FMC Watch & Win Winner

Chuck Zimmerman

FMC Contest WinnerFMC does more at the National Farm Machinery Show than talk products in their booth. They also get together for a little fun and fellowship with their customers at the end of each day. It was in their reception room that I met Dan Bender, Indiana family farmer. FMC made Dan a very happy man when he won their last Watch and Win contest!

You can listen to my interview with Dan here: Interview with Dan Bender

There is a new Watch and Win contest underway. All growers have to do is watch episodes of the The Minute, brought to you by FMC. Easy, eh? And there are lots of prizes.

National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album


Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by FMC and New Holland Agriculture
Agribusiness, Audio, FMC, National Farm Machinery Show

Beck Named 2014 Agribusiness Leader of the Year

Jamie Johansen

image002The National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) has named Sonny Beck, president of Beck’s Hybrids, as the 2014 Agribusiness Leader of the Year. This is NAMA’s highest honor and will be presented at the opening general session of the 2014 Agri-Marketing Conference, April 10, 2014 in Jacksonville, FL. The award honors outstanding leaders in agribusiness, education, government service or other agribusiness related areas who exemplify excellence in agribusiness by their significant contributions to the industry.

Sonny Beck, president of Beck’s Hybrids, has led the company to unprecedented growth. As the largest family-owned seed company in the United States, Beck’s Hybrids is now the sixth largest seed company in the U.S. Under Sonny’s leadership, Beck’s Hybrids has experienced a 20 percent increase in sales each year for the last 20 years, doubling in size every four years.

As soon as Beck joined the family operation in 1964, after graduating from Purdue University, he never let grass grow under his feet. Always aiming at building closer, stronger relationships with customers, Beck immediately launched a couple of customer events that are now long-standing traditions. Today, Beck’s Hybrids hosts one of the largest field shows in the agriculture industry, Becknology Days™, a three-day event in late August that hosts more than 10,000 farmers from across the Midwest.

In the same year Beck joined the operation he started what is now called the Practical Farm Research (PFR)® program. Still today, the PFR program is unlike any other in the seed industry. Focused on farmer’s needs, hundreds of studies are completed at five Beck’s locations in an effort to look at how different management practices perform in different environments. The information is delivered to farmers across the Midwest in a 280-page summary book, website and field shows.

In July 2013, Indiana Governor, Mike Pence, appointed Beck as a trustee on the Purdue University Board of Trustees. In addition, Beck currently serves on the Indiana Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, is vice president of the Purdue Ag Alumni Seed Improvement Association and is a founding member of the Purdue FarmHouse Fraternity Foundation board.

Ag Groups, NAMA

#PorkLuv Share-a-Thon

Chuck Zimmerman

#PorkLuvDo you have pork love? If so, share it. How? By using the #PorkLUV hashtag on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. It can be good for your state since the Pork Checkoff is running a contest to feed hungry people.

Pork fans who share their #PorkLUV will be helping their state compete for a food bank donation of 30,000 meals of fresh pork. The state that shares the most #PorkLUV from February 14 to March 7 will receive the pork, divided amongst food banks throughout the state. In addition to supporting the cause, everyone who shares a little #PorkLUV will receive a $1-off fresh pork coupon. 1

“#PorkLUV is all about giving our fans a chance to declare their passion and share it among friends and family – all in the name of a great cause,” said Randy Brown, vice chair of the Pork Checkoff Domestic Marketing committee and a farmer from Nevada, Ohio.

Share the #PorkLUV

Sharing your #PorkLUV is as easy as visiting PorkBeinspired.com/PorkLUV or the Pork Be inspired Facebook page. Once there, simply:

· Click “Share your #PorkLUV”
· Select your favorite pork cut
· “Share” the love to add your #PorkLUV to the interactive map

Ag Groups, Food, Pork

Get Maxx Authority from FMC

Chuck Zimmerman

FMC AuthorityIt’s almost time for some serious planting to get underway across the country. That means it is also time for farmers to start thinking about how they’re going to handle weed control, especially in light of concerns over weed resistance.

