Barry Corbin Talks About Trail End

Chuck Zimmerman

Tony Nix, Chip and Barry CorbinYou never know who you’re going to run into when you’re out doing some agriblogging. For example, I got to sit down with actor Barry Corbin yesterday at the World Championship Appaloosa Show. He recently completed an award winning short film titled, “Trail End.” The movie stars a great Appaloosa horse. On the left is Tony Nix, owner of the horse in the middle, Chippen Gold (“Chip”). On the right is Barry Corbin. Barry’s starred or guest-starred in too many movies and tv series to list.

I spoke to both of them after yesterday’s screening of the movie here at the World Show. Barry says the horse was the star and he only played a supporting role. He says about Chip, “He supported me but I supported him. It was kind of like a partnership.” In my interview you’ll hear Barry describe the movie and talk about his other experiences in the acting world. I asked him for some behind the scenes stories from making Trail End but all he could really say is that he had a good time and that it was, “Like a week and a couple days of a trail ride.”

You can listen to my interview with Barry here: awcs-07-corbin.mp3

When I spoke to Tony he says that he got involved after someone at the ApHC made a connection to him when the movie company called seeking a horse in Kansas. He says that Chip was great and showed that an Appaloosa (even an 18 yr. old one) can star in a movie. He also thinks it might be pretty cool if someone would need him to star in a movie too.

You can listen to my interview with Tony here: awcs-07-nix.mp3

2007 World Championship Appaloosa Show Photo Album

Audio, Horses

World Championship Appaloosa Sale

Chuck Zimmerman

Appaloosa World ShowIt’s been an interesting afternoon here at the 2007 World Championship Appaloosa Show. As you can see one of the rings is busy. They’re just about to wrap up the last show in time for tonight’s World Show Sale.

I spoke with Appaloosa Horse Club board member Chuck McWhirter about the sale since he’s one of the main organizers. He says that they’ve got some great horses lined up and now all they need is some buyers. That would be nice if you want a successful sale.

It is Halloween and the good thing is that I’ve found candy everywhere so I’ve got my chocolate fix.

You can listen to my interview with Chuck here: awcs-07-mcwhirter.mp3

2007 World Championship Appaloosa Show Photo Album

Audio, Horses

Successful Farming Launches Farm Machinery Show

Laura McNamara

Successful Farming Farm Machinery ShowFarmers and ranchers can tune into a brand new show that’s devoted solely to farm machinery beginning tomorrow. Successful Farming is launching it’s Farm Machinery Show on both RFD-TV and high-definition RFD-HD.

Premiering November 1, 2007, The Successful Farming Machinery Show the Successful Farming® Machinery Show will deliver all the best-read favorites from the magazine, and for the first time ever brings together these favorites in a full length television program. The show features will include: new product reviews with Successful Farming magazine’s new products editor – Laurie Potter, highlights from farmer submitted ideas in All Around the Farm®, winning shop designs and features from Top Shops®, industry leading coverage from The Ultimate ATV/UV Test, machinery auction news with Greg “Machinery Pete” Peterson and stories from Roger Welsch, the Tractor Whisperer.

New programs will air weekly – starting Thursdays at 7:30pm Central on RFD-TV. Hosted by Successful Farming machinery editor, Dave Mowitz – the show will air four times a week for 18 weeks on RFD-TV and on RFD-HD. These informative programs airing each week will provide farmers with all the information they need to know about machinery to make their farm or ranch more successful. The show is sponsored in part by John Deere and Firestone Farm Tires.

Agribusiness, Equipment, Farm Shows, Farming, John Deere, Media

Bush Nominates Ag Secretary

Cindy Zimmerman

SchaferPresident Bush made a surprise nomination for Secretary of Agriculture Wednesday afternoon – a little-known former governor from North Dakota, Ed Schafer.

In making the announcement, Bush said, “Ed Schafer is the right choice to fill this post. He was a leader on agricultural issues during his eight years as the governor of North Dakota. He worked to open new markets for North Dakota farmers and ranchers by expanding trade with China. He oversaw the development of the state’s agricultural biofuels industry. He helped families recover from natural disasters — including drought, fires and floods. And he pioneered innovative programs to increase economic opportunity in rural communities.”

