Farm Broadcaster ‘Hap Larson’ Dies

John Davis

parletteFarm broadcaster, professional rodeo announcer and raconteur Larry Parlette, better known as Hap Larson to his listeners, has died. The National Association of Farm Broadcasting expressed its sadness at Parlette’s death.

Larry served as news director for western Kansas’s KBUF 1030 AM for 20 years. Better known to listeners as Hap Larson, he hosted KBUF’s “Traveling the Circuit” and played pranks regularly with and on his friend, Phil Weaver, during morning broadcasts. Larry was recognized by multiple state and national agencies throughout his career for his contributions to agriculture and the art of radio broadcasting. Larry also covered western Kansas for ABC affiliate KAKE-TV.

A lifelong love with the West led Larry to rodeo, and in Garden City, he helped make the Beef Empire Days rodeo a PRCA-sanctioned event, acting as its announcer for many years. One of the most electric personalities on the circuit, Larry was the voice for countless other rodeos, including events at New York’s Madison Square Garden and in Las Vegas.

Prior to his work in broadcasting, Larry was a counselor at Farmington Junior High in Connecticut. After moving to Kansas in 1978, he worked at Garden City High School, where he founded the High Plains Drifters Rodeo Club and worked with students to delay growing up as long as possible.

Parlette is survived by his wife, Val; children, Justin (and his fiancée, Chloe) and Mickala (and her husband, Matthew); grandson, Sebastian; sister-in-law, Kay Parlette; and niece and nephews, Amanda, Chris, John and Lloyd.

Private services will be held at his home in Redondo Beach, California, on November 7th, 2015.

NAFB

Corn Growers Urge Transportation Bill Reconcile

John Davis

NCGA-LogoThe National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is happy the House of Representatives passed the Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2015, a bill that would extend federal highway funding for the next six years. But in this news release, NCGA urged the House and Senate now to reconcile their respective transportation bills and send it to the White House for signature, before federal transportation funding expires on November 20.

“On behalf of America’s farmers and ranchers, thank you to the House for passing this important legislation,” said NCGA President Chip Bowling, a farmer from Maryland. “Eighty percent of America’s corn crop is trucked to market, so this issue affects all of us. Safe roads and bridges allow us to get our products to market quickly, safely, and efficiently. When roads and bridges aren’t properly maintained, it’s not just a nuisance – it puts our safety at risk and hurts our bottom lines.”

“We especially want to thank the House Transportation Committee, Chairman Bill Schuster (R-Pennsylvania), Ranking Member Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon), and Representatives Sam Graves (R-Missouri) and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) for their leadership in getting this bill passed. We now call on the House and Senate to reconcile their two bills and send this legislation to President Obama as quickly as possible before the Thanksgiving recess,” said Bowling.

NCGA had joined more than 70 food and agricultural organizations in supporting the Safe, Flexible and Efficient (SAFE) Trucking Act as part of the transportation funding legislation. However, the bipartisan amendment, which would have improved the efficiency of America’s food supply chain by modernizing truck weight limits, failed to pass on the House floor.

NCGA, transportation

“Here’s the Deal” – Details on TPP Released

Cindy Zimmerman

tpp-logoThe White House today released the text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, which Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack calls “an important step forward in the process to make this landmark agreement for U.S. agriculture a reality.”

According to Vilsack, the text confirms that this agreement “will expand U.S. agricultural exports, generate more rural economic activity, and support higher-paying American jobs” and he encourages “farmers and ranchers to take a look at what’s in the deal for them.”

Those ag groups that have are responding as expected.

National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson says the final text “appears to be as bad for America’s family farmers and ranchers as we had feared.”

“This agreement has been peddled to farmers and ranchers as a potential goldmine for farm exports,” says Johnson. “But as with other trade deals, these benefits are likely to be overshadowed by increased competition from abroad, paired with an uneven playing field that will not only reduce revenues for farmers and ranchers but will also speed the loss of U.S. jobs.”

On the other hand, the National Pork Producers Council expressed unequivocal support for the TPP deal and called on the U.S. Congress to expeditiously pass the agreement.

“Past U.S. free trade agreements (FTAs) have demonstrated the importance to our industry of opening international markets,” said NPPC President Dr. Ron Prestage. “TPP will provide benefits to our producers that dramatically exceed those of prior trade agreements. I assure you that pork producers across this great nation will do whatever it takes to get TPP passed by Congress and implemented.”

Trade

Leadership From Ourselves

Kelly Marshall

ffa-15-110-elizabeth-winkloskyElizabeth Winklosky is the Pennsylvania State FFA Treasurer and as her state office indicates, Winklosky believes in leadership.

“I’m passionate about how we can make the members into leaders and how they can go out and educate the public on what agriculture really is.  And just being able to have good leaders that come from FFA and striking their passion from that young age to go out and educate the world or just people around them in their community on the importance of agriculture,” she shares.

Her own leadership journey began her freshman year when Winklosky joined the FFA, mostly because it was something of a family tradition.  It didn’t take long for the programs and opportunities of FFA to spark her interest though.  She reports that each step of her journey brought her further into the ideas of the organization and now FFA is a big part of her life.

Bigger and better are what Winklosky wants to see for FFA.  With her leadership, they are well on their way.

Listen to her full interview with Jamie Johansen: Pennsylvania State FFA Treasurer Elizabeth Winklosky

Find photos from the event here: 2015 National FFA Convention Photo Album

Coverage of the National FFA Convention is sponsored by
Coverage of the National FFA Convention is sponsored by New Holland
Ag Groups, Events, FFA

ArmezonPRO Receives EPA Regislation For Use in Corn

Taylor Truckey

basfArmezon PRO herbicide, from BASF, has received full EPA regislation. Armezon® PRO herbicide provides long-lasting residual control of emerged grass and broadleaf weeds.

