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.
Grapevine Biodiesel
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).
Novus Helps Poultry Producers Optimize
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:
Talking With Chicago Farmers
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.
Farmland Investment Fair
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
Harlan Little North America Business Mgr. For Leica Geosystems
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.”
Read More
Follow Farmers
Want to find some farm folks on Twitter? Mike Haley at Follow Farmer List has used Listorious to put together several other lists.
‘Bout Time For Biodiesel Blogging
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.
New From Merial
This is one of the most familiar sights for ag journalists to see at a Cattle Industry Convention. You can believe that the company representative that is probably interviewed the most is therefore with Merial.
In what seems to be becoming a tradition I interviewed Dr. Frank Hurtig during the convention to find out what’s new from Merial. He says that once again the company will be offering the Ivomec Challenge. He says that it’s coming on the heels of what many parasitologists are saying will be one of the worst springs and summers for parasites out on pastures due to 2009 weather patterns. To participate in the Ivomec Challenge a producer has to treat all their cows and calves with Ivomec this spring and then if those calves don’t weigh more this fall than last fall Merial will give them enough Ivomec product to treat their herd again this fall at no charge.
To hear other news from Merial just listen to my interview with Frank below:
Zimfo Bytes
- TeeJet Technologies introduces the only system available offering guidance and live video to be displayed simultaneously, which helps improve accuracy and efficiency in field operations: the Matrix Guidance System with RealView Guidance Over Video.
- Valley Irrigation announces it has entered into an agreement with Computronics Holdings Ltd. This agreement allows for the development and distribution of Farmscan Variable Rate Irrigation (VRI) controls through Valley dealers worldwide.
- John Deere announces it is holding Drive Green Tractor Experience events at more than 50 locations across the southern and eastern United States for 2010.
- Monsanto Company announced it has received approval from the U.S. EPA for the sales of a new formulation of acetochlor for early post-emergence use in cotton and soybeans. The product will be marketed as MON 63410 Herbicide for the 2010 growing season.
