Genotyping With Fluidigm

Chuck Zimmerman

Fluidigm Ramesh RamakrishnaWith a title like Director of Molecular Biology you might think that it would be hard for a non-technical person to carry on a conversation with Ramesh Ramakrishna. Not so. Ramesh works for Fluidigm Corporation and is my latest interview in the series we’re doing to introduce the agribusiness world to their break through research technology.

In our interview you’ll learn about SNP genotyping and microsats. What are they you ask? Watch or listen to the interview and learn. Ramesh says his team is responsible for developing applications where the Fluidigm System can be used and one of those areas is genotyping. You can learn more about genotyping in this Science magazine article. If this sounds very technical, don’t worry. Ramesh defines genotyping, SNP’s and microsats for you.

He offers as an example of why this is important in today’s agricultural biotechnology the fact that a farmer or researcher really needs to be sure that something they are planting or working on (plant or animal) is really what it is represented to be. This type of genetic analysis allows for that surety. You can be sure this is important with so many new seed varieties and the desire to be able to track the source for a certain product. The Fluidigm System, unlike other methods to accomplish the above, is extremely flexible and allows for very small volumes and costs.

You can watch or listen to my interview with Ramesh below:

Agribusiness, Audio, Biotech, Research, Video

Farm Foundation Focuses on Future

Cindy Zimmerman

Farm Foundation is a 76 year old organization for agriculture that never stops looking ahead.

nafbLast month’s Farm Foundation “30-Year Policy Conference” drew agribusiness leaders, government officials, and other interested parties. “Because 30 years from now, we’re going to be looking at over 9 billion people on the planet and with rising incomes, people begin to eat more meat and a more varied diet and that means that agriculture has to deliver more,” says Farm Foundation President Neil Conklin. “As we deal with how to make the best use of our increasingly scarce natural resources to produce food, feed fiber, fuel – and even flowers – we need to be sure that we are thinking about policies that will help us in that environment, not the environment we have lived in for the last 30 years.”

Farm Foundation sponsors regular forums on timely policy issues important to agriculture, normally held at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. This month, the topic was “Research Perspectives on Carbon and Climate Change Issues.” Coming up on December 8, they will discuss “The Economics of Structural Change and Competition in the Food System.” Find out more about past and upcoming forums here on the Farm Foundation website.

Neil is pictured here at the recent NAFB Trade Talk with ag economist Barry Flinchbaugh who serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees of Farm Foundation. Listen to my interview with Neil here:

Audio, Farm Foundation, NAFB

Christmas Tree Farms help Deliver Trees to Troops

Amanda Nolz

trees for troops img ‘Tis the season…for giving! That’s exactly what Christmas tree growers are doing in Indiana this year. In a spirited event that should remind us all to step up and help others, this is a charity worth giving cheers to! Check it out!

Indiana Christmas tree growers are kicking off the holiday season with special deliveries of the product they know best, their own Christmas trees. Working together on Trees for Troops, FedEx and the Spirit Foundation of the National Christmas Tree Association are loading trucks Tuesday at Dull’s Tree Farm in Boone County.

Trees all across the country are being donated by the growers and the shipping is a donation from FedEx. In all over 16,000 trees will be delivered to more than 50 military bases in the U.S. and overseas. Volunteers are collecting, preparing and loading the donated trees onto FedEx trucks that will travel to the FedEx Express hub in Indianapolis where the shipment will depart for Bahrain and Kuwait. A second truck will deliver trees to the Great Lakes Naval Air Station in Illinois.

Source: Hoosier Ag Today

Events, Forestry

Social Media ROI

Chuck Zimmerman

Since I was just on the subject of social media I thought you might enjoy this video that kind of puts it all into perspective for you unbelievers. You know who you are. You’re probably the same people wondering if farmers will ever use the internet or if it’s just a passing fad.

You’ll find lots of great examples in the video and on the blog.

Via Socialnomics

Social Networking, Video

Teaching Social Media To Soybean Growers

Chuck Zimmerman

Michele Payn-KnoperLet’s meet one of the columnists for the United Soybean Board’s Expert Advice. She’s our good friend from AgChat, Michele Payn-Knoper. You can find her first Expert Advice column now on the United Soybean Board website. I spoke with Michele during her recent travels via Skype to learn more about how she got involved in the project and what she will be “teaching” soybean growers. Michele founded Cause Matters Corp., a company designed to give a voice to the people who feed the world using social media. Here’s an excerpt from her first column:

Farming the Online Community: Your Guide to Social Media

Facebook. YouTube. Twitter. LinkedIn. Digg. Farmers. Wait – how do farmers fit with all of these new-fangled tools? Welcome to 2009 and the age of social media. Studies show that four out of five online Americans are active in some form of social content at least once a month. Believe it or not, you’ve been a part of the Web 2.0 social media revolution if you’ve been on e-bay, blogs, photo sharing websites or forums interacting with others. Now it’s time for you to tap into social media to impact your bottom line though access to soybean and other market intelligence, technical expertise, discussions with other farmers and consumer thought patterns about farming.

