RFA Ethanol Podcast

GIPSA Rule Topic at Legislative Conference

Cindy Zimmerman

The proposed Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) rule was a big topic of discussion at last week’s National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Legislative Conference in Washington, DC.

Andy Vance with Buckeye Ag Radio has some great coverage from the event, including an interview with USDA chief economist Joe Glauber about the proposed rule. Secretary Vilsack continued to say it was not appropriate for him to comment on the rule. Vilsack has basically made no comment about the rule since it was released in June and he was quoted in the official release saying, “This proposed rule will help ensure a level playing field for producers by providing additional protections against unfair practices and addressing new market conditions not covered by existing rules.”

In Andy’s interview, Dr. Glauber seems to distance USDA “the department” from “the agency” GIPSA. “GIPSA has put out a proposed rule. We have some responsibilities within the department to review rules and so we had looked at early versions of the proposed rule that went out,” says Glauber. “The agency will be reviewing all the comments. We will be looking to see how the agency addresses the comments in terms of the costs and benefits of the rule.”

Glauber had no real direct answers to Andy’s questions about the lack of an economic impact study on the proposed rule and the potential for unintended consequences. He agrees that alternative marketing arrangements have been beneficial for many producers and he agrees that “from an economist’s perspective” the various livestock segments – beef, pork and poultry – are very different in terms of production and marketing. Dr. Glauber said they were glad to hear from the cattlemen who came to Washington last week and encouraged them to make comments about how the proposed rule would affect them.

Y’all really should listen to this interview – it’s posted below. Thanks, Andy! Andy also has good interviews with Mike Engler of Cactus Feeders and Nebraska Cattlemen’s president Bill Rishel.

Andy Vance Interview with USDA's Joe Glauber
Audio, GIPSA, NCBA, USDA

There’s A New Flip In Town

Chuck Zimmerman

Let’s say you want some ultra HD video on the go, simple and very portable. Flip has updated their revolutionary video cameras, including the new Flip UltraHD.

Smooth, crystal-clear HD video that looks incredible under any condition – no complicated settings required. UltraHD now features image stabilization and double the frame rate so your videos look as stunning as the moment in action.

* Simply drag and drop to organize videos
* Archive videos in one place

* Trim, edit and add music to your videos
* Use Magic Movie™ to make movies with the click of a button
* Create video greeting cards, starring you

* Share videos privately with friends and family
* Watch anytime, anywhere at FlipShare.com or get the FlipShare Mobile app

Email
Send attachment-free emails to make watching videos a breeze.

Share with Groups
Use Flip Channels™ to share privately with friends and family.

Upload

Share videos directly to Facebook™, Twitter™ and YouTube™.

Equipment

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Members of the American Hereford Association will gather in Kansas City Oct. 30 – Nov. 1 for the 2010 Annual Meeting. Hereford enthusiasts from across the U.S. will enjoy a full schedule of events and activities including educational forums, the Annual Meeting and the National Hereford Show during the American Royal.
  • Syngenta Seeds, Inc. has launched its new website combining the company’s Garst, Golden Harvest and NK seed brand websites and Agrisure traits website, and providing corn growers and soybean growers localized information on crops, traits and seed products.
  • Elanco Food Solutions has launched a new website as part of its commitment to provide food-safety solutions to the meat and poultry industries.
  • Pioneer Hi-Bred and Pannar Seed Limited, a South African-based seed company with operations throughout Africa and other parts of the world, announced an agreement for Pioneer to purchase a majority share of Pannar.
Zimfo Bytes

Farm Podcasting Tool

Chuck Zimmerman

The good ones are getting smaller and cheaper. One of the questions I get asked most often is about what gadgets I recommend for today’s new media world. Well, add this one to the list. The TASCAM DR-03 might just be one of the handiest tools in your mobile journalism kit.

The ultra-portable DR-03 is TASCAM’s most affordable recorder yet! The built-in high-quality condenser microphones are recorded as either WAV or MP3 files to microSD card media, and a 2GB card is included to start recording right away. The DR-03 packs high-quality recording – up to 48kHz/24-bit – into a package smaller than an energy bar. At a price under $100, everyone needs a DR-03.

Like the rest of TASCAM’s best-selling portable recorders, the DR-03 features playback functions like looping and Variable Speed Audition to slow down music without changing the pitch. It’s designed for low handling noise when recording handheld during concerts or interviews. A low cut filter, analog limiter, manual and auto gain settings help to prevent distortion when recording. In addition to the built-in microphones, an 1/8″ mic/line input allows recording from mixers, external microphones and other sources.

