A beach sunset is one of the real pleasures of spending time on the Gulf coast of Florida. The weather here has improved tremendously since getting in last week. This pic is from last night. Hopefully we’ll have the same again today.
Now if the forecast for the midwest would just change it would be great. Let’s hope that freeze line stays way north of Missouri. I’d rather drive back into rain than ice and snow.
Although many old school environmentalists are now embracing genetically engineered crops, GMO’s continue to be a hot topic and one that impacts agribusiness, especially in the area of international trade. In this installment of our interviews with Fluidigm Corporation you’ll hear how their system can play a key role in assisting companies involved in biotechnology and therefore today’s farmers.
To learn about using the Fluidigm System for GMO detection I spoke with Ramesh Ramakrishna, Director of Molecular Biology. He makes a point that modifying plants and animals genetically is not something new. It has in fact been going on for centuries. However, today’s biotech processes speed things up significantly and it is very important to have measurement tools that provide quick, reliable results. That’s where tools like the Fluidigm System can have a very positive benefit since the system allows for faster measurements and at a significant reduction in cost.
You can watch or listen to my interview with Ramesh below:
Jeremy Lutgen and Jill Mahoney, Novus International, would like to wish you Happy Holiday.
In this holiday shortened week the ZimmCast will feature two interviews I conducted at the recent NAFB convention to find out what’s new in the world of agribusiness from Trimble and Pioneer Hi-Bred.
I interviewed George Huber, Trimble, who talks about virtual reference stations and “the connected farm.” He says this allows you to get data to and from your vehicle while it’s working in the field. I also interviewed Jeff Schussler, Pioneer Hi-Bred, who talks about the work the company is doing with drought tolerance in corn.
Thanks to AgWired Sponsor, Fluidigm, for their support of the ZimmCast.
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.
In addition to being a blogger and speaker in the agriculture industry, I also raise cattle with my parents, Dave and Peggy Nolz and younger sisters, Courtney and Kaley. On behalf of my family, NOLZ Limousin of Mitchell, S.D., is wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2010.
Of course, visitors are always welcome at our operation. We have purebred Limousin bulls and females for sale by private treaty. Also, we hope to see some of you at the 2010 Sioux Empire Red Carpet Show and Sale this January, where we will be selling two herd bull prospects.
Thanks for your friendship and support. Merry Christmas from NOLZ Limousin!
Leaders in Congress are questioning the Secretary Vilsack’s assertion that the USDA analysis of the climate change report if flawed, and they have written the department to tell them just that.
In their letters, U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) and U.S. Representative Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) discussed Vilsack’s past remarks on the big issue of climate change. In a recent press release, their letters to USDA were shared.
Senator Chambliss and Representative Lucas, both ranking members of the Senate and House Agriculture Committees respectively, sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack last Friday regarding his recent remarks on the Department’s climate change legislation analysis. Chambliss and Lucas said the statement made by Sec. Vilsack implies a lack of confidence in the modeling used by both USDA and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Additionally, they ask that both the USDA and EPA report to the House and Senate Agriculture Committees on the problems with the economic model in order to reflect realistic scenarios while examining the impact of cap and trade on the agriculture and forestry sectors.
Goran Djakovic, President, AgroPress, says Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Or as he also puts it, “Srecni novogodisnji i Bozicni praznici!”
Posting will be light this week but that doesn’t mean there won’t be any. Just because Cindy and I are enjoying a vacation doesn’t mean no activity. We have a number of stories planned for you. We’ve just got to fit them in with relaxation.
In fact, as I post this watching the beach, I’m feeling very relaxed.
So, we’ll be on and off line and hoping that early forecasts of a major midwest winter storm are very wrong.
Heads up farm podcasters and agribloggers. The new media game just ramped up a notch.
So you’ve got your iPhone and have mastered tweeting photos right? How about streaming live audio/video from it? Now you can thanks to the new Ustream.tv app.
I’ve already tried it and it works great. It uses either your 3G signal or wifi. It also integrates with your Twitter account to notify your followers that you’re now live.
Ustream.tv is the power behind Agwired Live TV. I’m thinking we may be doing even more of this in 2010.
