Charleston Orwig must have more dairy industry related clients than any other communications agency in the country, which makes sense since they are located literally in the heartland of the state synonymous with dairy production – Hartland, Wisconsin. At World Dairy Expo this year they are working with a number of clients – including Alpharma, Arm and Hammer animal nutrition, Novartis, Dairyland Seed and Hoard’s Dairyman.
I talked to Lyle, the Orwig of Charleston Orwig, in the agency’s suite overlooking the expo arena about their commitment to agriculture and the dairy industry. “When we began with Charleston Orwig, agriculture was a focus for us, we didn’t just happen to get a couple of ag accounts and say – oh, let’s be an ag agency,” Lyle said. “Having grown up on a central Illinois dairy farm, it’s important for me personally, as well as the agency to maintain that connection to agriculture and so we have focused on that as we’ve grown the agency.” Lyle says about 85 percent of the agency staff have an agricultural background, either in agribusiness communications or growing up on a farm, or both.
One of Charleston Orwig’s specialties is reputation management, which is critical these days in the animal agriculture industry with critics such as PETA and HSUS becoming more aggressive in trying to sway public opinion against livestock producers. “Part of our mission is to help clients tell their story in a positive way and educate consumers on the need to grow crops and livestock for feeding the world as well as the U.S.,” Lyle says. Listen to my interview with Lyle below.
Charleston Orwig and two of their clients – Hoard’s and Alpharma – are sponsoring coverage of World Dairy Expo this week on our sister blog, World Dairy Diary, and be sure to check out the World Dairy Expo Flickr photo album for all the sights.
The theme of of World Dairy Expo this year is “Legendary” and the experience of having a Badger Dairy Club grilled cheese sandwich is a legendary expeirience. Today I took a moment to try one of their famous grilled cheeses and after just one bite you can tell they have grilled cheese sandwich making down to an art.
The Badger Dairy Club, a student organization on the UW-Madison campus, has become famous for their legendary grilled cheeses they bring to the World Dairy Expo. Every year members of the Badger Dairy Club come to the expo and prepare thousands of grilled cheeses to sell to hungry expo goers. This is one of the club’s biggest fundraisers. Members also put countless of hours before, during and after the expo making the sandwiches as well as setting up show ring displays, picking up milk, and cleaning up the barns.
I just signed up for Blog Action Day ’09 which is October 15. Sign up here.
Blog Action Day is an annual event that unites the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day on their own blogs with the aim of sparking discussion around an issue of global importance. Blog Action Day 2009 will be the largest-ever social change event on the web. One day. One issue. Thousands of voices.
This year the topic is climate change. It doesn’t matter where you stand on the issue, the idea is to add your voice to the mix. So I would challenge you farmer bloggers in particular to sign up and make your voice heard. That’s what it’s all about.
BTW. I believe we have climate change. It’s called the “seasons.” I also believe our climate does change. We have things called “ice ages” for example. Is man causing change? I don’t think so and I really don’t think we can do much about it. However, I believe we should all be good stewards of the resources God has blessed us with. That’s why I’m such an advocate for renewable fuels like ethanol and biodiesel. Unfortunately, I think we have politicians and extremists who are trying to alarm the world public in order to advance their own social agendas. So I’m signed up and will right about this on “the day.” I hope you will too.
Here’s why you should attend this year’s NAFB convention:
EARLY REGISTRATION ENDS SOON!
Get your registration in now to receive the favored rate! Rates will go up after October 16. Click here to register today!
The group rate ($135+ tax) at the Westin expires October 25, so be sure to get your room booked soon. Click here to go directly to our group reservation page.
I’m on a flight to San Francisco right now and using in-flight wifi for the first time. Works great. I’m getting some email work done among other things.
