I thought you might be interested in this story in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, about east coast farmers planting “ethnic” veggies like, n’goyo, njilu, ichiban, habanero peppers, callalou, gboma, fufu and egusi. They apparently can’t grow them fast enough to satisfy the demand for immigrants from other countries!
I especially liked the description of this one guy’s farm as the “United Nations of horticulture.”
It is a beautiful day in mid-Missouri. Sometimes you just have to stop and smell the roses. Or in today’s case, the wild onion. I took time to do a midday run on the Katy Trail and this guy was getting his soybeans harvested. There was a lot of wild onion around the edges and when he cut through it you could smell it quite a ways. I love that smell too!
The picture is from my mobile phone. Not bad, eh? Anyway, it’s the kind of a beautiful fall day that makes you glad to be alive and thankful for all you have. At least that’s my feeling today. I hope it is with you too!
Podcasting continues to become “mainstream.” Announcing CoolCast Radio. Agwired’s ZimmCast is a charter program offering of the new internet-delivered audio programming network. I’d love to know what you think about it. The company has not made its big media splash about this yet although the service is up and running.
In addition to the podcasts they offer for you to listen to they also have a store with some “cool” things you can buy and of course they have AgWired logo items like this little teddy bear. Do your Christmas shopping in the CoolCast Radio Store and support AgWired!
Mycogen Seeds has the bragging rights when it comes to silage and alfalfa. The World’s Forage Analysis Superbowl was held at World Dairy Expo.
Mycogen Seeds corn silage hybrids dominated competition at the World’s Forage Analysis Superbowl, earning 18 of 20 possible placings in two corn silage categories. In the BMR Corn Silage category, Mycogen Seeds hybrids swept the entire category. In addition, a Mycogen Seeds grower was named the Grand Champion First-Time Entrant. In the Standard Corn Silage category, Mycogen hybrids earned eight of 10 possible placings.
In addition to that they also:
Mycogen Seeds alfalfa varieties had a strong showing in three separate divisions: dairy hay, dairy haylage and commercial hay at the World’s Forage Analysis Superbowl. A Mycogen Seeds grower was named Grand Champion of the Dairy Hay category.
The Grand Champion Dairy Hay division was won by Mike Beun, Waterloo, Wis., who planted Mycogen 4A421.
It’s just one more sign that rural America is “wired!” Are you familiar with RuralAds? They’ve got a lot of stuff listed already.
RuralAds.com, serving those who live on farms and ranches and in towns across Rural America, is now offering those residents an opportunity to place a free ad on any of its state pages. Each ad runs for 90 days and is updateable at any time. Users can renew a free ad without cost when it expires at 90 days, or place a new free ad. For users needing more marketing exposure, RuralAds.com offers additional state and national ads for a minor charge. National ads appear in one category in 48 states.
A few examples of the fifty ad categories offered are livestock, real estate, seed, eqiupment and employment. The site attracts both buyers and sellers through its unique services to rural residents and pass-along readership from those users.
A related website, BullShop.com, is built to meet the buying and selling needs of the US Cow/Calf Industry.
World Food Day will be celebrated October 16. The big ceremonies will take place at FAO headquarters in Rome. I got to observe them a few years ago and it’s a very interesting event as they bring in people from so many countries. They have to have good interpreters so you can listen to all the speeches. It all seems to work though.
More than 150 countries around the world will observe the day with special events, seminars, conferences, contests and media campaigns. World Food Day is celebrated every year on October 16 to mark the anniversary of the founding of FAO in 1945. The World Food Day theme this year, “Agriculture and intercultural dialogue”, recalls the contribution of different cultures to world agriculture. Civilization is founded on agriculture. Throughout history, the intercultural movement of crops and livestock breeds revolutionized diets, improved nutrition and reduced poverty.
This is worth checking out just to watch and listen to the corporate chicken protest song! It’s a Gold’n Plump-sponsored site which you can find here.
Wisconsin chicken farmers are fighting back. A statewide public education campaign kicks-off this month to rally public support for the local chicken cause. The movement includes a modest-budget radio ad featuring a folk singer who performs a tongue-in-cheek protest song telling corporate chicken to get stuffed.
Wisconsin chicken farmers are getting a raw deal at the grocery store. More than one hundred local farm families who make their livings raising all natural Wisconsin chicken for Gold’n Plump are seeing their products squeezed off store shelves by out-of-state corporations. Unless Wisconsin residents take action, the situation could hurt consumers and the state economy. Today, Wisconsin farm families are banding together to fight back.
You can watch the protest video here.
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While we’re still seeking ways to help hurricane Katrina victims here in the United States there’s also tremendous need for the victims of the Pakistan earthquake. I don’t know if you’ve seen much coverage of this tragedy but it’s immense.
The Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has just issued a call for $7 million to help farm families in the region.
FAO has launched an appeal for $7 million to help farm families affected by the earthquake in northern Pakistan resume their agricultural activities over the next six months. Following the immediate rescue and relief activities and as soon as conditions permit, FAO will field assessment missions to determine the impact of the earthquake on agriculture and to work with the Government to prepare a plan for reconstruction of the agriculture sector, the U.N. agency said.
There are a number of organizations who are accepting donations for relief efforts for earthquake victims. Please keep them in mind as you consider your charitable giving this fall. If you’re unsure of where you can provide help I recommend a Google search and you’ll find lots of choices.
Update to this post:
It was just brought to my attention by the folks at U. S. Wheat Associates that there is a very good web resource that provides links to many organizations that are responding to this disaster. It’s called Network For Good.
Just a few days ago we asked, “What happens to Agri Marketing magazine?” Like many, we had heard about this but it wasn’t officially announced until today.
Henderson Communications L.L.C., a newly formed agricultural communications company, announces that it has purchased AgriMarketing magazine and its related communications activities from Vance Publishing Corp. Vance Publishing had acquired AgriMarketing as part of their purchase of Doane Agricultural Services of St. Louis, MO, on October 7 and immediately sold it to Henderson Communications.
“I am very pleased to announce this acquisition,” said Henderson Communications LLC President Lynn Henderson. “It has been my honor to have been associated with AgriMarketing since 1977, first serving as its Publisher while I was employed by its founder, Century Communications Inc. (CCI), and later while serving as President of Doane when it acquired it from CCI in 1993.”
Henderson reports there will be few changes in AgriMarketing. “It’s frequency, circulation, and editorial content will remain the same” he said. “Judy Knoll, long-time Ad Sales/Customer Service Manager of AgriMarketing will continue in that role. Also, Audrey Evans who has been affiliated with the magazine for several years will be its Managing Editor.”
I remember receiving my first issue of the publication when I became a NAMA member many years ago. We wish Lynn much success in the future.
BTW. You can read another great article about blogging as a business tool in this month’s issue. Man, that guy can write!
