The Power of Ethanol

Chuck Zimmerman

Will PowerWe had a very competitive qualifying session for the Iowa Corn Indy 250 today at Iowa Speedway. Here’s our Peak Performance Pole Winner Will Power, #12, Verizon Team Penske. He put in a qualifying speed of 181.337 mph.

I guess you could say that shows the “Power” of ethanol!

This is Will’s 4th pole of 2010 and his first on an oval track. He said afterward that the race will be “tough on a short track.”

We had some excitement when Milka Duno went into the wall on turn two during qualifying but she was okay.

Will PowerI’ll be on location all of race day collecting more photos and interviews. Since Iowa Corn Growers are the sponsor I’ll be in the winner’s circle and will post a photo of the winner before heading back to ZimmComm World Headquarters.

Learn more about Will Power here:

Will Power got his start racing go-karts at the age 6, but it wasn’t until 2000 that Power realized he wanted to make a career in racing. He started out in the Formula Ford State Series, earning the Queensland State Championship, before moving onto the Australian Formula 3 Championship placing second overall, despite missing the first four races. As his success grew, Power decided to make the move to England, where he would compete in the British F3 and World Series by Renault Championships. He made his IndyCar Series debut in 2008.

When time permits, he returns to Australia to see family and friends and catch some waves. Squash, touch rugby and cricket are sports Power plays to relax and unwind.

Iowa Corn Indy 250 Photo Album.

Corn, Ethanol, Indy Racing

Ethanol On Track In Iowa

Chuck Zimmerman

Chuck IndyThis was me moments before rain drops hit Iowa Speedway again yesterday. After years of taking photos of other people getting a ride in the Indy 2-Seater I finally had my chance. But just as we were about to pull onto the track rain canceled the deal. Oh well, maybe another time. I do think I look good in an Indy Car though. Thanks to Ann Marie Edwards, Edwards Communications, for the photo. Our two drivers for the event were Sarah Fisher and Davey Hamilton.

When I got in line I was surprised to be right behind Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey. Bill follows me on Twitter and is an AgWired fan btw! So, I got my iPhone out for a short interview. He says that the challenges in the Gulf remind us that a home grown fuel like ethanol is one we ought to be producing more of. He’d like to see an extension of the ethanol tax credit this year. He says we need domestic fuel, we need jobs and we need economic activity and ethanol answers those needs.

You can listen to my interview with Sec. Northey below.

Iowa Corn Indy 250 Photo Album.

Audio, Corn, Ethanol, Indy Racing, Uncategorized

Car Drivers Talk About Iowa Corn Indy 250

Chuck Zimmerman

Indy Car DriversThis afternoon the IRL and Iowa Speedway held a driver’s press conference. Participating are (l-r) Graham Rahal, Tony Kanaan, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Alex Tagliani. The drivers were in a great mood but you could sense how eager they are to get on the track. They’ll be testing tomorrow.

I recorded the press conference and thought I’d share the opening questions and statements from the drivers. They talk about the track (things like bumps) and you’ll hear Ryan say how much he appreciates being able to race for Ethanol again.

After years of covering Indy races I finally had a chance to ride in one of 2-seater cars this afternoon. I actually got strapped in and was ready to go before the rain drops fell and it was canceled. Bummer. Maybe next time.

Iowa Corn Indy 250 Photo Album.

Audio, Corn, Ethanol, Indy Racing

Getting Pumped For Indy Racing in Iowa

Chuck Zimmerman

Chuck and Ryan Hunter-ReayIt was great getting to see Ryan Hunter-Reay yesterday while promoting American made ethanol in Des Moines. Thanks to Claire Masker, Iowa Corn Growers Association, for taking the photo.

Ryan is very happy to be driving for ethanol again. He did so for a couple years back when it was known as Team Ethanol and now as Ethanol USA Team Izod. His car sponsorship for the season had run out until the deal was announced last week.

Ethanol USA Team Izod CarSo here’s the car he’ll be driving on Sunday for the Iowa Corn Indy 250. Let’s hope the weather gives us a break. It stormed last night and again this morning. Corn fields really don’t need any more rain in Iowa right now.

I also shot a video clip of Indy Car driver Marco Andretti pulling up in race car driver style to have the Iowa Speedway car filled by Ryan. More interviews from the pump promotion will be posted on Domestic Fuel. Today I’m heading out to the track (after a severe storm passes) to check out the activities so I’ll be coming to you next from there.

