Agri-Women Launch ‘Call to Power’ Campaign

Jamie Johansen

Rosie Poster 2014aAmerican Agri-Women (AAW) will kick off its membership campaign, “Call to Power,” on National Agriculture Day, March 25. The campaign theme urges women to join the nation’s largest coalition of farm, ranch and agribusiness women, which includes more than 50 state, commodity and agribusiness affiliates.

“Since 1974, women across the country have banded together to network with each other, educate consumers and policy makers about agriculture and participate in leadership development opportunities. Our combined power has made a difference and we invite others to join us,” says Sue McCrum, AAW president.

The campaign runs through May 31 and includes these benefits:
– Three new members will be selected to receive free second-year memberships.
– The affiliate that signs up the most new members will receive an award to go toward their own advocacy efforts.

Go here to learn more: www.americanagriwomen.org. Members of all segments of agriculture, agri-business and consumers interested in food production are encouraged to join their state or commodity affiliate as well as the national association. Dues for the national association are just $30 and affiliates also have affordable memberships.

The “Call to Power” theme is based on a paper developed by Sr. Thomas More Bertels (1918-2000). Sr. Bertels was a long-time advocate for women in agriculture. Sr. Bertels wrote, “The most important task facing farm entrepreneurs today is capturing a significant degree of influence over the policy-making function as it relates to food, feed, fiber, forest products and flora.”

Ag Day, Ag Groups

A New Land

Melissa Sandfort

2553_10200759166482125_1402896317_nThink of anywhere in the world you’d like to live. Did you come up with a foreign country, somewhere across state lines, or did you choose right where you currently are? Where is “home” to you? I have always lived by the words that home is where the heart is… and what you make of it, not just the simple fact of geography.

My two children and I recently moved four hours away from “home”, still in Nebraska. Everything is new: the house, the school, the daycare, the schedule, the people, the landscape. We’re in the heart of cattle country, which is nice because my children can still grow up around agriculture and take tractor rides.

And it is quickly becoming home to me. Sure, bringing my decorations and antiques from the old house helps, but when I step outside and breathe the fresh air, I know it’s where I’m meant to be. When I look out off the back porch and see deer and turkeys running through the pasture, see the millions of stars at night and the moon coming in through my bedroom window, I know I’ve found my place.

The trees are starting to bud and there are signs of spring all around us – and the children are having fun riding bikes and pushing dump trucks through the dirt (yes, even the little girl in pink pants and boots is in the dirt!). This is the nearby lake, just east of my running path. Hopefully sometime soon it will look like the picture.

My run takes me along the gravel path, but it always leads back home. Just like it used to.

Until we walk again …

Uncategorized

How Will You Celebrate Ag Day?

Jamie Johansen

New Holland ZimmPollOur latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “What do you think of the Open Ag Data Alliance?”

Over half of those who participated in this week’s poll thought the Open Ag Data Alliance (OADA) was a great idea. Even though many are for this new software project, there are many who are questioning it’s benefits and believe it is confusing. If the learning curve was easy, would more be for it?

Our poll results:

  • Great idea – 54%
  • Terrible idea – 16%
  • No idea what it is – 22%
  • Other – 8%

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “How will you celebrate Ag Day?”

National Ag Day is Tuesday, March 25. The agriculture community will be taking part in festivities across the country to celebrate the abundance provided by agriculture. Chuck and Cindy will be in Washington D.C. Chuck is covering the National Ag Day Activities and Cindy the American Coalition for Ethanol Biofuels Beltway March. Whether big or small, we can all do something to recognize the contributions of farmers and ranchers to our nation. What will you do?

ZimmPoll

Zimfo Bytes

Talia Goes

Zimfo Bytes

Breaking ZimmGlass News

Chuck Zimmerman

New ZimmGlass FramesI just got my new ZimmGlass frames with my prescription lenses installed! That’s news! These give me my full trifocal prescription, allow me to read the Glass screen and are transitions to boot. No need to worry about being out in the sun and wondering what to do. The old frames I had did have clip in sunglass lenses though.

