Meeting Acting Ag Secretary Conner

Chuck Zimmerman

Acting Secretary of Agriculture Chuck ConnerI 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.

Audio, Ethanol, USDA

Missouri Stripes Roads with Soy-Based Paint

Laura McNamara

Clean Fuels Development CoalitionThe 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.

Soybean, Technology

Renewable Fuels Fueling American Support

Laura McNamara

Clean Fuels Development Coalition 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.

Biodiesel, Corn, Environment, Ethanol

Florida Ag Journalists Honored

Cindy Zimmerman

SE Agnet AwardFlorida 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!

Ag Groups, Media

Blog Action Day

Chuck Zimmerman

Blog Action DaySpeaking 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.

Wackos

Those Trustworthy Blogs

Chuck Zimmerman

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.

Advertising

Zimfo Bites

Melissa Sandfort

  • Syngenta has expanded its AgriEdge® Corn Program for 2008 to include applications of Quilt® fungicide and Warrior® Brand insecticide. The 2008 program will also include hybrids stacked with Agrisure® RW and CB/LL corn traits for rootworm and corn borer protection with LIBERTY® herbicide tolerance, plus GT trait for tolerance to glyphosate. The addition of the Quilt and Warrior Brand to the AgriEdge Corn Program gives growers a solution for gray leaf spot and in-season insect control. It also addresses the particular needs of continuous corn, where more residue cover encourages more disease activity. The 2008 program also includes incentives for managing insect resistance. Growers can receive up to $8 per unit of seed for purchasing and using Force® CS or Force 3G insecticide on rootworm refuge acres.
  • A new large capacity, hydraulically-operated wheel rake, designed with a flexible frame for excellent contour hugging capabilities, plus extra wheels on the ground for better handling and reduced scuffing, has just recently been introduced by Vermeer Manufacturing Co., Pella, Iowa. The Vermeer® WRX14 Flex Frame Wheel Rake sweeps up to 28 feet wide; it folds for transport in seconds at just 8′-2″; is constructed with a rugged 6″ x 8″ cross frame and 5″ x 5″ articulated toolbars; is equipped with 14 crop-driven rake wheels; has a rake wheel clearance of 17″ and rear frame transport height is 4′ 2″ and length is 30′-2″.
  • More from Vermeer: A unique “Powered Splitter” option that helps Vermeer TwinRake operators improve forage quality by promoting cleaner pickup, fast uniform dry-down and fluffy windrows is now available on all R2800 and R2300 TwinRakes. The Powered Splitter is particularly helpful in tedded, swathed or windrowed hay that has been rained upon, or in situations where three windrows are being raked together; because it allows the center swath to be lifted, spread and combined with the rest of the crop before it’s ultimately raked into a windrow. For more information, visit the Vermeer Web site.
    Zimfo Bytes

    A Country Living Conversation

    Chuck Zimmerman

    ZimmCast-141 - Courtney YuskisI like living the country life. That’s why the ZimmComm office compound sits on a couple acres outside Jefferson City, MO. It’s nice to watch the birds, squirrels, deer, etc. and not have a neighbor’s house right on top of you. A lot of people feel the same way and that’s why there’s a Country Living Association.

    This week on the program you get to learn all about it from Director, Courtney Yuskis. Courtney describes their mission and hope that they’ll be the source country living people go to when they have questions. She says they’ve got about 11,000 members already! Later this week they’ll be holding their Country Living Outlook Conference in Kansas City and I’ll be there blogging it here. I’ll also be there for the Country Living Olympics the next day.

    The program concludes this week with music from the Podsafe Music Network. This week’s song is “Capitol Offense” by the Nashville Session Players. I hope you like it.

    You can download and listen to the ZimmCast here: Listen To ZimmCastZimmCast 141 (15 min MP3)

    Or listen to this week’s ZimmCast right now:zimmcast141-10-14-07.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

    Ag Groups, Audio, ZimmCast

    Philly is CheeseSteakTown.com

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Miss CheesesteakNow that’s what I’m talking about. Just read the description of the perfect cheese steak sandwich. You’ll find that and a lot more on the new CheeseSteakTown website.

    Most Americans live in normal cities and towns and lead normal lives — they go to work, they pay bills, they watch TV. But here in the City of Brotherly Love, every day is an adventure — a passionate and never-ending quest to find the perfect cheese steak, a foot-long sandwich packed with steaming grilled beef, smothered in fried onions and dripping with golden Cheez Whiz.

    Mr Cheesesteak“New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris and Rome? Been there, done that. Just give me a cheese steak and I’ll take Philly over all of them. This is the most fun, most colorful, most user-friendly, most amazing city anywhere.” So says the man known as Big Cheese, a native Philadelphian and former touring rock musician who, along with two Philadelphia-born friends — a published cartoonist (Ozzard of Whiz) and a national talent agent (Fried Onion) — has launched www.CheeseSteakTown.com, the first-ever website to celebrate Philadelphia’s famous sandwich and its unique “Cheese Steak Culture.”

    “If you want the insider’s run-down on every great cheese steak place in Philly, it’s all here,” Ozzard of Whiz explains. “We have a full-page article about each one, complete with photos — and a monthly Top Ten list as voted by visitors to www.CheeseSteakTown.com.”

    Get your entries in for the Mr. and Miss Cheesesteak contest too.

    Food

    Food Waste Fuels Cheese Production

    Laura McNamara

    I blogged about food fighting cancer. Now, I’ve found out about one plant that’s using food to create more food. The Fairview Swiss Cheese Plant in Mercer County, Pennsylvania is using biogas from food waste to produce steam that will help process milk into cheese.

    The Fairview Swiss Cheese Plant soon will be partially powered with biogas made from its own waste products.

    The plant, owned by John Koller & Son Inc. in Mercer County, broke ground Thursday on the renewable energy project, which converts food waste into gas, said Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff.

    The $2.2 million project involves constructing an anaerobic digester that will use cheese whey from the plant and cone batter waste from the Joy Cone Co. to make 40 million cubic feet of biogas annually — the equivalent of 28 million cubic feet of natural gas.

    The biogas will be used in a boiler to produce steam and electricity for processing milk into cheese that in turn will offset the purchase of fuel oil and electricity produced from fossil fuels. The wastewater from the digester will flow to a treatment facility where the solids will be removed and clean water discharged.

    The project is a collaborative effort between the local county government, Fairview Swiss Cheese Plant, Joy Cone Co., and Penn State Cooperative Extension of Mercer County.

    Food, Technology