Brownfield

Fair food

We all have our favorite fair foods.  Over the course of the past few weeks, there has been quite a bit of discussion among Brownfield team members about elephant ears and funnel cakes, Culler's fries at the Illinois State Fair, and of course corn dogs.

There are plenty of options at county and state fairs across the Midwest! 

Jerry Passer tells us you can't go wrong with a good old Iowa pork chop, which was served up, hot off the grill, for Passer to enjoy at the Iowa State Fair last week.   Kari McKinney and Julie Harker got a taste of the prize-winning pie at the First Lady's Pie Contest at the Missouri State Fair.  Melanie Blunt's husband, Missouri Governor Matt Blunt, enjoyed some of that pie as well! 

Best of all, in a recent interview with a registered dietician, Dave Russell was pleased to learn and share that there are plenty of healthy food choices at the fair, and sometimes you just need to eat something that isn't real healthy because it makes you feel good!

Quite an honor

Brownfield Farm Director Cyndi Young is the recipient of the 2008 Service to Agriculture Award from Farm Credit Services of Illinois.  The award was presented during a ceremony at the Illinois State Fair Ag Day Luncheon August 12, 2008.

Cyndi has served as Farm Director for Brownfield Ag News for eight of the ten years she has been a member of the Brownfield team.

It was an honor for me to be selected as recipient of the Service to Agriculture Award from Farm Credit Services of Illinois.  The award was presented by Mike Loyd and Rod Stoll from FCS of Illinois.

-Cyndi Young

Celebrating the Olympics at the Iowa State Fair

The Brownfield Ag News team has been making the rounds in recent days, covering state fairs in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Missouri and Iowa.  We've been impressed by butter and cheese sculptures at several of these fairs.  Our Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based team member shares this:

I guess most of our states have butter cows at the State Fair. But, at they took it a step further at Iowa this year and carved a likeness of West Des Moines Olympian Shawn Johnson. It really attracted a lot of interest, complete with her balance beam and the U.S. flag in butter. Thought you might find it interesting.

-Jerry Passer

Kari goes to the Illinois State Fair

Oh. My. Gosh.  That is the only way I can describe my recent trip to the Illinois State Fair and I wasn’t even there while the fair was going on!  Tom Steever and I were on the fairgrounds for the 2008 Master Showmanship Contest on August 6-7. We were able to get a behind the scenes look at the fair since we were there the day before the opening ceremony.  During our first day on the fairgrounds, Tom was able to interview Dale Edwards, Jr. Swine Superintendent before we took part in the Master Showmanship Contest.  We were able to speak with the Jr. Champion Charolais Heifer winner and Jr. Livestock Superintendent Brian Sager on our second day.  Barb Adams, the Goat Superintendent, was nice enough to let us interview her about the increase of goat entries and then gave us the VIP tour of the fairgrounds in her golf cart on our way to meet up with Marla Behrends. Marla, the Industry Relations Manager for the Midwest Dairy Association, gave us a sneak peek of the Butter Cow in the Dairy Building since we had to leave before the 1:00 p.m. unveiling.  Words can’t really describe how amazing this thing looks! There are so many little details such as a family of skunks, a butterfly, birds, squirrels, acorns, and even a little snake.  I am telling you, this is a butter sculpture is something you have to see to believe. Tom and I even received a first hand demonstration on judging dairy products from some of the top Dairy Judges around. We even taste tested an ice cream pie! I had such a wonderful time and enjoyed meeting everyone.  If you get the chance to visit another state’s state fair, make sure you do.  Being able to experience the Illinois State Fair brought back so many wonderful memories of going to the Missouri State Fair and now I have new memories from the Illinois State Fair. Be sure to check out some of the photos we took while at the fair.  If you have some pictures that you would like to share, send them to us along with your name and where you are from and we will be sure to place them online.

-Kari McKinney, Brownfield Promotions Coordinator

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Illinois Master Showmanship Contest

Kari McKinney is the Brownfield team member who coordinates Brownfield's sponsorship and involvement in the Illinois Master Showmanship Contest.  She and Tom Steever had a fabulous time at the event, held earlier this week:

Brownfield is one of the many sponsors for the Illinois Master Showmanship Contest and every year the farm broadcasters are able to help out with making sure the contest runs smoothly.  On Wednesday, August 6th, Tom Steever and I traveled to Springfield, Illinois for this year’s contest.  Fifty-one participants, the most the contest has had in its 9 years, were divided into 6 groups to show beef, swine, and sheep in a round robin style after they took a written test.  I was in charge of rounding up the participants for the beef entry, while Tom was in the Sheep and Swine ring introducing each of the participants and entertaining the crowd. After the total scores were calculated, Tom and I were in charge of handing out the money to each of the participant ($50 cash) and being the first to congratulate each one of them on a great job showing.  It was wonderful to meet all the youth and to help out with the contest. I was saying before the contest started if I didn’t step in anything or get kicked by a cow (which didn’t happen!) that it was going to be a great night. But I am sure that even if that happened, I would have had the best time and one heck of a story!  To see a list of all the winners, check out our 2008 Illinois Master Showmanship page.

