Biotech Needed to Increase Biofuels

Chuck Zimmerman

David ZilbermanLike the first speaker on our program today here at the Transition To A Bio Economy conference, our second speaker, David Zilberman, University of California, Berkeley, says we need to increase agricultural productivity.

His talk was on the distributional effects of biofeuls and he had two conclusions. The first one is that biofuels make some people better off and some people worse off. Drivers are better off since they’re getting their fuel for about 15 cents less than if it didn’t have biofuels in it but consumers of food are worse off since the price of food is higher. He says that’s worse in developing countries where they’re seeing food prices 20 to 40 percent higher. This situation he says is causing political instability which will become an obstacle to the development of biofuels.

His second conclusion is that we have to increase productivity. He says that if we don’t we’re in real trouble. In order to increase agricultural productivity he says we must use biotechnology in all crops.

You can listen to my interview with David here: ff-bio-08-zilberman.mp3

You can also download the interview using this link (mp3).

I’m also uploading pictures to a photo album which you can feel free to use if you’d like: Transition To A Bio Economy Photo Album

Ag Groups, Audio, Energy, Farm Foundation, Food

Is There a Biofuel To Food Price Link?

Chuck Zimmerman

Michael WetzsteinThe first speaker here at the Transition To A Bio Economy conference is Michael Wetzstein, University of Georgia. His talk deals with two issues. One is on price volatility and the other is on food and fuel. He’s one of 22 speakers on the program and all the talks are dealing with the biofuels issue. I’ll do my best to interview them all. So here we go.

Michael says that gas price volatility can be avoided with fuel diversification by blending renewable fuels with fossil fuels. That’s what his research shows. He also suggests that we could relax gas taxes and reduce the tariff on the importation of Brazilian ethanol.

Another part of his research is on food and fuel and to answer the question of “Is there a direct link between the volatility of ethanol production and the volatility of corn prices. His research has found that there is a link but not a persistent or long lasting one. In fact, in the long run he says there is no direct link.

The bottom line he says is to produce more food. After talking to Iowa corn growers last weekend, I can say that American farmers are certainly doing their best.

You can listen to my interview with Michael here: ff-bio-08-wetzstein.mp3

You can also download the interview using this link (mp3).

I’m also uploading pictures to a photo album which you can feel free to use if you’d like: Transition To A Bio Economy Photo Album

Ag Groups, Audio, Corn, Ethanol, Farm Foundation, Food

Learning The Impact of a Biofuels Transition

Chuck Zimmerman

Farm Foundation ConferenceThe Farm Foundation conference, “Transition To A Bio Economy, Risk, Infrastructure and Industry Evolution” is underway here in Berkeley, CA. We’ll be hearing from a lot of people including quite a few presenting University research on the whole biofuels business.

This conference is part of a series of which this is part 3.

The Transition to a Bioeconomy series is designed to assess the impacts of the evolving bioeconomy on agriculture, the food system, and rural regions. The third conference in the series, to be Oct. 15-16 in St. Louis, will address environmental and economic development impacts. The first conference in the series examined the integration of agricultural and energy systems. The last conference in the series, slated for early 2009, will focus on the implications of a global bioeconomy.

Transition To A Bio Economy Photo Album

Ag Groups, Farm Foundation

Help Flooded Farmers in the Midwest

Laura McNamara

Willie Nelson is sending out pleas for help. He’s calling for donations to help family farmers that are being devastated by severe weather and flooding in the Midwest.

Severe weather in nine Midwestern states is devastating family farmers. Disastrous floods in Iowa and Wisconsin have hit farmers especially hard–more than 30 counties in Iowa alone have already been declared federal disaster areas. More areas are expected to be threatened by rising flood water in the next few weeks.

Farm Aid is working now with local farm groups, churches, and rural organizations to get emergency funds out quickly to flooded farmers. This week, we made our first grant of $10,000 to a local Iowa farm organization to provide emergency assistance to farmers in need right now.

Farm Aid has a long history of helping farm families survive disasters — but we need your donation to do it. Can you help by making a tax-deductible donation of $25, $100, $500, or $1,000?

When major disasters like this strike, desperate farmers and farm organizations call Farm Aid. With your help, Farm Aid can help by providing emergency funds for families to buy food and cover living expenses and by supporting emergency hotlines and organizations that provide legal, financial and emotional counseling to farm families in need.

Please make an emergency contribution to Farm Aid’s Family Farm Disaster Fund right now and we will rush your funds to the stricken area.

Stay Strong and Positive,

Willie Nelson

Ag Groups, Environment, Farming, Weather

Take a Seat at Farm Technology Days

Laura McNamara

Wisconsin’s largest outdoor farm show now has ample seating for attendees. As part of a lesson in mass production, Wrightstown High School Tech produced 50 park benches in one day. The benches will be used at the 2008 Wisconsin Farm Technology Days held July 15-17, 2008, at Country Aire Farms.

“These benches were hand made out of treated lumber – 2 x 6s and 5/4-inch deck boards,” explains Youth Committee Chair Marty Nackers. “The park benches will be used during Farm Technology Days for seating in the stage area of the Youth Tent.”