I’m also continuing to read “Six Pixels of Separation.” I hope you are too. One of the first points Mitch Joel hits on is the idea that providing free content can make you money. I think the question I get asked most often is, “How do you make money doing this?” Well, Cindy and I have built our whole business via new media using blogs, podcasts and social networking. As Mitch says, we’re all connected now. We can instantly connect with almost anyone. This has fundamentally changed the way business is conducted. For example, your brand is no longer what you say it is. It’s what Google says it is. Why? Because people are searching and finding lots of information about you and your brand. What are you doing to make sure those top results are links or information to you?
I’ll keep pointing out some interesting ideas as I come across them in this book but so far I think it’s the best one I’ve read that puts what we’re doing in language that business people can understand. If I was an agency, I’d buy this book for my client. Unless of course you’re a “traditional” marketer and still think these social media mechanisms are just wastes of time.
Let me introduce you to Fluidigm. This company develops and distributes systems based on integrated fluidic circuits (IFCs). During the coming weeks we’ll learn more about them and how their products and systems can benefit the agribusiness sector.
I’ll be visiting Fluidigm headquarters this week to learn more about the company and their products and conduct interviews which will be featured here on AgWired. I know we’ll be dealing with some complex technology but yours truly will work to help make it understandable since it seems clear that what Fluidigm has to offer agriculture, especially from the biotechnology standpoint, is very important.
Farm audits for the second herd retirement implemented by Cooperatives Working Together in 2009 have been completed, and the majority of the 74,114 cows that produced 1.5 billion pounds of milk have been sent to processing plants.
CHS Inc., and Agrico Group have formed a joint venture company named ACG to manage origination, logistics, export and worldwide marketing of Russian wheat, feed grains and potentially oilseeds.
DuPont reports that its new patented Seed Production Technology will reduce the cost of the mechanical and labor-intensive process for creating its high-yielding hybrid seed corn by more than 20 percent in the field, while increasing product quality at the same time.
Soybeans are being harvested in the Missouri River bottom. This was the scene I passed while working out this afternoon.
It’s that time of year.
A little further down the road however, there was a real contrast of soybeans quite ready for harvest next to fields that are in full leafy green. Kind of shows how mixed the season has been this year in many places in the Midwest.
“Using Popular Media to Tell Dairy Farming’s Story” was the topic of a Tuesday morning seminar at World Dairy Expo conducted by Jolene Griffin of Dairy Management Inc. (pictured on the left) and Polly Ligon O’Grady of Weber Shandwick (right).
Who would have imagined even just a few years ago that things with funny names like Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and YouTube would allow individual agricultural producers to communicate with people all over the world? And, as Jolene told the group on hand, it has never been more important for them to do so. “Other people are actually out there telling our story and they’re telling the wrong story,” Jolene said. “There’s so much misinformation about the dairy industry out there that we need to mobilize dairy producers and the dairy industry to counter that misinformation and to give consumers the correct information about dairy farming and the dairy products that they enjoy.”
Jolene says they launched the MyDairy program earlier this year to help producers learn more about using the various social media platforms and providing key messages to help them communicate effectively. “Since that time we have had over 600 dairy producers sign on for the MyDairy program and they’ve really embraced social media to tell their story,” Jolene said. Producers can sign up for the program by emailing mydairy@rosedmi.com.
Here’s why the Beef Checkoff is getting social:
Studies show that Internet usage among farmers and ranchers is increasing; cell phones are no longer just used to call home before supper; and, producers are staying connected to industry information via social networking sites. This provided an excellent opportunity for the checkoff to deliver important messages about how producer dollars are being invested.
Paulsen Marketing has added three new faces to the team. The new Paulsenites are (l-r) Tara, Lisa and Jordin: Lisa Leuning, Digital Project Manager
Large Web sites can become full-time jobs unto themselves. Lisa is the project owner for large digital projects at Paulsen. It’s safe to say that we’ll be keeping her busy with site research, competitive analysis, content management, programming, usability testing, resource identification, internal project management and more.
Jordin Mueller, Account Coordinator
Jordin began working with Paulsen in January 2009 as an intern, and with her strong work ethic and enthusiasm, she earned a full-time position in May. As account coordinator, she works closely with our president, Greg Guse, learning the ropes, working with clients, juggling multiple projects, and helping to keep her assigned teams organized and on track. Previously, Jordin worked with SDN Communications in Sioux Falls. She holds a B.A. in business administration from Augustana College.
