Sunbelt Update From Mr. Peanut

Chuck Zimmerman

Tyron SpearmanHe says he’s been the media director for Sunbelt Ag Expo for 32 years and he’s Mr. Peanut. Actually he’s Tyron Spearman, Spearman Marketing. Tyron also reports for Southeast AgNet.

At Expo Tyron coordinates all the requests of the media here covering the event. In the photo he’s giving us an overview of the show during our media breakfast. Tyron says the show is “excellent.” The weather has cleared up from the rain of last week and he thought the setup went a lot easier than normal. He says the first day crowd was estimated between 40 – 50,000 which was very good for an opening day. The challenge now is the good weather which has farmers out in their own fields. I asked him about the peanut crop and he says that after the largest crop in history last year the crop was reduced this year. Challenges during the planting season meant that there are actually 3 separate crops being harvested this year with the last one coming in later in November.

You can listen to my interview with Tyron below:

Sunbelt Ag Expo 2009 Photo Album

AgWired coverage of Sunbelt Ag Expo is sponsored by Growth Energy.

Audio, Sunbelt Ag Expo

Vermeer Rolls Out the Rancher

Cindy Zimmerman

Vermeer had cow-calf producers in mind when they designed the new Rancher 665 round baler.

vermeerAccording to Vermeer Forage Marketing Manager Dan Belzer, the new Rancher 665 baler design fills a niche many cow-calf producers have been asking for – basically, the ability to produce bigger bales with a “right-sized” baler that requires less horsepower. “Now, with a minimum 60 hp tractor, every day cow-calf producers can roll up large-diameter bales, which they can easily move around with their medium-sized loaders. Also, because the Rancher 665 baler is ‘right-priced’, it’s very competitive with used late-model balers in the same class, which gives Rancher 665 baler owners the extra peace of mind of having new product warranty.”

Belzer adds, “the name depicts a no nonsense, tight-fisted, independent, rugged, individual” – kinda like the guy in the promo photo. Looks a bit like a young Baxter Black to me – is he for real?

Equipment, Hay, Livestock

Sunbelt Ag Expo Field Demos

Chuck Zimmerman

Sunbelt Ag ExpoField demonstrations are in full swing at Sunbelt Ag Expo. I’ve updated the photo album for you and am taking off but have a lot more to post.

I’ll continue posting over the next day or so. Stay tuned.

Sunbelt Ag Expo 2009 Photo Album

AgWired coverage of Sunbelt Ag Expo is sponsored by Growth Energy.

Sunbelt Ag Expo

Ag Students Key to Correcting Food Critics on Campus

Cindy Zimmerman

College students with agriculture backgrounds are finding the need to defend modern agriculture and correct misinformation about food production that is being worked into class curriculums.

mbic sarahSome classes are now requiring students to read books like “Omnivore’s Dilemma,” watch movies like “Food, Inc.” and see presentations by critics of modern agriculture like Michael Pollan. Sarah Downing, a junior at the University of Missouri and education chairman of the Mizzou Collegiate Cattlewomen, says she has to read Omnivore’s Dilemma for her Agriculture Marketing Systems class this semester. “The class is about 90 students,” Sarah says. “We haven’t started discussing it yet, I’m kind of looking forward to it.”

Sarah was happy to be able to get information on how to deal with questions raised by her fellow students about food production from a webinar that was given last week by the beef industry. They discussed ways that ag students and the industry can be pro-active on college campuses, especially when activists like Michael Pollan come to call – as he did last week at Cal-Poly.

“The best thing we can do is just tell our story,” she says. She suggests that other students and anyone in the beef industry get their “MBA” – Masters in Beef Advocacy. “It’s a great program to get the good word about agriculture and the beef industry out to consumers who may have misconceptions.”

Find out more about the MBA program from the Cattlemen’s Beef Board here. You can also check out the Mizzou Collegiate Cattlewomen – Cowgirls With Class – on Facebook. And – it would be a good idea for everyone in the beef industry or agriculture in general to read Omnivore’s Dilemma, at least to know your enemy!

Listen to my interview with Sarah here.

Audio, Beef, Livestock

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Jim McCarthy, Iowa, has been selected as the newest winner of the Kleckner Trade and Technology Advancement Award.
  • New Holland has further extended its range of specialized tractors with the introduction of the new TDF Series, designed for customers with specialized needs such as orchards, olive groves, wide vineyards and full-field horticulture farms.
  • The Monsanto Beachell-Borlaug International Scholars Program announced 12 recipients of the program’s 2009 fellowships. Find out more information here.
  • The Resistance Fighter of the Year program recognizes those who serve as role models and provide growers with guidance they need to manage weeds successfully in their operations.
Zimfo Bytes

Water Tower View of Sunbelt Ag Expo

Chuck Zimmerman

Sunbelt Ag ExpoThe old water tower on the grounds of the Sunbelt Ag Expo makes a good platform to look out over the show. I climbed it last year for the first time and again this year.

