Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Eight bovine veterinary students from across the United States each received $1,500 awards, sponsored by Intervet, and all-expenses-paid trips to the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) annual conference.
  • Wyffels Hybrids has added a third region to its sales structure in Illinois, further expanding the reach of its resources. This region is located in the central part of the state, serving 22 counties and 3.6 million corn acres.
  • HealthPro Brands, Inc., and Elanco announced that Elanco is the global animal-protein development partner for HealthPro Brands’ antimicrobial food wash.
  • Boot Media, LLC, parent company of PegasusTV.com, host of the Equine Film & Video Archives, and Equus Theater, a new PPV distribution platform for video-on-demand digital home media, announced the development of a twenty-four hour a day streaming iTV network focused on equestrian lifestyles and rural farm and ranch living.
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USDA/DOJ Public Workshop Panels

Chuck Zimmerman

Friday’s joint USDA/DOJ public workshop was a marathon with potentially over 2,000 people participating. You can follow some of what happened in my archived CoverItLive stream and the press conference featuring Sec. Vilsack and AG Eric Holder. For those of you who couldn’t attend, couldn’t listen to the live stream or need the audio for your reports or broadcasts I’m posting the 4 main panel sessions for you. I’m including a list of the participants of each too.

Keynote Roundtable Discussion Keynote Roundtable Discussion

Eric Holder, Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice
Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Christine Varney, Assistant Attorney General, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice
Betsy Markey, Congresswoman, U.S. House of Representatives
Bill Ritter, Jr., Governor, state of Colorado
John Suthers, Attorney General, state of Colorado
Steve Bullock, Attorney General, state of Montana
John Stulp, Commissioner of Agriculture, state of Colorado

Producer/Feeder Presentation of Issues Producer/Feeder Presentation

This panel will be an opportunity to hear first-hand from producers or feeders as they share their experiences and perspectives on the industry.

Moderators:
Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Christine Varney, Assistant Attorney General, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice

Panelists:
Mike Harper, sheep producer, Eaton, Colorado
Dr. Taylor Haynes, rancher, Cheyenne, Wyoming
Robbie LeValley, rancher, Hotchkiss, Colorado
Harry Livermont, rancher, Interior, South Dakota
Chris Petersen, hog farmer, Clear Lake, Iowa
Allen Sents, feedlot owner, Marquette, Kansas
Alden Zuhlke, rancher, Brunswick, Nebraska

Panel I – Trends in the Livestock Industry Trends In Livestock Industry

This panel will discuss trends in the livestock industry, including issues associated with contracting, price transparency and the effects of concentration.

Moderator:
Philip Weiser, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice

Panelists:
Jerry Bohn, general manager, Pratt Feeders, Pratt, Kansas
Libby Cook, co-founder, Wild Oats Markets and Sunflower Farmers Markets
Mark Greenwood, vice president, commercial lending, AgStar Financial Services
Bill Heffernan, professor emeritus of rural sociology, University of Missouri
Mark Lauritsen, international vice president, director food processing, packing and manufacturing division, United Food and Commercial Workers International Union
Gilles Stockton, rancher, Range, Montana
Armando Valdez, rancher, La Jara, Colorado
Clem Ward, professor and extension economist, Oklahoma State University

Panel II – Market Structure Market Structure

This panel will include a variety of market participants who will discuss market structure issues in the livestock industry.

Moderator:
James MacDonald, Chief, Agricultural Structure and Productivity Branch, Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Panelists:
Bruce Cobb, general manager, Consolidated Beef Producers
David Domina, attorney, Domina Law Group
Mark Dopp, attorney, American Meat Institute
James Herring, president and chief executive officer, Friona Industries
Robert Mack, cattle producer/feeder, Watertown, South Dakota
Bob Miller, rancher, Okmulgee, Oklahoma
William Rishel, Richel Angus, Platt, Nebraska.
Charlie Rogers, owner/general manager, Clovis Livestock Auction

USDA/DOJ Livestock Competition Workshop and Forums Photo Album

Audio, GIPSA, Livestock, USDA

Media Takes Early Look at Farm Progress 2010

Cindy Zimmerman

fp10The media got a sneak peek this week at what we can expect at the 2010 Farm Progress Show when it officially gets underway on Tuesday in Boone, Iowa. Our roving reporter and New Holland representative Gene Hemphill was kind enough to send us a couple of photos from the event. New Holland is once again the sponsor of the media tent at FPS, something Gene has taken care of for years and which the media sincerely appreciates!

Dena Morgan, Farm Progress national shows marketing specialist, told the media about many changes made this year that longtime attendees will notice and appreciate – things like improved traffic control, new web cams, hand sanitizer stations, and more.

fp10The media day is an opportunity for reporters to get a feel for the show site ahead of the big event. Riding in a tram pulled by (what else?) a New Holland tractor, the media checked out several highlights around the site including the field demonstration plots, the locations of the web cams, the cattle handling location, the hospitality tent, the Iowa State University exhibit, and Big Bud.