Tara Young, Digital Services Coordinator
As digital services coordinator, Tara bridges the divide between the distinctly different worlds of Web programmers, account executives, creative teams and accounting. In short, she’s the glue that keeps our Web projects together! Tara’s responsibilities include scheduling for all Paulsen Web projects and ensuring everyone stays on deadline every day. She also assists with site usability testing, proofing, quality assurance and online media invoicing.
The U.S. Grains Council (USGC) is blogging and Flickring through this year’s China Corn Tour, taking place right now.
These great photos and many more have been posted on the USGC Flickr account by Erick Erickson, special assistant to the president, who has also been blogging about the trip on The Grain Board. In one post Erick wrote about the harvest, which is all done by hand and takes a typical farmer about ten days.
We met several farm families at work in the fields. One man told us he has a 3.7 acre allotment and rents an additional 21 acres. He does not like to use machines for planting or harvesting because labor is less expensive and more efficient – for instance in collecting corn stalks that may have fallen over. Twelve acres of the rented land is controlled by the local government, so it is not counted on the records and he receives no government subsidy. He said it takes 10 laborer-days to harvest 2.5 acres of corn. That means a husband-wife team can harvest their 3.7 acres in about eight days.
We met such a team working in their field: 21 rows wide by 400 meters long. They stopped to talk to us when we approached and showed us the size of ears they were harvesting, indicating that they should be at least a third bigger. They had been working steadily and now they stopped and visited with us – animated, smiling, filled with life. After our visit, we walked away and they returned to their work, cutting corn stalks one at a time and laying them in neat rows, bottom end to the wind.
If you are a member of NAMA, the organization is providing you with a chance to win a GPS. Just recruit a new member prior to November 5 and both of you will be entered in a drawing.
Tell your friends, peers, and business associates how you benefit from being a member of NAMA – the learning and networking opportunities, skill development, access to agribusiness solutions, etc. They can hear what other members think about NAMA at http://www.youtube.com/ExploreNAMA.
Every NAMA member who recruits a new member between now and November 5 will be included in a drawing for a new GPS. The more new members you recruit – the better your chances. New members will have their names entered, too.
Simply tell your recruit to join on-line at http://www.nama.org/register.aspx. Tell them to note “Referred by” and add your name and company in the box titled “Submitter’s Name.” They can also call the NAMA office at 913-491-6500 to join; remind them to say they were referred by you! Be sure to tell them they’ll be included in the drawing.
When will the drawing take place? During Trends in Agriculture, which takes place November 10 and 11 at the Hyatt Regency in Kansas City. We’d love to have you there, but you don’t have to be present to win!
It looks like the battle is on in Ohio and hopefully we won’t see another fiasco like Prop 2 in California.
Advocating for an ample supply of safe, affordable, Ohio-raised food and excellent care of the state’s livestock and poultry, leaders of Ohioans for Livestock Care today announced the first phase of the statewide outreach campaign in support of passage of State Issue 2. Issue 2 calls for the creation of the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board (the Board) – a board of Ohio experts in animal care, veterinary medicine, food safety and farm management, as well as consumer and humane society members.
The campaign committee has purchased television advertising in media markets across Ohio, which is complemented with online advertising and the addition of a new campaign Web site, www.safelocalohiofood.org.
Here’s the ad. It’s the smallest player choice available or I would have made it smaller.
The National Association of Farm Broadcasting website has been “made over” and it’s live now. So check it out and see what you think. I’m glad I can visit it now on my Mac with Firefox. The previous version caused havoc with the browser. So I guess you could call it a much more “friendly” website.
And doesn’t it just make sense to put member audio news right there on the home page? That’s what I’m talking about. I would make a recommendation to change the video player they’re using though. At least in my browser I can start the video clips but I can’t stop or pause them. But I like the concept!
