Getting Geeky At NAFB Convention

Chuck Zimmerman

The annual National Association of Farm Broadcasting convention is only a few weeks away. I hope you’re registered. If you’ve got your geek on then plan to attend my session on Wed. afternoon from 1:15 to 2:00 pm. I’m doing, “Tech Savvy – The Latest and Greatest Tools for Broadcasters.” I’m pretty sure we’ll be going beyond the microphone.

Technology has changed. Did you know that? LOL. So, as part of the overall professional improvement content for the convention I’ll be showcasing some of the latest tools of the trade. We will undoubtedly have some you’ve never seen. As an added bonus, these items and product literature will be on display during the convention in the news room. And as an even bigger bonus, most of these items will be given away as door prizes at different times and we may even have some in the NAFB Foundation auction!

This is a first time effort so I’ve got some questions for you. Can you forward me any particular brand/model/contact info you may have to send a product request to? I’ve already sent many of them but I’m sure I haven’t covered all companies out there. What type of equipment are you most interested in? What equipment would help you do your job better? Just send me an email if you can. Thanks.

NAFB

LPC Royal Gala Fundraiser

Chuck Zimmerman

It is time once again for the Livestock Publications Council, American Royal Gala Fundraiser. The event will be held at American Royal Heaquarters on Friday, October 29 from 6-10pm. There will be food and beverage and the unveiling of the 2011 Hall of Honor Inductees (Bob Funk, Express Ranch, OK – Headliner; Lionel Chambers, Editor Emeritus, The Cattleman, TX – Hall of Fame).

Funds raised are used for the ongoing improvement of the LPC Heritage Center at the American Royal. The Center was introduced in 2005 and includes portraits of the distinguished Hall of Honor and Headliner honorees. A second phase of the Center is the Hall of History which will display the evolution of livestock publishing.

Attire is Flappers and Gangsters. Contact Diane at LPC to find out what that means and get registered.

LPC

Missouri Ag Coalition Fights HSUS Prop B

Cindy Zimmerman

Missourians for animal careSigns opposing a proposition on the Missouri ballot backed by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) are popping up all over the state with election day just around the corner.

Like David against Goliath, Missouri’s agriculture groups, united under the banner Missourians for Animal Care, are fighting against the heavily-funded HSUS campaign with yard signs and a volunteer phone campaign. Proposition B, the “Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act,” is aimed at dog breeders, but livestock interests fear it is just the first step in furthering the HSUS anti-animal agriculture agenda in Missouri. They also contend that the regulations for legitimate dog breeders are so strict that it will basically put them out of business, while the unlicensed breeders who already are breaking the laws on the books will just continue to do so.

The Missourians for Animal Care group and others opposed to the proposition are fighting an uphill battle as proponents are saturating the airwaves with a multi-million dollar, mostly out-of-state funded, campaign featuring sad and heartbreaking stories and images of puppies raised in substandard conditions. But they are fighting anyway and we have our sign in the front yard. All we can do is hope and pray that good sense will prevail! Umm, yeah.

Read a good story on the issue from the KC Star here.

Animal Activists, Livestock, Wackos

The Pulse of Agri-Pulse

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast 277In this week’s ZimmCast we’re going to take the pulse of Agri-Pulse Communications with President, Sara Wyant. Sara says that her company will be celebrating seven years very soon. So will ZimmComm so perhaps we should celebrate together! Agri-Pulse publishes a weekly news report and also has a blog, “Ag Policy From The Inside Out.”

Sara was a speaker at the recent Export Exchange 2010 DDGS seminar in Chicago. I spoke with her following her presentation. Sara started out all by herself with an electronic newsletter and now has several people on her staff and has placed more emphasis on her website content. Sara says the most rewarding feedback she has received is in the form of personal comments like a recent one in which she was told, “I don’t go out and go to any industry meeting or give a speech unless I’ve read you first.” So if you’re not subscribing to Agri-Pulse you may want to join everyone else!

Please enjoy this week’s program: ZimmCast 277 - Interview with Sara Wyant

This week’s program ends with some fun music from Music Alley. It’s a song titled, “The Last Impulse” by YTheBand. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.

Thanks to our ZimmCast sponsors, Novus International, and Leica Geosytems for their support.

The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired. Subscribe so you can listen when and where you want. Just go to our a Subscribe page

Audio, Media, ZimmCast

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Silk Soymilk announced a new website that allows consumers to trace the origin of the soybeans in each carton of Silk down to the county level.
  • Cibus Global has moved its U.S. research facilities to a state-of-the-art, Platinum LEED-certified location in San Diego.
  • At the fall Board meeting of the American Butter Institute, Mark Korsmeyer, Dairy Farmers of America, Inc., Kansas City, Mo., was elected President of ABI and two new officers were seated.
  • Harvest Heroes is a new program designed to recognize everyday heroes in the agricultural community. High Plains/Midwest Ag Journal and John Deere have partnered to introduce these extraordinary individuals and stories to the world. It’s a thank you to the everyday heroes who make agriculture a special community.
    Zimfo Bytes

    The Smell of Harvest

    Melissa Sandfort

    Our house sits at the bottom of a hill, near a small creek. Ever notice as you’re driving through the country, how, when you get to the bottom of a hill, the temperature drops about 5 to 10 degrees? It just “feels” different.

