The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) has presented the Independence County Conservation District in Batesville, Arkansas with the AEM/NACD “Defining Conservation Needs for the Future” award and the Huron Soil and Water Conservation District in Norwalk, Ohio with the AEM/NACD “Excellence in Conservation Equipment and Technology Use” award.
Hero EW insecticide from FMC Corporation has received both an expanded label from the U.S. EPA and approval from the State of California for product use in a variety of fruit and vegetable crops to control a wide range of insects.
Land O’Lakes Purina Feed LLC announced they will award five $1,000 scholarships to high school seniors who demonstrate scholastic achievement, leadership in agriculture, and a perceived ability to contribute to agriculture in the future.
Here’s my group here in my presentation that’s taking place still at the WSSA meeting in Orlando.
Right now we’re discussing how to implement a new channel of communications and what would be the best one to start with.
I’ll be conducting a shorter session this afternoon during the general session. Getting feedback that showing RSS feeds would be a great item to focus on.
The John Deere 5 Series utility tractors take up a significant portion of the booth space at the National Farm Machinery show and served yet another purpose – as seating for many at the show taking a break from walking around the 1.2 million square feet of exhibit space!
John Deere has introduced a large volume of new tractors this year, ranging from 45 to 105 hp, to fit just about any need. I talked with Keith Hendrix with Deere who told me all about the new tractors that are part of the Drive Green caravan that Chuck has been busy following around the country.
“That ranges from our new 5D series, moving up to the 5E series, and the premium line of the new 5M,” Keith explains. “We have a tractor for every application for any specific need if you’re looking for 105 down to a 45 engine horsepower tractor.”
Vice president of public relations and media for the Kentucky State Fair Board Vicki Glass says the 44th annual show was sold out two months ago. “With the economy as it is, you might not expect that, but that’s the case and we are very pleased to have that much interest continue year after year,” Vicki says.
The show has an economic impact for the city of Louisville of more than $15 million and also includes the Championship Tractor Pull, sponsored by Syngenta.
You can also download the interview here: NFMS Vicki Glass (mp3).
Watch a brief video that I shot with Vicki while walking around the show and recording audio at the same time – which was a little challenging, to say the least!
While Cindy is looking at machinery, I’ll be talking weeds here in Orlando at the 49th meeting of the Weed Science Society of America and 69th meeting of the Southern Weed Science Society.
I just got registered and see that everyone is in one of the afternoon sessions. There are a lot of posters displayed here and I can see from the program that they’re experimenting with the format for providing opportunities to interact with the authors so there’s more time available to do so.
My session on communications will take place tomorrow morning and then I’ll also be part of tomorrow afternoon’s general session. I’ll be live blogging my own presentation since I think it’s one of the best ways to demonstrate these new media tools.
John Deere is generating buzz at the 2009 National Farm Machinery Show with the new DB120 – the largest planter in the industry.
Rob Rippchen, division marketing manager at John Deere seed in Moline, IL says this 120 foot planter is the next generation planter building off the DB90 introduced five years ago. “This planter will plant somewhere between 90 and 100 acres an hour,” Rob says. “Most growers will remember last spring when it was so wet and one of the easiest ways to improve productivity is to increase your working width.”
The huge machine was gathering a crowd early at the show on Wednesday. “There’s kind of a ‘wow’ factor,” said Rob. “It’s so wide it can’t even unfold all the way in our booth.” But he says the outer four row units fold over on each end so it is still the same transport width as the DB90 and just about six foot longer in transport length.
Rob says John Deere will have a limited number of the new planters running in the fields this spring and will start taking orders for the big boy this summer.
AgriLabs has been named the exclusive marketer of EstroPLAN (cloprostenol sodium) by Parnell Laboratories of Sydney, Australia, the manufacturer of this time-tested prostaglandin.
Illinois made history with the first delivery to a dealer of the next generation of higher yielding soybean technology. The technology, Monsanto’s Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybean trait, is expected to be the platform for Monsanto’s new soybean technologies in the coming decade.
The weather is threatening here in Louisville, but that is not deterring people from arriving to the 2009 National Farm Machinery Show, which just opened its doors.
If the economy is bad, you wouldn’t know it here. More than 800 exhibitors are expected in the 27 acres of exhibit space here. I am a “newbie” to the show, so I am looking forward to getting out there and seeing all the new stuff on the floor.
Stay tuned here and at Precision Pays.com for complete coverage of the show this week – while Chuck is in Orlando for the Weed Science Society convention.
Photo album is started here – check back regularly for new sights from the show! NFMS 09 Photo Album
AgWired coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show
is being sponsored by:
While Cindy is getting ready to head on over to the National Farm Machinery Show this morning I thought I’d share my latest video for the Drive Green Utility Tractor Show. I’m starting to get used to the whole new YouTube HD thing and I love it. I thought this would be especially appropriate since John Deere is sponsoring Cindy’s coverage today at the show in Louisville.
Without a doubt, those of us in agriculture have science backing us up to defend our food production practices. We can spout off the latest studies, nutrition facts or university research to give credit to our feed rations, grazing methods, and the reasons to include meat and dairy in a healthy diet. However, these studies never seem to resonate with our consumers. I wonder why? Animal rights activists are effective because they use emotion to capture the hearts of their consumers. So, why don’t we do the same?