All in all this seems like a major improvement. What do you think?
Now here’s a winning recipe for you meat lovers. Sonoma Steaks with Vegetables Bocconcini. Mmm. Mmm. That’s the winning recipe in this year’s National Beef Cook-Off. Prepared by Mary Hawkes of Prescott, AZ, she wins the top prize of $25,000.
This year’s Cook-Off “Sonoma Style” theme focused on fresh, flavorful ingredients paired with nutrient-rich beef cuts. The winning Sonoma Steaks with Vegetables Bocconcini recipe featured grilled beef top loin steaks, zucchini, yellow bell pepper and red grape tomatoes tossed with herb-marinated fresh mozzarella balls. In addition, the dish is an excellent source of protein, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, selenium and zinc; and a good source of iron.
It may be dairy week for ZimmComm but that doesn’t mean it’s the only segment of the industry we’re working on. I’ll be introducing you to a new client later this week for example that is also new to agribusiness. In the meantime, this week’s program is about an old client. And I don’t mean old as in “they’re old.” I mean one of our long time clients, the Renewable Fuels Association.
As I posted earlier, RFA has a new logo. That prompted me to call on CEO Bob Dinneen, the Reverend of Renewable Fuels, to find out what the new look signifies for the organization. To start with, Bob says that RFA has doubled in staff size in the last 18 months with new staff in the area of communications, research and lobbying. He sees a bright future for ethanol and RFA even in spite of continuing challenges like the proposed RFS2 that EPA is working on.
So, get up to date with RFA and listen to this week’s podcast. The program ends with some music from Music Alley (formerly Podsafe Music Network). It’s a song titled, “The Milk Mix” by The Mighty Blue Ford. I hope you enjoy it and thanks for listening.
The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired. Subscribe so you can listen when and where you want. Just go to our a Subscribe page.
Coming from Texas A&M University, this article from the Veterinary Department, “Should Your Pet Be A Vegetarian?” kind of surprised me. It came out in their newsletter, and the article discussed planning a well-balanced vegetarian diet for pets. Why? What is this world coming to anyway? Since when do pets have to stand for a cause? Why can’t they just be our beloved companions? Here is an excerpt from the article…
There are so many human vegetarians that some of you may have wondered if your beloved four-legged friend is able to share the same passion and cause as you. If you have ever been interested in having your pet become a vegetarian it should be helpful to know the certain nutritional needs that your pet has, in order to make the right decision regarding vegetarianism. There is no scientific basis on the idea that a specific breed of cat or dog would fare better as a vegetarian, it is simply an issue between the species. In the Canine world, being a vegetarian has no negative effect on their nutritional needs.
“Dogs are opportunistic carnivores” said Dr. John Bauer, M.L. Professor of Clinical Nutrition at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, “which means they will eat meat when they have the chance or when no other type of food is available. For wild dogs, prey is not guaranteed, so especially in the colder seasons dogs will eat more plants and vegetables as meat is difficult to find. As for pet dogs, they can easily be converted to vegetarians, and if done properly, it is just as healthy as an omnivorous diet is for a dog.”
Dogs have the same types of protein balances in their bodies that humans have, therefore making it easy and safe for them to convert back and forth from a vegetarian diet to one of an omnivore.
“One problem with having your dog become a vegetarian” said Dr. Bauer “is that it is easier to feed him meat and vegetable based diets, without having to worry about protein types. There are commercial plant and vegetable based diets around for dogs, which seem to work well for the animal’s health and overall well-being.”
Dan Dyer, Syngenta Seeds Soybean Product Development Lead, told ag media during the grand opening of the company’s new headquarters that varieties like this prove how Syngenta Seeds is raising the bar. “Over the last couple of years, we’ve noticed in our own data and what we are hearing back from the field, about just how strong the performance is in our varieties,” Dan told me in an interview. “If you’re looking for top yields, these really are the top-yielding beans in the market.”