-Kari McKinney

Guest Speaker

Bob Meyer was the guest speaker at the noon Kiwanis Meetng in Marshfield, Wisconsin Wednesday.  Whether there are 30 people in the room or 3,000, Bob's quick wit and knowledge of agriculture will keep them informed and entertained! 

TexasPriceCheck.com

With all the talk about rising food prices, this website, launched last month, is both educational and entertaining.  Click on "What do farmers really make on food?" for a look at the value of commodities in food products.  It's a great site.  Check it out.

Legacy of a man

I received this message from Lindsay Corporation today and believe it is worth sharing.  It is a fine tribute to Paul Zimmerer who recently passed away at the age of 94:

In the early 1950’s, an inventor by the name of Paul Zimmerer working out of his blacksmith shop in Lindsay, Neb., changing the landscape of Nebraska agriculture with a series of innovative irrigation products - such as the Big Red Towline - that allowed farmers the ability to irrigate tall corn with less labor.

Later in 1968, Paul with his sons Art and Bernie, developed one of the first electric center pivots that made its first circle on a cornfield in Newman Grove, Neb., a short distance from his farm machinery business in Lindsay. That first Zimmatic (coined from the family name) pivot still runs in Newman Grove today.

Zimmerer’s center pivot system was unique because of the ‘uni-knuckle’ joint that was designed to irrigate rough terrain, as the original water-drive pivots were only capable of irrigating relatively flat fields. The Zimmatic’s enclosed worm gearboxes remain the standard drive mechanism still used on today’s electric center pivots.

Spotlight on ag youth

Dave Russell has been a busy Brownfielder this summer, traveling throughout the state of Indiana to present Indiana Ag Youth Awards in partnership with local Brownfield radio stations.   Documentation of the awards program project to is available on the Brownfield website Ag Youth page.  You'll find photos, audio of interviews and more on that page.

We are big believers in the next generation of agriculturalists and we realize that it takes a lot of community and parental support and encouragement to help guide them along the way. 

Congratulations to all involved!

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Fairs and fair weather

The heat has been oppressive in regions of the Midwest in recent days, which means state fair season is underway!  The Brownfield team and our affiliate radio stations have been very busy already this summer with county fair activities.  Our state fair season kicks off in Wisconsin this week and concludes in Nebraska in early September.

Tammie Nichols, Marketing Director for the Missouri State Fair was in Brownfield Ag News headquarters in Jefferson City, Missouri last week.  Julie Harker interviewed both Tammie and Katie Allen, who in addition to working for Brownfield Ag News is the current Missouri State Fair Queen.

(Both Tyne Morgan and Katie Allen, Ag Journalism grads from University of Missouri worked for Brownfield Ag News at some point during their college years and both were crowned Missouri State Fair Queen.  Coincidence?  You tell me!)

Be sure to check our website and listen on-air for coverage of activities as the fair season continues. 

New and improved Ag Events page

Brownfield Promotions Coordinator Kari McKinney's plate is full as she works with the Brownfield team and our partners.  One of the many projects she coordinates is the Ag Events page on the Brownfield web page.   Here's an update:

Brownfield’s new and improved Ag Events page, thanks to Google Calendar, is allowing us to add even more details about up and coming agriculture events.  By clicking the title of the event on the Ag Events Calendar, a drop down screen appears with the date, time and a description of the event.  You can then click the link to get more information, add the date to your own calendar, and even set up a reminder! Need directions to the event?  The map page allows you to get directions to the event from anywhere.  Be sure to stop by our calendar, we are always adding new events.  If you have an event that you would like placed on the calendar be sure to send us an email with all the information.  We hope to see you at some of these events!

-Kari

Katie Allen moving on

Katie Allen joined the Brownfield team as an intern during the final semester of her senior year at the University of Missouri.  As Ag Journalism major, Katie had the "right stuff" to be a part of our team.  She graduated in May and has been working "almost" full time since. 

Katie has had a busy summer.  In addition to working on the Brownfield team, Katie is the current Missouri State Fair Queen and has had many responsibilities associated with that position in recent weeks.  She's also a past member of the MU Livestock judging team and has judged a few county fairs this summer. 

Like Pete Shinn, today is Katie's last day at Brownfield.  She is off to Texas Tech where she will continue her education - working toward a Master's degree in Ag Communications.  We will miss her but are all very proud of her. 

Remember the name Katie Allen.  I'm sure we'll all hear from her again.

In honor of Katie, we are enjoying cream puffs in the Brownfield newsroom.  Katie posed with the the pretty puffs.  Tom Steever was pleasantly surprised that we got cream puffs to celebrate Katie's last day.

Recognizing farm families

We at Brownfield Ag News were pleased to once again co-sponsor the Illinois Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts Farm Family of the Year Banquet held this week during the 60th Annual meeting of the association and the Illinois Land and Water Resources Conference.

You'll find a story on the Brownfield Ag News website, listing the top 5 families and the overall winner.