There had been little speculation about who Bush might nominate to serve out the remaining months as agriculture secretary in his administration since many believed Acting Secretary Chuck Conner would get the job considering the importance of the current farm bill negotiations.

USDA

Getting Creative with Corn

Laura McNamara

Morningstar Veggie CreationsThe first-ever Morningstar Farms Veggie Creations Contest is being touted as a success. The contest urged vegetable enthusiasts to showcase their creative veggie creations.

Melissa Pantel-Ku of Chagrin Falls, Ohio created the winning photo/video entry entitled, “The Unicorn: An a-MAIZE-ing beast.” Selected by veggie sculptor and founder of Veggy Art, James Parker, Melissa has won a trip for two to Bunol, Spain for La Tomatina Festival. This festival boasts the world’s largest tomato fight, which takes place during a week-long celebration of art and culture.

Morningstar Veggie CreationsRenowned vegetarian chef and produce expert, Curtis Aikens, selected “Island Fresh Tostadas with Pineapple-Avocado Salsa” as the contest’s winning recipe. Its creator, Karen Gulkin of Simpsonville, S.C. will now have the opportunity to sharpen her veggie creativity skills with a class in veggie sculpting. As the winner of the recipe portion of the Veggie Creations Contest, Karen has earned a trip for two to Virginia for a hands-on veggie- sculpting class from James Parker.

The Veggie Creations Contest received over 100 submissions between the photo/video and recipe categories. Judge James Parker was especially impressed by The Unicorn: An A-MAIZE-ing Beast because its creator was able to take a single vegetable, corn on the cob, and see it from so many different perspectives. The subject of the winning photo was fashioned completely from corn on the cob, using fresh and dried kernels, a dried cob, the husks, the stems and the corn silk, as well as a piece of baby corn for the horn.

Corn, Food

World-Class Chef Promotes Eco-friendly Food

Laura McNamara

Earth LabEnergy and fuels aren’t the only commodities America is becoming more environmentally conscious about. World-class chef and restaurateur Mario Batali is encouraging consumers to become eco-friendly with their food. Mario is working with the Earthlab Foundation in a campaign to promote environmentally friendly food options. The online segment at Earthlab.com features tips and insight into to making better food related choices for the environment, such as choosing locally grown products and fresh produce. The site also offers information about cooking and Italian cuisine.

Batali is continuing his green journey by joining the EarthLab community and creating his personal Earth Conservation Plan (ECP), which he can save and track over time to help lessen his impact on the earth. His ECP score is 269 and he outputs 9.1 tons of carbon per year, compared to the national averages of 349 ECP and 15 carbon tons.

Batali pledges to reduce his impact by 10 percent by the end of 2008 and he encourages others to calculate their score with EarthLab.

“EarthLab shares my passion and motivation for the environment and I am looking forward to working closely with the EarthLab Foundation and community to share my experiences and expertise, while also reducing my own impact,” said Batali. “I have been implementing earth-friendly changes in my restaurants, such as not using bottled water, but there is still a long way to go. Eating is something that we all do every day and there are small choices about what we eat, how we shop for food and cook that can help the environment.”

The Food & Mario Batali section of the website provides new resources such as recipe and wine selection, Mario’s favorite links, a featured region in Italy and more.

Environment, Farming, Food

Horsey Halloween

Chuck Zimmerman

Appaloosa Web CamI will not be in costume. I’ll be working at the World Championship Appaloosa Show in Ft. Worth, TX. Besides being able to read all about it on the Appaloosa Blog Spot I’ll have posts here on AgWired as well.

In case you’re interested you can also watch arena action via the Appaloosa Live Web Cam. This picture is taken from the one in John Justin Arena this evening.

In the meantime, Appaloosa Horse Club CEO, Steve Taylor is showing his blogging skills on Appaloosa Blog Spot at the show. Check out what a CEO can do if he wants to. He should provide you with some inspiration. I know there’s some CEO’s reading this. I’ll be giving him a break though for the couple days he’s bringing me in to help out.

