Farm Foundation Sponsors Animal Welfare Forum

John Davis April 22, 2009

Make plans to attend the next Farm Foundation Forum Tuesday May 5th from 9 to 11 am at the National Press Club, 529 14th Street NW, Washington D.C. when the group takes a look at animal welfare as it relates to production agriculture:

Presenters will be:

* Paul Shapiro, Humane Society of the United States,
* Tim Amlaw, American Humane Association,
* Dr. Jim Reynolds, American Veterinary Medical Association and the University of California-Davis,
* Bob Krouse of Midwest Poultry Supply, and
* Dr. David Blanford, Penn State University.

If you’ve never been to a Farm Foundation event before, you’re in for quite a treat. One of the great things the group does is promote an honest, free discussion of the issues facing agriculture today. So, if you’re used to conferences where everyone agrees with everyone else and not much substantive discussion takes place, this will open your eyes to just how valuable good, lively… but civil… discussion of an issue from multiple points of view can be.

To reserve your spot, contact my friend Mary Thompson at mary@farmfoundation.org. They’ll even have a cup of coffee waiting for you.

Farm Foundation

Tour de Texas This Summer

Chuck Zimmerman April 21, 2009

Thank you to Greg Lamp for pointing out that you can attend post IFAJ/AMS tours this year even if you’re not a member of AAEA, LPC or IFAJ. So how about some NAFB’ers joining in the fun?

Looking for a whole new way of seeing the U.S.A. this summer? Look no further. The Ag Media Summit in conjunction with the International Federation of Ag Journalists is offering three post tours immediately after the Summit. What an opportunity to see more of Texas than just Fort Worth, and be able to get photos and stories along the way.

There’s no early sign-up discount for these tours so you can mull it over for awhile before you decide. Also, if you want to bring a friend or family member along, there are no restrictions. You don’t have to be an AAEA, LPC or IFAJ member to join this inquisitive group of Texas travelers.

For details on the three tours, log on to www.agmediasummit.com or www.ifaj2009.com. In the meantime, here’s a quick recap of the Texas tours planned for you this summer. Read More

ACN, Ag Media Summit, IFAJ, LPC

Greener-Schnitzels

Chuck Zimmerman April 21, 2009

“Man & Cow” Greener-Schnitzels – Episode #1 – Since the domestication of animals, man and cow have always enjoyed a special relationship. However, in this new era of increased environmental awareness, this special relationship has gotten a bit strained.

Put a man, a cow and some methane in a YouTube video and this is what you get:

Feel free to pass it forward.

Environment, Video

Getting to Know All Your Options

John Davis April 20, 2009

OK, you go to school, you get your degree and you’re locked into that career choice for the rest of your life, right? Well, today’s students don’t want to be locked into just one job. It’s not a matter of attention deficit. I think it has to do with their quest to keep learning. Well, during the recent Novus International Undergraduate Networking Day, the Missouri Colleges Fund scholars got the chance to see just what their options might be.

One such student was Alexis Westerhausen, a sophomore studying biological chemistry at Culver-Stockton College in Canton, Mo., who said she was impressed by how interested the companies’ were in the students, considering they were undergrads and many of them hadn’t even made definite career plans yet. And she said the tour gave her an education she didn’t get at school.

“Colleges don’t portray to us all the opportunities we have in the science field. So it’s kind of neat to see these local businesses that are interested in us.”

Westerhausen said she was also surprised how many other jobs you could move to within a company like Novus. As you might remember from earlier posts, many of the Novus staff either started out in a different part of the company or in a different career with another company altogether. That gave Westerhausen some solace that she doesn’t have to be locked into only one job her entire career.

“That does kind of comfort me, because, right now, I’m really interested in chemistry. But it’s nice to know that I’m not stuck there for the rest of my life.” She’s glad there are companies that are willing to help her expand into other areas… if that’s where her life carries her.

Listen to my whole conversation with Alexis here: Westerhausen.mp3

2009 Novus International Undergraduate Networking Day Photo Set

Novus International

John Deere Photo Library

Chuck Zimmerman April 20, 2009

Doing a story on farming or tractors? Need a good quality photo? John Deere has help in the mail.

I just got my John Deere Photo Library Volume Seven.

Here’s a new way to send out your photos. In the box was a folded up cut out tractor with tiny magnets holding different parts together. Inside was a John Deere USB memory stick containing the photos listed in the printed catalog. The memory stick contains programming to allow you to easily browse the photos by category in a browser too.

There are a lot of photos available including scenic shots in addition to pure product photos. Seems like a good way to provide journalist (yeah, that includes bloggers!) with complimentary content and in a useful format.

What do you think about this idea?

Agribusiness, John Deere, Public Relations

Podcasting Audience Grows

Chuck Zimmerman April 20, 2009

Edison Research and Arbitron have produced some very interesting new data (pdf) on media usage. Some tidbits that stood out for me include:

43% of Americans are aware of podcasts and 20% have listened to them
Internet access from any location is now approaching 9 in 10 Americans
Dial-up is down to less than 1 in 6 homes with internet access
Growth of iPod/portable MP3 players continues in 35-64 age demo
Digital radio audience continues to listen to AM/FM radio

Americans are increasingly enhancing their use of traditional media with new ways to control how, when and where they consume information and entertainment

Use of online radio, online video, podcasting, and iPod/MP3 players are on the rise

Consumers say flexibility, control and variety drive their use of online and portable media options

Podcasts

Wear Soy Panties on Earth Day

Chuck Zimmerman April 20, 2009

Although I can’t say Earth Day gets me very excited the idea that a lot of people may be wearing some soybean underpants, well, you decide. These are soy shorts made by Uranus which has the slogan, “Help save planet earth starting with Uranus.”

Soy fabric is luxuriously soft and comfortable, often likened to silk or cashmere. Many of the product testers compared wearing soyshorts to “being totally naked.” Besides being softer than cotton, soy fabric is more durable and long-lasting (and it keeps getting softer the more times you wash it). It dries quicker than cotton and is extremely easy to care for, being machine-washable and dryer-safe (use low heat to prevent shrinkage). It is warmer than wool, but absorbant and breathable, making it the ideal fabric for warm or cool weather.

To get a better feel for what it’s like to wear these they even have video:

Via Steve Fairchild.

Soybean, Video

Novus New at NAMA

Cindy Zimmerman April 20, 2009

The definition of the word “Novus” is new – and that describes Novus International‘s cutting edge approach to animal health as well as the company’s involvement with NAMA this year.

Novus was one of our two NAMA coverage sponsors this year and we were happy to see Stephanie Gable and Jeremy Lutgen when they stopped by our trade show booth. Stephanie is no stranger to NAMA, having served as 2007 national president. She joined the Novus team in September and was excited to tell us all about the company and what else they do. “Novus is new working with NAMA but they already have a great commitment level to other associations and activities,” Steph says. That includes a commitment to sustainability and supporting future leaders in the industry – which you can see by the posts John has done on the student undergraduate working day that Novus helped sponsor last week.

Listen to my interview with Stephanie here: nama09-stephanie.mp3

Novus has become a regular sponsor of event coverage here on AgWired, especially events that have an international flavor – like World Pork Expo and the International Poultry Expo. Jeremy says because they are a technology-based company they think we are a good fit for their promotional efforts. “It’s a good way to communicate around the world, because we are an international organization, so it’s a good way to get our message out and to support the industry at the same time,” Jeremy said.

He also told us about the upcoming ribbon-cutting of their new building in St. Louis, scheduled for early June.

Listen to Jeremy’s interview here: nama09-jeremy.mp3

NAMA Photo Album

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