Dairy Carrie Exposes Latest PETA Sham

Chuck Zimmerman August 15, 2014

The world’s beloved AgShill Heiress Dairy Farmer Carrie Chestnut Mess, aka Dairy Carrie, is once again showing her brilliance as she has just pretty well slam dunked PETA and their latest dairy cow (bull) manure video release. As of now her revealing story has been visited over a quarter million times. With your help in spreading the word how about we make that over a million? Can do?

You can read her post to see links to what this is all about if you don’t know. What PETA didn’t consider, because who knows if they even have a coherent thought, is that a real dairy farmer would see through their sham video. Here’s an excerpt from Dairy Carrie’s story:

I started talking to other dairy farmers about this video and how there was absolutely no defending it when I realized something… The barn they show really is unbelievably dirty… as in so dirty that you have to ask yourself if what they are showing you is really real.

As I watched the video again I realized that the cows themselves were telling me the truth…

Yes PETA people, farmers love and know their animals so well they can tell you what’s going on with them just by looking at them. Bet you didn’t know that.

So, help spread this around if you can. It only takes a minute to tweet or share a link to the real story. And, btw you reporters who took this at face value and reported it from the PETA release, you really should do your job which would be a little research to get some reaction from a dairy farmer like Dairy Carrie!

Animal Activists, Animal Agriculture, Animal Health, Dairy

STAR Energy Powering up for Farm Progress Show

Cindy Zimmerman August 15, 2014

It takes a lot of energy to power the annual Farm Progress Show and that’s where GROWMARK FS STAR Energy shines.

Retail fuel manager Jason Stauffer, who we talked with at the 2010 Farm Progress Show in Iowa, says it takes them awhile to prepare for the event. “It starts about the second or third week in July,” he said. “We offer both the gasoline and the diesel fuel, which is our premium Dieselex Gold, during the construction of the Farm Progress Show, during the show, and then during the tear down part of it.” Which adds up to about eight weeks total.

How much fuel they use actually depends on the field demonstrations, which you might recall were cancelled last year in Illinois and a few years ago in Iowa. “You have a good show where we’re able to do field demonstrations, consumption can be in excess of 16-18,000 gallons,” said Stauffer. No demos cuts that total about in half.

Attendees at the show this year will be able to learn more about STAR Energy. “We’ve expanded our booth… to show the public what really STAR and the FS companies are about here in Iowa,” he said. “We’re bringing the energy games aboard which allows us to use technology to interact with different energy lubricants and fuels that we provide.” They are also bringing in the fuel trailer to demonstrate the system they’re using to power the show.

The FS STAR Energy exhibit will be located on lot 1302 this year, featuring digital farm games and a Nitrogen Management display with representatives from Iowa’s Water Quality Initiative on site.

Learn more about STAR Energy and what they will be doing at Farm Progress Show here: Jason Stauffer interview

Audio, Energy, Farm Progress Show, GROWMARK

Ditch the Rule at Missouri State Fair

Cindy Zimmerman August 15, 2014

Photo credit – Missouri Farm Bureau. Pictured left to right: Rep. Hartzler, Blake Hurst, Sen. Blunt, and Rep. Luetkemeyer.

Agriculture’s “Ditch the Rule” campaign against the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule was highlighted at the Missouri State Fair this week.

Three members of Missouri’s congressional delegation held a press conference at the fair, organized by the the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), Missouri Cattlemen’s Association and Missouri Farm Bureau. Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO), Rep. Vicky Hartzler and Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, who each discussed their concerns with the rule and why it should be ditched.

“Even if the EPA was well motivated here, this is more than they can ever do,” said Blunt. “They can’t regulate every ditch where water runs down the side of the road.

Luetkemeyer says the crux of the rule is the word hydrological. “The way this rule reads, as soon as one drop of water falls from the sky, EPA’s on it, and that’s a scary thought,” he said.

“I call it the ‘mother, may I?” rule,” said Hartzler. “If this goes through, we’re going to have to go to Big Government and ask “Mother, may I?” to plant a crop, protect our crops, to build a terrace or build a pond.”

Also speaking at the fair were Missouri Farm Bureau president Blake Hurst, who introduced everyone, and NCBA Environmental Counsel Ashley McDonald who showcased new interactive maps that illustrate how the proposal will impact property owners throughout the country. Missouri State Fair WOTUS conference

Thanks to Brownfield Ag News for providing the audio from the fair.

