Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Farm audits for the second herd retirement implemented by Cooperatives Working Together in 2009 have been completed, and the majority of the 74,114 cows that produced 1.5 billion pounds of milk have been sent to processing plants.
  • CHS Inc., and Agrico Group have formed a joint venture company named ACG to manage origination, logistics, export and worldwide marketing of Russian wheat, feed grains and potentially oilseeds.
  • DuPont reports that its new patented Seed Production Technology will reduce the cost of the mechanical and labor-intensive process for creating its high-yielding hybrid seed corn by more than 20 percent in the field, while increasing product quality at the same time.
  • Tickets to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010 are now on sale.
    Zimfo Bytes

    Soybean Harvesting

    Chuck Zimmerman

    MO Soybean harvestSoybeans are being harvested in the Missouri River bottom. This was the scene I passed while working out this afternoon.

    It’s that time of year.

    A little further down the road however, there was a real contrast of soybeans quite ready for harvest next to fields that are in full leafy green. Kind of shows how mixed the season has been this year in many places in the Midwest.

    Farming, Soybean

    Getting Social with Dairy

    carly

    WDX“Using Popular Media to Tell Dairy Farming’s Story” was the topic of a Tuesday morning seminar at World Dairy Expo conducted by Jolene Griffin of Dairy Management Inc. (pictured on the left) and Polly Ligon O’Grady of Weber Shandwick (right).

    Who would have imagined even just a few years ago that things with funny names like Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and YouTube would allow individual agricultural producers to communicate with people all over the world? And, as Jolene told the group on hand, it has never been more important for them to do so. “Other people are actually out there telling our story and they’re telling the wrong story,” Jolene said. “There’s so much misinformation about the dairy industry out there that we need to mobilize dairy producers and the dairy industry to counter that misinformation and to give consumers the correct information about dairy farming and the dairy products that they enjoy.”

    Jolene says they launched the MyDairy program earlier this year to help producers learn more about using the various social media platforms and providing key messages to help them communicate effectively. “Since that time we have had over 600 dairy producers sign on for the MyDairy program and they’ve really embraced social media to tell their story,” Jolene said. Producers can sign up for the program by emailing mydairy@rosedmi.com.

    World Dairy Expo Photo Album

    Audio, Novus International, World Dairy Expo

    Getting Social With Beef

    Chuck Zimmerman

    The Beef Checkoff is getting social online. In case you aren’t following here’s the appropriate links:

    MyBeefCheckoff Facebook
    MyBeefCheckoff Twitter
    MyBeefCheckoff YouTube
    MyBeefCheckoff Blog

    Here’s why the Beef Checkoff is getting social:

    Studies show that Internet usage among farmers and ranchers is increasing; cell phones are no longer just used to call home before supper; and, producers are staying connected to industry information via social networking sites. This provided an excellent opportunity for the checkoff to deliver important messages about how producer dollars are being invested.

    Ag Groups, Beef, Social Networking

    Paulsen Marketing Adds Three

    Chuck Zimmerman

    PaulsenitesPaulsen Marketing has added three new faces to the team. The new Paulsenites are (l-r) Tara, Lisa and Jordin:

    Lisa Leuning, Digital Project Manager

    Large Web sites can become full-time jobs unto themselves. Lisa is the project owner for large digital projects at Paulsen. It’s safe to say that we’ll be keeping her busy with site research, competitive analysis, content management, programming, usability testing, resource identification, internal project management and more.

    Jordin Mueller, Account Coordinator

    Jordin began working with Paulsen in January 2009 as an intern, and with her strong work ethic and enthusiasm, she earned a full-time position in May. As account coordinator, she works closely with our president, Greg Guse, learning the ropes, working with clients, juggling multiple projects, and helping to keep her assigned teams organized and on track. Previously, Jordin worked with SDN Communications in Sioux Falls. She holds a B.A. in business administration from Augustana College.

    Tara Young, Digital Services Coordinator

    As digital services coordinator, Tara bridges the divide between the distinctly different worlds of Web programmers, account executives, creative teams and accounting. In short, she’s the glue that keeps our Web projects together! Tara’s responsibilities include scheduling for all Paulsen Web projects and ensuring everyone stays on deadline every day. She also assists with site usability testing, proofing, quality assurance and online media invoicing.

    Agencies

    Grains Council China Corn Tour

    Cindy Zimmerman

    USGC China TourThe U.S. Grains Council (USGC) is blogging and Flickring through this year’s China Corn Tour, taking place right now.

