Center For Food Integrity Launched

Chuck Zimmerman

Center For Food IntegrityA new organization has been launched to increase consumer trust in our food supply. The Center For Food Integrity is actually a combination of two existing projects and has a lot of organizational backing.

The Center for Food Integrity is a combination of The Grow America Project and Best Food Nation, two national initiatives established in 2006 to increase public understanding about the food system.

According to Andy Miller, Indiana Agriculture Director, the organization’s primary mission is to engage with stakeholders, model practices that build trust with consumers, and share accurate, balanced information about the U.S. food system.

“The Center for Food Integrity will be a resource where consumers and other stakeholders can find information about the food system and discuss important issues,” Miller says. “We are providing leadership in building consumer trust and confidence in the contemporary U.S. food system.” Miller said the new entity has support from more than 20 organizations representing each segment of the food chain, including farmers and ranchers, processors, and companies that deliver food products under local, regional and global brand names, and government.

You might remember me pointing you to Best Food Nation last year and suggesting they start a blog. Well they did. The only thing is, there’s only 2 posts and they’re both from last year, once in June, once in November. This effort needs a full time blogger working for it and I know an award winning ag reporter (jpg) who can do it. In fact, she started her career working for Florida Farm Bureau and producing a consumer-targeted radio program called Consumriculture.

Ag Groups, Food

Me And My Mighty Mouse

Chuck Zimmerman

Me and Mighty MouseIt’s been an interesting day. Activities included getting ready for the NAMA convention and our ZimmComm/Truffle booth as well as numerous client calls and new project discussions. The first quarter here at ZimmComm has been record setting and a benchmark for the future.

Even with all the calls and activities though I had a chance to get in a little Mac lesson. My good friend, Steve, said he just couldn’t handle the Apple Mighty Mouse so he said I could have it if I liked it. Well I do. This is a mouse without a tail and there’s nothing protruding from the Mac either since it’s connected via Bluetooth. It took almost 1 minute to plug in the batteries and connect. Then maybe another 2 minutes to set the buttons the way I want and there’s one less cord to deal with. This little dude isn’t shaped quite like a “regular” mouse. The little scroll button on top lets you navigate 360 degrees, not just up/down or right/left. There’s only one button on the front but it knows the difference between a left and a right click. And finally, if you give it a gentle squeeze on the sides it kicks in a function called Expose which allows you to see all your open windows at once. When you have as many windows open as I usually do this is very handy. I don’t think a PC can do that can it?

So, I’ll have some more posts coming soon but in the meantime I thought I’d give you a Mac update.

Uncategorized

World Water Day

Chuck Zimmerman

World Water DayThursday is World Water Day and the Food & Agriculture Organization is having an event. The theme is: Coping with Water Scarcity.

This year’s theme highlights the increasing significance of water scarcity worldwide and the need for increased integration and cooperation to ensure sustainable, efficient and equitable management of scarce water resources, both at international and local levels.

Jean-Marc Faurès, an FAO expert in Water Resources, Development and Management Service and one of the Day coordinators says: “Need to adapt to local problems and situations.” You can listen to Jean-Marc here: fao-faures-water-day.mp3

Audio

NAMA Turns 50

Chuck Zimmerman

NAMA 50I guess NAMA is now 50. That’s the National Agri-Marketing Association for those of you outside the United States who haven’t been reading AgWired for long.

As the Agri-Marketing Conference & Trade Show gets nearer I’m sure we’ll hear more about this. I just happened to be on the NAMA website today and noticed the milestone logo.

If you haven’t registered for the NAMA convention yet, what are you waiting for. Here’s why you should get a move on.

The early registration deadline and hotel cut-off date for the 2007 Agri-Marketing Conference, “Think Big!”, is March 21.

Make your reservations before March 21 to ensure the early registration rate and secure a hotel room. Registration rates will increase after March 21 and hotel reservations made after that same date are subject to higher rates and potential unavailability.

Register now for the agri-marketing event of the year at http://www.nama.org/amc/register.html or call the NAMA office to register at 913-491-6500.

Do not forget to stop by the ZimmComm/Truffle booth for some good stuff!

NAMA

Meet The Cenex Guy

Chuck Zimmerman

Cenex GuyHe’s a super hero. He’s Cenex Guy.

Just in case you’ve missed him he’s got several tv commercials running and you can make him your desktop background calendar too.

The man with the red shirt, black cap and thousand-acre stare can now be seen on a number of markets across the country.

The Cenex Guy is a proud symbol of the hardworking energy products marketed under the Cenex brand.

