WildBlue Down on the QuickFarm

Chuck Zimmerman

QuickfarmI haven’t heard anything from or about Wild Blue in a long time. I guess they’re doing okay though if they’re hiring Quickfarm to handle a customer web portal for them. This also makes you realize how important the rural market is to a satellite internet access provider. I wonder how many farmer customers WildBlue has.

WildBlueQuickFarm announced today an agreement with WildBlue Communications to provide content and hosting services through the WildBlue Customer Portal.

QuickFarm will provide WildBlue retail subscribers with robust market commentary, national radar weather with zoom and animation, commodity market quotes, Ag news, LDP information, cash grain prices and local news and agronomic information.

An always-on broadband Internet connection, WildBlue’s service offers access speeds that are up to thirty times faster than dial-up. WildBlue’s two-way broadband service provides high-speed data in both directions, upstream and downstream.

Agribusiness, Internet

Big Thinkers Thinking About NAMA

Chuck Zimmerman

NAMA Convention 2007The NAMA Convention Trade Show Committee is meeting right now. We’re hoping you’re “Thinking Big” and planning on being there this year in Dallas.

We’ve got some great plans coming together for the Trade Show. Right after the Best of NAMA you’ll be able to go downstairs to the show and enjoy several varieties of good wine and food, sponsored by DTN. Don’t forget to come look for your AgriMarketing Magazine toy tractor too.

Then we’ll be open for lunch on Thursday of the convention and have a unique game for you with an awesome prize. More on that later. We’re still looking for a sponsor for the Trade Show Lunch session. Interested?

Finally, on Thursday evening we’ll have the closing session and lets just say that you probably have never seen the kind of activity we have planned. It involves animals. It’s sponsored by NAFB. Again, more on that later.

I almost forgot to add that we’ll have a door prize at each session which will be a digital picture frame and one final session prize which will be a 30GB Video iPod!

NAMA

Alltech Symposium on Food, Feed or Fuel

Chuck Zimmerman

Alltech 2007 SymposiumIf you don’t have an invitation to the Alltech 23rd International Feed Industry Symposium, May 20-23, 2007 in Lexington, KY, then you need to contact your local Alltech representative. I’ll be there along with the whole International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) executive committee.

In fact, besides covering the event here on AgWired I’ll be conducting a blogging/podcasting workshop for the IFAJ. This is going to be fun. I hope they all speak at least some English.

The theme of this year’s Symposium is “The New Energy Crisis: Food, Feed or Fuel?” It’s a subject on everyone’s mind.

The shift in corn use toward fuel ethanol has wide-ranging implications for the animal feed industry in terms of feed costs, availability, and ration formulation. It also raises the crucial question of whether ethanol production might place an important human food source out of reach of the world’s population, particularly the poor.

As such, a special goal of this year’s Symposium is to look at how practices, products, and programs will ultimately affect how we utilize feed energy as well as protein ingredient resources.

Agribusiness, IFAJ

2007 PRRS Research Awards

Chuck Zimmerman

2007 PRRS Research WinnersThe folks at Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. have announced the recipients of its 2007 Advancement in PRRS Research Awards.

This year’s selected research programs focus on the development of monitoring and sample diagnostic guidelines, risk factors and transmission of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS). Each year $75,000 is awarded to support three separate studies by independent swine researchers and practitioners in their investigation of new ways to diagnose, control and eradicate this costly swine disease.

The following are the 2007 award recipients and their research proposals recognized at the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) Conference in Orlando, Fla.:

Jeff Zimmerman, DVM, PhD, Iowa State University, Ames (pictured on left) – research award to develop an inexpensive and convenient method for PRRS virus monitoring; to evaluate the stability of PRRS virus; and to develop guidelines for handling and diagnostic monitoring of oral fluid samples.

Derald Holtkamp, DVM, MS, Iowa State University, Ames (pictured in middle) – research award to conduct a cross-sectional study of PRRS-positive swine breeding herd sites to evaluate the association between risk factors and a case definition based on number and severity of clinical PRRS episodes.

Bob Morrison, PhD, MS, University of Minnesota (pictured on right) – for his research proposal to estimate, quantify and compare PRRS virus transmission information between pigs of different PRRS vaccination status.

Agribusiness

Largest Combine in North America

Chuck Zimmerman

Lexion 595RThis is one big combine and it was on display at the Commodity Classic last week.

I really didn’t get much done in the way of video but Cindy got motivated and thought that something this big spinning on a pedestal was worth a minute of YouTube’s time.

So here’s what you’ve got. A minute of: The largest combine in North America, the LEXION 590R, is now available on tracks with the 2007 introduction of the LEXION 595R. Bob Armstrong, product marketing manager in Omaha, says the LEXION 595R uses the proven technology of the 590R—introduced two years ago and still the largest combine in North America—and provides the largest footprint of any combine harvester on the market. The 595R utilizes the Mobil-Trac System, providing more flotation than any tire combination available today at 10.5 PSI and the capability of road speeds up to 18 mph.

Commodity Classic, Equipment, Video

The NAMA Agribusiness Leader of the Year

Chuck Zimmerman

Dale LudwigThe word is out and the NAMA Agribusiness Leader of the Year is Dale Ludwig, Missouri Soybean Association. I just saw Dale at Commodity Classic and congratulated him. I guess we’ll see him in Dallas.

