I’m on the way back to ZimmComm World Headquarters after spending quality time with web guru Robert and a day with John Deere in Fresno. I’m ready for some of this warm, sunny weather to hit our area.
I just thought I’d point you to an article on Podcasting News that brings together several sources of data on podcasting growth. It looks like the American audience for podcasting has grown significantly in the last year (22%) but that advertising revenue hasn’t grown as fast. I’m wondering if that might be because many podcasts are being produced by companies or outsourced for production with existing producers.
I think we’ve demonstrated that there are more ways to monetize media today than just banner ads or radio spots. Farm podcasting is just one of those options. If you work for an advertising agency have you recommended podcasting or at least advertising in a podcast? If not, why?
Fresno Equipment is right down this way as you can see from the sign.
I’m on location once again with the Drive Green Utility Tractor Show. This time in Fresno, CA. We couldn’t have more perfect weather conditions here. I hope we have a nice crowd out today, riding and driving the new John Deere equipment. Of course I’ll be posting onto DriveGreenTractors.com but I just thought you’d want to know where the agriblogger is today.
Feel free to follow along with my adventures online.
Proposition 2 in California has created some serious dilemmas for farmers. Egg farmers have had to form a new organization just to deal with policies and implementation regulations from this legislation.
The state’s egg producers today announced the creation of the Association of California Egg Farmers (ACEF), a nonprofit statewide trade association to serve as their advocate on state policies affecting the industry and to ensure the continued production of fresh and affordable eggs that meet the food safety and animal care standards consumers expect.
The nonprofit association will serve as the voice for California egg farmers and an industry that is critical to the state’s economy and food supply. The state’s egg farmers produce 4.9 billion eggs a year, providing a fresh, affordable source of food and making California the fifth largest egg producer in the country. Most of the state’s egg farms are family owned, and they generate thousands of jobs for Californians, especially in economically hard-hit rural areas.
“The state’s egg farmers have a long history of providing a safe, healthy and nutritious source of food for California’s families,” said ACEF Executive Director Debbie Murdock. “The egg farmers are establishing the Association of California Egg Farmers to ensure they can continue to meet consumer expectations for fresh and affordable eggs that meet food safety and animal care standards.”
One of the association’s first tasks will be addressing the implementation of Proposition 2, a ballot measure California voters approved in November 2008. The ballot measure imposes new mandates on how the state’s egg producers house their egg-laying hens.
“California egg farmers respect the voters’ decision and want to comply with Proposition 2, but the initiative’s language is so vague that producers don’t know what they need to do to meet the new mandates and avoid jail sentences,” said Ms. Murdock.
The initiative provides no clear standards or guidelines for determining the amount of space the hens need to meet the new mandates. The new law doesn’t say whether the enclosures – including cage-free enclosures – currently used by California egg producers will comply with the law. It also does not say how – or if – farmers can modify the existing enclosures to meet the mandates. ACEF will be seeking avenues to obtain clarification on the requirements of Proposition 2.
I missed AgChat last night but like you, I can review the discussion via Twitter Search. The subject was animal welfare and what agriculture can do to team up with allied industries and groups to create better understanding in the public and combat misinformation campaigns by extremist animal rights groups. Questions included:
Q1: How can #agriculture work with groups such as @RaisingVoices & collaborate against animal rights activists?
Q2: What specific message can both #agriculture & animal research carry that will make the most impact against misinformation?
I solicited comments from participants since I couldn’t and got responses like:
I was impressed; almost to the point of being overwhelmed. Had Tweetie, Tweetdeck, and Tweetchat all running to keep up!
Our AgChat moderator is Michele Payn-Knoper who did a great job of participating while moderating once again and posted this stats summary from the discussion:
1100+ tweets on #agchat last night with 100+ unique contributors. Great discussion around animal rights & #ag.
I know there’s more to add here but I invite comments from those who did participate to help AgWired readers better understand the discussion.
Georgia-Pacific Plant Nutrition announces that three distributors in the Southeast U.S. are adding Nitamin Steady-Delivery plant nutrition to their existing nitrogen product lines. Agreements mean broader availability of Nitamin Nfusion and Nitamin 30L fertilizers.
Filament Marketing, LLC, announces that Jon Brakebill has joined the firm and is appointed chief operating officer.
