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World Pork Expo 2013 from the Ag Building

Pete,

I was asked about how the change in buildings affected this years show for the WPX.  So a follow up article if it helps. 

Thanks Brad

Respectfully,

Brad Forkner, Owner
Nutrient Management Specialists, LLC
Home of Solid-Solutions for Livestock
P.O.Box 303
614 E Cherry Ave.
Cherry, IL 61317815-257-8463
brad@nutrientmanagementspecialists.com
http://www.nutrientmanagementspecialists.com/
Skype: brad.forkner1
Twitter: @BradForkner

Relocating our booth from the Cattle Barn to the Ag building as part of the group transition brought a good atmosphere of climate control and better acoustics.  This move allowed for more conversations at each vendor’s booth without the competition of reverberation that is inherent in the Varied Industries building with all the ventilation equipment being demonstrated.

And each change also brings about the challenge of people not finding you where you were last year.  For some of the Seed Stock providers, being located next to the Swine show provided more opportunities to catch exhibitors between their own show demands.  Also getting the attendees to either start from a parking lot through our building first or being funneled through the row of tents to keep going after eating at the “Big Grill” was necessary.

As a group we made suggestions to bring the street of tents our direction with a start at the main entrance of Varied Industries and concluding closer to the triangle.  We believe this would also improve pedestrian flow for the tents past the Varied Industries Building. 

The parking crew was great and the weather cooperated nicely for the entire show.  Hospitality is un-matched at any other event I attend.  You are welcomed by vendors who truly want to improve your life and the quality of care their product brings to your operation.  Cooperation between vendor booths to share resources and supplies is another joy

This was the first Expo for my new wife to join me see why I am always excited for this show.  Trudy keeps me detail oriented and is invaluable in having me organized for following up with further information for each person who stopped to learn about my segment of the pork industry.

From the new dysentery, to pits, lagoons, animal nutrition, and environmental protection I have thoughts that I shared so producers could evaluate my approach to the other opinions and methods presented.

 For me this is the main reason to come to World Pork Expo.  Attend the seminars to find out about current challenges where you get instant access to some of the industry professionals dedicated to provide solutions to solve those problems.

Eastern Iowa Crop Conditions Report

E.C. Iowa: it is kind of hard for us around me to read what a lot of you are going through when things look like they do here . Don't get me wrong, not every field looks good to excellent,but we are doing a lot better than most. For comparison,went by the local golf course and seen the the sprinklers running at dusk. Like I stated earlier, in 10-14 days we may be praying for rain! Corn has gone through it's "ugly stage" as I  call it.last week some of the corn was hitting the nitrogen zone and some wasn't. 2nd pass corn is in full swing as is 1st crop hay. Last week we were supposed to get 2-4" of rain, received less that 2/10's, while other got the 2-4". Like other of you guy's have said, think about those who are not as fortunate. Picture is of 15" corn planted may 1st and the other is 30" corn planted may 17th.

From Scott Hingtgen- Jackson County, IA

KCCI Des Moines, IA Interview

FluffyCows (@FluffyCowzz) tweeted at 1:24 PM on Tue, Jun 18, 2013: KCCI News Channel 8 Reporter Vanessa Peng Interviewing @newscoffeeshop today! http://t.co/SiT496AaNo

Airs at 6pm on KCCI channel 8 in Des Moines, IA market.

Machinery Pete TV Show

Greg Peterson (@MachineryPete) tweeted at 7:09 PM on Mon, Jun 17, 2013: Big news...new weekly 1/2 hour Machinery Pete "Auction of the Week" show coming to RFD-TV this Nov. Next Monday... http://t.co/j6VpdNdQ3P

Twitter Feed- Ben Riensche

BenRiensche Benjamin Riensche 8m

June 17th. Please tell me this is futile. pic.twitter.com/LoI5FnqYKC

Click To Listen To Fluffy Cows Radio Interview | Duane Hilbert | Fluffy Cow Hall Of Fame | From David Bradford

