The Tea Leaf Collection

Melissa Sandfort

Before we got married, we went to the store and registered for gifts we thought we needed as a new couple, some of which included two sizes of plates, matching bowls and coffee mugs. I think a place setting totaled about $8, if memory serves me right. The coffee mugs have never been used – I guess square plates are okay, but square mouths on coffee mugs is just on oddity, according to my husband.

However, if you visit my Grandmother’s house, you might notice four china hutches stacked FULL of fancy dishes. First entered in the British Registry in 1856, white ironstone china became very popular in England and was soon exported to America in 100-pound barrels, sometimes used as ballast for merchant ships. This display is the “tea leaf” pattern, part of my Grandmother’s collection, which has been a popular special display at the local museum. Her mother started the collection when she was given a sugar bowl by her grandmother. In the 1940s, relatives and friends added to the collection and my Grandmother inherited the collection in the 1960s. She has added various pieces from many sources and now there are more than 300 pieces of the fine china.

I’m guessing that a place setting is more than $8. The art of china hutches packed full with great-grandmother’s dishes is lost … but somehow, my Grandma has managed to salvage not only a beautiful set of dishes, but a large piece of history.

Until we walk again…

Uncategorized

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • The Chicago Farmers 75th Anniversary Luncheon will bring together old and new friends, and commemorate the special occasion with Master of Ceremonies, Orion Samuelson.
  • The North American alpaca industry is meeting to discuss an industry-wide initiative to support the increased growth of a domestic alpaca fiber market.
  • For the past two years, Pfizer Animal Health has helped to increase interest in livestock animal medicine by giving first- and second-year veterinary medicine students some “hands-on” training in the field as a part of Pfizer Animal Health’s Commitment to Veterinarians.
  • Pioneer Hi-Bred announced the launch of its newly redesigned website – www.pioneer.com – which will quickly link growers to local, relevant and timely crop production-focused information.
    Zimfo Bytes

    Farm Bureau: Republicans Not Bad for Agriculture

    John Davis

    While some are worried that the new fiscal hawks who were elected as the Republicans swept control of the U.S. House will be bad for agricultural interests in this country, the American Farm Bureau Federation says the shift to the right doesn’t necessarily mean the wrong path for farm policies.

    “I know there’s people in the press who have said, ‘Oh gosh, [incoming Speaker of the House Republican] John Boehner’s gonna kill farm programs.’ I think that’s far from the truth. He’s a very smart guy, and he’s going to recognize a lot of the new people coming in are rural Republicans, and the Farm Bill’s going to mean a lot to those folks,” Mary Kay Thatcher, Director of Public Policy at AFBF, told our own Cindy Zimmerman during the Trade Talk session at the recent National Association of Farm Broadcasters meeting in Kansas City. While she believes farm programs will take some cuts, it won’t be more than what other programs are asked to give up.

    She says members of Congress during the lame duck session will kick the budget to the next Congress coming in after the first of the year by passing a continuing resolution and will at least temporarily extend some of the Bush tax cuts before they expire on January 1st. But she’s not as optimistic that the ethanol and biodiesel tax breaks will be extended. Thatcher says they could be renewed on a temporary basis, but she’s not sure after that.

    “It’ll be short term … six months, maybe a year … and then the new Congress will have to figure out where do you get the money to pay for that stuff.”

    Thatcher says new advocacy groups, such as the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA), will be very important to keep the voice of the American farmer alive, despite there being fewer and fewer farmers and fewer and fewer farmers represented in Congress each year.

    “I think we’ve got to do everything to try to put that simple message about what farmers do out there. Make sure people know you don’t get milk from a grocery store; you get it from a cow. We’ve probably got to do some advertising, [which] we didn’t have to do in the past,” says Thatcher.

    Thatcher says the Farm Bill and biofuels tax credits will be big topics of discussion when the AFBF holds its 92nd Annual Meeting, Jan. 9-12, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia … just as the new Congress comes into session in Washington. She admits the ethanol tax credit could end up taking a hit from some of the new fiscal hawks elected this year. Thatcher does believe that farmers will be helped by the fact that Republicans have taken control of Congress, and thus, taken control of the purse strings of the Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies that have put up roadblocks. And that could ease some of the restrictions the government has put on the agribusiness sector in the past few years.

    Listen to more of Cindy’s interview with Mary Kay here: Mary Kay Thatcher, AFBF

    AFBF, Biodiesel, Biofuels, Ethanol, NAFB

    National Ag Hall of Fame Bricks

    Chuck Zimmerman

    A pathway of “knowledge and appreciation for the American farmer” is being built brick by brick by the National Agricultural Hall of Fame. You can show your support and have your loved one’s name permanently placed in the “Farmer’s Walk of Fame” with a custom made paver.

    For a donation of $125 each donor will receive
    • an engraved 4×8 brick (or $225 for an 8×8) placed at the Ag Hall of Fame,
    • frame-suitable certificate,
    • one-year membership to the Ag Hall of Fame,
    • The knowledge that you are supporting the National Agricultural Hall
    of Fame and our ability to honor the American Farmer and help educate
    all who visit about the past, present, and future of farming.

    Special Recognition for Farmers: Let us know if your contribution is in honor/memory of a farmer and we will be sure to place your brick in our walkway specifically designated for farmers.