Chuck and Joanna will be the ZimmComm bloggers on site at FPS 2010 this year, with coverage provided here on Agwired and on Precision Pays, as well as other websites as appropriate. New Holland will once again be the main sponsor of our coverage here on Agwired, with other sponsors here and on Precision Pays including AgLeader Technologies, John Deere, and Pioneer.

Farm Progress Show, New Holland

Live Coverage – USDA/DOJ Public Workshop

Chuck Zimmerman

The player below will let you see my CoverItLive stream from the workshop. Thanks to the hundreds who logged in and especially those who commented. I was also live tweeting today using the #USDADOJ hashtag.


USDA/DOJ Livestock Competition Workshop and Forums Photo Album

GIPSA, Livestock

Live Audio USDA/DOJ Public Workshop

Chuck Zimmerman

I was streaming live audio from today’s workshop all day. We had about 800 different people tune in and many stayed with it all day. It was a fascinating event in many ways, especially hearing so many different opinions in such a short period of time!

I’ve got most of the conference recorded and will be sharing out tidbits in coming days. For now, it’s time to get out of the facility and head home to ZimmComm World Headquarters in the morning. Thanks to everyone who followed along!

Audio, Livestock

USDA/DOJ Public Workshop Press Conference

Chuck Zimmerman

Sec. of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Attorney General Eric Holder held a press conference this morning during a break in the USDA/DOJ public workshop in Ft. Collins, CO. I’m posting the full audio from it here for you. I’ve got lots of audio and story ideas for after today. I think getting photos, audio and live streaming to the over 300 who have been listening in so far has been priority.

I asked Sec. Vilsack if USDA or anyone has done any research on the impact or consequences of the proposed GIPSA rule. He gave a round about answer that made it apparent that none has. He pointed to the thousands of comments that have come in and are still coming in as providing lots of input on what people think will happen.

USDA/DOJ Public Workshop Press Conf
USDA/DOJ Livestock Competition Workshop and Forums Photo Album

Audio, GIPSA, Livestock, USDA

USDA/DOJ Public Workshop On Livestock Competition

Chuck Zimmerman

It’s a beautiful day on the campus of Colorado State University. The activity is picking up at the Lory Student Center where today’s USDA/DOJ public workshop will take place.

A large crowd is already outside waiting for the doors to open. The media got in early to set up and make sure we’ve got internet access, etc. I’ll be live tweeting and covering the session here on AgWired so check in often.


USDA/DOJ Livestock Competition Workshop and Forums Photo Album

Livestock

57th Princess Kay of the Milky Way

Melissa Sandfort

Katie Miron, a 19-year-old college student from Hugo, Minn., was crowned the 57th Princess Kay of the Milky Way in an evening ceremony at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds August 25.

As Princess Kay, Miron, who represents Washington County, will serve as the official goodwill ambassador for Minnesota’s nearly 4,700 dairy farmers. Katie is the daughter of Fran and Mary Ann Miron of Hugo, and attends the University of Minnesota, studying agricultural education. This marks the second time two people from the same family have been named Princess Kay: Miron’s sister, Ann, was crowned Princess Kay in 2007.

Throughout her year-long reign as Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Miron will make public appearances helping consumers make a connection with Minnesota dairy farm families who are dedicated to producing wholesome milk while caring for their animals and natural resources.

Dairy

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • The American Soybean Association has confirmed five new members (John Heisdorffer, IA; Lucas Heinen, KS; C.W. Gaffner and Dan Farney, IL; and Monica McCranie, S.D.) and extended the appointments of nine other soybean growers to lead ASA’s World Initiative for Soy in Human Health Program.
  • Eric J. Steiner will join the National Association of Wheat Growers as director of government affairs for farm policy on Monday, Aug. 30.
  • INFORCE 3, a new three-way respiratory cattle vaccine, will be available Sept. 1 from Pfizer Animal Health. The intranasal vaccine offers unprecedented respiratory protection with the highest level of disease prevention available against bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV).
  • Something big is coming to the Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa: Geringhoff unleashes the only 24 row folding corn head in the world.
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    Opening Remarks At GIPSA Rule Forum

    Chuck Zimmerman

    I’m betting that by the end of today’s USDA/DOJ public workshop (it is today) we’re going to know a lot more about the proposed GIPSA rule and what it means for everyone in the livestock industry. I’ve got quite a bit of information from the evening’s forums that I’ll post when time allows in coming days and weeks.

    To get us started I thought I’d let you listen to the opening remarks from the leadership of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and National Pork Producers Council at their forum on the GIPSA rule. They’re introduced by emcee Kevin Ochsner, NCBA’s Cattlemen To Cattlemen. Also in this audio clip is Allie Devine, VP and General Counsel, Kansas Livestock Association, who provides a backgrounder on the proposed GIPSA rule: NCBA/NPPC GIPSA Panel Open
    USDA/DOJ Livestock Competition Workshop and Forums Photo Album

    Ag Groups, Audio, GIPSA, Livestock, NCBA