I had to walk in it a lot on National Ag Day in Washington, DC. But the snow made for a pretty picture around the nation’s Capitol.
It snowed most of the day on Tuesday so walking between activity appointments was a little cool and “humid.”
I’ve got lots of good photos from this week’s National Agriculture Day activities online including some of the late snow.
Peter Kendall of the National Farmers’ Union UK was elected as the new President of the World Farmers’ Organisation. After the US national Robert Carlson, he will be at the guide of the WFO for the next two years with a board of six members from six different continents: Mr. Ismail Ab Rahman Bin (Asia), Dr Evelyn Nguleka (Africa), Mr. Brent Finlay, (Oceania), Mr Luis Miguel Etchevehere (Latin America), Mr Piet Vanthemsche (Europe), Mr Ron Bonnet (North America).
Peter Kendall, Former President of the National Farmers’ Union in England and Wales, took a degree in Agricultural Economics at Nottingham University, before returning to the family business in 1984. He was NFU President for eight years from 2006 to February 2014.
“Feeding the world’s rapidly growing population is one of the biggest challenges facing the world today, and it is vital that the world farmers have a strong and united voice as we seek the best solutions to meeting this demand,” said WFO president Peter Kendall. “As President of the World Farmers Organization (WFO) I look forward to continuing the excellent work of Robert Carlson and inclusive who has led the organization since its formation three years ago in August in that time has agriculture continued to climb the political agenda around the world and with the realization that increasing climate change and extreme weather events make our futures uncertain, the WFO has a vital and central role to play. My priority will be to continue to raise the profile of the WFO so it is seen as the lead and most respected organization for global agriculture. To be elected at this critical time is both a great honor and responsibility.”
The vote for the new president and the board has involved all the confederations member of the World Farmers’ Organisation during the General Assembly in Buenos Aires. The event that is going to end brought together about 100 agricultural confederations, coming from 80 different countries in Buenos Aires at the Sociedad Rural Argentina (SRA) from March 26 to 29.
A member of the Outstanding Farmers of America Fraternity, Greg Wegis, Bakersfield, CA, was a mix & mingle lunch speaker during National Ag Day activities this week. He was introduced by Orion Samuelson. There were several other members in attendance too. Greg and his wife Gina were part of the 2013 Outstanding Young Farmers Program group. You can see who is in the 2014 group on their website.
The Outstanding Farmers of America Fraternity is made up of past nominees of the Outstanding Young Farmer Program. The fraternity is designed to facilitate an exchange of ideas and friendship that encourages excellence and involvement in agriculture and the local, state, and national community.
There are approximately 1,500 members of the fraternity across the nation who utilize their connections with each other in a strong networking format to assist farmers and promote the importance of America’s farming community.
You can listen to Greg’s remarks here:Greg Wegis Remarks
Movie screenings for The Great American Wheat Harvest have been scheduled and more will be.
The first one is April 2, 2014 in Lincoln, NE from 7-9pm which will be the kickoff of the “Heart of America Tour.” The location is The Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 313 N. 13th Street. An RSVP is required. Register at https://gawh-lincolnpremiere.eventbrite.com.
The second one will be held on Friday, April 4th in Scottsbluff, NE. This is a *Special Event* with the Nebraska Wheat Board Mobile Baking Unit. The location is The Midwest Theater, 1707 Broadway.
Friday Night Doors Open at 6:45 p.m. (MST). Come early for treats provided by the Nebraska Wheat Board; Special Introductions; Meet the Filmmaker, Conrad Weaver; and pick up your Free Movie Poster! Film begins about 8 p.m. (MST). Tickets are $5 for Members/Students, $7 for Non-members and may be purchased at the Midwest Theater box office.
Other showings include:
Sat., April 5: 7:30 p.m.
Sun., April 6: 1:30 p.m.
The ZimmGlass Project is all about using this new wearable technology to see how it can fit into the work flow of an agricultural journalist. I’ve been using it for this purpose in the field since early January. I’ve published many videos using ZimmGlass (the name for my Glass) that include face to face interviews, in the cab tractor demonstrations and trade show walk-throughs. I anticipate many more that will include in the field crop tours and precision ag demonstrations. The feedback has been very positive. I’ve also published many photos I’ve taken with the device. What I will try next is a live video stream when I’m on location.
So, do I think Glass has a role to play in agricultural journalism? Absolutely. As a Glass Explorer I’m providing feedback to Google that includes things like improvements in camera and microphone quality, easier sharing with more social media channels, a way to compose text to go with a photo tweet and more. If there are ag journalism schools or professional ag journalism organizations (you know who you are) that would like to have me make a presentation please get in touch to see how we could make that work. You can also come by our booth at the April Agri-Marketing Conference for a demo. More on that later.
