Rob Cook is one of the digital pioneers in agricultural communications. He now works for Vance Publishing overseeing CattleNetwork.com. Rob and I sat down for a conversation about CattleNetwork.com and the Vance acquisition while we were attending the Cattle Industry Summer Conference.
His family has been in the cattle business a long time. He says that about 7 years ago, 6 or 7 feedyards got together to start CattleNetwork.com as an online place to get business information. Since then it has grown to an audience of 800,000 repeat visitors who visit the cattle news portal. Rob says the biggest growth has been in the cow/calf sector.
Income for CattleNework.com comes from subscriptions, distribution agreements (CattleStore.com) and advertising with advertising being the largest source of dollars. He says that they had been working with Vance for some time but did this deal since Vance wanted to provide its customers with a more “blended offering” that includes print, video and web. I asked him how they put out so much content and he says they’ve created a very process oriented system that automates a big percentage of the information collection and distribution. Rob says the model for CattleNetwork.com has been replicated for their AgNetwork.com which covers 15 different commodities.
I asked him if they were considering podcasting and text services and he says they definitely are. He says the number one call they get from producers is a request to make CattleNetwork.com more compatible for phones! Like us here at ZimmComm, he was told 6 years ago that no one would use the internet but those same people now have iPhones and are using texting.
Looking ahead, Rob says their focus in 2009 is creating more value added information. He says they’re also working on a new market reporting system too.
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The program this week ends with music from the Podsafe Music Network. Since we’re talking about cattle and last week was a lot of work with the Beef Board, you get to listen to “Chipped Beef” from the Blackouts. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
You can download and listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 180 (24 min MP3)
Or listen to this week’s ZimmCast right now:
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The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired which you can subscribe to using the link in our sidebar. You can also subscribe in iTunes
The Cattle Industry Summer Conference is over. It’s been a great week of cowboys, steaks and following the grass roots process of the work of the NCBA and CBB. Helping me wrap up my coverage is CBB Chairman, Dave Bateman. I want to thank CBB for once again having me in as their Beef Board Blogger.
I spoke to Dave after the joint board meeting was over. Dave says it’s been a great conference. He says we’re looking at some difficulties like decreasing revenues due to things like cattle numbers being down along with lower imports.
Dave says committee members rose to the occasion though by prioritizing projects and that they have done an exceptional job. He says there’s a “unity of decisions” although that doesn’t mean everyone is happy with every decision. As he puts it, no one likes to see really good programs get cut back. He says that they’re beyond cutting the fat and now they’re cutting into the muscle.
Dave does point to a bright spot which is foreign markets. He says that the numbers are up and for that reason they’ve put some extra money into the foreign markets program.
He also says that the conference has been a good place to start the effort to improve the Checkoff with recommendations. In conclusion, he says that with the cow herd shrinking, “we’re a victim of our own success.” He says producers are so much more efficient in terms of production that revenues haven’t kept pace.
You can listen to my wrap up interview with Dave here:
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In a highly applauded encore appearance, Baxter Black, entertained at the CBB annual dinner.
Baxter is the voice of Checkoff producer communications radio spots. He says it’s very important for producers to know what’s going on with their investment.
One observation he made when I spoke with him is how things get done here. He says it’s stunning to him that anything gets done. He was in some of the committee meetings and he says you hear all kinds of different opinions, sometimes arguing, but at the end of the day it seems like the best decision is made. Baxter also says that the Checkoff program is very important and needs to continue to be funded.
Listen to my interview with Baxter here:
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For those of you who haven’t ever heard Baxter tell a story then check this one out. In it he tells about how cowboys are environmentally friendly:
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The first ever winners of the BQA Award were announced today.
Quality. It’s not only a word written in an instruction manual but a responsible action – one must live it and then teach it. That was the underlying theme this week as two producers were honored with the national Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) award, created to recognize outstanding beef and dairy producers from across the country who incorporate BQA principles as part of the day-to-day activities on their operations. The winners were selected based upon their commitment to beef quality assurance while operating sustainable cattle operations.
This year’s winners were Jim Docheff, Diamond D Dairy from Longmont, Colo., and Anne Burkholder, Will Feed Inc. from Cozad, Neb.
A common trait among the two winners is a strong desire to continually improve BQA on their operations while successfully encouraging others around them to implement BQA. The National BQA award winners are selected annually by a committee of representatives from universities, state beef councils and cattle industry groups. For more information about the beef checkoff or BQA program, visit www.bqa.org, www.dbqa.org or www.beefboard.org.