    For more information visit: www.AgHallofFame.com

    Ag Groups

    Economics blamed for declines in barley acres in Western Canada

    Harry Siemens

    By Harry Siemens / Farmscape.ca   —  While those who support the Canadian Wheat Board would have producers believing the drop in barley and even wheat acres has to do with weather and other such things, but there are those who actually think it has to do with economics.

    A researcher with the University of Saskatchewan told Bruce Cochrane at Farmscape.ca the main reason for recent drops in the number of acres seeded to barley in western Canada is economics.

    End users of barley have expressed concern over the dwindling number of acres seeded to the crop in western Canada in recent years.

    Dr. Brian Rossnagel, an oat and barley breeder with the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre, said it comes down to economics and barley just isn’t priced high enough.Read More

    Uncategorized

    StollerUSA Celebrates Its 40th Anniversary

    Joanna Schroeder

    Back in 1970, Jerry Stoller started StollerUSA with a few dollars and some unusual ideas and now the company has a global footprint and a lot of acceptance in the U.S. Today, Jeff Morgan, Stoller’s marketing director, said that they are happy to commemorate their 40 year anniversary.

    AgWired reporter Chuck Zimmerman was able to catch up with Morgan during the annual NAFB Trade Talk in Kansas City. StollerUSA may be 40 years old, but each year they are releasing bigger and better products to help the grower succeed.

    “The success of our Bio-Forge product continues to increase. Growers are beginning to understand how our products dovetail into their programs,” said Morgan. “They spend a lot of money on seed. There are a lot of genetic traits built into that seed that they need. The challenge becomes when they go out and stick it in the dirt, nature takes over and they need to find a way to extract all that potential. That’s where Stoller products like Bio-Forge come in. We help extract all that potential out of that seed so you can earn that ROI.”

    The evidence comes out in the field and was demonstrated when Missouri farmer Kip Cullers broke the soybean yield record. One of the products he used was Bio-Forge. Morgan noted that one thing Kip did that other growers can emulate is that he pre-treated his seed with Bio-Forge. According to Morgan, it’s a cost effective way for growers to become familiar with Stoller technology.

    You can learn more about Bio-Force and other Stoller products in Chuck’s interview with Jeff. Increasing Yield With Bio-Forge

    NAFB, Seed, Soybean

    Stabenow New Senate Ag Chair

    Cindy Zimmerman

    U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) has been chosen to be the new chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, replacing Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas who was defeated in her re-election bid.

    “I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, as we begin writing a new farm bill that once again recognizes the importance of America’s agricultural economy and rural communities,” Senator Stabenow said in a statement.

    The American Farm Bureau Federation issued a statement congratulating Stabenow on the chairmanship. “With a proven track record as a proponent of Michigan’s agriculture industry, we are confident in Sen. Stabenow’s ability to provide leadership on the 2012 farm bill and other important issues related to agriculture and rural communities. Chairwoman Stabenow’s committee will play an important role as we look forward to the future of American agriculture.”

    Senator Stabenow has served on the Agriculture committees in the Michigan legislature, U.S. House of Representatives and currently the U.S. Senate.

    AFBF

    Scoop Up An Extra $250 In Holiday Cash

    Joanna Schroeder

    Scoop up some extra cash for the holiday season by filling out the AgWired Survey. By participating in our fast, easy survey, you could win $250 to spend on yourself or to help spread the joy to your friends and family.

    Here’s all you need to do. Click on this link to complete the survey that will help the blogging team bring you more stories that are of interest to you. Once you’ve answered all the questions, enter to win $250 in cash. Each month, one winner will be chosen from all of the survey’s entrants. Non winners will be put into the drawing for the next month so there is no need to fill out the survey multiple times.

    Ready? Then click here to begin.

    Uncategorized, ZimmComm Announcement

    Pork Producers Submit GIPSA Comments

    Cindy Zimmerman

    With just days remaining before the comment period deadline, the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) yesterday submitted its official comments on the proposed Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) rule.

    NPPC comments say the USDA agency “lacked authority or exceeded it on certain provisions of a proposed rule on buying and selling hogs, failed to support the need for the regulation with evidence of problems in the pork industry and didn’t consider its own studies showing that restricting contracts could harm the industry.” An economic impact study by Informa Economics estimates that the cost to the pork industry alone would amount to $333 million per year, after an initial $69 million expense.

    The pork producers call the regulation a “bureaucratic overreach” and point out that GIPSA lacks the authority to declare that no showing of injury to competition is necessary to establish a violation of the Packers and Stockyards Act. NPPC asked that GIPSA withdraw the portions of the proposed rule that will have an immediate and detrimental impact on the pork industry. It also requested a thorough analysis of the affect on the pork producers of any new regulation.

    “As proposed, the GIPSA rule is bad for farmers and ranchers, bad for consumers and bad for rural America,” said NPPC President Sam Carney, a pork producer from Adair, Iowa. “We’d like the agency to rewrite the rule, sticking to the mandates Congress gave it in the 2008 Farm Bill.”

    GIPSA, Pork

    #foodthanks

    Chuck Zimmerman

    The AgChat Foundation has come up with a unique idea for you to use during this upcoming week of Thanksgiving. It’s called #foodthanks. It’s a way to show your thanks for the food we enjoy every day and the people who produce it.

    So what you’re encouraged to do is go to the webpage where you’ll find images for your Twitter accounts and other web purposes. Tweet with the hashtag, #foodthanks, especially on November 24.

    Food