It’s Fan Fair in Full Force

Chuck Zimmerman

CMA Music Festival Street SceneThe heat is on here in Nashville at the CMA Music Festival. This is a street scene downtown at about 2nd Ave. and Broadway. Packed with people.

I did a little walk around after spending some time at the New Holland booth which is set up in the Sports Zone. Besides the heat today we had a lot of wind which makes it a little difficult to have much in the way of paperwork at your booth tables.

Cop Writing Ticket on Cop CarOne of the more unique sights here took place yesterday at the end of the parade. Have you ever seen one cop writing a ticket on another cop car?

That’s what we came across. There was a whole line of parked police cars and this guy was writing tickets on all of them. We even asked him if that’s what he was really doing. He said he was. Now that’s some good tax dollars at work. Just think about it a minute.

CMA Music Festival Photo Album

New Holland

PERC’ed Up To Go To Washington

Chuck Zimmerman

PERCI’ve written about the Propane Education & Research Council before but not often. That’s going to change next week as I attend Propane Days, which is sponsored in part by PERC. Propane Days is put on by the National Propane Gas Association to educate policymakers on the benefits of propane. I’ll be there for a couple of days to chronicle and write about PERC’s involvement.

Propane DaysWhile I’m there I’ll be conducting interviews, taking pictures and talking with PERC staff and members about what they do. It’s going to be a learning experience which we’ll do together.

Propane Exceptional EnergySome of the topics I’m sure we’re going to be covering include: propane in agriculture, flame cultivation, crop defoliation, propane in irrigation, pest management and the economics of using propane. We’ll be finding out why they say Propane is Exceptional Energy.

Ag Groups, Propane

Ford Foundation Fund Offers Grants to Colleges and Universities

Laura McNamara

U.S. Poultry and EggApplications for grants from the U.S. Poultry & Egg Harold E. Ford Foundation are now available. The Foundation’s Poultry Science Education Fund supports student recruitment for poultry and science courses at colleges and universities that do not offer a poultry science degree.

Any institution of higher education in the United States that offers an identifiable poultry science program is eligible to apply for a recruitment grant of up to $7,000.

A committee of poultry science school professionals will evaluate funding requests and make recommendations to the board of directors of the U.S. Poultry & Egg Harold E. Ford Foundation. The number of proposals accepted each year varies depending on need and how the funds are intended to be used. Institutions may apply for a grant by completing the form available at: http://www.poultryegg.org/StudentOutreach/docs/psef_app.pdf. Please forward nine copies to U.S. Poultry & Egg Harold E. Ford Foundation before Aug. 1.

About the U.S. Poultry & Egg Harold E. Ford Foundation
Established in 1994, the U.S. Poultry & Egg Harold E. Ford Foundation funds recruitment and retention efforts at colleges and universities with poultry science departments. The foundation also funds research projects that benefit the poultry and egg industry. Research summaries are posted on the USPOULTRY Web site.

Education

Keeping Stock of Livestock

Laura McNamara

Lion Edge TechnologiesOr even wildlife for that matter. Lion Edge Technologies, a family-run company that develops affordable record keeping software specifically for the livestock industry thought AgWired readers should know about what they do.

Lion Edge Technologies says its software enables customers to make profitable decisions on any livestock operation, large and small. Different programs are specified for various livestock including cattle, sheep, goat, equine and wildlife. Ranchers can manage multiple types of livestock in one package with the Livestock Edition. Software purchases come with free technical support and free product updates.

Advertising, Ag Groups, Agribusiness, Horses, Livestock

Immigration Key Issue of 2007 Ag Symposium

Laura McNamara

American Agri-WomenA host of women in the agriculture industry will converge on Washington the week of June 10th for the annual American Agri-Women Agricultural Issues Symposium and Fly-in. This year’s symposium will be centered around immigration reform within the realm of agriculture.

Members of the media and all interested parties are invited to attend the 15th Annual Agricultural Issues Symposium on Monday, June 11, 2007, at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The 2007 AAW Agricultural Issues Symposium is titled, “Hands for the Harvest – Immigration Reform for Agriculture.” Speakers scheduled include: Craig Regelbrugge, Co-Chair, Agricultural Coalition for Immigration Reform; Jennifer Korm, White House Office of Public Liaison; Karen Williams, on staff with Rep. Adam Putnam, FL. Invited are: Amy Pope on staff of Senator Feinstein and a representative of the League of United Latin American Citizens. This is a complex issue of great importance to agriculture both for production and processing.

The Symposium will be held in Room 107-A of the Jamie Whitten Administration Building at 12th and Independence Avenue from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. Members of the public are welcome.

Leaders of American Agri-Women (AAW) from throughout the country will gather in Washington, DC, the week of June 10 for the organization’s annual Washington, DC, Agricultural Issues Symposium and Fly-in. During the week, the group will meet with officials at the US Department of Agriculture, US Department of Energy and the Council on Environmental Quality, and with Members of Congress.

Key issues the group will be working on include endangered species act reform; immigration reform; and promotion of increased production and utilization of renewable fuels.

AAW is the national coalition of farm, ranch and agribusiness women’s organizations, with over 50 state and commodity affiliate organizations.

Ag Groups, Ag Media Summit, Agribusiness, Farm Policy

Michael Peterson Was The Man in Black Today

Chuck Zimmerman

He’s the star out here at the CMA Music Festival as far as I’m concerned. He’s Michael Peterson and he was looking very relaxed today at the parade that took place only a few hours ago. Michael will be performing at the Riverfront stage on Saturday morning and I think I’ll be backstage for that performance.

Prior to the parade I interviewed Michael and he talks about the type of stars out today and who he thinks the real stars are (they wear blue jackets even in the searing heat).

By the way, in case you’re wondering about using YouTube, consider this. Last year I posted a video of Tanya Tucker competing in the Michael Peterson/New Holland Celebrity Tractor Race and it’s been downloaded almost 13,000 times since then! She’s back this year and I will videotape it.

CMA Music Festival Photo Album

New Holland, Video

FFA Advisor Jumps in With Both Feet

Chuck Zimmerman

Andy Moore is the ag teacher at Westmoreland High School in Westmoreland, TN. He’s new on the job and coming out to the CMA Music Festival parade today was an introductory activity with the school’s FFA chapter. The chapter members are out here to help work in the New Holland booth in the Chevy Sports Zone area. I’ll have pictures from there tomorrow when things really get started.

Prior to today’s race I interviewed Andy about his job and what his FFA chapter is here to do. He says that not only will the chapter earn some money but he can’t imagine a better venue to do it in.

CMA Music Festival Photo Album

New Holland, Video

New Holland Boomer Pulls The Load

Chuck Zimmerman

Boomer TractorsDid I mention that we had a New Holland Boomer pulling the float out here at the CMA Music Festival parade?

This is the top of the roll bar from the tractor. Right at the start we almost had a problem since I was standing up on the trailer and wasn’t ready for the sudden movement when we got started. But with a little luck I kept my balance. After that sudden start we had a smooth ride throughout the parade.

It was a hot day in Nashville but there was a big crowd out early for the parade. As you might have heard from the video I posted earlier Michael Peterson has a lot of fans here. They kept shouting out his name and were happy just to get him to wave in their general direction.

CMA Music Festival Photo Album

New Holland