Photo credit – Missouri Farm Bureau. Pictured left to right: Rep. Hartzler, Blake Hurst, Sen. Blunt, and Rep. Luetkemeyer.

Ag Groups, Audio, Livestock, NCBA

Enlist™ Ahead app for Enlist Weed Control System

Jamie Johansen August 14, 2014

Dow AgroSciences unveiled, the Enlist™ Ahead app offers growers and applicators vital herbicide application information from a single source. The app, designed for use with the Enlist Weed Control System, is a precision agriculture tool for maximizing weed control performance, managing weed resistance and making responsible applications of Enlist Duo™ herbicide with Colex-D™ Technology. Regulatory approvals are pending for the Enlist system.

“With the Enlist Ahead app, growers and applicators will be able to carry important application data with them as they move from field to field,” says Damon Palmer, commercial leader, Enlist Weed Control System, Dow AgroSciences. “Two key features of the app — the application planner and the mode of action calculator — will help them make informed decisions for their weed control program and herbicide applications, maximizing their herbicide investment and getting the most from the Enlist technology into the future.”

The Enlist™ Ahead app is part of the Enlist Ahead management resource, which provides technology advancements, management recommendations, training and education. Parts of the app are powered by CDMS, a leading provider of software services and agricultural databases.

Agribusiness, Agronomy, Apps, Herbicide

Zimfo Bytes

Talia Goes August 14, 2014

The National Corn Growers Association welcomes Sara Neagu, who joins the organization as the legislative assistant for the Washington office.
broadhead, a leading marketing communications agency connecting the interests of urban and rural consumers, has announced the hiring of Elizabeth Holum and the promotions of Karen Johnson and Natalie Hoover.
Douglas L. Edgeton, a veteran of the healthcare and economic development sectors, will be the next president and chief executive officer of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, the Board of Directors
Amid excellent crop growing conditions and lower grain prices, farmland values in the Midwest and Mid-South continued to decline during the second quarter of 2014, according to the latest Agricultural Finance Monitor published by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Zimfo Bytes

Special Showing of The Great American Wheat Harvest

Chuck Zimmerman August 14, 2014

I’ll be off to Bismarck at the end of next week to watch a special showing of The Great American Wheat Harvest. You can find it at the Grand 22 movie theatre at 7pm on the 22nd.

The screening of this important documentary is sponsored by New Holland Agriculture, one of the many companies and agricultural organizations who provided support for the production of the film.

“New Holland is pleased to sponsor the showing of this important documentary film in North Dakota, the state that leads the nation in hard red spring wheat and durum production,” says Mark Hooper, New Holland Director of Marketing, North America. “As an advocate for agriculture, we feel this film is a smart way to connect consumers with the North American wheat growers and custom harvesters who produce their food.”

AgWired is also a sponsor of this great movie. Have you seen it yet?

Agribusiness, Harvest, Wheat

It’s a bird. No, it IS a plane!

Melissa Sandfort August 14, 2014

As I was driving home from my morning childcare drop-off routine, I snapped this picture of a crop duster flying right next to me. I’ve probably seen a thousand of them, but each time one is this close, a sense of thrill runs through my blood and I can understand why children are enthralled with planes.

I will recount a story for you, but I’m removing names and locations to “protect the innocent”. Back in 2005, I took an ag tour in the south. We explored cotton gins and almond groves and drove cotton pickers. The highlight of the trip was when we interviewed a crop duster and in passing, I mentioned that I’d like to go for a ride in one. He said, “Hop in!” It only had one seat and me being 5’10”, it was a snug ride on his lap. I had to be careful not to move my foot and trip the cable because it would open the door. Nerve-wracking!

We skimmed 20 feet over a cotton field … up and over a shed … and up to the sky again. It was thrilling.

This was certainly a story I shared with my mother AFTER the fact or she would’ve made me quit my job right then and there.

Until we walk again …

Uncategorized

Farmers Using Propane for More than Traditional Jobs

John Davis August 14, 2014

Farmers across the country are turning more and more to propane for their operations. A new study sponsored by the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) shows that farmers looking to cut fuel costs, increase efficiencies, and meet strict emissions standards are turning to the clean-burning fuel.

