This Babe Partners With Pioneer

Chuck Zimmerman

Babe WinkelmanThis guy sounds like a person I can get along with. Babe Winkelman has partnered up with Pioneer Hi-Bred to provide more forage for Minnesota’s wildlife.

“We’re planting seeds for all types of wildlife – deer, turkey, pheasants, ducks, geese, bear,” says Babe Winkelman, host of “Good Fishing” and “Outdoor Secrets.” “It’s far beyond a small plot that offers food to a few animals in the wilderness.”

The “plot” on Winkelman’s 262-acre ranch in Perham, Minn., comprises approximately 60 acres of fields and 55 acres of native prairie grasses plus the woods of his property. Winkelman has maintained this forage refuge for five years, with 2007 being the first year Pioneer has participated in the project. The company has provided Winkelman with Pioneer brand soybean and corn hybrids with the Roundup Ready gene, grain and forage sorghum, alfalfa and sunflowers. The progress of this plot also will be featured on upcoming episodes of “Outdoor Secrets.”

“There aren’t a lot of crops grown especially for wildlife,” explains Winkelman. “A lot of us who want to be immersed in wildlife choose to plant these plots ourselves.” “We’re happy to help Babe provide food to more species by expanding the number of crops grown in his plot,” says Marty Lovrien, Pioneer account manager for central Minnesota. “He recognizes the importance of a high-quality forage refuge, and we want to assist by providing seed with the highest yield potential.” In addition to high-quality seeds, Winkelman also understands other steps needed to assure a quality refuge spot for wildlife in his area.

Agribusiness

The Weather Is Wacky

Chuck Zimmerman

Water in Corn FieldI suppose things could be worse than a little water standing in your field. However, an active bunch of storm systems has certainly made it wet around the midwest. This is a field near my house. When I flew in to St. Louis yesterday some of the nearby fields looked like lakes.

I’ve got one project pending since the conditions in north central Missouri haven’t been real conducive to planting soybeans yet. It’s not looking like that’s going to change in the next couple days.

Early CornI guess the extent of planting for corn or soybeans is pretty mixed right now around the country. The southeast is dry the upper midwest is wet.

One thing this weather also affects is flying. How many of you have had weather problems with flights lately?

A strong band of thunderstorms also interfered with my bike ride today too. These pics are actually from the Katy Trail. I didn’t get too far though. There’s just something about lighting and being on a metal frame that bothers me.

Farming

Monty’s Plant Food Podcast

Chuck Zimmerman

Monty's Plant Food PodcastAnother former farm broadcaster is doing the farm podcasting thing. This time it’s Price Allen, Monty’s Plant Food. I stopped in and spoke with Price after the National Farm Machinery Show and it looked to me like he was equipped and ready to go.

Now he’s got Monty’s Plant Food Podcast. Here’s a link to the post with his first show (just last week). For those of you who are podcast pros, here’s the RSS link.

Let him know what you think. He’s looking for feedback.

Podcasts

Demanding Fruits & Vegetables

Chuck Zimmerman

Produce For Better Health FoundationActually the produce isn’t demanding but the Produce For Better Health Foundation wants you to demand more of them. And now BASF is helping them out by partnering up. It’s part of their support for the fruit and vegeatable industry.

As part of this partnership, BASF recently committed to a five-year $100,000 sponsorship to help fund the foundation’s research. BASF is already an active member of the foundation, and this $100,000 commitment will fund new research concentrating on women ages 25 to 41 with families. The goal of this research is to find ways to overcome barriers to increased fruit and vegetable consumption. The Produce for Better Health Foundation is a non-profit consumer education foundation whose mission is to motivate Americans to eat more fruits and vegetables to improve public health. The organization recently unveiled a new public health initiative, Fruits & Veggies—More Matters.

Ag Groups, Agribusiness, Food

Ethanol On Stage At National Press Club

Chuck Zimmerman

Dean Broadhead and Bobby Rahal at National Press ClubMany of you may know Dean Broadhead, Broadhead+Co seen here next to Bobby Rahal today at the National Press Club. Dean’s company is an AgWired advertiser and also does work with the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council. He and Tom DiBacco were on hand at today’s event.

Just in case you’d like to hear the whole speech and question and answer session I thought I’d post it here for you to listen to. It’s 50 minutes long but I think you’ll find it very interesting and entertaining, especially when it gets to Q&A. Bobby did a great job and showed what a true professional he is. He’s got some great anecdotes about his days in racing for example.

You can listen to the whole event here:

nat-press-club-07-conf.mp3

Bobby Rahal at National Press Club Photo Album

Agencies, Audio, Ethanol

Bobby Rahal Talks About Green Racing

Chuck Zimmerman

Bobby Rahal at National Press ClubIt’s been a while since I’ve been to the National Press Club. This was a fun event today.

