Those southern boys know their bbq, and they got credit for learning. Besides learning about bbq I think these guys might now be qualified to become social media specialists. What do you think? I think I would go back to school to take this class.
We are four average college students from Birmingham-Southern College in Birmingham, AL and we are embarking on a trip of our lifetime. Through the Interim program, we are embarking on a 17-day academic journey across the South to eat, analyze, and blog about Southern barbecue. Yes, we get college credit to eat and write about barbecue! Our project will focus on the cultural origins, differences in style, and significance of Southern pork barbecue through the framework of food and travel writing. Primary project output will be an interactive group blog (updated daily throughout the month…Check out our blog at bbqboys.blogspot.com.) and individual research papers (submitted at the conclusion of the Interim term). We appreciate all of your time and support.
Here’s an example of their critique of one of the stops on the tour.
Last week I presented a session on agricultural communications in the new media world at the Weed Science Society of America annual meeting. My contact was Chad Brommer, Emory University, who is a champion for new media channels in the organization.
If you don’t know much about WSSA then listen to my interview with him in this week’s program and get caught up. These folks really need new channels to distribute their information and perhaps the world wide web is making that possible. HISTORY:
The Weed Science Society of America was founded in 1956. The Society was established to encourage and promote the development of knowledge concerning weeds and their impact on the environment.
MISSION:
The Weed Science Society of America, a non-profit professional society, promotes research, education, and extension outreach activities related to weeds; provides science-based information to the public and policy makers; and fosters awareness of weeds and their impacts on managed and natural ecosystems.
This week’s program ends with music from the Podsafe Music Network. It’s called, “Dead Weeds,” by Blame It On Society. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
You can download and listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 208 (21 min MP3)
I recently consulted with an ag group that wants to start using new media, specifically a blog and podcast. During the discussion I heard that someone would, “ghost write for . . .” That immediately set off the warning signal in my mind. I encouraged them to reconsider this. To start with, there are plenty of examples of a company or organization that has done this and been caught publicly. The result is complete loss of credibility. I’ve been asked to ghost write on blogs and I refuse. I hope no one reading would either.
Besides credibility there are other issues of liability. One of the factors that drive the success of a personal or company or product blog is open, honest transparency. Interestingly, this issue came up when my upcoming NAMA panel had a conference call. We were pointed to the Federal Trade Commission’s proposed “Guides Concerning the Use of
Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising” (pdf). The comment period on this has been extended to March 2. It was originally supposed to close on January 31.
In it you’ll find specific references to blogging and bloggers: 1. Bloggers personal liability (see page 13); and 2. Examples of bloggers in the proposed changes to the Guides (see page 69-70, example #5; pages 84-86, examples #7, 8, and 9). Thanks to Courtney Yuskis, Country Living Association, for the heads up.
I think the bottom line is to be honest and open. That’s one way to win your audience over.
I learn something new everyday. Like the fact that you can embed your YouTube channel and not just the videos themselves. I wonder how long I’ve been missing this.
I’m not sure where you would come down on the idea of stimulus money being spent on the continuing development of rural broadband but I’m all for it. Thanks to rural_broadband’s heads up on Twitter I thought you’d be interested in these two stories.
The first one is from NPR, “Stimulus Stirs Debate Over Rural Broadband Access.” In it they quote former FCC Economist, Michael Katz. He’s obviously a city boy who doesn’t have a clue. Here’s an example of what I mean.
But he also spoke of rural places as environmentally hostile, energy inefficient and even weak in innovation, simply because rural people are spread out across the landscape.
Dude, could you possibly show more of your arrogance and ignorance? Fortunately this is a pretty well-balanced story as the following shows.
Rural advocates say high-speed access is a necessity in a global economy, and a critical part of economic revival and survival for rural places. Obama agreed during his campaign for president. His rural platform included this plank:
“Barack Obama will ensure that our rural Americans have access to modern communications infrastructure. He will … [promote] affordable broadband coverage across rural America as well.”
Let’s hope he keeps that pledge.
Then there’s another story pointed to in this article which is on the Daily Yonder titled, “Broadband Connection Highs and Lows Across Rural America.” The article pulls data from the Census of Agriculture and PEW Internet surveys. We’ve pointed to them before but this article has some nice charts and summaries of the data like the following.
Over 2.2 million farms were included in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Census, which is conducted every five years. In 2002, the Census found that half the farms in the country were connected to the Internet in some way (broadband or dial-up). By 2007, the percentage of farms with some kind of Internet connection inched up to 56.5%.
