The BARN stands for Buckeye Ag Radio Network but Andy and Lindsay are into a lot more than radio these days. Take a look at what they’ve done with their video since I mentioned blip.tv to Andy at World Dairy Expo. Here’s a sample:
Buckeye Video On Demand. Very cool and well done y’all.
Good news for ag machinery manufacturers: U.S. retail sales of tractors and combines are expected to grow overall in 2008, led by four-wheel drive tractors, according to the yearly agricultural equipment “outlook” report of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). Demand is expected to be generally positive for the majority of other types of agricultural machinery covered in the AEM survey.
According to the survey, combine sales are expected to increase 3.8 percent. Sales growth is also predicted for all sizes of 4-wheel drive tractors – up 6.5 percent.
For 2-wheel drive tractor business, unit sales of machines in the 100-HP-and-over range are predicted to be strongest with a 3.4 percent increase, followed by essentially flat growth in other categories – an increase of 0.7 percent for units 40-100 HP and a decrease of 0.7 percent for 2-wheel drive tractors under-40 HP.
Each forecast in the AEM survey is the average of responses from companies in each product line, predicting industry wide expectations rather than individual company performance, and unit sales rather than company profitability. The AEM ag industry outlook for 2008 covers 20 types of farm field and farmstead type equipment.
“A major factor in the expected increase in high HP tractor, combine and tillage equipment sales is the continued focus on renewable energy, creating high demand and resulting higher commodity prices, with the resulting increases in net farm income ultimately equating to optimism around equipment sales,” noted AEM Vice President of Agricultural Services Charlie O’Brien.
For full survey results, visit the AEM Web site.
I got my first opportunity to meet our Acting Secretary of Agriculture Chuck Conner today. He was the luncheon keynote speaker at the Cellulosic Ethanol Summit which is underway in Washington, DC. He addressed the group on the subject of what agriculture’s role is in building a national cellulosic industry. I caught up to him outside as he was leaving and asked him what his department is doing in this regard.
He says that USDA has several ongoing research projects involving enzymes and the plants that will be needed to use in the production of cellulosic ethanol. However, he says more needs to be done. That’s why the Administration has asked for $1 1/2 billion more in the proposed farm bill for new research in this area. He says the House has supported it and they’re hoping the Senate will too.
You can listen to my interview with Acting Secretary Conner here: cellulosic-summit-07-conner.mp3
I’ve got more items to post from the event but the venue they have us in has no internet access. In fact, I’ve had to go upstairs and outside to make a mobile phone call. You could say I’ve been having internet access withdrawal all day. I just ran back to my hotel to get this posted and it’s time to hurry back to the end of the day reception. I really hope more conference organizers will take this into account when planning a facility. It’s not just us media types that want it.
The Missouri Department of Transportation is experimenting with “soy-based” paint for use on the state’s highways. MoDOT says it’s testing four different types of yellow and white paints that contain soybean oil for use in highway striping.
The soy-based paint is made by using the same raw materials and processing techniques as traditional, water-based paint except the soybean oil replaces some of the petroleum ingredients. Soy paint is considered to be more environmentally friendly than other paints because it’s made from soybeans, a renewable agricultural crop that is plentiful in Missouri.
The 12-foot test stripes, which are located on Route 63 just north of Jefferson City, run across the roadway – from the shoulder to the center stripe. That way, the paint can be tested for how well it sticks to the ground and holds up against tire wear. MoDOT will also be looking to see how the paint withstands the ultimate test: snowplow blades.
“Snowplows are the Achilles heel of any highway paint,” said Todd Bennett, MoDOT’s chemical laboratory director. “As we monitor the wear and tear of the paint over the next year, we’ll especially be looking to see how durable it is in winter weather.”
MoDOT has been working with the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council to test the paint, which was developed by Cargill.
The Clean Fuels Development Coalition says a majority of Americans support recent campaigns for renewable fuels. The company says that a new poll conducted by Harris Interactive demonstrates that nearly nine in 10 American adults (88 percent) agree that the U.S. should pursue renewable energy sources.
The poll, commissioned by the Clean Fuels Development Coalition, concludes that 72 percent of adults believe that higher oil prices have had a substantial impact on the rising cost of food in recent months, compared to only 35 percent who believe ethanol production has had a significant impact on rising food prices.
The poll asked 2,199 U.S. adults about their attitudes regarding ethanol. Other results indicate that nearly eight in 10 adults (78 percent) believe usage of ethanol would lessen the country’s dependence on foreign oil.
Energy policy is at the forefront of national debate with pending energy legislation expected to hit congressional calendars this fall. The Senate- approved version of the energy bill contains a provision mandating the use of 36 billion gallons of ethanol by 2022.
Florida Farm Bureau Federation honored Southeast Agnet founders Gary Cooper and Robin Loftin-Cooper during the 66th annual meeting last week in Daytona Beach. They are pictured here with FFBF president John Hoblick.
The Coopers received the “Ag Journalists of the Year” award for outstanding coverage of agriculture.
Gary and Robin are our former business partners in Florida. I also do regular programming for them on Southeast Agnet – and Chuck and I both used to work with Gary at Florida Farm Bureau. Once upon a time, I won their communicator of the year award (I think that’s what it was called) when we started the network with Gary. In fact, it is all Gary’s fault we are even in agricultural communications today. Gary hired me as an intern to work at Florida Farm Bureau when I was still in college.
Congratulations to Gary and Robin!
Speaking of blogs. It’s Blog Action Day. I guess someone who has a lot of time on their hands wants to make sure we have something to write about. It’s supposed to be the “Environment.” Well, since I think farmers are the original and best environmentalists here’s my contribution. They’ve got a nice little YouTube promo in case you’re interested.
Trying to stay on topic I can’t say I support any of the “charitable organizations” they suggest if you’d like to make a donation. Pretty much your standard whackos if you ask me. Speaking of whackos and the environment. Al Gore getting a Nobel prize pretty well confirms that it’s no longer a credible award. One of the best editorials I’ve read about this appears on TCS Daily. Dr. Henry Miller has hit the nail on the head. Al Gore a credible and peaceful environmentalist? Right.
Let’s give America’s farmers and ranchers a Nobel prize.
A little blurb over on WebProNews quotes some information from a bi-annual Nielsen survey of internet users that shows the trust people place in blogs. “Consumer-generated content is by far a more trusted form of advertising worldwide than search engine ads, banner ads, or text ads, according to Nielsen, and is trusted almost as much as physical word-of-mouth.”
The survey also found that, “Television, radio, and magazines are virtually tied, with radio being slightly less trusted than the other two.” Interesting information.
It also makes a point about consumer recommendations being considered very trustworthy. Hey, who would you trust when it comes to a recommendation? Someone you know and respect right? I research everything I purchase online and the thing I’m most interested in are the experiences of other people who have used the product. I don’t care what the company says it will do. I want to know how well it’s doing it.
Via Smays.com.
