Live From ZimmComm World Headquarters

Chuck Zimmerman

Good morning from ZimmComm World Headquarters. I was streaming live from my iPhone at my desk for a while this morning. I might do that more often. I heard from folks like Gardner Hatch at Gibbs & Soell, Ron Hayes from RON in Oklahoma and Allie Hembree at Alltech.

It’s a beautiful day in the midwest again and I’m betting the fields are seeing some good action before the Easter weekend. I just finished an interview with Mike Leetch, Syngenta, for a new ZimmCast on advice for growers as they get out in their mostly cool wet fields. That will be posting soon.

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Navy Jet To Fly On Biofuel

Chuck Zimmerman

Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen was on location at the site of President Obama’s speech this morning on energy initiatives for the United States and we were following him on Twitter. The event was held in a hanger at Andrews Air Force Base with the backdrop of a Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet jet that will fly on biofuels on Earth Day.

According to the Navy:

Air Test and Evaluation Squadron VX-23 will be testing the full envelope of the ‘Green Hornet’ with a drop in replacement biofuel made from the camelina plant in an effort to certify alternative fuels for naval aviation use.

The ‘Green Hornet’ flight is an important step in the certification and ultimate operational use of biofuels by the Navy and Marine Corps.

The president was expected to announce new energy policies that rely heavily on domestic production of traditional energy sources, including opening up new off-shore oil drilling. However, Dinneen says, “Relying on 20th century energy sources to address 21st century challenges will not solve the problem. America’s energy policy must be focused on renewable sources that have great potential for innovation and improvement. Renewable fuels, such as ethanol produced from a variety of feedstocks, hold great promise to reduce our need for imported oil, address climate change concerns, and create enduring economic opportunity. Oil and other fossil fuels are finite resources. While we cannot ignore their contributions, neither can we ignore the reality that reliance on them is simply unsustainable.”

Biofuels, Ethanol

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

    DuPont Pledges $200,000 to University of Illinois

    Chuck Zimmerman

    DuPontDupont has issued a “challenge grant” to the University of Illinois for improving communications effectiveness in agriculture. I think supplying some iPads to new ag comm students would be a good use of those funds! Of course they can also attend the AgWired School of Agricultural Communications too!

    DuPont announced a $200,000 grant to a University of Illinois initiative between the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) and the College of Media designed to address the growing need for effective communications in the fast-changing world of agriculture, food, feed, fiber, bio-energy and rural development.

    The grant, from DuPont businesses Pioneer Hi-Bred and Crop Protection, will be paid based on the university meeting milestones in its $2 million goal for the effort.

    “Agriculture is undergoing incredible change at the same time dynamic new media is redefining the field of communications,” said Paul E. Schickler, president – Pioneer Hi-Bred. “Additional focus and understanding at the intersection of those two trends should bring incredible benefits to farmers and consumers and others throughout the value chain.”

    The university plans to enhance its joint agricultural communications program with a first-of-its kind endowed chair in agricultural communications to support teaching and research in the field. The university plans to have at least three teaching positions and include initiatives in environmental and consumer communications.

    “Agricultural production needs to nearly double by 2050,” said James C. Collins, president – DuPont Crop Protection. “Science from DuPont is part of the solution. We’ll also need collaboration and innovation across sectors to meet the challenge. And effective communications is vital to our ability to do that.”

    “We are grateful for DuPont’s willingness to support this important initiative that will benefit the university’s students in agricultural communications for years to come,” said Robert Hauser, interim dean of the College of ACES.

    Agribusiness, Education, Pioneer, University

    Great Steaks From Alltech

    Chuck Zimmerman

    When I found out that Alltech was marketing steaks I knew they would be good. This is a very good filet on my grill. If you’re looking for a good recipe then order some flat irons and give this a try:

    Spicy Lemon Pesto Flat Iron Steaks

    Ingredients:
    4 beef shoulder top blade (flat iron) steaks (6 to 8 ounces each)
    1/3 cup prepared basil pesto sauce
    1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
    2 teaspoon pepper
    1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
    3 large cloves garlic, minced
    Salt
    Freshly grated lemon peel (optional)

    Directions:

    1. Combine Spicy Lemon Pesto ingredients in small bowl. Set aside.
    2. Press garlic evenly onto beef steaks. Place steaks on grid over medium, ash-covered coals. Grill, covered, 10 to 14 minutes for medium rare to medium doneness, turning once. Season with salt, as desired.
    3. Top steaks with pesto. Garnish with lemon peel, if desired.

    Makes 4 servings.

    Now for the all important nutritional information and this is very nutritional!

    Nutrition Information: Nutrition information per serving: 349 calories; 20 g fat (6 g saturated fat; 4 g monounsaturated fat); 68 mg cholesterol; 250 mg sodium; 2 g carbohydrate; 0.6 g fiber; 38 g protein; 10.2 mg niacin; 0.8 mg vitamin B6; 2.0 mcg vitamin B12; 2.4 mg iron; 41.0 mcg selenium; 6.5 mg zinc.

    BTW, I’ll be attending Alltech’s 26th International Animal Health and Nutrition Industry Symposium in May.

    Alltech, Beef

    HSUS Claims Ag is “Paranoid”

    Cindy Zimmerman

    The head of the Humane Society of the United States says agriculture interests are just “paranoid” about the organization’s motives.

