The newest advocate video for agriculture features a young African-American woman in an urban setting encouraging everyone involved in the industry to “Stand Up” and fight for farmers.
Among those that Jasmine calls on to “Stand Up” are geneticists, agricultural engineers, food scientists, nutritionists, meat scientists, microbiologists, agronomists, educators and researchers. The TAMU student advocates say they are striving to teach everyone how to care for animals, the land and the importance of producing safe, nutritious food for the world.
“For too long we’ve let others tell our story, and they haven’t told it very truthfully. It’s time for us, as students and advocates of agriculture, to step up and let the world know what great people farmers and ranchers are!”
The video already has nearly 14,000 views on YouTube since last week and has been shared all over the social media networks. Watch it, share it, and Stand Up for agriculture!
For those few in the crop farming world who did not attend the 2012 Commodity Classic, you missed a very interesting event – a serious tornado warning that resulted in herding thousands of people in the Gaylord Opryland Hotel into a basement ballroom. Gaylord Opryland Commodity Classic Tornado Warning
We have to give credit to the Opryland staff for their caution and diligence in looking out for the safety of all the people spread out over that huge property. With the damage we have seen by tornadoes around the country lately, a warning was not something they were about to take lightly. The weather watchers were calling for a direct hit on the hotel, which fortunately did not happen, but would certainly have been devastating if it had.
Consider that the Opryland has 600,000 square feet of convention area, including ballrooms and exhibit space, and over 2,880 guest rooms, in addition to 15 restaurants and two huge atrium areas. That was a lot of space for staff to comb through making sure that everyone in the hotel was taken to a safe place.
The majority of the Commodity Classic attendees were in the trade show when the warning went off, and you can see by the video below that there was no initial rush to get out of the area, since it was basement level and there were no windows. However, the hotel preferred to have as many people as possible in a sheltered, uncluttered area, so everyone was moved to a vacant ballroom area. The danger passed pretty quickly so the time in our makeshift shelter was short and we are grateful to the Opryland for acting quickly and judiciously – just in case.
These days, farmers and ranchers seem to be constantly having to defend every practice they use to produce food, fuel and fiber – and much of it is based on just plain ignorance of agriculture in general.
Ignorance may be bliss, but it is also extremely dangerous. We just recently came across this Penn and Teller video about how willing people are to sign a petition to ban water when it is called by its chemically proper but unfamiliar name, “dihydrogen monoxide.” This illustration of ignorance and radicalism is not new. Wikipedia traces it back to some University of California students in 1990. Penn and Teller updated the hoax in 2006 and it would be funnier if it wasn’t such a sad commentary on how gullible some people can be and how it could have disastrous consequences.
Like the signs in the stores that read “You break it, you buy it,” southeast Missouri farmers are telling the Army Corps of Engineers who flooded their farmland by blowing up a levee, “You broke it, you fix it.”
The Corps basically wants to put a band aid on the Bird Point Levee, which they blew up in May, sacrificing over 200 square miles of prime farmland and communities to save other downstream cities from potential flooding. The Corps’ current plan is to rebuild the levee to only 51 feet – 11 feet lower than its original height. The river has crested higher than that 12 times in the last 21 years. That’s kind of like rebuilding a house and not putting a roof on it.
“If the levees aren’t rebuilt to their original height, farmers near the levee will have to question whether it makes sense to farm that ground at all,” said Missouri Farm Bureau president Blake Hurst in a recent editorial. “The Corps blames budget constraints for the decision, saying they need an additional 20 million dollars to rebuild the levee to its original specifications. The Corps is holding Missouri farmers hostage to budget fights in Washington.”
At issue is 130,000 acres of prime farmland that has the potential to feed more than one million people a year, not to mention the thousands of jobs that $85 million worth of crops support. Hurst says if President Obama wants to save or create jobs, this is one way to do it. “The President might find that repairing the levee is not only the right thing to do, but also an example of economic stimulus that makes sense,” he says.