However, only 33% of farms in 2007 had broadband connections.
In a chart showing internet and broadband percentage for farmers by state it was interesting to see that Connecticut had the highest percentage of farmers with broadband and Mississippi had the lowest. We need to get some of that broadband stimulus money going in the deep south!
The Camelina Company announces that camelina meal will be available for use as broiler chicken feed. The FDA approved camelina in rations for broiler chickens and with this action the FDA allows Great Plains to state that camelina has GRAS (“generally recognized as safe”) status.
According to new research conducted by the National Veterinary Institute in Uppsala, Sweden, hens housed in modern cage systems are at a lesser risk of mortality, cannibalism and disease than hens housed in free-range and cage-free systems.
Two professional speakers, Jolene Brown and Michele Payn-Knoper, with a shared mission for building collaborative partnerships in agriculture, have joined forces to offer a new day-long program. “Pyramids, Pigs and Passports” is designed to give agriculturists tools to prosper in changing times.
New Holland announces the introduction of the new Boomer 8N, a compact tractor that combines vintage design with modern, innovative amenities.
In just over a week corn, soybean, wheat and sorghum growers will be getting together in Grapevine, TX for Commodity Classic and you’ll find Cindy and myself there once again. I hope you’ve got your reservations in since this looks to be a big one. Actually, it’ll be just like “family” as an expected 4,500+ growers and their families and industry representatives are expected to attend.
Here’s some of the highlights to expect:
• A Texas-sized General Session featuring emcee Mark Mayfield, better known as “the Corporate Comedian,” a discussion with the four association presidents and entertainment from Sam Glenn, one of the nation’s top motivational speakers and author of “A Kick in the Attitude”
• The largest trade show in Commodity Classic history with more than 940 booths representing more than 230 companies, featuring equipment, technology, products and services of today’s leading agricultural businesses and organizations
• A star-studded Evening of Entertainment with performances by two Grammy award-winning acts—singer, songwriter and actress Pam Tillis and comedic flair from Riders In The Sky, the classic cowboy quartet
• NCGA, ASA, NAWG and NSP policy-making sessions
•The opportunity to enjoy Grapevine’s exciting attractions and activities
We’ll be posting audio in downloadable format for all our media friends to take advantage of with our full permission. We also want to thank BASF and New Holland in advance for once again sponsoring our coverage of this year’s Commodity Classic!
First up, this cute little pup (I think his name was Mitchell) hopped up on the New Holland Boomer 8N for a great photo op. He did get tired of the attention pretty quickly, but not before his owners and several by-standers snapped him sitting in the seat of the revised classic tractor.
Then we have the “Greenberry,” Barry Nelson’s John Deere green-skinned Blackberry. Not a custom skin – Barry says he bought it at an airport.
Of course we have the obligatory AgriTalk photo, which I also took but neglected to post from the National Biodiesel Conference. Between AgriTalk and AgWired, we covered pretty much every color tractor in the rainbow at NFMS. They did the show from the Case exhibit Wednesday and the AGCO exhibit on Thursday.
Finally, Agri-Talk host Mike Adams’ new iPhone, which he went out and bought in Louisville after seeing our friend Gene Hemphill of New Holland use his. Mike said that if Gene could do it, he certainly could! He bought it Thursday evening and said Friday that he already loved it. Chuck will be very proud to see another iPhone convert!
It was great to see everyone at the NFMS – we’ll see you again in just a week or so at either the National Ethanol Conference, Commodity Classic – or both! NFMS 09 Photo Album
Michael Oleykowski has joined United Phosphorus, Inc., as northern account manager responsible for Turf-Ornamental-PCO markets in the Midwest, Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic regions.
Iowa Corn launches the Iowa Corn Fed Sweepstakes, including the giveaway of a souped-up 2009 black Chevy FFV Silverado. The truck will be on tour from January 15 to May 22 throughout Iowa. Consumers can enter the drawing once each month in person at tour stops or online.
The “Modern Face of Animal Agriculture – Shaping Public Perceptions,” will be the topic for the Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City’s Feb. 20 luncheon meeting. The lunch begins at 11:30 at Plaza III.
Living the Country Life media properties continue to expand with radio programming now on more than 200 radio stations in 29 states and the Living the Country Life magazine circulation topping 200,000.
Katie Sheets is a John Deere marketing representative out of the Waterloo, IA factory and she has been at the National Farm Machinery Show this week introducing a brand new tractor name and numbering system.
