My Very Unordinary Day

Chuck Zimmerman

Business is picking up for little old ZimmComm New Media. This means more road time and Cindy on the road too. In fact, we both drove to Kansas City separately yesterday to cover and work at a couple of events. Then I was going to drive to the home office while Cindy went on to Ames, IA for an event today. After she’d been gone several hours I realized I had put my keys in my equipment bag which I sent along with her to use. Bad mistake!

I got to stay here in a hotel with just my briefcase. There’s a first for everything I guess. Now my mobile phone’s dead and well, it’s just strange. She’s coming back through here in an hour or so and then I get to drive on home. Just in time to pack for my trip to the IFAJ Congress tomorrow.

This is why I’ve got some new equipment on order (computer and camera). We will each have our own bag from now on.

I want to thank the folks at the American Coalition for Ethanol for letting me continue to work out of their media room today.

Uncategorized

Ethanol Advocate Passes Away

Chuck Zimmerman

Steve King & ParentsSince I’ve featured a post here about Steve King I thought I’d let you know some sad news. Steve, King Racing, was involved in a bad accident last evening at the 46th Annual Knoxville Nationals. I’ll just use the statement on the website:

Steve passed away at 15:32 today. He loved you all. Thank you so much for your support. Please keep our family in your prayers.

Steve is pictured to the right of his parents, Danny & Naomi. I met them prior to this year’s Indianapolis 500 on Ethanol Day. Steve was a tireless supporter of the ethanol industry and was a part of Team Ethanol. You can hear his passion for racing and this renewable fuel in the interview I did with him there.

Our hearts go out to Steve’s family. He and they are in our prayers and always will be.

Audio, Ethanol

Biofuels Day In Kansas City

Chuck Zimmerman

Wayne TeddyIt has been a biofuels kind of day for ZimmComm. Cindy and I have been here in Kansas City all day. I first went to the announcement ceremony for the proposed Cargill/Paseo Biofuels biodiesel plant which would be built adjacent to the existing Cargill soybean processing facility in north Kansas City. Then I joined Cindy at the American Coalition for Ethanol conference which is also taking place here. You can find more coverage on Domestic Fuel.

Wayne Teddy is the President of Cargill’s Grain & Oilseed Crush Supply unit for North America. He was on hand this morning at the Paseo Biofuels announcement.

I got to interview Wayne after his presentation. We moved into the shade because it was another very hot day in Missouri. Wayne says that while the equity drive is taking place for the new company there will be some negotiating of the final details of the joint venture and expects a groundbreaking by the fall. He says the proposed joint venture facility will mean more jobs, more demand for Missouri soybeans and be a flagship facility for Cargill.

I also asked him about whether there is a food vs. fuel concern on the part of Cargill. He says the supply of feedstocks is currently sufficient to meet the demands of both. He acknowledged that some people perceive Cargill as fueling this debate but that although it is something that should be discussed, Cargill is investing very heavily in biofuels and that it’s not an issue of Cargill being anti-biofuels but that agriculture view the whole issue of biofuels from a reasonable perspective.

You can listen to my interview with Wayne here: Listen To MP3 Wayne Teddy Interview (5 min MP3)

After doing some work here at the ACE conference Cindy headed on up the road to Ames, IA for a media day with Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. on Porcine Circovirus which I’m sure we’ll have some information on here for you. I’m heading back to the office for a day before leaving to attend the IFAJ Congress. You’ll be getting a lot of international perspective starting this weekend.

Audio, Biodiesel, Ethanol

Texas Cattle Blogging

Chuck Zimmerman

Texas Beef Cattle Short CourseMy old buddy Blair Fannin, the farm podcaster from Texas is blogging away this week at the Texas Beef Cattle Short Course.

Blair’s one of the guys who “got it” early on in the grand old days of new media (over a year ago!).

If you’d like to hear one of Blair’s interviews from the event, here’s one on the new USDA risk management tools announced this week.

Beef

ABIC Program

Chuck Zimmerman

ABIC Trade ShowI guess the Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference is over now. I’m betting I’ll still have some more information for you.

In fact, if you’d like to see the program then look no further (pdf). This conference moves around the world and will be in Calgary next year.

