Blogging From Gulf of Mexico

Chuck Zimmerman

Studio S.E.A.Hello from Studio S.E.A., Gary Cooper’s boat. We’re out in the Gulf of Mexico, right off Clearwater Beach right now.

Unfortunately, Gary and Robin couldn’t be here with me. We’ve got Captain Tom taking care of the boat though since this is one big one.

I think this is a nice way to spend a Friday before all the action of the AMS heats up tomorrow.

Studio S.E.A.A buddy of mine who I went to school with since grammar school through college and his wife joined me on the boat today.

It’s been years since I saw Gary and Fran. I’m hoping to jump in the water here shortly so I’m going to make this short.

Where would you rather stay if you had a free day?

Uncategorized

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Dow AgroSciences has launched a new Web site to promote its Ultimate Yield Tour at the 2008 Farm Progress Show. With weekly updates from the show site, podcasts and maps, www.UltimateYieldTour.com will offer up-to-date information to help growers get the most from the Dow AgroSciences exhibit at the Farm Progress Show, Aug. 26 to 28 in Boone, Iowa.
  • The Iowa Soybean Association broke ground on Monday, July 21, for a new office building that will serve as its headquarters. The site of the building is 1255 Southwest Prairie Trail Parkway, near the DMACC campus in Ankeny. Construction will begin this summer with plans for completion by fall of 2009.
  • Energy crop company Ceres, Inc. announced that seed industry veteran Michael Stephenson will lead its supply and delivery chain as Vice President of Operations. He will also oversee the company’s agronomy teams.
  • Mott Grain & Agronomy of Mott, North Dakota was named the national winner of the 2008 Environmental Respect Awards, announced Thursday on Capitol Hill. The company was one of five U.S. regional award winners in the running for the National award presented by Global Marketing Manager of DuPont Crop Protection Rik Miller, and K. Elliott Nowels of CropLife magazine.
    Zimfo Bytes

    Alliance for Abundant Food and Energy

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Alliance For Abundant Food and EnergyA new group with some significant resources has jumped head first into the food and fuel debate. Members include the Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) Company, DuPont, John Deere, Monsanto, and the Renewable Fuels Association.

    The Alliance for Abundant Food and Energy brings together a broad group of visionary companies and organizations committed to sustainably and responsibly improving diets and reducing dependence on fossil fuels through agricultural productivity worldwide.

    What We Stand For

    * We are optimistic about global agriculture and its ability to meet growing demand for food, feed, fuel and fiber.
    * We are confident in the ability of farmers in America and throughout the world to increase productivity to meet these vital needs in a sustainable manner.
    * We believe that both food and energy are fundamental human needs and we embrace actions and innovations that strengthen agriculture’s ability to produce both. We reject the falsity of “either/or” choices.
    * We recognize the vital role biofuels play as an important alternative to petroleum-based transportation fuels today.
    * We are committed to the sustainable, responsible development of biofuel in the U.S. and throughout the world, without prejudice to feedstock, manufacturing process or final product.
    * We encourage the acceptance of technologies as they become commercially viable and scalable, towards our goal of continually improving the environmental and economic benefit of biofuels.

    What We Do

    Through credible, fact- and science-based education, information and advocacy, we advance support for agricultural solutions today, while building understanding of agriculture’s ability to fulfill the promise of improved diets and better fuels into the future.

    The Alliance for Abundant Food and Energy brings together a broad group of visionary companies and organizations committed to sustainably and responsibly improving diets and reducing dependence on fossil fuels through agricultural productivity worldwide. More information can be found online, at www.foodandenergy.org.

    Agribusiness, Energy, Food

    Southeast New Media Training

    Chuck Zimmerman

    New Media Training at Southeast AgNetOn my Florida journey that winds up at the Ag Media Summit I made a stop in Ocala today at the headquarters of Southeast AgNet. We’ve been doing some new media training today on everything from audio production to posting on the website.

    Here’s Julie McPeake (L) and Nicholle Saylor hard at work on their new computers. Julie is new to the team, coming from Georgia Beef Board. In a few weeks you’ll see her out and about in the southeast putting her new skills to work.

    I’m not sure I mentioned it in my post from yesterday’s luncheon at the FFAA convention but Southeast AgNet was the sponsor.

    Media

    Dow AgroSciences Plot Blogging

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Kassie FertilizingWe’re seeing more and more ag companies utlizing new media tools in their communications efforts. Here’s one I just found out about. The picture is Kassie Billerbeck, an Iowa State Student, who has her own blog a new Dow AgroSciences website. She’s doing some fertilizing in her plot at the Farm Progress Show site.

    Dow AgroSciences has launched a new Web site to promote its Ultimate Yield Tour at the 2008 Farm Progress Show. With weekly updates from the show site, podcasts and maps, www.UltimateYieldTour.com will offer up-to-date information to help growers get the most from the Dow AgroSciences exhibit at the Farm Progress Show, Aug. 26 to 28 in Boone, Iowa.

    The Ultimate Yield Tour will highlight new products from Dow AgroSciences and Mycogen Seeds, including a new nitrogen stabilizer, eight-gene stacked corn, advanced crop protection products and innovations in herbicide tolerance traits. The tour will take place at the Dow AgroSciences exhibit, located on Central Avenue between First and Second Streets on the Farm Progress Show grounds.

    “We’ve doubled our exhibit space at the 2008 Farm Progress Show, making way for even more demonstration plots,” says Brent Stauffacher, Dow AgroSciences product manager. “We know that growers want to see results, so we are using this new Web site to promote our plot tour and encourage growers to experience our products and pipeline of new technologies firsthand.”