You can listen to my interview with Michele below.

Ag Groups, Audio, Social Networking, Soybean, USB

R&D Doubling At Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica

Chuck Zimmerman

Kevin FowlerWhen it comes to R&D at Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Kevin Fowler is a go to guy. He’s seen here showing research labs at the BIVI facilities in St. Joseph, MO to a group of ag media.

The first thing that excites Kevin after BIVI acquired some of the Ft. Dodge Animal Health business is the ability to expand more into the dog and cat vaccine lines of products. He says this is a perfect fit and gives the company a great opportunity for future growth.

At the St. Joseph site they have 80 acres of research, manufacturing and engineering services. They have similar facilities at the Ft. Dodge, IA site they just acquired but it’s much larger at 320 acres.

Kevin thinks that one of the things that sets BIVI apart from other companies when bringing a product to market is their R&D group which is very team-oriented. He’s working on a 10 year plan to grow and integrate in an organized manner.

You can listen to my interview with Kevin below.

Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Media Day Photo Album

Agribusiness, Animal Health, Audio, Boehringer Ingelheim

Nicholson Kovac Veterinarian New Media Usage Study

Chuck Zimmerman

Nicholson Kovac Vet StudyNicholson Kovac has once again documented what agrimarketers know intuitively. This time it’s about veterinarians. The agency just released its Veterinarian New Media Usage Study. It has some interesting findings that should help make marketing decisions using new media easier to justify.

The Veterinarian New Media Usage Study provides comprehensive insight on the use of new and social media among veterinarians – including Internet usage, social networking and mobile phone activities − for business and social purposes.

“This eye-opening research shows that veterinarians are using a number of new tools to communicate with their customers and staff. Many of them send text messages to practice or clinic staff and other veterinarians,” said Sheree Johnson, Nicholson Kovac’s senior vice president, director of media services. “We also found it interesting that text messaging may serve as a customer service tool – a growing number of veterinarians, especially those who work with large animals, are also sending texts to their customers, possibly about the status of their animals.”

For more details read: Read More

Agencies, Research, Social Networking

AG CONNECT Expo Advocating For Agriculture Awards

Chuck Zimmerman

Sara MooneySara Mooney is the Director of the AG CONNECT Expo and attended the National Association of Farm Broadcasting Trade Talk along with my man Rich Jefferson. I had been wanting to talk to them about their Advocating For Agriculture awards program where they will recognize three individuals who support “in a compelling way the work of farmers and ranchers to provide abundant and affordable food and fiber.” There are three categories: Ag Woman of the Year, Community Leadership and Ag Innovation.

The grand prize winner of each of the three award categories will receive a free trip to AG CONNECT Expo 2010, including roundtrip airfare for two to Orlando, Florida, from anywhere in the continental U.S. Nominations are due by the end of this week, November 28. Then online voting will start on December 4. All winners will be announced on December 18 and I’m sure we’ll have them posted here.

“AG CONNECT Expo’s awards are a way for our trade show to put a spotlight on the significant contributions that those in production agriculture make to our quality of life,” said Sara Mooney, the Director of AG CONNECT Expo. “We want the awards to draw attention to those whose work and accomplishments this year exemplify ‘advocating for agriculture.'”

You can listen to my interview with Sara below and read more about the awards by clicking on the “more” link. Read More

AEM, Audio, NAMA

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Tyson Foods has chosen Donnie Smith, currently senior group vice president of Poultry and Prepared Foods, to be the company’s president and chief executive officer, effective immediately.
  • Bader Rutter announces Donna Queisser and Amy Graff have been promoted to senior account executives in the agency’s account management group.
  • The economics of structural change and competition in U.S. agriculture and food markets is the subject of a one-day conference planned for Monday, Dec. 7. There is a $40 registration fee for the conference. Registration is available online.
  • The American Angus Association is launching into nationwide television broadcasting with the airing of its first, hour-long program this coming January. Called “I Am Angus,” the program will profile people from across the country whose lives are defined by Angus cattle and Angus beef. “I Am Angus” will air at 9 p.m. EST, Jan. 4, 2010, on RFD-TV.
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