Since I’m on the subject of pork, how about some recipes. Dave Williams emailed me a link exchange request so I’m happy to bring your attention to his Pork Recipes website.
One it you’ll find a lot of good looking recipes. That’s about it. Very simple.
It seems like he could develop this into a lot more and maybe he will. In the meantime, enjoy cooking some pork this holiday season.
A new section of the Pork Checkoff website contains information for producers who want to optimize their feed costs and maximize production efficiencies.
The new Nutritional Efficiency section includes information about the recently founded nutritional efficiency consortium; the consortium’s research and activity priorities; the research funded by the consortium and a subsection with links to additional information or resources.
Twenty four organizations have joined to form the nutritional efficiency consortium. Included in those are state pork associations, state and national corn grower associations and several allied industry partners. Their objectives are to determine research and producer educational opportunities that will help alleviate the increasing costs of producing pork, specifically addressing feed costs and maximizing growth and performance efficiencies. The program’s specific objectives can be found in the introductory page to the new online resource.
Resources that are available today include the video and audio presentations offered at the Distillers Grains: Implications for the U.S. Pork Industry conference that took place in Nov. 2006 in Des Moines, Iowa.
The video and audio require you to use Internet Explorer as your browser. The picture is an example of one of the videos you can find there.
The new Cowlendars are here. That would be the dairy cow calendars from Animart.
ANIMART, Inc. has released its annual, uniquely-themed customer appreciation calendar. This year, the ANIMART calendar features close-up photos with dairy cattle. Displaying playful personalities, these images also serve as timely reminders to dairy producers about seasonal animal health issues. And, as a tool for busy producers, each day on the calendar has return and due dates to help with dairy cattle heat detection, management and pregnancy planning.
For each of the past seven years, ANIMART has developed a unique theme to feature in their annual calendars and product catalogs – affectionately named “Cowlendars” and “Cowtalogs” by ANIMART staff and customers. The calendars are created as a special token of appreciation to dairy customers. For the 2008 year, each page of the 13-month calendar (starting with December 2007) features a different angle of dairy cattle. Playful captions are from a dairy cow’s point of view, and touch on everything from annoying fly problems to the pains of mastitis.
“This year’s theme is the many angles from which we see dairy cattle,” says Ruth Metz, co-owner of Animart with her husband, Dr. James Metz. “Our customers work hard, and we hope this year’s Cowlendar’s fun and playful nature will bring both humor and friendly reminders to their business.”
The cover of the new 2008 product catalog features the same theme as the calendar. The “Cowtalog” is now available and ready for customers to put to use in making convenient telephone, fax or internet orders for all their animal health needs.
I know this has absolutely nothing to do with agriculture but after 9 hours of driving and several hours of meeting today I just haven’t got anything else to share yet (meaning that I’m waiting on pictures to be emailed back for several posts I’m working on).
So I hope you enjoy this video clip (via Sundog). Maybe AgWired will fit into the scenario described here:
The holiday cocktail of choice for holiday parties? The Cosmopolitan, of course. To shake things up a bit, though, you can delight friends and family with a new twist on an old favorite by adding fresh or frozen California strawberries. Strawberry Cosmopolitans aren’t only delicious; they’re good for you too, according to the California Strawberry Commission. Independent researchers published a study in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture that found the antioxidant capacity of strawberries can be significantly enhanced when they are combined with ethanol, the type of alcohol found in rum, vodka, tequila and other spirits. Antioxidants help guard against harmful free-radicals which can cause cancer, arthritis and heart disease.
Strawberry Cosmopolitan
2-4 fresh California strawberries, cut in half
1 oz. orange liqueur (such as Cointreau or Grand Marnier)
1/4 oz fresh lime juice
1 1/2 oz vodka
Directions: Muddle the orange liqueur and lime juice with all but one half of a strawberry in a mixing glass or martini shaker. Add vodka and ice, shake well, and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with the reserved strawberry half and a thin slice of fresh lime.
Here are a few other holiday California strawberry cocktails to enjoy, courtesy of the California Strawberry Commission:
Strawbaileys and Amaretto
3/4 ounce Baileys Original Irish Cream
3/4 ounce amaretto
6 ounces frozen sliced California strawberries in syrup, partially thawed
Whole fresh California strawberry
Directions: In a blender combine all ingredients except whole berry; blend smooth. Pour into stemmed glass. Garnish with whole berry.
Strawberry Kamikaze
1 1/4 ounce strawberry-infused vodka*
1/2 ounce triple sec
1/4 ounce lime juice
Whole fresh California strawberry
Directions: Chill all ingredients except whole berry over ice. Strain into martini glass. Float whole berry in glass. Can also be served over ice cubes.
