Map Them Soybeans

Chuck Zimmerman

Soybean Genome Facility AnnouncementBefore we get to the story, here’s who’s in this picture: U.S. Senator Kit Bond explains the importance of the new Soybean Genome Mapping Facility, along with Dale R. Ludwig, MSA executive director/CEO; U.S. Congressman Kenny Hulshof; U.S. Senator Jim Talent; MU Chancellor Brady Deaton; Tom Payne, MU Vice Chancellor and Dean of College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources; MU President Elson Floyd; and Henry Nguyen, Endowed Professor for Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council. Courtesy of Missouri Soybean Association. I resized the picture. It was bigger but you could see a couple of sets of closed eyes (not mentioning who). Kit, I wonder if you were going a little long.

Today the Missouri Soybean Association applauded the opening of the Soybean Genome Mapping Facility, an expansion of the National Center for Soybean Biotechnology at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Mo. NCSB scientists play a national leadership role in developing improved soybean varieties to keep U.S. producers competitive in the marketplace.

The NCSB is a collaborative program among scientists at MU, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service Plant Genetics Unit in Columbia and the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, Mo. There are currently more than 25 researchers working together from diverse fields including agronomy, microbiology and plant pathology, biochemistry, animal science, food science, molecular biology and agricultural economics.

Thanks Haley for the picture. See, they really do help get you posted!

Ag Groups, Soybean

Wheatgrass Nationally, Naturally I’m Sure

Chuck Zimmerman

USFarmsWhat is Wheatgrass? This is a new one on me. I’m just trying to picture a bottle of Wheatgrass juice and having a hard time with it. Here’s a website where you can learn more about it. Here’s another one. My gosh, a Google search brought up 84,700 results. Maybe these guys are on to something.

US Farms, Inc. announced today that it has entered the Wheatgrass market with plans to grow, market, and distribute Wheatgrass on a national level. Production growing for Wheatgrass is scheduled to begin later this month.

Yan K. Skwara, President of US Farms, Inc., stated, “We are very excited to be entering the Wheatgrass market as it is a very popular health product with many Americans today. Wheatgrass juice is considered one of nature’s most nutrient rich plants and has demonstrated exceptional health promoting and healing qualities. Wheatgrass is consumed in one form or another by thousands of Americans and animals across the US on a daily basis. Everything from selling wheatgrass shoots to health consumers to offering different natural juices that have Wheatgrass mixed into the juice blend are some of the many uses for Wheatgrass today.

Agribusiness, Food

Better Late Feed Than Never

Chuck Zimmerman

National Agricultural Statistics ServiceI thought it was interesting that in my USDA/NASS news feed today I got one for a report that was published on August 18. Kind of took a while to update the feed, eh?

Issued August 18, 2006 by the National Agricultural Statistics Service, Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The Agricultural Prices 2005 Annual Summary, has been published and is available at: http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/MannUsda/
viewDocumentInfo.do?documentID=1003. This publication contains multiple years of price data for NASS estimated commodities.

USDA

Water Buffalo Man

Chuck Zimmerman

Water From ice cream to water buffalo milkman, he’s David Rachlin and he’s the new CEO of The Woodstock Water Buffalo Company.

How do you milk a water buffalo? “I’m told my first milking assignment already has been posted — in bold ink, underlined and with two explanation points — on my first week’s schedule at the dairy,” jokes David I. Rachlin, the newly tapped president and chief executive officer of The Woodstock Water Buffalo Company.

The company, headquartered in bucolic South Woodstock, Vt., is the nation’s first and only farmstead dairy whose herds consist exclusively of — yes –water buffalo. The dairy staff members, as well as premium-dairy aficionados, proclaim that The Woodstock Water Buffalo Company offers healthy and indulgent, mild-flavored yogurts and fresh buffalo mozzarella like none other in America. And, according to the incoming president and CEO, his early agenda includes increasing production of the super-premium yogurts and fresh mozzarella, expanding their availability at retail and in foodservice, and creating new offerings. “Feedback from consumers on Woodstock Water Buffalo Company’s yogurts is so passionately positive, that it’s thrilling to consider how high and how broadly our team can build the business,” Rachlin says.

Dairy, Livestock

New Design Coming

Chuck Zimmerman

I just thought I’d give you a heads up that we’re working on a new design for AgWired which will be unveiled within the next couple weeks. I think you’re really going to like it. We’re adding some features that you’ve requested that will make the coolest even cooler.

