Sharing Autographs

Cindy Zimmerman

Michael Peterson Lake PartyCountry music singer Michael Peterson made some young fans happy at a private party at Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks Friday night, singing autographs on copies of his “Down on the Farm” CD supplied to guests courtesy of New Holland. But he also got an autographed memento of his own from the event.

Michael Peterson Lake PartyThe party was a benefit for Farm Foundation, so immediate past chairman (and party host) Sara Wyant of Agri-Pulse Communications, and Farm Foundation communications director Mary Thompson presented Michael with a book commemorating the foundation’s 75 year history that was signed by some of the organization’s representatives.

Michael Peterson Lake PartySara presented the book to Michael in gratitude for his performance and in recognition of his tremendous contributions to rural America.

The Farm Foundation focuses on economic and policy issues impacting agriculture, the food system and the people of rural America. The organization works as a catalyst, using conferences, workshops and other activities to bring stakeholders of all types together to identify and understand forces that will shape the future for our industry.

To find out more – or to make a contribution (which they would greatly appreciate) – go to farmfoundation.org.

Farm Foundation Michael Peterson Concert

Farm Foundation, New Holland

Party at the Lake

Cindy Zimmerman

Michael Peterson Lake PartyWhile Chuck was busy chasing spotted horses in Mississippi this weekend, I got to go to a really GREAT party at beautiful Lake of the Ozarks, featuring our good friend Michael Peterson.

Michael Peterson Lake PartyOur gracious hosts were Sara Wyant and Allan Johnson, who bought a private concert with Michael at the NAFB Foundation auction last November, courtesy of New Holland and the still-not-retired Gene Hemphill.

It was just a wonderful event, with about 100 of Sara and Al’s friends and neighbors, including lots of familiar faces in the agribusiness world. The event was also a fundraiser for the Farm Foundation, for which Sara has been serving as chairman.

To see more photos from the event, check out this Flickr Photo Album:

Farm Foundation Michael Peterson Concert

Farm Foundation, NAFB, New Holland

Guess Whose Boots

Chuck Zimmerman

Guess Whose BootsYou can’t be at a horse show and not see a lot of boots. Some are more noticeable than others.

So it’s time once again for an AgWired edition of “Guess Whose Boots.”

Just use the comment feature and submit your guess and the first person who gets it right will win an Agwired t-shirt. There are clues if you’ve been reading lately but I’ll add some if needed.

National Show Photo Album

Ag Groups

Appaloosa Calf Roping

Chuck Zimmerman

Calf RopingOne thing I don’t think you’ll ever find me doing is calf roping. I may as well jump off a building as a horse after roping a calf. That is, if I could even swing the rope and ride at the same time.

These guys make it look like a piece of cake though. It’s still relatively early here in Jackson, MS but they’ve been out here at it since 7:30am. In fact, I think they start that early every day for 2 weeks.

The first week here is mostly the youth show with adults starting today. I’ll be around until about midday on Monday so you can expect more from here.

National Show Photo Album

Ag Groups, Horses

Meeting Callaway

Chuck Zimmerman

Callaway and SteveI don’t mean the golf company. Maybe you don’t know Callaway yet but I do. She’s a very young singing star and will be performing tonight at the National Appaloosa Show.

She’s on the left in case you didn’t figure that out. I’ll let you figure out who’s on the right.

Callaway will be performing a benefit concert for the Appaloosa Youth Association programs. She’s from Madison, MS but lives now in Nashville. Callaway is 16 years old and has been touring with the legendary Sam Moore.

I asked her if she liked horses and she loves them. She’s impressed with how kind the people are she’s met here and good at what they do.

You can listen to my interview with the Callaway here: aphc-national-08-callaway.mp3

National Show Photo Album

Ag Groups, Audio, Horses

Ag Secretary Ed Schafer Urges Private Investors to Develop Africa

Laura McNamara

Investment in Africa is spurring economic innovation and growth throughout the continent. There’s no question about that for the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer.

“Make no mistake about it,” Schafer said. “Investment in agriculture, investment in the structure of agriculture to move food to the market, is an investment in Africa’s future.”

Schafer urged private sector investors to build stronger partners and markets in Africa at the 2008 U.S. Africa Agribusiness Forum Friday. The ag secretary said in order to truly develop a successful farm to market infrastructure in Africa, the private sector must get involved. Schafer pointed out that much of Africa lacks the basic fundamentals needed for thriving agriculture markets. He said things as simple as storage, refrigeration, a consistent supply of electricity, expertise in where to sell and how to sell simply don’t exist in many African regions.Read More

Agribusiness, Audio, Energy, Farm Policy, Farming, Food, International, Novus International, Research, Technology

These Girls Are Cowboys

Chuck Zimmerman

Riata Ranch Cowboy GirlsThe Riata Ranch Cowboy Girls are performing at the National Appaloosa Show for two nights. According to Executive Director, Jennifer Nicholson, they’ll be doing their choreographed lasso dance and acrobatic trick riding.

This morning I got to talk with them so in the interview you can hear from each of the girls here, ages 9 to 17, with Jennifer in the middle. Jennifer says they normally have about 15 to 20 girls a year who are in the program full time not counting others that participate in various clinics.

