New Century Farmer – Day Two

This week, students attending the New Century Farmer conference will be blogging about the lessons they’re learning and the friends they’re making there. The conference is taking place on the Pioneer campus in Des Moines, Iowa.  Topics covered include the global agricultural marketplace, farm financing, demographic trends and risk management. 

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On Tuesday, July 10, we kicked off the day by visiting commodity groups, both crop and livestock based. During the livestock tour, Corey Geiger from Hoard’s Dairyman and Jeff Muchow from Iowa Premium Beef shared many points about  trends and issues in the beef and dairy industries.

On the crop commodity tours, we engaged with the Iowa Soybean Association and the Iowa Corn Growers.  Our discussions ranged from global communication and trade efforts to issues facing beginning family farmers transitioning from one generation to the next.

Peter Woltz of Timber Ridge Cattle Co. shared his knowledge of marketing and niche marketing from the standpoint of his own flax-fed beef cattle operation. From Peter, we learned that we have to think outside of the box for new opportunities and enterprises.  We must realize that our enterprises may take us down many avenues and that we must keep an open mind to expansion or alternate avenues.

The highlight of the day was having the privilege of touring the research plots, labs, and state of the art greenhouses at Pioneer Hi-Bred International. We gained valuable insight into what goes into the crop development phase to make our hybrids as vigorous as possible. It was very clear that research and customer satisfaction are Pioneer’s leading priorities. Their dedication to the American and global consumer will continue to allow them to make strides in yield innovation. Their support of this program is invaluable!

The theme of today at NCF was “Planting the seed for your vision!” We took some time out of the day to work on the first draft of our visions, and what we foresee for our operations in the future.  It was a very eye opening experience to take a look at the foundations of our operations and think about what it is currently and what we would like to see it become.

Once again, we wrapped up the day with “Ag in a Bag.” We each brought 5-6 significant items that uniquely defined us and shared these with the group. This allowed us to gain a slight glimpse into the present, and as we hear each others visions near the end of the week, we may get to share in each others passions and excitement for the future of our operations!

~Chelsea McFarland – Kentucky

~Nathan Sahr- Minnesota

~Seth Menefee- New Mexico

The New Century Farmer program is sponsored by Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business; Case IH; CSX Corporation; and Farm Credit; with media partner Successful Farming as a special project of the National FFA Foundation. The program is designed to provide participants with valuable skills and knowledge applicable to their own farming operations. In addition, they will build a network of colleagues that will benefit them throughout their careers.

New Century Farmer Conference – Day One

This week, students attending the New Century Farmer conference will be blogging about the lessons they’re learning and the friends they’re making there. The conference is taking place on the Pioneer campus in Des Moines, Iowa.  Topics covered include the global agricultural marketplace, farm financing, demographic trends and risk management. 

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We began the morning bright and early by traveling to Pioneer where we had the opportunity to hear from Dr. David Kohl. He was a very energetic speaker who was full of  valuable information. First he spoke of our “Swiss cheese economy” which is related, connected, and dependent on every other country in the world to prosper.

Then, he talked about the  importance of setting goals. He said that 80 percent of all people have no goals, 16 percent have mental goals (those that are not written down), and the remaining 4 percent have goals that are written down. The 16 percent who have mental goals  will encounter profits three times higher than those without goals. The elite 4 percent with goals written down will make nine times more than those without goals. He encouraged us all to set our own goals in order to become successful.

Next, Dr. Kohl gave us a list of things to watch for in global economics to help  us market our own commodities and make  our operations  more profitable.

He ended his presentation by giving us ten golden rules that we can use in our operations. These rules varied from business and profit rules, to employee management, to setting our missions and goals.

One thing Dr. Kohl said made a particular impression on the group: “Better is better before bigger is better.”  That really hit home, and helped us start thinking about the directions we could take our own operations in and still be profitable.

Costa Rica Chronicles, Days 5-6: Cooperative farming, Jersey cattle & pineapple slicing

From June 13-21, finalists from the 2011 FFA national proficiency awards and American Star awards are participating in a travel seminar to Costa Rica. The seminar allows participants to develop a global perspective and become more culturally aware of the diversity in agriculture around the world.  Nearly each day, one team from the group will file a dispatch here about their travel.