For the first time ever an Indianapolis 500 winner spoke at the National Press Club today. Bobby Rahal spoke about “The Greening of Racing: Ethanol Powers the Indianapolis 500.″I’ll be there to watch it happen and chronicle it here and on Domestic Fuel.

Today Bobby put in another great performance as he spoke about his passion for racing and what the IRl is doing with ethanol.

Bobby said that he is proud of what the Indy Racing League has done to move to an environmentally friendly fuel because it means they’re focused on more than just entertainment and on what matters and is important to people in their everyday lives here in our country.

You can listen to an excerpt from his speech here:

nat-press-club-07-rahal.mp3

Of course I’ve created an online photo album from the event you are welcome to visit: Bobby Rahal at National Press Club Photo Album

Audio, Ethanol

Getting Ready For Lunch With Bobby Rahal

Chuck Zimmerman

Bobby RahalGood morning from Washington, DC. We were having a little server work done this morning (if you noticed). That’s done now.

I’ll be attending a lunch presentation with this guy in about an hour and will be back online this afternoon with some posts.

The greening of racing is a very interesting phenomenon and Bobby Rahal is going to talk about it. I’ll be recording his remarks and taking pictures. Of course you know that.

Ethanol

In The Coffee Zone

Chuck Zimmerman

Taisir YanisBefore hitting the road today I had to stop in for a meeting at my favorite coffee shop in Jefferson City. Taisir Yanis has some of the best brews you’re going to find at his place, Coffee Zone.

This post is actually a demo for the person I’m meeting with since it’s the best way I know to show someone what I do. It’s like my presentations. Why use PowerPoint when you can show live web sites?

So after some high level caffeine I’ll be on the road to Washington, DC for a National Press Club speech tomorrow by Bobby Rahal. See you there.

Food

AFBF Wants More Rural High Speed Internet

Chuck Zimmerman

American Farm Bureau FederationThe push to get broadband out in the countryside continues. Now I hope everyone realizes that there’s probably no place left you can’t get high speed internet if you want it. But the choices certainly are limited in many areas. Right here in Jefferson City, MO, we have only a couple choices. Now the American Farm Bureau Federation is getting in on the act. They know that rural America needs to be AgWired! I’m not sure which PEW Internet study they’re quoting from but it’s one of them. So, basically, they’re urging support for a Senate bill to provide incentives to build more broadband access in rural areas.

Rural Americans lag behind urban and suburban residents in the use and availability of high-speed Internet connections, according to AFBF. Twenty-four percent of rural Americans have high-speed Internet access at home, compared to 39 percent of urban and suburban residents.

“Access to high-speed Internet access is important to rural America. Broadband plays a critical role in health, education and economic development,” AFBF President Bob Stallman said in a letter to U.S. senators.

A 2006 report from the Commerce Department shows that broadband Internet access enhances the economic growth and performance of communities. A three-year study by the department indicates communities with broadband access significantly outpaced communities without broadband access in terms of employment, overall number of businesses and property values.

Farm Bureau is urging support for S. 1190, new legislation sponsored by Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) that would provide $40 million annually for a competitive, matching grant program to improve access to broadband Internet service. If approved, 80 percent of funding for the program would come from the federal government, with state and private funds supplying the remaining 20 percent.

That lag of 15% they quote here may seem big but keep in mind that the 24% number is significant. You can be sure that when it comes to farmers at high income levels the number is significantly higher.

Ag Groups, Internet

May I See You Somewhere

Chuck Zimmerman

After a couple days to get caught up (right) it’s time to head out on the highway. Here’s a few of the places you’ll find me in May.

This Friday I’ll be in Washington, DC at the National Press Club covering a speech by Bobby Rahal, Rahal-Letterman Racing. He’ll be talking about the Greening of Racing. A topic near and dear to my heart.

I’m going to do my best to attend next week’s Gateway NAMA meeting in St. Louis. The topic is “Outlook of the Agricultural Industry through the Eyes of the National Corn Growers Association & the American Soybean Association. I’m very behind in keeping up our chapter website but I’ll try to get that taken care of over the next week. Anyone want to volunteer to help?

Then I’m going to be in Chicago the next week for an ethanol industry related event on which I really don’t have many details yet.

After that I’ll be attending an Elanco “sensory briefing.” You will learn more about that along with me.

Following that one I’ll be in Louisville for the IFAJ Board Meeting at which I’m giving a presentation on blogging and podcasting and attending the Alltech International Feed Industry Symposium. That’s all about “The New Energy Crisis: Food, Feed, or Fuel?”

Then it’s off to Indianapolis for the Indy 500, the greatest event in racing. You can count on Team Ethanol being there in force to celebrate the relationship that has led to the League switching to a renewable fuel source.

Finally I’ll be giving a presentation on new media at the Canadian Animal Health Institute annual meeting where their theme is “Harnessing Technology to Expand Markets.”

I’d say that makes for a pretty full month don’t you?

Elanco