BASF Hosts Farm Futures Talk at Farm Progress

Cindy Zimmerman September 8, 2009

AgWired coverage of the 2009 Farm Progress Show
is sponsored by: and

BASF at Farm Progress Show Photo Album

New dynamics are shaping the future for agriculture and farmers need to be watching the markets more closely than ever before to keep ahead of the game, according to market analyst Arlen Suderman with Farm Futures.

“There’s a lot of money flow factors that drive the money, that tie what happens in grains to the bond market, the energy market, the value of the dollar,” Arlen said during a talk at the BASF tent during the 2009 Farm Progress Show. “That creates a lot of uncertainty, but there’s also reasons why it happens on a day to day basis.”

Arlen talked about factors like crude oil, corn and soybean stocks, export demand and much more. “Part of the real key over the next six months is when do we get that first frost, that will be a major driver in the soybean market with demand being so strong and that will set the tone for corn and wheat as well,” Arlen said.

Listen to or download a brief interview I did with Arlen right after his presentation:

Audio, BASF, Corn, Farm Progress Show, Markets, New Holland, Soybean

Agriculture on the eTeam

Cindy Zimmerman September 7, 2009

AgWired coverage of the 2009 Farm Progress Show
is sponsored by: and

Farm Progress Show Photo Album

The ethanol organization Growth Energy had a strong presence at the 2009 Farm Progress show, stressing the strong ties the renewable fuel has to agriculture and rural America. “If you want to revitalize rural America, the production of renewable fuels and energy is the greatest economic opportunity that’s come along in my lifetime,” CEO Tom Buis told me in an interview. Tom’s lifetime in agriculture began as a grain and livestock farmer in Indiana, then moved to Washington DC as an agricultural advisor to members of Congress, and as president of the National Farmers Union prior to taking his current position earlier this year.

Growth Energy was encouraging farmers to sign up for a chance to win a new, flex-fuel Ford F150 at the Farm Progress show – and urging them to join the eTeam, which CEO Tom Buis says is an important way farmers can play a role in getting the word out about the benefits of ethanol. “The eTeam is a way that everybody can get involved at whatever level to help do that, because it’s going to take a team effort,” Tom said.

Growth Energy also introduced a new initiative at Farm Progress called labelmyfuel.com, which we reported on live from the show as it happened. Organization co-chairman retired Gen. Wesley Clark says the concept of country of origin labeling for fuel makes sense from a national security perspective so people know where they are sending their money. “But beyond the national security argument, I think there is a strong case to be made for America’s own domestic liquid fuel, which is ethanol,” Clark said. “There’s no doubt that if people could see it at the pump, day after day, and choose if they want their money to go overseas or stay right here and bring prosperity at home and help America’s communities and farmers – it will stay right here.”

Listen to back-to-back interviews with Buis and Clark here:

Audio, BASF, Ethanol, Farm Progress Show, New Holland

Novus Showcases Sustainable Culture, Global Vision

Chuck Zimmerman September 7, 2009

It’s time to get back to work tomorrow and that will be from the Novus International Media Day, “Sustainable Culture, Global Vision.” During the next two days we’re going to get to learn a lot more about this company through presentations from each division and touring their new headquarters and their research farm.

So you can expect tweets and posts and you know where to find them if you’re not already subscribing on your computer or phone.

Agribusiness, Novus International

USDA Rural Development at Farm Progress Show

Chuck Zimmerman September 5, 2009

One of the press conferences at Farm Progress Show featured USDA Rural Development. To start it out we heard from Colleen Callahan, Illinois State Director for Rural Development. The former farm broadcaster was very comfortable in the media tent on the other side of the podium! She introduced new USDA Rural Development Under Secretary, Dallas Tonsager.

Tonsager used the opportunity to talk about new grants and loans especially in the area of energy and water systems. He says they should be awarding funds for broadband projects soon as well.

Tonsager announced new energy grants and loans across the country totaling more than $13 million. He also announced a large grant and loan totaling $716,000 to South Lawrence Water Corporation as provided under the consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance and continuing Appropriations Act of 2009.

You can listen to the press conference remarks below:

Farm Progress Show Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2009 Farm Progress Show
is sponsored by: and

Audio, Farm Progress Show, USDA

Grains Council Starts Council Cast Podcast

Chuck Zimmerman September 5, 2009

Add another farm podcast to your list. The U. S. Grains Council has introduced Council Cast.

A team of Egyptian nutritionists traveled to the United States this week for a short course at the International Grains Program at Kansas State University, designed to educate the participants on the inclusion of U.S. sorghum in feed rations. Chris Corry, U.S. Grains Council senior director of international operations, gives an overview of U.S. sorghum, the Council’s success with sorghum initiatives around the world, and its first-ever introduction to the Egyptian market. Mike Deering, USGC director of communications, spoke with Corry about this initiative funded by Council member United Sorghum Checkoff Program.

You can listen to the program with this link. Now doesn’t that Mike Deering have a “radio” voice?