American Agri-Women has received a grant from USDA to produce a television program for farm and ranch women, which is planned to air nationwide in 2009.
This was the scene when I got off the plane in Bakersfield, CA this evening. Pretty cool looking I think. I love sunrises and sunsets. There is an artist who is a lot better than any of us human ones.
I missed out on #AgChat tonight on Twitter but hope to have a review of it tomorrow morning if my sources come through. I’ve already skimmed over some of the posts and I think you would find them very interesting. I especially like the humor that gets thrown in. We need to laugh even when discussing serious topics. I made it through about 23 pages so far but think it’s time to stop for the day. There’s always tomorrow.
One of the blogs that I visited daily, okay several times per day, is The Pioneer Woman. Blogger Ree Drummond was a college student going to school in Los Angeles, when she met and fell in love with an Oklahoma cattle rancher. She quickly ditched the black pumps, sushi and Starbucks for cowboy boots, horses and cattle manure when she married her authentic cowboy. Today, she blogs about the adventures of living and working on a cattle ranch, homeschooling her kids and maintaining a very successful blog that includes photos, great writing, recipes, tutorials and prizes. Maybe that’s why WEPC.com asked Ree to write her tips on their site for a successful blog. Here are Ree’s 8 tips…
1. Photos
2. Variety
3. Longterm, get your own Domain
4. Make it easy for visitors to comment
5. Steer clear of the F-bombs
6. Involve readers
7. Don’t try to be the end authority on any topic
8. Laugh. And make others laugh
To read the entire article, link here. In the meantime, I’m wondering what do YOU like about blogs? What makes you stop by and want to read more?
Well, as of this past weekend, I’m now a proud graduate of South Dakota State University. It’s a crazy feeling to know that my college years are over, and I’m now making the transition into the “real world.” It’s been said, time and time again, that if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. I really think I have found that dream career in my role as an agriculture writer and speaker.
In the next couple of months, I want to position myself as a person people want to use as a resource for conferences, workshops and events. I’m excited about my speech and workshop topics: global agriculture climate, animal rights activists, consumer and media misconceptions, sharing the agriculture story and utilizing social networking sites as a public relations tool for farmers and ranchers. I’m already booking a few events, but I’m looking to gain some advice on how I can spread the word about my availability as an agriculture speaker. I hope to build a website soon as a reference towards my credentials, but what else can be done to spread the word about my full-time status as an agriculture writer and speaker? I can’t wait to hear your advice? Thanks, everyone! -Amanda Nolz
The prize doesn’t always go the most deserving, and this was certainly the case with the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. I was emailed this story the other day, and it’s an inspirational tale of a woman who never quite earned the recognition she deserved for her courageous acts. Read this story provided by Snopes, and you’ll see why…
There recently was a death of a 98 year-old lady named Irena. During WWII, Irena, got permission to work in the Warsaw Ghetto, as a plumbing/sewer specialist. However, she had an “ulterior motive.” She KNEW what the Nazi’s plans were for the Jews, (being German.) Irena smuggled infants out in the bottom of the toolbox she carried. She also kept a burlap sack in the back of her truck for larger kids. She also had a dog in the back that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in and out of the ghetto. The soldiers, of course, wanted nothing to do with the dog and the barking covered the kids/infants noises. During her time of doing this, she managed to smuggle out and save 2500 kids/infants. She was caught, and the Nazi’ s broke both her legs, arms and beat her severely. Irena kept a record of the names of all the kids she smuggled out and kept them in a glass jar, buried under a tree in her back yard. After the war, she tried to locate any parents that may have survived it and reunite the family. Most of course had been gassed. Those kids she helped got placed into foster family homes or adopted.
In 2007, Irena was up for the Nobel Peace Prize…She was not selected. Al Gore won, for a slide show on Global Warming. LET’S SEND THIS ONE AROUND THE WORLD! GOD BLESS HER! May she rest in Peace.
Note: Sendler’s story was brought to light in the United States when students in Kansas found it described in a magazine and popularized it through their original play Life in a Jar. On April 19, 2009, The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler, a Hallmark Hall of Fame production written and directed by John Kent Harrison and starring Anna Paquin in the title role, was broadcast by CBS.