“We have extended this tractor line up from two tractors to four tractors,” Katie told me. “The one we are standing in front of a 6100D, a 6 series tractor, 100 engine horsepower and the D stands for the specification level – this is a lower, mid-spec tractor.”
Katie says this tractor is perfect for those small ag customer using it for loader work or light hay or cattle operations.
Several Twitter-heads met up in the media room at the National Farm Machinery Show on Thursday for a Tweet Up.
Among those in the photo – the folks from ABN, John Blue with Truffle, Susan Crowell with Farm and Dairy, Julie from Purdue and Dave Russell with Brownfield Network.
I know that sooner or later I will become Twitter savvy myself, but for now Chuck is the official ZimmComm Twit. As I write this, he is at Southeast Agnet introducing Gary Cooper to the ways of Twitter.
Farm Industry News presented their 2008 FinOvation Awards Thursday night at the National Farm Machinery Show. The awards went to the 16 most innovative products coming to the market, based on reader interest.
Two of this year’s awards went to the two company partners who sponsored coverage of the NFMS on Agwired this week.
Katie Sheets with John Deere picked up their award for the 7030 Premium and 7030 Mid-Spec tractors. They range from 100 to 140 PTO hp and are loaded with new features that include a glass hatch roof for increased visibility, a higher transport speed of 25 mph, and cab suspension on the premium model.
Ed Barry with New Holland received the Finovation award for combines. Both Case and New Holland are claiming to have the largest combines in North America, so rather than argue the point, they both got the award. You can read more about the New Holland big boy in yesterday’s post where Ed tells us all about how size matters!
The lovely and talented FIN senior editor Jodie Wehrspann was the award presenter. Thanks to editor-in-chief Karen McMahon for a great awards dinner and ceremony honoring the best of the best! Read about the other FinOvation award winners here.
This ain’t your great-grandaddy’s tractor – even if it might look like it!
This is the New Holland Boomer 8N, a new and improved version of the classic Ford 8N tractor originally made in the late 1940s. New Holland’s Rory Chisholm says the tractor features a modern drive line with the latest innovations. “So its a marriage of two things that results in quite a stunning looking tractor,” Rory said. “We realized that we had this tractor in our history that’s a link to our past so we decided to put a little of the new and a little of the old together and the end result was the Boomer 8N.”
Comfort and safety are features in the new tractor, with a shiny rollover bar and a cushioned seat modeled after the much less comfortable steel pan seats of the original.
Over 500,000 of the original Ford 8N tractors went into production and many of them are still in existence and hold a sense of nostalgia for lots of people who grew up on farms. The Boomer 8N will be going into production later this spring. The tractors will not necessarily be a limited run, but they will be numbered, and our friend Gene Hemphill is in negotiations right now with a certain celebrity vehicle buff to get serial number one in his garage.
Size definitely matters at the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville and New Holland is proud to be showing off the largest combine in North America – the new CR9080 with 523 maximum horsepower.
I spoke with Ed Barry, cash crop marketing manager for New Holland, and he told me that it’s not just horsepower that makes it the biggest. “It’s the largest cab, largest threshing area and largest cleaning area,” Ed said.
“We have a strong history in combines,” he said. “Model year 2010 will be our 35th year in the rotary combine business and our heritage has led us to the future.”
This evening, Farm Industry News will officially present a FinOvation award to New Holland’s CR9080 as one of the best innovations of 2008 designed to help producers farm more efficiently and more profitably.
It sounds like things went very well at the Chicago Farmers Farmland Investment Fair. Michelle Fowler sent me this picture of Andy Holstein with Tim Smith, center of Cropsmith Inc., and Dale Lutz, extension specialist with the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois Extension.
I was also very happy to receive this recommendation from Rich Schell, Wagner & Schell, L.L.P.:
I was on the committee for The Chicago Farmers Farmland Investment Fair and we availed ourselves of Chuck’s new media skills. Getting ZimmComm in the game helped tremendously. With his help, we were able to effectively implement the new media strategy that Jeff Martin and I had developed. Despite an uncertain economy and a rough year for some farm investing sectors, we had very good attendance, picked up new members and may have interested folks in becoming corporate sponsors. In this economy, that is a very successful event indeed.
After my presentation this morning on ag communications and the new media world we had an informal session with some university researchers and teachers who are actively working on ways to employ online strategies for archiving and making educational presentations available.