I just didn’t want you to log on after we make the switchover and do a “Whoa, what’s going on here?” thing. Well, you might anyway but I hope you’ll like it. So stay tuned as we evolve in the new media world.

Uncategorized

Florida Fresh Tomatoes Available – Again

Chuck Zimmerman

Florida Fresh TomatoesIt looks like the advertising campaign the Florida Tomato Committee ran for field fresh Florida tomatoes was a successful one.

The Produce News says they’re going to do it again.

Thanks in large part to a national television ad campaign, Florida field-grown tomatoes have enjoyed an increase in market share over rival hothouse-grown beefsteak and on-the-vine varieties, Samantha Winters, director of education and marketing for the Florida Tomato Committee, said at the group’s organizational meeting during the 31st annual Joint Florida Tomato Conference held here Sept. 5-10 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

Ag Groups, Food

Biomass Tractorcade

Chuck Zimmerman

American Agriculture MovementIt looks like more than just ethanol and biodiesel is being lobbied on Capitol Hill this week. The American Agriculture Movement biomass tractorcade has rolled into town.

A group of patriotic Americans left Missouri’s Knob Noster State Park near Kansas City on Monday September 25th to publicize the potential of bioenergy to replace foreign oil. They traveled on U.S. 50 with antique tractors and cars to Washington DC to raise awareness about the contribution agricultural producers can make to help bring energy security to the American people. The tractorcade reached Cherry Hill Park in Maryland September 30th. Participants will lobby Congresional staffers the week of October 2nd.

If America seizes this opportunity, the future will be brighter for all! Anyone who supports America gaining independence from foreign energy sources can get information from www.arbest.org or joining us on the Washington Mall on 3rd Street by the reflecting Pool on October 5th.

Ag Groups

Slim Jim Snapalope

Chuck Zimmerman

SnapalopeHere’s one animal you can hunt at your local grocery or convenience store. It’s the Snapalope. Brought to you by the Snapalope Hunting Association of America. You’ll find lots of fun and helpful information on their website.

Snapalope are part of the family Snap. Skittish by nature, these herd dwellers stand thirty-one inches tall and graze extensively throughout store habitats across the United States. Distinguishable by their long antlers and slender bodies, snapalope have no known predators aside from man who hunt them for their delicious spicy meat and exquisite yellow and red hide.

Thanks Adrants.

Food

Record Traffic and Feedback

Chuck Zimmerman

This is the last time I’ll bug you about the AgWired Survey. I promise. However, I’ll post some results from it in the near future. I’m going to leave the survey open a couple more days to see if anybody else would like to chime in. Please feel free. It only takes a couple minutes tops.

AgWired Survey

The last question of the survey asks for your feedback on ideas of topics I should cover. Here’s a few of the ones posted: agricultural entrepreneurship, new media companies, agriculture media, ethanol, state fairs.

September was another record month for traffic on AgWired. We had almost 12,000 unique visitors! Wow. That’s exciting. We must be doing something right, eh?

Uncategorized

Army Officer Has a Heart for Farming

Chuck Zimmerman

Ltc. Chris JohnsonHere’s the lastest story from Paul McKellips, US Department of State, Public Affairs GO Team on assignment in Iraq. In this one he talks with Lieutenant Colonel Chris Johnson who works as one of the deputies to the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Diyala province.

I met Chris at 2:30 in the morning in the middle of a pitch-black airfield. A Chinook helicopter crew woke me up and said, “Out.” I walked down a ramp and out onto a cement pad surrounded by sand. The two Chinooks took off. The horizon was completely dark in all directions. I knew I was in the middle of the hornet’s nest, a bad part of Iraq to be in. I was only miles from where terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed in a June airstrike. I assumed I was close to a base but I couldn’t see it. Suddenly a hand grabbed my shoulder from behind. It was Johnson. He could’ve sent any number of junior soldiers to stay up late and pick me up. But that’s not his style. Johnson takes pride in everything he does. Later that morning, as we were driving in an eight Humvee convoy to the Baqubah Dates Festival, he sat front right looking for IEDs while passionately talking about the progress Iraqi farmers are making. Listen to report here: Listen To MP3 Iraq Farming Report (1 min MP3)

Audio, International