That’s a question posed by the National Corn Growers Association President, Rick Tolman. It’s a good question and judging by the social networking comments on this subject I’ve seen in the past few weeks, it’s one that has a multitude of answers depending on who’s defining. Here’s what Rick says from his “Our View” statement today:
The definition of “sustainability” has become one of the most widely discussed topics in agriculture – and with consumers, too – during the past several years. Many definitions exist for sustainability; some are very good and some have created much confusion for consumers.
The National Corn Growers Association understands the importance of agricultural sustainability for today’s consumers and wants to help everyone understand its real meaning. Our corn farmers have always worked hard to be good stewards of the land and environment. New technologies and farming practices have made them even better stewards of the land, creating more sustainability for all of us to enjoy and allowing them to produce more corn on less farm land.
We have an underlying policy at NCGA that officially adopts the definition that was included in the 1990 Farm Bill:
“The term sustainable agriculture means an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will, over the long term, satisfy human food and fiber needs; enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon which the agricultural economy depends; make the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls; and sustain the economic viability of farm operations enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole.”
Sounds like a pretty good definition to me. What’s yours? If you don’t like this one, why?
I think all of us involved in agriculture are on board with the ideas like enhancing the environment and the other elements of the definition above. However, it seems like the word is being used with some very emotional definitions today to promote a certain lifestyle or to portray groups or individuals in a negative light or even to promote a company’s products or services. As I listened to the radio on the highway today it seemed like most of the commercials contained words like, sustainable, green, environmental. They were mostly for existing companies and products. Do consumers really buy into those claims just because they’re mentioned in a commercial? Is it helping drive sales? And why would anyone use them to try to attack the very people who are helping feed the world while increasing their sustainability practices?
The Executive Director of Ag United For South Dakota is Steve Dick, pictured here at the NAFB Washington Watch Issues Forum.
Steve says that AUSD is a coalition of 5 farm groups that include corn and soybean growers, pork producers, cattlemen and SD Farm Bureau. They were set up to educate the public about agriculture and particularly livestock production in SD. He says they want people to know that farmers have a message to get out to people which is that they’re working everyday to produce a safe, reliable source of protein. He wanted to emphasize that agriculture has changed significantly and in ways that aren’t always easy to see from the highway.
You can listen to my interview with Steve here: ww-09-ausd.mp3
I love this story Kurt posted on our Precision Pays site and thought I’d share it with you.
Give credit to farmers and their creativity. Not only are they saving time, input dollars and the environment thanks to the tools of precision agriculture, some growers find ways to use it to enhance their personal lives.
“I just used an A+heading line for the top and bottom of the letters. I used this as a guide to see how big to make my letters. Then I just made ab and a+ heading lines to make the letters. And it worked nice because when I got one letter finished I could use the same lines and just shift track them. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be, and I did it all in the field. I thought it turned out pretty neat.”
Then, on April 18th, Braden took girlfriend Lauren for an airplane ride and popped the question.
With the help of GreenStar, Braden’s creativity was a huge hit…she became his fiance.
It’s time to hit the road with the John Deere Drive Green Utility Tractor Show once again. This week I’ll be in Fresno, CA at Fresno Equipment for a day of customer interaction which you’ll find covered on DriveGreenTractors.com.
This has been a seriously fun project since I’ve been able to meet so many people around the country following the truck to periodic stops to obtain content that I can post in between.
I’m taking the opportunity to spend a day with our web developer too. We’ve got multiple projects in the works and when they’re ready I’ll let you know more about them. It’s a busy time in ag communications. I like it.
I liked the way this release came across in announcing the company’s new website. For one thing the company representative didn’t say, “We’re excited to . . . ” She made a very open statement that just seems very genuine to me.
Dosatron International, Inc., today launched a new version of their website, www.dosatronusa.com. The new version introduces a totally new design, a new organizational structure, and new features, such as on-demand video and a blog.
“The redesign of the dosatronusa.com website has been a company goal for several years,” said Pam Temko, Dosatron’s vice president of sales and marketing. “We realized that our old site, while it contained good information, was a little inaccessible for those not already familiar with Dosatron. With this design upgrade, our site moves into the twenty-first century and more fully represents the Dosatron brand: innovative, cutting-edge and top-of-the-line.”
You can find the blog here. They’re using WordPress (hooray) and even better, they’ve got an AgWired link in the sidebar! Now that’s how you pitch a blogger just in case you’re wondering. I love it.
