Daren Williams joins the show to help us better understand the role of producer-led commodity groups. Daren is the Senior Director of Global Communications at the Almond Board of California. He has worked in agricultural communications for over 30 years, much of that with producer-led commodity groups like almonds, beef, apple, dairy and pork. The Almond Board of California supports all 7,600 almond growers, as well as many others in the almond growing community from suppliers and beekeepers to farmers and buyers. Almonds are one of the fastest growing crops in California, and the Almond Board has cast a vision for the industry that includes goals to improve by 2025 in water use efficiency, dust reduction, zero waste, and pest management. “We fund research and production techniques. We validate techniques at work and if it’s beneficial and cost effective and can help improve the return on investment for the grower, we roll it out to the industry and make sure everybody knows about it.” Daren Williams While the Almond Board of California is a federal marketing order program, we also discuss checkoff programs in this episode. Operating under a slightly different framework, the purpose of these groups also relates to the research and promotion of the commodity. In Daren’s previous position, he worked with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, which is a contractor to the beef checkoff. “If (consumers) see us working together and trying to solve the issues and things that they’re concerned about, they develop trust in them, the industries, and I think trust is a critical issue for farmers and ranchers. In many cases, we’ve lost it and we need to regain it with consumers and let them know we really do have their best interests at heart when we make decisions about how we’re going to grow their food because we’re also going to be putting it on our dinner tables.” – Daren Williams This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast: Meet Daren Williams, Senior Director of Global Communications at the Almond Board of California Better understand marketing orders, check off programs and lobbying organizations Explore how these programs respond to consumer demands, support producers and are funded Founder Spotlight: Peter Schott of Genesis Feed Technologies Genesis Feed Technologies aims to change the conversation and consumption of feed ingredients for producers The software the developed puts nutritional information in the hands of the purchasing person to make the best decisions for the feed program they are building “We make soybeans look really good. On the more technical side, we bring nutritional value out for feed ingredients and show the economics of that so people can make better buying decisions.”
Good afternoon! Mostly sunny and 71 degrees at the Indian Lake. There is a south breeze at 9 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 54 degrees.
Absolutely stunningly beautiful fall day. 🍂 I just got done hiking Watch Hill, and headed up to Indian Lake to upload some photos and hike Sawyer Mountain after lunch.⛰ Then I will prboably head back to camp and read 📖 for a while, enjoying the nice breeze and colors from the hammock and then have a nice dinner before it gets too dark.
Hiking Watch Hill was fun but I wasn’t happy to discover I had no cell service up there. 📲 That wasn’t so cool as I’m supposed by supervising staff that is working, but fortunately I received no work related emails or texts 📨 during that time. I was planning to make sure I had good reception all weekend but that wasn’t to be. But I still had a very nice hike.
Been waking up early, 🌄 with the early sunsets and falling asleep after having a couple of beers.🍻 I normally don’t drink much but with the nights as long as they are and things are so crazy lately, what’s a few beers at camp.
This afternoon will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 75 degrees at 4pm. Seven degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 10th. Maximum dew point of 56 at 6pm. South wind around 10 mph. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning with more sun in the afternoon. The high last year was 69 degrees. The record high of 90 was set in 2017.
I thought about driving out to Cedar River Flow or Moose Plains, 🚶but I think I’ll just do Sawyer Mountain if it’s not too crowded. Otherwise I guess I will go up to Blue Mountain Lake and hike around Lake Durant and some of the North Country Placid Trail before heading back to camp down by Mason Lake. I am glad I did get a campsite on Thursday night, as by Friday I think they all were taken.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:49 pm with sun having an altitude of 44.7° from the due south horizon (-24.9° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 6.1 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 6:10 pm with the sun in the west (262°). 📸 The sunset is in the west (269°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 6:48 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 57 seconds with dusk around 7:15 pm, which is one minute and 51 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Gibbous 🌔 Moon in the south-southeast (149°) at an altitude of 19° from the horizon, 240,494 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 7:50 pm. At sunset, look for partly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 69 degrees. The dew point will be 56 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 8 mph. Today will have 11 hours and 57 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 3 minutes over yesterday.
Tonight will have a slight chance of showers between 1am and 3am. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 55 degrees at 4am. Eight degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around September 8th. Maximum dew point of 58 at 8pm. South wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2019, we had patches of fog in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 46 degrees. The record low of 24 occurred back in 1947.
As previously noted, there are 3 weeks until Northern Zone Regular Season 🦌 when the sun will be setting at 6:09 pm with dusk at 6:38 pm. On that day in 2019, we had rain and temperatures between 52 and 46 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 59 degrees. We hit a record high of 85 back in 1947.
