AAA College Aggies

Chuck Zimmerman

AAA College AggiesThe Animal Agriculture Alliance presented scholarships to several of the members of the current College Aggies Online group. Last November the Alliance announced the winners of the fall competition.

Members of the University of Wisconsin, Madison Association of Women in Agriculture formed the top-scoring club with 229,820 total points, earning $5,000.00.

Louisiana State University Les Voyageurs came in second place with 182,103 points and will receive a $2,500 prize. LSU was closely followed by clubs at both Oklahoma State University and Montana State University.

With 28,016 points, the individual high score went to Jessy Eggerling, a student at South Dakota State University. Nikki Little of Auburn University came in second place with 27,077 points. In third place was Katherine Griswold, of University of Wisconsin. Each of the three top individuals will earn scholarships valued at $2,500, $1,000 and $500 respectively.

I interviewed the College Aggies attending last week’s Stakeholders Summit to receive their awards. They are pictured with representatives from program sponsors Lallemand Animal Nutrition, Tyson Foods, National Pork Board and the AgChat Foundation. I asked them how that got involved with the program and what they do as College Aggies Online.

AAA College Aggies

2014 AAA Stakeholders Summit Photo Album

Coverage is sponsored by Sensible Table

Ag Groups, Animal Agriculture, Audio, Education, University

Grow it, Kill it, Melt it with Conserv FS

Cindy Zimmerman

conserv-fs-turfThe GROWMARK FS System is well known in the Midwest agricultural world for grain, energy and agronomy services, but maybe not so well known is its turf products and services.

“If you want to grow it, kill it, or melt it, the turf division would be who you would talk to,” says Jim Coens, Turf Department Manager for Conserv FS in Woodstock, Illinois. “If it’s a non-edible crop, we have sales people that sell into it – from golf courses, municipalities, park districts, school districts. If you play on it on the outside, we can help you with it.”

Conserv FS and at least eight other FS member companies in the GROWMARK system have turf programs with certified turf specialists like Don Michaels. “We don’t sell just ourselves as a person, we sell the concept of a team effort,” said Michaels, who stresses the importance of customer service in their business.

Conserv FS has turf accounts with some big names, like the Chicago Cubs and Bears and the Milwaukee Brewers, who have big needs. “Their fields are on show every day,” said Michaels. “So they cannot afford to have a slip up. That field always has to play safely and look pristine.”

“In GROWMARK, corn and beans rule the world, but in our world it’s playability and aesthetics,” said Coens, who says they really got into the business about 15 years ago when they noticed how much agricultural acreage was being lost to urban sprawl. “So we looked at alternatives and other markets we could get into … and we took all the wonderful things we knew in the agricultural world and brought them to people growing turf.”

The wide variety of products and services offered by the turf division include aeration and aquatics, bulk salt and ice melters, seeds, herbicides, fungicides and even fencing supplies.

Find out more in this interview with Jim and Don. Conserv FS Turf Division interview

Audio, FS System, GROWMARK

Millennial Staffers on the Hill

Chuck Zimmerman

Millennial StaffersThe first panel discussion of the 2014 Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit focused on millennial staffers on the hill. Moderating the discussion was Chandler Keys, The Keys Group. The panelists each spoke first with ideas for approaching elected officials effectively, especially since the first step is often with a millennial generation staffer like themselves. I selected a quote from each of their comments to share.

First up is Grant Colvin, Policy Analyst for the Senate Committee on Agriculture. He says when visiting with your elected officials not to “overthink it.” He often sees people coming in with a chip on their shoulder and even using hostile language. He suggests using some finesse and sensitivity.

Grant Colvin

Next is Joe Williamson, Legislative Director for Congressman Cory Gardner, CO. He says he had to learn about farm policy on the fly when he got into his position and that the only way to reach millennials is to “dumb it down.” Simplify the message because a lot of people don’t have the background in agriculture that you do.