Here’s an example of one of the video clips they have available to customers. Notice that it’s loaded into their YouTube account.
Next week, there’s a pretty important event for the international farming community as the World Agricultural Forum comes to downtown St. Louis, Mo., May 17-20th at the St. Louis Ballpark Hilton Hotel. And AgWired will be there!
This press release says the forum’s Sixth Biennial World Congress is entitled “Our Global Priority: Food Security—Financial, Trade and Technical Services” and is one of the world’s largest biennial gatherings of agricultural leaders in government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), businesses and academia brought together to discuss the world’s growing population and the impacts on food, fuel, fiber and water in both emerging and developed markets:
Keynote speakers for the 2009 World Congress include: Right Honorable James Bolger, ONZ, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and Ambassador to the United States, and current chairman of the WAF advisory board, Honorable Raghuveera Reddy, the
Minister of Agriculture for Andhra Pradesh, India and Paul Collier, author of The Bottom Billion and professor at Oxford University.
“The World Congress is particularly important as this year’s agenda is designed to encourage world leaders to discuss what financial, technical and trade strategies need to be developed, adopted or enhanced for a food-secure world,” said Ambassador Bolger.
“Progressive, far-reaching solutions to global problems are needed now more than ever, with the expansion of the agribusiness industry beyond food and into innovative energy sources, industrial products and pharmaceuticals. This World Congress will seek
solutions to issues concerning agricultural production and supply, the crucial resource of water and the impact on agricultural economies and resources during a period of economic uncertainties.”
“Each participant in the Congress will have an active role in developing plans for change,” said Kathleen Moldthan, executive vice president and chief operating officer, WAF. “The World Congress is one of the only opportunities where government, NGOs
and the private sector can share an equal voice. We have seen many partnerships emerge from these gatherings that would have never come to fruition in a different setting. Its these partnerships that illustrate the value of WAF and initiate the actions for change.”
I’ll be there for part of the sessions with Cindy picking up the the second half. We’ll either see you in St. Louis or on the Web here at Agwired.com!
I’m sure most of you know that The Hand That Fees U.S. is the American farmer. But not everyone understands that in the media and the consuming public. For that reason HTFUS was announced today.
One of the key individuals involved with this project is Larry Combest, former U. S. Representative from Texas. He was Chairman of the House Ag Committee and was directly involved in farming his whole life, although he’s not currently actively farming. So he’s sure got a good background on the subject matter.
I spoke to Larry this morning and we talked about why this new project has come about, who’s behind it and how they plan to help educate the media about agriculture. I found out about it this morning on Twitter. You can follow their feed here. He says HTFUS is a project of FarmPolicyFacts.org which he became aware of during last year’s farm bill efforts. One of the things HTFUS will do is respond to any and all media articles about agriculture that are not factually correct or are very biased. He says this is an outreach effort to the media to make sure real life farmers are given a voice.
This week’s program ends with music from the Podsafe Music Network. It’s a song titled, “Take My Hand”, by Dr. Mic and the Brain Ninjas. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
You can download and listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 219 (30 min MP3)
Syngenta Crop Protection announced that the California Department of Pesticide Regulation has granted Section 18 emergency exemption approval of Inspire fungicide for use on Alternaria in almond orchards in Butte, Glenn, Kern and Tehama counties.
With help from the agri-marketing community, Rhea + Kaiser Marketing Communications raised $1,800 for the Agri-Business Educational Foundation during the 2009 National Agri-Marketing Association conference.
The R-CALF USA Board of Directors has unanimously elected Missouri veterinarian Max Thornsberry to another 2-year term as president of the board. R-CALF USA Region IX Director George Chambers, of Carrollton, Ga., was unanimously elected as vice president of the board.
I want to shake The Hand That Feeds U.S. Here’s a great example of helping bring the story of today’s American farmer to the public.
America’s farmers are extending an olive branch to the same urban media that have often been critical of agriculture, and some powerful U.S. lawmakers asked the nation’s reporters in a letter today to give them a chance.
“It makes no sense that we’re being demonized by many of the nation’s top newspapers,” said Linda Raun, a rice grower from Texas who is participating in The Hand That Feeds U.S., a new farmer-led project to improve relations with big-city reporters.