Ag Groups, Audio, Podcasts, USGC

AgWired Mobile Browser Version Now Live

Chuck Zimmerman September 4, 2009

The mobile browser version of AgWired is now live. This means that if you open AgWired.com on your mobile phone you’ll get a very simple version of the website automatically. You can see what it looks like on an iPhone below and I’ve also tested it on a Blackberry. There’s no special “mobile version url” that you need to know either. Many companies have built special “phone friendly” versions of their websites but they usually require you to know a different url and they don’t necessarily offer as much functionality as this.

It functions much like a feed reader if you’re familiar with them (and I hope you are). You’ll see a list of all the posts and pages on the AgWired homepage. It will show you their title and link to them. When you go to a post you’ll see the title, the text and the photos we have posted and the comment form if you’d like to post a comment. At the bottom of the page if you scroll down is a link to take you to your phone’s “regular” version of the website. This is handy on an iPhone which has a full fledged browser if you’d like to see the page in normal view. You can click back and forth easily.

So, AgWired now loads fast on your phone and is very easy to read and use! It’s one more reason you might want to subscribe to Agwired Mobile, our text message service that delivers you a text message each time we do a post on AgWired (except during 8pm-8am central time). Visitors to the phone browser will be getting there from AgWired Mobile, our Twitter feed if they have a Twitter app on their phone, from their phone’s rss reader and by going to the site directly. I think we’ll have a lot of folks visiting and seeing the mobile version. Interested in sponsoring it? Contact Chuck Zimmerman now.

We’ll be implementing this mobile browser version on energy.agwired.com, PrecisionPays.com and WorldDairyDiary.com by tomorrow as well.

ZimmComm Announcement

Farm Progress Show Photo Frenzy

Cindy Zimmerman September 3, 2009

There are acres of photos available on line in our Flickr photo albums from Farm Progress Show 2009. The ZimmComm media team of Carly, Chuck and myself took hundreds of photos around the show and picked the best for the albums. We have 433 in the regular show album so far (Chuck still needs to load a few more) and another 129 in the BASF photo album. Feel free to download and use any photos you would like – or any of the audio we have loaded on the site – no charge!

It was a busy three days and both the weather and attendance must have been record setting. This was my first show, but from what I understand, there has probably never been a show in history that had the kind of picture perfect weather we had all three days. It’s always either cold and rainy, dry and windy, or ridiculously hot. You just can’t complain about three days of blue skies, moderate temperatures and cool breezes!

We still have LOTS more posts to do from the show, so we will be working on that over the long holiday weekend as Chuck and I celebrate our anniversary with a weekend at Lake of the Ozarks! We sincerely thank our sponsors BASF and New Holland for bringing you our coverage here on Agwired and AgLeader Technology on Precision Pays.

Farm Progress Show Photo Album

BASF at Farm Progress Show photo album

AgWired coverage of the 2009 Farm Progress Show
is sponsored by: and

BASF, Farm Progress Show, New Holland

Farm Progress Show Drive Through

Chuck Zimmerman September 3, 2009

While I was driving my golf cart through the Farm Progress Show yesterday I shot a short video clip so you can see what the crowd was like. You can also get a sense of how nice the weather was and is again today.

Farm Progress Show Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2009 Farm Progress Show
is sponsored by: and

Farm Progress Show, Video

Friends At Farm Progress Show

Chuck Zimmerman September 3, 2009

For many in the ag media, events like the Farm Progress Show are opportunities to catch up with friends. Cindy and I saw good friend Leah (Guffey) Banister. Leah’s wedding July 4th was my last trip on the road for almost 2 months. Leah used to be a farm broadcaster in Springfield, IL and now works for their convention and visitor’s bureau. She was showing us her new Nikon D500 camera.

We may compete with each other at times but when it comes down to it, ag journalists share a lot of time together at events like this and face a lot of the same challenges. I like how we’re always willing to help each other out and it has been great to be here at the show and see so many friends in the media and agrimarketing.

Farm Progress Show Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2009 Farm Progress Show
is sponsored by: and

Farm Progress Show

A New Holland Legend Returns

Chuck Zimmerman September 3, 2009

The New Holland Rustler utility vehicle isn’t the only attention grabber here at the Farm Progress Show. The retro Boomer 8N is also front and center. I spoke with New Holland Product Manager, Paul Trella, about their new products like the Boomer 8N.

The latest addition to the company’s Boomer line, the redesigned 8N features distinctive, timeless styling, a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) that creates a fun, easy, car-like driving experience as well as a variety of customizable accessories. First sold in 1948, this updated version of the classic 8N is now available to consumers seeking reliable power wrapped in a compact and time-honored package.

Of course the Rustler is also getting attention and Paul says customers are saying, “It’s about time.” Of course you can get the new vehicles in New Holland blue but you can also customize them in camo or black or probably any color you’d like. I’ve got several photos of them in our photo album.

You can learn more about the new things from New Holland in my interview with Paul below and you can see the Rustler in action in this video clip:

Farm Progress Show Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2009 Farm Progress Show
is sponsored by: and

Audio, Farm Progress Show, New Holland, Tractor, Video

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