AgNite Blog Goes Live

Chuck Zimmerman

Ag NiteBesides finding coverage of AgNite, “A Celebration of America’s Food and Agriculture Industry,” here on AgWired you’ll also find lots of content being posted onto the AgNite Blog.

This is why Cindy decided to come with me. We’re expecting an intensive evening of activity and we’re going to be cross-posting on multiple blog sites.

We’re going to be looking for interviews with organizers, sponsors and attendees. The whole idea is to help educate people about agriculture in our country and the RNC has provided a perfect opportunity for the Minnesota Agri-Growth Council and all the supporting organizations to accomplish that. We’re going to work hard to do our best to help.

We’ll be working out of a media room in The Depot, the event location, and if things go well, you may see us crank up AgWired Live TV too. So please check in with us often this evening. The event officially starts at 8pm, but I know we’ll have content started before then.

AgWired coverage of AgNite is sponsored by: and

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Second Harvest Heartland Feeding America

Chuck Zimmerman

Second Harvest HeartlandHello from Minneapolis, MN, the site of this evening’s, AgNite celebration. That event kicks off at 8pm but Cindy and I will be busy before then.

This morning we’ll be attending a food box packing event at Second Harvest Heartland. This is the regional organization that’s part of the Feeding America network. Feeding America is the new name for what we’ve known as Second Harvest. This promises to be a very visual event so you will see pictures and probably some video as well as interviews. We think there will be some special guests but in this fluid political convention climate, who knows.

Second Harvest Heartland is the Upper Midwest’s largest hunger-relief organization with a recently updated mission to end hunger through community partnerships. Second Harvest Heartland forms the cornerstone of organizations working together to alleviate hunger in our 59 county service area. This year, SHH will deliver more than 34 million pounds of food to our 1,000+ non-profit member agencies and programs, including food shelves, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, senior community centers and children’s after school programs.

One of the main priorities of the day is to solicit support for relief efforts for Hurricane Gustav victims. The hurricane may not have been as damaging as Katrina but a lot of people are displaced and I’m sure they will be needing help. I’ll be posting more about how to get involved later after I learn more.

I’d like to thank AgStar Financial Services for their support of our interactive media coverage of AgNite.

AgWired coverage of AgNite is sponsored by: and

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More Monsanto Sustainability

Laura McNamara

The potential for increasing yields exists everywhere if you ask Michael Doane. Michael is the Sustainability Team Lead for Monsanto. He spoke at the Monsanto discussion on sustainability on the 2008 Farm Progress Show last week. After his speech, I caught up with him and we spoke more about how he thinks the world will answer the global food demands of the future.

While Michael says a big portion of global food needs will be met in developing countries that have a huge potential for improving crop yields, he says there is still a lot of opportunity for increasing yields in the already yield-efficient U.S. Modern technology such as biotech, Michael says, means farmers in the U.S. still have a landscape that’s wide open with opportunity.

“If you just look at some of the yields that have been achieved in some very optimized conditions, it suggests that we’ve got a long ways to go before we’ve tapped yield potential [in the U.S.],” Michael said.Read More

Ag Groups, Agribusiness, Audio, Biotech, Education, Environment, Farm Progress Show, Farm Shows, Farming, Technology

Biotechnology Feeds Sustainability, Feeds the World

Laura McNamara

Thirty-three percent of the land’s surface is used for food production. That’s the figure that John Hoffman, Iowa farmer and President of the American Soybean Association puts out there. He says that 33 percent makes up 55 percent of the land that’s arable. So, we’re already using more than half the arable land out there to feed the world. Much of the rest, John points out, is mountainous, desert or protected forests and parks. In short, John is basically saying, ‘what we’re already using, is all we’ve got.’ Plus, he adds, we have to produce more… ‘with what we’ve got.’