Judy, Lyn and Donna Ulrich were driving to a volleyball game when their Ford Pinto was hit from behind by a Chevy van. The Pinto caught fire, and the three teenagers were burned to death. This week on Hidden Brain, we talk to a former Ford insider who could have voted to recall the Pinto years before the Ulrich girls were killed — but didn’t. And we ask, is it possible to fairly evaluate our past actions when we know how things turned out?
In this emergency episode of the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast, the crew reacts to the news that President Trump refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power should he lose the 2020 election.
As police become partisan, they may very well become defunded 👮🏼♂️
The best way to lose funding and see tough new laws targeted upon your industry is be a strong supporter of the looser’s campaigns. Politicians are unlikely to be funding or supporting the opposition. If you are a Republican supporting cause don’t expect a lot of support from Democrats.
Republicans and often the white and male, conservative leadership of police unions might think people’s fear of crime is a winning issue in the short term it might be but it’s not a sustainable position in an era when crime is historically low and more people are concerned about death and sickness from the pandemic and job loses related to various shutdowns. It’s actually rather tone deaf.
Police unions might think they’re untouchable as law enforcement is viewed as essential service. But essential doesn’t mean irreplaceable – both personnel and agencies can be replaced with new services. Social services, civilian clerks, technology such as speed cameras, and even alternative public safety agencies can replace traditional police forces. Often the alternatives to conventional policing is much cheaper, more just and more humane.
Even if steps aren’t taken to reduce existing forces, police who have largely backed Republicans are certain to face more scrutiny when their future contracts are renewed and when budget allocations are granted in places where Democrats are in control. It’s really not a good place for them to be in politically when they’re identified with one political party.
Good evening! Partly cloudy and 59 degrees in Speculator, NY. ⛅ There is a west breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 52 degrees.
It was a nice day but a busy one with work. 💼 The colors up in Speculator are pretty nice, 🍂 and it was nice working from the park and at the library. 📚 It was odd though that I ran into one of my neighbors up at Spectulator – he was actually working up at the library too. He apparently was up here on vacation too. With the Wi-Fi and cellphone it was as easy as working at home. 📶 That said, camping in the wilderness.
Tonight will be mostly cloudy 🌥, with a low of 51 degrees at 10pm. Three degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around September 18th. Maximum dew point of 53 at 8pm. West wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening. In 2019, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 50 degrees. The record low of 29 occurred back in 1963.
Nice mild evening 🌃. I can’t believe it’s nine o’clock but it’s still warm enough to be sitting outside wearing a t-shirt 👕. Nice fire 🔥 for a while and now it’s burning down as the night progresses. It gets dark this time of year and the nights are long, with nearly more night than day. The eight hour nights have come and gone into a memory.
Tonight will have a First Quarter 🌓 Moon with 58% illuminated. At 7 PM, the moon was in the south (171°) at an altitude of 22° from the horizon, some 234,640 miles away from where you are looking up from the earth. 🚀 At the state speed limit of 55 mph, you’ll make it there by March 21st. Buckle up for safety! 💺 The Hunter 🏹 Moon is on Thursday, October 1. The darkest hour is at 12:50 am, followed by dawn at 6:20 am, and sun starting to rise at 6:48 am in the east (90°) and last for 2 minutes and 57 seconds. Sunrise is one minute and 8 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 The golden hour ends at 7:26 am with sun in the east (97°).Tonight will have 11 hours and 58 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 57 seconds over last night.
Tomorrow will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 74 degrees at 3pm. Six degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 12th. Maximum dew point of 56 at 10am. Calm wind becoming southwest 5 to 8 mph in the morning. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 76 degrees. The record high of 91 was set in 2017.
Should be another nice day. 😀 Back down to Spectulator in the morning for a Zoom Meetings and then probably walking down by Lake Pleasant. I can do most things from my phone 📱 but the Wi-Fi is helpful for certain things. And as another warm evening. I will probably get up really early to go hiking come Saturday.
In four weeks on October 22 the sun will be setting in the west-southwest (255°) at 6:02 pm,🌄 which is 48 minutes and 6 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2019 on that day, we had mostly cloudy, rain showers and temperatures between 59 and 43 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 57 and 38 degrees. The record high of 86 degrees was set back in 1979.
Looking ahead, Average High is 60 🍂 is in 3 weeks, Thanksgiving 🦃 is in 9 weeks, 7:15 AM Sunrise ⌛️ is in 11 weeks, Christmas Eve 🎅 is in 3 months, New Years Eve 🎆 is in 14 weeks, Coldest Week of the Year 🌬 is in 16 weeks, Wolf Moon 🌕 is in 18 weeks, Don’t Cry over Spilled Milk Day 🥛 is in 20 weeks and National Drink Wine Day 🍷 is in 21 weeks.
![Untitled [Expires February 19 2025]](https://andyarthur.org//data/photo_015949_large.jpg)
