Agri-Pulse’s Wyant Named a Top Woman in Media

Cindy Zimmerman

sara-1Congratulations to our good friend Agri-Pulse founder and President Sara Wyant who has been named to the annual Folio: “Top Women in Media” recognition in the Entrepreneurs category. She will be recognized at a June awards ceremony at the Grand Hyatt in New York City.

Wyant was the only agricultural media professional included in this year’s awards, which also honored women from such mainstream media as Forbes, Time Magazine and The New York Times.

Folio: says the annual list “celebrates the creativity and accomplishments of our female colleagues, sometimes against a glass ceiling, other times against the grain. These women have fearlessly moved their teams, brands, and companies forward, made strides in their respective markets, and created lasting impressions on their colleagues.”

As a veteran farm policy editor, Wyant founded Agri-Pulse Communications, Inc. in 2004, based on her instincts that agriculture and rural leaders were not getting consistent, high-quality reporting out of Washington, D.C. She launched a weekly paid circulation e-newsletter the following year, covering a wide range of farm, food and rural legislative and regulatory issues.

Folio: is just recognizing what most of the ag industry has known for some time – Sara is just awesome! Congrats to the entire Agri-Pulse family!

Agri-Pulse, Media

Hot Dog Time at the Ballparks

Chuck Zimmerman

Hot DogsIt’s opening day for Major League Baseball. That means hot dogs will be getting plenty of attention. Here in Pensacola our Blue Wahoos minor league team gets into action this Thursday.

The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council have some great information on the stuff fans like to eat.

Like a Turkey on Thanksgiving, hot dogs are the quintessential summer ballpark food, and the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (NHDSC) estimates that baseball fans will consume more than 18.5 million hot dogs and nearly 4.2 million sausages during the 2015 Major League season. The combined hot dog and sausage total could stretch from Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia to Chase Field in Phoenix. The hot dog total alone would reach as high as 7,827 Empire State Buildings.

There is also a competition that just ended for America’s hot dog champion.

Following more than two weeks of spirited competition, the Cleveland Indians’ Sugardale Dog has been crowned America’s baseball hot dog champion, according to results from the NHDSC’s MLB Madness Bracket contest. Classic and unique hot dogs squared off in the contest, and fans voted for their favorite dog in polls on the NHDSC Facebook page.

Despite claiming victory in the unique dog half of the bracket, the Texas Rangers’ Boomstick struck out in the bottom of the ninth to earn second place. The Atlanta Braves’ Dixie Dog and the Detroit Tigers’ Coney Dog rounded out the final four.

Ag Groups, Food, Meat

Farm Bureau: Food Prices Up About 1%

John Davis

afbf-logoShoppers are paying a bit more for their groceries this spring. A new survey from Farm Bureau shows that meat and orange juice are the biggest contributors to an increase of 60 cents of a $53.87 grocery bill on 16 food items, or about of 1 percent, in the group’s Spring Picnic Marketbasket survey.

“Several meat items increased in price, accounting for much of the modest increase in the marketbasket,” said John Anderson, AFBF’s deputy chief economist. “The 1 percent increase shown by our survey tracks closely with the Agriculture Department’s forecast of 2 percent to 3 percent food inflation for 2015,” he said.

Items showing retail price increases from a year ago included:

· sirloin tip roast, up 14 percent to $5.71 per pound

· ground chuck, up 12 percent to $4.61 per pound

· orange juice, up 7 percent to $3.47 per half-gallon

· toasted oat cereal, up 7 percent to $3.12 for a 9-ounce box

· deli ham, up 6 percent to $5.53 per pound

· eggs, up 4 percent to $2.05 per dozen

· shredded cheddar cheese, up 3 percent to $4.59 per pound

· potatoes, up 2 percent to $2.74 for a 5-pound bag

Prices for flour, bacon and whole milk are among the items that actually went down in the survey.

Another item that went down in the survey was the amount farmers see of the food dollar. Farm Bureau officials point out that that the farmer’s share of the $53.87 grocery bill would be $8.62, or just 16 percent. That’s only about half of what U.S. farmers got out of the consumer retail dollar.

AFBF, Ag Groups, Food

Search Begins for America’s Pig Farmer of the Year

Jamie Johansen

Screen Shot 2015-03-10 at 8.51.49 AMAmerica’s Pig Farmer of the Year award program, announced by the National Pork Board in early March, is accepting applications from now until May 17 at americaspigfarmer.com. The award honors the U.S. pork producer who best excels at raising pigs using the We Care ethical principles and wants to share how he or she does that with the public.

“This new award brings to life the National Pork Board’s new strategic plan by building consumer trust through on-farm transparency and accountability,” said Brad Greenway, National Pork Board vice president and pig farmer from Mitchell, S.D. “The ideal candidate will have a focus on environmental sustainability, as well as animal welfare, production efficiency, the adoption of best practices and a commitment to continuous improvement.”

“The intent of this new recognition program is two-fold,” said Mike King, director of science communications for the Pork Checkoff. “The contest is designed to find the producer who best demonstrates the We Care principles on the farm. Additionally, the ideal candidate will excel at sharing their story in a way that connects with today’s consumers.”

Objective, third-party judges, including Iowa farmer and celebrity Chris Soules (The Bachelor, Dancing with the Stars), will help determine the final award recipient, with the winner announced during National Pork Month in October. The public will also have an opportunity to vote on the winning pig farmer through the Pork Checkoff’s social media outlets. In September, short video clips of the finalists will be displayed at americaspigfarmer.com, where people can vote for their favorite farmer.

“I encourage pork producers to consider applying or to encourage others who would be great candidates to do so,” Greenway said. “This new award will showcase what we do best – raise pigs in an ethical, responsible and transparent way.”