It was a pleasure for me to once again emcee the awards program at the Farm Family Banquet.  It is always a pleasure to stand at the microphone and share the stories of the farm families with those in attendance. 

Despite major cuts in funding for those county organizations that make up the IASWCD, attendance was good and attitudes were positive.  These people are passionate about farming and stewardship!

The event was held within view of the Illinois State Capitol Building (as seen from my window in the Springfield Hilton.)

Thanks, Pete.

Good morning everyone,

I have bittersweet news to share.  Peter Shinn, Waitt Agribusiness Farm Director and member of the Brownfield Ag News team, is moving on. 

In addition to being a talented and passionate journalist, Pete is a dedicated member of the United States Air National Guard.  Pete notified me of his decision last week and submitted these comments in his letter of resignation:

“The National Guard Bureau has notified me of their intention to activate me for a period of four years starting on 11 August 2008. I am to serve as a Faculty Advisor for the Academy of Military Science at McGhee Tyson ANGB near Knoxville, Tennessee.”

“AMS is the Air National Guard's officer accession/commissioning program. Put another way, it's basic training for prospective Air National Guard officers, who are commissioned as 2nd Lieutenants upon completion of the program, which as an AMS graduate myself, I can tell you is extremely challenging. As far as I know, the Air National Guard is the only component of the Armed Forces who task officers to provide training to their future officers, so AMS is a truly unique institution. I'm deeply honored to be picked to serve on its faculty.”

“Likewise, it's a great honor to serve with the best team in all of farm broadcasting, the Brownfield family. It's good and important work that we do. I will miss not only that work, but the sense of commitment to agriculture that is such a clear core value of the Brownfield/Learfield organization. While, for a variety of reasons, I feel I must honor the National Guard Bureau's call to active duty, I do so with a deep appreciation for all that we do to help our nation continue to feed itself, and much of the world.”

We will miss Pete, but are very proud of him and support his decision one hundred percent.

-Cyndi Young

Women in agriculture

It has indeed been a very busy week for the Brownfield Ag News team.  Jerry Passer was in Riverside for the 2nd Annual Iowa Women in Agriculture Conference.  While there, Passer interviewed Crystal Yauer from Hinton in Northwest Iowa and Annette Sweeny from Alden. 

Approximately 135 women attended the two day conference. The theme was On the Road to Managing Risk. Interesting facts: 47 percent of Iowa farmland is owned by women. The average age of women operators is 61.5 years of age.

-Jerry Passer

Weird cloud

We should probably ask Brownfield Ag Meteorologist Greg Soulje if, in addition to cumulus, stratus, nimbus and cirrus clouds, there are "sub-categories" for each.  This, I believe, would be qualified as a cirrus cloud, but sure looks like a DNA strand to me. 

Tom Steever took this photo a couple of evenings ago.

Brownfield radio stations busy with county fair season

It's county fair season and for most Brownfield affiliates that means it's time for promotions! During a recent affilaite trip I made a visit to the Spencer County Indiana fair and found WAXL GM Bill Potter busy setting up the station tent for that night's activites. Getting the call letters in front of the listeners is an important part of a station's survival and it's a job that never ends. Bill is actually GM of several of our affiliates in Indiana, a few of which are represented in the picture. WAXL-FM Santa Claus, WBDC-FM Huntingburg, and WRZR-FM Loogootee. They also own and operate the low power TV station in Jasper Indiana. On the station van you can see the logo for channel 27 WJTS.

-Mike Cady

Orange County radio

Brownfield Affiliate Relations Manager Mike Cady has been on the road:

I made a recent visit to WKLO-FM Hardinsburg and WUME-FM Paoli to visit with PD Jason Archer. Both stations share a building on the square in downtown Paoli. Located in Orange County the two stations represent an important part of Brownfield's southern Indiana coverage.

-Mike

WSVX AM and now FM

WSVX-AM in Shelbyville, Indiana has been under new ownership just over a year now and they are going full steam ahead with their radio station. A complete building overhaul has been complemented by a station truck and trailer as well as local billboards throughout Shelby county. They also recently launched an FM frequency, one of only 10 AM stations in the country to be allowed to rebroadcast their AM signal on an FM frequency.

-Mike Cady

(Mike is Brownfield Affiliate Relations Manager)

Sweet corn harvest

For nearly everyone on the Brownfield team, our love of agriculture and involvement in it reaches beyond what we do as members of this team.  Take for instance Julie Harker.  It was a typical, hot Saturday in July when her family headed out to Lowell and JoAnn Mohler’s farm to pick sweet corn.  It is an annual event and part of the Grace Episcopal Youth Group fundraiser.  They pick corn donated by Lowell and JoAnn and sell it the next day at church.

Former Brownfielder Lane McConnell who now works at Missouri Department of Agriculture made sure the youth had AgriMissouri bags for proper packaging. 

Lowell Mohler is a former Missouri Department of Ag Director and Missouri Conservation Commissioner.  He is happy with his sweet corn crop and Julie couldn't resist videotaping him as he talked about it. (The youth group picked 8 rows of the regular sweet corn.  They did not pick the Bt corn Lowell talks about in the video.)