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Melissa Sandfort

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  • Syngenta is sponsoring the inaugural Syngenta Almond Scholarship Program. Applications are currently being accepted, and the scholarship is open to high school seniors and college students (excluding seniors) interested in pursuing a career in agriculture who currently reside or attend school in California and are involved in the almond-growing industry.
  • Planalytics will host the AgriBusiness Weather Intelligence Symposium on Thursday, July 22nd at the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark. Featured speakers include retailers, marketers and other experts sharing first-hand success stories of how they improved performance by incorporating Planalytics weather insights and intelligence into their business operations.
  • Lessiter Publications, Inc., has launched a new 18-week video/blog series, entitled “Shipping Out.”
  • Mark Stephenson has been appointed director of the University of Wisconsin Center for Dairy Profitability.
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    Soybean Producers Get to See for Themselves

    Cindy Zimmerman

    usbTen soybean farmers from around the country will have the opportunity this month to see for themselves what their soybean checkoff investment is funding.

    The United Soybean Board’s third annual “See for Yourself” program begins on July 26 in St. Louis and ends on July 31 in Mexico, the number one importer of U.S. soybean meal. Along the way, participants will tour several facilities that represent various end users of U.S. soy and have the opportunity to interact with USB farmer-leadership and provide their perspective and feedback on the checkoff. Several of the checkoff’s areas of focus, including animal agriculture, international sales, development of new soy uses and efforts to protect and increase yields of U.S. soybeans, will be highlighted on the tour.

    Farmers who will be taking part in the trip are: Aaron Brandt of Missouri, Barry Alexander of Kentucky, Brian Cassady of Iowa, James Checkel of Minnesota, Bert Greenwalt of Arkansas, Loren Hylton of Indiana, Todd Oglesby of Mississippi, Dawn Scheier of South Dakota, Reginald Strickland of North Carolina and David Williams of Michigan.

    Soybean, USB

    Farm Bureau Honors Agriscience Innovation

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Eight agriscience innovators are getting some monetary recognition for their efforts, courtesy of American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF).

    afbfAFBF, in partership with the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation, presented the awards and research funding to scientists, teachers and high-school students for exemplary innovation in the field of agricultural science.

    “The winning candidates from each category have demonstrated a hunger for forward-thinking scientific knowledge,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman. “The fruits of their work will be seen as America continues to leads the way in agricultural science innovation.”

    The winners included Oregon State University professor Patricia Kennedy and USDA researcher Thomas Jackson who each received the CCFF Agricultural Science Distinguished Scientist Award and $25,000 in research funding. CCFF Agricultural Science Educator Awards were presented to Crystal Retzlaff, an agriculture educator at Oconto Falls High School in Oconto Falls, Wis., Lisa Konkel, an agriscience educator at Big Foot Union High School in Walworth, Wis., and Byron Ernest with the Lebanon Community School Corporation in Lebanon, Ind. Three high school students received CCFF Agricultural Science Student Awards and $5,000 – Rosemary Chapple, a senior at Waterloo High School in Waterloo, Ill., Stephanie Hoskins, a senior at Lincoln Park Academy High School in Fort Pierce, Fla., and Jake Carlson, a junior at Elk Grove High School in Elk Grove, Calif.

    AFBF

    The Dorm Room Diner

    Chuck Zimmerman

    The Dorm Room Diner just sounds like it would be a great gift for your college student. I found a link via one of my Twitter followers. So I checked it out and the first thing that caught my eye was “beef” and I love beef (all other types of meat too). Here’s what Dulce Taylor says on her cookbook website about dorm room cooking and starting the project.

    I felt a little like Julia Childs and made everything from Beef Stroganoff to Chicken and Dumplings.

    I was the envy of the dorm. I started eating better, had lots more energy and looked great (no freshman fifteen here)! By the end of spring semester, I had a whole pile of delicious recipes that my friends kept begging me to make!

    Everyone was begging for my recipes!

    When I came home for the summer, I realized that a lot of other college students (you included) could benefit from the easy, simple recipes I had used that year. So, my mom helped me put this cookbook together…and “The Dorm Room Diner” was born.

    Food

    Welcome To Beltway Beef

    Chuck Zimmerman

    The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association has just started its first official blog, Beltway Beef. Here’s the first post from blogger Mike Deering.

    It is a pleasure to welcome you to the the first-ever blog of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. We are excited to engage in this new initiative and sincerely hope you are just as thrilled to have this blog as another resource at your disposal.

    NCBA is stepping up its efforts to not only keep you informed, but also engaged. “Beltway Beef” affords you the opportunity to learn and express your views. You can rest assured we’ll be listening. This blog is intended to serve as a sounding board for the U.S. cattle industry. We will be covering mainly policy issues that impact U.S. cattle producers and rural communities. However, we may stray away from strictly policy-related issues from time to time. We also hope to provide a little entertainment now and then!

