Cream of the Seafood Crop

Laura McNamara

John Deere Ag Management SolutionsThe salty fruits of the sea are rising in popularity with consumers, and health benefits are being touted as one of main reasons for the rise in seafood consumption. The National Fisheries Institute says data from the NOAA Fisheries show that Americans consumed 16.5 pounds per person last year. That’s up from 16.2 pounds in 2005. NFI says overall seafood consumption has risen 11 percent since 2001.

“Landmark studies from the Institute of Medicine and Harvard Medical School in 2006 found that eating fish twice a week can reduce the risk of dying from a heart attack by 36 percent,” said NFI President John Connelly. “The growth in seafood consumption last year shows that families seek its tremendous health benefits, yet only 20 percent of Americans are following advice from the federal government, American Heart Association and American Dietetic Association to eat fish at least twice a week.”

Shrimp continued to lead seafood consumption, up 0.3 pounds per person to 4.4 pounds for the year. Tilapia, a mild-tasting white fish, moved up to the number five position in overall seafood consumption replacing catfish, which fell to the sixth position. Increases in shrimp, pollock and tilapia consumption helped drive the overall increase. Fresh and frozen seafood consumption was a record 12.3 pounds per capita for 2006, and the total seafood consumed – 4.92 billion pounds edible weight – also set a record.

Connelly continued, “With increased seafood consumption, our nation is moving in the right direction to combat heart disease and obesity-related illnesses. But we must enhance awareness of the importance of eating a variety of seafood – such as canned tuna, salmon, mussels and many others – throughout the lifecycle.”
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Food

Farm Journal Zeros In on New Crop Acres

Laura McNamara

John Deere Ag Management SolutionsNew crops are, well, cropping up everywhere. In fact, Farm Journal Media reports that a significant amount of new corn acres are popping up well outside the corn belt. Farm Journal says its latest campaign to collect data on new crop acres is unprecedented. The agricultural media company says this data collection campaign will serve as a vital tool for advertisers for the 2007 fall selling season.

“We began picking up a lot of crop comments from users on AgWeb following the 2006 harvest and then started seeing the shift when we began collecting 2007 acreage data,” according to Steve Custer, Executive Vice President, publisher of FARM JOURNAL and TOP PRODUCER magazines and who also oversees the company’s Database Strategies division and circulation efforts.

In early March, Farm Journal decided to speed up their data collection simply because of the huge shift that was going to occur this year. Custer reports they expanded the Webster City staff by 50% and extended the call center’s daily hours to meet the goal of making over 400,000 grower calls by the end of August. “We have over half of large growers already updated with 2007 acres so we’re seeing the trends long before USDA reports them,” Custer says.

The findings from Farm Journal’s data collection efforts through the spring absolutely mirrored those USDA reported in the June 29th “Acreage Report”. “Corn acres are growing everywhere,” Custer reports. “In fact, a lot of the new acres are coming from far outside the corn belt. The Delta and the southeast are seeing not only huge percentage growth, but some states in those areas are in the top states nationally in terms of the sheer number of new corn acres.”

Cotton growers, in particular, made a big move to corn. Cotton acres are down 28% in 2007, with a majority of those acres being shifted to corn according to what Farm Journal is finding. “We’re finding cotton growers, at an individual grower level, shifting the most. They are shifting more than double the acreage to corn as are soybean growers, for example,” observes Allen Moczygemba, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Database Strategies at Farm Journal. “Cotton growers also are the most likely to be ‘new to corn’ in 2007, many not having grown this crop in recent years.”
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Advertising, Ag Groups, Corn, Cotton, Farming, Media

A Productive InfoAg Conference.

Chuck Zimmerman

John Deere Ag Management SolutionsI know I haven’t posted much from the InfoAg Conference but don’t think I’ve been slacking off. I think I’ve conducted 15 audio interviews and one video clip as well as about 79 photos.

There isn’t a convenient room for media to work in here so that’s made it kind of difficult to be on the floor and in the seminar rooms and get time to edit and post. One of the things I would highly recommend to IPNI/FAR would be a media room. I know I’ve seen at least a half dozen farm reporters here who like me were searching for a place to work with a power outlet and internet access.

I’ll be heading back to ZimmComm New Media world headquarters today and you’ll find these pictures and interviews posted over the next week or so. Some will show up here on AgWired. The majority will be posted onto Precision Pays though. That’s why I spent some quality time with these folks in the John Deere Ag Management Solutions booth as well as their Agri Services booth. I’ve also got content to post onto Domestic Fuel and World Dairy Diary. So I think this has been a productive trip.

2007 InfoAg Conference Photo Album

Ag Groups, John Deere, Precision Agriculture

Precision Ag Awards

Chuck Zimmerman

Precision Ag Awards of ExcellenceAt this morning’s opening session of the 2007 InfoAg Conference several awards were presented by Paul Schrimpf, group editor, Croplife Media Group.

Receiving the awards were:

Arthur F. Lange, Ph.D., Trimble Navigation Limited
Scott A. Shearer, Ph.D., University of Kentucky
Norm Teegardin, Farm Works Software

Ag Groups, Precision Agriculture

Sunrise on POET Biorefining

Chuck Zimmerman

POET LaddoniaThis was the scene this morning as I made my way to Springfield, IL and the InfoAg Conference.

This is the POET Biorefining in Laddonia, MO.

