Ethanol From Sorghum

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast-223 - Sorghum EthanolIn case you didn’t know it, ethanol can be made from sorghum and the United Sorghum Checkoff Program was on location at the Fuel Ethanol Workshop to promote that fact. I met with Tim Lust and Florentino Lopez, USCP, during the trade show yesterday to find out more about what they’re doing in the area of fuel ethanol. You can hear an interview with them in this week’s program using the player at the bottom of the post.

Tim Lust and Florentino LopezMany of you may know Tim as the CEO of the National Sorghum Producers. Florentino is new to USCP as the Marketing Manager. Tim says fuel ethanol represents a huge market for sorghum not only on the grain side but also cellulosic. Florentino says that as a newcomer to the staff, using sorghum for ethanol has been an eye opener. He does see it as a real growth area for the industry. His background is on the “animal” side where he also sees continuing opportunities.

This week’s program ends with some music from the Podsafe Music Network. It’s a song titled, “Fuel” by Pablo Perez. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.

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.

Ag Groups, Audio, Ethanol, sorghum, ZimmCast

Michael Peterson Celebrates 4th Celebrity Tractor Race

Cindy Zimmerman

Darby Ledbetter Michael Peterson Mike AdamsThe 4th annual New Holland/Michael Peterson Celebrity Tractor Race was another rousing success at the CMA Music Festival. Not only is it a great promotion for New Holland and a fun way for fans to see some of their favorite stars in the tractor seat, it also raises money for the National FFA.

“The tractor is going to be sold at auction this year, as it has been for the last four years, at the National FFA Convention,” Michael said. “Fifty percent of the proceeds go to the charity of the driver’s choice and the other 50 percent goes to support FFA programs.”

Michael is pictured here with this year’s winner for the second year in a row, Darby Ledbetter, who is not only a great tractor driver, but also a singer/songwriter and proud member of the National Guard! Michael is on the right, by the way, Darby on the left – and that guy in the middle is the famous host of AgriTalk, Mike Adams, who was the announcer for the race once again this year.

2009 CMA Music Festival Photo Album

Listen to or download my interview with Michael here:

Audio, New Holland, Tractor

Rocking and Rolling With New Holland/Michael Peterson

Chuck Zimmerman

Chuck Leavell and Joe JobeHere are two biofuels promoters. Chuck Leavell, Rolling Stones (left) and Joe Jobe, CEO of the National Biodiesel Board. They were race contestants in the New Holland/Michael Peterson Celebrity Tractor Race.

I caught both of them in the tent for a short interview. It was very noisy. They were having a lot of fun. Of course when I interviewed them Chuck had just completed his race. Joe says we had biodiesel in the tank of the New Holland Boomer that was being used for the race. He says, “Hats off to New Holland, Michael Peterson and Chuck Leavell.” Chuck not only supports biodiesel but ethanol as well since he’s a tree farmer and very interested in cellulosic ethanol production.

Here’s Joe doing his competition run:

2009 CMA Music Festival Photo Album

You can listen to my interview with Chuck and Joe here:

Audio, Biodiesel, New Holland, Video

World Pork Expo Wrap Up

Cindy Zimmerman

Despite the challenges facing the hog industry, there were still thousands of producers who attended World Pork Expo earlier this month in Des Moines. Officials estimate attendance was about 14,625, down from 2008, but it was expected due to the impact of the H1N1 virus on international travel.

WendellEven though there were less international visitors at Expo this year, the number of exhibitors was about the same as last year and they were pleased that to find that those pork producers they visited with were interested in products that would help them increase profitability in tough economic times. I talked with Novus International Director of Product Management Wendell Knehans about some of their products, such as dietary anti-oxidants, that help produce healthier animals.

“Take it from a human perspective,” Wendell said. “Most of us know that anti-oxidants like blueberries and green tea are a good way to maintain good health and that applies to animals as well.”

Since it isn’t very practical to feed pigs blueberries and green tea, Wendell says Novus has developed products that offer a combination of anti-oxidants that provide important benefits for producers.

Listen to an interview with Wendell here:

Audio, Novus International, Pork, Swine, World Pork Expo

Ethanol Champion Bob Dinneen

Chuck Zimmerman

Bob DinneenHe preached a powerful sermon this morning. He’s the Reverend of Renewable Fuels. He’s Bob Dinneen, CEO, RFA. Bob was on our program at the opening general session of the Fuel Ethanol Workshop. This is the 25th FEW and Bob has attended 21 of them now!

As always, Bob provided a very positive outlook by starting out looking at the industry’s accomplishments in the last year.

“Look at last year – in the face of a deepening economic downturn, negative 3% growth and rising unemployment, the U.S. ethanol industry grew by 34%, 0pening 31 new plants and adding an additional 240,000 new jobs!

We produced more ethanol last year than ever before, some 9 billion gallons, and we added new markets in the southeast and northwest where the RFA had worked with the oil industry and state governments to tear down regulatory barriers to blending.

As our industry grows, we are transforming our nation’s motor fuel market, and we are transforming the rural landscape of America.”

Bob touches on carbon, critics, food vs. fuel, land use, market expansion and cellulosic. He concluded by saying:

“We may have troubles, but we in the ethanol industry have a great story to tell, a compelling case to make, new opportunities to seize, and new markets to win over.

Don’t let anybody tell you that the ethanol industry is somehow responsible for despoiling rainforests and increasing carbon. We are the only way gasoline refiners can lower the carbon footprint of their product today.

Don’t let anyone tell you ethanol is a government boondoggle, we are creating new hope, new markets for farm products, new jobs for willing workers and new opportunities for entrepreneurship in communities where people need new pathways to a better life.

