Tag Archives: Market to Market

Events“Place Your Chips” for the Mark Pearson Endowment

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Mark Pearson and I at 2011 Iowa State Fair

Today will be bittersweet.

“The Big Show” will be broadcasting live from Latham headquarters to cover preparations underway for our company’s 65th anniversary celebration on Saturday, Aug. 23. Unfortunately, we’ll be doing today’s broadcast without one of the ag community’s most-loved personalities.

But Mark Pearson, longtime host of WHO Radio’s “The Big Show” and Iowa Public Television’s “Market to Market” program, will be with us in spirit! That’s why today through Saturday we’ll be honoring Mark’s memory in a way that’s fitting of his fun-loving spirit.

“The Big Show’s” Bob Quinn and me on location during our 2011 WHO Radio / Latham Crop Tour

Tune into Newsradio 1040 WHO today between 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. CST to hear the details of our Cow Chip Bingo game. WHO listeners and Mark Pearson fans even will have an opportunity to participate “virtually” through lathamseeds.com. Visitors to the Latham Country Fair on Saturday can participate “in person.”

Proceeds from our Cow Chip Bingo game will benefit the Mark Pearson Endowment, a scholarship program available to junior and senior students at Iowa colleges who have chosen to major in agriculture journalism. (Side bar: This scholarships is also near and dear to my heart since I majored in agricultural journalism at Iowa State University.)

How to “Place Your Chips” to Benefit the Mark Pearson Scholarship Endowment
Those attending the event will select one of 64 Bingo squares. Those who cannot attend the event are invited to pledge online by visiting www.lathamseeds.com and selecting the “Cow Chip Bingo” icon at the bottom of the page or by mailing a check to:

WHO Radio
c/o Janine Van Vark
Note: Cow Chip Bingo
2141 Grand Ave.
Des Moines, IA 50312
Virtual and mail pledges will be put into a drawing for prizes, including $100 worth of beef certificates from the Iowa Beef Industry Council.

Food & FamilyExtension Offers Tours of Robotic Milkers

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In celebration of June Dairy Month, the ISU Extension has put together a “Robotic Milking Farm Tour” for interested dairy farmers or members of the general public.

These on-farm tours will give attendees a chance to see how the robotic milkers work. More importantly, there will be opportunities to hear stories from the herd owners and ask questions about how this robotic technology has affected their animal’s well being, business success and family life.

No preregistration for the tour is needed, just visit the extension webpage or contact Extension representatives listed below for additional information on tour times and meeting places. Extension tour dates, places and times are postedbelow.

As a preview to the tour, here is a video of one farm family implementing robotic milking technology that was featured on Iowa Public Television’s Market to Market. Click here for their story.

YouTube Preview Image

ISU Extension Farm Tour Dates, Times and Meeting Places:

  • June 7, 10 am, South Wayne, WI. Jack Wiegel Farm, 10037 Phillipine Rd, South Wayne, WI. Lely installation. From Browntown, Wi take MM north which turns into M at the Lafayette Co line. At Woodford go west (left) still on M. In one mile go south on Phillipine Road and it is the second farm on the right.
  • June 7, 1 pm, Stitzer, WI. Jim Lepeska Farm, 1683 Hopewell Rd, Stitzer, WI. DeLaval installation. From Montfort, go south on Hwy 80 2 miles, 5 miles west on Hopewell Rd.
  • June 14, 9:30 am, Monona, IA. Mark and Sandra Ehrhardt Farm, 567 Big Foot Road, Monona, IA. Lely installation. From Monona, take CR-X26 6 miles, then turn right onto Big Foot Rd. for 2.4 miles, farm on right.
  • June 14, 1:30 pm, Caledonia, MN. Heintz Badger Valley Farm, Doug and Julie Heintz, 8903 State Hwy. 76, Calendonia, MN 55921. Lely installation. From Caledonia, take Hwy 76 North 8 miles, (long driveway), If coming from North- it is 3 ½ miles south of Houston, MN.
  • June 15, 10:30 am, Buffalo Center, IA. Hawktree Dairy/Mike Bauman, 3100 Hwy 9, Buffalo Center, IA (just east). Lely installation. 563-583-6496.
  • June 15, 1:00 pm, Buffalo Center, IA. Stacey’s Dairy/Bruce Meinders, 2307 380th Street, Buffalo Center, IA. Lely installation. From Buffalo Center, west on 9 for 2 miles, South on R14 for 5 miles, west on 380th Street ¼ mile.

For more information about these tours, please contact ISU Extension Dairy Specialists Larry Tranel at 563-583-6496 or Jenn Bentley at 563-382-2949.