It’s interesting to hear a different perspective from the university side of the industry. It seems like every sector has its own challenges when it comes to sharing information publicly and online. However, there are still common concerns such as, “how much will it cost?” “can I make it private?” “will this take up too much of my time?”
I couldn’t believe the amount of money WSSA was quoted by a local production company to create a video of a presentation here. The number is almost unbelievable. One of our participants suggested putting my Flip camera on a tripod and shooting it ourselves. That’s good thinking. Doesn’t get any easier than that. The other presenters suggested using some of the software options that are out there to include your slide show.
Ever wonder what it would be like if the electricity went out at a major trade show in a huge expo center? I never did, but we found out yesterday evening and this morning here at the National Farm Machinery Show. Here are a couple of little videos I shot when the lights went out.
Went to my first-ever tractor pull last night here at the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, which left me wondering who ever came up with this idea and how much had they been drinking?
I witnessed the 8,200 lb super stock tractor division competition, where the Renegade Deere driven by David Siefert of Ohio placed third. Watch my video of his pull here:
The United Fresh Virtual Marketplace lists detailed product information in hundreds of categories from over 220 companies, including exhibitors at the upcoming United Fresh 2009 convention in Las Vegas, April 21-24. While the Virtual Marketplace was launched to coincide with United Fresh 2009, the site will continue to add new products and companies all year long.
The new database is built on a state-of-the-art product search platform, allowing visitors a completely free service to search for products of interest in a variety of ways. For example, visitors can search by product category for food safety equipment, packaging materials or new fresh produce items, or they can search for specific companies to see the array of product offerings from each.
The site also provides for an interactive user experience, allowing visitors to send messages to companies requesting additional information or personal meetings, and to create personalized lists of products and companies of interest.
The weekend is almost here, but not yet. You still have a pile of work stacked up on your desk, teasing you that you still have two more days until the weekend! The coffee pot is running low, the donuts are stale and the sun is peaking through of the clouds begging you to come outside and enjoy the weather. If this sounds like your work day, then I think you need a little moooo’tivation! I found this quote by John (Giovanni) Milano about working hard on the road to success. It helped me through a stressful day yesterday, and I hope it helps you get through the rest of the week. Here it goes…
Road to Success
The formula is quite simple:
Work hard, be honest, learn from the best, recognize the masters, don’t cut corners, and do it right the first time.
John (Giovanni) Milano
In this week's program Chuck talks with David Armano, Global Innovation and Integration.
David conducted a presentation on delivering expert opinion via social media to an audience at the start of International Poultry Expo week. He's got some great information about who consumers trust and how you can use today's consumer behavior to help communicate your message.
Those southern boys know their bbq, and they got credit for learning. Besides learning about bbq I think these guys might now be qualified to become social media specialists. What do you think? I think I would go back to school to take this class.
Last week I presented a session on agricultural communications in the new media world at the 
In just over a week corn, soybean, wheat and sorghum growers will be getting together in Grapevine, TX for 
Here are a few parting shots and thoughts from the 
Then we have the “Greenberry,” Barry Nelson’s John Deere green-skinned Blackberry. Not a custom skin – Barry says he bought it at an airport.
Of course we have the obligatory 
Finally, Agri-Talk host Mike Adams’ new iPhone, which he went out and bought in Louisville after seeing our friend Gene Hemphill of New Holland use his. Mike said that if Gene could do it, he certainly could! He bought it Thursday evening and said Friday that he already loved it. Chuck will be very proud to see another iPhone convert!
Katie Sheets is a 
Several Twitter-heads met up in the media room at the National Farm Machinery Show on Thursday for a Tweet Up. 
Katie Sheets with 
Ed Barry with 
This ain’t your great-grandaddy’s tractor – even if it might look like it!
Comfort and safety are features in the new tractor, with a shiny rollover bar and a cushioned seat modeled after the much less comfortable steel pan seats of the original.
Size definitely matters at the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville and 
“We have a strong history in combines,” he said. “Model year 2010 will be our 35th year in the rotary combine business and our heritage has led us to the future.”
It sounds like things went very well at the 
After my presentation this morning on ag communications and the new media world we had an informal session with some university researchers and teachers who are actively working on ways to employ online strategies for archiving and making educational presentations available.
Went to my first-ever tractor pull last night here at the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, which left me wondering who ever came up with this idea and how much had they been drinking?
The 
In this week's program Chuck talks with David Armano, Global Innovation and Integration.