Joe Williamson

Then we heard from Alexandria Igleheart, Legislative Assistant for Congressman Mac Thornberry, TX. She is a numbers person and says you can’t argue with numbers. So have some good local data for the district of who you’re visiting with. She also says to start small by building a relationship and realize that things don’t often move fast on the Hill.

Alexandria Igleheart

2014 AAA Stakeholders Summit Photo Album

Coverage is sponsored by Sensible Table

Ag Groups, Animal Agriculture, Audio, Farm Policy

Farmland: The Student Perspective

Kristin Liska

farmland-posterOn May 8, the documentary Farmland was shown in Ames, Iowa and many Iowa State students were able to attend the showing. I was able to catch up with Brady Zuck, a senior in animal science, afterwards and ask him what his thoughts were on the film.

In the interview, that you can listen to fully below, Brady talks about how he was able to relate to the movie on a personal level and really enjoyed how it showed all aspects of agriculture and not just one side. He continued to talk about how important this movie is for people outside of the agriculture community to watch this movie.

Have you seen the Farmland film? If so, what did you think about it?

Farmland: Brady Zuck
Ag Groups, Audio, USFRA

Zimfo Bytes

Talia Goes

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Pear Bureau Northwest, the nonprofit marketing association that promotes fresh pears grown in Oregon and Washington, recently commissioned nutrition research examining fresh pear consumption and the associated nutrition and health benefits.
  • Golf course superintendents and lawn care professionals can now instantly access Bayer’s best-in-class innovation and research from their iPhone or iPad using the Backed by Bayer™ app from Environmental Science, a division of Bayer CropScience LP.
  • Peanut Proud and the Georgia Peanut Commission loaded 20 pallets (28,800 jars) of peanut butter to send to families affected by the recent tornado disasters in Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama. Donations were made by Kroger, American Blanching, as well as Peanut Proud.
  • The Alberta Wheat Commission has announced that Tom Steve will join the organization as its new general manager.
Zimfo Bytes

The Power of AgFiniti

Melissa Sandfort

Insights WeeklyIt seems like every year it gets harder and harder to meet up with the consultant to grab your planting or seeding prescriptions; or if they do make it into our hands, the USB seems to get forgotten on the kitchen table.

The good news is, with the AgFiniti cloud platform, access to your valuable prescription and setup files is easier than ever! Instead of running into town to grab your files, or waiting for your consultant to get them to you, simply transfer them wirelessly, directly from the field!

AgFiniti took a unique approach in terms of wireless connectivity, Ag Leader provides the platform, and allows you to use the wireless connection that works best for you! Many already have a wireless solution that will work with AgFiniti. If you have a smart phone or tablet with a cellular data plan, you may have a device that is capable of becoming a “personal hotspot”. These devices can turn their cellular data connection into a Wi-Fi signal for other devices to connect to. Or, if your operation has a wireless network that’s accessible from the field, office, or shop, you can easily connect your Ag Leader display’s to your AgFiniti account without having to utilize cellular data at all.

AgFiniti-700x490Connect your Ag Leader display to your secure AgFiniti account to access prescriptions, guidance lines and display setup files without having to keep track of a USB! As the season progresses, wirelessly send your as-applied data back to your office or to your trusted advisor, without the hassle of managing multiple USB’s and spending valuable time transferring field data, making data management quick and easy.

Read More

Ag Leader, Agribusiness

ZimmCast with Paulsen’s Sara Steever

Cindy Zimmerman

ZimmCast 436We are so pleased to offer our sincere congratulations to a good friend and professional colleague Sara Steever, who was just named president of Paulsen Marketing!

steever-1Sara is only the fourth president in the 63-year history of the Sioux Falls-based agency that specializes in ag and rural lifestyle clients. She succeeds Greg Guse, who has been Paulsen’s president for the past six years. Greg will continue to serve the agency as executive vice president, business development.

Find out more about Sara and Paulsen in this ZimmCast. Paulsen Marketing president Sara Steever

Thanks to our ZimmCast sponsor, GROWMARK, locally owned, globally strong, for their support.

