BASF and One Hungry Planet

Cindy Zimmerman

ZimmCast 262Sustainability was the focus of the 2010 BASF Agricultural Solutions media summit held last week in Chicago and as part of that event BASF released a new survey on attitudes toward farmland stewardship, and a new YouTube video highlighting how farmers are feeding a hungry planet.

BASF ChicagoI talked to Paul Rea, VP of BASF U.S. Crop Operations, about the survey and the video and decided it would make a good ZimmCast this week because it reflects what agriculture is up against and how companies like BASF are helping farmers face the future.

Paul says the survey, done by Padilla Speer Beardsley, found some significant perception gaps between growers and the general public when it comes to farmland stewardship. “The good news would be that farmers and most consumers say that stewardship practices are better today than they were ten years ago,” Paul says. The bad news is that nearly 23 percent of consumers believe stewardship practices are worse today than they were ten years ago, compared to just seven percent of farmers. A whopping 77% of farmers say stewardship practices are better now than 10 years ago, which of course they are.

So, clearly there is a disconnect that needs to be addressed and BASF believes social media is a way to get correct information out to the general public. That’s why they had “One Hungry Planet” produced for YouTube. “The video really does convey the amazing job that farmers and the ag industry has done in the last 50 years, much of it unnoticed,” Paul said. “To think that we’re producing 40 percent more corn from the same amount of land just compared to 20 years ago is incredible.”

The video is entertaining, yet educational, and packs a lot of facts in just four minutes. Take a look at the video and listen to or download this week’s ZimmCast is the audio player at the bottom of the post.

Hope you enjoy the song I picked to end the podcast called “Planet Earth” by James Larson from Music Alley. 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, BASF, Sustainability, Video, ZimmCast

AP Systems Hams it up at World Pork Expo

Cindy Zimmerman

2010 world pork expoThe folks at Automated Production Systems really ham it up every year at World Pork Expo, and this year the theme was Fiesta for their showcase roasted pig. AP – which offers a complete selection of swine production equipment including feeders and waters, ventilation and heating equipment, feed storage and delivery, flooring, confinement and more – has been dressing up their roasted pig for the crowd at WPX for the past four years. It takes about 10 hours to roast this porker to perfection after preparing it with apple juice and pineapple to make it as succulent as possible.

Jim Swisher (left) and his “hamigos” went all out with the Mexican theme and even had a pig pinata filled with treats for the kiddos. Check out the video to see what I mean.

You can also check out our World Pork Expo 2010 Photo Album to see more photos of the Fiesta pig and all the other activities at WPX10.

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

Video, World Pork Expo

Social Media On The Road

Chuck Zimmerman

It’s time to hit the agriblogging highway once again. I’m going to Minneapolis today and will be conducting a presentation tomorrow for the Cooperative Communicator’s Association titled, “Very Social Media.” You might think I’ll only be talking about Twitter but you would be wrong. I will start with blogs. That’s right. A blog is one of the first forms of social media and in my opinion it is still the work horse today.

So I’ll be helping the CCA members take their work to the next level. At least I hope so.

On Tuesday I’ll be in St. Louis for the Association for Communication Excellence in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Life and Human Sciences Annual Meeting. There my presentation is titled, “Social Media At It’s Best.” I don’t know if I am the best but I try and that is what’s really important.

The ACE 2010 program committee and Kansas host state committees invite you to meet us in St. Louis on June 14-17, 2010, for the ACE Annual Meeting and conference.

Then on Wednesday I’ll be in Madison for the American Farm Bureau Federation Public Relations Conference with a presentation titled, “Communications Gadgetry For Tackling The Social Media 2.0 Era.” I will be displaying gadgets but talking also about web and mobile applications that make you more productive social media guru’s.

After looking at the AFBF program brochure with a bratwurst and cheese image I’m not only getting hungry but thinking I’d better be working out extra hard this week to make up for the meals coming my way.

If your company or organization would like a presentation on social media or a training session then give me a call and let’s see if we can get it on the schedule!

AFBF, Ag Groups

Panelists Share Sustainability Insights at BASF Summit

Cindy Zimmerman

BASF Chicago“Holistic” and “durable” were two definitions for sustainable that were set forth by representatives of the food value chain, from farmers to food companies, who took part in a panel discussion at the BASF Agricultural Solutions Media Summit on Sustainability last week in Chicago.

Nevin McDougall, BASF senior vice president for crop protection in North America, was part of the discussion and he says it will take a holistic approach to bring more sustainable solutions to the grower. “The more that we can engage in dialogue with food processors, with those who are marketing end use food products to the consumer, with the growers, with other technology providers – the more dialogue and collaboration we have, I think we can identify better and more sustainable solutions for the grower,” Nevin said in an interview after the panel. “With respect to durability, I think it really speaks to the point that we’re looking for long-lasting solutions.”

Download (mp3) my interview with Nevin – or listen in the player: basf-chicago-nevin.mp3

Corn growers have been the hardest hit by those who criticize the sustainability of production agriculture, despite the fact that we are growing more on less acres using less inputs than ever before. Mike Geske, a Missouri farmer who serves on the board of the National Corn Growers Association, represented growers on the board and he was asked about those who attack the sustainability of ethanol based on studies that use outdated crop production figures to show a negative energy balance for the fuel. “I call those people members of the Flat Earth Ethanol Society because they’re denying science and they’re denying facts,” Mike says. He also drew a good laugh from the audience when he noted that ethanol is biodegradable and is the same as the alcohol we drink before it is denatured, “So if ethanol had been spilled in the Gulf, the fish would be putting on their party hats.”

