AgWired

This year IFAJ and AMS brought an all-day photography school to the conference. The photography school was taught by Michael Schwarz of the Blue Pixel Group. We started the day off at the historical Fort Worth Stockyards, where we were free to roam the grounds and take pictures that inspired us. Our assignment was to capture old time Texas and anything that would represent that. Participants shot photos of everything from long horns to cowboy hats. At 11:30 the daily cattle drive was taken through the main street of the Stockyard and was a great photo opportunity for us as well as something new to see.

After the cattle drive we headed back to the hotel for the critique session. Each participant picked out their favorite 5 pictures and as a group we reviewed all of them to share our thoughts. The best 50 were chosen and we made our own storytelling slide show of our days adventure. Apart from being a little hot the day was a fun filled learning experience.

You can check out my photos from the Stockyards on our photo album here:

IFAJ/AMS 2009 Photo Album

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We’re less than an hour away from the opening of the InfoExpo Grand Opening and Reception. I took at sneak peak at the booths, food and beverages and people are going to be treated to a great time.

There are a few companies adding the final touches…and a few companies already getting down to business!

See you there. IFAJ/AMS 2009 Photo Album.

AgWired coverage of IFAJ 2009 is sponsored by:
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There is a lot of discussion around the best way(s) to sequester carbon but the biggest discussion involves the issue of what is the best way to do this and what will be the long term effects. Several people took the stage during one of Sunday’s afternoon sessions called: Carbon Sequestration – The Path to the Promise.

Theodor Friedrich with the Crop and Grassland Service of the FAO, along with Nathan Rudgers, with 25×25 Carbon Work Group, shared the podium to discuss the ability of farmers to capture and store atmospheric carbon in their soils as a way to reduce carbon emissions. This practice to be both a boon to the air and the soil as this could provide a new financial stream for farmers.

Friedrich focused on the role of soil in carbon sequestration noting that when soils are put into production they lose CO2. However, he said, this also makes them a big carbon sink and warned that a key element to the success of this process would be agricultural management of the soils. In the end, he cautioned that in regards to climate change, “agriculture must be a part of the solution, not part of the problem.

From there Rudgers took the stage to focus on how forestry can play in important role in carbon offset programs (cap and trade). He noted that under the cap-and-trade, regulated entities must reduce emissions or purchase offsets to cover them. He commented that his organization is looking at woody biomass which, “can be a robust contributor to energy solutions.”

To see the full presentation, visit IFAJ’s website.

IFAJ/AMS 2009 Photo Album.

AgWired coverage of IFAJ 2009 is sponsored by:
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As I mentioned in the first part of my post, I had the opportunity to tour around Ft. Worth with journalists from around the world during the IFAJ conference. After leaving the Rocky Top Therapy Center we headed to the Texas Motor Speedway for a little fun on the track.

I’ve been to the speedway before and actually enjoyed watching the awe of our international friends more than anything. The speedway seats nearly 200,000 fans on a race weekend and is the host of two Nascar races and an IndyCar race. I could hardly believe this, but the speedway was completed in 1997 and in April ’97 had their first Nascar race. After the weekend was over, the owners made so much money they were able to pay off the speedway. Amazing!

After watching some participants of the Richard Petty Driving School (a program where people can pay to learn how to drive a one of the race cars that compete in the Nascar Sprint Cup Series) with much jealousy, we headed to Superior Livestock Auction located in the historical Ft. Worth Stockyards. From the information that I can gather, they actually auctioned off livestock and other animals in the stockyards until the mid to late 90s. Now, many livestock auctions are handled online and Superior Livestock Auction is the company that pioneered the online auction. You can also watch the actions live on RFD TV and they will also soon be broadcast on cable. Nothing like the ability to buy a lot of Angus without leaving your couch.

You can take a photo tour of my day by checking out our IFAJ/AMS 2009 Photo Album.

AgWired coverage of IFAJ 2009 is sponsored by:
and