Peaut Butter Creativity

Chuck Zimmerman

Jif ContestPeanut butter is one of my favorite foods. I’m also choosy enough to choose Jif. Now Jif has a contest going that will award some college scholarships. So get your peanut butter creativity going.

Adding some creativity to mundane lunch routines could have a huge payoff. Jif Peanut Butter, the trusted peanut butter of choosy Moms, is accepting entries for the Eighth Annual Jif Most Creative Peanut Butter Sandwich Contest(TM). From August 7, 2009 through November 13, 2009, parents can help their kids ages 6 – 12 submit their most creative recipe for a chance to win a $25,000 college scholarship fund. Four runners-up will each receive a $2,500 scholarship fund.

Last year, the contest received the most entries in its history and 10-year-old Jordyn Boyer of Lebanon, Pa., was awarded top prize with her “Po’ Boy Peanut Butter Chicken Cheesesteak.” Inspired by regional culinary influences, her sandwich was made with Jif Creamy Peanut Butter, chicken, peppers, onions, mozzarella cheese — and even apples — providing a new twist on her home state’s staple cheesesteak. For added flavor, she created a dipping sauce of Jif Peanut Butter, Worcestershire sauce, honey mustard with a drizzle of honey.

The Eighth Annual Jif Most Creative Peanut Butter Sandwich Contest encourages families to spend time together in the kitchen as an activity to foster creativity. A parent can submit their child’s original recipe which is scored based on creativity, nutritional balance, taste, appearance and ease of preparation. Ten semifinalists’ recipes will be selected in January 2010 and posted on www.Jif.com as part of a nationwide online vote. Peanut butter lovers who are 13 years or older can then vote for the five finalists who will compete in a live judging event in New York City during March 2010.

Food, Peanuts

What Are You Thankful For?

Amanda Nolz

Today, I thought I would share some reflections from my role as a cattle producer, instead of an agriculture writer. Thanks for letting me stand on this soapbox so often…

IMG_1935Nowadays, it seems the worries of a farmer and rancher are monumental. High input costs, ballot initiatives, strict regulations, bad media coverage, consumer misconceptions, animal rights activists’ agendas and low prices seem to plague the agriculture industry. Most depressing, it’s been said that for every consumer dollar spent in the grocery store, the farmer and rancher only receives 18 cents. Yet, true agriculturalists don’t let these negative things get to them. Nope, they endeavor to persevere.

Despite the challenges and obstacles, we have a lot to be thankful for in the agriculture industry. There is nothing better than having a career that provides nourishment for the world. For me, I live to watch my calves grow up, and it’s always a good feeling when we can fit the needs of our customers with our seedstock offerings. It’s amazing that the calves in my own pasture will someday move down the beef industry chain to backgrounders, feeders, processors, the grocery store and finally, to a dinner table around the world. The best part is knowing that the folks involved in every stop along the chain are great people that are dedicated to the same things as I am.

I’m thankful to be able to work alongside my family in a career that I love. I’m thankful to be able to work with my hands to help create something bigger than myself. I’m so blessed to be capable of the well being of so many animals, and I feel fortunate to live in America where food is abundant, healthy and safe. Today, set your worries aside and think about the things you are thankful for. You will quickly find that the list is much longer than your stresses and fears. God Bless the American farmer and rancher!

Farming

Insights From Forrest Bassford Award Winner Whitney Wallace

Joanna Schroeder

AgWired coverage of IFAJ 2009 is sponsored by:
Pioneer-HiBred Successful Farming and Novus International

Several student and young professional awards were given during the IFAJ/AMS summit and one of the most coveted awards, the Forrest Bassford Award was given to Whitney Wallace and is sponsored by LPC. Whitney will be a senior at the University of Missouri this fall and she is an active member of ACT – the AG Communicators of Tomorrow. She will be graduating next May with a degree in Agricultural Journalism with an Ag Economics minor.

3798538620_079bbbb390I had the opportunity to spend a few minutes with Whitney, and she is a talented and well spoken woman who has already taken the ag communications industry by storm. For those companies looking for a rare talent, you’d better get in line now, because I suspect that Whitney will be off the market in a blink of an eye!

As such an active and young member of the journalism community, I asked her to give her fellow students some advice.

