to fit in your plaid shirt pocket and hold all the data you can dream of and more.

But back in the late 1800s, this was where all farm records were kept. This was from my great-great grandfather John Henry (a good, strong farmer’s name) who passed away in 1936. On the top is engraved what appears to be a social security number, but after doing a little research, it must have been his son’s SSN because they didn’t start issuing them until 1936. John Henry died before he even “became a number”. All of the numbers that mattered to him and to his farm were kept in this steel safe deposit box.

From the safe deposit box, we’ve grown to notepads and pencils to electronic ear tags for livestock and computer farm management software.

Recently, I bought myself a portable external hard drive for backing up my computer files. But I looked down and realized it’s plastic. (Right? It’s made of plastic and a little metal.) So if our house goes up in flames, it does me no good unless it’s where? That’s right. In my fireproof safe deposit box! Maybe we haven’t come as far as I thought.

Until we walk again …

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