Listen to my interview with Jim and Anne here:
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In a real show of gratitude, we allowed Joe Schuele, USMEF, to attend the media reception here at the Cattle Industry Summer Conference. We even let him say a few words. We did it because we appreciate all his hard work in the media room for years.
Joe let us know how much he enjoyed doing it and said that we’d be taken care of very well by Grace Webb and Melissa Tessitore, pictured here with him.
Inspirational speaker and writer, Rebecca Long Chaney, is working on a series of agricultural education books for pre-schoolers and elementary school children. Here she’s seen with her exhibit at the Cattle Industry Summer Conference.
The book she’s promoting will be available through her website soon. This first book, which she had for sale, is written from the perspective of her twin daughters, raising their first orphan beef calf they found in a field. The book follows along from the field to when they get the calf halter trained.
Rebecca says the next book will focus on dairy, with her daughters spending a day on a neighbor’s dairy and working in a local creamery. She’s very passionate about teaching the truth about animal agriculture to children and says that this project is one she’ll be working on for years.
Rebecca was born and raised on a dairy farm and now raises registered Hereford beef cattle.
Listen to my interview with Rebecca here:
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Tom Ramey, CBB’s CEO sure has his hands full dealing with some challenging times for the Checkoff. This morning he made a presentation at the second general session of the Summer Conference. You can listen to his presentation below.
I also interviewed Tom and found out that there are two main issues of special importance to the Checkoff here at this conference. The first one, according to Tom, is the budget. The recommended budget was presented at the CBB Update Session and committees will be looking at the parts that affect them during their meetings. Tom says that Checkoff dollars are down and that it’s a tough time right now. He says some difficult decisions will need to be made.
The other big issue is the process to create recommendations for ways to improve the Checkoff. Tom says the staff has sent out over 300 letters soliciting comments and that they’ll be organizing meetings with a number of the organizations targeted. Once those comments come in the staff will organize them and scrub them so that the Admin Subcommittee, which is charged with overseeing this process, can look at them on the merit of the comment without being affected by seeing who wrote them. Then the staff will be helping organize meetings with the committee to review the comments and formulate recommendations prior to the end of the year.
Tom says producers here seem excited about what the Checkoff is doing but are concerned about the budget. He says these are difficult times for the beef industry.
Listen to my interview with Tom here:
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Listen to Tom’s general session presentation here:
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One of Monsanto’s Mobile Greenhouse “Street Team” representatives is a student from Purdue. Daniel Stauffer is a Field Sales Intern for Monsanto and is one of the experts farmers and growers at the Michigan Ag Expo can grill about Monsanto’s new Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans. Daniel says one of the most exciting attributes of Monsanto’s “next generation” soybeans is the “drastic” increase in crop yields. Soybean crops, Daniel says, have maintained flat yields for more than ten years. That is, until now.
Daniel isn’t an expert only in Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans though. He’s also contributing to Monsanto’s stress mitigation research on corn and soybean crops, testing traits such as drought-resistance. Daniel says he’s also involved in research with Vistive soybeans and silage corn among a handful of other projects.
I spoke with Daniel at this week’s Michigan Ag Expo. You can listen to my interview with Daniel here:
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By now you know that the new CBB website is MyBeefCheckoff.com. I just realized that it’s what you get when you type in the old CBB web domain too.
One of the features you’ll soon find on the new CBB website will be producer profiles. The idea is to find out what producers (beef and dairy) think about the programs and activities of the Checkoff.
To get things started I did a number of interviews today and will get many more before the end of the summer conference. I started out with Jim Eschliman, Ericson, NE. He’s a dairy producer and it has been his career. He says they milk 140 cows but have around 300 head all together.
So when it comes to the Beef Checkoff he says that we have to continue to promote beef and get dairy producers to understand that fact. As he says, they’re beef producers too.
Jim says it’s important for dairy and beef producers to understand how to handle their animals and especially pay attention to the shipping process.
He sells cull cows and steers and thinks the Checkoff has increased the price he receives. As he puts it, “The Checkoff really helps.”
You can listen to my interview with Jim here:
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The Cattlemen’s Beef Board Administration Subcommittee got things started here at the Cattle Industry Summer Conference in Denver today. I spoke with CBB Chairman, Dave Bateman, about what we can expect to see happen during this meeting.
