Brownfield

Lesson plans and teaching tools

I remember the first time I put together an agricultural news and market program for the local radio station where I worked as Assistant Farm Director.   As a recent grad who had just wrapped up 12 weeks of student teaching in agriculture education, preparing for the radio program was much like preparing a lesson plan to teach a class.   

You can imagine how much I appreciate that the product the Brownfield Ag News team produces each day for our website and Brownfield's Ag Today e-newsletter is being utilized in classrooms by ag teachers at the high school and college level.  Promotions Coordinator Kari McKinney forwarded an email to me this morning from an agricultural science and business teacher in Charlottesville, Indiana who uses our website daily in his classroom:

Thanks for asking about the students and I use the Brownfield site. The major benefit of the Brownfield site is the up to date information you can find on the site. As an example, today I am using the information from the site that discusses the release of the Humane Society video surveillance at the California packing plant. This allows me to open up on a wide variety of topics from public perception, government regulations, consumer demand, work place ethics, and the list can go on and on.

We also use the site to prepare students for career development events. We have been fortunate enough to have the state winning extemporaneous public speaking winners the past two years. We encourage the students to look at this site daily to gain knowledge and information. I find it a reliable, easy to use resource for our agriculture program.

Scott Jacobs
Eastern Hancock Schools

Biodiesel powered

Brownfield is backed up with biodiesel.  Our Vice President of Technical Operations (fondly referred to as Chief Engineer) Charlie Peters sent an email to let me know:

Our mechanic is in the process of hooking up our new fuel tank for our backup generator.…..I just had it filled with a Bio-Diesel  fuel blend.

Hopefully we will not need to use that back-up generator again this winter, but if we do, we can all thank soybean growers for powering up the Brownfield studios and for getting our reports to your local radio stations.

Definition of "farming" varies

I've used the phrase, "We can't all grow number 2 yellow corn" many times as an example of the need for farmers to meet the demands of niche markets.  Those niche markets continue to expand. 

Former Brownfielder Lane McConnell featured the link to a story titled "Specialty crop growers want say in farm policy" by Tom Steever on her blog "A Look at Missouri Farmers' Markets."  Lane is a Marketing Specialist with the Missouri Department of Agriculture. 

According to the source in Tom's story, specialty crops make up about 45 percent of the country’s farm gate receipts.

Hit the trail

For more than 100 years, Missourians have been perfecting the art of growing grapes and making wine.  Brownfield's Julie Harker recently embarked upon an adventure through part of the state's "wine country."  In her words:

Amy Winder and I (l-r) set out on the “Norton wine trail” on the second Saturday in January and we lucked out with the weather.  It was a mild, sunny day!  We both love that drive along the Missouri River bottom lands between Jefferson City and Hermann and it helped that the roads weren’t icy.

At each of our stops, we got to taste 2 different wines made from Norton grapes paired with tidbits of tasty food.  Each wine had its own distinct taste and I found out at Adam Puchta Winery that I preferred one of their Norton wines in a smaller glass, compared with a larger glass.  Most people like the larger, we learned, because there are more “layers” of flavor.  We met a group of gals from St. Clair, MO celebrating a bridal shower – The bride-to-be was decked out with a tiara, a pink feather boa and a beauty queen sash.  Those ladies rode a bus so they wouldn’t have to drive from place to place (which was probably a good idea)!  At Stone Hill Winery we learned about the concept of “terroir” which refers to the lay of the land and how different the wine can taste from grapes grown in separate soils.  At Robller Vineyard & Winery the owner, Bob Mueller, told me how he and his wife moved from St. Louis County to New Haven nearly 20 years ago to start their business that he calls a “hobby that got out of control!”  Oh, one of the other cool things – we got to keep our “Hermann Wine Trail” wine glass that they gave us at the start of the trail.  There’s a “Chocolate Wine Trail” next month and, well, I think it’s calling us!