June 17, 2012
10:34 PM CST (UTC−6)
Day 5

After a rejuvenating afternoon in the hot springs and a restful night’s sleep, we were ready to tackle day six of the Costa Rica Travel Seminar.

Today we had the opportunity of experiencing the town of Zarcero which is home to an extraordinary park with a breathtaking topiary garden. The flora inside this garden were shaped into many different animals and geometric shapes that fit beautifully into the town itself. After spending time in Zarcero, we stopped in the town of Sarchi which is famous for its population of wood workers. The main mode of transportation in Costa Rica used to be traveling by oxcart, which explains the unnaturally narrow roads. We had a tour of the ox cart wood shop in Sarchi and also had lunch in the town as well.

Costa Rica Chronicles, Days 3-4: Pineapples, rafting & rain forests

From June 13-21, finalists from the 2011 FFA national proficiency awards and American Star awards are participating in a travel seminar to Costa Rica. The seminar allows participants to develop a global perspective and become more culturally aware of the diversity in agriculture around the world. Nearly each day, one team from the group will file a dispatch here about their travel.

June 15, 2012
11:19 PM CST (UTC−6)
Day 3

After Thursday’s fun filled tours of the EARTH agricultural college and later the Dole banana plantation, the expectations were high for Friday’s pineapple tour followed by the excitement of whitewater rafting.

We began our day at 6:30 a.m. with a bird watching tour on the hotel grounds. Highlights of the event included sightings of several species of Toucans and other tropical birds. We divided into two groups for the day’s activities, and Wilmer’s bus began the day by loading their luggage onto the bus before boarding to go to their whitewater rafting activity at 9:30 a.m. The other bus departed a bit later to head to the Collin’s Street Bakery/Dole Pineapple Farm. All of the students enjoyed the rafting adventure, especially those that were experiencing it for the first time. The water was a bit chilly, yet very refreshing. The Class I-II-III rapids made for a fun adventure. Everyone ate plenty of fresh pineapple during the course of the day and learned a bit about production, packaging, and choosing the best pineapple in the store.

SAE: Opportunity

There are no more inspiring agriculturalists in America than FFA members. Last week was the 83rd Kentucky FFA State Convention. While it was the tenth and final state convention for me this year, the FFA experience in Kentucky was far from over. For the next few days we were getting out of our FFA jackets, out of downtown Lexington, and visiting Supervised Agricultural Experiences firsthand.

SAE programs are a huge part of the overall agriculture education experience. We take our knowledge from inside the classroom outside to forests, agricultural fields, barns, laboratories, animal clinics, or any agricultural pursuit we desire. Then the work begins, that’s right, work.

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”

- Thomas Edison

Over the course of our time in Kentucky, I met FFA members like Garrison Thompson who takes on opportunity, and enjoys the work. He has a large SAE program that employs three of his classmates, while also serving as the SAE chairman for his FFA chapter. Garrison has those qualities of leadership we should all possess. Watch this video from our time in Kentucky visiting SAE’s, and put some thought into how you might improve your own SAE, or help other chapter members start their program. SAE opportunities abound, and those who put in the work, reap huge rewards.

<p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/44198642″>SAE Opportunity</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/user11384007″>Seth Pratt</a> on <a href=”http://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a&gt;.</p>

By Seth Pratt

Costa Rica Chronicles, Day 2: EARTH University & Bananas

From June 13-21, finalists from the 2011 FFA national proficiency awards and American Star awards are participating in a travel seminar to Costa Rica. The seminar allows participants to develop a global perspective and become more culturally aware of the diversity in agriculture around the world.  Nearly each day, one team from the group will file a dispatch here about their travel.

June 14, 2012
8:33 PM CST (UTC−6)
Sarapiquí, Costa Rica

Hola!