Iowa Corn Indy 250 Photo Album.

Ag Groups, Corn, Ethanol, Indy Racing, Video

Organic Acids Benefiting Swine Production & Welfare

Joanna Schroeder

Swine health is of the utmost importance for producers and the use of antibiotics has often been used to keep the pigs healthy. Yet a few years ago, the European Union passed legislation that limited the use of antibiotics for animal health. Since then, many of these producers have been using organic acids to help improve pig health with great success.

Here is the U.S. similar antibiotic legislation is being considered so I sat down with Helen Stebbens, Ph.D. in Pig Nutrition for Novus Europe, to learn more about the pending legislation and what it would mean for American pig producers should it pass. Stebbens has been working on developing organic acids for pig health and she told me right away that in Europe, the producers have not only survived but their levels of production are very good, in part due to the integration of organic acids.

“Many are using organic acids in young pigs,” explained Stebbens. “They are very effective for young pigs where their digestive system is not very mature and organic acids really help to boost the acidity within the stomach of the young pigs and forms a barrier of pathogens toward entry.” Ultimately, she said, this helps to keep the pig’s gut healthy.

Keeping the pig’s gut healthy lessens the needs for things like antibiotics and also improves the ROI for the producer. Stebbens noted that there has been a good adoption of the technique among producers in the U.S. and she believes that they will find it a very cost effective option in maintaining gut health. She also stressed that organic acids do not need to be used all the time but only during critical times of stress such as when the pigs are moving house or units.

There are many Novus nutritional experts that are available to work with producers who are interested in learning more about organic acids, and encouraged them to contact Novus. You can learn more about organic acids at www.novusint.com.

You can listen to the in-depth interview with Helen below. You can also check out all the World Pork Expo 2010 Photo Album.

AgWired coverage of the World Pork Expo 2010 is sponsored by:
Novus and boehringer-ingelheim.

Audio, Novus International, Pork, Swine, World Pork Expo

Research Work In China

Chuck Zimmerman

Zachary Larson, Borlaug Summer Intern, is on location at Nanjing Agricultural University and providing us with updates this summer of his trip. Here’s his latest. You can also find a photo album he’s got started here: Borlaug Summer Intern Photo Album. The internship is being sponsored by the Iowa State University Plant Sciences Institute.

How to become a researcher in a few easy steps, Part 2

As for my actual activities, most of my time has been spent watching and gaining a better understanding of the main techniques in preparation to use them later on when I will do it myself. For example, I have been constantly observing students preforming their own DNA extractions from wheat leaf or root tip DNA, purifying extracted DNA using centrifuges and protein filters, PCR amplification of select DNA samples, PAGE gel analysis of the PCR results, and finally some cytogenetic techniques like the Gene gun, and florescent staining of wheat chromosomes. While it sounds like a lot, these are just the tools that the students use everyday to perform their work in the lab, and part of the continual research that one must use to produce results.

Beyond the use of lab procedures and machines, the lab also has a lot of basic work that has to be done everyday that is just part of the tediousness that comes a long with being a grad student. As the genetic research here is geared towards developing resistant varieties of wheat, the students much take at least one trip per week to a large farm out side of Nanjing in order to inspect their wheat, and (recently) they have all been involved in harvesting their wheat. Once the wheat has been harvested, all the students during their lab time spend at least three hours a day peeling the wheat seeds outside of the specks波小麦, and then taking these seeds and extracting the embryos from the wheat.

While the second and perhaps more time consuming part of lab life here is one that requires little problem solving, it is the most critical in order to continue any other lab work. Without the constant attention to the wheat fields, and a constant supply of healthy seeds, there would be no opportunity for further plant breeding. So, while this is a significant amount of work to be done beyond one’s own research in a lab like this, with out it, your own research would have no material to work with. Read More

Education, International, University

Diane Martin Is President/CEO Rhea + Kaiser

Chuck Zimmerman

Rhea + Kaiser Marketing Communications has announced major changes in the leadership of the agency starting at the top.

For the first time since the agency’s founding 32 years ago, a new leader is at the helm of Rhea + Kaiser.

Diane Martin, a 24-year veteran of R+K, has been named president and chief executive officer. She succeeds agency co-founder Steve Rhea, who will remain as chairman of the board. Rhea and agency co-founder Van Kaiser retain full ownership of the agency.

“This was a critically important decision for Van and me, and Diane emerged as the clear choice,” Rhea said. “Diane best understands our agency, our culture and where we have to go in the future as a leading independent agency. In particular, Diane understands what it takes to successfully serve our clients and align with their business priorities.”

