BIVI Swine Health Seminar

Chuck Zimmerman

BI logoCindy is on her way to North Carolina and the Boehringer Ingelheim, Swine Health Seminar. I am jealous since I got to cover this event last year and it’s a really good one.

So, expect to find out what’s going on with BIVI over the next couple days and hopefully we’ll see some tweets from @FarmPodcaster. Which reminds me. Like we did with showing support for dairy producers on Sunday by using the #moo hashtag in our tweets, this Sunday it’s time to show support pork producers by using the hashtag #oink in your tweets on Sunday. Let’s show the Twitterverse our support for pork! As @AFBFMace puts it in one of his tweets, “Going 2 make twttr #oink at 9 am EST, Sun. Aug. 16. Set yr alarm. Goal: It’s H1N1, not Swine Flu. Spread the wrd.”

Boehringer Ingelheim, Pork

Ag Leader Booth In My Office

Chuck Zimmerman

Ag Leader Technology Brief CaseAg Leader Technology brought their Ag Media Summit booth to my office today via UPS. It’s true. Editors attending the Ag Media Summit found a briefcase in their hotel room and had to go to the Ag Leader Technology booth to crack the code to open them. The theme was, “Mission: Precision II, Operation Crack the Code.”

So, I just received mine today and it contains a number of items like coffee mug, memory stick, t-shirt, etc. And it all comes in a nice briefcase! Very handy and I would call it a stand out item.

Ag Leader Technology is a new long term sponsor of our Precision Pays website btw. We’ll be working with them over the next year to help bring new and useful information about the latest precision farming techniques and equipment to farmers and I’m sure some of that will find its way to AgWired too.

Thank you Ag Leader Technology and Lessing Flynn.

Ag Media Summit, Agribusiness, Precision Agriculture

Plant Disease Experts Prepare for Ug99 Wheat Stem Rust

Cindy Zimmerman

APSPlant disease experts at the American Phytopathological Society annual meeting are preparing to potentially do battle with a new strain of wheat stem rust.

APSWashington State University plant pathologist Tim Murray says wheat stem rust has been in the United States since the early 1900s but this new strain could pose new problems. “The Ug99 strain is a new strain of this fungus that emerged in Africa in 1999,” he said. “That fungus has since spread in West Africa and there is concern in the United States that if it eventually gets here it could cause problems.” Over 80 percent of the wheat varieties currently grown globally are susceptible to the disease.

Scientists in the U.S. are working together coordinating a surveillance program to watch for the fungus, similar to the Asian soybean rust program. “It’s very similar to Asian soybean rust with the rusty red color on the plants and both spread by aerial spores,” Tim said.

No time frame for when, or if, the fungus could arrive in the U.S., but Tim says they are working on a recovery plan and they are investigating which fungicide will be most effective on it. “There are materials registered now that can be used,” he said.

Listen or download to an interview with Tim Murray here:

Agribusiness, Research, Wheat

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Farm Journal Media announced that Mike Morgan has joined the company as Vice President, Publishing Operations where he will oversee both magazine production and circulation for all Farm Journal Media magazine titles.
  • Arenus recently acquired the intellectual property, technology and product lines of Equilite, Inc.: the Sore No-More Liniment Product Line, Herbal Supplement line and Botanical Animal Flower Essence line.
  • Nolan Ryan’s All-Natural Beef is debuting new, smaller packages of fully cooked burger patties and mini-burger patties (sliders). The new packages will feature an updated look, resealable opening, a lower price point and be available in the freezer section.
  • When animal lovers get together, they tell stories about their dogs, cats, and horses. They share advice. They recommend products they’ve learned to trust. That’s the idea behind ProbioticSmart.com, the newest customer-focused division of BVPI.
    Zimfo Bytes

    Corn Grower Conference to Focus on Land Use

    Cindy Zimmerman

    NCGAIf you are concerned about the indirect land use change (ILUC) issue, you should plan to attend the National Corn Growers Association’s Corn Ethanol Land Use Conference in St. Louis on August 25-26.

    Registrants can participate in a myriad of topical sessions including land use change, nitrous oxide, new technologies and their effect on greenhouse gas emissions, domestic and international yields, satellite data and land conversion greenhouse gas emission factors, defining renewable biomass, and distillers grains.

    “This conference provides a unique opportunity to get the latest information on land use from some of the most prominent experts in industry and academia. We are fortunate to have speakers representing each of the various models used in developing the rules implementing the new Renewable Fuel Standard,” said Jamey Cline, NCGA Director of Biofuel Programs.

    Presenters already scheduled for the conference include Dr. Bruce Dale of Michigan State University, Dr. Wally Tyner of Purdue University, Dr. Pat Westhoff of the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute and Dr. Michael Wang of Argonne National Laboratory.

    Cost for the conference is $250, and includes refreshments, a cocktail reception and lunch. The meeting will take place at the Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel. Registration information is available on-line.

    Corn, Ethanol, NCGA

    Arenus Acquires Equilite

    Cindy Zimmerman

    ArenusHolistic health for horses just got a little better.

    Horse and pet nutrition and health products company Arenus of St. Charles, MO recently acquired the intellectual property, technology and product lines of Equilite, Inc.

    EquiliteAccording to a press release, Equilite provides many all-natural herbal health products that are safe for horses, horse owners and the environment. Ingredients are human grade and made in the US without sugars, fillers or chemical additives.

    Arenus acquired Equilite’s three product lines: the Sore No-More® Liniment Product Line, Herbal Supplement line and Botanical Animal® Flower Essence line, totaling 39 individual products. Other Equilite products include bathing, fly control, general health, behavioral training, relaxation, liniment and legs, as well as natural pasture seed.