“It’s not the newspapers’ fault,” she continued. “We haven’t done a good enough job telling them our story. We’ve been negligent in explaining that farmers and farm policy feeds and clothes every person in this country, employs 20 percent of the nation’s workforce and will be at the center of America’s economic recovery.”
Andy Quinn, a Minnesota corn and ethanol producer agrees. “We’re the best farmers in the world, but we’re far from being master communicators. For too long, we’ve let a handful of environmental extremists and coalitions bankrolled by big business define our industry in the news.”
Trent Loos let me know via Twitter today that the first photos are in for his Faces of Agriculture “Pork On A Fork” contest where you’re encouraged to submit photos of family members, friends, customers, anyone, anywhere eating pork.. This is one from the Flickr set he’s got going to show the entries publicly.
Faces of Agriculture announces the launch “Pork on a Fork”, a contest aimed at raising awareness of the importance of pork to the American diet and economy.
“No matter how you refer to it, H1N1 influenza has unfairly devastated the livelihood of the American pork producer, and that puts at risk the health of the American public,” said Faces of Agriculture spokesperson Trent Loos.
As of May 1, American pork producers have lost $17.69 on each hog marketed. For the April 24 through May 1 period, total losses reached $7.2 million a day.
Photos received by May 26 will be judged, and the winner will receive an all-expense paid trip for two to the World Pork Expo in Des Moines, Iowa, June 3-5. All submitted entries will be available for viewing during the World Pork Expo and on FacesOfAg.com.
“It is time for every consumer that enjoys a good piece of locally produced pork to step to the plate and show their support for the commitment that America’s pork producers make everyday to feeding the world and protecting our health,” said Loos.
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.
Fresno Equipment is right down this way as you can see from the sign.
Proposition 2 in California has created some serious dilemmas for farmers. Egg farmers have had to form a new organization just to deal with policies and implementation regulations from this legislation.
I missed AgChat last night but like you, I can review the discussion 
This was the scene when I got off the plane in Bakersfield, CA this evening. Pretty cool looking I think. I love sunrises and sunsets. There is an artist who is a lot better than any of us human ones.
One of the blogs that I visited daily, okay several times per day, is 
Well, as of this past weekend, I’m now a proud graduate of South Dakota State University. It’s a crazy feeling to know that my college years are over, and I’m now making the transition into the “real world.” It’s been said, time and time again, that if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. I really think I have found that dream career in my role as an agriculture writer and speaker. 
There recently was a death of a 98 year-old lady named Irena. During WWII, Irena, got permission to work in the Warsaw Ghetto, as a plumbing/sewer specialist. However, she had an “ulterior motive.” She KNEW what the Nazi’s plans were for the Jews, (being German.) Irena smuggled infants out in the bottom of the toolbox she carried. She also kept a burlap sack in the back of her truck for larger kids. She also had a dog in the back that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in and out of the ghetto. The soldiers, of course, wanted nothing to do with the dog and the barking covered the kids/infants noises. During her time of doing this, she managed to smuggle out and save 2500 kids/infants. She was caught, and the Nazi’ s broke both her legs, arms and beat her severely. Irena kept a record of the names of all the kids she smuggled out and kept them in a glass jar, buried under a tree in her back yard. After the war, she tried to locate any parents that may have survived it and reunite the family. Most of course had been gassed. Those kids she helped got placed into foster family homes or adopted. 
The Executive Director of 
I love this story Kurt posted on our 
I liked the way this release came across in announcing the company’s new website. For one thing the company representative didn’t say, “We’re excited to . . . ” She made a very open statement that just seems very genuine to me.
Next week, there’s a pretty important event for the international farming community as the World Agricultural Forum comes to downtown St. Louis, Mo., May 17-20th at the St. Louis Ballpark Hilton Hotel. And AgWired will be there!
I’m sure most of you know that 
One of the key individuals involved with this project is 
I want to shake 
Trent Loos let me know via Twitter today that the first photos are in for his Faces of Agriculture 
“No matter how you refer to it, H1N1 influenza has unfairly devastated the livelihood of the American pork producer, and that puts at risk the health of the American public,” said Faces of Agriculture spokesperson Trent Loos.
In this week's program Chuck talks with David Armano, Global Innovation and Integration.