Ag Groups, Horses

Preview of the NAFB Convention

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast-143 - Randy KoenenIn this week’s ZimmCast Cindy interviews Randy Koenen, Red River Farm Network, who is President-Elect of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. Randy’s big job this year is being the main coordinator for the NAFB convention. So if you want to know what to expect in Kansas City then give the show a listen.

Randy KoenenThe program concludes this week with music from the Podsafe Music Network. This week’s song is “Dancing in November” by the Monika Herzig. We’re moving into November and if you’ve attended an NAFB convention then you know there is opportunity for a little dancing.

You can download and listen to the ZimmCast here: Listen To ZimmCastZimmCast 143 (15 min MP3)

Or listen to this week’s ZimmCast right now:zimmcast143-10-30-07.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

Audio, NAFB

‘Tis the Season for Cranberries

Laura McNamara

Cranberry Marketing CommitteeFall is well underway and winter is fast approaching. Although various regions of the country seem to be staving off Old Man Frost for the most part, the Cranberry Marketing Committee doesn’t want you to forget about their favorite fruit of the season, and adds the fruit is available year-long.

Cranberries grow on low-lying vines in watertight beds layered with sand, peat, gravel and clay. These beds, commonly known as bogs or marshes, were originally created by glacial deposits. Commercial bogs/marshes use a system of wetlands, uplands, ditches, flumes, ponds and other water bodies to provide a natural habitat for the cranberry vines.

The cranberry season begins in winter, when growers flood the bogs/marshes with water that freezes and insulates the vines from frost. During spring, the bogs/marshes are drained, blossoms begin to appear, and through the summer, the cranberries become red, ripe and ready to gather. Cranberries are typically harvested in September and October.

Not only are cranberries extremely tasty and versatile in culinary applications, they’re also a mighty healthy fruit with the unique power to fight bacteria. What’s more, cranberries have been shown to have more antioxidant phenols than 19 commonly eaten fruits. These antioxidants can help aid a healthy immune system, maintain heart health, protect healthy cells from damage, and promote successful aging.
Read More

Ag Groups, Food

American Chestnut Foundation Book to Save Chestnuts from Roasted Identity

Laura McNamara

American Chestnut FoundationThe chestnut is teetering on the brink of extinction. At least, that’s what the American Chestnut Foundation fears. In an effort to save chestnuts from nonexistence, the foundation has released Mighty Giants: An American Chestnut Anthology, a book the foundations says offers an inspiring story of an American symbol.

The book offers up a saga of a unique and exceptional tree that supported a way of life, that fed and sheltered our ancestors, and “touched almost every phase of our existence.”

From Indians and early explorers, to colonists, naturalists, loggers, industrialists, and beyond, from presidents, poets, and artists, including Jefferson, Lincoln, Carter, Thoreau, Frost, Homer, Andrew Wyeth, and many more, the story of our once mighty, towering native chestnut tree is a lesson for our times.

The book tells, in images and words, the story of the once mighty monarch of the eastern forests and the scientists who engaged in the struggle against “one of the greatest natural disasters in the history of forest biology” — perhaps the deadliest plant blight ever encountered. It is the story of the dedicated few who refused to give up: the fearless plant explorer who tracked down the blight in war-torn China, the plant pathologists and geneticists who labored long and valiantly to understand the blight and find a way to thwart it. It is also a story of hope, of small but vital triumphs, as the secrets of the American chestnut and its deadly nemesis are gradually revealed.

Notable contributors to the book include former President Jimmy Carter, author Barbara Kingsolver, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Norman Borlaug and Bill McKibben, author of “The End of Nature.”

I have to admit, the first time I ever tried a chestnut was just about a year ago. Though I delighted in the classic treat, I haven’t encountered one since. I hope we’ll still be able to sing “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire” ten years from now and still have the option of eating one. A paperback version of the book is available on Amazon.com.
The American Chestnut Foundation also offers the 296-page full color book in hardback.

Ag Groups, Food