Thanks to our AgWired App sponsor, Aaron Hutchinson, iCropTrak, I just learned that the Anneburg School of Journalism at the University of Southern California will be offering a new course this fall called, Glass Journalism, to be taught by Robert Hernandez. Robert was interviewed by the American Journalism Review about his Glass Explorer experience and thoughts on using it as a story telling tool. I’m in agreement with everything he says about his experience so far.
Although spring hasn’t fully arrived in many parts of the country, the polar vortex days are thankfully behind us. That means we’re all getting antsy for the warm, sunny days of May. Until then, this would be the ideal time for pulling the planter out of the shed to ensure your planting setup is ready for trouble-free field operation.
The first step will in getting ready for spring will be powering on your display to manage data, update firmware and create a backup. Nick Ritland, Ag Leader hardware tech support representative, gives a high-level check-list of some things to keep in mind before you get to the planting season.
Listen to Ritland explainCurrent display firmware can be found here and should be updated prior to the start of the season. Guidance firmware can be found here.
Once your display is ready, move to the components located on the planter. Each of the links below will give you a step by step guide to confirm your clutches, population monitoring, hydraulic drives and Hydraulic Down Force are working as they should.
• SeedCommand Pre-Season Checklist
• Planter Task Controller Quick Reference Sheet
• Clutch Control Module Quick Reference Sheet
• Seed Tube Monitoring Module Quick Reference Sheet
• Planter Population Monitoring for Kinze PMM
• Hydraulic Seed Control Quick Reference Sheet
• Hydraulic Down Force Quick Reference Sheet
Ag Leader also recommends looking over the physical components and setup of the planter. Ritland reviews some of the key “to-do” list items.
Listen to Ritland explain
Our friends at Farm Foundation will host another one of their thought-provoking discussions, this time, talking about the energy and agricultural markets and their relationship. Titled, “Geopolitical Uncertainty in Agriculture and Energy Markets,” the April 9 Forum will be held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. EDT.
Current political unrest in numerous locations across the world is having a profound effect across agricultural and energy markets and generating supply chain uncertainties.
The April 9 Farm Foundation® Forum will examine the potential consequences of sudden policy changes, production issues, and unforeseen price fluctuations in a turbulent global marketplace. Panelists for this Forum will include:
Former U.S.Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman will moderate the panel.
Vincent Smith, scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and professor at Montana State University.
Gary Blumenthal of World Perspectives, Inc.
Brian Oleson, professor at the University of Manitoba.
Charles Doran, professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies
There’s no charge for the forum, and you can register to attend here. In addition, a webcast, including audio and slides, is available here.
Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “How will you celebrate Ag Day?”
National Ag Day is nothing new to the agriculture community, but that doesn’t weaken the importance of it’s purpose. Our poll results showed an even spread of those heading to D.C. to celebrate Ag Day, participating via social media and taking a farmer to lunch. It was also evident that there were many state and local events happening nationwide. Others shared that eating good food while toasting American farmers was on their schedule. We all took part in festivities no matter big or small.
Our poll results:
Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “Do you think farm movies can help the public image of agriculture?”
National Ag Day activities were special this year because of of two great documentary films about farming. There was a private advance screening of Farmland and the national premier of The Great American Wheat Harvest for those lucky enough to get a sneak peek. There is no question we in the agriculture community need to stop sitting on our hands and tell our ag story so it is not told by others inaccurately. Are these movies doing just that? Do you think farm movies will help improve the public’s opinion of agriculture?
Indiana’s “Down to Earth” documentary examines the world of sustainable farming. Small-farm issues in a big-farm world are the central theme of a new documentary created by students at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind. The film is focused on promoting a more sustainable and locally based food system for our country.
Fourteen students spent the fall creating “Down to Earth” as part of a semester-long immersive learning experience at the university’s Virginia B. Ball Center for Creative Inquiry. The 35-minute film spotlights an east central Indiana farmer, Kyle Becker, and his passion to implement sustainable farming methods to help heal his land in Mooreland, Ind., while providing healthy food to people throughout the region. Included in the film are dozens of interviews the students conducted with prominent players in the national sustainability movement, including Will Allen, CEO of Growing Power, Juli Obudzinski of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and Joel Saltain, whose Polyface Farms was featured in both Michael Pollan’s best-selling book “Omnivore’s Dilemma” and the 2008 documentary “Food Inc.”
Down to Earth: Small Farm Issues In a Big Farm World from Down to Earth on Vimeo.