“Just like I tell the other students at Mizzou, you just gotta jump in an try everything you can. Because we have so many opportunities that we can pick and choose and find so many great little niches of places we can succeed.”

Whitney, I like your style.

You can see the pictures of all the award winners in the IFAJ/AMS 2009 Photo Album.

You can listen to my full interview with Whitney here.

Ag Media Summit, Audio, IFAJ, Novus International, Pioneer

Purple Potatoes on West Coast

Chuck Zimmerman

Purple PotatoI would roast or fry these. Wouldn’t you? Purple freedom fries!

Klamath Basin Fresh Direct, an association of potato farmers along the Oregon-California border, has been awarded exclusive rights to grow and market a new purple fingerling developed by the USDA and three Northwest universities.

The potato is called Purple Pelisse, named for an intense hue inside and out that looks like a color you’d find in a crayon box. The tuber is the first specialty spud that Oregon State University, the University of Idaho, Washington State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have jointly made available for public consumption. It’s called a specialty because it’s not like a traditional potato with white flesh and brown skin, such as Russets, commonly used for fries.

Dan Chin, chairman of the association, said his company was interested in the Purple Pelisse because it is looking to expand its color spectrum with a potato that it can grow on a small scale for a niche market. KBFD produces two potatoes: a red-skinned one and a small, white-skinned variety.

“Right now there’s not a good purple fingering on the market,” Chin added. “But this one has good flavor and looks good. It fits the bill for what we think a consumer might want.”

He said KBFD, which beat four other bids, plans to market it as a potato that can be boiled, fried and roasted. The group plans to change the name of the potato, which it will grow organically and market to high-end supermarkets and restaurants in the United States. He hopes to eventually promote it overseas. In November, he’ll take it to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and the Philippines as part of a trade mission with the Oregon Department of Agriculture.

Farming, Food

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Dow AgroSciences announces that federal registration has been received for INSTINCT nitrogen stabilizer for use with UAN and liquid manure.
  • Cooperatives Working Together announced that it has tentatively accepted 294 bids in the third herd retirement it has conducted in the last nine months.
  • Kinze Manufacturing Harvest Commander grain auger carts offer growers an innovative, high quality grain handling option for the harvest season. These carts give growers the ability to unload 850 to 1,050 bushels of grain in just over two minutes.
  • Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc., is again seeking research study proposals focused on one of the swine industry’s most devastating diseases — porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS).
    Zimfo Bytes

    Photo Memories From IFAJ/AMS

    Chuck Zimmerman

    IFAJ Billy BobsThanks to Carly and Joanna, pictured here about to go into Billy Bob’s, our online photo album from this year’s IFAJ/AMS is very full. You’ll find almost 900 pictures in there. Please feel free to use them and if you need a high res version we’ll do our best to get one to you.

    I got up early this morning and watched all the photos as a slide show via my Apple TV on my 42″ plasma screen. It felt almost like being there. I could hear the voices and know what they were saying. That happens when you spend a lot of time with good friends and colleagues at an extended event like this each year.

    IFAJ QuasimojoQuasimojo played once again at this year’s event. I’m thinking we should be recording these for future release. What do you think?

    Then we could release an annual CD, Best of CD, etc. Perhaps a recording contract with a big label down the road? I don’t know.

    IFAJ/AMS 2009 Photo Album

    AgWired coverage of IFAJ 2009/Ag Media Summit is sponsored by:
    Pioneer-HiBred Successful Farming and Novus International

    Ag Media Summit, IFAJ

    Post Your Comments on IFAJ Congress

    Chuck Zimmerman

    IFAJ Gift BinderAll registrants to the IFAJ Congress 2009 received a great wild west souvenir to take home with them. These leather note pad holders were all printed with our names. I was registered although I did not get to attend.

    Cindy brought mine home. She actually just got home yesterday after attending the APS meeting in Portland, OR right after IFAJ/AMS. She’s starting to know what it feels like to be me when I’m healthy!

    IFAJ Gift BinderIf you attended this year’s IFAJ Congress for your first time I’d love to know your thoughts on meeting with fellow ag journalists from other countries. Did you find it helpful? What did you get out of the relationships you made?