I found an article on The Beef Site that talks about this subject. The article is titled, “Connecting with Consumers on an Emotional Level,” and it encourages livestock producers to start sharing their stories. Now, I read a lot of blogs, and I think blogging is one of the most simplistic ways to share our food production stories with others.
Need an example of somebody that is doing a fantastic job? Check out the Elkton Farmer Blog, written by Thomas Peters. Although it is simple and the entries are never longer than a few sentences, Thomas does an incredible job of telling a story with photos. He highlights his neighbors, friends and area activities to tell the story of the American farmer.
What do you think of this marketing idea? Is your company utilizing blogs to get a message across to your intended audience? Where do you see the era of blogs moving in the future?
For Ag Journalists is a website published by Fred Meyers, a freelance writer who shares his expertise in the field with those wanting to enter into the wild field of ag journalism, too. As a student learning the ins and outs of this profession, I like to reference Fred’s columns from time to time. Fred shares articles, tips, a forum, quotes and more on his interactive website that is dedicated to helping others share the food production story. Fred’s insights into the future of agriculture are quite interesting, and his quotes on life will inspire you in your own. Here is an excerpt from his website…
“I have always been driven by the search for excellence in this profession. I seek the facts, encourage my imagination and often go where no one has gone before. A test a few years ago confirmed what I’ve long suspected. That is, I am a visionary. If you don’t already know this, visionaries are often obstructed in what they attempt to do and criticized for the way they view the future. In the end, however, I have no regrets. I have always firmly believed life should be an exciting trip, a time of doing only what is enjoyable and of supporting and promoting a chosen profession.” -Fred Meyers
Take a look at Fred’s website. Whether you are a writer or not, he has quite a few tips on how to conquer the challenges we face in agriculture. Why don’t you head over there now? It may just perk up your Tuesday afternoon…
Cindy is on her way to cover the National Farm Machinery Show and will have reports here starting tomorrow. For anyone wondering if the recent weather problems might have affected it, Cindy offers the following:
Despite the icy weather that recently affected parts of Kentucky, the 2009 National Farm Machinery Show and Championship Tractor Pull will proceed as scheduled.
More than 150,000 Kentucky residents were still without power this week after ice storms the last week of January, prompting President Obama to declare more than 90 counties a major disaster area and order federal aid to supplement local recovery efforts.
Still, the 44th National Farm Machinery Show will return as planned to the Kentucky Exposition Center February 11-14. The nation’s largest indoor farm show features the future of farming with row after row of the newest products and services, hands-on demonstrations of the latest technological advancements, and a variety of free seminars.
Have you heard of BAGnewsNotes? It’s a website I recently discovered that dissects and unveils the hidden meanings behind photographs. Probably like many of you, I’m a photograhy junky, and I love to learn anything and everything about the art of taking quality, meaningful photos. I truly believe that a good photograph can take the place of an article if it includes key messages to tell the story. That’s why it’s so important that we focus on capturing the crucial elements on a given subject when the opportunity arises.
Anyway, I think you should check out BAGnewsNotes. This website focuses on accuracy in photojournalism through the analysis of political photos. It’s certainly an interesting change of pace for someone like me that looks at cattle photos all day long. Plus, the writer digs right in to try to understand why the photographer snapped the image at a particular angle to give the photograph more significance. There is definitely a trick or two to learn at this site. Check it out, and let me know what you think.
Future Beef Partners Inc. is launching two game-changing products developed for leaders in Finance, Risk Management, Procurement, or Sales in the beef industry. BeefScout uses proprietary technology to provide market driven prices through a web-based tool to benchmark forward prices on cuts and trims of beef. Their second product, BasisGuard, writes forward contracts using the BeefScout benchmark prices.
Gary Vermeer, Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Vermeer Corporation in Pella, Iowa, died Feb. 2, 2009, at the Comfort House of Pella. He was 90 years of age.
Bader Rutter & Associates received a Customer Innovation award for best site design using the Pageflex platform.
Deere & Company announced an adjustment to the number of employees who will go on indefinite layoff later this month at the John Deere Davenport Works. Total number of employees impacted by this layoff is 200.
This was the morning moon that was staring me in the face when I went outside a while ago. Pretty cool view to start the day so I thought I’d share it.
So, what’s new in your world? Cindy will be heading to Louisville, KY today for the National Farm Machinery Show and I’ll be finishing preparations for my presentation at the Weed Science Society of America convention which will be taking place in Orlando. How come I got snow and ice in Louisville the last two years and Cindy gets a little rain, maybe this year? Probably because I’m going to Orlando (in the 80′s).
If you’re involved in getting the message out about renewable energy then there’s a new conference just for you. It’s the “Communicating Renewables Summit.” In this week’s program Cindy talks to conference founder, Joanna Schroeder, 4RCommunications.
Some of you probably know Joanna from her days at the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (now Growth Energy). ZimmComm New Media and Domestic Fuel are media partners with the Summit.