    In an 18 minute interview with Brownfield Network’s Julie Harker about the proposed “puppy mill” ballot initiative in Missouri that would impose new regulations on dog breeders, HSUS president Wayne Pacelle refuted the idea that they were ultimately targeting the livestock industry. “I don’t see how supporting a measure to address dog breeders has anything to do with livestock agriculture,” Pacelle said. “It’s an irrational and paranoid response.”

    While he says the dog breeding measure in Missouri has nothing to do with animal agriculture, Pacelle does admit they want to “improve the treatment of animals raised for food” in other states, like Ohio. “We make no apologies for urging humane treatment of animals raised for food,” he says.

    Pacelle also called the agriculture industry paranoid in a story this week from the Kansas City Star. “They see (our) strength and they’re very paranoid about it,” said society president Wayne Pacelle. “But we remind them and others that we are seeking simply to curb the worst abuses in livestock.” The KC Star reporter repeatedly refers to HSUS as “the Humane Society” (best known for actually having animal shelters) and headlines the story “Humane Society’s compassion stirs conflict with agribusiness in Midwest.” The reporter correctly notes that the situation is “getting ugly” as Pacelle calls agriculture’s concerns a “bilge pump” of lies and defamations, and vows to push ahead “state by state, for laws against cruelty, from “puppy mills” to intensive confinement of animals in factory farms.”

    It’s not paranoid if they really are out to get you.

    Wackos

    Africa Rice Center Receives Communications Award

    Chuck Zimmerman

    The Africa Rice Center received two awards at the Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development from the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research. Now that’s a mouthful. The conference is taking place in Montpellier, France. One of the awards was for communications, which caught my eye.

    The 2009 CGIAR Outstanding Communication Award was presented to Dr Paul Van Mele, AfricaRice Program Leader on Learning and Innovation Systems, for the Rice Rural Learning Initiative based on farmer-to-farmer videos on improved rice production practices.

    The videos, combined with mass media, have helped strengthen the capacities of over 600 farmer organizations across Africa, stimulated greater innovation than did conventional farmer training techniques and had tangible impact on the livelihood of rural women.

    Here’s a video from the Africa Rice Center website:

    International, Research

    International Fertilizer Efficiency

    Chuck Zimmerman

    AGROTAIN EEFWe had a great mix of international attendees at the Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizer Conference in Miami. I spoke with two of them after being introduced by AGROTAIN Marketing Communications Manager, Carrie Doza, pictured in the middle. To the left is Dr. Surinder K. Bansal, Potash Research Institute of India and on the right is Daniel O. Claudino dos Santos (a regular AgWired reader!) from Brazil.

    Dr. Bansal says that in the last three years he’s been doing work on stabilized nitrogen fertilizers for use in corn and wheat crops. He sees real potential for EEF’s with large acre crops. In India he says nitrogen use efficiency in India is very low. That creates a lot of loss which has a negative environmental impact as well as an economic one. He’s found that they can increase yield by 8-10 percent with stabilized nitrogen fertilizers and save nitrogen at the same time. He hopes to see his work become commercially available after more trial work and government approval.

    You can listen to or download (mp3) my interview with Dr. Bansal here: eef-10-bansal.mp3

    Daniel works for Fertilizantes Piratini, a large fertilizer company that distributes AGROTAIN products. He says that the acceptance of EEF’s in Brazil is “amazing.” He says that sales have been skyrocketing year to year since they introduced the products in 2004. The main crops they’re seeing the adoption of these fertilizers in are corn, sugarcane and irrigated rice.

    You can listen to or download (mp3) my interview with Daniel here: eef-10-santos.mp3

    Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizer Conference Photo Album

    AgWired coverage of the New Ag International Conference
    on Enhanced-Efficiency Fertilizers is made possible by .

    Audio, Fertilizer, International

    New ARC Website Live

    Chuck Zimmerman

    The Agricultural Relations Council’s new website is up and running so check it out. It’s a Ning site so you can create your own profile. Here’s mine.

    The Agricultural Relations Council is the only association dedicated to serving the unique needs of public relations professionals working in agriculture, food, fiber and other related industries. ARC is a conduit for problem-solving, idea-sharing and collaboration among members, who share a passion for excellence in public relations.

    If you’re a regular AgWired fan then consider ARC because you definitely fit the description.

    ARC

    Zimfo Bytes

    Melissa Sandfort

      Zimfo Bytes

    • The board of governors of the United States Postal Service approved management’s request to move forward with a five-day delivery schedule, which would effectively eliminate delivery and collections on Saturdays. The next step is for the USPS to file a request for an advisory opinion with the Postal Regulatory Commission by March 30.
    • To enhance their “closest to the farmer” reputation, Ag Leader Technology, Inc., officially launched social media efforts with the inaugural post to the new blog Precision Point. Not only can Ag Leader fans interact with the company on their blog, but also on various platforms including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
    • Solae, LLC, has been recognized by the Ethisphere Institute as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for 2010.
    • In six months, the world’s finest equine athletes will gallop into Kentucky’s Bluegrass region for the most prestigious, global equestrian championships — the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. The Alltech FEI Games, will take place in Lexington, Ky., from Sept. 25- Oct. 10.
      Zimfo Bytes