This frame is very comfortable and I can see wearing these for extended periods of time when needed. I’ve already worn them inside and out and they transition very quickly. They also don’t have quite as much agnerdiness to them.

You can bet I’ll have these on during some upcoming shows and field days. Probably also on a beach bike ride, fishing trip, hunting trip, etc.

BTW. You’ve no doubt heard about some places not allowing Google Glass but have you heard about places trying to attract Glass wearers? It’s true. This hotel has their own pairs of Glass and are offering guests Glass Packages! I don’t think I’ve seen more pre-release publicity for a product since the iPhone was introduced.

Do you think these will be game changers in the mobile communications sector? Would you wear them?

Look for another exciting announcement about ZimmGlass coming up soon.

Technology

Farmers Present Case for Immigration Reform

Cindy Zimmerman

The Partnership for a New American Economy and the Agriculture Coalition for Immigration Reform released a report Tuesday entitled “No Longer Home Grown: How Labor Shortages are Increasing America’s Reliance on Imported Fresh Produce and Slowing U.S. Economic Growth.”

The report found that the share of fresh fruits and vegetables imported and consumed by American families has grown by almost 80 percent in recent years and that while fresh produce consumption in the United States has grown, production levels have been near stagnant or declining.

pnae“American consumers want fresh U.S grown fruits and vegetables, but our farmers don’t have the labor force available to meet that demand,” said John Feinblatt, Chairman of the Partnership for a New American Economy. “We need to pass immigration reform now, so our food remains homegrown and our economy strong.”

American Farm Bureau FederationThe report is part of the #iFarmImmigration campaign launched last month by the American Farm Bureau Federation and more than 70 other agriculture organizations. “On the issue of farm labor, we have a growing amount of evidence that all points in the same direction: Farmers and consumers both need responsible immigration reform,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman.

Four farmers representing different areas of the country appeared at the National Press Club Tuesday morning to talk about the report’s findings and present the “Farmers’ Case for Immigration Reform.”

immigration-farmThe panel included (left to right) Chalmers Carr from South Carolina, Mary Kraft of Colorado, Russell Boening of Texas, and Carlos Castaneda from California.

Russell, who is a state director with the Texas Farm Bureau, says the current H2A system doesn’t work. “On our operation – a full time farm, dairy, beef operation – it hasn’t worked for us at all because of needing full time workers,” he said. “We need some type of new worker visa program that would work for us who need full time people.”

Listen to or download comments each farmer made after the Press Club appearance:
Chalmers Carr – Titan Farms, South Carolina Mary Kraft - Badger Creek Farm and Quail Ridge Dairy, Colorado Russell Boening - Loma Vista Farms & Boening Brothers Dairy, Texas Carlos Castaneda – Castaneda & Sons, California
Photo album from Press Club event

AFBF, Ag Groups, Audio, labor

Crockett Joins Program to Certify Honey Products

Jamie Johansen

TrueSource_CertifiedLogo_ColorPrintCrockett Honey, a leading supplier of quality honey based in Tempe, Ariz., is the latest company to achieve certification under the growing True Source Certified ProgramTM, reassuring its honey customers that it can trace the source of its honey back to the hive.

About one-third of honey sold in North America today is now True Source Certified. The program has been applauded by U.S. beekeepers and honey industry leadership. One of the main reasons is that it provides traceability from hive to table, helping ensure the food safety and security of the honey used in this country.

“Our promise for generations has been to provide our customers with a high quality and safe product, so becoming True Source Certified is the logical next step in keeping that promise,” said Crockett President Brian Nipper. “This certification program is really essential today to make sure that when you buy honey, you get the pure and safe product you deserve. It’s a terrific program that we’re proud to support.”

Crockett is a family-owned company that operates 6,500 beehives along the Colorado River in Parker, Ariz., and a bottling facility in Tempe. The company provides a wide range of branded products direct to consumers, private label packing, and wholesale products for food manufacturers and foodservice.Read More

Agribusiness

PCV2 Vaccination Strategies

Joanna Schroeder

BIVI Dr Michael MurtaughDid you know that most piglets are born with PCV2? I didn’t until I spoke with Dr. Michael Murtaugh, professor at the University of Minnesota who has been researching PCV2 over the past six years. Dr. Murtaugh gave an update on his presentation to several hundred attendees of Boehringer Ingelheim’s annual Swine Health Seminar.