Click To LIsten To Fluffy Cows Radio Interview

Posted by Matt Lautner Cattle on June 15, 2013

Duane Hilbert | Fluffy Cow Hall Of Fame | From David Bradford

Matt,
Heres a pic of the Res Grand Steer in Denver Shown by Bob Frerk. My uncle “The Great” Duane Hilbert is to the rear of the steer. Behind him is Pete Burmeister. Kirk Stierwalt to the front and Im in there as well. Duane was probably one of the first to sell these as Fluffy as he could find them. He used to say the small little chubby HAIRY ones are the calves you buy this time of year. People don’t realize its not all about the hair though. For example this steer was a Who Made Who we sold. And one of the best to ever win in Denver. And he was a powerhouse. And always had great hair. I remember Kirk and I clipped him in the yards. And it was an Honor to clip alongside him. People just stopped and watched in awe. Pretty neat.
Duane and your dad found Who Made Who. For those times was as Hairy/Fluffy of a Bull/COW as they came. A lot of people didn’t like the bull because he was a freak. But in my opinion “and Ill bet yours dads also” was the first real game changer in this business. So yes in my opinion “and if Duane was alive I’d bet his also” Fluffy Cows are a GREAT thing. Just thought I would share what one of the greats in the business did. He is a TRUE FLUFFY COW LEGEND!
David Bradford

The Great Debate



As I See It...

By Pete Burmeister on

News From The Coffee Shop

June 11, 2013 at 12:58 PM

I've followed along with the "hash tag" #fluffycows sensation from its beginning in late May. As you probably know by now, it went viral on the Internet with several major news networks throughout the USA and world picking the story up. That part doesn't surprise me. People are, in large part ignorant, the media understands this, & is willing to sell them whatever they choose to buy in a given 24-hour "news cycle."

I suspect with this premise in mind, the many online articles, photos, advertisements, social media pages and accounts, etc. set-up in the days and weeks following, were to capture the momentum of the Fluffy Cow craze and more importantly, tell a preferred side of the story, aka an opinion. In the wake of the #fluffycow trend an entrenched debate between show cattle and beef production has, again, risen pitting the two sides at odds with one another.

You've no doubt heard the statement that opinions are like....., well you know, everyone has one! If you're still reading, let me share my story and how my opinion on the subject matter has been formed. 

I was born and raised on a diversified production grain and livestock farm in Benton County, IA. My father farmed, fed hogs, and raised cattle-- Santa Gertrudis for a brief period of time. My mother stayed home, helped on the farm, raised 3 kids and taught us not to be pompous jerks. Today, I'm an Agricultural Banker back home, am raising 2 daughters of my own, and my brother and I farm with our folks in addition to running 320 commercial cows, back grounding calves, finishing cattle, and have recently added an embryo recipient herd to raise club calves.

What's important here and relevant to the article title are my unique experiences sandwiched between the past and present that have shaped my opinion about the production beef business, showing cattle and the time-honored debate among folks about which is right, which is wrong, and wether or not the two can co-exist.

Before I tell you the why let me explain the how behind my reason. Here it goes...

I loved cows at age 2 and was scared to death of them at age 9, helped Dad fix river-bottom fence so many times I can't remember, but I do remember the humidity, gnats, and skeeters, I showed home-raised steers at the county fair that stood last in class and had one that was named Grand Champion, I've also purchased and shown club calves at the county fair that stood last in class and had one that was named Grand Champion, I showed at Iowa State Fair, Kansas City and Denver, I completed my 4-H record book each year and yes,... paid so much for a club calf that I lost money, I've clipped and fit my own calves and had fitters do the work for me, I cried when I sold my first two steers at the 4-H auction and have never been more happy to sell a pen of cattle and cash the check, I select for slick haired cattle in the commercial herd and for hair in the club calf herd, I love correctly balanced and sound structured cattle and understand that feed conversion and average daily gain pay the bills in the feedlot, I've bought and "jocked" steers and sold home-raised breeding stock to neighboring farmers, I've had a wealth of good, honest, intelligent mentors and also learned how the "other half thinks" from some fairly "shady criminals."