Dave says that producers come together here at the summer meeting to do the work of the industry.
He says that the committee structure of the CBB is part of the groundwork of what happens here and that part of the process is to get the most bang for the buck while increasing beef demand.
One of the exciting topics they’ll be talking about is international markets. Dave says that the current value of the dollar, coupled with some real opportunities, makes for some interesting challenges. He says that attendance is expected to be slightly higher this year.
I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot more about this, but Dave also mentions the process that has been started here for recommending improvements to the Beef Checkoff Program.
You can listen to my interview with Dave here:
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Southern peanut growers know the place to party and this week that’s Panama City, FL. While I get ready to go west to Denver, Cindy is attending the Southern Peanut Growers Conference. In this week’s program you can hear several of her interviews. We’ve got Randy Griggs, Alabama Peanut Producers, several guys from Trimble and Ag Technologies, the companies sponsoring the conference blog we built and Wesley Powell, past president of the National Peanut Buying Points Association. Wesley talks about grilling peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
The program this week ends with music from the Podsafe Music Network. Since we’re talking peanuts, you get to listen to “Peanuts” from one inch from midget. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
You can download and listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 179 (18 min MP3)
Or listen to this week’s ZimmCast right now:
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The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired which you can subscribe to using the link in our sidebar. You can also subscribe in iTunes
Sounds like a drink almost, doesn’t it? Cindy’s lounging around on the Gulf of Mexico at the Southern Peanut Growers Conference, eating grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Can you imagine?
I tried something new today that I had frankly never even thought of eating before - grilled peanut butter and jelly. Don’t know why I never thought of it - after all, I like toast with peanut butter and jelly. But, grilling gives it a much richer flavor that, as Wesley Powell of Bainbridge, Georgia says goes great with a tall glass of cold milk for breakfast. Add some sliced bananas and you have yourself an “Elvis” sandwich!
Powell is past president of the National Peanut Buying Points Association, which grills up these tasty morsels every year at the SPGC. He shares his secrets to making the perfect grilled PB and J in this interview:
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You can see these delicacies on display at the conference.
Here’s a sight we won’t be seeing anymore. That’s because Joe Schuele has started a new job at the U.S. Meat Export Federation. This means he won’t be at the media room desk.
I just spoke to him and will miss him in the media room at the Cattle Industry Summer Conference next week. But, we’ll be in good hands with Yard-O-Beef Spokesmodel, Grace Webb, also pictured.
Joe says that he’ll have similar duties at USMEF. He’ll be working with ag media and national media helping fulfill requests for interviews. He’ll also be producing news releases including audio releases. He does admit to having to get up to speed on the pork side of things though. But, all in all, he’s happy to still be able to work with a lot of the same people he has been.
You can listen to what Joe’s up to here:
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One of our sponsors for AgWired coverage of this year’s Agricultural Media Summit is BASF. I spoke on the phone to Allegra Sinclair about what we’re going to be doing. This is going to be fun and she’s excited. By the way, I learned that Allegra is an experienced podcaster and recent Mac convert.
So, what’s up with BASF and AgWired? To start with, BASF is sponsoring the media room for the third year in a row. They’ll be supplying computers, wi-fi and all the things we need to do our jobs. To go along with that, we’re teaming up with BASF and our AgNewsWire service to be the official online media room for AMS. This is a first. What this means is that ag journalists will have an online location to find media releases that AMS exhibitors/sponsors want to distribute during the conference. We’ll also send those releases to our ag journalist list as well. These AMS supporting companies will be receiving notification shortly that they can send a release at no charge during the conference.
Then on AgWired you’ll find our patented online event coverage with pictures, interviews and video. Cindy will be there with me so this could get interesting. We’ll be posting our interviews so that they can be downloaded and ag journalists are welcome to use them. Same goes with pictures. So if you can’t be there and want to know what’s going on, well, you know where to go online.
We’re also planning to use AgWired Live TV to webcast the BASF press conference. I’ll have more details on that later.
Allegra says that one of the most important things about AMS for them is the relationship building with ag journalists and I sure echo that. The InfoExpo and other activities provides a great venue for social networking and I’ve seen lots of positive results of it from my own experiences.
