On the Cutting Edge of Cotton

Laura McNamara

Case IHThe latest innovation in the cotton industry merges two integral processes to offer growers a more efficient production of cotton. And more growers can get their hands on the technology too. Case IH manufacturing has gone commercial with cotton.

The machine is the Case IH Module Express 625, which allows growers to save capital, fuel and labor by combining cotton harvesting and module building in a single operation. The Benson plant is ramping up production to fill orders for the Module Express in time for this fall’s harvest. The new machine continues a Case IH tradition of cutting-edge cotton technology.The Case IH Module Express has the potential to transform the cotton industry, because it’s designed to fit the needs of ginners as well as growers, says Trent Haggard, Case IH marketing manager for cotton harvesting.

Farmergy“Our engineers made sure that the Module Express fit with existing cotton production practices, with no additional handling, logistics or costs,” Haggard says. “That’s especially important when you consider that many of today’s cotton growers are also gin shareholders… ginning Case IH modules and traditional modules together is a seamless operation. A modern cotton gin that produces 60 ginned bales per hour will be equally maximized while ginning the Case IH module,” Haggard says.
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Ag Groups, Cotton, Equipment, Technology

Farmergy Has Smart Energy Solutions

Chuck Zimmerman

FarmergyFarmergy held a webinar today with U. S. Congressman John Shimkus who gave an energy bill update to start things off. Farmergy is the company started by Osborn & Barr Communications’s Steve Barr who serves as Chairman and Mark Green who is the President and CEO.

Here’s what Farmergy does:

Now you can reduce your operation’s dependence on costly traditional energy while saving time and money. Using renewable energy solutions, Farmergy can help you protect your operation against volatile energy costs, blackouts and power failures.

What can Farmergy do for you?

* Our engineers use a software tool called SmartEnergy PRO™ to analyze your complete energy needs and opportunities
* Complete renewable energy blueprint and plan
* Obtain grants, loans and tax credits specific to agriculture and rural development
* Product sourcing from best-in-class manufactures
* Complete installation with Certified Farmergy Installer

You can hear Mark Green describe Farmergy from today’s webinar here: farmergy-1.mp3

Agribusiness, Audio

Ag Media Summit Update

Chuck Zimmerman

2007 Ag Media SummitIt’s only days until the 2007 Agricultural Media Summit. I’m heading that way on Friday. From what I’ve heard we’re at about 568 registered! Let’s all give Diane Johnson fits and have about 500 more show up as walk-ins. Now that would be cool. Demand to go on Saturday’s tour too. I’ll be there to take the picture.

Okay, so if you’re not going then you know where to turn right? Yeah. You’ve got it. Think photo album, interviews, posts, hopefully some YouTube videos. I’m just not sure how all that will turn out, especially on Saturday since I think we go to a bourbon distillery. I’ll be doing my best.

One of the exciting things about this year’s event is our international attendees. We’ve got 14 media professionals from Mali in western Africa coming. They’ve been at the campus of Oklahoma State doing internships I guess. You can count on me spending some time with them and letting you meet them online.

This event has a lot of groups involved. The first person (not Diane, Den or Steve) who posts a comment correctly identifying all of these will get a set of ZimmComm New Media retractable ear buds. They are, AAEA, LPC, ABM, NACT, ARC and IFAJ.

AgWired coverage of the Ag Media Summit
is being sponsored by: AgraGate Climate Credits Corporation

Ag Media Summit

Beach Boys in Branson at RFD-TV The Theatre

Chuck Zimmerman

Beach BoysIt looks like things are cooking at RFD-TV The Theatre. The Beach Boys are about to kick off their performances starting this week.

Tomorrow they’re having a press conference but I can’t go. Branson is a ways and it’s been a while since I’ve been there. Maybe someday soon. It looks like the show kicks off at 7pm.

From what I’ve heard some big things are happening with the theatre this fall. I’m sure more information will be coming out about that.

Media

Zimfo Bites

Laura McNamara

  • The Progressive Agriculture Foundation is partnering with the Common Ground Alliance (CGA) to develop curriculum to educate residents of rural America about underground utility safety and the importance of safe excavation practices. The information will be delivered during Progressive Agriculture Safety Days. “The CGA works hard to ensure public safety and environmental protection when working with underground utilities,” says Randy J. Bernhardt, executive director-development, Progressive Ag Foundation.
  • The American Phytopathological Society (APS) is pleased to announce the results of the 2007-2008 officer election. Barbara Christ was elected vice president and will serve as APS president in 2009-2010. Michael Boehm was elected councilor-at-large for a three-year term. The new officers will begin their terms at the conclusion of the society’s 2007 meeting that will be held jointly with the Society of Nematologists (SON). The meeting will take place July 28 – August 1, 2007, at the Town and Country Resort and Convention Center, in San Diego, Calif.
  • Responding quickly to the needs of American small businesses, the National Propane Gas Association and 14 other trade associations formed a joint coalition to fight the new U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) chemical security regulations. “These rules have a disproportionate impact on agricultural businesses and farmers,” said Jim Thrift, VP for the Agricultural Retailers Association. “The agricultural community not only has to comply with the new rules on propane but a number of other common agricultural chemicals used in food production and farming.”
Zimfo Bytes

Rich Schell Starts Schellacres.com

Chuck Zimmerman

Rich SchellJoining the agriblogging ranks is Rich Schell, author, attorney and writer on food and agriculture from the Chicago area. Rich is “the immediate past president of The Chicago Farmers, taught Law for Illinois Agricultural Entrepreneurs at Joliet Junior College and has spoken at the Illinois Organic Production Conference, Illinois Specialty Growers, World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Organic Trade Association.”