Each bench is for sale as a fund raiser for the Brown County show organizers. The cost is for $50 per bench and they must be picked up the last day of the show, Thursday, July 17, between 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Orders will be filled while supplies last and payment is due on or before July 10.

Those interested in ordering a park bench can download an order form from the 2008 Wisconsin Farm Technology Days web site. Click “Brown County,” then “Park Benches.”

Education, Farming

MobileDemand Outfits Dairy with Rugged Field PC

Laura McNamara

The technology behind farm machinery, such as tractors and sprayers, is continually becoming more streamlined with advances in computer and software innovation. So, why not livestock? MobileDemand is a rugged tablet PC manufacturer based out of Idaho and they’ve just put the power of the PC in the hands of the field staff at Wendell, Idaho’s Box Canyon Dairy.

MobileDemand says its partnership with ProfitSource enables dairy farms to bring both wireless computing and specialized DairyQuest software into the cattle pens, streamlining operations, saving time, and reducing error.

I spoke with MobileDemand CEO Matt Miller about how he found the agriculture industry to be optimal match for the rugged PC company. You can listen to my interview with Matt here.
06-08-miller-matt.mp3

MobileDemand also offers a video summary of its case study with Box Canyon Dairy. The video further illustrates how the tablet PC and DairyQuest Software have helped one dairy farm increase efficiency in both the breeding and health monitoring of its 8,000 cows. You can watch the video here:

Audio, Livestock, Technology, Video

Transition To A Cooler Climate

Chuck Zimmerman

Here’s the scene at the DoubleTree at Berkeley Marina where I’ll be posting from the Farm Foundation, Transition To A Bio Economy, conference.

Berkeley is very pretty at sunset, especially if you’re on the water. It’s a lot cooler too. Right now it’s 53 degrees. That’s a big difference from the 86 degrees in KC, MO when I took off earlier today.

We’re going to be discussing biofuels over the next couple days and I’ll be posting pictures and interviews. If you would like to download the audio to use on your website or in your broadcast then feel free.

Ag Groups, Farm Foundation

Osborn & Barr News

Chuck Zimmerman

Osborn & BarrThere have been some hirings and promotions at Osborn & Barr.

Sarah Yancey brings her award-winning skills to her new role as account executive on the United Soybean Board and QUALISOY accounts.

Rob Petrovich serves as a senior copywriter for accounts such as Michelin Ag Tires. Rob brings several years of experience to O&B having worked for agencies such as Adsavants, Momentum and Leo Burnett.

Kevin Massman joins O&B as account supervisor for the Hayward Pool Products and Goldline Controls accounts. His previous experience includes work for Ervin Marketing Creative Communications.

O&B promoted Jerris Breslin to the role broadcast business director. Jerris will manage the agency’s broadcast production for all of O&B’s clients.

Jenny Vatterott was promoted to broadcast business associate. In her new position, she oversees the broadcast business side of project production for all of the agency’s clients.

Promoted to senior graphics specialist, Steve Washburn will continue his work for O&B clients and take on more training and supervision responsibility.

Mandy Heth was named account executive for the QUALISOY, United Soybean Board and Ohio Soybean Council accounts.

Agencies

How an Iowa Corn Grower Feels – Optimistic

Chuck Zimmerman

Iowa Corn GrowersAt the Iowa Speedway yesterday, the Iowa Corn Growers Association held an outdoor press conference. They used it to help educate media about corn usage by placing banners on the side of a grain trailer showing the relative percentages of corn used for different purposes like livestock feed and ethanol.

I did a short interview with Gary Edwards, ICGA board member. Ken Root, WHO, also participated. Gary farms in Animosa, IA which is in one of the most flood impacted areas of the state. He says that although corn growth is behind schedule and there is a lot of land impacted, he expects that the state will still have a good crop. He wants people to keep in mind that last year they had a record corn crop and this year still has the potential to be one of the biggest. He says the water levels have gone down significantly already and he expects that a lot of those fields will dry out and be re-planted. He has no doubt that they’ll be able to provide all the corn needed for both food and fuel again this year.

I asked Gary if we were all going to starve by mid July and he laughed and said, “NO.” You’d think we were from some of the tv coverage I’ve seen.

You can listen to my interview with Gary here: iowa-08-edwards.mp3

Iowa Corn Indy 250 Photo Album

Audio, Corn

RaboCasting

Chuck Zimmerman

RabobankI really like the idea of Rabobank producing an audio podcast of their news releases. (If you’d like this done for your company or organization then give the ag experts at ZimmComm New Media a call.)

Here’s what the latest RaboCast is about:

Since 1937 June has been Dairy Month: an annual tradition to celebrate the dairy industry. A new Rabobank podcast examines some causes for this celebration, such as growth in specialty products and an increase in dairy exports.

In the podcast, Rabobank Dairy Analyst and Food & Agribusiness Research and Advisory Managing Director Debbie Perkins, explores the current U.S. dairy market, the growth of specialty products and export opportunities. (The full podcast is available online at www.RabobankAmerica.com/Rabocast.)

Agribusiness, Dairy, Podcasts