20,000 Meals Packaged by FFA Members at Gin Show

Jamie Johansen March 10, 2014

In just a short amount of time these FFA students packaged 20,000 nutritious meals for the Mid-South Food Bank during the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show held in Memphis, TN.

This doubles the number of meals put together last year. The endeavor was part of an outreach program by Kids Care.

The Mid-South Food Bank was founded 1981 and is a member of Feeding America, the national network of food banks. There mission is to: To fight hunger through the efficient collection and distribution of wholesome food, and through education and advocacy. The non-profit focuses on feeding children, families and seniors throughout the Mid-South area.

Tim Price, Mid-South Farm & Gin Show Manager said, “I think it is important for FFA kids to learn that the food you produce really goes someplace, it goes to real people. This is an investment from two standpoints. Number one is the food that goes into this food bank as a result of this packaging effort is nutritionally balanced with vitamins and minerals in it. I think it is one of the highest quality foods for it’s purpose that’s in the food bank pantry. Secondly, they get to see where it goes. It’s a hands-on experience and it’s amazing to see in such a short amount of time how many packages can be done.”

2014 Mid-South Farm & Gin Show Photo Album

Ag Groups, Farm Shows, FFA, Food, Video

WWE Hall of Famer Visits Gin Show

Jamie Johansen March 10, 2014

Jerry “The King” Lawler, WWE Hall of Fame member, was on hand during the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show at the AgXplore booth.

He was there to work with a good friend of his who is president and CEO AgXplore, Barry Aycock. Those fortunate to stroll by the AgXplore booth were greeted by the WWE wrestler who was available for photos and autographs.

Barry said, “We have specialty products. We are are unique company that is growing like crazy. Jerry has been drumming up lots of business today and we are glad to be here.”

You can listen to Chuck’s interview with Jerry here: Interview with Jerry Lawler

2014 Mid-South Farm & Gin Show Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Farm Shows, Video

Farm Bureau Kicks Off ‘Our Food Link’ Program

Jamie Johansen March 10, 2014

Farmer and rancher members of Farm Bureau from around the country officially kicked off the organization’s new “Our Food Link” program in conjunction with a conference for state leaders of Women’s Leadership and Promotion & Education programs.

“Our Food Link is a year-round program that county and state Farm Bureaus use to provide consumers of all ages and backgrounds with information about today’s agriculture,” explained Terry Gilbert, a Kentucky farmer and chair of the American Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee (AFBWLC).

“People want to know where their food comes from and who is growing or raising it,” Gilbert said. “Helping people connect with sources of clothing, food, shelter and energy in their communities is the foundation of this multi-faced new program,” she said.

Our Food Link activities range from outreach at supermarkets or farmers’ markets to hosting interactive booths at community events, speaking with lawmakers and neighbors about food and visiting classrooms to help students understand agricultural topics. Other program ideas include: an Adopt-a-Farmer program, fun runs, garden projects and “Zest ’n Zing” or other foodie events. Our Food Link activities may also include the collection of food and monetary donations for Ronald McDonald House Charities or other charities.

About 15 Farm Bureau members shopped for and donated food to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Washington, D.C., this week. The connection between Farm Bureau and Ronald McDonald House Charities was forged in the mid-1990s. Since then, Farm Bureau members have donated more than $3 million in food and monetary contributions to Ronald McDonald Houses and other charities.

The Our Food Link planning toolkit and publicity tools may be downloaded here.

AFBF, Ag Groups, Food

Bayer CropScience CEO on What the World Needs

Cindy Zimmerman March 10, 2014

Once upon a time, all the world needed was love, sweet love – but life is a little more complicated these days.

The theme of the ninth annual Bayer CropScience Ag Issues forum was “What the World Needs” and topics included water security, communications, innovation, pollinators and sustainable farmers. At the end of the two-day event, Bayer CropScience president and CEO Jim Blome said the bottom line is that everyone has a role in feeding a growing world population.

