Let me introduce you to Sara Gillum, the ZimmComm Summer Intern. Sara will get her first taste of agriblogging at the Ag Media Summit coming up in Indianapolis. Learn a little more about Sara here:
My name is Sara Gillum, and I am a junior at Mizzou majoring in Agribusiness Management with an emphasis in Science and Agriculture Journalism. I was raised on my family’s farm in northern Missouri where we farm around 2,000 acres of row crops and run around 250 head of commercial cattle. My three siblings and I are all products of 4-H and FFA. I began showing cattle at a young age, and over the years, I have developed an unparalleled love for the show stock industry. It has become my passion; the livestock, the grooming, the show ring, and the countless people I have met… I love it all. Because of my involvement in the show livestock industry, I know that I want to go on to positively advocate for livestock and agriculture and hopefully make a career out of it. I look forward to joining the ZimmComm team this summer and traveling the agriblogging highway!
We are looking forward to working with her and I think you will as well.
New Holland Press Conference Live Tweet from Berlin
It looks like New Holland will be live tweeting a press conference today in Berlin, Germany. The graphic says it will be Unconventional / Unprecedented / Unmissable.
Here’s their latest tweet with hashtags. If I calculate right it will start at 11:30am central time.
Live Tweet of our Press Conference #EnteraNewHarvestingdimension starting at 6.30 pm (GMT+2) today! Don’t miss it! #NHharvest2014
We’ll all know more then.
James Garner Original Beef Spokesman
With the passing of film and television actor James Garner over the weekend, many are remembering his popular roles such as Bret Maverick in the 1950s western-comedy series Maverick and Jim Rockford in the 1970s detective drama The Rockford Files.
One great role he played for the Beef Checkoff was the voice and face for some of the very first “Real Food for Real People” radio, television and print ads. He and Cybill Shepherd were signed together as celebrity spokespersons in November 1986 and their ads ran in 1987 and 1988. And, before the comments from the anti-meat brigade start, it’s true that after he had quintuple-bypass heart surgery in April 1988 his contract with the beef people was not renewed.
Here’s one called “Right Brain, Left Brain.” RIP Mr. Garner.
Zimfo Bytes
- Robert L. Carlson, former president of the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO), has been appointed United Nations (UN) Special Ambassador of the International Year of Family Farming (IYFF).
- The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture announced the winners of its Agriculture in a Growing World Essay contest.
- The shareholders of GRAINLAND Cooperative and MINIER COOPERATIVE GRAIN COMPANY approved a merger of company operations effective Aug. 1, 2014.
- St. Louis based creative agency, Paradowski, announced it has added 17 new team members to its account management, creative, production and digital teams since January.
Regulating UAV Use
Concern about regulations for the commercial use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was a big topic at last week’s 2014 Precision Aerial Ag Show (PAAS) in Decatur, Illinois.
Attorney Brendan Schulman of Kramer Levin Law spoke at the event about his win against the FAA regarding a UAV flight for the filming of a commercial in Virginia. It was the first time that the FAA had imposed a fine for flying a UAV on the basis that it was “too aggressive, too close to the ground.” Schulman says they successfully defended against the penalty arguing that there is “no existing regulation concerning this kind of device.” The case is currently pending before the National Transportation Safety Board so it will have national significance.
Schulman talked about the status of FAA regulation of UAVs and how they relate to ownership of airspace above private land. “There is thought that needs to be given to what rights a landowner has over the immediate airspace,” he said. “If the intent is to fly a camera 20 feet above the corn fields, there’s an argument that’s private airspace and not necessarily placed into the jurisdiction of the FAA to regulate.”
This is important information for farmers and ranchers to know! Listen to Leah Guffey’s interview with Brendan here: Interview with attorney Brendan Schulman on UAVs and the FAA
Farm Groups Dissatisfied with WOTUS Explanations
Despite increased efforts by Environmental Protection Agency officials to explain and defend the proposed Waters of the United States rule, farm groups continue to have concerns.
The American Farm Bureau Federation this week sent Congress a comprehensive document that responds to inaccurate and misleading comments made about the rule by EPA acting assistant administrator for water Nancy Stoner in a recent agency blog post.
“AFBF and several state Farm Bureaus have met with the EPA repeatedly, and each time agency officials have declined to grapple with the serious, real world implications of the rule,” AFBF President Bob Stallman said. “EPA is now engaged in an intensive public relations campaign, and we believe its statements are directly contrary to the reality of the proposed rule.
EPA has even started a campaign called “Ditch the Myths” to counter Farm Bureau’s “Ditch the Rule” effort.