Listen to a podcast about Julie's adventures on the AgriMissouri Showcase blog.

Brrrrr

It's COLD in the Midwest today! Brownfield's Jerry Passer reports a new record low for Cedar Rapids, Iowa this morning, with minus-20 degrees at 6am with a wind chill of minus 35 degrees, breaking a record set in 1887. 

Dave Russell reported 9 degrees in Indianapolis this morning, while Pete Shinn reported 7 below in Omaha this morning with a low last night of -14.

In the frozen Dairyland of Wisconsin, Bob Meyer checked in with a temperature of 18 below with a windchill of minus-39. Brrrr.

Despite cooler than normal temperatures (60's when this picture was taken) I'm sure Tom Steever enjoyed the weather in New Orleans last week much more than the bone-chilling cold of mid-Missouri that he is currently enduring!

Fair queens

I've judged a variety of competitions in my professional career.  From 4-H and FFA public speaking at the local, regional and state level to county beef, pork and fair queen pageants to chili cook-offs - I've judged more than I can remember!  I spent January 17 - 20 as one of 5 judges charged with selecting Miss Illinois County Fair Queen during the Illinois Association of Agricultural Fairs (IAAF) Annual Convention in Springfield, Illinois. 

Miss Illinois County Fair Queen represents the IAAF and becomes a summer employee of the Illinois Department of Agriculture.  She works with the Bureau of County Fairs and Horse Racing to promote local and state fairs and helps incresae awareness of the importance of agriculture in the state of Illinois.  She'll travel about 12,000 miles, spekaing before the Illinois House and Senate, State FFA Convention, and visit numerous county fairs.

Miss Georgetown Fair, Molly Reeves of Danville, was crowned Miss Illinois County Fair Queen at 10pm Sunday night. 

Throwing away Christmas cards

We receive so many nice Christmas greetings from industry friends each year.  It is always difficult for me to toss them away at the end of the season, so often times I hang on to them for weeks if not months after.  Many of the cards we receive feature pictures of the people sending the greeting.  Once in a while we receive a picture that I just can't throw away.  That is the case for the picture included in the card from the Missouri Corn Growers Association and Missouri Corn Merchandising Council Staff.  This is a great picture of everyone on the staff, so instead of pitching it, I thought I'd share with you!

One for the record books

Wow.  It's been a crazy few days on the market scene.  John Perkins just now shared this:

The March Minneapolis hard red spring wheat contract has made a new record high for the second consecutive session, opening up the $.30 daily trading limit at $11.64 and 3/4.  That's a record price for any wheat contract, traded at any time, at any exchange, U.S. or otherwise.

This follows yesterday's unprecedented limit down, then limit up move. Demand's pretty good but the bigger feature is hard red spring wheat making a late entry in to the 2008 battle for acreage, which had been dominated by corn and soybeans.

One man's view

Who knew one man's opinion could cause such a stir?  Dennis T. Avery, Director, Center for Global Food Issues at the Hudson Institute, addressed the recent Missouri Governor's Conference on Agriculture.  I ran a piece I did with him in a Rural Issues Program on Brownfield Ag News radio network.  Wow.  I sure did receive a lot of phone calls and emails.  Some people really liked what he had to say and others really did not like what he had to say. 

I personally think it is our responsibility to offer up as many sides to any issue as there are available to use.  Whether we agree or disagree personally should not matter.  Put it out there and let the listeners decide.  Sometimes they'll change their minds and sometimes they will simply plant their heels firmer into the ground and stand up taller for that in which they believe. 

I first interviewed Dennis Avery in the 80's.  He was stirring it up then and he's stirring it up now.

Working hard at AFBF

Pete Shinn had his head in the game (the game being coverage of the American Farm Bureau meeting) when Tom Steever took this picture in the AFBF newsroom in New Orleans.  The meeting wrapped up last night and Pete is already back at it in his Omaha-based studio.  Weather permitting, Tom will be back in the Midwest by nightfall.