Martin said Rhea challenged her to define the new agency model going forward.

“My top priority is anticipating and managing change, while also painting a vision of the agency’s future and empowering employees to get there,” Martin said. “I am fortunate to inherit a rich history in R+K, but I understand that the client service business is about continually looking forward and anticipating the new.”

See more announcements: Read More

Agencies

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • The National Milk Producers Federation has a new Vice Chairman and three new board members. John Underwood was elected the Third Vice Chairman of NMPF. The new Board members include: Mickey Childers of Somerville, Ala.; Dan Senestraro of Johnson, Kan.; and Jim Werkhoven of Monroe, Wash.
  • Syngenta Crop Protection announced that Inspire Super fungicide received EPA approval for use on cucurbits.
  • Dairylea Cooperative, Inc., has selected ABC Creative Group as their new agency of record.
  • Dr. Ann Sorensen of the American Farmland Trust has been nominated to serve on the EPA’s Farm, Ranch and Rural Communities Federal Advisory Committee.
    Zimfo Bytes

    Kum & Go Welcomes Indy Car Drivers To New E-85 Location

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Iowa Corn Kum & Go Pump PromotionTeammates Marco Andretti (left) and Ryan Hunter-Reay were on hand to promote American corn ethanol today at the grand opening of another Kum & Go E-85 pump location in Des Moines, IA. For two hours this today you could fill your tank with 85 cent/gallon E-85 and a lot of people came out to do just that.

    Today’s promotional event was the kick off of my coverage of this year’s Iowa Corn Indy 250 race weekend thanks to the Iowa Corn Promotion Board. I’ll be attending various events and reporting here and on Domestic Fuel. The race is scheduled for 1:30pm on Sunday afternoon. I’ve got a photo album started for the weekend which I’ll be adding to periodically: Iowa Corn Indy 250 Photo Album.

    The drivers were signing autographs and doing interviews. I spoke to both of them and they’re very glad to see the support they’re getting from Iowa corn growers. They like the fact that their cars are running on a renewable fuel and after doing so for years now they’ve proved the performance capability of the fuel.

    You can download my interview with Ryan (mp3) or listen here: ia-corn-indy-2010-ryan.mp3

    You can download my interview with Marco (mp3) or listen here: ia-corn-indy-2010-marco.mp3

    Audio, Corn, Ethanol, Indy Racing, Video

    Crop Protection Needed to Feed the World

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Combine increasing global population and decreasing land availability with pests and diseases that like the same crops we do and you get a continued demand for crop protection tools to feed the world.

    BASF ChicagoThe problem is that the public in general views pesticides as unsafe, even though they both safe and necessary, according Dr. Jeff Driver, a toxicologist with George Mason University, who spoke at the BASF Ag Media Summit on sustainability last week in Chicago. “These perceptions or biases exist,” says Dr. Driver. “What consumers need to appreciate further is the risks and benefits of having or not having pesticides, whether in their food or dealing with public health threats like Lyme disease.”

    He gave an example of comparing the toxicity risks of aspirin to peaches. “It’s the dose that makes the poison,” he said. “One could consume 32 aspirins of 325 mg strength and reach an acutely toxic dose. In comparison, to reach an acutely toxic dose of an example pesticide in a conventionally grown peach, one would have to consume over 1,000 peaches in one sitting, which obviously would not happen, not even in the best peach eating contest!”

    Driver says that consumers have little understanding of the rigorous approval process that crop protection chemicals go through, which is even more lengthy and thorough than for a pharmaceutical product, and it is up to the scientific and agricultural community to do more to educate the public, even starting in elementary school.

    Download Driver’s interview     or just listen here basf-chi-driver.mp3

    BASF ChicagoFollowing up Dr. Driver’s presentation, BASF Product Stewardship Manager Andrew Goetz got specific about what BASF goes through to get a crop protection product registered for use and ensure that it is safe for people, animals and the environment as a whole.

    “Just in the pre-development time period, we’ll do 40-50 studies and spend $2.5-4 million,” Andrew said. “We’re as highly regulated as the pharmaceutical area in toxicology. In the environmental fate area, we do more, we look at how it behaves in the environment. And in the eco-tox area we do more than pharmaceuticals. So, overall we are probably more regulated than the pharmaceutical industry.”

    Listen to Andrew’s interview below.

    Audio, BASF