    We were sitting outside the other night when the cool breeze mixed with the smell of harvest, and I had to breathe it in. My husband, on the other hand, thought I was crazy. I claim his sniffer must be off because they were harvesting in the field directly across the road, and to the south about a half mile. How could he not smell it? The musky smell of corn dust, mixed with oil and fuel from the combine, tossed in with a little dirt and dried corn shuck? It’s distinctive. And unmistakable.

    Having a nose full of harvest smells at their best, I then proceeded to have a sneezing fit. That was the allergies kicking in. I’m not sure how I survived all these years being allergic to dust, mold, pollen, grass, trees, pets, you name it. Maybe it just made me stronger because for some reason, I just can’t help but enjoy the scent this time of year brings. The only thing that would make it better is if a nearby neighbor would burn off their leaf pile. Or start up their wood fireplace.

    Bring on the hayrack rides and marshmallows. Please.

    Until we walk again…

    Uncategorized

    Ag Law Center Offers GIPSA Webinar

    Cindy Zimmerman

    ag lawA webinar on the proposed GIPSA rule was offered this week by the National Agricultural Law Center (NALC) and is still available on line for those who are interested.

    The webinar is one of several events the center has conducted for the industry to understand the rule, including a series of regional workshops in Arkansas. The purpose was to provide “information only” for livestock producers and others in the industry who would be affected by the proposed rule.

    They provide a pretty detailed explanation of how and why the rule was developed, how and why to make comments, and a real in-depth look at what the rule actually says. The details of the proposed rule are presented by NALC staff attorney Beth Rumley and it’s definitely worth a listen. If you want to skip ahead to that, it starts about 35 minutes in to the webinar.

    All livestock producers – poultry, pork and cattle – are strongly encouraged to find out how this proposed rule will impact them and provide comments to USDA before the comment deadline coming up on November 22. As of this week, over 11,000 comments have been received, according to NALC. That’s about twice what it was just three weeks ago, so with another five weeks of comment period time to go, lots more are expected. USDA is required to read and consider ALL comments that are received – so your comments are as important as your vote in an election, if not more so. The easiest way to make comments is by email at comments.gipsa@usda.gov.

    GIPSA

    BASF Announces The Verdict

    Chuck Zimmerman

    There’s a new weapon in the farmer’s arsenal from BASF. Actually, it’s an expanded label for Verdict™ herbicide that includes soybeans.

    To highlight the newly expanded label, BASF has changed the Integrity™ herbicide name to Verdict herbicide. The additional use pattern in soybeans represents a growing change in management strategies for preemergence herbicides, as growers continue to seek products that help them get the most out of every acre through simple and effective weed management programs.

    Verdict, powered by Kixor® herbicide technology, is a corn preemergence herbicide product with the flexibility of use for soybeans. Verdict is a simple solution for preemergence burndown and residual control of 46 of today’s toughest weeds in corn, grain sorghum and soybeans, providing a foundation for maximum yield potential.

    “Verdict herbicide offers a stronger option for broadleaf weed control in corn, with the simplicity and convenience to also be used in soybeans,” said Bryan Perry, Kixor Product Manager at BASF. “BASF developed Verdict in response to our customers’ need for uncomplicated, effective weed-management solutions that contribute to an efficiently-managed operation. As part of the Kixor family of products, Verdict also offers growers additional modes of action to utilize in their corn and soybean weed resistance programs.”

    Agribusiness, BASF

    High Valley is On The Combine

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Are you looking for some good music for your iPod this harvest season? Look no further than High Valley in iTunes. They might just make you smile while you’re “On The Combine!” They’re a Canadian country band and thanks to Penny Brown, Centricity Music, for bringing it to my attention. It’s downloading in iTunes on my computer now.

    Uncategorized

    2011 Ag Media Summit Logo Contest

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Ag Media SummitHey AAEA and LPC members. Want to pocket $200? Enter a design in the 2011 Ag Media Summit logo contest.

    This contest is open to any LPC or AAEA member or student member of either organization. ACT members, you may participate if you are a student member of either organization.

    Things to consider:
    Theme: Jazz It Up! NOLA 2011
    Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
    Dates: July 23-27, 2011

    Keep in mind this logo is used in a variety of mediums from signage to the website to give-aways so don’t make it so complicated that it does not reproduce well. It’s a good idea to design it so it looks good in black and white too.

    Deadline for submission: Wednesday, October 20, 2010; to dianej@flash.net, please put “AMS 2011 logo submission-“your name” in the subject line. Please submit as a pdf but keep it so that you can modify it slightly if the committee requests. You may submit as many entries as you wish.

    The AMS Steering Committee will vote on the entries and their decision is final. The logo then becomes the property of the AMS and it will be the logo for the 2011 event only.

    ACN, Ag Media Summit, LPC