    Conversely, if you’re an IFAJ member outside the U.S. who attended, what are your thoughts? Was it a good Congress? What do you think about these crazy Americans? Feel free to post comments.

    IFAJ/AMS 2009 Photo Album

    AgWired coverage of IFAJ 2009/Ag Media Summit is sponsored by:
    Pioneer-HiBred Successful Farming and Novus International

    Ag Media Summit, IFAJ

    Two Lunches, Two Authors, Two Great Speakers

    Joanna Schroeder

    41C5Rm2RlwL._SL500_AA240_Now that everyone is home safe and sound from Ft. Worth, you’ll have a little time to read the new books by the IFAJ/AMS lunch speakers. Participants were first treated to a presentation by Julie Wainwright, who is the owner of Smartnow.com. She worked her way up to found Pets.com (how can you forget the sock puppet) and then undergo a very public bankruptcy right as the Internet bubble burst.

    But after a few false starts and five big mistakes, she is now back on her feet and spreading encouragement to others. I can’t speak for everyone who attended, but her message definitely resonated with me which is why I’m looking forward to reading her new self-published book, ReBoot My Five Life Changing Mistakes and How I Have Moved On, available on Amazon.com.

    coverartWhile Wainwright’s presentation was fairly serious, on Tuesday we were thoroughly entertained by Scott McKain, who is the vice president of Obsidian Enterprises and the co-founder and principal of The Value Added Institute, a think tank that explores client loyalty. Speaking of which, how do you maintain client loyalty? Through being distinct. McKain has written exhaustively about this topic and is a best selling author.

    There are Four Cornerstones of Distinction according to McKain including clarity, creativity, communication and customer experience focus. I don’t have time to go into details but his presentation was not only extremely funny, it was even more insightful. McKain very much believes in the mission of ag journalists, so much so that he has done two things. First, he has made his presentation available; and second, he has made the audio and e-versions of his new book, Collapse of Distinction: stand out and move up while your competition fails, available for free.

    You can see pictures from the presentations in our IFAJ/AMS 2009 Photo Album.

    AgWired coverage of IFAJ 2009 is sponsored by:
    Pioneer-HiBred Successful Farming and Novus International

    Ag Media Summit, IFAJ, Novus International, Pioneer

    Smokey Bear Is Tweeting

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Smokey BearIt’s birthday time for Smokey Bear (not “The Bear”).

    The USDA Forest Service is preparing to celebrate the 65th birthday of an American icon – Smokey Bear – on Monday, August 10. The celebration will take place at the Whitten Building USDA headquarters in Washington D.C. The birthday party will also include the release of the new Smokey Bear Story “big book.” This bilingual (English and Spanish) illustrated educational book introduces Smokey Bear and fire prevention messages to a new generation of American children. Smokey Bear’s trademark message, “only you can prevent wildfires,” is one of the longest running PSA campaigns in U.S. history.

    “Smokey Bear is one of the most beloved symbols in American history and his important message has been communicated to generations of Americans during the past sixty five years,” said U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell. “This new book will help mentor a new generation in carrying on Smokey’s message.”

    Of course Smokey is tweeting. I’m just wondering how he does it with those big old paws of his.

    USDA

    Making Phones From Corn is Smart

    Chuck Zimmerman

    sprint phoneA phone made from corn? Apparently.

    This morning Sprint CEO Dan Hesse announced the August 16th release of the Samsung Reclaim™. Speaking with the media from the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in New York City where the Nature Conservancy’s Design for a Living World exhibit is on display, Hesse introduced the new device – a messaging phone that offers environmentally conscious consumers a perfect blend of responsibility without sacrificing speed, style or must-have features.

    The Reclaim is constructed from bio-plastic material (40 percent of the Reclaim’s outer casing is derived from corn). It’s RoHS compliant and free of potentially hazardous materials like polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and phthalates, and nearly free of brominated flame retardants (BFR).

    It comes with an ENERGY STAR-approved charger that uses 12 times less power than the standard for standby power consumption. The typical thick paper user manual has been replaced by a virtual user manual. The packaging is 100% recyclable material, made with a high percentage of post-consumer waste content, and printed using soy inks.

    via Mark on Corn Commentary

    Corn