The Duck Commander wants you to “Come home with us.” And carrying one of the new line of Duck Dynasty Mossberg guns. Find out what makes Phil happy in this video.
What makes Phil happy? Brush your blinds. Grab your guns. It’s duck season!
You’ll have your choice of nine shotguns, two semiautomatic rifles, and a semiautomatic pistol. One of each would make me happy, happy, happy!
I have to admit that winter is my least favorite season, with the exception of jeans, boots and big sweatshirts. But there’s an exception to every rule, right? Getting the kids all bundled up and into the car, then taking coats off in car seats, then putting them back on once we get to our destination is a task all in itself. When it snows, the mud gets tracked in the house, and puddles of melted snow adorn the floor and must be cleaned up. Winter means runny noses and cold/flu season, days of finding indoor entertainment and my constantly cold hands and feet.
But one thing I’m thankful for is gas heat! Don’t get me wrong, I like to curl up in front of a fireplace in my slippers and sweatpants, but my fireplace requires the flip of a switch and the “logs” are crackling (it’s a gas fireplace!). I’ve never had to go out and chop wood, get the fire started, then monitor it all day to make sure it stays lit.
My grandpa, on the other hand, spent countless hours out in the cold chopping wood with a two-man cross-cut saw. Bringing enough wood back to the house was a big chore, not to mention the lighting of the fire. Listen as he recounts his experiences as a boy having to build fires in the wood-burning stove.
Listen to Grandpa explainEach time I flip that fireplace switch, I smile at its ease and am thankful for modern conveniences!
Until we walk again …
Since everyone else is doing their 2013 top ten I might as well do the same. Actually we normally do this. Looking at website analytics only this list is the top ten most visited/viewed/read/etc. of all our posts from 2013. The interesting thing is that there were story posts from previous years that had higher traffic. I’m not including them but it’s a good example of the longevity of our stories that so many of them are still visited, probably from someone searching the right key words.
What were your favorite stories of 2013?
Hear ye, hear ye! New daddy and heir to the British throne will be studying agriculture in 2014.
A royal press release has announced that Prince William, otherwise known as the Duke of Cambridge, “is to undertake a 10-week bespoke programme in agricultural management, organised by the Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership at the University of Cambridge.”
The course has been designed to help provide The Duke with an understanding of contemporary issues affecting agricultural business and rural communities in the United Kingdom.
He looks somewhat the part of a farmer in this photo inspecting cattle at his father’s Duchy Home Farm. Right?
I know that there are “Sons of Anarchy” fans in the AgWired community. I’m probably going to have to find time to watch it and find out what it’s all about.
So for you SOA fans here’s a parody shirt you might like on eBay – Sons of Agriculture. From the Seller who lives on a NE Kansas family farm raising beef cattle:
These shirts are a parody to the Sons of Anarchy and have only been sold locally in our small rural community until now – the design has a copyright. The graphic on the back measures 10″x 13″ with a smaller version on the front left shoulder measuring 4″x 5″. The graphic is printed on Gildan brand tee’s. We do not accept returns (there may be exceptions) and no refunds. We do combine shipping – let me know you bought more than one in an email, please. Thank you so much for your interest in our design!
Like ’em on Facebook.
Jake Turner must be kicking butt as the Minute Man for FMC Crop Protection. We’ve known his online video series as the Authority Minute. Well, now it’s going to be just “The Minute” by FMC. The content will include an expanded territory and more topics, crops and issues. You can find in online at www.news.FMCMinute.com.
“Since launching Authority Minute nearly a year ago, we’ve received numerous comments from growers and retailers who want information beyond soybeans and weed management,” said Paul Redhage, FMC Agricultural Solutions North America strategic communications manager. “By adding more content for a wider audience, others will be able to learn from experts around the country.”
Host Jake Turner will continue to lead viewers as he travels across the country talking with experts on topics from insect resistance and starter fertilizers to tank mixing and sprayer calibrations. Upcoming new episodes will feature a weed identification challenge and the topic of tackling summer annuals.
The transition also includes a Watch and Win Sweepstakes. Account holders who view the online episodes will automatically be entered to win the grand prize – a dream vacation of their choice from one of six destinations, valued up to $5,000. Five first-place winners will receive $500 airfare vouchers and 20 additional winners will receive digital cameras. The sweepstakes entry period ends May 30, 2014. Winners are selected at random and will be notified in June. Sweepstakes rules and regulations are posted online at www.news.FMCMinute.com.
How many of you received a new smart phone for Christmas? Just raise your hand. Hmm. Quite a few I see. How do you like it? What don’t you like? Feel free to chime in with your comments. I’ve played around with a lot of devices and have settled on two that I really like and thought I’d share some comments about them.
The photo is my Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini (left) and Apple iPhone 5S, both running the AgWired App I hope you have on your phone. I’m Verizon on the S4 Mini and AT&T on the iPhone. I’ve got hotspot plans for both in the hopes that I will almost always be able to connect to the internet via my computer or tablet (iPad Air). I also wanted to have the opportunity to learn both mobile platforms. The Mini is running Android 4.2.2 known as Jelly Bean and the iPhone is running iOS 7.0.4.
Regular AgWired readers know that I’ve been carrying a Samsung Galaxy Note II. That is for sale now. Why? Because a phablet doesn’t fit my one-handed phone lifestyle. I want to be able to text with one hand and the Note is just too big. I definitely didn’t need or use the stylus. When I first got it I thought I’d like the extra screen space but quickly found out that wasn’t the case.