Fresh from traveling yesterday for several hours (and over the Great Divide), we started our second day in Costa Rica at Hotel La Quinta with a traditional Costa Rican breakfast. Our planned activities included a trip to EARTH University and a banana plantation.

We left the hotel at 8 AM local time for our trip to EARTH University. There we got to learn about how they grow plants by using soda cans and bottles, as well as using banana compost as a fertilizer for organic produce. This university focuses on providing an education to students from other tropical humid counties. There, we also enjoyed an entertaining lunch that involved a student performance by a band that had a Caribbean and African influences.

National FFA President Ryan Best on “This Week in Agribusiness”

National FFA President Ryan Best got a chance to talk  with Orion Samuelson for the June 2, 2012 episode of “This Week in Agribusiness.”

In this segment Ryan discusses his reaction to recent anti-modern farming comments made during a major Washington, D.C. event, his trip to Japan with his fellow national officers.

More Adventures in Vietnam via Boat, Bus, and Moped Dodging!

For the next two weeks, participants in the 2012 International Collegiate Agricultural Leadership (I-CAL) program will be blogging about their travels in Malaysia and Vietnam.  Check back often, as they’ll be sharing some great insights from their trip along with some amazing photos!  (To see even more photos of the trip, check out U.S. Grains Council’s Flickr site.)

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Hello from Ho Chi Minh City!

Our second full day in Vietnam was filled with many different cultural and agricultural learning opportunities, and a full night’s rest prepared us all for a full day. We started out with bus ride south towards the Tien Giang Province to visit an aquaculture farm.

Along the way, we passed by hundreds of rice plantations and observed Vietnamese rice farmers transplanting and spraying the fields. Their work is very laborious compared to the mechanized American way of farming, so it was very interesting to see these practices.

We unloaded our bus and boarded a small boat that transported us up the Mekong  River to tour a small family aquaculture farm. The farmer greeted us with fresh coconuts filled with coconut juice from his garden, which we all happily accepted.

Low-tech biotech: Mushrooms engineered into eco-friendly packing material

Here at FFA, we continue to be amazed by the creativity and innovation we see in the world of agriculture.

Mike Groll | associated press
Gavin McIntyre, left, and Eben Bayer, co-founders of Ecovative Design, demonstrate some of their eco-friendly packaging forms made from mushrooms at their company in Green Island, N.Y.

Recently, The Columbus Dispatch (Ohio) featured two young entrepreneurs who figured out how to make eco-friendly material from mycelium – the hidden “roots” of the mushroom that thread beneath dirt and wood.  Their company Ecovative Design, is growing rapidly inking deals with companies such as Sealed Air Corp. which is famous for Bubble Wrap.

And, where did the inspiration for their ground-breaking product come from? The farm, of course:

Bayer noticed mycelium’s “stretchy” properties as a kid growing up on a Vermont farm. As students, he and McIntyre started with mushroom-based insulation, but they switched to packaging material because it seemed a better business bet.

So, FFA members, as your working on your Supervised Agricultural Experiences on farms and in gardens, laboratories and classrooms everywhere, remember that you may be the one to discover the next great agricultural product!

Read the full article:

Mushrooms engineered into eco-friendly packing material

FFA comes to Iowa with NASCAR driver Justin Allgaier

NASCAR driver Justin Allgaier will race in the heart of the midwest Sunday, in a state known for its agriculture. It’s fitting, perhaps, that FFA will be racing right alongside him.

Riding along on the right rear trunk panel of his No. 31 BRANDT Racing Chevrolet — just as it has since February — will be the FFA emblem thanks to a relationship that the National FFA Organization has bridged with his sponsor, BRANDT Consolidated, Inc. The car is a hard one to miss with a bright red-orange paint scheme.

BRANDT President and CEO Rick Brandt has directed his company to put an all-agriculture car on track in 2012 with goals to spotlight the hard work and dedication that powers agriculture.

“At Brandt, we are deeply committed to the future of agriculture. And, I am thrilled to have such an iconic, like-minded organization join our team for the 2012 season,” said Brandt. “Simply put, through its long history the FFA has shaped the future of agriculture: They transform students into industry leaders.”