If you have been following the social media whiplashing Yellow Tail wine has received as a result of their $100,000 donation to H$U$, then you may have already seen this video by Troy Hadrick, Advocates for Agriculture spokesperson. If this story is news to you, check out Chuck’s earlier post on this topic.
No more Yellow Tail wine for me. I hope you feel the same.
Just thought I would post a reminder that the deadline for all comments on Roundup Ready® Alfalfa are to be received by USDA on February 16, 2010. If you have not given your comments about this product, now would be a great time to do it. There are only 8 days left to discuss this American farm technology. Please, take the time to comment and encourage your colleagues to do the same.
You can find additional information on how to participate here, or you can go directly to the USDA’s comment website to leave your thoughts. Remember, the world is run by those who show up, so speak out to leave your voice in this discussion.
As of February 3, 2010 over 1400 comments have been received and processed by the USDA, 700 of which are generally positive. A breakout of all comments by state follows.
Did you know? According to a Roundup Ready Alfalfa fact sheet, “Growers report producing up to .9 more tons of alfalfa forage per acre due to more effective weed control with greater crop safety. The result: an additional $85 per acre of profit potential and an increased food supply for all. Studies have shown that due to fewer weeds, relative feed values can be improved 20% or more with Roundup Ready alfalfa. Dairy farmers appreciate the consistency of the hay delivered by the Roundup Ready alfalfa system, and trials show estimated increases in milk production per acre of 14% more than dairy cows fed alfalfa treated with conventional weed control systems. Because a healthy stand of Roundup Ready alfalfa is highly competitive with weeds, growers do not need to treat with herbicides as often.”
We’re having a blast here in Grapevine, TX at the National Biodiesel Conference. It was a little brisk this morning our media ride and drive event. But I got to ride in a new Chevy truck that was fueled with B20 from Classic Clean Fuels. My driver was National Biodiesel Board Vice Chairman Gary Haer, Renewable Energy Group. Also along for the ride was Senior Communications Adviser for NBB, Jenna Higgins Rose. So ride along with us and hear about what’s new from GM in the future.
Hello from Grapevine, TX and the Gaylord Texan at the start opening day of the 2010 Conference. This morning members of the media (including yours truly) will partake in a ride and drive to see this year’s line-up of new 2010 and 2011 clean diesel vehicles powered by biodiesel blends. We’ll be doing that at Classic Clean Fuels, a nearby fueling station selling alternative fuels. Then we’ll be off to a tour of Direct Fuels Biodiesel Plant.
I’ll also be posting onto the National Biodiesel Conference Blog for the 5th year. That will be my main posting location as well as Domestic Fuel but I’ll be including stories for you here as well. I know. Just like I have Multiple Twitter Personality Disorder (MTPD), I also have a similar affliction called Multiple Blog Posting Disease (MBPD).
This afternoon we’ll be partying Super Bowl/Biodiesel style so go team (insert your favorite).
With higher feed costs, it is important for poultry producers to get the most for their money.
At the recent International Poultry Expo/Feed Expo, Novus International was talking to producers about how to optimize their poultry diets. “Optimizing the diet does not necessarily mean having a cheap diet,” says Novus product manager Dr. Nasser Odetallah. “They have to make sure to meet the nutrient requirements of the individual animal and make sure they provide the nutrients needed for optimum growth.”
Since Novus has customers in over 90 countries, they deal with different producer needs depending on the region. “We know that somebody producing chicken in Bangledesh is not going to be faced with the same challenges as somebody in Utah,” he said. “So we have more than one option and we have certain feed additives that minimize the cost of the feed by reducing the energy of the diet and adding an enzyme that releases the energy in the feed.”
It’s also important for producers to optimize amino acids since different amino acids are commonly found in proteins and there are different requirements for poultry depending on the type (broiler or layer) and the age of the bird. Nassar says Novus shows producers how adding enzymes to feed, which is an increased cost up front, actually comes out cheaper in the end by optimizing feed conversion.
Listen to my interview with Nassar from the IPE here:
The President of the Chicago Farmers is my good friend Colleen Callahan. I joked with her that I appreciated her wearing my Gators orange and blue but she’s actually going to an Illini basketball game later.
Colleen conducted one of the presentations here at the Farmland Investment Fair in her role as USDA, Rural Development, Illinois Director. I spoke with her afterward about the organization. She says Chicago Farmers was developed to assist absentee land owners and connect them with the farm industry. They meet monthly and hold this annual event outside Chicago to draw a wider audience of people who either have land to sell or are looking for farmland to buy.
You can listen to my interview with Colleen below. I also produced a video clip of the Fair so you can see what you missed if you weren’t here.
The annual Farmland Investment Fair put on by the Chicago Farmers is underway in Joliet, IL at the Weitendorf Agricultural Education Center.
I’ll be doing back to back presentations on social media this morning with the first one starting momentarily. Please feel free to tweet us using the #ChiFarm hashtag. I appreciate it.
Later on today I’ll have some interviews for you from the event so see you then.
Chicago Farmers Farmland Investment Fair Photo Album
I’d like to introduce the newest sponsor for AgWired and that’s Leica Geosystems. They are also providing sponsorship on our Precision Pays website as well. We’ll get to know Leica more during the coming year with regularly scheduled posts on the company and the growing part of the industry they serve.
Today the company announced that Harlan Little has been named the North American Business Manager for Leica Geosystems’ agriculture group.
Little started with Leica Geosystems in late January, and will be based out of Leica Geosystems NAFTA headquarters in Atlanta.
With more than 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, management and precision agriculture, Little is a great fit for the Leica agriculture team in North America.
“Harlan is a great addition to the team and brings with him a wealth of ideas and industry contacts to help grow our business throughout the U.S. and Canada,” said Rob Kiernan, global sales and marketing manager. “We are ready to take our business to the next level with new leadership and a suite of new products being introduced this year.”
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Want to find some farm folks on Twitter? Mike Haley at Follow Farmer List has used Listorious to put together several other lists.
After my presentations tomorrow at the Chicago Farmers Farmland Investment Fair I’ll be off to Dallas for the National Biodiesel Conference and I’ll be the Biodiesel Blogger for the 5th year!
I’d like to thank New Holland for their sponsorship of the National Biodiesel Conference Blog this year and their support for the biodiesel industry.
You can subscribe to the Biodiesel Conference Blog using the RSS Feed Link. We’ll also be podcasting our audio interviews again and that subscription link is here.
In addition to my posts on the NBC Blog I’ll also be posting onto our energy.agwired.com website and even right here on AgWired.