FMC has a new option this season to think about. It’s their Authority Maxx product that received EPA registration last fall. At the National Farm Machinery Show to talk about this addition to the Authority line of products was Nick Hustedde, Technical Service Representative. He says the product offers soybean growers a very flexible product with a dual mode of action.

A dual-action herbicide, Authority Maxx is a pre-mix of two herbicides with different modes of action, providing burndown activity and residual control of many glyphosate and ALS-resistant small-seeded broadleaves. As with other Authority products, Authority Maxx can be applied as part of fall burndown, or in the spring to prevent yield-robbing weed competition.

You can listen to my interview with Nick here: Interview with Nick Hustedde

National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album


Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by FMC and New Holland Agriculture
Agribusiness, Audio, FMC, National Farm Machinery Show, weed management

Most Think Farm Economy Better than Overall

Jamie Johansen

New Holland ZimmPollOur latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “How does farm economy compare to general U.S.?”

Results varied, but the majority say they feel the U.S. farm economy is better then the general economy. As we move further into 2014 it will be interesting to see how small herd numbers and the drought in California affect people’s outlook.

Our poll results:

  • WAY better – 20%
  • Somewhat better – 52%
  • The same – 7%
  • Worse – 7%
  • Much worse – 0%
  • No idea – 14%

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “If available, would you put E15 or E85 in your vehicle?”

Chuck and Cindy just got home from the 2014 National Ethanol Conference in Orlando, FL. The event touched on the state of the ethanol industry, the impact of the RFS on the industry, breaking down the blend wall, the global ethanol industry, perspective from the oil industry and auto manufacturers, and much more. More and more vehicles are becoming equipped with E15 and E85 capabilities, but many still haven’t committed to using this alternative fuel or simply don’t have access to it. Would you use E15 or E85 in your car or truck?

ZimmPoll

Through the Eyes of a Child

Melissa Sandfort

My beautiful pictureHave you ever crouched down on the floor and been eye-level with a 19-month old? Did you take a look at the world around you to understand how intimidating it may seem? How TALL the counter is (especially if there’s a candy bar just within arm’s reach), and how far away things seem?

I’m reminded of this when I’m in the car, too. It’s a magical day when your infant grows into a forward-facing car seat and the world around them changes and they’re no longer seeing things in reverse. But I’m also careful when I say, “Look out the window at that cow!” My daughter cranes her neck to see and hope that she’s able to take in the beauty I can see out of my own window.

For his birthday, I got my son a Lego digital camera. He has taken pictures of French fries, friends, his sister, my parents’ dog, and his favorite for some reason, our red couch. He’s a photographer in training! Last night when he wanted to take pictures of his cousins and found the camera was full, we plugged in the USB to pull a few off and free up some space. As I was deleting blurry ones (and ones of me in my workout gear!), I came across this picture. After harvest, he must have taken his camera in the car and I didn’t notice. For a $30 camera in the hands of a 5-year-old, I thought this was quite the scenic image!

I don’t know if he had to hold the camera up in the air because his booster seat sits too low, but from his perspective, this was a picture worth taking. And I think it’s a picture worth writing about.

Until we walk again …

Uncategorized

Championship Tractor Pull Brings in Best in Business

Chuck Zimmerman

nfms-14-mike-wilhiteMike Wilhite was a contestant in the recent Championship Tractor Pull during the 2014 National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, KY. He drives Blue Blazes and visited with Chuck prior to the event.

Mike worked for Ford for 30 years. The the tradition didn’t start with him, his dad also worked for the company along with his two brothers. So, naturally they were drawn to New Holland’s blue. Mike is considered a local, living just 32 miles from Louisville.

“Outdoors we run a 300 foot track. In this indoor track we are confined to 240 feet. It’s an experience. You better have everything right. Your weight and gear selections right. There is a lot to it.”

A blockade of sand sits at the end of the short track incase any tractors have a little too much gas in them. Mike shared that they buried their tractor the first year they competed in the event.