Find out more about what can be done to fix this government-made disaster on the “Disaster at Birds Point” website and watch the video below to see just what kind of damage was done. The video was produced by staff members of the St. Louis-based agricultural ad agency Osborn & Barr who have farming and family roots in southeast Missouri,
Some people may complain about the price of corn when it gets above around $4 a bushel, but there are corn connoisseurs who are willing to pay the equivalent of hundreds per bushel for special varieties that contribute to unique and delightful dishes.
Iroquois White Corn has an unusual earthy flavor and a varied texture that chefs love and it’s worth about $840 a bushel for Marty and Kris Travis of Spence Farm in Livingston County, Illinois.
Marty and Kris started growing the heirloom corn several years ago. “We harvest it, dry it and then we roast it over an open fire, shell it and run it through our stone mill to make a roasted corn meal,” Marty said. “We sell that to the general public and to chefs for $15 a pound.”
The Travis’ have also started growing a red flint corn from Italy this year, a typical polenta corn that took them two years to find and is in high demand with chefs right now. “The red corn has this incredible, floral flavor that is unlike any of the corns that we’ve ever tasted,” said Marty.
Kris and Marty are seventh generation farmers and their operation is the oldest family farm in Livingston County, IL. The unique farming operation was a stop on the Conservation Technology Information Center Indian Creek Watershed Project field tour last week. Watch them talk about their specialty corn crops and how they’ve found a market for just about every part of the plant!
Ethanol sometimes gets a bad rap in the boating world, but some high performing race boats are proving that charge is all wet.
Boat racers from coast to coast gathered this past weekend in the ethanol-producing town of Garnett, Kansas to speed around Cedar Valley Reservoir running ten percent ethanol fuel (E10) at the National Boat Racing Association (NBRA) “Garnett Ethanol Hydroplane Nationals.” The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) partnered with NBRA earlier this year to help dispel concerns about the use of ethanol fuel in boat engines. The partnership includes the use of the RFA “Fueled with Pride” logo on signage around the racing events, as well as on all the racing boats and haulers.
“This was an opportunity to tell our story that E10 blends will run in any commercial type of vehicle, whether boats, auto or whatever,” said Steve Gardner, general manager of Garnett’s ethanol plant East Kansas Agri-Energy located in Garnett. “If this will run in racing boats, it will run in any type of boats.”
Garnett is also home to the Kansas Corn Growers Association and they joined with representatives from RFA and East Kansas Agri-Energy at the race where they provided fan bags with information and answered questions about the use of ethanol in marine engines.
All of the boats that race in NBRA competitions around the country this year have to prove they are using 10 percent ethanol fuel in order to be eligible for additional prize money in the race. “We test all the fuel before the race and then the top three entries in any class are tested when they come in to make sure they are running ethanol,” said NBRA president Dan Crummett.
The NBRA races include a number of different classes of hydroplanes and runabouts with stock and modified outboards that run as fast as 96 miles per hour. Crummett says most of the issues that boaters experience when using ethanol-blended fuel can be addressed with better maintenance. “Any fuel will degrade over not a long period of time once the oil is mixed in it,” he says, which is why it’s so important for boaters to avoid leaving fuel set n the tank for an extended time.
Here’s a little video montage of representatives from the town of Garnett and the Renewable Fuels Association welcoming the racers and some race footage.
As farmers finally complete planting across the country, the June/July issue of Progressive Farmer magazine spotlighted Pam Dowdy’s crusade to prevent tragic grain bin accidents like the one in which she lost her beloved husband David in 2009. In the print edition, readers were treated to an extra feature that put all of the information they needed literally at their fingertips.
Following the touching article, Progressive Farmer offered a direct link via a barcode to a video on grain bin safety jointly produced by the National Corn Growers Association and the National Grain and Feed Association. Smartphone owners with a barcode scanning application can play the entire video on their device by simply scanning the code.