The Summit takes place April 21-23, 2009 in Minneapolis, MN at the Hilton Minneapolis.
Energy Security. Economic Viability. Environmental Sustainability. Core benefits of the alternative energy industry. But how do you most effectively communicate these benefits without losing credibility with your target audiences? The first annual Communicating Renewables Summit is the only conference dedicated to the success of communicators working in the alternative energy industry. Discussions will cover issues such as: One Message Does Not Fit All; Common Pitfalls Felling Communicators Engaged in an Issues Management War; Sink or Swim: The Importance of Unification of Messages; Developing Media Relationships in a Hostile Environment; the Role of Public Policy in the Short-Term Viability of the Alternative Energy Industry; and more.
This week’s program ends with music from the Podsafe Music Network. It’s called, “To The Summit,” by Jon Schmidt. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
You can download and listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 207 (17 min MP3)
National Ag Day is coming up very soon. Are you going to the “Investing in the future of agriculture and the future of America” Meet-and-Mingle Luncheon in Washington, DC? If so, please send me a photo since I will not be there. Here’s the details on it:
March 12, 2009
12:30–2:30 p.m.
Cannon House Office Building
25 Independence Avenue SE, Washington, D.C.
Caucus Room
Invited speaker:
Senator Tom Harkin
Honored guests include 50 student delegates from FFA, 4-H and AFA
Hosted by the Agriculture Council of America in celebration of National Ag Week.
Lessing-Flynn has launched an interactive division with Josh Fleming at the helm.
In response to a rapidly accelerating demand for web and online advertising capabilities, Lessing-Flynn has launched a new division of the firm designed to help clients develop marketing strategies and programs using the web and other interactive technologies.
“We’ve been helping clients with websites and other online marketing tactics for several years, but as clients and marketers are looking to take more of their marketing online to
help reduced marketing costs and measure their return on their marketing investment, it has become critical that we offer a more serious level of support in this area,” said Tom Flynn, President of Lessing-Flynn.
The new division will be led by Josh Fleming. Fleming has worked in interactive marketing for seven years with Dice.com and The Integer Group managing digital strategy and projects for clients. Fleming has also spent time at Gannett, Pulitzer and Tribune Publishing and graduated from the University of Missouri with a bachelor’s degree in English.
The interactive division will offer full-service interactive marketing, including web design/development, search engine optimization, online advertising, direct marketing, blog
sites, social media marketing, web analytics and other services.
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.
Here’s my group here in my presentation that’s taking place still at the WSSA meeting in Orlando.
The 
John Deere has introduced a large volume of new tractors this year, ranging from 45 to 105 hp, to fit just about any need. I talked with Keith Hendrix with Deere who told me all about the new tractors that are part of the Drive Green caravan that Chuck has been busy following around the country.
The 
While Cindy is looking at machinery, I’ll be talking weeds here in Orlando at the 49th meeting of the Weed Science Society of America and 69th meeting of the Southern Weed Science Society.
Rob Rippchen, division marketing manager at John Deere seed in Moline, IL says this 120 foot planter is the next generation planter building off the DB90 introduced five years ago. “This planter will plant somewhere between 90 and 100 acres an hour,” Rob says. “Most growers will remember last spring when it was so wet and one of the easiest ways to improve productivity is to increase your working width.”
The weather is threatening here in Louisville, but that is not deterring people from arriving to the 2009 National Farm Machinery Show, which just opened its doors.
Need an example of somebody that is doing a fantastic job? Check out the 
“I have always been driven by the search for excellence in this profession. I seek the facts, encourage my imagination and often go where no one has gone before. A test a few years ago confirmed what I’ve long suspected. That is, I am a visionary. If you don’t already know this, visionaries are often obstructed in what they attempt to do and criticized for the way they view the future. In the end, however, I have no regrets. I have always firmly believed life should be an exciting trip, a time of doing only what is enjoyable and of supporting and promoting a chosen profession.” -Fred Meyers
More than 150,000 Kentucky residents were still without power this week after ice storms the last week of January, prompting President Obama to declare more than 90 counties a major disaster area and order federal aid to supplement local recovery efforts.
Anyway, I think you should check out BAGnewsNotes. This website focuses on accuracy in photojournalism through the analysis of political photos. It’s certainly an interesting change of pace for someone like me that looks at cattle photos all day long. Plus, the writer digs right in to try to understand why the photographer snapped the image at a particular angle to give the photograph more significance. There is definitely a trick or two to learn at this site. Check it out, and let me know what you think.
This was the morning moon that was staring me in the face when I went outside a while ago. Pretty cool view to start the day so I thought I’d share it. 
If you’re involved in getting the message out about renewable energy then there’s a new conference just for you. It’s the 
The Summit takes place April 21-23, 2009 in Minneapolis, MN at the Hilton Minneapolis.
National Ag Day is coming up very soon. Are you going to the “Investing in the future of agriculture and the future of America” Meet-and-Mingle Luncheon in Washington, DC? If so, please send me a photo since I will not be there. Here’s the details on it:
In this week's program Chuck talks with David Armano, Global Innovation and Integration.