    ARENUS® is owned by Novus Nutrition Brands, LLC (a Novus International company) and is specifically dedicated to improving the health, performance, and longevity of all horses and dogs.

    Animal Health, Horses, Novus International

    NAFB Foundation Scholarships

    Chuck Zimmerman

    National Association of Farm BroadcastingSpeaking of NAFB . . . They have announced their 2009 Foundation Scholarship Recipients.

    The NAFB Foundation has awarded three scholarships to college students actively seeking a career in agricultural journalism and communications. The recipients will be formally recognized at the Foundation Luncheon on Wednesday, November 11 at the NAFB Annual Convention in Kansas City, Mo.

    Selected for the Glenn Kummerow Memorial Scholarship of $5,000 is DeAnna Schertz of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. DeAnna is a college senior, majoring in Agricultural Communications with a concentration in broadcast journalism and advertising.

    Iowa State University junior Chet Hollingshead, recipient of a $4,000 NAFB Foundation Scholarship, grew up on his family’s corn, soybean and pork production farm in Iowa. Chet is majoring in Agricultural Education with a communications option, and plans to become a farm broadcaster when he graduates.

    Mattie Nutley is the third NAFB Foundation Scholarship winner of 2009 and recipient of $4,000 toward her junior year at Oklahoma State University. Mattie grew up in rural Oklahoma, where her family has a ranch with Angus cattle and grows alfalfa.

    The NAFB Foundation also announced new directors including, Tami Craig Schilling, Monsanto, Don Borgman, John Deere, Eric Brown, Rural Radio Network/KRVN and Lyle Orwig, Charleston-Orwig.

    NAFB

    Get Connected With NAFB

    Chuck Zimmerman

    NAFB ConventionIt’s time to book your room and reservation for this year’s National Association of Farm Broadcasting convention. You can hear a message from Greg Akagi about the convention here (mp3).

    Registrations are filtering in and hotel rooms are booking up fast! Don’t miss out on the agri-media event of the year…”Connecting: 2010 and Beyond”…the 65th Annual Convention of NAFB. Be sure to block November 11-13 on your calendar.

    Follow these steps to make sure you are ready for Kansas City:

    Register here
    Book your hotel room
    Review the current agenda

    NAFB is not mailing this information via Postal mail, so it is important to access these online forms. If you have any questions, please contact the NAFB office at 816.431.4032.

    Don’t forget you can book your flight for a discounted fare through Midwest Airlines, using Promo Code CMZ1675.

    NAFB

    New Farm and Food Websites

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Best Food FactsHere are a couple of new online resources to get information about food and farming in the United States today. Both are backed by the Center For Food Integrity.

    Best Food Facts employs the Food Integrity Index.

    The Food Integrity Index is designed to provide balanced, objective information to help consumers make informed choices. We have partnered with leading universities to provide information on common questions or issues about the contemporary US food system. The Index provides a quick overview of the issue and the conclusions. A link is provided to the full research for more information.

    Farmers Feed UsThe other site is Farmers Feed Us.

    Across our great country, farmers and ranchers work each day to produce the food you and your family enjoy. To us, farming is much more than our chosen profession. It is a commitment to providing you with safe, nutritious and affordable food, caring for our animals and our land, and giving back to our communities.

    We invite you to explore this site and learn more about what we do each and every day. You can tour our farms, meet our families, and see for yourself how we grow the food that ends up on your family’s table.

    Here are the organizations supporting the CFI.

    The Center for Food Integrity is supported by more than 20 organizations representing each segment of the food chain, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, Dairy Management Inc., Elanco Animal Health, Fair Oaks Dairy Farm, Foster Farms, Indiana Farm Bureau, Indiana Packers Company, Indiana Soybean Alliance, Indiana State Department of Agriculture, International Association of Fairs and Expositions, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, Kentucky Soybean Promotion Board, Michigan State University, Missouri Department of Agriculture, Monsanto, National Pork Board, National Pork Producers Council, Novus International, Ohio Farm Bureau, Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin, Purdue University, United Egg Producers, and United Soybean Board.

    Ag Groups, Farming, Food, Internet

    Gibbs & Soell Take Pulse of Ag Comm on Social Media

    Chuck Zimmerman

    ZimmCast 228 - Gibbs & Soell Pulse CheckDuring the recent Ag Media Summit my friends at Gibbs & Soell conducted an “Ag Industry Pulse Check: Use of Digital and Social Media.” It’s a survey of attendees to gauge their feedback on the subject. To learn about the results I spoke with Gardner Hatch, who you can contact to get the full story.

    Gibbs & Soell Pulse CheckIt was very interesting to note that although over 94% expressed high levels of confidence with proposing the use of digital and social media, a high number (39.7%) said their top challenge was “unclear ROI to justify efforts.” So although they like and are comfortable with new media options they aren’t clear how to justify them. I think it’s interesting since these social media mechanisms are so “measurable.” However, there seems to me to be a lingering fear and or distrust of using measurements that don’t include all of a person’s demographic data. As if somehow, the visitors to a blog on agriculture aren’t farmers. Of course, some may not be but on the other hand why would you not think that visitors to a topical blog are involved or at least very interested in the subject?

    Gibbs & Soell also had a drawing at the Ag Media Summit for a new iPod touch. The winner is Bob Callanan, American Soybean Association.

    So, listen to my conversation with Gardner as he reviews the results of the survey and we discuss what they mean.

    The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired. Subscribe so you can listen when and where you want. Just go to our Subscribe page.

    Agencies, Audio, ZimmCast