Advertising, Agribusiness

Zimfo Bites

Chuck Zimmerman

  • FMC Corporation announces today that Brigade 2EC insecticide/miticide has received approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for uses on additional crops to control a wide range of insect pests. Brigade 2EC initially received a label in 2006 for use in cotton; the product now has an approved FIFRA Section 3 federal label to include all former Capture 2EC uses. Additionally, new crops have been added, including dry beans & peas, leafy brassicas, tobacco and tuberous & corm vegetables including potatoes and sweet potatoes.
  • Metro KC Kids Get a New Perspective on Their Food: More than 600 kids from across the KC Metro will learn that food doesn’t come from the grocery store. They’ll learn the origin of everything from crust to cheese to tomato sauce at an agricultural pizza party. On Tuesday, March 27, the students and a number of educators will get the hands-on lesson as part of the 2007 bi-state observance of National agriculture Day (Ag Day) at the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame in Bonner Springs, Kan.
  • Land O’Lakes board elections complete; officers, committee chairs selected: Delegates elected a slate of six nominees to the corporate board of directors during the Land O’Lakes Annual Meeting, Feb. 21-22 in Minneapolis. The recently elected directors included two new board members and four incumbent board members.
  • The Appaloosa Horse Club kicks off its trail riding season with the annual Apache Land Trail Ride May 6 –12, 2007 at Chihenne Ranch near the historic mining town of Winston, N.M. The Apache Land Trail Ride is a trail ride conducted in a wagon-wheel fashion. Every morning riders will wake in base camp at Chihenne Ranch nestled in the beautiful foothills of Black Range, and spend the day experiencing new and exciting trails. The paths wind through the once ideal hunting grounds of Apache and Pueblo Indians, climbing to elevations of more than 8,500 feet! All breeds of horses are welcome to take part in this exciting adventure!
Zimfo Bytes

Swiss Farmers Welcome You (and Celebrities)

Chuck Zimmerman

Michael Schumacher For Swiss AgricultureThose Swiss are at it again this year with another campaign to promote agriculture within their country. They just kicked it off with people like Formula 1 racing champion, Michael Schumacher (pictured) dressing up for posters and ads. I guess they’re supposed to be wearing farmer shirts (edelweiss style) since all of them have the same ones on. Other stars appearing in the campaign include: Stéphane Lambiel – champion ice skater, Stephanie Glaser – stage and film actress, Stephan Eicher – rock n’ roll musician, as well as Noemi Nadelmann – the famous Swiss opera singer.

Once again, well-known personalities could be engaged to declare their faith in native soil, in keeping with the “Swiss farmers welcome you” slogan. Among them is formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher. At the photo-shooting he emphasized that the quality of the food he consumes is close to his heart. He is convinced that the farm families, thanks to their determination to progress, will grab the future or – as he said it – “give gas”.

The image campaign is intended to instill empathy for the farm families, encourage the purchase of local products and underline the importance of farming for our country. With the participation of these prominent individuals, the Swiss agricultural industry wants to strengthen the dialogue with society. The poster and advertising campaign that has now begun will be complemented by a whole series of further activities: 1st of August brunches on farms, exhibition stands, visits to animal stalls, signposts that attract attention, and school classes on the farms. Also part of this campaign is the Internet website at www.landwirtschaft.ch where one can now see how good one is at designing textiles with edelweiss writing or patterns.

You can see the rest of the posters here.

Ag Groups, International

Getting Ready to Race at the XM Indy 300

Chuck Zimmerman

Homestead Miami SpeedwayIt’s almost race time for the Indy Racing League. The first one is this Saturday at the Homestead Miami Speedway and I’ll be blogging from there both here and on our Domestic Fuel site courtesy of the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council. It’s the XM Satellite Radio Indy 300.

This is a historic race since it’ll be the first one with all the cars running on 100% ethanol. I think they proved last year that these high performance engines run just fine on renewable fuel.

XM Indy 300I’ll probably have some information starting on Friday afternoon. The race isn’t until Sunday evening at 8pm on ESPN2. If you’re watching I’ll wave at you.

It’s the first time the IRL has had the opening race start at night under lights. This ought to be interesting.

Ethanol

Alpha Zeta Conclave 2007

Chuck Zimmerman

Alpha Zeta Conclave St. LouisAlpha Zeta will be having a special 50th Biennial Conclave in St. Louis next week. It’s their 2007 National Agricultural Leadership Conference where students and alumni from all across the country get together.

The NALC features workshops focused on ethics in agribusiness, shaping the image of agriculture and developing sound public policy. AgTours will highlight St. Louis’ position as an agricultural industry leader and logistical hub. We will tour Anheuser Busch Brewery, Monsanto World Headquarters and reseach facilities, the Missouri Botanical Gardens, Melvin Prince Lock and Dam and others. A Chapter Development Pre-Conference Workshop has been added beginning Wednesday night, March 28. There is an additional fee, but it includes lodging and food for the additional night. Also returning to the NALC — bigger and better — is the Career/Internship Fair. Approximately 20 employers are expected along with several midwestern universities who will be on hand to discuss graduate and professional programs.

Ag Groups

Journey Along With Andrew

Chuck Zimmerman

The Journey of Lewis and ClarkThe award winning farm broadcasting farmer from Northwest Missouri, Andrew McCrea has a new CD out. It’s called “The Journey of Lewis and Clark, A guide to the Lewis and Clark expedition.” He’s also a story teller.

History comes to life! Captivating and insightful, The Journey of Lewis and Clark goes on the trail, taking the route of the expedition. Award-winning journalist Andrew McCrea masterfully intertwines the present and the past, allowing listeners to hear from a variety of voices, including the captains themselves through their journals. What results is a story that captures spirit of all ages.

The Journey provides insights into how the events of 1804-1806 shaped not only the expedition, but affords glimpses of their impact two centuries later. A mix of the well-known and little-known, each of the features brings new information to listeners, no matter how much or little they may know of the Lewis and Clark story.

You can purchase the 2 CD set on his website along with other CD’s that contain episodes of his American Countryside series.

Media