IPPE Show Goes On Despite Weather

Cindy Zimmerman

ippe-14-showThe International Production and Processing Expo (IPPE) carried on Wednesday in Atlanta, despite the few inches of snow that nearly paralyzed the city.

Attendance was still pretty good today considering and with so many flights cancelled lots of people are actually staying longer for the show than they planned. “Our crowd has held up today in spite of very severe logistics getting them here to the venue,” said show manager Charlie Olentine with the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association, adding that they actually expect a stronger than normal attendance on Thursday, the last day of the show.

ippe-14-charleyThe expo got its new name last year with the addition of the American Meat Institute and got a lot bigger. “We’re positioning the show to basically take meat and animal protein production from the farm to the point of sale,” Charlie said. Two years ago, before AMI came on board, the expo had about 21,000 visitors – last year it was more than 27,000. This year, it’s hard to say right now, but Charlie says most of the nearly 6,000 international visitors came in before the storm hit.

Listen to my interview with Charlie here: Charlie Olentine, IPPE Show Manager
International Production and Processing Expo Photos

Sponsored by Novus International Inc

Ag Groups, Audio, Events, IPPE, Poultry, Poultry Expo

EcoEngineer’s Jim Baker Wins John Deere FFV Mower

Joanna Schroeder

irfasummit-E85 John Deere riding mowerIf there was one item that was coveted above all others at the 8th Annual Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit, it was the E85, flex fuel riding lawn mower donated by John Deere. Attendees who submitted comments to the EPA in regards to their proposed 2014 renewable volume obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) were registered to win.

As soon as the show floor opened at 8:00 am, people began jockeying for position to run up to the podium when their number was announced….and the winner is…Jim Baker with EcoEngineers. He noted that he is going to have to buy a new house with a bigger yard to get the full value out of his new toy.

Jim was so excited he was hoping to drive it home but, well, it was a tad cold out. EcoEngineers, who is based in Des Moines, is a company specializing in biofuel compliance issues such as RIN management, plant registrations and more. EcoEngineers also hosts webinars for the industry as well as workshops. It is anticipated that when the weather gets warmers Jim will ride to work on his E85 John EcoEngineers Jim Bakers ticket to FFV John Deere mowerDeere riding mower and as a gal about town, I will be sure to get a photo and tweet it out.

Want to get a peek at this bad boy? Jim is taking applications for lawn mowing jobs. I suspect there will be a lot of people lining up to mow his lawn this summer.

Monte Shaw, the executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (Iowa RFA) whose association was the host of the event, said that he wanted to give special thanks to John Deere for their support of the event and the industry. John Deere has been selling agricultural equipment designed to use biodiesel for years as well as other biofuel compatible products.

Listen to my interview with Jim Baker here: EcoEngineer's Jim Baker Wins Coveted FFV Mower

View the 2014 Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit photo album.

Audio, Biofuels, Equipment, Ethanol, John Deere

I Love Farmers Announces Ag Advocates

Jamie Johansen

I love farmersThe non-profit agricultural advocacy group, I Love Farmers…They Feed My Soul (ILF), has selected their 2013 Agriculture Advocates of the Year. Ryan Goodman of Montana and Malorie Bankhead of California are the two receiving the coveted honor.

The organization wanted to recognize and reward young people who volunteer their time advocating for American family farmers and ranchers and established this award in honor of the late Gus Settrini, a cattle rancher from Salinas, CA. who enjoyed helping young people in agriculture.

Ryan GoodmanRyan, 25, maintains an active blog called Agriculture Proud, has more than 13,000 followers on his Twitter and Facebook profiles and is a guest writer for the CNN Eatocracy food page. He is a graduate of Oklahoma State University and has a graduate degree from University of Tennessee. He is the manager of communications for the Montana Stockgrowers Association.

Screen Shot 2014-01-29 at 3.30.43 PMMalorie, 22, maintains a blog called MalTheBeefGal and is active on Facebook and Twitter. She has traveled the country as a member of the National Beef Ambassador Team and with the Hunger U educational campaign. She is a graduate of California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo. She is the associate director of communications for the California Cattlemen’s Association.

Winners were selected based on their advocacy efforts online in social media channels and at various public events in 2013. Ryan and Malorie will receive custom silver buckles and a cash award.

Megan Silcott, ILF President said, “We are excited to identify and reward a strong group of young advocates for our inaugural Agricultural Advocate of the Year program. Each winner is an outstanding model for others to follow in advocating for agriculture.”

Those receiving Honorable Mentions include Taylor Short of Missouri, Sam Wildman of Ohio and L. Jade Halliburton of Arkansas.

Ag Groups, Social Media

Most Don’t Trust HSUS Ag Councils

Jamie Johansen

New Holland ZimmPollOur latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “What’s your opinion of state HSUS Ag Councils?”

We had an overwhelming large turn out of voters for this controversial ZimmPoll question. The majority of voters agree that if the HSUS label is present in anything, then it can’t be trusted. However, many are eager to work with the group. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. It will be interesting to see how productive these HSUS Ag Councils are and if their goals aline with those of the agricultural community.

Our poll results:

  • Can’t trust HSUS – 55%
  • Should work with HSUS – 32%
  • Waste of time – 7%
  • Don’t know – 2%
  • Other – 4%

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “Could drones (UAV’s) serve a purpose on your operation?”

Precision technology in the agricultural industry is impossible to ignore and continually growing interest with farmers and ranchers globally. We have been seeing a lot of talk about unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s) or better known as drones. The use of drones to fly over crops and livestock to maximize profits is one of the hottest topics entering the agriculture sector. The sky seems to be the limit when it comes to the possibilities with this new technology, but advancements won’t be seen at all until approval is given from the FAA. The price tag might seem high to some, but others may see only see the benefits. We did a similar ZimmPoll on this topic last year asking, “What use would you have for an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle?” Could you see yourself utilizing these unmanned aircrafts to increase profitability on your operation?

