Vilsack Non-Comments on GIPSA at NAFB

Cindy Zimmerman

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was asked three times about some aspect of the proposed Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) rule during a press conference last week at the National Association of Farm Broadcasting meeting in Kansas City, and each time he said he could not comment specifically about the proposed rule during the comment period.

But, he did make some remarks related to the proposed rule. Ron Hays of Oklahoma asked if there was a plan for evaluating the large number of comments being made on the issue – over 16,000 so far. Vilsack said that has not been discussed yet. “I didn’t think it was appropriate to have that conversation until the comment period was concluded so we know what the universe is and we can do an evaluation of the nature of the comments,” he said. “There’s a difference between 16,000 unique comments and 16,000 comments of which a substantial number of them are basically form letters.”

In response to studies that have been released showing a significant negative economic impact if the rule is implemented, Vilsack again said he couldn’t comment, but expressed concern about the declining numbers of farmers and ranchers in the country. “In 1980, we had 660,000 pork producers. Today we have 71,000 – about a 90 percent reduction in pork producers. That same period we had 1.5 million cattle producers, today we have 950,00 – so we lost about a third. Ten years ago, we had 110,000 dairy producers – today we have about 60,000,” said Vilsack. “Is everybody satisfied with those trends?” With less than one percent of the population on the farm, Vilsack says if that trend continues, “Who are you all going to be broadcasting to?”

The secretary says USDA has made the studies required for proposing the rule and he doesn’t want to make specific comments about anything until after the comment period ends on November 22.

Listen to or download Vilsack’s GIPSA comments here: Vilsack GIPSA


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Audio, GIPSA, NAFB, USDA

Burning The Midnight Oil

Melissa Sandfort

When I tell people where we live, I’ve actually had a couple folks ask if we had indoor plumbing. They picture rural Nebraska with outhouses and well water that we have to carry in with buckets. (We are on well water, but it has a pump and we have an operating sink!) We’ve come a long way since then, but it was about 1936 when southeast Nebraska got electricity and 1938 when my grandparents got rural electricity through REA.

Until that time, Grandpa and his family used to burn kerosene (or coal oil) lanterns to do chores in the early morning hours or into the evening.

To think, just last week my brother was harvesting corn across the road at 10 p.m. Equipped with lights and GPS, he could work through the night. I guess the combine was burning the midnight oil, so to speak, but back in the 30s, they literally had to burn oil to get any work done.

Until we walk again…

Uncategorized

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Syngenta and DuPont announced that Syngenta has assumed full ownership of GreenLeaf Genetics, LLC, effective Nov. 8, 2010.
  • Telling the story about the role of Modern Agriculture’s science and technology to outside audiences is an obligation of all employed by the crop protection industry, according to the president of CropLife America.
  • Becker Underwood has added two new case sizes for its VAULT HP growth-enhancement system for soybeans: the 2 x 200-unit package size and the 4 x 50-unit package.
  • Syngenta and ETH Zurich have entered into a partnership to launch a new professorship in the field of Sustainable Agroecosystems. Syngenta will donate CHF 10 million to ETH Zurich Foundation in order to finance a new professorship and associated research staff for the next ten years.
Zimfo Bytes

Delmar Commodities May Need More Quality Feed Grain

Harry Siemens

Special Report from Harry Siemens

Feed specialists and researchers are advising Manitoba hog producers to monitor feed quality and watch the performance of their herds to avoid any problems associated with fusarium head blight-infected feed grains.

Fusarium head blight infects primarily cereal crops producing a mycotoxins that reduce end use quality of the grain.

The warm, wet growing conditions in Manitoba that helped produce a very good corn and soybeans crops did the damage to many of the cereal crops. Preliminary data shows the unusually warm wet year caused higher than normal levels of fusarium, especially in winter wheat.

Operations manager George Wieler of Delmar Commodities in Winkler, Mb said the problem for hog producers is wider-spread this year than last, especially in western Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan.

“Last year we brought in low fusarium, low vomitoxian feed grains to help with the requirements here,” said Wieler. “This year it is hard to find. One drawing area we’ve had in the past is eastern and northern Saskatchewan. That is where we’ve pulled a lot of feed grains from in the past.”

This year many acres went unseeded, and the acres seeded there, the quality of the final product isn’t very good, not taking fusarium into account.

“So far, there is still enough to go around,” he said. “The question is how long will it last? When is the tap going to be tapped out to find low fusarium feed grains?”Read More

Corn, Feed, Soybean

New NAFB Officers

Cindy Zimmerman

New NAFB president Lindsay Hill (ABN Radio) accepted the gavel from Greg Akagi (WIBW/Kansas Ag Net) during the Friday night president’s banquet to symbolize the beginning of a new slate of officers for the farm broadcasting organization, even though it will be the end of the year before it officially changes.

One new regional vice president was elected on Friday. Meghan Grebner (WMBD-Peoria) is the new representative for the eastern region. Ken Rahjes (KRVN) continues to represent the western region and Janet Adkison (KMZU-Carrolton, MO) is the southern region VP.

The new vice president of NAFB is Mark Oppold of RFD TV. I had the chance to interview both Mark and outgoing president Greg right after the business meeting was held on Friday afternoon. Greg says he is looking forward to seeing his family again after three years on the road for NAFB. “I’m going to relax. I’m just imagining that my wife, when December 31 rolls around, will say ‘Happy New Year’ and hand me a 2-3 page list that may take me all of 2011 to accomplish!”

