Australia Thinks Apples Aren’t Healthy

Chuck Zimmerman

I know how important government rules about nutrition and food are in the agricultural world. Look at how the new MyPyramid has been used in advertising and publicity campaigns. I just think it always seems like an exercise in futility and a pretty serious waste of taxpayer dollars. That’s why a story like this is both amusing and disturbing.

According to a story on One News, the standards group for Australia and New Zealand has draft rules that say “anything with a sugar level above 16 grams per serving, which includes apples, pears and most stonefruit, cannot be marketed as healthy.” As if that’s not ludicrous enough the same standards group also “promoted an Apples in Schools’ programme which is now being contradicted by the proposed ruling.”

That’s government in action looking out for us. I know it’s Australia and New Zealand but I could just see this happening here and those are good export markets for us anyway.

International

I Don’t Smell The Hogs

Chuck Zimmerman

GRRO TempestHere’s a project that doesn’t smell, literally. What do you do with what hogs do anyway? GRRO has a solution and they’ve obtained help from USDA to develop and market it.

Global Resource Recovery Organization, Inc. (GRRO) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a formal agreement with Farm Pilot Coordination, Inc. (FPPC) in conjunction with the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Resources Conservation Service (“NRCS”) to form a new Joint Venture company to commercialize the GRRO Tempest Dying Technology in all Animal Feeding Operations (AFO) in North America. The new joint venture will be a Florida Limited Liability company with all of its operations located in Eldora, IA. The first project in swine manure is well underway and will be located in Hardin County. A new 2400 Head Swine confinement will be built using state-of-the art technologies that will capture at least 75% of the nutrients from the AFO and eliminate all liquid manure on a daily basis. There will be no on site long term storage of liquid manure with this new process. Daily production of manure is gathered and processed with the end product being an easily handled dry fertilizer product that can be stored and used when needed by the farmer.

The hogs make a mess and when all’s said and done you’ve got something to store and use when you need. Neat.

Agribusiness

Dow AgroSciences & Monsanto Get Along

Chuck Zimmerman

Dow AgrosciencesThis is a big announcement. It’s “let’s get along time” in the agribusiness world.

Dow AgroSciences, a subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, and Monsanto Company announced today a global business agreement that establishes cooperative arrangements that will give farmers new technology options and more choice in the products to meet their needs.

MonsantoThere’s a lot of information about this agreement available on either website. Powerpoint slides are available on the Monsanto website, under “Investor Information.”

Agribusiness

NAFB Directory Deadline

Chuck Zimmerman

National Association of Farm BroadcastingThe deadline is coming up if you want to advertise in the 2006 NAFB Directory. The deadline for materials is February 22.

The Directory continues to be a favorite resource for information for media buyers, farm broadcasters, agribusinesses, commodity groups, farm organizations, and public relations agencies across the United States. Paid advertising will be placed throughout the directory. NAFB Allied Industry members will be eligible for the below specified areas. All advertising will be full pages in color, but black and white is available if preferred.

You can download the order form. (PDF File)

NAFB

Beef And Veterinarians

Chuck Zimmerman

MBIC Report PodcastThe Missouri Beef Industry Council’s weekly MBIC Report this week is with Executive Director Steve Taylor. Steve talks about their presence this weekend at the Missouri Veterinary Medical Association annual meeting in Branson and how veterinarians are partners in the beef industry’s long range plan to increase profitability by assuring a high quality product.

You can listen to this week’s MBIC Report here: Download MP3 File

The MBIC Report is an AgWired podcast which you can subscribe to using the link you’ll find on our “Blogs & Podcasts” page or on the MBIC website.

Ag Groups, Audio, Beef, Podcasts

NRECA’s Blog – Amped Up

Chuck Zimmerman

Amped UpIt was just last May that I was at the NRECA Legislative Conference and met with CEO Glenn English. One of the things he was very interested in was blogging. We had a good chat about that. So today I discovered Amped Up. It’s the NRECA blog. They’re doing it and I like the looks of it. Hopefully I can get in touch with Erick Erickson, the NRECA blogger and learn more. Sounds like an opportunity for a ZimmCast to me.