He noted that piglets are vaccinated shortly after birth to provide lifelong protection against disease. He said the PCV2 vaccines are very interesting because they are very effective at preventing disease even in the presence of the virus that is still there.

I asked Dr. Murtaugh if the vaccines were effective if not given until later. He said that the vaccines are effective in preventing disease at any age as long as there is time for the vaccine to take effect, which generally is about two weeks.

Another interesting element of Dr. Murtaugh’s presentation was around co-infection. “Any time you can prevent one disease in pigs, you give the pig a better chance to fight other infections,” said Dr. Murtaugh. “So the protection you get against PCV2ab, also benefits pig health in general.”

Learn more about PCV2 vaccination strategies by listening my interview with Dr. Michael Murtaugh. PCV2 Vaccination Strategies

Check out the BIVI guest adventures in the BIVI Big D Swine Health Seminar photo album.

Audio, Boehringer Ingelheim, Swine

BASF Fights Weed Resistance in Colorado

Leah Guffey

12807927604_8316ec035c_qAt the BASF “Science Behind the Advanced Acre” media event before Commodity Classic a few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to learn more about how BASF helps farmers in various parts of the country.

Bob Leisy is a business representative with BASF based in Eastern Colorado. He works with retailers and crop consultants, helping them help local growers, like Alex Rock who we already heard from, to make informed and smart decisions about advanced weed control and plant health.

One of the more interesting things I learned from Bob is the problem that tumbleweeds are in that part of the country. “A lot of our kochia turns to tumbleweeds,” he said. “In the fall, once the plant dies off, the wind breaks it off and then that plant distributes seed as it rolls across the field.” Those tumbleweeds can spread about 100,000 seeds of glyphosate-resistant kochia as they roll, so Bob says they are working with growers to spray for kochia earlier than ever before to try and control it. “We’re looking at using 12-16 ounces of Clarity, a dicamba product from BASF, to put some residual in the ground that will kill the kochia as it begins to sprout.”

You can listen to my interview with Bob here: Interview with Bob Leisy, BASF Business Representative
BASF at the 2014 Commodity Classic Photos

Agribusiness, Audio, BASF, Commodity Classic, Crop Protection, Herbicide, weed management

PCV2 – A Retrospective

Joanna Schroeder

In one way, you can consider this year the 40th anniversary of PCV (Porcine Circovirus or PCV2) said Dr. Brian Payne, FLEX technical manger for Boehringer Ingelheim during the recent Swine Health Seminar. He explained that in 1974 it was first isolated but the industry didn’t know what it meant. During the next 25 years or so, more studies were done and then Porcine Cirocvirus was split into PCV1 and PCV2 based on genetic sequencing and what they were finding in the field.

bivi-vet14-payneAs Dr. Payne explained, even PCV2 is “mutating”. He said that any virus is going to mutate, or change, over time. As a result, PCV2 has been categorized into PCV2a and PCV2b. He noted that if a producer has circavirus in his swine herd, he or she will know it but most don’t sequence the virus any further because they both affect the herd in basically the same way.

I asked Dr. Payne if PCV2a and PCV2b should be treated in the same way. He said this was a good question and when you are asking if a farm with PCV2a should be treated the same way as a farm with PCV2b, you’re really talking about prevention with a vaccine.

“All the vaccines today including CircoFLEX are PCV2a vaccines but they protect equally as well for PCV2b,” said Dr. Payne, who recommends CircoFLEX at three weeks of age. He said it’s here, and here to stay. He also noted that a guild going into a sow herd needs to be vaccinated one more time. Evidence is showing that when these two prevention strategies are combined, there is more benefit than the piglet vaccination alone.

Listen my interview with Dr. Payne here to learn more about PCV2 and effective prevention strategies. Interview with Dr. Brian Payne on PCV2

Check out the BIVI guest adventures in the BIVI Big D Swine Health Seminar photo album.

Animal Health, Audio, Boehringer Ingelheim, Swine