Texas Railroad Commission Highlights Propane Technology

Laura McNamara

perc004a.jpg The Railroad Commission of Texas is the organization hosting the 2007 Propane Technology Forum here in Austin, TX. Propane is a key interest of the commission’s Alternative Fuels Research and Education Division. I spoke to Director Dan Kelly about some of the highlights of today’s featured speakers.

You can listen to my interview with Dan here:

Kelly_Dan.mp3

Dan expanded on our discussion in the interview over the safety of propane fuel and pointed out the fuel tank is not only made of steel but is also a quarter-inch thick. He referenced a school bus accident in Alvin, TX where a pick-up truck ran a red light and struck a school bus running on propane fuel, hitting the propane tank dead on. University of GuelphHe said the pick-up burned to the ground while there was no escape of gas from the bus. He added that all the children riding the bus exited safely without any instance of injury or death. Dan said industry leaders joke about the safest place to put a propane gas tank in a motor vehicle: “make it the bumper.” He said 12,000 vehicles run on propane fuel in Texas.

I also spoke with Steve Jaeger with the Alternative Fuels Research and Education Division. We discussed why the Railroad Commission of Texas feels it’s important to host the Propane Technology Forum and what he thought were some of the key presentations. We also touched on a new project that just got off the ground last month: “tri-generation” use of propane – a new propane-powered energy efficiency project that focuses on researching the capability of propane to recover waste heat to both heat water and sanitize dairy shed and equipment, and to operate an adsorption chiller.

You can listen to my interview with Steve here:

Jaeger_Steve.mp3
Audio, Education, Farming, Propane, Research, Technology

Roush F-150 Burns Propane Fuel

Laura McNamara

Tom Arnold with Roush ManufacturingChuck has already posted information on the innovative use of propane as motor fuel from Roush Manufacturing, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to interview Roush representative Tom Arnold myself. Not to mention the application of propane as motor fuel is certainly interesting enough to cover more than once.

You can listen to my interview with Tom here:

Roush_Tom.mp3
Education, Environment, Farming, Propane, Research, Technology

Putting the Heat on Cotton

Laura McNamara

Paul Funk with the USDA-Southwestern Cotton Ginning Research LaboratoryPaul Funk is one of the experts at the 2007 Propane Technology Forum who has taken all the talk about innovative propane research a step further. Paul is a scientist with the USDA-Southwestern Cotton Ginning Research Laboratory. He is among the first to put heat defoliation of cotton with propane into practice. Paul and I discussed what he’s encountered out in the field.

You can listen to my interview with Paul here:

Funk_Paul.mp3
Audio, Cotton, Education, Environment, Farming, Propane, Research, Technology

Propane Heat Remediation Ideal for Organic Farmers

Laura McNamara

Scientists Raj Hulasare with Temp-AirPaul Funk’s heat defoliation of cotton isn’t the only way propane-generated heat is being used. Temp-Air scientist Raj Hulasare says propane heat remediation is an ideal solution for treating bins, silos, and other storage vessels for pests. He adds that propane heat remediation is a particularly viable option for certified organic farms, which are restricted from using many chemicals to treat their stored crops.

You can listen to my interview with Raj about the advantages of thermal remediation here:

Hulasare_Raj.mp3
Audio, Education, Environment, Farming, Propane, Research, Technology

Pest Control with Propane

Laura McNamara

Robert McGee with Texas A&M Agriculture ResearchSeveral experts in the propane industry mentioned the innovative use of propane as an insecticide at the 2007 Propane Technology Forum, but Robert McGee with Texas A&M Agriculture Research is the expert whose presentation focused solely on propane’s capability to eliminate pests. In a brief interview, Robert and I reviewed the main idea of his presentation.

You can listen to my interview with Robert here:

McGee_Robert.mp3
Agribusiness, Audio, Environment, Farming, Propane, Research, Technology

Interview with BASF Ag Products President

Cindy Zimmerman

BASF PresidentBASF Agricultural Products division president Michael Heinz is in a good mood because prices for farm products are higher and farmers are spending more money on their input costs to increase production. “It makes us very excited because when the farmer is in a good mood, in general, we are in a good mood,” Heinz says. This optimism was the primary message at the BASF global press conference in Germany on Wednesday.

This year has shown the importance of innovations for farmers, and Heinz says innovation is the whole goal of BASF. He is especially pleased with the performance of Headline in improving the health and vitality of plants, especially corn. And he talked about how BASF is working on seven new active ingredients and a new herbicide tolerance project. The increasing production of corn for ethanol in the United States is also creating new opportunities for BASF to help grower meet the increased demand. Specifically he notes the development of a wholly new herbicide with the code name of BAS 800H which has “outstanding activity against broadleaf weeds.”

Listen to my interview with Michael here:
basf-germany-heinz.mp3

View the Flickr Photo Album from BASF in Germany

Audio, BASF, Corn, Farming, International

Global Press Conference

Cindy Zimmerman

BASF Press ConferenceI have been an ag journalist for 25 years and never participated in an event quite like the global press conference for BASF here in Germany.