You can listen to my interview with the girls here: aphc-national-08-riata.mp3

I’ve got a photo album for the show started here: 2008 National Appaloosa Show Photo Album

Post Update: The girls performed tonight at the show and you can watch some of their acrobatic trick riding in this video:


Riata Ranch was created in 1957 and became a unique riding school for young people combining horsemanship and character development – a concept that was well ahead of its time. The program provides an opportunity to learn about our western heritage while gaining valuable life lessons. An interesting and fun atmosphere is created while maintaining discipline and direction for an effective learning environment. The quality of instruction is designed so that each student gains a positive set of values of which to guide them through the rest of their lives.

Our vision is to prepare young people for the world’s challenges in a manner that ensures their success & contributes to the happiness of everyone who are fortunate enough to meet them. The training will benefit the whole person, body & soul, through a balance of intellectual, physical, artistic & moral lessons. The ranch’s enduring principles will become so internalized that each rider will forever measure his or her choices against the Riata Ranch philosophy.

Audio, Horses

Real Data, Real Solutions, Real Impact on Africa

Laura McNamara

The poorest of Africa spend 70 percent of their income on food. That’s the reality the Deputy Assistant Administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development Africa Bureau put before the 300 attendees of the 2008 U.S. Africa Agribusiness Forum this week. That’s the reality that Franklin Moore wants the public and private sectors in the U.S. and Africa to face. Franklin says Africa’s food problems are a part of a worldwide problem.

“The world’s in the midst of a global food crisis unlike any other food crisis,” Franklin said. He says the poorest one billion are living on just one dollar a day, while nations around the globe are experiencing high food prices. That means, he says, the poor are having to choose between food, health care and school. Franklin says a significant part of the global population is spending more than half their income on food. And again, in Africa, he says, the poorest are spending 70 percent of their income on food.

All this, Franklin says, is the result of “fundamental imbalances in supply and demand, particularly of major food staples.”

Franklin says the good news is, correcting these imbalances opens up a wide spectrum of opportunity to transform and help modernize African agricultural systems through private investment. Not just private though. Franklin urges companies and governments to work together and engage in public private partnerships in an effort to reduce global hunger.

During his speech at the forum in Chicago, Franklin talked about what the U.S. in particular is doing to help this effort. He also outlined food crops that are crucial to the African food supply and where and how he sees public private partnership can make a real difference not just in African agribusiness but in the African quality of life. Franklin says the African demand for food staples is $50 billion a year and that demand is expected to double by 2015. Plus, he adds, Africa is the most rapidly urbanizing continent on the planet.

There are solutions to this global food issue though and Franklin urges companies to rise to the challenge. Franklin outlined many specific solutions in his speech. You can listen to it here:
usafag-08-moore.mp3

2008 U.S. Africa Agribusiness Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2008 U.S. Africa Agribusiness Forum is sponsored by:
Novus International

Ag Groups, Agribusiness, Audio, Food, International, Novus International

Millennium Challenge Taking Up the African Challenge

Laura McNamara

The Millennium Challenge Corporation is an organization dedicated to reducing poverty worldwide. Ambassador John Danilovich, CEO of MCC, says a large part of the MCC mission lies in Africa. He says the MCC is partnered with 17 countries around the globe in an effort to reduce poverty through sustainable economic growth. Ten of those countries are in sub-Sahara Africa, drawing in 70 percent, or 4.2 billion, of the 6 billion dollars in grants MCC has to offer.

The ambassador says he’s proud of the opportunity the MCC has to play a large role in the development of agribusiness in Africa.

“African countries continue to convert their great promise into an engine for sustained socio-economic growth. It’s exciting to see the positive change,” John said.

John added that he believes Africa possesses a strong entrepreneurial spirit that is fostering dramatic reforms and new opportunities for investment and growth throughout various sectors of the African economy.

The ambassador spoke at the 2008 U.S. Africa Agribusiness Forum. You can listen to John’s entire presentation and a follow up question and answer here:
usafag-08-danilovich.mp3

2008 U.S. Africa Agribusiness Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2008 U.S. Africa Agribusiness Forum is sponsored by:
Novus International

Agribusiness, Audio, International, Novus International

Appaloosa On The Move

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast-176 - Appaloosa On The MoveThis week’s ZimmCast is a little late I know but I wanted to wait until I got to Jackson, MS and the National Appaloosa Show so we could learn about how they’ve handled a major move to a new city with a show that’s been held in another location for a long time.

So this week you can hear Appaloosa Horse Club Executive Director and master blogger, Steve Taylor, tell us all about it. Steve is pictured on the right of the ring announcer.

He says the plan to make the move started before he joined the organization 2 years ago. Some of the reasons for the move included making sure they’re getting the best bang for their buck and allowing some new people in a different part of the country to have an opportunity to participate that couldn’t before.

Steve Taylor and Ring AnnouncerSteve says the move also allowed them to look at how they’re marketing the show. He says they’ve received very good coverage from local media and that the organizational members themselves have been doing a great job of word of mouth. While they’re here in Jackson, his staff and members are doing a lot of local shopping and they’re even making sure they personally invite community members to the show.

The Appaloosa Horse Club also has its own magazine, website, blog, e-newsletter and during their shows they have one or more live webcams.

You can download and listen to the ZimmCast here: Listen To ZimmCastZimmCast 176 (14 min MP3)

Or listen to this week’s ZimmCast right now:Interview With Steve Taylor - ZimmCast 177

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, Horses, ZimmCast