Listen to Allegra and me talk about this year’s event:
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You’re going to be seeing some regular pre-Ag Media Summit posts here like this one since I was talking with Diane Johnson today about how things are looking. She says that it’s going to be a big one since more and more companies are realizing that this is “the place to be.”
Diane says there’s already 75 exhibitors confirmed which matches last year and over 600 attendees are expected. The opening reception already has over 400 people reserved. It used to only have about 150. This is the 10 year anniversary of the AMS so I think there’s some extra special things being planned.
One thing we get to do on Monday evening of the event is a watch Caddyshack on a big screen by the pool. I don’t know about you but floating in the pool with a frosty beverage, watching a movies does sound like fun.
Listen to what Diane has to say about this year’s event:
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I’ll have more on AMS soon, including some interesting things we’re doing with our coverage sponsors this year.
If you’re used to going to the NAMA Agribusiness Forum or already have it penciled in on your calendar then make a correction. It’s now the Trends In Agriculture. To learn why and what it means I spoke with Kenna Rathai, KBR Communications this morning. The meeting will be held, November 11-12 at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center in Kansas City. The conference logo was designed by Beth Burgy and her buddies at Broadhead+CO. Why the name change? “We wanted to re-energize our fall meeting and felt that by focusing on trends in our industry, we could keep the information fresh, interesting and exciting each year,” according to Kenna Rathai, KBR Communications and chair of the Trends in Agriculture committee.
This year, Trends in Agriculture will focus on rural lifestylers, which is a significant growth market for many NAMA members. Sessions will cover some of the new research on this target audience, digging into their purchase drivers and motivations, and a panel will discuss their successes and pitfalls in marketing to rural lifestylers. There will also be speakers outside of agriculture who have faced similar challenges in shifting some of their focus to capturing a new audience in a changing marketplace. Stay tuned to the NAMA e-News for the latest information on the fall Trends in Agriculture meeting.
The program this week ends with music from the Podsafe Music Network. Since we’re talking trends, you get to listen to “Trendsetter La La La” from Love=Action. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
You can download and listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 178 (11 min MP3)
Or listen to this week’s ZimmCast right now:
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The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired which you can subscribe to using the link in our sidebar. You can also subscribe in iTunes
If you’re planning on traveling with a horse then you might want to check into the advice and help of some experts. The experts at Horse Travel Network. This is a new venture which was just announced at the National Appaloosa Show. They’re not tied to just one breed either by the way.
Mark Hardy is the President of Horse Travel Network. This morning he and I sat down and wound up talking far longer than I think we planned but he’s an interesting guy and this new venture sounds like it’s got some great potential. One of the things I find most interesting is how they’re totally internet based and have already got over 700 people signed up and it’s brand new! Word of mouth is working for them big time. The site will include advice, forums, blogs and of course, listings. It’s going to take advantage of some social networking applications which are really popular today.
The Horse Travel Network is a new sponsor of the Appaloosa Horse Club and offering their members a special deal right now of a free membership.
The program this week ends with music from the Podsafe Music Network. In the spirit of traveling I chose “Travel Ditty Guitar” from Acoustic Rosh. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
You can download and listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 177 (13 min MP3)
Or listen to this week’s ZimmCast right now:
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The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired which you can subscribe to using the link in our sidebar. You can also subscribe in iTunes
I don’t mean the golf company. Maybe you don’t know Callaway yet but I do. She’s a very young singing star and will be performing tonight at the National Appaloosa Show.
She’s on the left in case you didn’t figure that out. I’ll let you figure out who’s on the right.
Callaway will be performing a benefit concert for the Appaloosa Youth Association programs. She’s from Madison, MS but lives now in Nashville. Callaway is 16 years old and has been touring with the legendary Sam Moore.
I asked her if she liked horses and she loves them. She’s impressed with how kind the people are she’s met here and good at what they do.
You can listen to my interview with the Callaway here:
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Investment in Africa is spurring economic innovation and growth throughout the continent. There’s no question about that for the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer.
“Make no mistake about it,” Schafer said. “Investment in agriculture, investment in the structure of agriculture to move food to the market, is an investment in Africa’s future.”
