NAMA Fall Conference Reminder

Chuck Zimmerman August 8, 2014

This is a reminder about the NAMA Fall Conference. I’ll be there. Will you?

There is a great lineup of speakers coming to Chicago. Here are a few of them:

Steve Hughes, founder and President of Hit Your Stride, LLC., has made it his mission to help people look and sound smart when they talk. He will give you great tips to take your presentation from boring to brilliant! Hughes is the author of Dazzle Me: Captivate and Win Over Any Audience and he has appeared on NPR, BBC Radio and BusinessWeek.

Jon Petz, engagement expert, will teach you how to make the most out of every meeting, phone call and basically any daily activity. His clients include the US Air Force, IBM, ABC, Marriott – the list goes on! He is also the author of several books including Boring Meetings Suck: Get More Out of Your Meetings, or Get Out of More Meetings and The Best of the Best.

Bob Langert, Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability at McDonald’s Corp., will close out your Fall Conference experience with a look at the major issues facing the agriculture industry in today’s world. Get a forecast for what lies ahead from an extremely experienced ag veteran.

So, what are you waiting for? Get registered and let’s get together and make this the biggest NAMA Fall Conference in history. You like making history don’t you?

Ag Groups, NAMA

Minnesota Congressman at Ethanol Conference

Cindy Zimmerman August 8, 2014

The American Coalition for Ethanol meeting in Minneapolis this week honored Congressman Collin Peterson of Minnesota with its highest award for supporters of ethanol, the Merle Anderson award. Anderson, known to many as the Father of Ethanol, presented Peterson with the award, as well as an ethanol lapel pin and a big five dollar contribution for his campaign.

Peterson says ethanol has been great for agriculture and he continues to fight for it in Congress. “It’s just been a tremendous success story in agriculture because it’s changed the marketplace so farmers can get a decent price for their corn,” he said. “We do have our opponents and they are still working to undermine things,” he continued, noting that just last week Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) attempted to bring up a bill to get rid of the RFS. “They want to go back to $1.85 corn and I tell them if they are successful they will rue the day because nobody can grow corn for $1.85.” Peterson says the only way farmers survived when prices were $1.85 a bushel was because of the government subsidy “and that’s gone.”

Peterson remains hopeful that the EPA will eventually come out with a better final rule on the 2014 volume obligations for the RFS. “I think the fact that they delayed this for now a third time shows they are listening,” he said. “It appears to me that they realize they made a mistake here and they’re trying to figure out how to undo it.” He thinks it could be next year before the rule is final, but “a delayed decision is better than a bad decision.”

In this interview, Peterson also comments on WOTUS, farm bill implementation, immigration, and more. Interview with Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN) at ACE Conference

27th Annual Ethanol Conference photo album

ACE, Audio, Corn, Ethanol

2014 Pre-Harvest Prep

Melissa Sandfort August 8, 2014

It wasn’t long ago the focus was on getting the crops planted, fertilized, and sprayed. Hopefully the hard work is paying off and yields are looking good for the fall. With cost of inputs remaining high and a dip in most crop prices, it is very crucial to know what practices were successful and which did not have a good return on investment. Most growers that have diverse operations are curious on where the best yields are so they can know which seed, chemicals, and fertilizers worked best for their operation. By having the Ag Leader yield monitoring systems calibrated and ready for fall, growers will be able to know which practices made the most money.

For some, fall might seem too far away to think about but it will be here sooner than you know. We all know how busy fall can be while trying to get into the fields, so Ag Leader recommends taking a few simple steps before the busy season arrives to prepare for harvest.

Nick Hageman, Ag Leader Hardware Technical Support Representative, briefly explains how to proceed with taking care of the first six steps on the pre-harvest prep check list.

Listen to Hageman explain

Hageman explains what needs to be done by way of calibrations.

Listen to Hageman explain

All told, these 10 steps should be able to be completed in three to four hours. Once completed, your combine should be prepared for harvest. Remember, after beginning harvest, weight and moisture calibration still needs to be done. These are two very important calibrations. Once all the calibrations are complete, the system will be very accurate.

We hope that your hard work and time will be rewarding this harvest season! Remember, if you have any questions you can contact Ag Leader Technical Support at 515-232-5363.

Become 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.

