Alltech Haitian Harmony Children’s Choir

Chuck Zimmerman

The Alltech Haitian Harmony Children’s Choir is on location at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games and they visited the Media Chill Out Zone for a taping of Alltech’s Here & Now, daily web tv show from the games. Pictured in the middle of all these kids is Dr. Pearse Lyons, the founder and owner of Alltech.

I thought I’d share the photo as a tease for tomorrow’s ZimmCast which will feature an interview with Dr. Lyons about the culmination of years of work leading up to the Games taking place now in Lexington.

The 24 members of the Alltech Haitian Harmony children’s choir have touched down in Lexington, in preparation for their scheduled performances during the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. The children are aged between 6 and 13 years and are pupils of the Centre Educatif l’Union des Coeurs elementary school in the town of Ouanaminthe in northern Haiti.

The choir will tour Kentucky, acting as ambassadors for and raising awareness of Haiti, the poorest nation in the western hemisphere. The philosophy behind the formation of the choir is to provide the boys and girls from Ouanaminthe with the best education for a better future. The program was inspired by “El Sistema”, a youth outreach program that brings musical education to some of the world’s most underprivileged children. The children will perform their repertoire of songs in Creole, French and English.

Speaking at the arrival of the children to Blue Grass Airport, Dr. Pearse Lyons commented, “As some of these children come from the most needy families, the Alltech Haitian Harmony choir is committed to enriching both their educational and emotional development. The driving force behind all of Alltech’s projects in Haiti has been sustainability, because only with long-term sustainable development and enterprise can people get the education, jobs and income they need to ensure a brighter future for themselves and to secure a better start for the next generation.

Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games
is sponsored by: john-deere

Alltech

William Shatner Rouses Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games

Chuck Zimmerman

I am betting there are people at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games who got their hotel or airfare via Priceline. If so, it would have made the master pitch man, William Shatner, happy. He made an appearance during the opening ceremonies here last night and got huge cheers from the crowd. He didn’t beam anyone up though. Now that would have been interesting.

It’s now day two and I’m getting ready to head toward the Kentucky Horse Park. Today I’m planning to “chill out” with Alltech. I’ll explain that later. I’ll also be visiting with my sponsor, John Deere. I found their exhibit on the way back to my car last night. This is a big venue and there are also celebration activities in downtown Lexington that I’m going to try to visit before leaving. There’s too much going on to cover it all so I’m not even going to try. I hope though to give you a good overview of the Olympics of horse sports.

Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games
is sponsored by: john-deere

Alltech, John Deere

Opening Ceremonies For Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games

Chuck Zimmerman

The 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games opening ceremony had abundant pageantry. We had dancers of all kinds and lots of music and lots of horses. And of course we had the parade of countries and athletes who will be competing.

As i write this post my photo album is updating with this evening’s photos. We moved from bright light to darkness so it was a challenging event to shoot, especially when you consider the distance to the stage from where we were situated and moving targets. We had a lot of dignitaries make an appearance. The Mayor of Lexington, Jim Newberry and the Governor of Kentucky, Steve Beshear welcomed everyone to the event. You can listen to their comments here which start with Jim already in progress: Welcome From Mayor and Governor

Other special guests this evening included Muhammad Ali who rode in with Dr. Pearse Lyons, President, Alltech and we also had a special visitor – the First Lady of Jordon.

Also with us this evening was the President of the FEI, HRH, Princess Bint Al Hussein. She also welcomed everyone to the games and gave the official proclamation that the games have started: Games Start With HRH, Princess Bint Al Hussein

Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games
is sponsored by: john-deere

Alltech, Audio, Horses, John Deere

2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games Have Begun

Chuck Zimmerman

The 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games are underway at Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. I’m here courtesy of one of the sponsors of the games, John Deere. I’ll be tracking some of their activities here for the next couple days.

To get things started I spoke with the Vice President of Alltech, Aidan Connolly. Aidan has been here all day so I asked him about his observations. He says the games just couldn’t have gotten off to a better start. A nice rain brought in some cooler but sunny weather and the crowds have been big. It’s all building up to tonight’s opening ceremony which I’ll be attending. Aidan says the games are showcasing agriculture and people have been asking just what Alltech does since I guess this might be a first time for a company like Alltech, involved in animal health and nutrition, to sponsor the games. It’s also the first time they’ve been held in the United States! Aidan says their involvement with the games has been a “game changer.” This includes the new contacts they’ve made internationally and growth in their business. So from my perspective it all looks good from here.

You can listen to my interview with Aidan here: Aidan Connolly Interview

I have started the soon to be famous 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games Photo Album. You’ll probably be able to tell who my sponsor is.

AgWired coverage of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games
is sponsored by: john-deere

Alltech, Animal Health, Horses, John Deere

Solar Apps for Ag Featured in ‘Down on the Farm Solar Tour’

Joanna Schroeder

Mississippi Solar is getting excited for the National Solar Tour, an event that showcases solar energy for ag applications, home buyers, businesses, and everyone in between. The event is overseen by the American Solar Energy Society (ASES), and this year more than 650 tours are already scheduled for early October. This is the second year that Mississippi Solar will participate in the natural grassroots event.

The “Down on the Farm Solar Tour” takes place October 2, 2010 from 9 am to 4 pm at 211 Popes Road, Carthage, Mississippi, 39051. Guided tours, which run every two hours beginning at 9 am, will highlight three distinctly different grid-tie installations. The first is a 2.4 kW solar carport ready for Tennessee-made electric vehicles rolling off assembly lines next year. Also featured is a ground-mount system with battery back-up. However, homes are not the only stop on the tour. Participants will also see the 8.4 kW, solar PV solution that sits atop a chicken house located at Spencer Pope Farms.

