New Holland’s Booming finOvation

Chuck Zimmerman

New Holland T2410Another finOvation award has been announced. This one for New Holland.

Farm Industry News, a monthly magazine that provides high-income farmers with information about new products and technology for the farm, has presented a finOvation award to New Holland’s T2410 and T2420 Boomer™ tractors. The awards are presented to the best innovations of 2007 designed to help producers farm more efficiently and more profitably.

finOvation awards go to the most innovative products published in the Farm Industry News magazine or Web site in the past year based on reader responses and voting by a group of Team FIN farmers. The winners will be recognized at an awards ceremony at the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Ky.

The T2410 and T2420 tractors are the biggest Boomer™ compact tractors New Holland has ever offered. At 55 and 60 horsepower, they have the muscle to power through tough jobs. Both models have a convenient, maneuverable frame size, FWD axle, and ample power. These utility tractors can handle the long list of chores on any job site or farm fast and efficiently.

Agribusiness, New Holland, Publication, Tractor

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • The 20th annual Texas High Plains Grain Elevator Workshop is moving to the Ashmore Inn and Suites in Amarillo. Topics of discussion include: railcar fumigation, aeration, new 10,000-bushel storage bags, stored-corn protectants, stored-grain pests, using weather data for early prediction of beetles, weed control, and much more. Pre-registration is requested by Jan. 15. For more information, contact Greg Cronholm at 806-291-5274.
  • Donna James, an Allflex veteran of eight years, has been promoted to Commercial Services Manager. In her new role, James is responsible for marketing communications, customer service and sales support functions for North America. She previously served as Customer Service Manager. Melissa Delatorre, has been promoted to Customer Service Supervisor. She will oversee daily customer service responsibilities as well as support specific regional sales efforts.
  • H & R Ag Inc., a regional farm service center located in Pasco, Wash., has been acquired by the Simplot AgriBusiness Group, and will become part the company’s Simplot Grower Solutions business. The sale was completed on Jan. 7th, 2008.
  • WildBlue Communications, Inc., with Internet access speeds that are up to thirty times faster than dial-up, has signed an agreement with Google, Inc. to provide a suite of enhanced Web services to WildBlue business and residential customers. The result will be enhanced email functionality and reliability and a brand new, highly customizable WildBlue.net home page. These services will enable members to create a personalized home page as well as provide them with many of Google’s popular web services. The new WildBlue.net home page is slated to launch in the first quarter of 2008.
Zimfo Bytes

Cotton Helps The Media

Chuck Zimmerman

Cotton NelsonThe media here at Beltwide were treated to a great reception last night, sponsored by Monsanto/DP&L. A real treat on the menu was the sushi. Yes, sushi in Nashville. There’s actually a sushi bar in the Opryland Hotel. I don’t remember that from my last visit. This place is constantly changing.

Here’s the Cotton Council’s communications man greeting us. If you’re going to work in this business why not have the name. He’s Cotton Nelson and he works with our good friend Marjory Walker who’s been getting the media checked in here in the news room.

The program really kicks off in high gear today, including the trade show. I’ll have a lot more pictures and interviews over the next several days as we learn about what’s new in Cotton’s world.

AgWired coverage of the Beltwide Cotton Conferences
is made possible by: BASF


Beltwide Cotton Conference Photo Album

Ag Groups, BASF, Beltwide Cotton, Cotton

Explore Spanish Cuisine

Laura McNamara

Jose Made In Spain2008 is the Year of Spanish Cuisine for Chef Jose Andres. On a mission to celebrate foods influenced by the Spanish culture, Jose has set three goals: explore Spain, try something new with hotel dining in Los Angeles and load up on veggies.

From a new television show – Jose Made in Spain on public television – to a new project in Los Angeles – designing the food and beverage program for SBE’s “SLS at Beverly Hills” hotel – Jose takes Americans on an exploration into the flavor, innovation and character of Spanish cuisine and culture, redefining its role in the everyday lexicon of cooks and diners alike.

Plan your schedule accordingly or set your Tivo for a visit to some of Spain’s most fascinating and delicious locales with Jose on his new television program, Jose Made in Spain, premiering February 2 on public television (check local listings). Each episode visits a treasured Spanish location, where Jose travels to markets, farms, the ocean and other sites associated with Spanish cuisine to visit with food artisans, cooks and restaurateurs.

Jose is set to make hotel dining a true experience in 2008. For his new venture with SBE Hotel Group, SLS at Beverly Hills (opening this summer), Jose will present a spectacular range of innovative experiences created to change the way people think about hotel dining.

In Spanish kitchens, vegetables are given their due. Spaniards eagerly await the season for produce such as the famous white asparagus of Navarra, in addition to preparing dishes like escalivada where the focus is on the vegetable. On his show Jose Made in Spain and in the companion cookbook, Jose will show Americans how to make the most of fruits, vegetables, and healthful oils with delicious, easy-to-prepare Spanish recipes.