Grain bin accidents take only a moment to happen but leave friends and family devastated for a lifetime. Review proper safety precautions, incorporate grain bin safety precautions into your routine, and share this life-saving information with all of the farmers you love. In five short minutes, you could save a life.
Pedal tractor racing, corn shucking, and corn hole tossing were just a few of the fun team events that the Iowa Corn Growers hosted with Indy car drivers and representatives from the University of Iowa and Iowa State University this week to promote the upcoming Iowa Corn Indy 250 race on June 25 and their Join The Team program.
In the photo, Indy car driver Ryan Hunter-Reay competes on pedal tractors with Dick Gallagher, Iowa Corn Promotion Board Chairman. Waving the green flag to start is Shannon Textor, Iowa Corn Growers Market Development Director. You may remember that Ryan was once the Indy Team Ethanol car driver and he showed some of his race car driving skills by winning this particular race.
Ryan says he loves coming to Iowa and working for the corn growers in this interview that Chuck Zimmerman did with him.
Chuck also spoke with Kevin Rempp, Iowa corn grower and current Secretary/Treasurer for the Iowa Corn Promotion Board who talks about the Iowa Corn Indy 250, the Iowa Corn Fed program and their new commitment to the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series.
No doubt that water use issues are among the biggest challenges facing agricultural producers nationwide, but particularly in states where water is at a premium. That’s why corn growers are getting more pro-active in states like Texas.
The Texas Corn Producers rolled out a new public information campaign recently, with the message that water conservation goals can be achieved without severe restrictions on irrigation that would damage the economy of Texas High Plains.
“Agriculture brings billions of dollars into the economy of the Panhandle and South Plains every year and is the main driver of economic growth in the region,” said David Gibson, Executive Director of the Texas Corn Producers Board. “Through research and development of new technology, we are finding ways to grow more crops with less water. This means we can conserve water for future generations without sacrificing economic growth today.”
The campaign includes televised public service announcements, a 10 minute video and a new website, www.WaterGrowsJobs.org, with the slogan “Water grows our economy; let’s make it last.”
We often hear about friction between the producers of corn and livestock over the growth in the production of ethanol. One Iowa farmer had an idea to diversify his operation and do both! Judging by the tour that the TATT Global Farmer to Farmer Roundtable participants received at his farm, Couser Cattle Company, he’s doing it very successfully.
Our host was Bill Couser. Bill conducted a fascinating presentation about his marriage of row crop farming (corn/soybeans), livestock production and ethanol production! You can see a portion of his explanation in the video below. He used a long table to display all the products he produces starting with an ear of corn and winding up with ethanol (2.81 gal/bushel of corn) as well as by-products like DDGS and ultimately fine quality beef. I loved his description about the whole food vs. fuel debate, “It’s rubbish!”
The newest advocate video for agriculture features a young African-American woman in an urban setting encouraging everyone involved in the industry to “Stand Up” and fight for farmers. 
These days, farmers and ranchers seem to be constantly having to defend every practice they use to produce food, fuel and fiber – and much of it is based on just plain ignorance of agriculture in general.
The Corps basically wants to put a band aid on the Bird Point Levee, which they blew up in May, sacrificing over 200 square miles of prime farmland and communities to save other downstream cities from potential flooding. The Corps’ current plan is to rebuild the levee to only 51 feet – 11 feet lower than its original height. The river has crested higher than that 12 times in the last 21 years. That’s kind of like rebuilding a house and not putting a roof on it. 
Iroquois White Corn has an unusual earthy flavor and a varied texture that chefs love and it’s worth about $840 a bushel for Marty and Kris Travis of 
Ethanol sometimes gets a bad rap in the boating world, but some high performing race boats are proving that charge is all wet.
“This was an opportunity to tell our story that E10 blends will run in any commercial type of vehicle, whether boats, auto or whatever,” said Steve Gardner, general manager of Garnett’s ethanol plant 
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