 Propane is currently used by more than 40 percent of farms in the U.S. According to a survey conducted by PERC and Artemis Strategy Group, the most common uses for propane among farmers are building heating (47 percent) and grain drying (35 percent).

The survey also showed that the role of propane on farms is changing, as more farmers are choosing propane to fuel vehicles and irrigation systems over other alternative fuels such as natural gas. According to the survey, 14 percent are using propane to fuel a vehicle on the farm (compared with natural gas at one percent) and five percent are using propane for irrigation (compared with natural gas at two percent).

“The results show that farmers trust propane as a reliable, convenient, American-made fuel,” Cinch Munson, PERC director of agriculture business development, said. “Every year, new, fuel-efficient propane-powered irrigation engines, grain dryers, work trucks, and forklifts are hitting the market. As more options become available, more farmers will turn to propane for greater efficiency and fuel savings.”

The survey also shows that farmers like using propane, as favorability ratings hit about 84 percent for propane, compared with 61 percent for natural gas and 33 percent for heating oil. PERC also touted its partnerships with equipment manufacturers with research and development investments to commercialize new propane-powered products or advance the energy efficiency of existing applications.

Agribusiness, Propane

Bob Treadway Reports on Factors Affecting Recruitment

Joanna Schroeder August 13, 2014

Bob Treadway with Treadway & Associates is a forecaster, strategy consultant and a “futurist”. He was brought to the 2014 AgCareers.com HR & Food Roundtable to discuss some of the forecasted needs the agriculture industry is going to have in the next 5-15 years. He said that many clients are not very good at looking at the environment in which they will be operating versus the environment they are currently in.

Many companies have said there is not enough talent coming in to the industry but they are looking at agriculture schools as their primary supplier of talent. Treadway advises ag companies to think more broadly and to start thinking about students from the business sector and students from the tech/IT sectors because this is where business is going. (For example, Paul Jindrich with ISU is getting his degree in Supply Chain Management and he was not being recruited by ag companies until he reached out.)

Treadway forecasts (he has a great explanation of forecasting in his interview) that there will be a great need for individuals to work in predictive analytics, often referred to as big data. There are several forecasts that show companies will have a tremendous shortage of this expertise in about five years and probably continuing for another decade beyond that.

“If I was a agricultural company, one of the things I would be doing is trying to find that talent and ensure its retention or I would be taking some of my best people and training them to learn this particular field,” said Treadway. “And its my feeling that not only what is important is to be able to forecast what the organization needs in the future, it is also important to forecast those areas that will be affected by technology and replaced by technology.”

Learn more about what the jobs are forecasted for the ag industry in my interview with Bob Treadway: Interview With Bob Treadway

View the 2014 AgCareers.com HR & Food Roundtable photo album.

AgCareers, Audio

The Voice of Students: How to Hire Us

Joanna Schroeder August 13, 2014

With a great need for talent in the agriculture industry, the human resources industry is looking to students at two and four-year college campuses. But what is the best way to reach them? This question was explored during the panel: “The Voice of Students- Effective Student Recruitment,” during the 2014 AgCareers.com HR & Food Roundtable.

The panel was moderated by Paula Beecher with Clemson University and featured Ashley Heil, University of Wisconsin- River Falls; Paul Jindrick, Iowa State University; and Dylan Vanboxtel, University of Minnesota.

The students noted that while companies are doing fairly well coming to campuses for job fairs, they could do a better job of reaching them where they are: online. Via places like Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat but maybe not so much on LinkedIn according to Jindrich who says he doesn’t use it to look for jobs. Although, the students acknowledged this would be a good tool for them.

To learn more I spoke with Ashley Heil who has spent her whole life around agriculture. She noted that companies are reaching out and coming to club meetings and getting on campus and doing things directly with students such as job fairs. She also said when looking for jobs she searches websites such as AgCareers.com, company websites and invites them to participate in campus clubs of which she is a member.

The best thing recruiters are doing now, said Ashley, are getting out to campuses and engaging one-on-one with students. She noted they could do better in that more organizations should become involved in campus clubs. Ashley is graduating soon and I’m sure she’ll be scooped up before graduation as she seems to be in all the right places for success.

Learn more about ways to recruit students in my interview with Ashley Heil: Interview With Ashley Heil

View the 2014 AgCareers.com HR & Food Roundtable photo album.

AgCareers, Audio

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