Blome was particularly pleased to present the fourth Bayer CropScience Young Farmer Sustainability Award to Bryan Boll of Minnesota. “We thought we needed to elevate young farmers, the people who are doing things right and have a great story to tell,” said Blome. “These guys are running big businesses with an eye on the future and they’re not afraid of technology. We want to identify them, elevate them and then celebrate them.”

One of the most important segments of the forum focused on bees, which Bayer CropScience believes are critical to agriculture and the world. “Pollinator and bee health are really important to us,” said Blome, who explained that they take the fluctuations in pollinator populations so seriously they have dedicated significant resources to an overall Bee Care Program. That includes a new North American Bee Care Center to advance honey bee research, education and collaboration, which is scheduled to open next month.

“We all eat and one out of every three bites of food that we take comes from a bee,” said Blome. Interview with Bayer CropScience CEO Jim Blome

2014 Bayer CropScience Ag Issues Forum Photos

Agribusiness, Audio, Bayer, Commodity Classic, pollinators

Vilsack at NFU Announces Small Farmer Help

Cindy Zimmerman March 10, 2014

During an appearance at the National Farmers Union (NFU) convention in Santa Fe, New Mexico today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced new and expanded efforts to connect smaller farmers and ranchers with USDA resources that can “help them build stronger businesses, expand to reach new and larger markets, and grow their operations.”

In a press conference from the NFU convention after his remarks, Vilsack said there were concerns following the publication of the recent recent Census of Agriculture about the “eroding middle in farming” but it shows tremendous potential for small and mid-sized producers in American agriculture. “We’ve adjusted policies, strengthened programs and intensified outreach to meet the needs of small and mid-sized producers,” said Vilsack. “These producers are critical to our country’s agricultural and economic future.”

“The secretary’s speech was very well received at our convention,” said NFU president Roger Johnson on the conference call with Vilsack. “This focus on small and midsized farmers is in many ways a focus on our members.”

Also on the call was National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Policy Director Ferd Hoefner, who specifically noted the importance of changes to the Farm Storage and Facility Loan (FSFL) Program which he says will greatly help small farmers sell their produce through local and regional marketing channels.

Listen to or download press conference here: USDA Support for Smaller Farmers

Ag Groups, Audio, Farming, USDA

Ginners Unite at Farm Show

Jamie Johansen March 10, 2014

During the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show, Chuck spoke with Robert Royal, a cotton farmer and operator of Midnight Gin in Midnight, MS. Robert is also the past President of the Southern Cotton Ginners Association.

“It’s been a wild ride in the cotton market with acreage. Grains have taken a huge chunk out of cotton acreage that was traditionally a big crop in Mississippi. We are weathering that storm and curious to see how things change in the future. We will be a predominately a grain growing state or will cotton be king again?”

As Robert wraps up his term as President, he shared that the overall mission of the association is to make sure the best interests of the organization are at the forefront. They also have a safety program that helps members tackle issues that are hard to do alone.

Regulations continue to be an issue for cotton growers, but Robert said the most concerning issue the industry is facing is low acreage. He has seen many neighboring gins fold because they don’t have the volume to make ends meet.

You can listen to Chuck’s interview with Robert here: Interview with Robert Royal

2014 Mid-South Farm & Gin Show Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Cotton, FMC

New Poll Finds Farmers Less Optimistic

Cindy Zimmerman March 10, 2014

A new poll of Iowa farmers finds less optimism about the financial picture of agriculture this year.

The Agri-Pulse Farm Opinion Poll, launched last month in partnership with the Iowa Soybean Association (ISA), found that farmers expect to see weaker financial returns in 2014 and will adjust their expenditures – spending less on fertilizer and equipment but more on crop insurance.

Nearly 80 percent expect their 2014 farm financial outlook to worsen – 47 percent expect it to worsen “slightly” while 32 percent expect it to worsen “a great deal.” Poll respondents said they also expect the value of their farmland to drop this year, with 75 percent expecting values to decrease.