Ag Groups, Pork, Swine

Incredible Edible Easter Egg Fun

Chuck Zimmerman

Easter Egg FunWe don’t have kids around to color Easter eggs with but that doesn’t mean Cindy and I don’t still color eggs ourselves. We’re pretty basic though.

But if you want to get into some great egg decorating ideas then turn to the Incredible, Edible Egg. And remember – “after you’ve found all the hidden eggs, throw out any that have cracked or have been out at room temperature for more than two hours. Eat uncracked, refrigerated hard-boiled eggs within a week of cooking them.”

Want to make a perfect hard-boiled egg? Watch Cooking Channel host Jeffrey Saad demonstrate.


Ag Groups, Food

Zimfo Bytes

Talia Goes

Zimfo Bytes

  • Bayer pledged $100,000 to the N.C. Department of Transportation to be used for roadside pollinator plantings this spring.
  • The U.S. Food Waste Challenge calls on organizations and businesses across the food supply chain to join the fight against food waste.
  • The United States Potato Board (USPB) is pleased to announce Caitlin Mueller as Meeting Planner and Renee O’Brien as Assistant Marketing Manager, effective April 1, 2015.
  • United Suppliers announces the launch of the Symbol™ brand family for the 2015 crop season.
Zimfo Bytes

Blessed Good Friday to All

Cindy Zimmerman

st-john-crossIn observance of Good Friday ZimmComm New Media offices are closed today. The team wishes everyone a very happy Easter and Easter season. We’ll be back in action on Monday.

“Christ of Saint John of the Cross” is a painting by Salvador Dalí made in 1951 based on a drawing by the 16th-century Spanish friar John of the Cross.

ZimmComm Announcement

#AgNerd Alert: Apple Watch or Samsung S6?

Jamie Johansen

New Holland ZimmPollOur latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “What is best for GMO labeling?”

Agricultural organizations are voicing support for the bi-partisan Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act introduced in the U.S. House recently. Over half of those who took this week’s ZimmPoll believe there should be mandatory GMO labeling for all foods. However, many still think doing nothing will be our best option.

Here are the poll results:

  • Mandatory GMO labeling for all foods – 53%
  • Voluntary certification for non-GMO labels – 19%
  • Let states decide – 2%
  • Nothing – 26%

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, Will you order an Apple Watch on April 10 or buy a Samsung S6 smartphone?

Starting April 10 you can order the coolest new gadget to hit the market this spring, an Apple Watch. There are a variety of models to choose from for every budget. But is this device something that you want/need? How would it improve life on the farm?

On that same day phone carriers will begin selling the new Samsung S6 smartphone. If you’re an Android fan has this been on your wish list. It looks like Samsung’s answer to the iPhone 6. So let us know if you have plans to purchase either of these new gadgets.

ZimmPoll

Schmacon Casserole

Chuck Zimmerman

Schmacon CasseroleThe AgriBlogger is all about food. This includes casseroles. They’re easy and I make more than enough so I can freeze the rest for another meal.

So, with a pound of Schmacon for inspiration I decided to make a new casserole this week. Here are my ingredients:

Schmacon1 bag of shredded potatoes
1 pound Schmacon (beef’s answer to bacon)
1 can of sauerkraut
Stir fried red, yellow, green and orange bell peppers, red onion, sweet onion, garlic
different shredded cheeses (cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan)
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 cup of Water
Spices: Everglades seasoning, Mrs. Dash, Dill, Paprika
pats of butter bottom and top

Once the peppers, garlic and onions were tender I blended all of this in a bowl. I used about a cup of each cheese. On the spices I just shook enough in to “feel” that it was enough.

Then I sprayed olive oil on a glass casserole dish, added some pats of butter, poured the mixture in, topped with pats of butter and paprika. Then baked it for about 45 minutes at 325.

Boom. An explosion of flavor in your mouth. This casserole is good as a stand alone meal or for breakfast with eggs. Try some.

Beef, Food

Building Blocks

Melissa Sandfort

Today, Aunt Jeanette writes:

20150327_105141Last Friday was one of those days when Mother Nature was loudly and clearly saying, “I AM IN CHARGE HERE AND THERE’S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!” Just to prove her point, she threw in a few snowflakes that afternoon.

We woke up to temperatures in the 20s. But wait, it gets worse! It’s now the first of April…time to be playing outside, blowing bubbles and chasing them until our little legs are worn out, creating masterpieces with sidewalk chalk, searching the yard for ‘treasures’, pulling a little red wagon and filling it with sparkly rocks, flying kites, and just loving the outdoors. I think the temperature did manage to get into the 40s by mid-afternoon. Then came the snowflakes!

Two of our grandchildren were spending the day. I know they would rather be outside. So would I. I was searching the far corners of my brain and trying to come up with something different for us to do or play with. I had been looking for some paint in the basement several weeks ago and came across this box of handmade blocks. I didn’t take the time to get them out then, but today I thought, “Aha! Those are perfect!”

We got the box down, cleaned them up, and those wonderful, handmade blocks provided several hours worth of entertainment. We made pens for animals, sheds for equipment, and even a barricade between the living room and kitchen to keep Grandma out!

Those blocks have stood the test of time because my dad originally made them for my three sons many years ago. I had to chuckle at the memories as I held one and noticed someone had printed on it, “15 cents” and “2 & 5”. I am not sure what that meant, but I am sure the kids knew. Another one said, “The End” on one side and the other side was possessively marked with the writer’s name. I won’t tell, but it starts with a B!

Perfect playthings – cut to just the right sizes, sanded, stained, and coated with polyurethane – meant to last through several generations. They are still providing hours of creative play, thanks to Grandpa!

Until we walk again …

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