“It’s real simple for us, doesn’t sound too sophisticated, but we’re going to sell the highest yielding soybeans,” Dan said. “Our objective is to make the growers the most profitable they can be.”
Listen to or download my interview with Dan Dyer below.
Sponsored by
Sometimes a new logo means there are big changes in a company. Not so with the Renewable Fuels Association, at least not in terms of the work they’re doing. They announced their new logo today but say the organization will supply the “same great service.”
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), long recognized as the voice of America’s ethanol industry, has gone through some changes in the past 24 months. New staff additions have bolstered the RFA’s already unparalleled expertise and expanded its activities beyond its traditional role as ethanol’s chief advocate in Washington.
Given the additions and expanded capabilities of the association, the RFA has refreshed its logo and color scheme. For more information on the logo, including how to use it in place of the old logo, please email Christina Martin at cmartin@ethanolrfa.org.
RFA President Bob Dinneen welcomed both the expanded capabilities of the association as well as the unveiling of the new logo:
“America’s ethanol producers are in a constant state of innovation, creating new processes and developing new technologies that will increase our ability to produce ethanol is an increasingly sustainable manner. As it is with the ethanol producers, so too is it with the trade association representing them. The Renewable Fuels Association has undergone a transformation over the past 24 months, adding expertise and capabilities to better serve America’s ethanol industry beyond its traditional role as the voice of the industry in Washington. Such expansion in the capabilities of the RFA required a refreshing of our logo and image. Thus, the new look – but same unparalleled expertise – of the Renewable Fuels Association. “
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.
I talked to Lyle, the Orwig of Charleston Orwig, in the agency’s suite overlooking the expo arena about their commitment to agriculture and the dairy industry. “When we began with Charleston Orwig, agriculture was a focus for us, we didn’t just happen to get a couple of ag accounts and say – oh, let’s be an ag agency,” Lyle said. “Having grown up on a central Illinois dairy farm, it’s important for me personally, as well as the agency to maintain that connection to agriculture and so we have focused on that as we’ve grown the agency.” Lyle says about 85 percent of the agency staff have an agricultural background, either in agribusiness communications or growing up on a farm, or both. 
The theme of of 
I just signed up for 
I’m on a flight to San Francisco right now and using
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Soybeans are being harvested in the Missouri River bottom. This was the scene I passed while working out this afternoon.
“Using Popular Media to Tell Dairy Farming’s Story” was the topic of a Tuesday morning seminar at 
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We met several farm families at work in the fields. One man told us he has a 3.7 acre allotment and rents an additional 21 acres. He does not like to use machines for planting or harvesting because labor is less expensive and more efficient – for instance in collecting corn stalks that may have fallen over. Twelve acres of the rented land is controlled by the local government, so it is not counted on the records and he receives no government subsidy. He said it takes 10 laborer-days to harvest 2.5 acres of corn. That means a husband-wife team can harvest their 3.7 acres in about eight days.
It looks like the battle is on in Ohio and hopefully we won’t see another fiasco like Prop 2 in California.
The 
Now here’s a winning recipe for you meat lovers. Sonoma Steaks with Vegetables Bocconcini. Mmm. Mmm. That’s the winning recipe in this year’s 
It may be dairy week for ZimmComm but that doesn’t mean it’s the only segment of the industry we’re working on. I’ll be introducing you to a new client later this week for example that is also new to agribusiness. In the meantime, this week’s program is about an old client. And I don’t mean old as in “they’re old.” I mean one of our long time clients, the 
As I posted earlier, RFA has a new logo. That prompted me to call on CEO Bob Dinneen, the Reverend of Renewable Fuels, to find out what the new look signifies for the organization. To start with, Bob says that RFA has doubled in staff size in the last 18 months with new staff in the area of communications, research and lobbying. He sees a bright future for ethanol and RFA even in spite of continuing challenges like the proposed RFS2 that EPA is working on.
Coming from Texas A&M University, this article from the Veterinary Department, “
In this week's program Chuck talks with David Armano, Global Innovation and Integration.
