Congress Requests USDA Climate Change Analysis Update

Amanda Nolz

usda 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.

Environment

Blogging From The Beach

Chuck Zimmerman

cz-cz-pcbPosting 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.

Uncategorized

Stream Live From Your iPhone

Chuck Zimmerman

ustream-iphoneHeads 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.

Equipment

Off The Cob Podcast

Chuck Zimmerman

ncga-cobThe National Corn Growers Association has just started a new podcast series.

Welcome to “Off the Cob”, an original podcast series produced by the National Corn Growers Association. This series features interviews with grower-leaders on hot topics in agriculture and will expand media options for those wishing to further their knowledge of the industry.

The first piece looks at the history and future of the maize genome sequencing project with former Research and Business Development Action Team Chair Pam Johnson, a grower from Floyd, Iowa. Johnson shares the unique perspective that she gained on the project while working tirelessly to help NCGA find the funding necessary to complete the monumental collaborative effort.

You can listen to the first episode here.

Ag Groups, Audio, Corn, NCGA, Podcasts

John Walter is Social Media Superstar

Chuck Zimmerman

Successful AwardMedia Industry News selected one of our own as a Social Media Superstar. He’s John Walter, Successful Farming Executive Editor. John knows where we’ve been when it comes to convincing agrimarketers that farmers are like “regular people” when it comes to new and social media. Congratulations to him for this recognition!

Walter was one of the founders of Agriculture.com, the online community of Successful Farming and the very first website of any Meredith publication. Since then, Walter has constantly strived to create new online resources for farmers that can make a real, and profitable, difference for their operations. Most recently, he helped launch Farmers of the Future (www.farmersforthefuture.com), a social network for young and aspiring farmers.

“A lot of people in ag seem to think the jury is still out on whether or not farmers are going to embrace social media, reminiscent of the debates I heard about farmers and the Internet,” says Walter. “It’s clear that farmers have figured out how to make the Internet an integral part of their operations. And the farmers who continue to incorporate social media tools into their business mix are the real innovators who will be the future of production ag. That’s the audience we’re reaching with both our print and online media properties.”

Pictured are John (left) and Successful Farming’s Jeff Caldwell, Multimedia Editor with their recent MIN Integrated Marketing Awards.

Media

Advocating For Agriculture Awards Announced

Chuck Zimmerman

Ag Connect ExpoThe AG CONNECT Expo “Advocating for Agriculture” Awards winners have been announced.

Over 20,000 votes were cast for the AG CONNECT Expo Awards! Thank you to all of you who participated! And the winners are…

Ag Woman of the Year Award

Grand prize winner: Liz Doornink
Runner-up winner: Jolene Brown

Community Leadership Award

Grand prize winner: Fred Rogge
Runner-up winner: Julie Brashear

Ag Innovation Award

Grand prize winner: Samuel Petty
Runner-up winner: Christopher Callahan

Grand prize winners in each category receive a free trip to AG CONNECT Expo 2010, including roundtrip airfare for two to Orlando, Florida, from anywhere in the continental U.S., hotel accommodations for two people for up to four nights, a complimentary rental car provided for up to four days for exploring Orlando, two complimentary admissions to the show including Preview Day, and two free tickets to the Education Breakout Sessions of their choice.

Runner Up Winners in each category receive two complimentary admissions to AG CONNECT Expo 2010 including Preview Day and two all-access passes to attend their choice of 24 Education Breakout Sessions.

All winners will be honored at AG CONNECT Expo 2010 in Orlando, Florida, during the “Celebration of Agriculture” VIP reception from 4:00-6:00pm on Preview Day, January 12, 2010.

Uncategorized

Corn Yield Contest Winners Annouced

Chuck Zimmerman

NCGAThe National Corn Yield Contest winners have been announced. It’s been a challenging growing season weather wise but yields have been great.

The National Corn Yield Contest is in its 45th year and remains NCGA’s most popular program for members. This year, NCGA has processed 6,960 entries – a 3.5 percent increase over 2008 (6,727 entries) and 41 percent increase over 2007 (4,932 entries).

“Again this year, we are excited and pleased looking at the yields achieved by our growers,” said Steve Ebke, chair of NCGA’s Production and Stewardship Action Team. “This contest highlights how, through scientific advances and grower innovation, we can meet growing demand for food, feed, fuel and fiber.”

The 24 winners in eight production categories had verified yields averaging more than 300 bushels per acre, compared to the projected national average of 162.9 bushels per acre.

While there is no overall contest winner, yields from first, second and third place farmers overall production categories ranged from 287.0744 to 346.0156 bushels per acre.

You can find all the state and national winners on the NCGA website.

Ag Groups, Corn, NCGA