“We’ve got to grow to feed double the amount of people on the same amount of arable land.,” John said. “We don’t want to encroach on fragile rainforests as Michael said or encroach on grasslands. So we need to find a way to do that. I think from my experience, my travels, my knowledge on my own farm, that the way we’re going to do that is unequivocally with biotechnology.”

Biotechnology, Hoffman says, is the answer for feeding the future and protecting our environment.

“We’ve got to feed that growing world,” John said. “We’ve got to step up to the plate and provide fuel, food, fiber, feed and I think American agriculture world agriculture will be able to do that and its through biotechnology.”Read More

Ag Groups, Agribusiness, Audio, Biotech, Environment, Farm Progress Show, Farm Shows, Farming, Technology

Farmers get FIT with Mapping

Laura McNamara

Pioneer is offering a new, free service that it says can give farmers more: more information and more uses for that information. Pioneer Hi-Bred’s FIT mapping combines GPS data with a free mapping service offering farmers detailed information about their crops, where they’re growing their crops and whether they’re growing them in way that maximizes their resources. Did I mention it’s free?

I caught up with Lisa Baumhover at the 2008 Farm Progress Show and we talked about just what FIT mapping does offer farmers and how easy it is to use. You can listen to my interview with Lisa here: fp-08-baumhover.mp3

You can also download the audio file with this link.

Check out our Farm Progress Show 2008 Photo Album.

AgWired coverage of the 2008 Farm Progress Show
is sponsored by: BASF and New Holland

Audio, BASF, Farm Progress Show, New Holland, Pioneer

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Anyone who’s been disappointed in frozen hamburger patties is in for a great-tasting treat with the new frozen burger patties from Nolan Ryan’s Guaranteed Tender Beef. Made from 100 percent all-natural beef and available in three different varieties, they will be located in the frozen foods sections. The new introductions include: Nolan Ryan’s Guaranteed Tender Ready-to-Cook Chuck Patty, Nolan Ryan’s Guaranteed Tender Fully Cooked Chuck Patty and Nolan Ryan’s Guaranteed Tender Fully Cooked Mini Beef Chuck Sliders.
  • CHS Crop Nutrients announces the retirement of Burnie Baker and the promotion of Jim Carlson and Tom Mulrooney, all based at the Inver Grove Heights office. In his new role, Carlson will be responsible for potash product management; he was previously anhydrous ammonia product supply manager. Mulrooney is promoted from assistant product manager to product manager, phosphates. Both Carlson and Mulrooney began their new responsibilities Sept. 1, following Baker’s retirement.
  • The United States Potato Board (USPB) is pleased to announce the promotion of Carroll Graham to the position of USPB director of retail programs effective July 23, 2008. For the past seven years, Graham has served as the USPB retail marketing and sales manager.
  • Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. announces the formation of a new Farm Services Division that consolidates the oversight of several member services, including risk management, health insurance, financial services and bulk buying programs. The Farm Services Division will be led by Greg Wickham, who will serve as president of the division.
    Zimfo Bytes

    “Influential” O&B CFO

    Melissa Sandfort

    Rhonda Ries Aguilar, Osborn & Barr’s chief financial officer (CFO), has been named one of St. Louis’ Most Influential Business Women of 2008 by the St. Louis Business Journal.

    Ries Aguilar has served as O&B’s CFO since 2003. She has been with the agency for 16 of its 20 years. Recognized throughout St. Louis and the industry, Ries Aguilar’s professionalism provides O&B’s clients with dependable service and security, and has made her a trusted and valuable part of the agency.

    In her time with O&B, Ries Aguilar has helped strengthen the agency’s support system, expanding the company’s IT, human resources and financial services departments. She negotiates and administers more than 30 contracts annually, and most recently, Ries Aguilar led O&B’s search and negotiation for a new corporate headquarters in downtown St. Louis.

    Ries Aguilar serves on the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA) Finance Committee, is a member of the St. Louis AdClub Board and serves on the Advantage Software Board, as Agency Leader SIG, a leading agency management system.

