Introducing The ZimmPoll

Chuck Zimmerman

Starting today we’re launching a new feature on all the ZimmComm New Media news websites, including AgWired. This is a weekly quick-vote style poll which we’re affectionately calling the ZimmPoll.

The ZimmPoll is designed to gauge your opinions on a range of topics, including agriculture and agribusiness, emerging technologies and consumer trends. Look for a new poll each week in the sidebar on AgWired and on energy.agwired.com, PrecisionPays.com and WorldDairyDiary.com.

The ZimmPoll is sponsored by Rhea + Kaiser. “Target-audience opinions and insights are key to the success of all of our businesses today,” says Diane Martin, president and CEO of R+K. “We hope ZimmComm readers will benefit from – and have a little fun with – these real-time opinions of their ag industry peers.”

Start now and stay tuned for a new ZimmPoll each week. You’ll see results immediately, and we’ll also publish a weekly results recap where you’ll be able to share additional comments and ask questions about the week’s poll question.

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

ZimmPoll

Who Is Novus International

Chuck Zimmerman

Who is Novus International? Well, loyal AgWired fans know and at the recent NAFB convention Trade Talk session a lot more people found out. Pictured are (l-r) Jared Hux, Wendell Knehans and Tracy Barfield.

I spoke with Wendell about this question of just who Novus is. He says Novus is the company that puts together the micro ingredients for a healthy animal’s diet. As he puts it, “We make the other herbs and spices, nutrients, vitamins and antioxidants that complete the animal diet.” This creates healthier and more productive animals and a low cost food source for humans. Also of key importance to Novus is sustainability. Wendell says, “Novus wants to do the right thing for animal agriculture socially, environmentally and economically.” That’s their 3 part commitment to sustainability and their definition of the word.

You can listen to my interview with Wendell here: Novus International - Knehans Interview

While speaking with Jared I learned all about oxidative balance. It’s the balance between the “good stuff and the bad stuff in the animal.” So for Novus it’s all about animal nutrition. Jared points to their work in poultry to create “healthier eggs.”

You can listen to my interview with Jared here: Novus International - Jared Hux Interview

NAFB Convention Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, NAFB, Novus International

Behringer Joins BCS

Chuck Zimmerman

Our good friend Sally Behringer has a new job with our good friends at Blasdel Cleaver Schwalbe Communications. She’ll be an account manager on several key public relations accounts. The photo is from last week’s agency open house (party).

Behringer has more than 20 years of experience in agricultural public relations and marketing communications. She has served clients in the areas of companion, equine and production animal health, animal nutrition, agricultural chemicals, biotechnology, international agricultural policy and economics, agricultural equipment and other related areas.

Leigh Ann Cleaver, partner, BCS Communications, says adding Behringer to the BCS team builds upon the company’s extensive suite of marketing communications services. “Our business provides senior-level, experienced professionals who work with clients every day to help them accomplish their goals. Adding Sally to our experienced account team enhances our public relations services, especially in the areas of media relations, event management, trade show marketing, media training and communications.”

Agencies

Farm Bureau Celebrates 50 Years of Membership Growth

Cindy Zimmerman

The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) has more members than ever before.

afbfAccording to new AFBF membership figures, there are now 6,279,813 member families that belong to the nation’s largest general farm organization, marking 50 consecutive years of membership growth. State Farm Bureaus overall reported a total 2,149 more member families this year than in 2009.

American Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman credited strong agricultural advocacy programs at the local, state and national levels and the growing portfolio of services offered by state Farm Bureaus for the organization’s 50th straight year of membership growth.

Lots of state Farm Bureau meetings are being held around the country this month. Here in the home state of ZimmComm World Headquarters, Missouri Farm Bureau elected a new president yesterday. Blake Hurst of Atchison County will replace retiring Charlie Kruse, who has served as president for 18 years. Blake is not only a successful row crop farmer, he’s also a successful freelance writer who has had numerous agriculture-related articles published in The American Enterprise, Reader’s Digest, Wilson Quarterly and the Wall Street Journal. One of those we highlighted here on Agwired last year, a clever piece he wrote for The American Enterprise titled “The Omnivore’s Delusion.”

AFBF

Lucas to Chair House Ag Committee

Cindy Zimmerman

Congressman Frank Lucas (R-OK) has been selected to chair the House Agriculture Committee in the 112th Congress.

“It is an honor to continue in this leadership role of the Agriculture Committee where I have served since I was first elected to Congress,” Lucas said. “As a lifelong farmer from a diverse, agricultural state, I have lived the real world challenges farmers and ranchers face across the country. I will continue to be a strong voice for production agriculture and rural America.”

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Vice President of Government Affairs Colin Woodall says they believe Rep. Lucas will be a good chairman to represent the interests of rural America in general and beef producers in particular. “Under the leadership of Rep. Lucas, we expect the Environmental Protection Agency, USDA’s Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration and other departments within this administration to be held accountable for regulations that will stymie the success of innovative and creative cattle producers who are the very best stewards of the land,” Colin said in a statement from NCBA. “Rep. Lucas understands the importance of agriculture. He is aware of the unique challenges facing agriculture and is ready to pursue opportunities for the entire industry.”

NCBA

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