“Growers want flexible options to control weeds based on their farm’s needs,” said Daniel Waldstein, Technical Market Manager, Ph.D., BASF. “Armezon PRO herbicide has a wide application window and low use rate, resulting in time, storage and money savings. Because Armezon PRO herbicide has strong contact and residual performance, corn growers can rely on its consistency and have less worry about the risk of a re-spray.”

Armezon PRO herbicide is a combination of topramezone, the active ingredient in Armezon herbicide, and dimethenamid-P, the active ingredient in Outlook® herbicide. This chemistry combination helps provide strong contact and residual weed control.

Armezon PRO herbicide has high bioavailability to deliver control under wet and dry conditions. This results in better control of grass and small-seeded broadleaf weeds, such as foxtails, barnyardgrass, waterhemp and Palmer amaranth.

BASF, Corn, Herbicide

Famous Voices on Bayer LibertyLink Real Yield Radio

Chuck Zimmerman

Bayer CropScience Real Yield GameDo you recognize the famous radio voices of the Bayer CropScience Real Yield Game Contest? You should. These are some award winners! C’mon. Guess. Listen to one of the commercials that is running on radio stations right now.

When it comes to the game here’s how you play:

Visit www.realyieldgame.com and click on the promotion link.
1. Complete all fields in the registration or log-in process.
2. Select five fields in the game area to spray Liberty® to reveal incremental bushels of soybeans.
3. Look at the total number of incremental bushels of soybeans for all five fields in the silo and determine the prize won.

Limit three game plays per person – one game play for complete registration, one game play for completion of LibertyLink® Ratings/Reviews/Attributes, one game play for social sharing through the promotion website.

In the real world, missed weeds compromise real yield. The LibertyLink® system is simply a better solution that ensures you don’t lose yield from missed weeds. Choose LibertyLink® and Liberty® to maximize real yields with high-performing genetics and better weed control.

This LibertyLink Real Yield Radio spot features William Meisenhelder, SD farmer.


Sponsored Post

Agribusiness, Audio, Bayer

Missouri Ag Director Addresses Deere Conference

Chuck Zimmerman

Richard FordyceMissouri’s Director of Agriculture, Richard Fordyce, spoke to this week’s Develop with Deere conference during lunch. After talking about all the blue color on the street due to the Kansas City Royals parade he talked about the challenges facing farming in Missouri.

A key issue he says is what consumers think about what farmers are doing. He says this filters down into a bunch of other issues. Precision agriculture provides a great opportunity to talk about the improvements in sustainability today. These improvements help to address concerns that consumers have. He has some great examples from his own farming experience.

Listen to his comments here: Richard Fordyce, MO Dir. of Ag

Develop with Deere Photo Album

Audio, John Deere, Precision Agriculture

Senate Disapproves of #WOTUS

Cindy Zimmerman

afbf-wotusBy a vote of 53-44, the U.S. Senate passed a joint “resolution of disapproval” of the EPA Clean Water rule known as ‘Waters of the United States’ (WOTUS).

Resolution sponsor Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) says the action would “put an end to” the expanded EPA rule. “Our resolution stops the EPA from continuing to act as an unchecked federal agency of the Obama Administration, expanding its power over Iowa farmers, small businesses, ranchers, and other landowners in our rural communities,” said Ernst. “Passing this resolution is a major step forward to stop the EPA’s blatant power grab and scrap the expanded WOTUS rule.”

Click here to hear what Sen. Ernst said on the floor.

One of the bill’s 50 co-sponsors, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) says the legislation will “put Senators on-record” as to where they stand on the WOTUS rule. “Farmers and ranchers now know who supports their ability to protect and maintain their own water and land – and who supports overregulation by the EPA,” said Roberts. “You know where I stand – fighting to protect America’s farmers and ranchers from EPA’s overreach.”

“Thank you to the bipartisan group of Senators who have recognized that the Waters of the U.S. rule did not work,” said National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) president Chip Bowling. “Let’s work together on a better rule that will give farmers the certainty they need while protecting America’s water resources.”

Corn, NCGA, Water

Zimfo Bytes

Talia Goes

Zimfo Bytes

  • Join MoKan NAMA on Wednesday, November 11, 2015 at 11:30 a.m. for a lunch and learn on Inte-GREAT-ed Marketing.
  • Across the globe, clients of The Context Network now have access to a new website.
  • The Public Lands Council welcomes Ethan Lane to the association in his new role as executive director.
  • Jason Andringa will serve as Vermeer Corporation’s President and CEO. This announcement was first made in August 2014, as part of the company’s family succession planning process.
Zimfo Bytes

That Blue Corduroy Jacket

Kelly Marshall

ffa-15-114-luke-kerstetterLuke Kerstetter, Pennsylvania State Sentinel, sat down with Jamie Johansen at the National FFA Convention to talk about what he is passionate about in agriculture.

“I’m passionate about agriculture education, because as the growing population [of the world will reach] 9 billion, we need to figure out ways to implement better technology into farming as well as agriculture science and biotechnology.  It will help out the world as well as the U.S. as a whole,” Kerstetter relates.

From a freshman who hadn’t considered taking an ag class until his brother encouraged him to do so, Luke has come a long way in his outlook on FFA and the industry.  He credits getting that blue corduroy jacket as a major moment for him.  Now he hopes to wear that jacket as an ag teacher himself someday.

Listen to the full interview: Pennsylvania State FFA Sentinel Luke Kerstetter

Find photos from the event here: 2015 National FFA Convention Photo Album

Coverage of the National FFA Convention is sponsored by
Coverage of the National FFA Convention is sponsored by New Holland
Ag Groups, Audio, FFA