#AgMedia Student Award Winners

Jamie Johansen

Ag Media Summit is in full swing here in Snowbird, Utah. The Livestock Publication Council (LPC) and American Ag Editors’ Association (AAEA) student awards and recognition luncheon honored the future of our industry. Special thanks to the Pork Checkoff for sponsoring the wonderful lunch we had.

The LPC Forrest Bassford student award winner was Topanga McBride, Kansas State University. Alltech was honored to again sponsor the award. Runners up included: Katie Friedrichs, Oklahoma State University; Taylor Belle Matheny, Kansas State University; and Jill Seiler, Kansas State University.

The AAEA Jim Evans award winner was Jackie Newland, Kansas State University. Runners up included: Shalin Lawson, West Texas A&M; Lindsay Robinson, University of Missouri; and Audrey Schmitz, Kansas State University.

Both young ladies will be seniors and are actually best friends. We wish them all the luck as they wrap up their college careers and jump into the hunt for a job in the rewarding field of agricultural communications.

View and download photos here: 2017 Ag Media Summit Photo Album

Coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by
Coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by FMC
ACN, Ag Groups, Ag Media Summit, LPC

Setting Peanut Priorities for the Farm Bill

Cindy Zimmerman

Every farm bill gets a little more difficult to pass with an increasingly urban Congress, which is why the peanut industry needs an advocate like Bob Redding in Washington, D.C.

Redding has already been involved in early farm bill preparations, such as the first House Ag Committee listening session held recently in Gainesville, Florida. Today, he will attend the Senate Agriculture Committee hearing on commodities, credit, and crop insurance, where Meredith Rogers of Camilla, Georgia will be providing testimony for the Southern peanut industry.

“Meredith is a double Dawg, she has two degrees from the University of Georgia and has been involved with her family farm for over 20 years, and we are pleased to have her testifying,” said Redding.

In this interview from the Southern Peanut Growers Conference, Redding discusses the benefits of the current peanut program and their message to Congress that they would like to see it stay in the next farm bill. Interview with Bob Redding, The Redding Firm

Southern Peanut Growers Conference Photo Album

Audio, Farm Bill, Peanuts, SPGC

Bayer Building on Credenz Momentum

Cindy Zimmerman

Credenz® soybeans continue to build momentum. This year, Bayer released 10 new Credenz soybean varieties with smart genetics and even more are expected for 2018, pending label approval for Balance® Bean herbicide later this year.

“We’re launching a new trait, the Balance™ GT soybean, which will be an exciting new trait for growers to use for managing resistant weeds,” said Leslie Lloyd, Regional Agronomist for the Credenz line.

Some of those new traits were on display at the Bayer Innovation Plus Tour near Dekalb, Illinois last week. Learn more in this interview from the field day: Leslie Lloyd, Credenz Lineup

Go to AgNewsWire for more interviews from the Bayer field day in Dekalb.

Bayer Showcase Plot Tour 2017 – Illinois

AgWired Precision, Audio, Bayer, Soybean

Animal Ag Bites 7/24

Kelly Marshall

  • Jon Thompson is the new Strategic Account Manager for Ceva Animal Health’s swine division.  Thompson has most recently worked for Bayer Animal Health.
  • National Cattlemen’s Beef Association is inviting members to “Blaze a Trail” to the 2018 Cattle Industry Convention on January 31- February 2 in Phoenix, Arizona.  Registration will open October 2.
  • Crystal Ripp will be returning to the World Dairy Expo as Trade Show Manager, a position she previously held for three years.  She will oversee booth sales, on-site management, and daily communications.
  • Alltech presented their 34th Alltech Student Research Manuscript Award to Matthew Aardsma from Perdue University at the Poultry Science Association meeting in Orland last week.  This award demonstrates the company’s commitment to research and innovation.
AgWired Animal, Animal Bites

More Relief for Livestock Producers in Drought States

Cindy Zimmerman

USDA is making the use of additional Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands available for emergency grazing and haying in and around portions of Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota affected by severe drought.

“We are working to immediately address the dire straits facing drought-stricken farmers and ranchers,” said Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. “USDA is fully considering and authorizing any federal programs or related provisions we have available to meet the immediate needs of impacted producers.”

Secretary Perdue adds that epic dry conditions, as high as D4 in some areas, coupled with an intense heatwave have left pastures in poor or very poor condition “resulting in the need for ranchers to, at best, supplement grain and hay and at worst, sell their herds.”

This new order supplements the previous CRP authorization announced on June 23.

AgWired Animal, Beef, Livestock, USDA

American Agri-Women Honor Senator Ernst

Cindy Zimmerman

American Agri-Women member Natalina Sents presents the award to Iowa Senator Joni Ernst

The American Agri-Women (AAW) recently honored Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa with its Champion of Agriculture Award during the annual AAW Fly-In in Washington D.C.

“We are honored to recognize a true Champion of Agriculture in Senator Joni Ernst. Her concern and dedication to agriculture and rural America is evident in both her words and actions,” said AAW President Doris Mold.

“Championing Iowa’s farmers is a priority of mine,” said Senator Ernst. “I am grateful for this honor as we work to assist the men and women who help feed and fuel our nation and world.”