Schafer urged private sector investors to build stronger partners and markets in Africa at the 2008 U.S. Africa Agribusiness Forum Friday. The ag secretary said in order to truly develop a successful farm to market infrastructure in Africa, the private sector must get involved. Schafer pointed out that much of Africa lacks the basic fundamentals needed for thriving agriculture markets. He said things as simple as storage, refrigeration, a consistent supply of electricity, expertise in where to sell and how to sell simply don’t exist in many African regions. (more…)
The Riata Ranch Cowboy Girls are performing at the National Appaloosa Show for two nights. According to Executive Director, Jennifer Nicholson, they’ll be doing their choreographed lasso dance and acrobatic trick riding.
This morning I got to talk with them so in the interview you can hear from each of the girls here, ages 9 to 17, with Jennifer in the middle. Jennifer says they normally have about 15 to 20 girls a year who are in the program full time not counting others that participate in various clinics.
You can listen to my interview with the girls here:
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Post Update: The girls performed tonight at the show and you can watch some of their acrobatic trick riding in this video:
Riata Ranch was created in 1957 and became a unique riding school for young people combining horsemanship and character development – a concept that was well ahead of its time. The program provides an opportunity to learn about our western heritage while gaining valuable life lessons. An interesting and fun atmosphere is created while maintaining discipline and direction for an effective learning environment. The quality of instruction is designed so that each student gains a positive set of values of which to guide them through the rest of their lives.
Our vision is to prepare young people for the world’s challenges in a manner that ensures their success & contributes to the happiness of everyone who are fortunate enough to meet them. The training will benefit the whole person, body & soul, through a balance of intellectual, physical, artistic & moral lessons. The ranch’s enduring principles will become so internalized that each rider will forever measure his or her choices against the Riata Ranch philosophy.
Rob Cook is one of the digital pioneers in agricultural communications. He now works for Vance Publishing overseeing CattleNetwork.com. Rob and I sat down for a conversation about CattleNetwork.com and the Vance acquisition while we were attending the Cattle Industry Summer Conference.
ZimmCast 180 (24 min MP3)
The Cattle Industry Summer Conference is over. It’s been a great week of cowboys, steaks and following the grass roots process of the work of the NCBA and CBB. Helping me wrap up my coverage is CBB Chairman, Dave Bateman. I want to thank CBB for once again having me in as their 
In a highly applauded encore appearance, Baxter Black, entertained at the CBB annual dinner.
The first ever winners of the BQA Award were announced today.
In a real show of gratitude, we allowed Joe Schuele, USMEF, to attend the media reception here at the Cattle Industry Summer Conference. We even let him say a few words. We did it because we appreciate all his hard work in the media room for years.
Inspirational speaker and writer, Rebecca Long Chaney, is working on a series of agricultural education books for pre-schoolers and elementary school children. Here she’s seen with her exhibit at the Cattle Industry Summer Conference.
Tom Ramey, CBB’s CEO sure has his hands full dealing with some challenging times for the Checkoff. This morning he made a presentation at the second general session of the Summer Conference. You can listen to his presentation below.
By now you know that the new CBB website is 
The Cattlemen’s Beef Board Administration Subcommittee got things started here at the Cattle Industry Summer Conference in Denver today. I spoke with CBB Chairman, Dave Bateman, about what we can expect to see happen during this meeting.
Sounds like a drink almost, doesn’t it? Cindy’s lounging around on the Gulf of Mexico at the 
Here’s a sight we won’t be seeing anymore. That’s because Joe Schuele has started a new job at the 
One of our sponsors for AgWired coverage of this year’s Agricultural Media Summit is 
You’re going to be seeing some regular pre-Ag Media Summit posts here like this one since I was talking with Diane Johnson today about how things are looking. She says that it’s going to be a big one since more and more companies are realizing that this is “the place to be.”
Why the name change? “We wanted to re-energize our fall meeting and felt that by focusing on trends in our industry, we could keep the information fresh, interesting and exciting each year,” according to Kenna Rathai, KBR Communications and chair of the Trends in Agriculture committee.
Mark Hardy is the President of Horse Travel Network. This morning he and I sat down and wound up talking far longer than I think we planned but he’s an interesting guy and this new venture sounds like it’s got some great potential. One of the things I find most interesting is how they’re totally internet based and have already got over 700 people signed up and it’s brand new! Word of mouth is working for them big time. The site will include advice, forums, blogs and of course, listings. It’s going to take advantage of some social networking applications which are really popular today.
I don’t mean the golf company. Maybe you don’t know 
The 
Digital cattle news pioneer, Rob Cook, is now working for Vance Publishing after the company acquired CattleNetwork.com.