Food

Beltwide Personal Scheduler

Chuck Zimmerman

Beltwide Personal SchedulerOne of the cool things that my sponsor is doing here at Beltwide is making the electronic personal scheduler available. This is a very busy conference. It’s one of those ones where there’s way more to do than you have time to do it. So you have to plan your time.

To make it easier you can go to one of these terminals, create an account, create your schedule and print it out or make a file you can download to your pda or phone. Then you’ve got your very own Beltwide schedule.

AgWired coverage of the Beltwide Cotton Conferences
is made possible by: BASF


Beltwide Cotton Conference Photo Album

BASF, Beltwide Cotton, Cotton

Cotton Swag For Your Vehicle

Chuck Zimmerman

Cotton TagsIn Missouri you have to have a state license tag on both front and back of your vehicle. It’s a pain since I’d like to show my support with a logo tag for my favorite thing.

If you live in a state that doesn’t have this requirement then you can show your support for cotton with a Cotton Logo License Tag.

It’s just one of the many items on sale. We don’t even need to go to the mall. We can shop right here in the hotel at Beltwide.

I’ve got a photo album for the conference which you can find at this link or in Zimmages at the top of the page:
Beltwide Cotton Conference Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the Beltwide Cotton Conferences
is made possible by: BASF

BASF, Beltwide Cotton, Cotton

Ag Media Summit Logo Contest

Chuck Zimmerman

AMS Logo ContestWant to make a few dollars putting your creative skills to use? Consider designing a logo for the 2008 Ag Media Summit.

You can find all the details in this document. (pdf)

The winner will get $100 and lots of online and conference glory.

Ag Media Summit

Cotton Consultant’s Headline Perspective

Chuck Zimmerman

Boyd Kidwell and Ray YoungIt’s always interesting getting a perspective from your audience. For BASF today that was a group of cotton consultants like Ray Young on the right. Ray’s from northeast Louisiana. Next to him is Boyd Kidwell, Quarry Integrated Communications.

I talked to Ray after the BASF Cotton Consultants Conference and he said that the registration of Headline for cotton was news to him. He says that he’s going to be keeping his eye on how it performs.

Download my interview with Ray Young here: Ray Young Interview (2 min mp3)

You can also listen to the interview with Ray immediately here: basf-beltwide-08-young.mp3

AgWired coverage of the Beltwide Cotton Conferences
is made possible by: BASF

Audio, BASF, Beltwide Cotton, Cotton

BASF Bolls Them Over With Headline

Chuck Zimmerman

Scott AsherScott Asher is a BASF Diversified Regional Manager. He spoke today at their Cotton Consultants Conference and provided some technical information about the product.

Scott says that BASF has a variety of activities planned for growers here that ranges from this session to a nightly hospitality suite and trade show booth. He says that communication with consultants is important and that the company will be stepping up its efforts with them in light of the Headline cotton registration.

Scott says field trials have shown overall improved plant health when using Headline and that translates into increased yield and quality at harvest. Those trials started back in 2003 and have been done in several regions.

Download my interview with Scott here: Scott Asher Interview (2 min mp3)

You can also listen to the interview with Scott immediately here: basf-beltwide-08-asher.mp3

I also recorded Scott’s presentation at today’s Consultants Conference for you. You can download his presentation here: Scott Asher Presentation (13 min mp3)

You can also listen to Scott’s presentation immediately here: basf-beltwide-08-asher-speech.mp3

AgWired coverage of the Beltwide Cotton Conferences
is made possible by: BASF

Audio, BASF, Beltwide Cotton, Cotton

A Headline Cotton Yield Advantage

Chuck Zimmerman

Amber ShirleyOne of the experts on the program at the BASF Cotton Consultants Conference is Amber Shirley, BASF Technical Marketing Manager. Amber says that having Headline, a foliar fungicide, available for the first time means that cotton growers now have the full range of plant protection products available to them that other commodity growers have.

She says that using a fungicide can create up to a 65 lbs. of lint/acre increase in cotton. She says that growers should talk to their consultants. Besides this session at Beltwide she says BASF will be holding a series of consultant conferences on a regional basis.

Download my interview with Amber here: Amber Shirley Interview (2 min mp3)

You can also listen to the interview with Amber immediately here: basf-beltwide-08-shirley.mp3

I also recorded Amber’s presentation at today’s Consultants Conference for you. You can download her presentation here: Amber Shirley Presentation (9 min mp3)

You can also listen to Amber’s presentation immediately here: basf-beltwide-08-shirley-speech.mp3

AgWired coverage of the Beltwide Cotton Conferences
is made possible by: BASF

Audio, BASF, Beltwide Cotton, Cotton