Illinois Corn Growers Present the Corn Crib

Chuck Zimmerman

Normal CornBeltersIt’s opening night for the Normal CornBelters baseball team at the brand new Corn Crib stadium. The Corn Crib is presented by Illinois Corn Farmers and the AgWired team is set up in their suite getting ready for the first pitch.

We’ll be here taking photos and getting some interviews throughout the evening. Of course we’ve already got a photo album started. You can find it here: Normal CornBelters Corn Crib Opener

We’ll be tweeting @AgriBlogger and @FarmPodcaster so you may want to keep an eye there for photos and other notes while we obtain more content to load here.

Rod WeinzierlTo get things started Cindy interviewed Rod Weinzierl, Executive Director, Illinois Corn Growers and Illinois Corn Marketing Board. Rod says that the fans in the area selecting the team name and that caught the attention of the Association. They worked out an agreement to name the stadium the Corn Crib.

You can listen to Cindy’s interview with Rod here.

Ag Groups, Audio, Corn

BASF Looks to Register Three New Products

Cindy Zimmerman

BASF Crop Protection has filed for registration of three new active ingredients that are expected to influence crop management worldwide.

basfBASF announced today that it has made multi-lateral, worldwide regulatory submissions for new products — Xemium™ fungicide, and Initium™ fungicide. Both were filed with regulatory authorities in the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. BASF also submitted Alpha-cypermethrin™ insecticide to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for review.

“Ongoing laboratory and in-field research shows these three products will help growers in ways they’ve never been helped before,” said Nevin McDougall, Senior Vice President, BASF Agricultural Solutions, North America. “Xemium and Initium fungicides are the result of the BASF research and discovery process. We are committed to bringing innovative solutions to the market to help growers get the most out of every acre.”

Xemium, a new mode of action in disease protection, is being studied in a wide range of crops including fruits, vegetables and row crops. Initium fungicide is being researched on a number of specialty crops and will bring growers added disease protection. Alpha-cypermethrin insecticide is being tested globally in several row and specialty crops.

I did interviews with Paul Rea, Director of BASF US Crop Protection Division, and BASF Technical Service Manager Rick Chamblee at this year’s Commodity Classic where they talked about BASF’s plans to introduce nine active ingredients in the next four years and 28 new products. Listen to those interviews here.

BASF

AgChat Foundation Receives Seed To Succeed Grant

Chuck Zimmerman

Harvest PR & Marketing has just announced the recipient of its second annual Seed To Succeed nonprofit PR Grant. It’s the AgChat Foundation! The grant is valued at $20,000.

Harvest PR’s grant will help the start-up nonprofit spread its “agvocacy” message and share news of its core program areas, including Agvocacy Training and Technology Scholarships.

“The AgChat mission really resonated with our team, as it clearly has with thousands of grassroots supporters across North America that make up the backbone of this farmer-led organization,” said Heidi Nelson, founder and principal of the boutique public relations and marketing firm. “We’re honored to lend our public relations support to the AgChat Foundation through our second annual grant offering.”

Here at ZimmComm we’re also committed to assisting the AgChat Foundation and have committed an in-kind contribution of our own that totals nearly $10,000 for advertising and promotional services. That’s outside of my own volunteer efforts as one of the current board members.

If your company or organization can provide some assistance to the AgChat Foundation don’t hesitate to call me or any of the members of the board.

Ag Groups, Agencies, Public Relations

Wisconsin Is All About Dairy In June

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast 261Since it’s Dairy Month this week’s program is all about dairy with an interview I conducted bright and early this morning. I called up Matt Joyce, Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, and we talked about Dairy Month.

The WMMB has a lot of online resources for consumers and anyone who wants to know more about dairy and the role it plays in a nutritional well-balanced diet. Some examples I would point you to include, Wake Up With Dairy, which all about good recipes and where you can find the closest dairy breakfast. Another one is Dairy Doing More, where you can meet dairy farmers and learn more about dairy farming. One more I’ll point you to is Eat Wisconsin Cheese, which I do btw. And for you media types they’ve got a whole section of resources which includes information about the impact of the dairy industry.

So listen to this week’s program and pour yourself a glass of ice cold milk to celebrate!

Since we’re talking dairy the program ends with a song titled, “Got Milk” by Kingbastard from Music Alley.

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

You can listen to this week’s ZimmCast below.

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.

Ag Groups, Audio, Dairy, ZimmCast

June Is Dairy Month

Chuck Zimmerman

We’re leaving beef month behind to enter into dairy month. Midwest Dairy Association invites you to celebrate and learn how dairy can make sense for you.

June Dairy Month started out as a promotion to help distribute extra milk when cows started on pasture in the warm summer months. Today, its rich history continues, with communities, companies and people from all over the country observing June Dairy Month in a variety of ways. In the Midwest, dairy farms and families often open their gates to visitors at breakfasts and tours, while stores and other business feature dairy products. We’re excited to share facts and information about June Dairy Month, ones we hope you can use for your own recognition of the observance.

Ag Groups, Dairy

Hidden Valley Brings You The Farmhouse

Chuck Zimmerman

With a name like Farmhouse it was a natural for a post on AgWired.

The makers of Hidden Valley® Salad Dressings are pleased to announce the introduction of Hidden Valley® Farmhouse Originals Dressings. These four new flavors step beyond ranch to add fresh from the farm tasting flavors and robust taste to even the simplest of dishes and make vegetables delectable for the entire family.