The sun was just coming up. I’m sure that if I got out of the car I would have heard some roosters crowing nearby.

It was a very peaceful scene and being set amid the corn fields of mid Missouri, it was a very appropriate picture for the conference going on here.

Agribusiness, Ethanol, Precision Agriculture

Harold Reetz Welcomes Us To InfoAg

Chuck Zimmerman

Harold ReetzHarold Reetz kicked off things here at the 2007 InfoAg Conference. Harold is director of external support for IPNI and FAR.

I interviewed Harold after the opening session. I have got to believe he’s happy with attendance. The room was full and everyone was at attention. Harold provides an overview of the conference including the fact that there are 60 speakers here doing 100 sessions. The trade show looks good too with over 60 spaces sold.

I’m hearing a lot of optimism for people in the precision agriculture business and Harold echoes that in our interview. infoag-07-reetz.mp3

I am loading photos to Flickr and you can find them here:

2007 InfoAg Conference Photo Album

Ag Groups, Audio, Precision Agriculture

Ag Leader Technology and Norac Get Together Precisely

Chuck Zimmerman

NoracWhen you’ve got a precision agriculture conference going on that has a trade show you know the announcements will be coming out. Here’s the first one I received today.

This morning, Ag Leader Technology, Inc., a leading manufacturer of precision farming equipment, and NORAC, Inc., a pioneer in ultrasonic boom height control for sprayers, announced the introduction of the InSight™ display interface to the UC5™ Spray Height Controller. This new technology will allow operators to control boom height and use the InSight functionality—all in one display.

The new UC5 Spray Height Controller will be interfaced by the InSight display in the tractor or sprayer cab. The InSight display will support set-up, calibration and run time operation of the UC5. Using a CAN-system design there is only a single cable connection needed between Ag Leader and NORAC products.

With the InSight display interface to the UC5 Spray Height Controller users will be able to monitor and control boom height functions as well as view an on-screen coverage map and data log. When using the UC5 interface with the InSight DirectCommand™ system, operators will be able to use features such as AutoSwath™, Smart Report™ and rate control along with spray height control to maximize productivity and reduce operator fatigue. The InSight DirectCommand system also supports variable rate and multiple product application control.

Agribusiness, Precision Agriculture

2007 InfoAg Getting Started

Chuck Zimmerman

InfoAg 2007The 2007 InfoAg is about to get started here in Springfield, IL. Things start out with an opening session and a welcome from Harold Reetz, Director of External Support and the Foundation for Agronomic Research.

We’re also going to see a presentation of the Precision Ag Award of Excellence.

I’m going to be conducting some interviews after the session and during the trade show today. Expect to learn more about precision agriculture right here on the website that brings you what’s new in the world of agribusiness.

Ag Groups, Precision Agriculture

A Golden Voice on the Plains

Chuck Zimmerman

Rocking M Radio, Inc.According to a release sent to me today there’s going to be a new farm radio network on the plains.

Golden Plains Ag Network a division of Rocking M Radio, owner and operator of the largest number of Kansas radio stations, will officially launch Wednesday, Aug. 1. The network will begin operations with 19 affiliated radio stations that are strategically located in the heart of major agriculture producing states Kansas, Texas/Oklahoma Panhandle, Colorado, and Nebraska.

Golden Plains Ag Network will originate from RMR’s flagship station KXXX AM, in Colby, KS. By being in the very center of some of this nation’s largest farms, feed yards, and ranches, the Golden Plains Ag Network will be a more “hands on” and “reality based” voice for agribusiness. Chad Wolf and John Jenkinson are the primary on air personalities for the network. Wolf and Jenkinson bring to GPAN a vast background and experience not only in production agribusiness, but as members of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting, and will provide unbiased and professional reporting of markets and news from the very core of this major agribusiness region.

Kay Leiker, Scott City, KS is directory of marketing for the new network. Leiker brings her knowledge and experience as a top marketing expert to provide clientele of the network, optimum customer service that exceeds their expectations in effective “hands on” advertising.

Media

No “Stick” in Drumsticks

Laura McNamara

WheatwareDrummers won’t be pounding out beats with wood if they start using Wheatware products. Nor will they be using plastic. Instead, they’ll be using, you guessed it, wheat. The new biodegradable product line also offers guitar picks, hangars and more.

To help protect the Earth’s virgin forests and reduce global warming, Wheatware.com, exclusive U.S. distributor of Wheatware™ products, has donated biodegradable-compostable drumsticks, guitar picks, clothes hangers and more — all made using wheat. The company has donated 272 pairs of Wheatware™ Compostable drumsticks, 3,240 Wheatware™ Compostable guitar picks, and 4,100 Wheatware™ Compostable clothes hangers to Live Earth musicians across the world, including London, England; Johannesburg, South Africa; Sydney, Australia; Tokyo, Japan — and best of all, New York City, America.

The launch of Wheatware™ products is part of Wheatware’s Great Switch-Out™ from Wood to Wheat, a campaign to entice people to switch from unsustainable tree products like wood to sustainable, crop-based ones like wheat, thus saving the forests critically needed to halt global warming. The passion of the founders of Wheatware™ is to replace the 45 billion pairs of disposable wood chopsticks produced every year which consume over 25 million virgin forest trees annually. For this reason, Wheatware decided to also include over 664 packages of their chopsticks made from the Wheatware™ BioMass-75 in all the gift bags sent to the Live Earth concerts.Read More

Technology, Wheat