Subscribe to the ZimmCast podcast here.

Agencies, Audio, ZimmCast

Calling All Growers to Take the Distillers Grain Survey

Joanna Schroeder

Calling all corn growers!

Iowa State University is looking at how the use of distillers grains have changed in the United States over the past several years. Interested growers are invited to participate in a survey currently being conducted by Iowa State University Assistant Professor Dr. Kurt Rosentrater. The survey findings will create a better overall picture of the roll distillers grains play in the livestock industry today and provide important insight into possible points of improvement in the future.

The survey is funded, ddgsin part, by the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) Ethanol Committee as part of the team’s efforts to increase understanding of how this ethanol co-product benefits farmers, ranchers and ethanol producers alike.

“I encourage anyone who might be able to provide information on how they use distillers grains on their operation to take a few minutes and complete this survey,” said NCGA Ethanol Committee Chair Jeff Sandborn, a Michigan farmer. “As the use of distillers grains continues to grow and evolve, data gained through this survey will enable producers to improve their offerings and thus will benefit the very livestock producers that we would like to participate. Using corn to produce fuel and feed is already a win-win-win situation. Now, we want to make it that much better.”

To take the survey, click here.

Agribusiness, Corn, Feed, NCGA

Cooking for Millennials

Chuck Zimmerman

Chef Dave CreamerAt the 2014 Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit we’ve heard a lot about food and what millennials like and what triggers their choices. However, I liked a comment by Jason Clay, World Wildlife Fund, who said we’ve got 7 billion food experts in the world. So really, regardless of what generation you’re in we all have opinions about food.

An important element for me is who prepares the food. At the conference here in Arlington it’s Executive Chef Dave Creamer, seen here with our AAA leadership at lunch. I visited with him after lunch.

I asked him what kind of impact the millennials have had on his job. He says that he’s preparing a lot more targeted menus with more specialty foods. He keeps an eye on trending foods because people are expecting to get what they want and it’s not all just meat and potatoes anymore. He says you “have to have a story behind” the food you’re preparing.

Interview with Chef Dave Creamer

2014 AAA Stakeholders Summit Photo Album

Coverage is sponsored by Sensible Table

Ag Groups, Animal Agriculture, Audio, Food

ResponsibleAg Board Meets & Elects Chair

Jamie Johansen

responsibleagThe ResponsibleAg Board of Directors held its first meeting this week at the offices of the Asmark Institute in Owensboro, Ky. During the meeting, directors elected Billy Pirkle, Senior Director, Environmental Health and Safety, Crop Production Services, as Chairman of the Board. Other officers elected were Pete Mutschler of CHS as Secretary and Scott Rawlins of Wilbur-Ellis as Treasurer.

ResponsibleAg is a self-governing, not-for-profit corporation founded this year by the fertilizer industry for the purpose of enhancing product stewardship at every level within the distribution chain. Utilizing third-party audits, ResponsibleAg will assist fertilizer storage and handling facilities achieve and maintain compliance with federal laws and regulations.

Remaining ResponsibleAg board members are Rod Wells (GROWMARK), Dave Ito (Lyman-Tremont Group), Alicia Duke (J.R. Simplot), Rosemary O’Brien (CF Industries), Tim McArdle (Brandt Consolidated) and Justin Gough (El Dorado Chemical). The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) President Chris Jahn and Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) President & CEO Daren Coppock will serve as non-voting ex officio board members.

The board will now select a contractor to manage the ResponsibleAg program. A position description for the role was approved by the board and will be circulated by ARA and TFI, with a submission deadline of May 31. A subcommittee of the board will screen the applicants and conduct in-person interviews with the finalists.

The Board is also forming a technical committee to oversee the development of specific content of assessment questionnaires, pre-qualification requirements for prospective auditors, and other technical issues. This committee is expected to be named by May 16 and will hold its first meeting in early June.

Agribusiness, Fertilizer