Uncategorized

Suite Blogs

Chuck Zimmerman

I hadn’t really thought of what we’re doing here at ZimmComm this way but a recent comment from one of our reader/visitors got me to thinking. He said, “You guys have got one heck of a good suite of sites going yourself.” A suite of sites (blogs). A suite of ag blogs. Is that what we have?

We’ve got 4 of them. AgWired, DomesticFuel, World Dairy Diary and AgNewsWire.AgWired.com. Does that constitute a suite? And if it does what’s the next logical step?

Uncategorized

Agriblogger Savior

Chuck Zimmerman

Panera BreadIf you plan to stay in Clive, IA you may want to consider an alternative to the Country Inn & Suites if you need high speed internet access. For the second time in the last month their internet access has gone out. But thank you Panera Bread (University Ave). Free Wi-Fi. Although I did order an I. C. Mocha Cappuccino and a french bread roll.

Of course then you have the Panera “atmosphere.” If you can get past the too loud music then you’ve got all the conversations around you. First I heard a lady asking her husband (I think) if these people on computers here were blogging and wasn’t that something about having a two way conversation on a computer? Right next to me is a group of 4 women who saw me firing up my Dell and then they made some very under the breath remarks about the poor person who would come here to use their computer. Snicker, snicker. Of course then they’ve moved on very loudly to denounce Pat Robertson, anyone who owns guns, people who don’t understand Jesus and those arch conservative religious right people against abortion. I wish they’d wisper. It’s pretty busy here tonight though and not a lot of choices of where to sit.

As a good friend of mine says, “Onward and upward.”

Uncategorized

Join NAMA For Chance At Video iPod

Chuck Zimmerman

Join NAMA And Enter iPod ContestI’m jumping the gun just a little with this post but it’s the only time I have until later today. Here’s another reason to get “Jazzed” about NAMA. Now’s the time to join if you haven’t already. Hey, if you join then you get the “member” rate for convention in April. To provide a little incentive NAMA is holding a contest to encourage you to join or recruit someone else to join.

Have you been wanting an iPod? Now’s your chance! New members who join NAMA between January 1 and April 20, 2006 will be entered into a drawing for a 30 GB Video iPod. In addition, existing NAMA members who recruit these new members will also be entered into the drawing.

The drawing for the iPod will take place at the Trade Show Closing Reception on Thursday, April 20. Start recruiting members today and take home your new iPod after the conference.

Special thanks to AgWired.com for sponsoring this promotion!

Your chances will be much better than the lottery. If you win I will provide you with a free class on installation and use. Of course I’ll subscribe you to the ZimmCast right away.

You know you want to join NAMA. You know you want one of these hot little gadgets. Now you know what to do – Join NAMA.

NAMA, Podcasts

Get Jazzed About The NAMA Connection Point

Chuck Zimmerman

NAMA Convention 2006It’s time to get “Jazzed” about the April NAMA convention if you’re a company that wants to reach the movers and shakers in the agrimarketing world. I’m not just talking about attendance now. I’m talking about exhibiting in the NAMA Connection Point. We’re going to have an exciting show this year with a lot of fun activities. For example, there will be chances to win iPods!

AgWired will be blogging the event and I’m planning on having live blogging demonstrations from my booth. Plan to spend a few minutes and learn a little more about this new media thing.

I just found out that NAMA has employed the services of one of the best to help with the Connection Point. Diane Johnson, will be soliciting sign-up for the show, exhibitor communication, and onsite coordination of the trade show. She will also be coordinating the special events in the trade show. Diane is going to do a great job. You may already know and love her from her work with the Livestock Publications Council and Ag Media Summit.

If you haven’t exhibited at NAMA before then this is the year to do it. The location is great and we’ve got some exciting events planned to make it a good one. Feel free to contact Diane to sign up: 817-232-1872.

NAMA