I’ll be out on the grounds today finding more stories and taking more photos. So keep an eye on my photo album as I add to it.

Sunbelt Ag Expo 2009 Photo Album

AgWired coverage of Sunbelt Ag Expo is sponsored by Growth Energy.

Sunbelt Ag Expo

Swisher Sweets Sponsors Sunbelt Award

Chuck Zimmerman

J. Thomas RyanThe main sponsor of the Southeastern Farmer of the Year program is Swisher Sweets. Representing them here at Sunbelt Ag Expo is Mr. J. Thomas Ryan, Swisher International. I talked with him prior to the Willie B. Withers luncheon.

He says it’s the 20th year that the company has sponsored the awards program. He says business is good for his company which makes cigars and smokeless tobacco products. The bulk of their business is domestic but they also sell products in 80 other countries.

You can listen to my interview with Mr. Ryan below:

Sunbelt Ag Expo 2009 Photo Album

AgWired coverage of Sunbelt Ag Expo is sponsored by Growth Energy.

Agribusiness, Audio, Sunbelt Ag Expo

Georgia Agri-Leaders Forum Foundation

Chuck Zimmerman

Jimmy HillThe emcee for the Willie B. Withers luncheon at Sunbelt Ag Expo was Mr. Jimmy Hill, President/CEO, Georgia Agri-Leaders Forum Foundation. Jimmy says they develop leaders in agribusiness and forestry with a 12 month program. He says they have 18 people involved in this year’s program. The goal is to develop leaders who will get involved and help solve challenges faced by the industry.

The Study Institute Program of the Georgia Agri-Leaders Forum is an intensive exposure to a wide range of issues and policy discussion. These range from the economy to governmental process, as well as, a liberal opportunity to broaden leadership skills. The one-year program consists of six Study Institutes covering issues affecting those committed to agriculture, agribusiness, forestry and leadership in rural Georgia. Four In-State Institutes are structured in a three-day/two night format; A Government-in-Session (Atlanta/Washington DC) Institute covers eight days; and a National Travel Experience Institute in another state covers six days. Each Institute stresses leadership skills and generates sensitivity to pertinent issues, giving the participants an in-depth understanding of what it takes to get involved in bringing about solutions to political, economical, cultural, social, agricultural, agribusiness, forestry and leadership issues in rural Georgia.

You can listen to my interview with Jimmy below:

Sunbelt Ag Expo 2009 Photo Album

AgWired coverage of Sunbelt Ag Expo is sponsored by Growth Energy.

Ag Groups, Audio, Sunbelt Ag Expo

Farming Fish In Ponds

Chuck Zimmerman

Southeastern Pond ManagementThere’s more than one way to farm fish. Usually you think ponds of tilapia or catfish right? Well there’s also sports fishing pond management of game fish like bass and bluegill. At Sunbelt Ag Expo they have a “fishing ponds” exhibit area. One of the exhibitors is Southeastern Pond Management. Seen in the photo is Kedric Nutt. He says his company helps a land owner manage their fish ponds which includes fish selection, weed control, pond evaluation and more.

Here at Expo the exhibit area is conducting seminars and has a demo pond which Kedric says has a bass species that is trained to eat pellet fish food but will still strike a fishing lure.

You can listen to my interview with Kedric below:

Sunbelt Ag Expo 2009 Photo Album

AgWired coverage of Sunbelt Ag Expo is sponsored by Growth Energy.

Aquaculture, Audio, Sunbelt Ag Expo

Promoting Alpacas

Chuck Zimmerman

AlpacaAt this year’s Sunbelt Ag Expo, Alpacas are popular, especially baby ones. Promoting them is the Southeastern Alpaca Association. Representing the Association here is Carrie Gamblin, Southern Hummers Alpacas, pictured with her husband Jay.

Carrie says the organization is the “hub” for all the member farms. Each farm gets a web page that’s part of the organizational website. They also have an annual show in March and do seminars throughout the year. One of the main projects they’re working on is to get enough animals in the country to convince the millers to take their fiber and run it through the milling process. So far there hasn’t been enough to make that happen. Apparently alpaca fiber would require different milling equipment than wool.

You can listen to my interview with Carrie below:

Sunbelt Ag Expo 2009 Photo Album

AgWired coverage of Sunbelt Ag Expo is sponsored by Growth Energy.

Ag Groups, Audio, Sunbelt Ag Expo