Ag Leader, Agribusiness

Zimfo Bytes

Talia Goes August 8, 2014

RiceTec will hold its annual Arkansas Field Day on August 14 beginning at 4:00 pm at their Harrisburg, AR Business Center.
BASF announced the official publication of Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) established by the European Commission for Sharpen® herbicide in the EU.
Helping farmers and landowners choose the right farm bill risk coverage package in the months ahead will be the topic of a free DTN webinar Aug. 21, co-sponsored by the National Corn Growers Association.
28th Annual Georgia Peanut Tour, “Quality is our Future”, will be September 16 – 18, 2014 in Savannah, Ga. and surrounding area.

Zimfo Bytes

AgCareers.com Agribusiness HR Review Trends for 2014-15

Joanna Schroeder August 7, 2014

One of the tools AgCareers.com is becoming well known for is their annual HR Agribusiness Review. During this year’s annual HR & Food Roundtable, the survey team released the preliminary results of the 2014-2015 report. The review provides data on a range of human resource (HR) practices relevant to participating agribusinesses over the last 12 months. Today, 86 agribusiness companies have provided information to document emerging industry trends and develops relating to HR.

To learn more about the report, I spoke with Mary Barefoot with AgCareers.com. Barefoot noted that there are 14 business sectors involved in the survey with the most prominent being Input Retail, Cooperative and Crop Services representing 17.4 percent. The survey also features a large mix of companies from small to large.

Barefoot explained that there are several Key findings of the Agribusiness HR Review 2014-2015

89.5% of companies experienced an increase in salaries during the last 12 months.
The Agribusiness Review forecasts salaries to increase between 3.1-3.5% between July 2014-June 2015.
57.6% of participants who performed a compensation market study within the last 2 years utilized a balance of resources.
In the next 2 years, nearly 70% of participants expect their workforce to increase in size while only 4.6% expect a decrease.
Roughly 35% of agribusiness has a turnover rate between 6.1% and 12%.
38.3% of companies reported 91-100% of employees received a bonus during the last fiscal year .
The number of companies using social media as a recruitment tool has more than doubled in the last year.
When asked what steps companies take to compete against other employers, 72% of companies responded they provided better benefits.
75.5% of companies said the most effective means of reaching prospective applicants is employee referrals and networks.
60.5% of companies plan to do more college and university recruiting in the next 1-5 years.

The full report will be available on the AgCareers.com website in December 2014. For companies who are interested in participating, contact Mary.

Learn more about the annual Agribusiness HR Review by listening to my interview with Mary Barefoot: Interview With Mary Barefoot

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

AgCareers, Audio, Education

How to Motivate Employee Candidates

Joanna Schroeder August 7, 2014

How many times have you been talking to a friend and complained about your job by saying you just aren’t motivated? This is the same question leaders ask themselves when working with employees: how can I motivate my employees? and how can I motivate future employees to choose our company?

AgCareers.com conducted a Candidate Motivation & Behavior Survey in the summer of 2014 to ask and answer these very questions. A survey snapshot was shared with attendees during the annual AgCareers.com HR & Food Roundtable that is taking place this week at the Hyatt Regency in Minneapolis, MN.

The goal of the survey was to identify what motivates employee candidates in the ag industry to look for a new position and ultimately make the decision to change jobs. This is important for employers because the results can aid them in developing retention and recruitment programs.

The majority of respondents were currently employed with 35 percent actively looking for a new job. Respondents that were currently employed were asked a different series of questions than unemployed respondents. Sixty-nine percent of unemployed workers searched for job opportunities daily, whereas 17 percent of employed workers explored other opportunities on a daily basis.

An interesting aspect of the survey was what motivated a person to leave his or her job.

#1 Career growth/advancement opportunity
#2 Higher compensation
#3 Better benefits
#4 More flexibility
#5 Company stability
#6 Job duties/responsibilities
#7 Industry stability
#8 Company is an industry leader
#9 Different management/coworkers
#10 Company’s social responsibility initiatives (community involvement, charity, donations)

The top motivator most likely to persuade not interested or not searching candidates to leave their current position was higher compensation. For those thinking or actively looking, the top motivator was career growth/advancement opportunity.

The full report will be released this fall.

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

AgCareers, Education

New Holland Celebrating Major Milestones

Chuck Zimmerman August 7, 2014

The New Holland Guardian Sprayer was on display during media day last week. Here’s Abe Hughes, VP, North America, in front of the monster sprayer. The front-boom sprayers have been introduced with Tier 4B and you can get them with the available 1,600 US/gallon tank and 120-foot boom options to cover more acres faster than ever.