You can find him at Schellacres.com where he’s written a very nice post about yours truly. Thanks Rich. Here’s a line from that post that shows me he “gets it.” It’s a great time because just as farm demographics are shrinking media options are expanding dramatically, and broadband access is expanding across rural regions.

He’s also getting ready to start podcasting and when he does I’ll let you know. We’ve been chatting about this new media thing for a while now and I’m glad to see him launching off into the blogosphere. Here’s a little bit more about Rich.

He grew up in Polo, Illinois as part of a farm family and focuses his law practice on the agricultural, food and publishing industries, counseling clients on intellectual property, immigration and international business transactions, among other matters. He started Schellacres.com as a way to connect agricultural and food entrepreneurs, green, biofuel, and fiber businesses, as well as international agribusinesses, with the business and legal expertise needed to help their enterprises grow.

Uncategorized

AgraGate Climate Credits Corporation Announced

Chuck Zimmerman

AgraGate Climate Credits CorporationFarmers now have a new revenue stream to tap into courtesy of AgraGate Climate Credits Corporation. This brand new company has been formed by the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation. It was just officially announced this morning. Cindy has already had a chance to interview their CEO, Dave Krog.

AgraGate Climate Credits Corp. was created to expand the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) Carbon Credit Aggregation Program, which began in 2003. With more than 1,000,000 acres aggregated from American farmers, ranchers and private forest owners in 16 states, AgraGate is the nation’s leading supplier of carbon credit aggregation services to agriculture. We’re committed to helping producers take advantage of the new market in four ways. AgraGate will:

  • Provide essential services that educate farmers, ranchers and forest owners about the financial opportunities available to them through carbon credits.
  • Provide a means for participants to easily register their credits.
  • Manage the trading program in a way that will provide superior results for participants.
  • Manage a credit database system that provides highly reliable credit tracking, reporting and certification.

You can learn all about AgraGate in Cindy’s interview with Dave (9 min): agragate-krog.mp3

AgraGate Climate Credits Corporation will be sponsoring all my coverage here on AgWired at the upcoming Agricultural Media Summit! We’ll be learning more about them and what this means to producers together. I participated in their announcement today and have even more information coming shortly so stay tuned.

Ag Media Summit, Agribusiness, Audio

Tasty Food and Wine From The Valley

Chuck Zimmerman

Salute To The ValleyThey’ll be saluting agriculture on the west coast very soon. Any announcement that contains phrases like “menu of local produce and bold red wines” catches my attention. So check out the Taste of The Valley Food and Wine Show.

The Salinas Valley, located on the Central Coast of California and known as the “Salad Bowl of the World,” will be the setting this September for the 2007 Salute to Agriculture fresh produce, food and wine show.

The annual vintner and culinary event begins Wednesday, Sept. 12, with an exclusive limited-seating, multicourse dinner pairing produce and wine to be served under a canopy overlooking the picturesque Salinas Valley. This new VIP Pairing Dinner will feature a Mediterranean-fused menu of local produce and bold red wines from the San Antonio Valley wine region, the newest viticulture area of Monterey County.

On Thursday, Sept. 13, the annual Agricultural Leadership Awards Luncheon will honor an outstanding leader in the produce industry, with a menu highlighting fresh produce and wine. An invitation-only VIP bus tour for food editors, writers and specially invited legislators on Friday, Sept. 14, will give an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the Salinas Valley’s innovative growing and processing facilities and the area’s bountiful vegetable fields.

Friday’s grand finale will be the Taste of the Valley Food and Wine Show, featuring local growers, vintners and award-winning chefs preparing new and vintage menus made up of Salinas Valley produce and wines. The evening event also includes the second annual Earth to Eats series of chef demonstrations that will combine celebrity chefs and wine experts with the region’s bounty to create healthy menus.

Farm Shows, Food

Talking Live With Jay

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast-129 - Live With JayLive With Jay is a weekly program on Hot Talk 1510 in Kansas City, MO. I was in KC recently and met show host Jay Liebenguth. He recorded an interview with me for his show which aired last Thursday. In the interview we talk about how ZimmComm New Media got into this whole blogging and podcasting thing.

Jay says that he’s fascinated by people who have the entrepreneurial spirit and his show focuses on learning what they do and why. Here’s how he describes the show: “Live with Jay is a weekly discussion about business issues that face the ownership and management of all sized businesses in the Kansas City metropolitan Live With Jayarea. It’s all about the journey. Celebrating the highs and the lows, the ups and downs and all the decisions in between.”

The program ends with music from the Podsafe Music Network and Boom Boom Beckett. The song is “Summertime.” It’s a jazz number that fits right in on a hot summer day. I hope you enjoy it.

You can download and listen to the ZimmCast here: Listen To ZimmCastZimmCast 129 (30 min MP3)

Or listen to this week’s ZimmCast right now:

zimmcast129-7-23-07.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, ZimmCast

Paulsen AgriBranding and Blogging

Chuck Zimmerman

Paulsen AgriBrandingI’ve mentioned Paulsen Marketing before but don’t think I’ve made direct mention of a recently developed division of their company called Paulsen AgriBranding. Thanks to Bryan Bjerke for bringing it to my attention.

While visiting their website I noticed their blog and the fact that they’re kind of farming in the office.

Bryan will be attending next week’s Ag Media Summit so I’ll see him there. See you there too!

Agencies