The National Agri-Marketing Association has named Dale R. Ludwig, executive director/CEO of the Missouri Soybean Association and the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council, the 2007 Agribusiness Leader of the Year. This award, which is NAMA’s highest honor, will be presented at the Opening General Session of the 2007 Agri-Marketing Conference, “Think Big!,” April 12, 2007 in Dallas, TX. The award honors outstanding leaders in agribusiness, education, government service or other agribusiness related areas who exemplify excellence in agribusiness by their significant contributions to the industry.

Ludwig is a visionary leader with a proven record of building coalitions to improve Missouri agriculture. He helped forge producer/agribusiness partnerships that have positioned Missouri as a leader in biodiesel production. In addition, he pioneered the effort to identify new traits in soybeans through biotechnology and helped re-position the U.S. soybean commodity with competitive advantages over global competitors.

Ag Groups, NAMA, Soybean

WI Public Service Farm Show

Chuck Zimmerman

Wisconsin Public Service Farm ShowThe 47th Wisconsin Public Service Farm Show is coming up in just a couple weeks.

The show will be held on the EAA Grounds in Oshkosh, WI on March 27, 28 and 29. “For more than four decades, the Wisconsin Public Service Farm Show has provided an opportunity for the agricultural community to check out the latest farming equipment, machinery, tools and services.”

Landoll MaxLandoll says it will have some new equipment on display like the “To The Max” harrow that it acquired from Precision Planting.This product is designed to deliver uniform soil density for vigorously developing roots as a result of a vertical tillage system. The combination of notched cutting reels, rolling harrows and hydraulic cover boards allow the unit to prepare the perfect seedbed. The To The Max works the top inch of soil above the seed placement zone, to spread residue, dry the soil surface and crack surface crusts without changing the soil density. This allows seeds to germinate in warm, moist soil and get off to a healthy start.

Agribusiness, Farm Shows

NAMA Bombers “Thinking Big” in Dallas

Chuck Zimmerman

Little BikerGet your guessing hat on and see if you can figure out who’s in these pictures. I hope you’re looking forward to the annual NAMA convention. Thanks to NAMA Bombers member Jeremy Povenmire for the story.

The NAMA Bombers Motorcycle Club has announced that they will be hosting their “National Run” at this year’s NAMA Conference in Dallas. “We are really excited to get all of our members together in one place. The Minnesota, Kansas and Missouri chapters are all gathering on our machines in KC to make the trip to Dallas. Our President and Road Captain, “Iron Mike” Gustafson is handling the logistics of the trip. He promises to have a route planned so we can make good time and avoid any trouble with “the Man,” says Jeremy Povenmire, NAMA Bombers M/C member.

Baby ChopperStay tuned for more developments and updates to the annual gathering of the NAMA Bombers Motorcycle Club. Support your local NAMA Bombers!

These pics are of a member of the NAMA Bombers circa 1972-1974. E-mail your guesses to jeremy@nafb.com. The winner will be announced at the Convention.

I’m sure there’s a great prize for the winner and I have no clue who it is. Do you?

NAMA

National Agriculture Day News

Chuck Zimmerman

Ag Day LogoIt’s going to be spring very soon and that means we’re getting closer to National Agriculture Day. Here’s some of the latest:

We are pleased to announce the National Ag Day Honorary Chairmen:

Secretary Mike Johanns
U.S. Department of Agriculture

Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry

Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
Ranking Minority, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry

Representative Collin Peterson (D-MN)
Chairman, House Committee on Agriculture

Representative Robert Goodlatte (R-VA)
Ranking Minority, House Committee on Agriculture

Latasha CoteThe winner of the National Ag Day Essay Contest is Latasha Cote, Briar, MO. You can find her essay and a list of all the state winners online. Here’s an excerpt from Latasha’s essay:

I have high hopes on the future of agriculture. It is only the year 2025 and we are well on our way to finding faster and easier ways to farm and statistics say that the number of agriculture majors is at a steady increase. Knowing that our future is in the hands of our youth, I am confident that we will continue to grow as an industry and a nation at large.

Ag Groups

Zimfo Bites

Chuck Zimmerman

  • Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., has relaunched its Web site – www.pioneer.com – to bring growers and other users updated content, improved navigation and a more user-friendly, results-driven search engine. Pioneer focused on feedback from growers, Pioneer customers, employees and media to drive the Web site relaunch project.
  • Hero insecticide from FMC receives EPA registration. Hero delivers fast knockdown and longer control of many foliar pests and has just received EPA registration in field, seed and sweet corn, cotton, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, head lettuce, head and stem brassicas, pecans, succulent peas and beans.
  • 56th Annual National (Poultry) Breeders Roundtable Announced. The seminar will be held May 3-4 at the Airport Marriott Hotel in St. Louis, Mo. The program, sponsored by the Poultry Breeders of America and the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, will allow poultry breeders the opportunity to share knowledge and ideas in order to maintain a progressive and dynamic poultry breeding and genetics industry.
  • The deadline for submitting entries into the 2007 AAEA Writing, Photo and Design Awards Program is Monday, April 16. Entry fees are the same as last year: $20 per writing entry; $10 per design entry; and $5 per photo entry.
  • The history and, in many cases, benchmark discoveries gained during the past 20 years of beef checkoff-funded research are profiled in the new research annual report, Creating Opportunity with Knowledge. This year’s report provides a historical perspective on many key issues that have confronted and continue to challenge the beef industry and summarizes findings from several benchmark research efforts.
Zimfo Bytes