When I visited with Abe he talked about more than just new products. New Holland is hitting several company milestones for one thing. Next year will be the company’s 120th anniversary. Other milestones include the 50th Anniversary of New Holland Speedrower® self-propelled windrowers, 40th Anniversary of New Holland Twin Rotor® combines and 40th Anniversary of New Holland Roll-Belt™ round balers.

Abe also talks about the more than 1,000 New Holland dealers throughout the United States and Canada. Worldwide, there are more than 3,000 New Holland dealers in 160 countries. Abe believes that a smart, comprehensive dealer network helps his customers make smarter decisions on a day-to-day basis.

Listen to my interview with Abe here: Interview with Abe Hughes

2014 New Holland Media Day Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Equipment, New Holland, Video

What’s your favorite way to eat peanut butter?

Jamie Johansen August 7, 2014

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “I prefer to get my farm news from:”

I am sure many of the younger generation feel real magazines and radio are a little out dated, but it is clear that they still serve a purpose when it comes to getting news that is relevant to our industry. Computers seem to easily take the the lead when it comes to a resource for farm news. Do you think we will see the day when computers seem dated? I might still be considered the ‘younger generation’ but I would rather listen to the radio any day.

Here are the poll results:

Magazine – 14%
Mobile Phone – 24%
Radio – 15%
Tablet – 10%
Computer – 34%
Other – 3%

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, What’s your favorite way to eat peanut butter?

Peanut butter is quite diverse making it a staple in many households. I personally prefer a peanut butter cookie over anything else. Chuck and Cindy have covered the Southern Peanut Growers Conference for seven years. The three-day event provides farmers an opportunity to learn more about the industry and important issues. You can check out photos and audio from this years event here.

ZimmPoll

Grower Recommendations from FMC

Chuck Zimmerman August 7, 2014

The Golden ZimmComm Microphone got a good workout during the Ag Media Summit. Thanks to Paul Redhage, FMC, for taking this photo of me interviewing Len Dobbins, eBusiness/CRM Manager at FMC Corporation. I think Len has a little bit of the AgNerd in him. In our interview we talked about responsive website design for example.

I asked him what FMC offers to growers who are getting close to the end of another season. He says that weeds and weed control is really a big issue that has been of more concern than ever with the weed resistance we’ve been seeing. Of course starting out with a clean field in the spring is critical. So he recommends applying a product like one of FMC’s Authority brands in the fall to take care of winter annuals. This will give growers more flexibility with the timing of their pre-emerge treatments in the spring.

You can listen to my interview with Len here: Interview with Len Dobbins

Ag Media Summit Photo Album

Coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by

Ag Media Summit, Agribusiness, Audio, FMC, weed management

How Ground Beef & Hamburgers are Made Video Released

Jamie Johansen August 7, 2014

Ground beef and hamburgers are two of America’s most beloved meat products, yet also among the most misunderstood when it comes to how they’re made. With that in mind, American Meat Institute (AMI) has developed a new video as part of its “Glass Walls” series featuring a tour of a processing plant that produces ground beef for several major restaurant chains. The tour is led by Birchwood Foods/Kenosha Beef President and CEO Dennis Vignieri, whose family has been in the beef business for nearly 80 years.

The video highlights the entire process of making ground beef and hamburgers and shows how beef trimmings are analyzed and ground into a specific lean to fat ratio that consumers enjoy and finally formed into patties that are packaged and sent to restaurants or grocery stores. More than half of the beef consumed in the U.S. is ground beef.

“There are some misconceptions about how ground beef is made, but the process is actually much like you would do in your own kitchen, just on a larger scale,” AMI Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and Member Services Janet Riley . “We want consumers to see the process and know they can feel confident eating the burgers they love.”

“Ground Beef: How It’s Made” is the sixth video in AMI’s Glass Walls series which also features tours of beef, pork and turkey plants led by animal welfare expert Temple Grandin, Ph.D., professor of animal science at Colorado State University, a thorough look at sanitation in meat plants as well as a look at how hot dogs are made. Those videos have been viewed more than 300,000 times on YouTube.

AMI also has several videos featuring experts addressing ground beef myths on its Meat Mythcrushers website.

Ag Groups, Meat, Video

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