usda

DairyCast update for March 23, 2010, Singing Cows and Guns that Blow Bubbles

John Blue — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 00:04:41 +0000

As I notice the flowers next to the barn beginning to bloom, I realize that Spring is finally here. Spring is a sign of renewal and new beginnings. Hopefully the dairy industry and milk prices will respond favorably to the new season.

We have a diverse group of conversations to share with you today. Including a professional baseball player working for USDA, the physiology of the estrous cycle, and a look at this year’s corn & soybean growing season. Also be sure to check out a motivating and empowering conversation with David Okerlund.

DairyCast^® Conversations

Transcripts of from Dr. Cliff Lamb on Increasing your AI pregnancy rate in cows

We now have available transcripts (Part 1 and Part 2) from a series on increasing AI pregnancy rates in cows by Dr. Cliff Lamb (audio Part 1 and Part 2).

What is in store for the corn & soybean markets this growing season?

Dan O'Brien, Kansas State grain market economist, looks ahead to the USDA's March 31st planting intentions report and the impact of this growing season on feed prices.

Professional Baseball Player Takes a Swing at the USDA

Rod Bain, USDA, talks with Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Ross Ohlendorf about his experiences as an intern at USDA.

Singing Cows and Guns that Blow Bubbles

David Okerlund, motivational speaker, illustrates how to live life to the fullest and stay positive in a sometimes negative world.

Agriculture Telling its Story

Foodchat on Food and Health. What are the ways in which food, health, and education can be formulated to improve lives and create a future in which all children are not at risk of obesity?

The Persistence of the Primitive Food Movement From the Freakonomics Blog, "Americans are currently embracing a strange sort of primitivism. Bicycles are losing gears, runners are afoot in shoes designed to creatae a barefoot sensation (some are even running barefoot), and men are growing bushy Will Oldham-like beards. It’s all very curious and entertaining. But nowhere has our love for the supposed simplicity of the past been more evident than in food trends."

Food Cannot Be Ethical. Only People Can. A recent report, Ethical Food, attempts to address "Are ethical brand claims influencing food purchases? And if so, which claims matter most to consumers?". Unfortunately, this report is about creating a divisive environment around food, its production, and the people who work in the food and agriculture industries.

Looking to discover other agriculture focused conversations? Start by looking into these agriculture tags: Farm, Ag4all, Profood, AgChat, and Dairy.

DairyCast^® Headliners

Dr. Terry Etherton

Half-Baked Statistics on GE Crops Dr. Etherton shares thoughts from Elton Robinson, Farm Press Editorial Staff, on the Consumers Union's (publisher of Consumer Reports) recently conducted poll on genetically engineered crops in response to their dissatisfaction with the USDA survey on genetically engineered alfalfa.

Don't forget to add DairyCast^® to your playlist!

Thanks, again, for listening!

Trent Fredenburg
Your DairyCast Host

1.877.28DairyCast (1.877.283.2479)
Feedback@DairyCast.com

Truffle Media update for January 21, 2010, USDA Social Media Tools and Resources And Twitter Tags in Ag

John Blue — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 11:09:38 +0000

January 21, 2010

What is happening in agriculture new/social media?

Vegetarians, from the other point of view! While not specifically an agricultural industry video, it is a great example of using entertainment to highlight an issue or a cause. And, in this specific video, humor from the challenging of assumptions emphasizes the point of view and increases the message recall. Lesson? It still comes down to telling a great story.
USDA Social Media Tools and Resources The United States Department of Agriculture social media page has a series of links to their social media spots. These USDA social media sites allow you to share from their large collection of ag information.
Ag Hash Tags to Follow Twitter continues to be used in agriculture to as a tool to share small format conversations. Hash tags allow you to follow Twitter posts with some continuity. Some example agricultural focused hash tags: #farm, #Agchat, #ag4all, and, #Agconnect.

Social and new media conversations that might be of value to you:

Why 70% of Facebook 'Fans' Don't Want Marketing, and What You Can Do About It Marketing Profs researched consumer social media attitudes in the summer of 2009 and their findings include: 70% of consumers who visit Facebook at least once a month and are a 'fan' of at least one company or brand don't believe they have given those companies permission to market to them and 40% of those "fans" don't believe marketers are welcome in social networks at all. This means you may need to adjust your marketing and sales actions when it comes to using social media tools. You already knew that, right?
115 Magazine and Media Predictions for 2010 In the spirit of kicking off the new year, FOLIO: captured thoughts from a wide selection of magazine/media industry professionals, complete with 2010 predictions. Most interesting prediction: a subtle but important trend for media companies in 2010 will be the accelerating competition for audience attention from all kinds of new sources—blogs, social media sites, twitter, iPhone Apps, etc. that deliver more focused content value to readers.

Truffle Media hightlights

Communications in Ag Panel Panel discussion on how the communications field in agriculture is changing. This is from the Ag Connect Expo 2010, featuring Jim Evans, Orion Samuelson, and Mike Yost.
Cattle production practices and the environment Alex Avery, Director of Research and Education for the Center for Global Food Issues at the Hudson Institute, provides background, analysis, and commentary on this issue in a three part audio series.
2009 International PRRS Symposium Presentations from an international group involved in all aspects of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) research are available.

Stay connected via LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook to learn more about Truffle Media Networks and our agriculture media series BeefCast, CropVillage, DairyCast, PoultryCast, and SwineCast. And send us a note to learn more about the Truffle Media Networks show series audience profiles!

Invite others to the Truffle Media conversation by forwarding this to a friend.