Mike and his pulling team competed in about 18 hooks over the course of the season. They traveled as far as Wisconsin, down into Missouri, Tennessee and Alabama. He also expressed how great the fans were at pulls and how committed they were to the competitions.

“We’ve been messing with tractors all our lives. We always had hot rod cars and stuff like that. When my brother and I first started we bought a tractor out of New York, I guess that would have been about 20 years ago. And it has evolved into this here.”

You could tell that all the pullers were great friends and shared a family type atmosphere. But when they get to the track, it’s all business.

You can listen to the interview with Mike here: Interview with Mike Wilhite

National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album


Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by FMC and New Holland Agriculture
Agribusiness, Audio, NFMS, Tractor, Video

Zimfo Bytes

Talia Goes

Zimfo Bytes

Alltech Feed Survey Reports Slight Increase

Talia Goes

logo-alltechResults from the 2014 Global Feed Tonnage Survey released by Alltech revealed a one percent increase in feed production, with global feed tonnage reporting in at 963 million metric tons, up from 954 million metric tons last year. Alltech assessed the compound feed production of 130 countries in Dec. 2013 through information obtained in partnership with local feed associations and Alltech’s sales team, who visit more than 28,000 feed mills annually.

Among the 130 countries assessed in Alltech’s survey, China was once again the number one country producing feed at 189 million metric tons and an estimated 9,500 feed mills. The United States and Brazil ranked second and third respectively, with the U.S. producing 169 million metric tons from 5,236 feed mills and Brazil generating 67 million metric tons from 1,237 feed mills. There was an observed decline in the number of feed mills in China, likely driven by government policy, which favors a smaller number of larger feedmills to facilitate traceability and improvements in quality, and the continued demand by urban consumers for further processed proteins from larger farms.

In terms of percent growth in comparison to the Dec. 2012 figures, Africa was reaffirmed as the fastest growing region. Countries such as South Africa, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal, Mauritius and Namibia all experienced production increases, boosting Africa’s combined tonnage seven percent to just short of 31 million metric tons in 2013. Asia, of the six regions surveyed, is once again the leading overall region in terms of production of animal feed, with 348 million metric tons or more than one-third of global feed, but did not grow in 2013. The Middle East is estimated to have the largest feed mills by average tons per year. Globally, feedmills produced an average of 34,000 metric tons.

When analyzed by species:

  • Poultry: 46 percent share of global production at 444 million tons.
  • Pig feed: increased by 11 percent, moving to 243 million metric tons globally.
  • The ruminant feed market: decreased in tonnage demand between late 2012 and December 2013.
  • Equine feed: tonnage increased 14 percent to 12.4 million metric tons.
  • Aquaculture: 17 percent increase in 2013 to 34.4 million metric tons.
  • Pet food: tonnage increased just slightly from 20.5 to 20.7 million tons.

The Survey found that the total value of the feed industry exceeds $500 billion, higher than the previous estimate of $350 billion. This has been fueled by high feed prices but also the more accurate information collected by this survey. With an expected fall in feed prices in 2014, this value of the feed industry will likely not be as high in 2014.

Agribusiness, Alltech, Feed

Led Zep 2 Rocks the Ethanol Industry

Chuck Zimmerman

Led Zep 2I never got to see Led Zeppelin live but last night I found out what it would have been like when Led Zeppelin 2 performed for the National Ethanol Conference. This band is fantastic. You can see what I mean in the video below (Dazed and Confused).

Playing Jimmy Page on stage is Paul Kamp, founding partner of Leifmark and heads the commercialization efforts for Inbicon Biomass Refinery technology. In other words, he’s directly involved in the ethanol industry. After his performance I got to talk with him about his dual role career.

You can listen to my interview with Paul here: Interview with Paul Kamp

There are lots of photos from last night’s event in our photo album:

2014 National Ethanol Conference Photo Album

Ag Groups, Audio, Biofuels, Ethanol, National Ethanol Conference, RFA