AgChat Tweetup at AG CONNECT Expo

Chuck Zimmerman

AgChatNext week we’re going to have an “A” class tweetup. It’s an AGCO/AEM/AgChat Tweetup at AG CONNCECT Expo. Tweetups are a great opportunity to meet in person the people you communicate with via Twitter. After our tweetup anyone who wants to hang around can participate in an actual AgChat!

Here’s the details:

Date: Tuesday, January 12
Time: 6pm following opening session/VIP reception
Location: News Media Center, Rm. W221, Convention Center
Sponsor: AGCO

Refreshments provided. The winners of the Agvocating for Agriculture awards have been invited to join us.

I’ll be keeping the news media center open for the weekly AgChat session and anyone who would like to stay for it may do so. We have internet access for credentialed media and I’ll try to have a screen so we can easily watch AgChat tweets live.

I hope to see you there.

Uncategorized

Getting Ready for Farm Bureau in Seattle

Cindy Zimmerman

afbfI am really looking forward to heading for the blue skies of Seattle this weekend for the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 91st annual meeting.

I do have a special place in my heart for Farm Bureau, since that is where I started my life in agricultural communications. I interned at Florida Farm Bureau while I was still in college at the University of Florida back in 1980 and was hired on full time when I graduated by Gary Cooper of Southeast Agnet who was broadcast manager there at the time. After a brief detour to Maryland, Chuck and I both worked there from 1983-1985.

afbfOne of my most memorable AFBF conventions was 1985 in Hawaii, when this group photo was taken. You might recognize a few of the folks in the picture. It was lots of fun, but also lots of work. I remember it as the first “multi-media” event coverage I ever did. Chuck was doing video for AFBF and I was the only one covering the event for Florida. I filed radio reports, did press releases, shot and edited a TV story, took slides and wrote stories for the magazine.

Another memorable one was 1992 in Kansas City, right after we moved to Missouri to work for Brownfield Network. President Bush spoke at that meeting and I anchored a live broadcast of that speech with Lynn Ketelsen, who was president of NAFB at the time.

I will be heading to Seattle on Saturday as the event officially gets underway on Sunday. If you will not be attending, keep an eye on Agwired for all the happenings.

AFBF

Summary of U.S. Grains Council 2009 Corn Mission

Chuck Zimmerman

For those of you who didn’t get to follow along with the U.S. Grains Council Corn Mission trip I went on last month I have prepared a slide show that will give you a pretty good overview of all we saw and learned. In the show you can hear from some of the key individuals I interviewed including the U.S. corn growers participants.

U.S. Grains Council – 2009 Corn Mission from Chuck Zimmerman on Vimeo.

Ag Groups, Corn, International, USGC, Video

New Fuel Saving Technology from Case

Amanda Nolz

Case IH logo Gary Truitt with Hoosier Ag Today recently published an article titled, “New Fuel Saving Technology from Case,” that describes new says Case IH is improving their red tractors to save fuel and innovate the agriculture industry. Check it out!

Over the next few weeks, some of the biggest farm equipment trade shows will be taking place including the Ft. Wayne show next week and the National Farm Machinery show next month. The latest technology and tractor innovations will be on display. Not only are the size and the power of the new tractor lines impressive, but so is the sophistication of the technology used to operate the machines.

Tom Dean with Case IH says the new Red tractors will feature technology designed to save fuel, “Our diesel saver technology operates on the old adage ‘shift up and throttle back.’ It automatically does this continuously across a field taking every opportunity to lower engine RPMs.” “Case IH CVT technology automatically adjusts to deliver the best possible balance of power and fuel efficiency,” says John Bohnker, Case IH marketing manager for Magnum and Steiger® tractors. “It definitely hits the sweet spot between power, efficiency and simplicity.”

Farming, Technology

NAMA Best Show Will Go On

Chuck Zimmerman

best-nama-2Okay, so it’s snowing in Kansas City now. But the show will still go on tomorrow. That’s the Region 2 Best of NAMA. Are you going to a regional best? Check the calendar for all of them.

The Show Must Go On!

Worried about the weather in Kansas City? We’re not!

The Kansas City area will be expecting 3-6 inches of snow today, but we’re confident that by tomorrow evening all roads to Boulevard Brewing will be safe.

If you are registered and are unable to attend the event, there will be some sort of a refund. We will determine the amount after the event.