“Poultry farming is an energy-intensive business,” said Mississippi Solar co-founder Will Hegman. “Enormous tunnel fans are required to ventilate chicken houses. Lighting adds to the cost. There are close to 8,000 poultry farms in the State of Mississippi. If we were able to solarize all those businesses, we could offset around ten percent of the entire state’s energy needs,” he said.

Now is a great time for the ag community to adopt solar. There are currently federal tax credits of up to 30 percent available for new solar installations, not to mention the savings on electric bills.

One of the biggest expenses for poultry farmers are their electric bills, especially in areas with extreme temperatures. Even for those who don’t have chickens, solar can be installed on farm buildings including homes and barns and can also be used in irrigation applications.

According to Mississippi Solar, Spencer Pope Farms has been very satisfied with their results and are looking to quadruple the solar capacity powering their chicken houses. The energy savings coupled with the federal tax credits available for solar has been a significant improvement to their bottom line.

In addition to featuring Spencer Pope Farms, people will also be able to visit homes, and businesses that have successfully completed solar projects.

Click here to learn more about the “Down on the Farm Solar Tour.”

Agribusiness, Events, Poultry

The Trends In Agriculture

Chuck Zimmerman

This year’s National Agri-Marketing Association Trends In Agriculture conference is approaching fast. Have you considered attending? If so, now’s the time to get registered.

Innovations in communication, production and packaging are revolutionizing the agriculture industry. Combined with the dramatic increase in need for safe, plentiful food, today’s agriculture professionals must navigate the challenges of a “Globally Local” World. NAMA’s 2010 Trends in Agriculture Conference will help you stay ahead of the curve and gain an edge in the rapidly changing landscape of our global agriculture market.

Trends in Agriculture at a glance …

• Closely examine the global trends affecting agriculture such as economic growth of world markets, governmental regulations, food safety issues and more

• Get a 360-degree view of the production chain from the producer to the retail shelf from experienced panelists and agriculture experts

• Hear how ag leaders are addressing the population explosion and increased need for food now and how they’re preparing for the future

• Discover how to effectively use social media to engage consumers and build momentum around your brand

•Network with colleagues, prospects and your friends in the industry

NAMA

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Miami will host the First International Festival of Artisan Cheese, The Cheese Connection at Miami, an unparalleled event in South Florida, which welcomes more than 18 thousand lovers of cheese and of its culinary possibilities.
  • Land O’Lakes announced the introduction of its 2010 Corporate Social Responsibility Report. The new report is posted in the Corporate Social Responsibility section.
  • Charm Sciences is pleased to announce the launch of its new enhanced website.
  • EXCEDE (ceftiofur crystalline free acid) Sterile Suspension from Pfizer Animal Health is now approved by the U.S. Center for Veterinary Medicine and the FDA for the control of swine respiratory disease.
    Zimfo Bytes

    Link Up With John Deere At Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games

    Chuck Zimmerman

    This weekend I’m going to get “horsey” as a good friend of mine likes to say. Next week Cindy will get dairy at World Dairy Expo. Should be a good contrast. Now by horsey, I mean I’ll be at the United States first ever Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games courtesy of John Deere. They made sure the Games are Green!

    There is already so much pre-event online information I don’t even know where to point you first. How about just staying right here on AgWired? LOL. Well, let’s get started. I’ll be on location in time for the opening ceremonies tomorrow night at the Kentucky Horse Park. I’ll be there through the early part of the week covering various aspects of the games and John Deere activities.

    If you’re media and want to get registered with John Deere then here’s where you need to go. However, if you are not registered media for the Games then you’re out of luck on that. Media registration closed a while ago. John Deere has two resource sites for the Games. There’s the John Deere World Equestrian Games website where you’ll find lots of information, including video clips. There’s also a John Deere media blog which I’ll be contributing to on which media resources will be available during the Games. Use this link to subscribe to the blog. You can follow on Twitter @JohnDeere and Facebook.

    Some other resources you’ll want to know about include the official Alltech FEI WEG blog and you can also follow on Twitter @2010AllTechWEG and on Facebook. Here’s where you can find the schedule of events. The opening ceremonies Saturday night will be broadcast by NBC as well as other selected parts of the schedule.

    Agribusiness, Alltech, Horses, John Deere

    Big Truck Tacos Wins Great Food Truck Race

    Chuck Zimmerman

    The winner of the Great Food Truck Race, Food Network, is Big Truck Tacos. This is a contest it would be fun to participate in, which I sort of did at Farm Progress Show. Of course lots of people did by voting online.

    Here’s a local news clip from Oklahoma City about the team/truck at the start of the competition.

    Food

    Got Your IFAJ Press Card?

    Chuck Zimmerman

    I just noticed that my IFAJ Press Card is out of date. Time for a new one. Why? Because it has been helpful many times when press credentials are required by a government agency or some other organization or event I have been covering. Just one of many benefits of being a member of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists.

    One of the benefits of IFAJ is an international Press Card. It’s recognized by (agricultural) institutes, governments, ministries, exhibitions, fairs and events all over the world.

    The IFAJ Press Card is only available for members of organizations/guilds, which have joined the IFAJ.

    BTW. If you’re looking for freelance help check out the IFAJ Freelance Directory.

    IFAJ