*Note: Strawberry-infused vodka is created by soaking 10-15 strawberries, sliced in half, in a decanter of vodka for at least three days. Strawberries can remain in the decanter for display.
Texas-tini with California Strawberries
1 lime wedge
Kosher salt
1/4 cup frozen sliced, sweetened California strawberries, thawed
1/4 cup crushed ice
1 ounce tequila
1 teaspoon Cointreau
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1 whole fresh California strawberry
Directions: Rub lime wedge around rim of martini glass; dip rim into salt. Combine sliced strawberries, ice, tequila, Cointreau and lime juice in blender container. Cover and process on high speed until smooth and frothy. Carefully pour into prepared martini glass; garnish with whole strawberry. Serve immediately.
We reported several weeks ago on our Domestic Fuel site that New Holland is backing biodiesel 100%. Now it looks like sister company Case IH is coming on board with that idea.
Case IH has extended its recommendations on use of biofuels to include B100 — or pure biodiesel — on even more of its farm equipment models.
Farmers now can use B100 on nearly all Case IH medium- to high-horsepower tractors, combines, windrowers, and most self-propelled sprayers and cotton pickers — so long as proper protocols are followed for engine operation and maintenance.
“With record prices for crude oil, Case IH committed to exploring better ways to use environmentally-friendly biofuels made from renewable raw materials. We have conducted rigorous laboratory and in-field tests to evaluate how our engines perform with various biodiesel blends,” says Don Rieser, Case IH director of tractor product management. “As always, our ultimate goal is greater productivity for our customers. That’s why we also are committed to educating our dealers and customers on how to get the best results with biodiesel fuels — especially when using higher-level blends.”
This is just a heads up that I’ll be doing some highway miles on Tuesday to meet with the folks at Certified Angus Beef. We’ve been collaborating for some time on the use of audio in their communications plan.
Their Quality Time audio news releases were started after we discussed our Talking News Releases several years ago for example.
So, I’ll try to keep you up to date on what’s going on and perhaps I’ll obtain some new content while I’m there. I’m actually hoping for some Certified Angus Beef too!
Our old buddy Bill Schuermann has a new job with the American Soybean Association. He’s their new Executive Director, Member and Industry Relations. Congratulations Bill.
Schuermann most recently served as Group Publisher-Fruit and Vegetable Group for Meister Media Worldwide in Willoughby, Ohio, where he was responsible for three of the company’s specialty ag publications. Many in the agribusiness industry may know Bill best for his work at Doane, LLC, based in Saint Louis, where he was Senior Vice President, Economic Advisory and Information Services, and Publisher and Editorial Director for Agri Marketing magazine. He has had additional sales and marketing management experience with Ball Seed Company and DeKalb-Pfizer Genetics.
“Bill will be responsible for leading our staff and organization in the communications, industry relations, marketing, and membership areas,” Censky said. “He will maintain and develop strategic alliances with agribusiness and allied industries, serve as ASA’s top manager and liaison for Commodity Classic, and provide direction to meet the objectives of ASA’s Agribusiness Council.”
This week you get to hear some of the good news about what our military is doing in Afghanistan. Like in Iraq, our fighting men and women have also engaged in projects to help re-build this country’s agricultural infrastructure. It sure is a different story than the one you’ll find on network television or read in the newspaper.
Thanks to Pfizer Animal Health, I got connected to Lieutenant Colonel Sam Barringer, DVM. He’s a U.S. Air Force Reservist who went on a mission to help reinvigorate animal agriculture in Afghanistan. Basically, his team trained local veterinarians, brought in and treated animals from areas of the country that still had livestock and helped family farmers establish themselves. The idea being to help these people become self-sufficient.
Dr. Barringer says that although it’s dangerous territory still, the people he met were friendly and truly appreciated the work he was doing. He says that he believes he could go back in 10 years and they would still welcome him into their homes.
In the picture you can see Dr. Barringer (right) training Afghan veterinarians on animal health assessment and prevention and treatment products. He says that extended therapy products are especially beneficial because these veterinarians travel great distances to treat an animal, then are unable to return for long periods of time, making repeat treatments extremely difficult.
This is a story that needs to be heard so I hope you’ll pass a link to it along to your friends. That is what this new media is all about you know.
I looked through the Podsafe Music Network for something about veterinarians or livestock but couldn’t find any so the program ends with a song called “Animal” by the Jeff Hightower. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
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ZimmCast 148 (17 min MP3)
Or listen to this week’s ZimmCast right now:zimmcast148-12-3-07.mp3
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