Of the two phones that are the subject of this post, the iPhone is my favorite. Two of the biggest reasons are that the iPhone camera takes better photos and the apps are more intuitive and user friendly. That’s my experience and both are important to me. I take a lot of phone photos, many of which appear on AgWired and my social media accounts. Another reason is that the 5S processor (A7) is fast, way faster than my iPhone 5 which Cindy is now carrying. Everything runs faster. When I turn it on it connects to the network faster, apps like Mail run faster. And faster is better in today’s world.
I think that outside of these reasons I would be happy with either device. At this point the Google Play store has a version of almost all the iTunes Store apps I use the most. I’ve been able to set both devices up to be nearly identical from this standpoint. This allows me to use an app I’m familiar with on both for times when I only have one or the other on me or am only in an area with service for one or the other.
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Although I’ll bet many of you, like Cindy and myself, were not on your computers much in the last few days, you were probably checking social media on your phones or tablets. Maybe even your “new” gadget! If so, then you know how much of a role food has played in the online conversation.
Our latest ZimmPoll asks the question, “What is your traditional Christmas dinner?” It’s looking like Ham is in the lead. It is what was on our table. I smoked a fresh ham that was cut in half. It yielded enough for several meals with lots of family and there are leftovers in the freezer for a future meal. The bones will be used in my New Years hopping john.
This week will still see light posting on AgWired as so many are still taking time away from work and it’s just a slow ag news time. But we’ll be more active and look forward to an awesome start to 2014.
The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) has renewed the funding for propane-fueled farm equipment. Farmers who purchase propane in 2014 will be eligible for up to $5,000 in purchase incentives through the 2014 Propane Farm Incentive Program. PERC works directly with original equipment manufacturers to develop and commercialize new propane-fueled farm equipment.
According to PERC, the program saw record results in 2013, with PERC distributing more than $627,000 in purchase incentives to producers across the U.S. A total of 219 farmers purchased new propane irrigation engines, grain dryers and other qualifying equipment, and provided PERC with feedback and performance data.
“The success of the 2013 program shows that farmers are taking notice of the cost-saving benefits that American-made propane has to offer,” said Mark Leitman, director of business development and marketing at PERC. “New technologies are helping farmers cut their input costs and increase their profits, while reducing harmful impacts to the environment.”
Producers who upgrade to cost-saving and efficient propane-fueled farm equipment can receive purchase incentives of up to $5,000 on qualified propane irrigation engines, grain dryers, ag heaters, generators, and more. Producers are invited to enroll in the 2014 program, and performance data collected from program participants will be used to inform future product development.
“Propane is an extremely versatile fuel, and PERC is continually working with manufacturers to improve and build on existing technology,” Leitman said. “The feedback and performance data we receive from farmers who participate in the Propane Farm Incentive Program helps us build better technology to meet the needs of those who use it the most: farmers.”
Click here for more information about the Propane Farm Incentive Program or to see a list of eligible equipment.
Franklin, Vermont farmers Denna and Mike Benjamin were heading into the holidays with a big wish: natural gas to start their anaerobic digester to convert the methane fro their cows’ manure to electricity. The project was partially funded by a federal grant, and if the digester was not operating by year’s end they would lose a major portion of the money.
The challenge they were facing was not living near a natural gas pipleline and a “shot of pure gas” was needed to get the biogas generator going. So the Benjamins called NG Advantage, a company that trucks compressed natural gas (CNG) to very large industrial 
customers not located on gas pipelines. The company brings several tractor-trailer loads of gas each day to their large customers, whose factories run their boilers 24/7. These isolated facilities save an estimated 20-40 percent on their fuel bills and emit 26 percent less CO2. The Benjamins hoped that NG Advantage could bring them the much-needed natural gas to get their digester operating.
Even though the Benjamins did not need a trailer full of gas, NG Advantage worked with the Benjamins’ engineer, John Forcier of Forcier Consulting Engineers PC, Christopher Herrick, the Chief of the Vermont HAZMAT Response Team, Mike Raker of the Green Mountain Power Renewable Development Fund, Robert Achilles of the Vermont State Agency of Agriculture, and a Canadian company Bio-Methatech, to make a small delivery of gas available to the Benjamins within two days of the phone call. General Transportation of Bridge Water, MA (NG Advantage’s hauler) provide the use of their tractor at no charge to help reduce the cost.
NG Advantage’s VP of Operations and Safety, Gerry Myers, organized the holiday rescue team. He explained why the company went out of its way to help the Benjamins, “Environmental stewardship and embracing the needs of our community at large are embedded in our company’s daily operations. Helping the Benjamin family and Riverview Farm achieve success with their digester project was the right thing to do.”
Denna Benjamin described why it is important for them to build a digester at the Riverview Farm by saying, “We, as other farmers, are looking for ways to diversify our income steam so that we can keep farming. This project seemed like a way to do that and to improve the environment at the same time.”
The Benjamins built the anaerobic digester to use the manure from their cows to create electricity that they can sell back to the grid, to generate heat their farm, and to create a byproduct that provides dry bedding for the cows. By using the methane from the manure to generate electricity, they also eliminate the substantial release of greenhouse gas that would have otherwise naturally occurred.Read More