“Hidden Valley has always aimed to bring farm-fresh tasting flavors to the table,” said Priscilla Tuan, Hidden Valley Marketing Manager. “We’re thrilled to extend the brand to include flavors that go beyond ranch and help families enjoy more vegetables and wholesome meals together.”

Farmhouse Originals Roasted Onion Parmesan – Try this dressing on your green salads as well as in these other delicious dishes: pasta salad, potato salad and panini sandwiches.

Farmhouse Originals Hickory Bacon and Onion – Enjoy the tongue-tingling taste of hickory smoked bacon with a hint of roasted onion. From slaws to your favorite greens, it brings home the flavors you love.

Farmhouse Originals Garden Tomato & Bacon – Sweet, smoky and pleasingly tangy, this delectable dressing has a rustic twist. Try it on wedges of iceberg lettuce, as a dip for your favorite veggies, or in a delicious three bean salad.

Farmhouse Originals Creamy Parmesan – Mouth-watering Parmesan blends perfectly with tangy buttermilk for a simply delicious homestyle topping for salads and veggies.

Food

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Carbon Credited Farming has named Brian Sullivan as the new CEO of the Green Oil and Agroforestry Division, and Barry McWilliams as the new CEO of Commercial and Operational Activities.
  • Former United Soybean Board farmer-leader Sander “Sandy” Ludeman will be receiving the Siehl Prize for Excellence in Agriculture in the category of production agriculture from the University of Minnesota.
  • BASF announced that Stamina fungicide seed treatment use has been expanded to include a number of crops, including cotton, dried peas and beans, shelled peas and beans, sorghum, edible legumes, oats, sugar beets and sunflower contained in supplemental labeling.
  • Producer leaders of Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board (NDB) and the United Dairy Industry Association (UDIA) announced their officers. Click here for the complete list.
    Zimfo Bytes

    Hanging Out At The Corn Crib

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Some corn powered baseball is going to happen in Normal, IL on Tuesday evening and Cindy and I will be on location courtesy of the Illinois Corn Growers. We’ll be at the Crib, the Corn Crib to be precise, for the home opener of the Normal CornBelters. They’ll take on the Windy City Thunderbolts at 7pm. The Corn Crib is presented by Illinois Corn Growers. You can hear Lindsay Mitchell explain more about the sponsorship in her latest podcast below. Look for some awesome live agriblogging to happen here starting late tomorrow evening. Illinois Corn Marketing Board Chairman, Jim Rapp, will throw the first pitch!

    The Normal CornBelters are starting their 2010 inaugural season as a member of the West Division of the independent Frontier League. The Frontier League is comprised of twelve teams in the Midwest and is not affiliated with a Major League Baseball team. Today, the West Division consists of Evansville Otters of Evansville, Indiana. The Florence Freedom in Florence, Kentucky. The Gateway Grizzlies in Sauget, Illinois. The River City Rascals in O’Fallon, Missouri. The Southern Illinois Miners in Marion, Illinois.

    Ag Groups, Audio, Corn

    Zachary Larson Begins Borlaug Summer Internship

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Here is the first in a series of posts from Zachary Larson, Borlaug Summer Intern at Nanjing Agricultural University in China:

    It has almost been a week since I came here to China, and it has been quite an incredible week. I have experienced enough in this city in just five days to easily make this the most memorable trip I have been on, but I still have almost three months more of activity here in China. I was expecting to be welcomed with a streak of hot weather much more comparable to Texas or Louisiana, but my first initial day here was also the day of a large cold rainy spell.

    Beyond the weather, I was pleasantly surprised when I was finally able to see Nanjing Agricultural University. This university, while still perhaps lacking in some areas compared to our own agricultural universities, is still quite good. The campus scenery in and around Nanjing is quite incredible. While the buildings around here range from incredibly old to just constructed, the hodge-podge scenery of this place gives it a certain character that every university seems to develop.

    I quickly got used to walking around and saw many unique places in and around the university. Just like any university, this place has a gigantic library, several incredibly scenic student buildings, cafeterias, surrounding restaurants, and plenty of sketchy (but yet very tasty eateries). But, compared to American universities, the landscape is obviously different, and this shapes the students lives in and around the university. Read More

    Education, International, University

    John Deere To Build Tractor Museum

    Chuck Zimmerman

    How about another John Deere story? The company is going to build a museum in Waterloo, IA to focus on the history of the tractor and engine design manufacturing.

    Construction on the John Deere Waterloo Tractor and Engine History Museum will begin in late 2010 with opening of the facility scheduled for late 2011. The museum will be an addition to John Deere attractions in Iowa, Illinois and Germany as well as visitor centers at John Deere factories around the world.

    “The public is interested in learning more about the company’s past, present and future,” said Bill Becker, director, global brand management. “This new museum will complement other John Deere-branded properties by amplifying the tractor and engine history of the company and enabling visitors to explore the development and capabilities of these products more in-depth.”

    The tractor and engine museum will include artifacts and interactive exhibits to celebrate the rich history and dynamic growth of the tractor business at John Deere, which today is the world’s leading provider of agricultural equipment.

    Deere currently operates a historic site in Grand Detour, Illinois, where John Deere started his business in 1837. In addition, Deere offers the John Deere Pavilion and John Deere Store in Moline; the John Deere Harvester Works visitors’ center in East Moline, Illinois; the John Deere Forum in Mannheim, Germany; and visitor centers in other John Deere’s facilities.

    Agribusiness, John Deere, Tractor