In March, AdFarmers and representatives from partner organizations like Farmers Feeding the World traveled to Ghana. Here, AdFarmer Roger works in the Ghana field.
I often find myself asked one question about AdFarm’s farming initiatives: “Why does AdFarm have a farm in Ghana?” To many people it seems slightly odd, considering we are an agricultural marking and communications company in North America.
Here’s the tie: AdFarm’s mission is to be “a catalyst for the advancement of agriculture.” With an increasing globalized marketing place, and continual concerns about the growing demand for food, we can’t ignore developing economies. 40% of the world’s population (roughly 2.6 billion people) are small scale farmers (Greenpeace 2010) That is a lot of people!
AdFarm is digging in and farming alongside Ghanaians. In partnership with a local organization, Praxis Africa, we are farming 100 acres of rich, fertile land. So far 7 acres are clear and we have planted and harvested maize. The clearing process is going slow. The land is heavy with brush, and we are doing it by hand.
We plan to add some cassava (roots that are used to make gluten-free bread) and plantain. Our farm has some chickens, and livestock pens to add some goats and snails. Later this month we will be planting paw paw (a local fruit). AdFarm Ghana is full of opportunity!
There have been many ups and down on this adventure so far, and we are excited about the new friends we have in Ghana, the community we have become a part of, and the lessons we are learning!
Spring is always a dynamic time in agriculture, and especially so for an advertising agency that also runs farms! In addition to planning for summer projects and events while juggling spring promotions and wrapping up winter business, we’re also sitting in anxious excitement for planting to begin.
You can learn more about Farmer Fred and his wife, Blogger Jane, over at GriggsDakota. There, they share their daily life as farmers on the North Dakota prairie — including some insight into the AdFarm North Dakota Farm! Click the image below to see the full post.
Join in on Fred and Jane's adventures by checking out GriggsDakota!
In addition to our North Dakota farm, we also have one in Vulcan, Alberta and a farm in Mankessim, Ghana. These farms are a great opportunity for our AdFarmers to stay connected to agriculture in a very real way, and also to help us nurture an understanding of global agriculture! It’s already been a great learning experience for me, and I look forward to continuing to learn more with Farmer Fred and the rest of our farm teams!
All over North America, May is Beef Month, and here at AdFarm, we’re delighted to jump on that bandwagon. You see, we love beef, and May gives us a great opportunity to kick off summer and celebrate something we love at the same time. Read the rest of this entry »
Some of the better known soybean products include:
Soymeal for livestock feed
Soymilk
Tofu
meat alternatives
tempeh
miso
soy sauce
soy cheese, soy cream cheese, soy flour, infant formula, biodiesel fuel and the list goes on and on
Knowing how versatile soy is, we’re very excited that we’ll be growing soybeans on our North Dakota farm this year. This farm is managed by Fred Lukens. “Farmer Fred” and his wife Jane share their adventures in North Dakota agriculture on their wonderful blog, GriggsDakota.
This particular crop of beans is being raised for seed. So, these beans will be harvested and then treated and packaged to be sold for planting next year. Then, the crop from that seed will be used to make the items listed above and more!
Our AdFarm farms are a great opportunity for the company. It’s a strong component in our mission to keep AdFarmers well-versed and involved in agriculture! AdFarmers are given the opportunity to buy shares in the farm, which means each AdFarmer who buys is an agricultural investor! We, as a company, get to spend the growing season getting a close-up, field-level view of what’s happening in the industry we love. We are privy to decisions regarding the crop’s growth, development, and marketing. We get to see many of the products we market in action, too!
Now that North Dakota is thawing out and spring is spreading cross the Midwest, we’re looking forward to a new growing season.
And, as this is my first full growing season as a full-time AdFarmer, I’m excited to have my first experience as a farm share-holder!
Happy planting, friends, and thanks to Farmer Fred for leading us in this adventure!
If you could sit down and talk to anyone in the agriculture industry, who would you choose?
Our very own Kim McConnell occasionally gets to act on that question, thanks to a partnership with our friends at RealAgriculture.com
Kim’s involvement in the North American and Canadian agricultural industry is profound. He focuses on building bridges and creating opportunities, with great results. Last year, we had the opportunity to celebrate with Kim as he was inducted into the Canadian Agriculture Hall of Fame .
One of Kim’s current projects includes RealLeaders, an online video series by RealAgriculture.com where Kim sits down and talks with people who have helped influence North American agriculture.
Kim McConnell speaks with Dr. Robert T. Fraley, a pioneer in biotechnology on RealLeaders, a Real Agriculture program.
Kim’s most recent interview was with Robert T. Fraley, who is one of the leading biotechnology researchers in the world. If the video embedded does not work, you can see it on YouTube, here.
Thanks to RealAgriculture.com for creating opportunities for partnership and dialogue in agriculture, and congratulations to Kim on success in your continued projects.
We don’t just drive by the fields and feed lots. We’re in the fields and feed lots - working, connecting, helping out with the chore of advancing agriculture. Except it isn’t a chore, it’s our passion. And then we get to blog about it.