Victoria Premier Steve Bracks They had a great looking trade show and program. You can find a message from the Premier of Victoria, Hon Steve Bracks MP, here.

Maybe I can find a sponsor for next year’s show and provide some more in-depth coverage of the event here on AgWired? Hmmm?

Biotech, International

New Utility Tractors From Massey Ferguson

Chuck Zimmerman

Massey Ferguson 500 SeriesThere’s some new tractors out in the Massey Ferguson line. It’s their 500 Series of utility tractors like this 596 model. They also received four AE50 awards from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. You can find out more on these stories on AgNewsWire.AgWired.com.

New Massey Ferguson Utility Tractors

Massey Ferguson® Tractors Receive AE50 Recognition for Superior Transmissions, Operator Protection and High HP Tractors

Agribusiness, Equipment, Tractor

Maybe You Should Podcast Before Blogging

Chuck Zimmerman

Chief MarketerHere’s another story on podcasting that’s especially good if you’re not convinced that this blogging thing is a good idea. Chief Marketer has a story they took away from a recent Ad:Tech Chicago session that suggests you might just be better off going directly to podcasting.

The story includes a description of how some companies are using podcasts like: “Michael Moore, director of interactive marketing for Nestle Purina Petcare, said his company now offers a range of podcasts that users can subscribe to from the Purina Web site. . . with consumers becoming more mobile, the company was interested in transferring that educational and entertainment content to MP3 devices.”

Podcasts

Wheat That Beats Drought

Chuck Zimmerman

Drought Tolerant Wheat ComparisonI have to thank Wendy Lewis with FS Communications for helping me “cover” the Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference in Australia. She’s getting me story ideas and pictures!

Here’s one on Australian researchers developing drought tolerant wheat. We might need some of this here in the midwest unless we get some rain soon.

Victorian scientists have identified new drought resistant wheat lines that could mean millions of extra dollars in farmers’ pockets, Minister for Innovation John Brumby announced today at the Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference (ABIC) in Melbourne. Department of Primary Industries (DPI) scientists based in Horsham, within the Molecular Plant Breeding CRC, have identified bread wheat lines that yield up to 20 per cent more grain than current varieties, under drought stressed conditions.

“Wheat is Australia’s largest crop, with Victorian wheat exports valued at $384 million in 2004-05,” Mr Brumby said. “However Australian wheat is grown under rainfed conditions and a lack of rainfall frequently reduces the crop yield. “With at least half of Australia’s wheat production area subject to drought every year, these new lines could earn Australian wheat farmers an additional $270 million a year.

Biotech, International

Biotech Exposes Cod Sex Life

Chuck Zimmerman

Murray CodI think this looks like a tasty morsel. Cod is an excellent fish. These biotech researchers in Australia though seem to have gotten off the track a little bit don’t you think? I’ve tried to keep this a very clean site and stay away from the “s” word but this story is too good to pass up.

Victorian scientists have revealed the once thought monogamous Australian fish, the Murray cod could be playing the field. Minister for Innovation, John Brumby, said while Murray cod were commonly believed to be monogamous, a study of the fish larvae genes has shown that some cod were polygamous with pairings of two females and one male discovered in several captive spawnings.

Announcing the surprising findings today at the Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference (ABIC) in Melbourne today, Mr Brumby said scientists from Department of Primary Industries (DPI) had made the discovery. “The more we know about the Murray cod, including its sex life, the better we will be able to manage the population levels as well as develop its export potential,” Mr Brumby said.

Oh my gosh. I had no idea. Fascinating. How is biotechnology involved? The “the study is just one component of a larger project which is utilising advanced gene marker and reproduction technologies to enable the development of selective breeding programs for the production of bigger, more colourful and healthier cod for aquaculture purposes.”

Biotech, International

Socialize With Other Horse Lovers

Chuck Zimmerman

HorseRing.comA social network for horse lovers? That’s right. I got an email from Helene Young seeking some input on what’s she’s doing with this new website.

HorsesRing is an online place where you can connect other horse lovers, share thoughts, pictures and knowledge, as well as support others, celebrating the common joy of horses.

So please visit and let her know what you think. She says it’s a very “stable meeting place.”

Horses, Internet