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

World Leaders to Speak on Food and Sustainability in New Orleans

Laura McNamara

2007 International Annual MeetingsThe Presidents of Iceland and Bangladesh, Nobel Peace Prize Winner Norman Borlaug and soil and crop experts are all slated to speak at the 2007 International Annual Meetings in New Orleans Next month. The American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), and Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) are hosting the international forum on food and sustainability, where more than 4,000 scientists are expected to attend.

What was the impact of Hurricane Katrina on agriculture? What’s the connection between soil and climate change? What types of biofuel will help America’s energy crisis? These topics and more will be discussed at the International Annual Meetings, Nov. 4-8 at the Morial Convention Center, New Orleans. The event marks the 100th anniversary of ASA.

Highlighted Speakers
— Nobel Peace Prize recipient Norman Borlaug, is joined by Rob Horsch, Gates Foundation, to discuss agricultural technologies to fight world hunger.
— Iceland President Olafur Grimsson comments via video on how Iceland can be a laboratory for climate change solutions.
— Bangladesh President Iajuddin Ahmed presents a look at problems of global warming and Arsenic Poisoning.” A Q&A will follow.
— Henry Thompson, Cancer Prevention Lab, Colorado State University, presents ways to make crops healthier in the fight against chronic diseases.
— Mike Palmer, University of Oklahoma, and Ken Cassman, University of Nebraska, presents contrasting points of view on biofuels.
— Charles Groat, University of Texas; William Jenkins, Louisiana State University; and other speakers will review the impacts of Hurricane Katrina on soil and agriculture.

Ag Groups, Agribusiness, Environment, Farming, International

ABA, Farmer Mac Renew Banking Options for Agricultural Real Estate

Laura McNamara

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (Farmer Mac)The pricing discounts agricultural borrowers are enjoying through the alliance between the American Bankers Assocation (ABA) and the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (Farmer Mac) can count on receiving continued discount options. The ABA and Farmer Mac have renewed their exclusive agreement where ABA member banks are eligible for selected Farmer Mac products and customized loan packages through AgPower(SM).

“Agricultural real estate lending is one of the fastest growing business areas for ABA member banks,” said Ed Yingling, ABA President and CEO. “The renewal of our unique members-only alliance with Farmer Mac is a way that we can help our members meet their business challenges. The special pricing, customer assistance, and other benefits of the alliance will give ABA member banks a competitive edge they can use to meet the real estate financing needs of farmers and ranchers.”

American Bankers Association“Our list of active banker-participants has grown, and these lenders are telling us they are very happy with our programs and the advantages those programs bring to their institutions,” said Henry Edelman, Farmer Mac President and CEO. “They especially appreciate the ability to build loyalty from their farm and ranch customers through expanded and competitively-priced product offerings.”

ABA members that participate in the alliance have the freedom to choose not only from the special discounted products, but also the usual Farmer Mac products, including:

— Competitively-priced long-term fixed-rate mortgages, up to 20 years;
— Adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs), including those with reset periods of
one, three and five years; and
— Long-term fixed-rate mortgages featuring both open and partial open
prepayment options.

Farmer Mac is a stockholder-owned instrumentality of the United States chartered by Congress to establish a secondary market for agricultural real estate and rural housing mortgage loans and to facilitate capital market funding for USDA-guaranteed farm program and rural development loans.

Agencies, Agribusiness, Farming

Haas Avocado Board Gets Fresh Direction

Laura McNamara

HaasTwo new producer members, one new importer member and new alternates for each position are joining the Haas Avocado Board. Acting Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner authorized the new appointees who will serve three-year terms beginning November 1, 2007.

Reappointed to the board are: Charley Wolk, Fallbrook, Calif. and Donald W.
Reeder, Ventura, Calif., producer members; Ed Figueroa, Massapeque, N.Y.
importer member and Giovanni Cavaletto, Redland, Calif., alternate importer
member.

Newly appointed to the board are: Daniel J. Sanders and Alvin W. Gebhart,
both from Fallbrook, Calif., alternate producer members.

Authorized under the Hass Avocado Promotion, Research and Information Act of
2000, the board administers a national promotion, research and consumer
information program to maintain and expand markets for Hass avocados. USDA’s
Agricultural Marketing Service monitors the operations of the board.

Ag Groups, Agribusiness, Food

Most Americans Want Renewable Fuels Now

Chuck Zimmerman

Renewable Fuels NowA new coalition that supports increased use of domestically produced renewable fuels says nearly three out of four Americans want renewable fuels.

According to a new national poll released today by the Renewable Fuels Now coalition, 74 percent of Americans believe we should increase our use of domestically produced renewable fuels like ethanol.

In addition, 87 percent of Americans maintain the federal government should actively support the development of a renewable fuels industry in this country, and 77 percent think Congress should encourage oil refiners to blend more ethanol into their gasoline products.

Renewable Fuels Now is a coalition representing the ethanol, biodiesel, agriculture and other industries that support increased use of domestically produced renewable fuels as part of a balanced energy policy for America. The Coalition’s members include the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC), National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), 20/20 Vision, Wisconsin BioIndustry Alliance, Ethanol Producers and Consumers (EPAC), Kansas Association of Ethanol, Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, IndyCar Series, Buckeye Renewable Fuels Association, Ohio Corn Growers Association, Clean Fuels Development Coalition, and Northwest Renewable Fuels Association.

ZimmComm New Media is assisting the new coalition with internal member communications and media outreach.

Biodiesel, Ethanol