Charleston|Orwig Goes Blue For Global Genes Project

Chuck Zimmerman

I’ve heard of going green but going blue is good too. That’s what the staff at Charleston|Orwig, Inc. is doing by wearing blue jeans each day during September. They’re doing it “not for comfort, but for hope.”

Wearing jeans serves as a reminder to vote for the Global Genes Project in the online Pepsi Refresh Program.

“We are partnering with the Children’s Rare Disease Network to support the Global Genes Project, which is a grassroots effort to raise awareness for children suffering from rare diseases,” said Mark Gale, president at C|O. “We are wearing jeans as part of the ‘wear that you care’ concept, and as a reminder to vote every day at vote4hope.org.”

There are currently more than seven thousand rare diseases identified, affecting 30 million people in the U.S. alone, 75 percent of whom are children. The Global Genes Project raises awareness of genetic diseases and generates funds to promote collaborative research into disease causes and treatments. Read More

Agencies

Crank Up Your Flip Audio

Chuck Zimmerman

Speaking of Flip cameras. I’ll bet you were speaking of them after seeing them earlier today on AgWired. It’s a little bit of a gadget Monday to get you started on your farm communications and marketing week. You know who your gadget guru is don’t you?

So, if you’ve been wondering how to record better audio on your Flip it looks like Blue Microphones is coming to the rescue with their just announced – Blue Mikey for Flip.

As part of the new Designed for Flip™ accessory line, Mikey for Flip connects to all FlipPort™-enabled Flip video cameras and features Blue Microphones’ premium capsules for enhanced recording of everything from a whisper to a rock concert.

Mikey for Flip features two of Blue’s custom-tuned condenser capsules for professional-quality stereo recording. Users can choose between ‘Loud’ or ‘Automatic’ sensitivity settings, allowing users to record any volume level clearly, from a marching band to a wedding. Mikey for Flip also features a mic input jack for easy plug-in of additional microphones like a lavalier, handheld or corded interview microphone. Mount the Flip video camera on Mikey’s built-in tripod mount or stand it upright on Mikey’s wide base design for hands-free recording.

Of course you’ll have to wait until January since the Mikey for Flip, MSRP $69, will debut at CES 2011.

Equipment

99 Jars of Food on the Wall

Melissa Sandfort

It’s a color explosion – there are dill pickles, bread and butter pickles, beet pickles, beets, beans, stewed tomatoes, tomato juice, kraut, pears, peaches, apricots, cherries, apple butter, plum butter, jelly and jam! And in total, back in her prime, my grandmother used to can at least 200 jars of food each year to feed their family.

Next summer, in hopes of preserving a farm-wife tradition, I’m going to have Grandma teach me how to preserve food. She learned canning from her mom and from 4-H and it’s time to pass that tradition along before it’s lost.

The process of canning has changed and morphed over the years. Grandma used to use zinc lids and a rubber ring – now, they’re self-sealing metal rings and inserts. They used to can meat (beef and chicken), but meat lockers changed that. The pressure canner also changed the face of the job and sped up the process as compared to using the old boiler or kerosene stove. The advent of freezers meant bags and jars of corn, apples, pumpkin, gooseberries, strawberries and rhubarb could go in the freezer instead of on the shelves.

But even with the modern technologies, it’s not an easy process. First, you have to actually grow your produce! Then there’s the picking, cleaning, stemming, cutting, sometimes pre-cooking, making sure lids are sealed and adding paraffin to the top of jams and jellies.

My Grandma is now 85. At about 200 jars per year since she was 18, I’ll let you do the math.

Until we walk again…

Uncategorized

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

Zimfo Bytes

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