Mark, who has been involved in NAFB for over 25 years as both a voting and an associate member, is looking forward to serving as an officer. He says membership continues to be a challenge for the organization and determining who should or should not qualify. “Membership always seems to float to the top pretty quick,” said Mark. “One of the primary functions of the national vice president is to serve as guardian of the membership roles for that year.” Mark says considering some type of accreditation will be on the table this year.

Listen to an interview with Greg and Mark here: Greg Akagi and Mark Oppold

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Audio, NAFB

Farm Broadcaster and Horizon Award of the Year

Cindy Zimmerman

Two of the most coveted awards of the year for farm broadcasters were handed out during the luncheon on Friday.

The Horizon Award, which recognizes up and coming talent in the industry, was presented this year to Haylie Shipp of the Northern Ag Network. Haylie Shipp grew up on a cattle ranch north of Glasgow, Montana and received the NAFB Glenn Kummerow Memorial Scholarship a few years ago.

Farm Broadcaster of the Year is Jeff Nalley of Cromwell Ag Network. Jeff is a past president of NAFB and has been involved in many facets of the organization over his 20+ years in the industry.

Lots of other awards were handed out at lunch, including the tenure awards – which included two 54 year certificates of membership for Roddy Peeples and Evan Slack. The Marketcast and Newscast awards were presented to Michelle Rook of WNAX and the ABN Radio Network team, respectively. Others received awards for the volume and quality of audio sent in to the NAFB news service.

Congrats to all!

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NAFB

Kansas Senator-Elect Visits NAFB

Cindy Zimmerman

Current Rep. Jerry Moran (R-KS), who is now Senator-Elect for that state, stopped by the NAFB meeting on his way out to the nation’s capitol on Friday.

The new senator, who is a great advocate for agriculture in Congress, took time to do interviews with farm broadcasters and addressed the Awards Luncheon.

Jerry says he is a big fan and believer in ag journalism which serves a role in not only providing news and information for farmers and ranchers, but also educating the general public. “We need farm broadcasters who can explain to the rest of the world what goes on in agriculture,” said the senator-elect.

I had the opportunity to interview Jerry about his priorities in the new congress and his opinion on important issues like biofuels and GIPSA. Listen to my interview with Jerry Moran here: Jerry Moran

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Audio, NAFB

Latest NAFB Research

Cindy Zimmerman

The latest research on who is listening or watching what in farm broadcast media was presented Friday morning at the NAFB annual meeting by the great Teddy Haller.

Not surprisingly, Haller’s latest research found a continued increase in the internet as an information source for farmers and ranchers. “That consistent rise of the internet is not necessarily meaning the decline of other media,” Ted says. “Both radio listenership for farm news and information, and internet, were the two most dramatic rises in terms of where people were going.”

Ted says this bodes very well for a combination of both. “To move a lot of in-depth reports, podcasting, into the internet to the group that wants it,” which he estimates to be 20-25%. “The internet frees you from everything. There’s no reason why our members can’t have a half hour TV show at night.”

Listen to my interview with Ted here: Ted Haller

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Audio, NAFB

The Cost of Thanksgiving Dinner

Melissa Sandfort

Menu items for a classic Thanksgiving dinner including turkey, stuffing, cranberries, pumpkin pie and all the basic trimmings increased about 1.3 percent in price this year, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.

AFBF’s 25th annual informal price survey of classic items found on the Thanksgiving Day dinner table indicates the average cost of this year’s feast for 10 is $43.47, a 56-cent price increase from last year’s average of $42.91. This year’s meal is actually $1.14 cheaper than what shoppers paid two years ago, when the total was $44.61.

This year’s meal remains a bargain at less than $4.35 per person. The AFBF survey shopping list includes turkey, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a relish tray of carrots and celery, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and beverages of coffee and milk, all in quantities sufficient to serve a family of 10. There is also plenty for leftovers.

The big ticket item — a 16-pound turkey — was actually cheaper this year, at $17.66. That was roughly $1.10 per pound, actually a decrease of about 6 cents per pound, or a total of 99 cents per whole turkey, compared to 2009. While the whole bird was the biggest contributor to the final total, it was also the largest price decline compared to last year.

A gallon of whole milk increased in price by 38 cents per gallon, to $3.24. Other items that showed a price increase from last year were: a 30-ounce can of pumpkin pie mix, $2.62, up 17 cents; two nine-inch pie shells, $2.46, up 12 cents; ½ pint of whipping cream, $1.70, up 15 cents; three pounds of sweet potatoes, $3.19, up 7 cents; a one-pound relish tray of carrots and celery, 77 cents, up 5 cents; a dozen brown-n-serve rolls, $2.12, up 4 cents.

AFBF

Sammy Kershaw Entertains NAFB

Cindy Zimmerman

County music star Sammy Kershaw entertained the NAFB annual meeting Thursday night, bringing back an old tradition of live entertainment.

Sammy sang some of his big hits like “She Don’t Know She’s Beautiful,” “Queen of My Double-Wide Trailer”, and “Meant to Be.” Lots of great dance moves out there!

Most of the NAFB Girls’ Weekend group posed with Sammy after the concert. I had already disappeared for the night after a very long day of picture-taking. But, not before the NGW group got the winning bid for next summer at the Al Johnson and Sara Wyant Lake Ozark retreat home. Sorry, Al – we’re coming back again. There was a group of boys who tried to outbid us, but we prevailed!

Thanks to Meghan Grebner for the photo!

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NAFB