Eighty-seven percent of the farmers’ surveyed plan to either purchase more or continue about the same level of crop insurance as last year. The majority view crop insurance as the most important Farm Bill “tool” for maintaining their profitability this year.

The importance of crop insurance came through when farmers were asked what aspect of the Agricultural Act of 2014 will be most important in helping their financial situation this year. More than 62 percent chose crop insurance as more important to their operations than other aspects of the just-passed Farm Bill.

The poll was taken Feb. 23 with more than 130 Iowa farmers responding to the unaided 12-question poll.

Agri-Pulse, Farming, Soybean

The Wild Radish Song

Chuck Zimmerman March 10, 2014

I like radishes. But like some folks in Australia, not the wild kind.

A parody of the Gotye hit “Somebody I used to know” by agronomic consultant Bill Long, who farms on the Yorke Peninsula of South Australia as well as consults to a number of farmers in the region. This is a farmer’s lament on attempts to control wild radish resulting in the loss of chemical options to the point where only radical options are available. Truly reflects the consequences of farming systems becoming reliant on herbicides for weed control.

Farming, Video

Cultivate & Connect with AgChat

Chuck Zimmerman March 10, 2014

Calling all aspiring agvocates. The 2014 AgChat Foundation, Cultivate and Connect Conference will be held in Austin, TX, on August 21-22.

It has been said that everything is bigger in Texas. The AgChat Foundation’s 2014 Cultivate & Connect conference to be held at the Radisson Hotel & Suites in beautiful downtown Austin, Texas, August 21-22, 2014, will be no exception. For the first time, our annual conference will include an open registration process which does not require participants to complete an application and receive an invitation to attend. Additionally, there will be no limit on the number of alumni attendees nor a limit on non-farmers and non-ranchers. It will be the best and biggest AgChat conference to date.

Who should attend?

Cultivate & Connect is open to all farmers, ranchers, growers, agribusiness people and agriculture educators from all walks of agriculture. Large, small, organic, conventional, urban, hobby? You are all invited to attend.

Why should you attend?

Expansive networking within the AgChat community
Connect with leading experts and your peers
Learn and share innovative and cutting edge ideas
The best of the best in Ag speakers
Cultivate & Connect brings together the latest in technology and the farmers and ranchers who are using it
An experience you will never forget
Read More

Ag Groups

ASA Honors Lifetime Achievements

Cindy Zimmerman March 10, 2014

The American Soybean Association awarded two lifetime achievement awards during the annual banquet at Commodity Classic.

One was presented to a long-time friend of ours. Dave Drennan received the Lifetime Achievement Award – Membership Focus, which honors individuals who have provided outstanding leadership and dedication to ASA and helped further the interests of soybean farmers.

Drennan started his career with ASA in 1975 as newsletter editor. He was named interim Field Services Director at age 24. Dave was ASA’s first Membership Manager in 1979 to spearhead ASA’s membership efforts. In that year, ASA’s membership increased eight percent and more than 1,400 members from the previous year. Drennan was also recognized as the number one ASA Regional Manager for membership recruitment in 1980 from ASA’s 11 regions.

We got to know Dave when he worked for the National Corn Growers Association many years ago, and he currently serves as Executive Director for the Missouri Dairy Association.

ASA recognized David Womack from Shelbyville, Tenn. with its Lifetime Achievement Award – Association Focus, which honors individuals who have provided outstanding leadership and dedication to the ASA and helped further the interests of soybean farmers.

Womack has been involved in the state and national soybean organizations for more than 30 years. Womack held leadership positions in ASA, was a founding member of the United Soybean Board (USB) and the last president of the American Soybean Development Foundation. He also served on the National Biodiesel Board (NBB), Tennessee Soybean Association (TSA) and Tennessee Soybean Promotion Board (TSPB).

Ag Groups, ASA, Commodity Classic, Soybean

Page 955 of 2,374
←
1
...
954
955
956
...
2374
→