    “Kassie’s Plot Blog” is one of the unique features of the Web site designed to help build anticipation for the show. Kassie Billerbeck, an Iowa State University student and agronomy intern for Dow AgroSciences, will maintain a blog with weekly updates and photos of show site activity and crop status.AgroSciences, will maintain a blog with weekly updates and photos of show site activity and crop status.

    Agribusiness

    Corn Blog Wins Gold Award

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Corn CommentaryGotta admit to being pretty proud of this – the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and the Center for Association Leadership has awarded the National Corn Growers Association with a 2008 Gold Circle Award in the category of “Blogs – Association Annual Budget Greater than $2 Million” for Corn Commentary.

    ASAEJohn H. Graham IV, CAE, president and CEO of ASAE, said “These organizations show how successful communication vehicles help associations accomplish their strategic goals and mission. I applaud the skilled communication professionals who have mastered their tools and communications strategies to create these exemplary pieces.”

    It is interesting that this organization has categories in their communications awards for both blogs and podcasts – wonder how long they have been doing that?

    Corn Commentary is just about to celebrate its first anniversary. We built the site for them last summer and it kicked off August 2, 2007. In that time, there have been 413 posts done – by me and Chuck, as well as members of the NCGA staff, including Ken Colombini and Mimi Ricketts (now with Monsanto). We have also posted numerous audio interviews and videos on the blog.

    Congratulations to the NCGA for this prestigious award!

    Corn, NCGA

    Talking Web 2.0 With My Florida Peeps

    Chuck Zimmerman

    FFAAHello from the Florida Fertilizer & Agrichemical Association/Florida NAMA Chapter luncheon.

    Here with me is (L-R) Debbie Brummel, NAMA, Dave Herndon, Southeast AgNet and Mary Hartney, FFAA. They’re also on our lunch program. I’m using this post as a demonstration post done live for the group of almost 100.

    We’re talking Web 2.0 and all that it means, using words like Twitter, Tweet, Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr, YouTube, Blog, Podcast, and on and on and on. . .

    We’ve also got a drawing for some cool AgWired/ZimmComm swag.

    Post Update: Right before lunch I interviewed Mary Hartney about FFAA. The organization was started in 1932 and changed names in 1985, moving from a research focused group to one that’s more involved in public policy.

    Listen to my interview with Mary here: ffaa-08-hartney.mp3

    Ag Groups

    Farm Foundation Food Prices Report

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Farm Foundation 75th logoFarm Foundation is holding a forum at the National Press Club at this very moment to release a new study offering a comprehensive, objective assessment of the forces driving food prices.

    Farm Foundation president Neil Conklin says what the study shows is that today’s food price levels are the result of complex interactions among multiple factors. “However, one simple fact stands out – economic growth and rising human aspirations are putting greater pressure on the global resource base,” Conklin says. “The difficult challenge for public and private leaders is to identify policy choices that help the world deal with the very real problems created by today’s rising food prices without jeopardizing aspirations for the future.”

    Farm Foundation Food Price StudyThe study was written by three Purdue University economists. Lead author Wally Tyner says they basically identified three broad sets of forces driving food price increases – global changes in production and consumption of key commodities, the depreciation of the U.S. dollar, and growth in the production of biofuels.

    “We made no attempt to calculate what percentage of price changes are attributable to the many disparate causes and, in fact, think it is impossible to do so,” says Tyner. “But examining the interplay of the forces driving food prices gives a clearer picture of what has been happening.”

    Read the full report here. There are some very interesting findings here and worth a read. Farm Foundation hopes this will add some reason to the food versus fuel debate which is running high on emotion and low on facts.

    We did the interviews with Conklin and Tyner that are posted on the Foundation website. They are also posted below for your listening pleasure.

    Conklin interview (runs 4:30)
    conklin-interview-64.mp3

    Tyner interview (runs 9:00)
    tyner-interview-64.mp3

    Also, Farm Foundation will host a free webinar on the report, July 30 at 1 p.m. EDT. More information is available on the Farm Foundation web site.

    Farm Foundation, Farming, Food

    A Florida Sunrise

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Florida SunriseThis is one of the things I miss about Florida. There’s nothing like a sunrise over the ocean.

    My little Casio Exilim did a pretty good job this morning when I was out on the beach after a nice run. I decided to start my photo album for the Ag Media Summit early and include some scenes like this.

    So feel free to see what I see: Ag Media Summit Photo Album

    Ag Media Summit

    Zimfo Bytes

    Melissa Sandfort

      Zimfo Bytes

    • Gowan Company, LLC has reached an agreement with Dow AgroSciences LLC (www.dowagro.com) to acquire the rights to its global zoxamide fungicide business, marketed primarily under the brand names ZOXIUM™, GAVEL™, ELECTIS™, UNIKAT™ and HARPON™. Zoxamide is a highly active low-use fungicide used to control oomycete fungi infecting potatoes, vines and vegetables.
    • DuPont announced that it has received U.S. regulatory approval of its proprietary herbicide tolerance trait, the Optimum GAT trait in soybeans — bringing the company a step closer to further extending the performance advantage of its Pioneer brand soybean seed.
    • Through the collective efforts of IDairy, the USDA, state governments, and allied organizations, more than 70% of the United States’ 59,000 commercial dairy producers are estimated to have registered their premises as part of the National Animal Identification System. IDairy’s goal is to have 100% of the operations registered in order to enable animal health officials to quickly respond to an animal health emergency.
      Zimfo Bytes