    As we start this new project, feel free to offer any suggestions!

    Ag Groups, Beef, NCBA

    New US Wheat Associates Board Officers

    Melissa Sandfort

    The U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) Board of Directors installed new officers at its annual meeting July 12, 2010, in Bozeman, Mont. Don Schieber of Ponca City, Okla., was installed as Chairman, while Randy Suess of Colfax, Wash., became Vice Chairman, and Darrell Davis, of Ipswich, S.D., began his term as Secretary-Treasurer. Janice Mattson of Chester, Mont., moves to Past Chair and will chair the USW Budget Committee. These USW officers were elected to their one-year positions at a January 2010 Board of Directors meeting.

    USW’s next Board meeting will be held jointly with NAWG, in Minneapolis, Minn., Oct. 22 to 25, 2010.

    Uncategorized

    Golden ARC’s To Be Presented At Ag Media Summit

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Here’s just one more reason to want to attend this year’s Agricultural Media Summit.

    The re-birth of ARC continues with the re-introduction of the 2010 Golden ARC awards presentation set for July 27 at the Ag Media Summit in St. Paul. The awards will be given out as part of the Tuesday PR block workshop, from 10:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.

    First, attendees at the PR Workshop “Characteristics of a winning public relations program” will be treated to a dissection of one of the campaign winners from the 2010 contest. Following that seminar, the winners and merit selectees from about 20 categories will be announced by Contest Manager Amy McDonald of McDonald Marketing Communications and ARC Board President Deron Johnson of Rhea + Kaiser Marketing Communications.

    Ag Media Summit, ARC

    Weber On The Grill iPad App

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Here’s an interesting looking app for your iPad. However, the $4.99 price tag makes me hesitate. Me, a carnivorous grill-a-holic. What do you think? Worth $4.99?

    Almost one year after the launch of its successful Weber’s On the Grill recipe and grilling technique app for the iPhone and iPod touch, Weber-Stephen Products Co. has just released a new Weber’s On the Grill app for the iPad®.

    Like its iPhone and iPod touch cousins, the Weber’s On the Grill app for the iPad has a colorful, clean and greatly intuitive interface connected to a wide variety of multi-media functions. At an affordable $4.99 from the iTunes store, this grilling app has more than 250 triple-tested recipes from cookbooks such as best-sellers Weber’s Way to Grill(TM), Weber’s Real Grilling(TM) and Weber’s Charcoal Grilling(TM)–all written by 2010 James Beard Award nominee Jamie Purviance. iPad users can tag favorite recipes; view videos; create and share master shopping lists from selected recipes to easily take to the grocery store; and browse by the app’s wide variety of recipe food categories (appetizers, red meat, pork, chicken, seafood, vegetables, fruits and yes, even desserts). Forty sauces, marinades and rubs are also part of the repertoire. Weber’s On the Grill app also features a handy grilling timer that sounds off when food is done.

    Food

    The Biology of Fungi

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Fungi like to move around and so does this conference where you can learn all about them.

    The British Mycological Society, in association with Elsevier, the world-leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information, today announced the final programme for the 9th Mycological Congress IMC9: The Biology of Fungi. This congress takes place every 4 years at a different venue around the world.

    Taking place at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, a comprehensive programme encompasses the latest research in all areas of fungal biology. More than 300 oral presentations are arranged within 45 thematic symposia and supplemented by over 1000 posters, optional special interest group meetings, field trips and an exhibition. A complementary public exhibition, entitled ‘From Another Kingdom’, will be hosted at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh during the Congress and later into Autumn 2010.

    Fungal biology has never been as important in our everyday lives as it is today because of the commercial importance for biotechnology, medicine and the food industry. Fungi also provide a model for studying the eukaryotic mode of life. Further, fungi are crucial to the functioning of the ecosystems of our planet because of the role they play in decomposition and nutrient cycling. New areas of research will be reviewed within the following five main themes of the congress: Cell biology, biochemistry and physiology; Environment, ecology and interactions; Evolution, biodiversity and systematics; Fungal pathogenesis and disease control; Genomics, genetics and molecular biology.

    International

    Zimfo Bytes

    Melissa Sandfort

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    • Darlington dairy producer, Jay Stauffacher, has been re-elected to a sixth term as chairman of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board. Connie Seefeldt, Coleman, was re-elected vice chairperson, and Ed Jasurda, Phillips, was re-elected Secretary.
    • David Macedo – city councilman, 2006 World Livestock Auctioneer Champion and veteran California marketman – is Livestock Marketing Association’s president for 2010-2012.
    • Pfizer Animal Health has launched a new online resource offering technical and actionable information on mastitis management and milk quality.
    • Massey Ferguson introduces the new RK Series rotary rake in three models, each designed to help hay producers optimize hay quality.
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