Download (mp3) my interview with Mike – or listen in the player: basf-chicago-geske.mp3

BASF Ag Media Summit on Sustainability photo album

Audio, BASF, Corn, Ethanol, Sustainability

John Deere Military R-Gator

Chuck Zimmerman

John Deere not only makes Gator utility vehicles for farm, commercial and recreational purposes but for the military too. This is one of the new Military R-Gator (Autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicle) which is rigged to be completely remote controlled and is equipped with a camera to send back what it is “seeing.” In the video clips I’ve posted you can see it in action.

• A COTS system, R-Gator can be operated in either manned or unmanned mode in day or night missions
• Example missions: 8-hour stationary silent RECON mode, point man reconnaissance, roving patrols, transportation of ammo/ supplies, casualty evacuation, remote deployment of smaller UGVs and UAVs, large scale IED disposition

I spoke to Dan Smith, Military Affairs Mgr. for John Deere. He gave us some history of utility vehicles in the military which started in the Vietnam War with the MULE. Today John Deere is a major supplier to the military. He says the the latest A-2 M-Gator will do 32 mph and is the unit that the R-Gator is built on. They’ll be available to the military in August. You can find my interview with Dan below the video clips.

In this clip you can see an optional unit that automatically unloads whatever you want the unmanned vehicle to deposit.

Audio, John Deere, Video

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • The 37th annual National Inventor of the Year Award will be presented to a DuPont research team for advancing sustainable agriculture and addressing the needs of the growing global population by discovering an advanced insect control product.
  • Erica Pagel, Director of Raw Materials Management for Foremost Farms USA in Baraboo, Wis., has begun a three-year term of service on the Professional Dairy Producers Foundation board.
  • DuPont announced that its Plenish high oleic soybean trait has been approved for cultivation in the United States.
  • Farm Progress Show recently launched a feature-filled online pre-show planning tool that gives visitors an interactive show map, exhibitor and event planning menus to help them easily design and map their show visit.
Zimfo Bytes

World Pork Expo GM Thrilled with Crowds

John Davis

The weather was crazy at World Pork Expo on Thursday, as a two hour torrential downpour at midday gave way to sunshine by the time the band took the stage and the roasted pigs were carved for the crowds.

novus at 2010 world pork expoSome time during the rain, general manager John Wrigley stopped by to visit with the folks at the Novus International tent and chatted with us for a while about how pleased he was with the attendance and to have international visitors back this year.

Last year, you may recall, we had a little thing called H1N1 that kept people from other countries from attending the event. “It was more than a little bit of a problem last year, there was no international attendance to speak of,” John said, but this year is back to normal. “We’ve got over 30 countries that people have registered for World Pork Expo from all over the world.”

Another difference from last year, according to John, is that the mood is a little more upbeat than the last two years. John says the producers who attend expo are a very knowledgeable group who are always looking to do more than fill their tote bags with pens and souvenirs. “The difference is this year they’ve got a smile on their face. There’s nothing like a little change in your pocket to change your attitude,” he said.

This will be John’s last year as general manager of the National Pork Producers Council event which is 22 years old. One of his most satisfying accomplishments during his nine year tenure is starting the Junior National Swine show, which has grown to a whopping 1700 pigs this year – a big jump from the 200 when that program was started seven years ago.

Listen to or download John’s comments about this year’s expo in the player below.

You can also check out our 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

Mexican Fiesta Iowa Style

Joanna Schroeder

novus at 2010 world pork expoThe torrential rains cleared out just in time for the annual pig roast at World Pork Expo. Automated Production Systems (AP) were the culinary experts of all things pork during the show. Yesterday, I watched as they prepared the pig, which was roasted for more than 24 hours. First, they seasoned the pig with sea salt and then they added their secret spices. As the pig slowly roasted, AP continued to add its unique flavors. Each year, Jim and the rest of the AP team dress up the pig playing on a theme…this year, the theme was a Mexican Fiesta – Iowa style.

The pig carved outside the Novus International tent was served up without decoration, but was just as tasty. After the crew at Novus carved the pig, the lines were long but it was worth the wait. The pork literally melted in your mouth and was so flavorful you didn’t even need to add the “traditional” bbq sauce.

You can watch a video of Novus’ pig roast here.

Don’t forget to check out our World Pork Expo 2010 Photo Albumwhere you can see the pig from start to finish.

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

Novus International, Pork, Swine, Video, World Pork Expo

World Pork Downpour

Cindy Zimmerman

downpour at world pork expoThe masses at World Pork Expo have been huddling in tents and staying inside the buildings and barns for the past hour due to a torrential downpour.

Here at the Novus International tent, we have a flash flood warning in effect – which is keeping us entertained! Here is a little video of what it has been like here:

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

Novus International, World Pork Expo

Kids, Hogs, Horses & Tractors

Joanna Schroeder

I spent a majority of the morning today at World Pork Expo hanging out in the swine and cattle barns. While I was there, I had the opportunity to see my first pig showing competition. The World Pork Expo Junior National’s was in high gear and several hundred people were in and around the show ring supporting the competitors.

There was a family here today from Oklahoma that I spent a little time with. This is their daughters first show (she was the cutest little girl and about four years old) and she told me that she was having a lot of fun. Maybe we’ll see her in on the winner’s stage later today.

I also walked through the Toy Tractor exhibit where you can by anything from the latest toy to an antique tractor from nearly 100 years ago, and then stopped by the horse ring to watch some beautiful show horses.

Later this afternoon, weather permitting, MusicFest will begin and I’m getting really excited for Novus’ pig roast. In addition, participants in the Crusin’ with the Hogs, will ride down Grand Avenue.

There’s a lot more fun around the corner so check back for more updates. You can also get updates on my Twitter account @jmschroeder. You can also check out our World Pork Expo 2010 Photo Album.

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

Novus International, Pork, Swine, Video, World Pork Expo