Michael Heinz, President of BASF’s Agricultural Products Division, and Dr. Klaus Welsch, head of the European Crop Protection business, were the headliners at the event and the main news was how BASF sees the global upswing in farming, highlighted by higher prices for farm products, as the start of a long term trend.

There were over 60 ag journalists speaking at least six different languages – English, German, French, Russian, Italian and Spanish or Portuguese (not sure which) – so they represented probably 10 different countries, because we had Americans, British and Irish journalists there. It was amazingly well done. We all had headsets to have the speeches, questions and answers translated – kinda like the United Nations! It was a very class act. Heinz and Welsch spoke in German while the interpreters had to translate the questioners from whatever language they spoke into whatever language we needed to hear.

The picture can give you an idea of what it looked like, and here’s a little sound bite to give you an idea of what it sounded like through the headsets:
basf-global-press.mp3

View the Flickr Photo Album from BASF in Germany

Audio, BASF, Farming, International, Media

Propane Heat Sanitizes

Laura McNamara

Terry Smith with Mississippi State UniversityRaj Hulasare with Temp-Air introduced the application of propane heat remediation at the 2007 Propane Technology Forum and Scientist Terry Smith with Mississippi State University has applied that concept to his research in dairy sanitation. Terry and I discussed how propane heat sanitation offers dairy producers a chemical-free option when maintaining the health of their dairy cows.

You can listen to my interview with Terry here:

Smith_Terry.mp3
Agribusiness, Audio, Dairy, Environment, Farming, Propane, Research, Technology

Zimfo Bites

Melissa Sandfort

  • Monsanto Company has acquired Agroeste Sementes, a leading Brazilian corn seed company, for slightly more than $100 million. Agroeste focuses on hybrid corn seed production and serves farmers throughout Brazil, the world’s third largest corn production area. Brazilian farmers planted approximately 30 million acres of corn in the 2006-07 growing season. Today, Monsanto estimates that the Brazilian hybrid corn seed market is 23 million acres.Agroeste’s corn seed products are currently used on approximately 10 percent of Brazil corn acres. Monsanto’s corn seed products, sold locally through the DEKALB and Agroceres seed brands, are currently used on approximately 30 percent of corn acres in Brazil.
  • FMC introduces Authority® MTZ herbicide, a preplant treatment for soybeans that controls problem weeds, resulting in a clean start for earlier planting next spring. FMC representatives also point to what they call the Flexi-Crop Advantage that Authority MTZ provides. The Flexi-Crop Advantage means that the recropping interval is only four months for corn and small grains (where Authority MTZ has been applied up to 14 oz/A).Authority MTZ controls a variety of broadleaves that have exhibited resistance to glyphosate and/or ALS herbicides. When used as part of a fall burndown program, it provides unmatched residual control of a number of small seeded broadleaves and winter annual weeds including henbit, chickweed, pigweed, marestail, lambsquarters and waterhemp. For maximum control of emerged weeds, apply Authority MTZ as a tank mix with other herbicides such as Rage™ D-Tech, a new burndown herbicide from FMC.
  • American Angus Association members will meet during the 2007 North American International Livestock Exposition, Nov. 10-13 in Louisville, Ky. A full slate of educational and social activities is planned for attendees to the American Angus Association’s 124th Annual Convention of Delegates and the 2007 Super Point Roll of Victory Angus Show. Several new activities and a change of venue at the Kentucky Fair and Expo Center for the meetings are planned this year.
  • Novus International, a leading innovator of animal health and nutrition programs, announces the addition of Jeremy Lutgen as in-house Marketing and Public Relations Specialist. Jeremy brings over seven years of marketing, public relations, media planning and research experience to Novus. Most recently Jeremy was with Osborn and Barr Communications where he was responsible for the planning and purchasing of integrated marketing campaigns for national and international accounts. Jeremy possesses a B.S. degree from Drury University located in Springfield, Mo., in Communications with emphasis in Advertising and Public Relations.
  • A tiny pest called the “panicle rice mite” has been found in the southern U.S. rice growing regions, says a news report sent to USA Rice Daily for publication from the Louisiana State University AgCenter’s Rice Research Station in Crowley, La. The microscopic panicle mite, Steneotarsonemus spinki, has been a major problem in rice fields in Central and South America, the Caribbean and Asia, the report says. Suspect mites must be sent to the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) for a positive identification. Visit the LSU AgCenter for more information.
Zimfo Bytes

Talking Propane

Laura McNamara

perc001a.jpgThe Propane Technology Forum is underway here in Austin, TX. About 100 propane industry experts are on hand sharing ideas about the future of liquid petroleum gas. Industry leaders from across the U.S. are collaborating with other international experts from Mexico and France, focusing on the future of propane growth, marketing and innovation. It’s early in the day, but the morning’s presentations have already touched on an array of uses for propane gas including propane as a fuel source for dehumidifiers and motor vehicles and as an application tool for emissions control and pollution prevention.

I’ll be interviewing several of these industry leaders one-on-one during our breaks to get a better understanding of where the use of propane gas is headed.

Environment, Propane, Technology