American Agri-Women member and fellow Iowan Natalina Sents had the honor of presenting the award to Sen. Ernst. Natalina is a recent Iowa State University graduate who spent six months on the road last year visiting all 50 states to share the “Why I Farm” stories of 150 farmers – sponsored by Beck’s Hybrids.

Farming

2017 Ag Media Summit

Chuck Zimmerman

In between the Southern Peanut Growers Conference and the InfoAg Conference is this year’s Ag Media Summit. Yep, the ZimmComm Team is on the agriblogging highway.

Cindy just finished covering the Peanut Growers Conference in San Destin, FL and producing content for their blog. Jamie Johansen and I are attending the Ag Media Summit, in Snowbird, UT, courtesy of FMC, and then on Wednesday we’ll join Cindy in St. Louis for the InfoAg Conference.

You will be seeing lots of stories this week! Today the AAEA and LPC boards will meet to do some business before things kick off with the Famous Welcome Party on The Summit at Hidden Peak. Before I called it quits yesterday the folks who went on the ag tour were just returning to the Snowbird Resort where we are located.

Jamie and I are planning to do some Facebook Live as the Official Facebook Live of the Ag Media Summit. Look for us on the AgWired Facebook page. Let’s hope the interwebs cooperate with us.

Count on lots of photos. Here’s a small start which will grow over the next few days and become YUGE!

2017 Ag Media Summit Photo Album

Coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by
Coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by FMC
Ag Media Summit, FMC, Media

Congressmen Talk Farm Bill at Peanut Meeting

Cindy Zimmerman

U.S. Representatives Mike Rogers (R-AL) and Austin Scott (R-GA) both shared their perspectives on the new administration, gridlock in Congress, and the outlook for a 2018 farm bill at the 2017 Southern Peanut Growers Conference Saturday.

“It’s going to be a tough fight, I don’t want anybody to fool themselves,” said Rep. Rogers about getting the next farm bill passed in Congress. He says he would like to see the legislation – which is about 80 percent nutrition programs – split, just to see who votes for or against. “Neither one of them will pass on their own, but it’ll show us who our friends are.”

Rep. Scott says his number one concern is to make sure “we don’t get splits between the commodity groups and within the commodity groups” with respect to farm programs. “I think one of the big debates in the farm bill will be planted acres versus base acres, I can tell you it’s coming,” he said. “Permanent law versus temporary law is another issue that we’re going to have some honest discussion about.”

Other topics the Congressmen addressed in their remarks and interview afterwards include infrastructure legislation, the recent farm bill listening session held in Florida, and cottonseed legislation.

Check out the SPGC Blog for full conference coverage
Southern Peanut Growers Conference Photo Album

Listen or download audio:
Reps. Mike Rogers and Austin Scott address peanut farmers
Interview with Reps. Rogers and Scott
Watch the video:


AgWired Precision, Audio, Farm Bill, Peanuts, SPGC

Peanut Growers Navigating the Marketplace

Cindy Zimmerman

The theme for the 19th annual Southern Peanut Growers Conference theme is Navigating the Marketplace and this marks the 10th year in a row for us to attend and populate the conference blog for this great group of farmers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi.

This is the second year the event has been held at the Sandestin Resort on Florida’s emerald coast. There is lots of farm bill talk going on here with Reps. Mike Rogers (R-AL) and Austin Scott (R-GA) on the program and we’ll learn more about what’s behind the “Peanut Program Works” campaign.

Florida Peanut Producers Association Executive Director Ken Barton talks about what is in store at this year’s meeting, and how the Florida peanut crop is doing. Interview with Ken Barton, Florida Peanut Producers

Southern Peanut Growers Conference Photo Album

Check out the SPGC Blog for full coverage

Audio, Peanuts, SPGC

ZimmCast with FLM Harvest CEO

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast 553We recently published the announcement about the Harvest PR & Marketing acquisition by FLM+ and I thought it would be interesting to have a conversation with Rob McClelland, president/CEO, of what will now be known as FLM Harvest. So, that’s this week’s program. Rob and I have a conversation about how this deal came to be and what it means to the future growth of the agency and the services it offers to client companies and organizations. Here is what the announcement said to describe it.

“We have watched and admired the growth and business strategy of Harvest for some time,” said Rob McClelland, president/CEO of FLM Harvest. “This acquisition will help us realize a long-standing goal to fully build out a farmer-driven food practice, and have more depth and expertise in reaching consumers to tell the story of food, agriculture and environmental sciences.”

FLM+, a hybrid strategic consulting, marketing and communications company, specializes in agriculture and life/environmental sciences to improve the lives and health of plants, animals, people and communities. The FLM+ team focuses on setting strategies, aligning teams, framing opinions and creating demand.

Harvest PR & Marketing represents a unique spectrum of food and farm clients, with a heavy focus on grower organizations, national commodity boards and food associations.

Rob says that when it comes to working with farmer checkoff programs the firm now holds a leadership position helping these programs achieve their goals.

Besides discussing the merger itself, which will include new a new logo/website by the beginning of 2018, we also talk about how changes in agribusiness and farming are affecting agencies, especially the need to work in a constantly growing and changing digital environment.

I hope you enjoy the program and thank you for listening!

Listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast with Rob McClelland, FLM Harvest

Subscribe to the ZimmCast podcast here. Use this url in iTunes or your favorite news reader program/app.

The ZimmCast

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