Beef Board Approves Recommended Changes To Checkoff

Chuck Zimmerman

CBB Update SessionThe CBB Update Session was pretty interesting yesterday. The Beef Board voted to pass recommendations to change the Beef Checkoff and the discussion was fairly emotional and heated at times.

Basically, the Board is recommending to increase the Checkoff to $2 along with changing a number of other elements of the rule like allowing more involvement from producer groups that weren’t eligible under the original rule.

This morning I spoke with Chairman Dave Bateman who explains the process and what will happen at this point. The Board has done its duty and now has to depend on the Secretary of Agriculture and the industry to move the process for change forward.

You can listen to my interview with Dave here: cic-09-bateman-2.mp3

There are a lot of photos in the convention photo album. Check to see who you know: Cattle Industry Convention Photo Album

Audio, Beef, Cattle Industry Conference

New in the Novus Line-Up

Cindy Zimmerman

International Poultry Expo 09A new line of products going to bat from Novus International for the poultry industry is CIBENZA feed additives and other Novus enzyme and probiotic products. The coach for this special team is product manager Dr. Nasser Odetallah.

cibenzaNasser comes from Amman, Jordan, where he earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from University of Jordan specializing in enzymes. He also owned and operated a broiler production farm and held positions in academia, research and product development. Novus put him in charge of the CIBENZA line of products just this past November.

The enzyme products offer a number of benefits for the poultry producer, as well as the environment and Nasser explains it all in this interview. ipe-09-nassar.mp3

You can also download the interview here: Nasser Interview (mp3).

International Poultry Expo Photo Album

AgWired coverage of International Poultry Expo is sponsored by:
Novus

See all posts from Poultry Expo by following this link.

Audio, Novus International, Poultry, Poultry Expo

NAFB’ers at Cattle Industy Convention

Chuck Zimmerman

NAFB MembersSpeaking of NAFB, it’s always been kind of a tradition to have the members get together for a photo. We did that last night at the media reception. Of course not everyone attending was there at the time. But it’s still a group.

Thanks to Colleen Church-McDowall for taking the picture of us.

There are a lot of photos in the convention photo album. Check to see who you know:Cattle Industry Convention Photo Album

Cattle Industry Conference, NAFB

Greg Akagi Is Part of the Team

Chuck Zimmerman

Greg AkagiAt this morning’s Producer Huddle, formerly known as general session 2, the President-Elect of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting, Greg Akagi, was on stage.

The session was a sports team theme so Greg’s comments followed that line. When he was finished he got everyone to “break the huddle” by yelling “team.”

You can listen to Greg here: cic-09-akagi.mp3

There are a lot of photos in the convention photo album. Check to see who you know:Cattle Industry Convention Photo Album

Audio, Cattle Industry Conference, Media, NAFB

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Meister Media Worldwide has announced the launch of GrowingProduce.com, a hub-site designed to serve as the news and market information source for the U.S. specialty agriculture markets.
  • Fellow board members elected Marshall Ernst, Windsor, Colo., as the new Certified Hereford Beef LLC president.
  • Lange-Stegmann has agreed to sell its bagged, blended NPK fertilizer business to T&N, Inc. of Foristell, Mo.
  • Dairy industry leaders from around the country will converge on the Omni Interlocken Resort Hotel in Broomfield, Colo., from April 19-21 for the 2009 National Dairy Leaders Conference. Register online here.
    Zimfo Bytes

    Forrest Roberts The New CEO of NCBA

    Chuck Zimmerman

    ZimmCast-205 - New NCBA CEOThe ZimmCast was done this morning in the NCBA media room and contains my first interview with Forrest Roberts in his new role as the CEO of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. AgWired would like to congratulate him. He’s sure got some big shoes to fill coming in after Terry Stokes!

    Forrest Roberts Interviewed by I was just one of many who interviewed Forrest today. He’s pictured here being interviewed by Mike LaPorte, KRVN.

    Forrest grew up in Texas on a diversified family livestock farm that got involved in a retail venture marketing directly to the consumer. He says that has provided him with a good perspective on not only production agriculture but also consumer marketing. He says he’s always had a passion for this industry and his predecessor, Terry Stokes, was a mentor to him. He says that NCBA has a lot of challenges ahead and I love his analogy of “drinking from the firehose” right now as he tries to absorb all he has to know to do his job.