If you haven’t registered for the event yet and would like to join us, please click here to register.

We look forward to seeing you tomorrow evening!

Safe travels to all!

NAMA

America’s Heartland Goes To Morocco and Egypt

Chuck Zimmerman

AmericaSince I just went on a U.S. Grains Council trip to Morocco, Egypt and Jordan I was interested to see that this week’s episode of America’s Heartland features Ohio farmers Dave and Sue Roehm who saw what we saw and that is the investments in their producer checkoff programs hard at work.

“This trip was a big revelation to me. It was phenomenal the impact export market development programs orchestrated by the Council and U.S. Wheat are having overseas,” said Sue. “When I look at our corn and wheat in Ohio, I will have a whole different perspective. My family’s harvest is truly improving lives thousands of miles away.”

The program was made possible with a sponsorship from the Ohio Corn Marketing Program and assistance from the U.S. Grains Council and U.S. Wheat Associates.

The program airs this week and is available online. You can see if it’s scheduled in your area here. It is also airing on RFD-TV on Wednesday, Jan. 6, and again on Sunday, Jan. 10.

Ag Groups, USGC

Smithfield Foods Sales Completed

Amanda Nolz

smithfield-foods-logo As reported by Hoosier Ag Today, Smithfield Foods has completed the sales of a few ventures. I thought I would pass word on this news for those interested. Below is a clip of the release. Check out the full article here.

Smithfield Foods has completed the sales of both its Chinese joint venture Maverick Food Company Limited to COFCO Limited and the sale of substantially all of the assets of its RMH Foods, LLC to a group of investors led by the Rocke family.

Larry Pope, president and chief executive officer of Smithfield foods, says – the sale of these assets demonstrates our continuing commitment to shed non-core businesses with a greater focus on efficiencies and return on invested capital.

Food, Pork

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Bunge Limited announced that it has entered into an agreement to become the 100% owner of Usina Moema Participacoes S.A.
  • The Federation of Animal Science Societies (FASS) releases the third edition of the Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Research and Teaching (FASS Ag Guide).
  • The 2009-10 National FFA officer team, an FFA state representative from each state and Puerto Rico, along with four representatives of the Stars Over America program participated in the 121st Tournament of Roses parade…and the float won the “Exceptional Showmanship and Dramatic Impact Award.”
  • Donald E. Irwin, 88, of Cedar Falls, died Monday, Dec. 28, 2009, at Sartori Memorial Hospital, Cedar Falls. His professional career was mainly in the advertising agency business, with most of those years as a vice president of Colle & McVoy Advertising Agency, Waterloo, based out of Minneapolis.
    Zimfo Bytes

    Agriculture In Action

    Amanda Nolz

    Ag-in-Action-Logo In an effort to promote myself as an agriculture speaker available for keynotes and workshops, I have launched a new blog spot I hope you will all check out. It’s called Agriculture in Action, and it features the ins and outs of my life as a cattle rancher, as well as my travels across the country promoting the beef industry. It’s brand spanking new, and it needs a little love from all of you. Check it out and let me know what you think.

    Here is a description of what my blog is all about: I’m a farm girl at heart, and I feel pretty lucky to have made my passion and hobby into a career that I love. I enjoy a medium rare ribeye steak and a glass of Merlot, with the company of friends or family.

    Follow me on Twitter @AmandaNolz or check out the Ag in Action Facebook Page. Thanks for your support in my new endeavor!

    Advertising, Beef

    Mom Logic Concerned About Beef

    Amanda Nolz

    mom_logic Although I don’t have children of my own yet, I have run across the website Mom Logic on multiple occasions in my work as an agriculture advocate. It’s a place where moms can discuss everything from kids, to relationships, to fashion, to dieting and even to share recipes with one another. The motto of Mom Logic is, Real Stories, Real Honest, Real Moms.

    Well, a common theme on the Mom Logic site is to abolish meat in the diet and replace it with ground turkey. It seems on the messaging boards, there is a huge concern about the price of beef, beef’s nutritional content and even the beef recalls in the news.

    I think this is a huge opportunity for all of us to take part in the discussions, as moms, college students, agriculture professionals, etc. We need to start making our mark in these forums to tell the accurate story of meat as a healthy part of a well-balanced diet. Check out the website, and you’ll see what I mean. Let me know if you decide to take part in the debate. Together, we can make a difference.

    Beef