The Truffle Media Networks team
feedback@TruffleMedia.com

CropVillage update for October 9, 2009, Is the USDA's interpretation of "Active Engagement" wrong?

John Blue — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:17:55 +0000

Harvest continues to move north and east amid damp, cool conditions. The major concern of an early freeze is alleviating day by day and being replaced by U.S. dollar weakness as a driver for grain purchases. Lower dollars buy more bushels when you are trying to feed a hungry populace.

I want to draw your attention to a post by one of our Headliner Bloggers, Don Tyler. We’ve been told by many of our community members that insight from other industries is many times directly transferable to their own situation. Some of those non-ag presentations are among our highest rated. In his post How the Mighty Fall—and Why Some Companies Never Give In , Don takes a look at why companies succeed. A good read for you, no matter where you’re coming from.

Also, a good presentation this week from Iowa State’s Roger McEowen on ‘Active Engagement ’. If you’re dealing with Farm Program payments, please understand this issue.

What are your thoughts? Send us a note: feedback@cropvillage.com

CropVillage^™ Conversations

CropVillage 0181 What is SmartStax and Dow Herbicide Technology?. Updates on SmartStax technology and Dow Herbicide Technology provides producers additional tools for the toolbox and will go a long way toward meeting the grain needs of a growing world.
CropVillage 0180 Court Rejects USDA Finding on "Active Engagement". Iowa State Ag Law Professor Roger McEowen discusses a recent ruling which calls the USDA's interpretation of "Active Engagement" into question.

CropVillage^™ Headliners

Beware of the Latino that says: "Yes, yes, I understand...". Post by Orlando Gil "That Latino employee that nods his head up and down and says: “Yes, yes, I understand…” may not really understand what is being said and that can be a real problem for your operation." So what’s the big deal, you might ask?
"How the Mighty Fall--and Why Some Companies Never Give In": by Don Tyler. "Jim Collins’ new book, 'How the Mighty Fall' is a great read for any business going through difficult financial situations—and those who want to avoid them. Though the title may initially cause you to think, ‘That’s all I need, more negativity!” the book provides empirical information on the common steps that highly visible companies have gone through in their decline, and others that turned it around mid-crisis."

Don't forget to add CropVillage^™ to your playlist!

Thanks, again, for listening!

Ned Arthur
Your CropVillage^™ Host

1.877.55TRUFFLE (1.877.558.7833)
information@TruffleMedia.com

CropVillage update for August 18, 2009 , Can you stay positive in this agriculture environment?

John Blue — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 02:04:53 +0000

CropVillage^™
Update for August 18, 2009

While the recent USDA August crop report places this year’s corn production in second place for all time, world economic concerns are continuing to add volatility in the marketplace. Any weakness in the dollar seems to bring the buyer out in our list of regular customers. Then when equity markets decline and dollar demand increases in the ‘flight to quality’, the interest in our products around the world dries up.

This change in the world economic picture as a result of last year’s near lock up of the credit markets will continue to be the major influence on pricing of this year’s crop. We ARE seeing more stability in our input cost which is positive any way you look at it.

What are your thoughts? Send us a note: feedback@cropvillage.com

CropVillage^™ Conversations

CropVillage 0173 Yellowing Soybeans May Require Intervention.
CropVillage 0174 Reviewing the August Crop Report with Chicago Mercantile Exchange.
Assessing Your Future A special three part series, Reading The Signs, Moving Ahead, and Keeping Your Perspective, is available, featuring agricultural management consultant Don Tyler. Don brings a wealth of experience and insight via conversations and consultations with producers across a wide spectrum of business models. Learn more about assessing your future.

CropVillage^™ Headliners

How the "Tragedy of the Commons" Can Become Even More Tragic, by Dennis DiPietre. "The "tragedy of the commons" is an idea put forward by Garrett Hardin in the late 1960's, describing how commonly held resources are supposed to be stripped to nothing when those who use them act solely on self-interest instead of in the common good. The notion is that a community resource will be over-used when individuals apply their private profit calculation to how much of it they will employ. At first glance, this matches economic theory in that there is no economic motive to economize the use a variable input when it is valuable to the production process and free of charge.". Read DiPietre's "tragedy of the commons".
Professional Advice on Staying Positive: by Don Tyler. "A couple of weeks ago when Ned Arthur and I recorded some podcasts for SwineCast, we mentioned that I am not a professional therapist or counselor. When working with clients I often provide some very personal guidance when asked, and use practical experience and logic to help them determine answers to their questions and concerns. I thought it might me good to hear from a professional on the challenge of "Keeping a positive outlook when under financial stress." Angeline Brechlin; APN, CNS is a career mental health professional and a lifelong friend of my wife and I. Here are thoughts on staying positive from Angeline Brechlin."

Don't forget to add CropVillage^™ to your playlist!

Thanks, again, for listening!

Ned Arthur
Your CropVillage^™ Host

1.877.55TRUFFLE (1.877.558.7833)
information@TruffleMedia.com

How does USDA Play in new adminsitration view on information openness?

Truffle Media Networks — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 02:03:14 +0000

What is the USDA's view on open information? Here is a perspective from a group moderated by Dan Bricklin, in the form of a podcast and blog, about IT initiatives and the new Obama administration:

"When he was inaugurated, President Obama called for transparency, participation, and collaboration with an eye towards a duty of responsibility to more than just ourselves as we build a foundation for growth that is inclusive. This is a recording of a Mass Technology Leadership Council meeting where this was discussed by a panel and other participants. "

Click Play button below to listen to audio on line.

To download an MP3 version to your desktop, right click on link below and save to your local computer.
Audio: IT initiatives and the new Obama administration