Five is the Magic Number

I have so many more stories and information I want to share about Commodity Classic. Unfortunately though, I am exhausted from my exciting weekend. However, tomorrow I will be sure to add more stories about my CLASSIC ADVENTURE. Until tomorrow I leave you with this: 5 Unique Things I Learned At The Commodity Classic.
1. Monsanto use to make panty-hoes.
2. Sometimes people say things they don't mean.
3. Monsanto spends $2 million per day on research.
4. Blogging is unbelievable.
5. Kurt Warner is an Iowa farm boy.

RR2Y Press Conference

The Commodity Classic was a great learning experience for me. I had the opportunity to attend the Roundup Ready 2 Yield Soybeans press conference. Before the Commodity Classic I would not have been able to describe what this product was, but now after the press conference I can elaborate on what RR2Y is.

With the commercialization of Monsanto’s second-generation soybean technology in 2009, Roundup Ready 2 Yield, American farmers will enjoy all the benefits of the original Roundup Ready soybean system plus top-end yield potential.

Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans will be introduced on 1-2 million acres for the 2009 season. Initially, this breakthrough technology will be available primarily in maturity groups 2 and 3, where more than 50 percent of U.S. soybeans are grown, according to David Nothmann, Monsanto’s Soybean Agronomic Trait Lead.

With this new type of soybean, farmers should receive a 7 to 11 percent yield increase. In fact, Alan Karkosh, an Iowa farmer, who planted RR2Y soybeans, last year received an 8 percent yield increase. Karkosh agreed to test the RR2Y soybeans in his fields because he has many friends that work for Monsanto and is confident that Monsanto is an upstanding company that will produce yield increases.

David Sasse was another farmer Monsanto had on-hand at the press conference who also planted the RR2Y soybeans in his field. Sasse commented on how strong Monsanto’s regulations were for growing these test products. The soybeans were grown in isolation with Monsanto strongly monitoring each time a piece of equipment entered or left the field.

If you would like to obtain further information on the Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans, please feel free to go to http://www.monsanto.com/rr2y.

The Faces Behind the Unit

In my last post I discussed Monsanto’s Mobile Technology Unit. This unit is a 53 feet long trailer that has 1,000 square feet of exhibit space. The mobile unit is, a unique traveling exhibit showcasing Monsanto’s advances in plant breeding, biotechnology and new product innovations focused on corn, soybean and cotton that support farmer success. This unit has spent the last 8 months on the road and traveled over 28,000 miles.

Now you maybe saying, “Ashley we already know this. You covered this in your last blog. Why are you covering it again?” Well, in this blog I don’t want to focus on the unit it’s self, but rather on the individuals that make this mobile unit so successful.

There are currently four individuals that’s primary job is to travel around with the mobile technology unit. Their names are: Rachel, Tammy, Adam, and Joe. These four individuals are in no way related by blood, but within the first five minutes of talking to them you realize that they truly are family.

Tammy is the tour manager. Her job allows for her to actually drive the Mobile Technology Unit around. She’s also in charge of booking tour dates, and seeing to it that they make it to their destination on time. Tammy has had 9 years of experience with mobile technology, and while she didn’t grow up on a family farm herself her grandparents did have a very small farm that consisted of 10 pigs. The reason for Tammy’s interest in working for Monsanto’s Mobile Technology Unit was because her family has many strong ties to Monsanto and many of her family members have or still are employed with the company.

Rachel is a University of Missouri graduate and serves as the assistant tour manager. She assists Tammy in anyway possible and drives the Suburban that follows the Mobile Technology Unit. Rachel grew up on a cow calf operation. Her family farm also harvested corn and soybeans. In addition to the crop and cattle aspect, Rachel and her sister raised pigs.

Adam is a South-Eastern Missouri University alumni. While Adam has no agriculture background he does have a strong passion for marketing, and knew the Monsanto name and relieved he would be silly not to work for the company.

Joe graduated from Southern Illinois University Carbondale last May. He too like Rachel grew up on a family farm. Joe’s farm concentrated mainly on corn and soybeans. He also raised pigs and feeder cattle. Joe is in charge of driving the other semi that accompanies the Mobile Technology Unit.

These four individuals all have their own specific jobs. However, they all work together to see to it that the Mobile Technology safely makes it from destination to destination and is set up efficiently and promptly. They are an outstanding group of individuals, and really do an amazing job relating to the public and showcasing Monsanto’s mobile research unit.

NFL Star Narrates For Monsanto

On Friday morning the first thing I did upon waking up and getting ready is I stopped by the Monsanto booth. I decided that I wanted to go through the Mobile Technology Unit they had on display.

The Mobile Technology Unit is, a unique traveling exhibit showcasing Monsanto’s advances in plant breeding, biotechnology and new product innovations focused on corn, soybean and cotton that support farmer success. Monsanto’s official research headquarters are located at the Chesterfield Laboratories and on averages receives 10,000 visitors per year. However, do to location and time constraints this research center is not feasible for everyone to see, and that is why the Mobile Technology Unit was created.