ZimmPoll

Perfect Storm Causes Propane Shortage

Leah Guffey

imageFreezing temperatures, a wetter than normal harvest, and more exports have all contributed to a “perfect storm” scenario for short supplies of propane right now.

According to Scott Long, manager of propane marketing and business development for GROWMARK, the wet harvest meant nearly 5 times the amount of propane was used to dry the crop than normal. This put the market behind during a winter that has been bitterly cold. Add to that the fact that we have had increased exports since the United States has the some of the lowest priced propane in the world.

Scott believes that things are starting to turn a corner and the prices are starting to come down a little, but it’s going to take some time for the market to correct itself. In the state of Illinois, Governor Pat Quinn has declared an energy emergency to help bring more propane to the state and relax some of the rules for energy assistance and help small businesses with increased costs associated with the supply shortage. Scott says that this can be prevented in the future and the market is going to recover. He asks people to just “bear with us” as the marketers and wholesalers work through this issue.

You can listen to my interview with Scott here: Scott Long, GROWMARK

Audio, GROWMARK, Propane

North American Meat Unhappy With Farm Bill

Cindy Zimmerman

ippe-14-namaMembers of the North American Meat Association (NAMA) here at the International Production and Processing Expo are disappointed to see that Congress is likely to pass a farm bill this week with no changes to the Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) law being challenged in the World Trade Organization by Mexico and Canada.

“It needs to be fixed and Congress had a perfect opportunity to do that,” said CEO Barry Carpenter. “We clearly need the WTO to expedite their process … this is not the way we should be doing business in the United States.”

The “other NAMA” represents members in both Mexico and Canada. “Canada and Mexico are our two biggest trading partners,” said Carpenter. “Why are we doing this?”

A WTO hearing on the issue is expected to be held next month.

Listen to my interview with Barry at IPPE here: Barry Carpenter, North American Meat Association
International Production and Processing Expo Photos

Sponsored by Novus International Inc

Ag Groups, Audio, IPPE, Meat, Trade

Snow Hits the IPPE in Atlanta

Cindy Zimmerman

ippe-snow2For those of you who were in Atlanta in 2011 for the American Farm Bureau annual meeting and AG CONNECT expo, you know what Atlanta is like when it gets very rare snow. We have it again here for the International Production and Processing Expo.

Restaurants closed, transportation not running, skeleton crews at the conference center, flights cancelled and communication problems – it’s all happening. But the expo is open and there are still plenty of people here so the Novus International booth is getting good attendance.

I have lots to post but internet access is sketchy. Photos did get updated last night. Stay tuned.

International Production and Processing Expo Photos

Sponsored by Novus International Inc

Ag Groups, IPPE, Novus International, Poultry Expo

Meat Me in @LANTA Chili Winner

Chuck Zimmerman

IPPE Chili ContestBecause food matters and especially chili on these chilly winter days we bring you the winner of the Meat Me in @ATLANTA Chili competition. He’s Jeff Clark, Ruth’s Chris, who was named Best Overall Chili Winner. The event was held at the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) on Tuesday, Jan. 28.

The event was sponsored by the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, the American Meat Institute, Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau and Georgia World Congress Center. Second place went to Anna Firmani of Hard Rock Cafe, and third place went to Dave Myree of PittyPat’s Porch. The awards were presented by Miss Georgia, Carly Mathis.

Twelve of Atlanta’s top professional chefs competed for the honor of being named Best Overall Chili winner. Each chef submitted their best chili, using beef, bison, boar, turkey, pork or chicken. The chili was voted on by the attendees of IPPE.

The award was presented by Carly Mathis, Miss Georgia.

Sponsored by Novus International Inc

Ag Groups, Food, IPPE, Poultry, Poultry Expo

House Passes Farm Bill

Chuck Zimmerman

New Farm BillIt looks like the House got its work done and passed a Farm Bill. The bill passed 251-166. Now we look to the Senate to get it done on their side which is expected by early next week.

You can see a summary of the Agricultural Act of 2014 here.

Farm Bill, Farm Policy

USDA Student Diversity Pgm. Winners

Chuck Zimmerman

USDA LogoThirty students were selected to attend USDA’s 2014 Agricultural Outlook Forum, titled “The Changing Face of Agriculture,” to be held Feb. 20- 21, 2014, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Va. Twenty university juniors and seniors were chosen on the basis of their essays on “Agriculture as a Career,” and 10 graduate students were selected for their response to “The Greatest Challenge Facing Agriculture over the Next Five Years.”

“The future of agriculture and rural America depends on the upcoming generation of leaders in farming, ranching and conservation, and the students selected to attend the Agricultural Outlook Forum are among the best young leaders our country has to offer,” said Vilsack. “Participating in the Agricultural Outlook Forum will expose these students to a variety of perspectives on this country’s most pressing agricultural challenges and lay the groundwork for bright futures in food, fiber and forestry.”

USDA’s Agricultural Outlook Forum Student Diversity Program is designed to introduce students to contemporary agribusiness, future trends, scientific research, and agricultural policy in today’s real world environment. The students are from land-grant, Hispanic-serving, and non land-grant agricultural and renewable resources universities. Since the program’s start in 2007, annual sponsorship has been provided by CHS, Inc. and Farm Credit. USDA’s Economic Research Service, Agricultural Research Service, and Natural Resources Conservation Service also provide support. The University of Maryland Eastern Shore partners with USDA to make the program possible. Several of the 2014 winning essays are found here: www.usda.gov/oce/forum/diversity/diversity_program.htm.

Click here to see list of winners: Read More

USDA