    These great photos and many more have been posted on the USGC Flickr account by Erick Erickson, special assistant to the president, who has also been blogging about the trip on The Grain Board. In one post Erick wrote about the harvest, which is all done by hand and takes a typical farmer about ten days.

    USGC China TourWe met several farm families at work in the fields. One man told us he has a 3.7 acre allotment and rents an additional 21 acres. He does not like to use machines for planting or harvesting because labor is less expensive and more efficient – for instance in collecting corn stalks that may have fallen over. Twelve acres of the rented land is controlled by the local government, so it is not counted on the records and he receives no government subsidy. He said it takes 10 laborer-days to harvest 2.5 acres of corn. That means a husband-wife team can harvest their 3.7 acres in about eight days.

    We met such a team working in their field: 21 rows wide by 400 meters long. They stopped to talk to us when we approached and showed us the size of ears they were harvesting, indicating that they should be at least a third bigger. They had been working steadily and now they stopped and visited with us – animated, smiling, filled with life. After our visit, we walked away and they returned to their work, cutting corn stalks one at a time and laying them in neat rows, bottom end to the wind.

    Pretty interesting stuff – check it out.

    Corn, International, USGC

    NAMA Providing Chance To Win GPS

    Chuck Zimmerman

    The National Agri-Marketing Association has a YouTube channel now with a few videos in it like the following featuring members explaining the value of NAMA to them.



    If you are a member of NAMA, the organization is providing you with a chance to win a GPS. Just recruit a new member prior to November 5 and both of you will be entered in a drawing.

    Tell your friends, peers, and business associates how you benefit from being a member of NAMA – the learning and networking opportunities, skill development, access to agribusiness solutions, etc. They can hear what other members think about NAMA at http://www.youtube.com/ExploreNAMA.

    Every NAMA member who recruits a new member between now and November 5 will be included in a drawing for a new GPS. The more new members you recruit – the better your chances. New members will have their names entered, too.

    Simply tell your recruit to join on-line at http://www.nama.org/register.aspx. Tell them to note “Referred by” and add your name and company in the box titled “Submitter’s Name.” They can also call the NAMA office at 913-491-6500 to join; remind them to say they were referred by you! Be sure to tell them they’ll be included in the drawing.

    When will the drawing take place? During Trends in Agriculture, which takes place November 10 and 11 at the Hyatt Regency in Kansas City. We’d love to have you there, but you don’t have to be present to win!

    NAMA

    Ohioans For Livestock Care Launch Campaign

    Chuck Zimmerman

    OLC websiteIt looks like the battle is on in Ohio and hopefully we won’t see another fiasco like Prop 2 in California.

    Advocating for an ample supply of safe, affordable, Ohio-raised food and excellent care of the state’s livestock and poultry, leaders of Ohioans for Livestock Care today announced the first phase of the statewide outreach campaign in support of passage of State Issue 2. Issue 2 calls for the creation of the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board (the Board) – a board of Ohio experts in animal care, veterinary medicine, food safety and farm management, as well as consumer and humane society members.

    The campaign committee has purchased television advertising in media markets across Ohio, which is complemented with online advertising and the addition of a new campaign Web site, www.safelocalohiofood.org.

    Here’s the ad. It’s the smallest player choice available or I would have made it smaller.

    Ag Groups, Animal Health

    New NAFB Website Live Now

    Chuck Zimmerman

    NAFB websiteThe National Association of Farm Broadcasting website has been “made over” and it’s live now. So check it out and see what you think. I’m glad I can visit it now on my Mac with Firefox. The previous version caused havoc with the browser. So I guess you could call it a much more “friendly” website.

    And doesn’t it just make sense to put member audio news right there on the home page? That’s what I’m talking about. I would make a recommendation to change the video player they’re using though. At least in my browser I can start the video clips but I can’t stop or pause them. But I like the concept!

    All in all this seems like a major improvement. What do you think?

    NAFB

    Beef Cook-Off Winner

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Beef RecipeNow here’s a winning recipe for you meat lovers. Sonoma Steaks with Vegetables Bocconcini. Mmm. Mmm. That’s the winning recipe in this year’s National Beef Cook-Off. Prepared by Mary Hawkes of Prescott, AZ, she wins the top prize of $25,000.

    This year’s Cook-Off “Sonoma Style” theme focused on fresh, flavorful ingredients paired with nutrient-rich beef cuts. The winning Sonoma Steaks with Vegetables Bocconcini recipe featured grilled beef top loin steaks, zucchini, yellow bell pepper and red grape tomatoes tossed with herb-marinated fresh mozzarella balls. In addition, the dish is an excellent source of protein, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, selenium and zinc; and a good source of iron.

    Ag Groups, Beef