    So, I hope it’s appropriate to say, “Run Forrest, Run.”

    You can download and listen to the ZimmCast here: Listen To ZimmCastZimmCast 205 (7 min MP3)

    Or listen to this week’s ZimmCast right now:Interview with Forrest Roberts - ZimmCast 205

    I also recorded his press conference this morning which you can listen to here: cic-09-roberts-press.mp3

    Or you can download it here: Forrest Roberts Press Conference (MP3)

    The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired which you can subscribe to using the link in our sidebar. You can also subscribe in iTunes

    Ag Groups, Audio, Cattle Industry Conference, ZimmCast

    Evan Slack’s 50th Consecutive Cattle Industry Convention

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Evan SlackAt this evening’s media reception my good buddy Evan Slack, Evan Slack Network, was honored when NCBA President, Andy Groseta, called him up to the podium to congratulate him on 50 consecutive years of covering the Cattle Industry Convention.

    Evan says he’s seen a lot of changes in that time. I’m sure he has. Evan has always been a big supporter of the cattle industry and it was a very nice of NCBA to recognize him in front of his peers this evening.

    Remember that you can find full size versions of all our event photos online:Cattle Industry Convention Photo Album

    Cattle Industry Conference, Media

    All Star Prize Package

    Cindy Zimmerman

    International Poultry Expo 09Novus International has been gathering entries for an “all-star” prize package ever since their first event at the International Poultry Expo way back on Tuesday at lunch. That’s when I took this photo of Novus team members Tricia Beal and Lorraine Magney collecting the entry forms.

    International Poultry Expo 09The package itself has all kinds of fun goodies in it – including an autographed Lou Brock baseball jersey – all wrapped up in a baseball barbeque grill that is just too perfect for tailgating.

    At some point – either here or later – the winner of the prize package will be randomly drawn from probably thousands of entries at this point and notified. I assume they will ship the prize to the lucky winner – they don’t have to be present to win!

    International Poultry Expo Photo Album

    AgWired coverage of International Poultry Expo is sponsored by:
    Novus

    See all the posts from the International Poultry Expo using this link.

    Novus International, Poultry Expo

    Columbian Poultry Success Story

    Cindy Zimmerman

    International Poultry Expo 09As the name implies, the International Poultry Expo is a global event that attracts poultry industry professionals from around the world.

    I had the pleasure of meeting Jorge Bedoya, president of the Columbian Poultry Industry Association, at the U.S. Soybean Export Council booth and got to talk with him about how soybean producers in this country have helped grow the poultry industry in Columbia.

    Jorge says their relationship with the U.S. soybean industry started ten years ago and the numbers speak for themselves. “In the last decade, the poultry industry in Columbia more than doubled,” he told me. “The per capita consumption levels of poultry protein have skyrocketed. It’s a strategic partnership that we developed through the years and we hope we can strengthen in the coming decade.”

    The poultry industry is one of the largest employers in the rural areas of Columbia and it is one of the fastest growing industries in that nation. “Basically, it puts on the table of consumers two of the most important proteins for Columbian citizens,” Jorge says.

    Listen to my interview with Jorge here:
    usb-columbia.mp3

    You can also download the interview here: Jorge Interview (mp3).

    International Poultry Expo Photo Album

    AgWired coverage of International Poultry Expo is sponsored by:
    Novus

    See all the posts from the International Poultry Expo using this link.

    Audio, Novus International, Poultry, Poultry Expo, Soybean, USB

    Beef Ambassadors Ready To Rock

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Beef AmbassadorsOnce again I’ve had the opportunity to meet our latest Beef Ambassador team. This is a picture of them with Carol Abrahamzon, Project Manager for ANCW at the opening general session. Due to budget constraints they had to go home early today but at least they got to spend some time here at the national convention with members of the industry.

    This morning they had a blogging lesson and I’m looking forward to seeing what they come up with. AgWired has offered to sponsor the Beef Ambassador’s blogs. We’ll see how that goes.

    In the interview you’ll meet all of them and learn why they decided to become Ambassadors and what they’ll be doing in the coming year.

    You can listen to my interview with them here: cic-09-ambassadors.mp3

    I’ve updated the photo album and there’s a lot in there to see so feel free to browse:Cattle Industry Convention Photo Album

    Ag Groups, Audio, Beef, Cattle Industry Conference