Don’t let anybody tell you that the world must choose between food and fuel. Our industry is helping humanity to achieve its historic dream of an affordable, and sustainable, abundance of all the necessities of life.

And don’t let anybody tell you that cellulosic ethanol is somebody’s pipe dream. It is as real as the people in this room.

If we stick together, do our work well, and stay focused on the future, our potential is unlimited – in the near-term, the long-term, and as far as our eyes can see and our minds can imagine.

Thank you all for listening, and for the honor of being one of you.

2009 Fuel Ethanol Workshop Photo Album

You can listen to Bob’s speech below:

Audio, Ethanol

Novus Joins Sustainable Ag Platform

Cindy Zimmerman

SAINovus International is one of three companies that have just been accepted as members of the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative platform. The others are General Mills and Cayuga Marketing.

NovusSAI Platform is an organization created by the food industry to communicate worldwide, and to actively support the development of, sustainable agriculture involving the different stakeholders of the food chain. According to SAI, the three new members will be actively participating in SAI Platform’s activities, and in particular its working groups on arable crops, coffee, dairy, fruit, water and agriculture.

Novus International, Sustainability

Ken Colombini New Director of Communications for NCGA

Chuck Zimmerman

Ken ColombiniHe’s become a master Twitterist and blogger. He’s Ken Colombini, the new Director of Communications for the National Corn Growers Association. Please join us in welcoming Ken to his new position.

“Ken has been a valuable member of the award-winning NCGA Communications team during the past two years,” said NCGA Vice President for Marketing Fred Stemme. “He has a great grasp of the issues and I’m pleased that he accepted this new opportunity and challenge.”

Before joining NCGA in October 2007, Colombini held several communications positions at Anheuser-Busch, serving finally as director of governmental and environmental communications. He started his career as a newspaper reporter, editor and columnist in California, where he also worked as a speechwriter to the governor and as chief spokesperson for California State Parks.

Reporting to Colombini in this role are Mark Lambert, senior communications manager; Christina Koboldt, marketing manager, who oversees communications regarding events and other programs; Janice Tolley, communications manager in the NCGA Washington office; Jennifer Hausman, online marketing manager and webmaster; Beth Musgrove, graphics and presentation designer; and Mary Quigley, administrative assistant.

Ag Groups, Corn, NCGA

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • AFBF sent comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on the development of a national broadband plan by the FCC. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 passed by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama earlier this year requires the FCC to develop a comprehensive broadband plan by Feb. 17, 2010.
  • Dairy producers, through their checkoff investment, have launched a consumer awareness initiative to educate consumers about the nutritional and economic value of dairy products, as well as the contributions that America’s dairy producers make to their community, economy and the environment.
  • BASF has provided online technical bulletins due to excessive rainfall and delayed planting increasing stress and disease potential in corn and soybeans.
    Headline corn in wet weather
    Headline soybeans in wet weather
    Corn solutions guide
    Soybean solutions guide
    Zimfo Bytes

    Talking Ethanol This Week

    Chuck Zimmerman

    FEW 2009From Farm Bureau to fuel, I’ve transitioned over to my next event on the agriblogging highway.

    The 25th Annual Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo is underway in Denver, CO and I’m on location for the next couple days to bring you news, interviews and photos, most of which will be posting onto our Domestic Fuel website. I attended the opening reception this evening and met with many industry friends in a great social setting in the trade show. I saw Mike Bryan, CEO, BBI International, as I was leaving the reception and he seemed very pleased with the start of this year’s event. BBI is the organization that puts on this event each year.

    Special thanks go to the Renewable Fuels Association for making our coverage of this event possible. RFA has been a long standing client of ZimmComm New Media and we really enjoy working with them.

    Things will get kicked off tomorrow morning with the opening general session and I’ll be there. So expect to see information being posted throughout the day.

    Celebrating a quarter century of excellence, the 25th annual FEW will offer cutting-edge content, unparalleled business development opportunities, and a lively tribute to industry progress. From its inception in 1985, this globally recognized event has helped facilitate the ethanol industry’s evolution by providing world-class programming that includes spot-on technical workshops and invaluable networking forums alongside the largest, most widely attended expo in the business.

    Ethanol

    Car of the Heartland To Promote The American Farmer

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Car of the HeartlandThis afternoon I saw the unveiling of the Car of the Heartland, the official Car of the American Farmer. This is a concept car developed by Furniture Row Racing. They’re looking for industry partners to help them make the car a reality on the NASCAR tracks in 2010, starting with the Daytona 500.

    The unveiling was done to the participants in the American Farm Bureau Federation Public Relations Conference. Prior to seeing the new car we received a very in-depth tour of the Furniture Row Racing garage. Furniture Row races the #78 car in NASCAR. It was very interesting to see cars in various stages of development and speak with the engineers who work on them.

    One of the key developers of the Car of the Heartland concept is Pat Driscoll, Corporate Relations, Furniture Row Racing. Pat is a former farm broadcaster friend from way back and it was great to see him again. I spoke with Pat about this new project after the cloth was pulled off the new car. He says the car is really a new model for NASCAR. For one thing the car will not sport a multitude of corporate logos. It will solely promote the American farmer with the intent of displaying different visuals of the agriculture that’s local to the area in which a race track is located. The goal is to help the American consumer better understand where their food comes from. Pat says they’re currently communicating with 31 different organizations about partnering with them on the project.

    I’ve created a photo album from the unveiling so you can see multiple views of the car: Car of the Heartland Photo Album

    You can listen to my interview with Pat here:

    AFBF, Audio