The Mobile Technology Unit is 53 feet long and has 1,000 square feet of exhibit space. This unit has traveled over 28,000 miles in a mere 8 months and had over 8,000 people tour it. It truly is an impressive sight to see.

I personally had the opportunity to go on the guided tour and was extremely impressed. The tour begins with a 14 minute video narrated by Kurt Warner. The video discusses Monsanto’s research tactics and gives many interesting facts. For example, on average it takes 8 to 10 years and investments of $50 million to $100 million to develop and introduce a single new trait. After the video is completed, you actually get the opportunity to see some of the research equipment and get led on a tour through the rest of the mobile unit.

Overall, it was an extremely impressive site and I highly encourage anyone that gets an opportunity to tour this unit to do so. I know my tour was definitely one of my major highlights on my CLASSIC ADVENTURE.

Too Country For The Web

Wow, it's seems like forever since I last blogged. However, it has only been a little over a day. I apologize for not having the opportunity to do so sooner, but the last two days have been jam packed. Friday, I spent all day at the Commodity Classic mingling with people and doing interviews, which I will be discussing in future blogs. Then on Saturday I arrived home. Now, you maybe asking yourself, why didn't you up-date your blog then. The answer is simple. I live to far out in the country to receive wireless or DSL internet. Therefore, all we have is dial up and I couldn't stay logged in for enough time to blog. However, I'm back at college and in full force, so be prepared to find out how my CLASSIC ADVENTURE ended.

Don't I Know You?

I find it absolutely incredible on how you can travel nearly 350 miles to find your neighbor. I’m sure you’re wondering what I mean by this, and I will explain. Yesterday as I walked through the career show, which contains hundreds of booths, I kept running into people from my home state that I knew.

Two of the individuals I ran into were fellow University of Illinois students who recently graduated and took on job within the agriculture industry. Those individuals were Katie Knapp and Jarred Brown. In fact, I lived with Katie for a year at 4-H House, and had no clue that she would be here. Jarred is currently employed with Monsanto and serves as a sales representative. Once again, I wasn’t even aware of the fact that he worked for Monsanto.

In addition, to running into these two individuals I also met the individuals working the AgriSolutions booth. AgriSolutions is an agricultural company that helps those involved within the industry to have better financial management skills. Now, what’s the link with this company to me? Their headquarters are only five minutes from my house. It’s always great to see companies from your area thriving in an industry, and it’s even greater to seem them thriving in the agricultural industry.

Stay tuned as day two of my CLASSIC ADVENTURE gets under way.

Standing Amongst the Legends

Last night I had the opportunity to attend the DeKalb and Asgrow National Corn Growers Association Yield contest winners banquet. It was held in downtown Nashville at the Ryman Auditorium, which use to be home to the Grand Old Opry.

It was truly and extraordinary event. The farmers on hand were some of the best of the best, producing yields any where from 180 to 315 bushels per acre. Not only was it amazing to see the farmers and their families celebrating this great accomplishment together, but it was truly incredible to see how proud these farmers were of their crops.

One person in particular captured my attention. His name was William Travis Duncan from Salisbury, Missouri. William has been farming for 12 years and this was his first time being a yield contest winner, which added to his enthusiasm. As the time neared for him to be recognized you could tell how anxious he was, and that he was full of anticipation. Once, his name was called he proudly walked to the legendary stage to receive his plaque and be honored.

However, what captured my attention is when he returned to his seat. He was so excited to show his award to his friends, and even took time to pose for a few photos. This just goes to show that farming is similar to an artist’s painting or a teacher’s prize pupil. It’s something they take great pride in, enjoy being associated with, but always remain humbled.

This is just one of the many outstanding people I have met at the Commodity Classic. I hope you will continue logging on as my CLASSIC ADVENTURE continues.

What's Next?

My first day at the Commodity Classic in Nashville was absolutely amazing. I met so many incredible people and learned a great deal. My only hope is that tomorrow will be just as adventurous and exciting.

Two stories that you can expect to be posted tomorrow are: the story behind Monsanto’s Mobile Technology Unit and the people that travel with it, as well as, a story on Heath Conklin who is serving as a yield ambassador for Monsanto. Stay tuned to see how day two of my CLASSIC ADVENTURE unfolds.

Say Cheese.....

The vine lady that entertains guest as they enter the hotel.

A group of growers listening to a presentation in the Monsanto booth.













Monsanto's Mobile Technology Unit.














Me with the #24 race car.












The couple who worked for Agri-SC.

Cowboy Boots, Crop Yields, and Trucks

I am proud to have been raised in a farm family, and one thing that I have learned about farm men is there are three things they take great pride in, their cowboy boots, crop yields, and their truck. Today Monsanto’s Better Beans for Better Business campaign presented one farmer with the opportunity to take even greater pride in his truck. They gave away a brand new Chevy Duramax truck, and this wasn’t your typical truck. This truck was one of great beauty and expense. It came fully loaded with a blackberry to check the latest commodity markets, a laptop computer, and a truck bed full of seed. The lucky winner was Paul Brown of Iowa.

Smarter What? John Who?