From beginning students to professional musicians, interviewers to videographers, everyone could use a DR-03 from TASCAM!

Equipment, Podcasts

Customer Reaction To BIVI 3FLEX Announcement

Chuck Zimmerman

Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica introduced 3FLEX today. This new vaccine that treats the three most significant diseases in the swine industry was met with a lot of approval from the attendees here at the 2010 Swine Health Seminar. We’ve heard from BIVI on the announcement. Now let’s hear from some of those in the audience.

You can listen to some reaction from attendees here: BIVI 3FLEX Reaction

BIVI 2010 Swine Health Seminar Photo Album

Agribusiness, Animal Health, Audio, Boehringer Ingelheim, Swine

Introducing Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica 3FLEX

Chuck Zimmerman

The Director of Swine Marketing for Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica is Randy Buller. He introduced attendees at their Swine Health Seminar to a brand new product, 3FLEX. Randy says the product will “revolutionize the vaccinating for the three most critical diseases in the swine industry.” He says 3FLEX will contain Ingelvac MycoFLEX, Ingelvac CircoFLEX and Ingelvac PRRS. It’s the first time the FDA has approved three vaccines to be used together in swine.

During today’s seminar our presenters will be discussing the research that has been done on this new product as well as ideas and suggestions for monitoring and diagnosing diseases in pigs. All the presenters will take part in a discussion panel after the presentations.

You can listen to my interview with Randy here: Randy Buller Interview

BIVI 2010 Swine Health Seminar Photo Album

The BIVI Swine Health Seminar is held in advance of the Allen D. Leman Swine Conference.

Agribusiness, Animal Health, Audio, Boehringer Ingelheim, Swine

BIVI Swine Health Seminar

Chuck Zimmerman

Here’s the welcoming committee for the Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Swine Health Seminar. Our room is full and I’ve already conducted several interviews.

BIVI has just made a big announcement about the a first for the industry, 3FLEX, a single dose vaccine that includes Ingelvac MycoFLEX, Ingelvac CircoFLEX and Ingelvac PRRS. I’ll have more about this in the next few posts.

Animal Health, Boehringer Ingelheim, Swine

Successful Farming Gets WOW Award

Cindy Zimmerman

Successful Farming gets a WOW from Media Industry News.

Successful FarmingSuccessful Farming® magazine was announced the Media Industry News (min) b2b Wow Award-winner at the Integrated Marketing Awards ceremony in New York City amongst more than 300 top-level media executives. The Wow Award is presented to the most innovative integrated marketing campaign or idea.

“We hear a lot today about social media and social networking – users interacting with other users,” said Scott Mortimer, Publisher of Successful Farming. “In ‘All Around the Farm’, farmers have been sharing ideas for over 80 years. You might say it’s the great-grandfather of social media. It has continuously been a resource for our readers and is recognized as a favorite editorial feature in every issue.”

“All Around the Farm” began in 1929 as a forum in which farmers and ranchers could share problems and brainstorm solutions. While it first ran exclusively in the print version, the program has since expanded throughout the years into all of the brand’s formats. Besides being a regular feature in the monthly magazine, it has a presence on Agriculture.com, on the “Machinery Show” on RFD TV and is a popular book.

Media

Interact With International Grains Buyers

Chuck Zimmerman

usgcOne of my upcoming stops on the agriblogging highway will be the U.S. Grains Council and Renewable Fuels Assocation, Export Exchange. The event is taking place October 6-8 in Chicago, IL. If you’re in the grains business, especially dealing with DDGS then this is the place to meet with international buyers. I spoke with USGC CEO Tom Dorr about the event. He says that there will be more than 150 international buyers networking with over 300 U.S. producers and others involved in the industry. He says it’s a continuation of a series of programs that began about four years ago.

The program is designed to allow people to make connections and better understand the product. This is the first time the Grains Council has had a sponsor like the RFA. Another new thing this year is a focus on the coarse grains markets due to the global demand growth which has stimulated DDGS exports. Tom says those exports have grown from near zero in 2004 to over 6 million tons for 2009 and they’re growing.

You can listen to my interview with Tom here: Tom Dorr Interview
The Export Exchange 2010 is uniquely focused on connecting international buyers of DDGS and coarse grains with the U.S. market. The Council is providing sponsorship for the attendance of targeted international trade teams from more than 25 countries. These participants represent nearly 80 percent of the global export market for DDGS and coarse grains. The conference will address critical issues facing U.S. exports and seek to educate and build awareness of U.S. DDGS and coarse grains among international buyers.

Here are some resource links:

Agenda
Registration
Hotel
Media

Ag Groups, Audio, Ethanol, Grains, International, RFA, USGC