Meanwhile, the National Farmers Union (NFU) has sent a letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy asking for more information about which bodies of water would be deemed jurisdictional under the proposed rule. The letter was a follow-up to a conference call between McCarthy and members of the NFU board of directors.
“During our call, a number of questions were raised by NFU board members,” NFU President Roger Johnson wrote. “The board asked for clarity surrounding some of the definitions in the proposed rule. The general sense was that the proposed rule has created less clarity, not more as intended.”
NFU wants EPA to provide a map with estimates of which bodies of water will be considered jurisdictional to EPA’s regulation. Questions were also posed about wetlands in the Prairie Pothole region, coordination with state agencies and the treatment of unconnected bodies of water that are seasonal. NFU is currently preparing formal comments about the proposed rule and hopes to have answers from EPA soon to ensure its comments are as informed as possible.
Ag Leader at InfoAg Conference
July 29-31, growers, crop consultants and other industry representatives will be able to find Ag Leader experts at the InfoAg Conference at Union Station in St. Louis, Mo. This show is a premier conference for attendees to hear about a wide range of topics on technology applications and data management and interpretation.
Luke James, Ag Leader Software Sales Manager, gives a preview of what Ag Leader will be displaying during the conference and why it’s a benefit to stop by and chat with the Ag Leader team.
Listen to James explainBecome a fan of Ag Leader on Facebook today, and get the latest precision ag videos on the YouTube channel. For more information about Ag Leader products and services, or to visit the blog site, go to www.agleader.com.
WOTUS Means More Regulation
Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “How would the EPA water rule impact you?”
This is one of the hottest topics in the ag sector these days with a lot of uncertainty about what the future holds, especially when you see states starting to fine people for “wasteful use of water.” On the federal level the EPA says that under the proposed rules defining Waters of the United States (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act (CWA) “all normal farming practices are exempt – period” but those in the agriculture community are questioning if that will hold true. Hopefully you’ve looked at how this will impact your farm or customers?
here are the poll results:
- Just more govt. regulation – 38.9%
- Permits for routine activities – 16.67%
- Will regulate more of my property – 18.67%
- Not sure but worried about it – 11.1%
- Not worried about it – 11.1%
- Don’t know or don’t care – 5.56%
Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, What are your thoughts on cellulosic ethanol? We just saw the first commercial production of cellulosic ethanol in Iowa from team work between Syngenta’s Enogen and the Quad County Corn Processors. Let us know what you think.
Find the Iowa Corn Farmer at RAGBRAI
If I wasn’t getting on the agriblogging highway next week I’d like to be on RAGBRAI. Not going to happen this year. But we can enjoy the social media content that I’m sure will be coming.
Iowa Corn has a unique promotion going on that’s tied in with the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa called Find the Farmer.
This year, the theme for RAGBRAI features an ear of corn for the more than 10,000 bicyclists who will be riding across the state next week.
To join in the fun, Iowa Corn has added a scavenger hunt for RAGBRAI riders with “Find the Farmer” 8-foot cutouts along the 418-mile bike route. Six Iowa farmers are featured on 8-foot signs with facts about the corn industry. They are along the route near Milford, Emmetsburg, Waverly, Independence, Mason City and Forest City.
“We encourage riders to find the local farmer and get to know more about the Iowa corn industry,” said Janet Wilwerding, Communications Manager for the Iowa Corn Growers Association. “Being able to connect riders with our Iowa farmers will be important as they make their trip across Iowa.”
For more information about the farmers, watch their videos and enter to win an exclusive “ears and gears” t-shirt, visit iowacorn.org/RAGBRAI.
This cutout image is of Casey Schleusner and his family. He’s a farmer in North Central Iowa and has been farming with his Dad and older brother for five years. His favorite part is being close to family and taking on the challenges together.
Morning Guest
Throughout my life, I’ve lived in Brock, Neb., Omaha, Neb., Kansas City, Mo., Denver, Colo., and now Cambridge, Neb. When my mother came to visit the other day, she asked me: “If you could choose living in the city, or living where you are now, which would you honestly pick?” My answer? Right where I am. Hands down.
Here’s a short list of reasons why:
– I can teach my children about agriculture every day on the way to town.
– People know my name.
– Friends are proud of the fact I work in the ag industry, and so am I.
– I feel safe.
– My kids have wonderful opportunities each and every day, many of which you could never find in the city.
– There are cows in the pasture less than a quarter mile from our house.
– We stop on the road into town to let a momma turkey and her 8 babies cross the road.
– The kids feel like they strike gold when they find deer tracks in the front yard.
– I don’t have to worry about bike helmets because there’s no passing traffic.
And this – my feathered friend – who wandered about 20 feet from the front door the other morning.
So HONESTLY…where would I want to live? Right here.
Until we walk again …