    Agencies

    Soybean Board Elects Members

    Melissa Sandfort

    Secretary of agriculture Ed Schafer recently announced 19 appointments to the United Soybean Board (USB). Twelve of these directors are returning to serve an additional term, with seven new members coming on board. Each of these appointees represents soybean farmers from their state or region.

    Returning members will use their experience and knowledge of the checkoff to better position the industry for success while new members will bring forward fresh ideas to achieve maximum value for each soybean farmer’s checkoff dollar. The board members will work to better the soy industry from the ground up by using checkoff funding to research better seed varieties and production processes along with finding new markets and uses for their product.

    The 12 returning board members are James D. Wilson, Alabama; H. Todd Allen, Arkansas; James L. Stillman, Iowa; Roy P. Bardole, Iowa; John W. Wray, Kansas; George H. Martin, Kentucky; Eugene L. Lowe, III, Maryland; R. Alan Moore, Michigan; Jason S. Bean, Missouri; Cecil B. Eaddy, South Carolina; Gerald G. Caldwell, Tennessee; and Thomas Rotello, Sr., Texas.

    New board members include Dwain L. Ford, Illinois; Michael A. Beard, Indiana; Scott G. Singlestad, Minnesota; James D. Sneed, Mississippi; Mike G. Korth, Nebraska; Daniel J. Corcoran, Ohio; and Robert J. Metz, South Dakota. Two alternates were also appointed and they are Michael A. Dee, Alabama, and Henry V. Elliott, Jr., South Carolina.

    The appointees will begin their three-year terms in December.

    Ag Groups, Soybean, USB

    The Blue Ribbon Cookbook Blog

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Liz HarfullSome people are just meant to be bloggers and Liz Harfull is one of them. She’s the author of the IFAJ e-newsletter and an agricultural journalist down under. I just got this message from Liz so I thought I’d point you to her new blog, The Blue Ribbon Cookbook.

    By the way, I have just set up my first blog – well its sort of a cross between and a blog and a website for my first book which unfortunately is due to be launched when I should be getting on a plane for Austria, so I wont be there. Am really getting in to the blogging thing. Can see it could become obsessive if I let it, but have been to a few writers sessions where they warn you not to expend all your creative energies on blogging, instead of book writing so am trying to contain myself!

    You can order her book direct.

    Looks good Liz. I wouldn’t know anything about that “obsessive” thing. Sorry you won’t be in Austria/Slovenia. If anyone else in Australia can’t go to the IFAJ Congress or is just looking for a good program on September 11, then go see Liz speak at the Royal Adelaide Show Breakfast being put on by Rural Media.

    IFAJ, International

    The Truth About Labor Day Food Prices

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Labor Day Food Price TruthI’m not sure what Cindy and I will be eating today but we won’t be grilling. We’re going to be driving to Minneapolis for tomorrow’s AgNite, which will be covered right here.

    In the meantime, for those of you who are interested in your Labor Day meal, the folks at FoodPriceTruth.org have some interesting information about your cookout food prices (pdf). For example:

    Corn-on-the–Cob – Corn-on-the-cob is one of America’s favorite summertime treats, so it’s good news that sweet corn prices are falling. Since corn-on-the-cob goes pretty much from the farmer to the market, large food companies haven’t been able to mark-up their profits on corn-on-the-cob like they have for other products using sweet corn. So enjoy!

    Hamburgers – For those meat eaters, nothing smells better than a juicy hamburger cooking on the grill. Uncooked ground beef is up about 14 cents/pound from last year. Farmers are not making more money, but meat wholesalers like Cargill certainly are. In fact, Cargill’s profits are up 86% from this time last year because their “prices are setting new highs…”

    Source: Cargill and USDA
    Note: Q3 net earnings (14 April) was $1.03 billion, up 86% from $553 million in the same period a year ago

    Ag Groups, Food