I have only been in Nashville for five hours and the amount of knowledge I have gained is immense. In particularly I have learned a lot about agricultural companies that I didn’t even know existed. I would like to focus on two in particular. They are MachineryLink and DICKEY-john.

MachineryLink is a company headquartered out of Kansas City, Missouri. The goal for this company is to provide combines to farmers in an affordable manner, and the way that they do this is instead of selling the farmers the combines they lease them. The company has over 250 combines running in over 30 states and Western Canada, which makes them the largest combine leasing company in North America.

DICKEY-john is a company that specializes in agricultural electronics, and the interesting thing about this company is that its headquarters are in Auburn, Illinois, which is only 30 minutes from my hometown. This includes planter monitors, control valves, and flow meters. However the one piece of technology that I was most interested in was the Mini Gac. The thing I found so intriguing was that it is the world’s most accurate handheld moisture analyzer. In fact, a man from North Carolina came up to the booth while I was there just to comment on how much he liked this product.

My adventure has just begun, but I hope you will keep reading as I become familiar with even more agriculture companies as my CLASSIC ADVENTURE continues.

The Young, The Old, and The Friendly

I AM FINALLY HERE!!!!!!! I arrived at the Commodity Classic and what a whirl-wind it has been. While I have anticipated how exciting and educational my trip would be, what I thought before doesn’t even come close to comparing to what I have experienced thus far. I am having an incredible time and learning so much.

However, one thing that never stops amazing me is that even though the agriculture industry is the number one industry in the United States it’s still like a tight knit community. What I mean is it seems as if everyone knows everyone. Not to mention everyone is extremely friendly and kind just like a good neighbor. For example, today I had the opportunity to attend a luncheon sponsored by Monsanto; I realized that even though all the employees there didn’t know each other they still joked around with each other. Also, the person standing in line at registration had a brother that live in a town ten minutes from my home. That is why I absolutely love this industry. You can’t ask to work with a better set up people then with those working in agriculture.

Not only does this industry have some of the nicest people, but it has people of all different ages. I have met everyone from couples in retirement to 4 year old boys and even seen infants being pushed around in strollers. I guess it’s never too early to get started. The people are not just from different age categories there, also, from all across the U.S.

I had an intriguing conversation with a woman from Nebraska, had ice cream with a family from Iowa, and rested my feet awhile with a couple from Florida.

I hope you will stay tuned as my CLASSIC ADVENTURE continues.

Too Excited To Sleep

I’m not sure how much of an avid television watcher the rest of you are, but I would say I’m a slight addict. One of my favorite commercials is the one were the family is getting ready to leave for Disney World, and it’s the night before they leave and the little boy is “too excited to sleep.” For those of you that haven’t seen the commercial it is a similar experience to a farmer the night before he begins his planting season or the night before an athlete’s championship game. For me I experienced a similar situation last night as I was “too excited to sleep.” I’m so ready to begin my ADVENTURE in Nashville at the Commodity Classic.

I look forward to meeting and intermingling with some of the top officials within the agriculture industry, having time to speak with nationwide yield winners, and simply having the opportunity to talk with people and hear their story. I hope you will join me as my CLASSIC ADVENTURE continues and really gets started today.

Typical Farm Girl??

Growing up in south central Illinois on a beef cattle operation it is not hard for one to believe that my passion for the agriculture industry began at a very young age. I remember as a toddler I would prance around the house in my dad’s cowboy boots and continuously question my parents on when would I be big enough to show cattle like my older brothers did. Finally, at the age of eight I was allowed to join our local 4-H club and began showing cattle with my four older brothers. While I didn’t always have the grand champion heifer or steer I did learn a great deal from every fair I showed in. I learned the importance of hard work, that with success comes failure, and that family time is something of extreme value.




My farm family up-bringing is what pushed me to join the National FFA Organization in high school, which allowed for me to really grasp what the agriculture industry was and how it included so much more then just cows, sows, and plows.

Upon graduating high school I was honored to be selected to serve the Illinois Association FFA as the State Treasurer. This position allowed for me to postpone my college education to travel the state of Illinois communicating with high school students the importance of the agriculture industry and what they can do to become apart of it.




After completing my year of service to the Illinois FFA I knew that my love for talking and agriculture was something that needed to be apart of my life forever. That is why I chose the University of Illinois’ College of Agricultural, Environmental, and Consumer Sciences as a place where I would receive my education in Agricultural Communications.




The University of Illinois has allowed for me to broaden my agricultural knowledge in so many ways. For example the university gave me the opportunity to go to and study the agriculture industry in Jamaica and Brazil. These two trips allowed for me to see first hand how dynamic the agriculture industry is world wide.




Now, after completing almost two years at the University of Illinois I realize what a perfect fit, not only this university is for me, but my major. The field of agricultural communications allows for me to have the chance to educate others on the industry that I love.


Now, thanks to Monsanto, I will have the opportunity to travel to Nashville, Tennessee to attend the Commodity Classic. At this event I will intermingle with employees from all the major agriculture companies, and see what’s the newest technology and plans are for these companies. I hope you will join me on my CLASSIC ADVENTURE.