I learned to AI cattle at age 14, spent a summer in college artificially breeding hundreds of cows for Carrousel Farms in Wisconsin, scraped feedlot pens on the farm, hauled manure on crop ground for fertilizer, ran break-even projections on groups of cattle, managed feed costs, balanced feed rations, treated sick cattle, saved cattle from rising flood waters from time to time, rinsed-brushed-blown on 4-H show calves, competed on the ISU Meat Judging Team & ISU Livestock Judging Team, coached the WKU Livestock Judging Team, taught undergraduate animal science lab classes, livestock evaluation classes, and authored a graduate thesis on Body Condition Scoring Beef Cattle, loaned money to cattle farmers, judged county fair market beef shows and prospect feeder calf shows, and now raising my own kids the same farm in the same fashion.

Now to the point. What most folks who most adamantly argue on either side don't realize is that they have forgotten one critically important step before jumping on their soapbox, Education.  Before you Tweet or Facebook a thought that discounts the other side so quickly, please try to gain an appreciation for both arenas, embrace the positives that each represent, and try to understand that #Fluffycows isn't good or bad, it just is.

 

And... as this picture represents, the two can co-exist.



Real Fathers Nurture on Father’s Day

By Brad Forkner on

News From The Coffee Shop

June 17, 2013 at 8:49 AM

Our family approach to all holiday’s is that we will try to get together sometime during that timeframe.  With extended relatives spread out across multiple states and children at every stage of activity, planning an exact gathering is a real challenge.  One of the things we learn growing up in agriculture is that holidays can be celebrated in segments over more than one day when necessary. 

Animals and sometimes crops need attention that takes precedence over our personal wishes for a day off.  Checking feeders, the hand delivered portions of meals for animals not on free choice full feed and always dairy and farrowing are not only every day, but multiple times a day activities.  Fathers celebrate occasions, but they also nurture, their children and their livestock.  Perfect training for the next generation.

My father was an excellent example of getting out making sure cows and pigs were in the right pens and pastures before we eventually moved most pigs to confinement to avoid the mud and diseases that could accumulate.  Fresh feed, clean water and bedding were twice a day in the farrowing houses and the grinder usually ran birthday or Memorial Day.

My two boys that live in driving distance celebrated Father’s Day with me on Saturday because that is when it fit the best this year.  Early meeting for breakfast to watch the weather radar and decide if a bit of rain would actually impair our sub-par golfing expertise.  On the way to meet them I saw a boy and his father jogging together, I saw a girl and her dad riding bicycles for exercise maybe, but mostly for time to be with each other.  There was a father son trying to get some corn side dressed before the next storm, grass being trimmed for the family gathering and grocery store parking lots and gas stations crowded with a flurry of activities.

What a great breakfast where the owner takes time to stop by the table to see how your boys are doing and share about his own children with a gleam in his eye and pride in his voice, because real fathers are nurturers.

Off to the local golf course where we show up once or twice a year and although it is not open, there are carts with keys to allow you to play now and pay before you go home, because this owner/father is a nurturer who accommodates others.  No need to keep score on the card, because this day on the course is not about competition, bocce ball is where you keep score, and that comes after lunch!!  Spring rains have germinated hundreds of mushrooms that look a lot like golf balls on the fairway until you realize you have been tricked by your eyes, and you all laugh when you hear the distinct crack of your ball crashing through trees never to be seen again.  Today is for nurturing and building memories. 

Lunch at the Mongolian Grill and then on to bocce, foosball, and a quick game of cards before each boy heads back to their own home at the end of the afternoon.  Fun and memories made for this generation on Saturday made it possible for my older boy to be at his house on Sunday.  Jed has a daughter almost two years old to spend Sunday with.  Jed also is a dad and Father’s Day is for nurturing……

Respectfully,

Brad Forkner, Owner
Nutrient Management Specialists, LLC
Home of Solid-Solutions for Livestock
P.O.Box 303
614 E Cherry Ave.
Cherry, IL 61317
815-257-8463
brad@nutrientmanagementspecialists.com
http://www.nutrientmanagementspecialists.com/
Skype: brad.forkner1
Twitter: @BradForkner

From Field To Feed To Food, To Field and Back To Food