Tropical Storm Fay has certainly changed my plans this week. Instead of being in a plane on my way to Ft. Myers, FL for the Florida Citrus Expo, I’m staying home. The final word on the status of the event is pending the next forecast this morning but it doesn’t look good.
I spoke with Gary Cooper, President, Southeast AgNet, on my way to the airport this morning and he said, “Turn around.” Good call I think after looking at the latest NOAA projection map. It looks like it could go right over top of the show site. Updates on the situation are being posted on the Citrus Expo website and on Southeast Agnet.com.
I was going to be part of the team down there blogging the event and also spending some time with Gary’s staff continuing some new media training. I’m sure that opportunity will arise again.
So, what do I do now?
Post Update: Here’s the decision on the Florida Citrus Expo:
AS OF 8:20 a. m. Monday August 18, 2008:
Citrus Expo has officially been cancelled due to the latest weather forecasts related to Tropical Storm (possible hurricane soon) Fay calling for a pending landfall in the area over the next couple of days. The Lee Civic Center concurs with this decision.
Further information will be posted to this website in coming days and we will be in contact with exhibitors, speakers and vendors directly. This is a final decision and official notice, Citrus Expo has been cancelled for this week.
We greatly regret this decision and have waited as long as we feel we should to see if the storm would take a stronger turn either west or east to allow for the event to go on. Without any assurances of either, we are left with no other choice at this time. We apologize for the inconveniences this will mean for many, but it is a situation totally out of our control.
Farmer Dave down in Florida at Florida Natural Growers has started a blog to fight against imported oranges, called The Orange Diaries. I guess just because they’re not natural from Florida. Actually it’s part of a new multimedia campaign to entice consumers to buy American. So besides their ads they started a blog. According to an article in Citrus Industry, the company started the blog because they wanted something “viral” that people would pass around.
Kind of like I’m doing right now. They have a number of pretty good video clips that you’re supposed to be able to embed on your website or blog but I couldn’t get them to work here.
Florida’s Natural Growers is a cooperative of citrus growers.
The acting Agriculture Secretary is swiftly exercising his authority. Ag Secretary Chuck Conner has named six new officials to the 20-member National Mango Board.
These six appointees were nominated by the Board to fill three importer positions and three foreign producer positions. The members will start their three-year terms beginning on Jan. 1, 2008 and ending Dec. 31, 2010.
Newly appointed members are: Caleb “Cliff” Cavazos, Rio Rico, Ariz., importer, District III; and Flavio Muranaka, Brazil and Yamil Farah, Ecuador, foreign producers.
Reappointed members are: Ismael Diaz, Rio Rico, Ariz., importer, District III; Larry Nienkerk, Woodside, Calif., importer, District IV and Paul Barclay, Peru, foreign producer.
The National Mango Board is an industry-funded, national generic program of research and promotion, industry and consumer information conducted to maintain, expand and develop domestic markets for fresh mangos. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service monitors the operations of the National Mango Board.
The 2006 Citrus Expo is now over. From all I’ve learned it’s been the biggest and best one ever. For Gary Cooper and his Southeast AgNet team, it was a first time effort and I’m sure they learned a lot. Next year will be even better.
As is customary with many of the events I’m blogging now, you’ve got a Flickr photo album available if you want to see what it was like. I used my new camera for this event and it has been a learning experience. I left Southeast AgNet with a CD containing all of them which they can use in their magazine, on their website, or in brochures for next year.
Using the link below, you can look at photos in the album individually or watch them as a slideshow on your computer. I hope you enjoy them or any of my other event sets. Feel free to browse and if you use any of these, please credit ZimmComm New Media and Southeast AgNet.
One of the coolest things we’ve done here at the 2006 Citrus Expo is introduce the first Florida farm podcast. I mentioned previously that Southeast AgNet was going to get started in the podcast realm and that happened today with the introduction of a series of interviews that are available through the Citrus Expo Podcast.
All of Southeast AgNet’s on-air programs are short out of necessity since radio stations today just don’t program long form farm shows. Podcasting will now allow the company to make more use of the full interviews they conduct. That’s one of the joys of podcasting. There really isn’t a strict format you have to follow. Additionally, they’ll have a mechanism to reach growers and producers who don’t have a local radio station affiliate of the network to listen to. In fact, one of the audiences they’re targeting is an international one, especially South America where there is a huge interest in the citrus industry.
So, the Citrus Expo Podcast contains 12 audio interviews that were conducted over the last couple days here in Ft. Myers by myself, Randall Weiseman, Lee McCoy and Gary Cooper. Growers (or anyone interested) will be able to use their computer’s iTunes or whatever software they have to subscribe using this file: http://www.agnetonline.com/citrus-expo-podcast.xml.
This first podcasting effort has provided the company with a quality product for current and potential listeners and allowed it to learn how to produce and maintain programming for internet delivery. I’m sure we can expect to see more from Southeast AgNet in the future!
This happy looking group is the staff of Southeast AgNet, the company putting on Citrus Expo for the first time this year. It’s not the first time the Expo has been held but it’s the first time this company has managed it. It came along with their purchase of Citrus Industry Magazine. Pictured are: (l to r) Robin Loftin, Lee McCoy, Betty Sanders, Gary Cooper, Katherine Bush, Randall Weiseman, Carole McKenzie. Not pictured but here also are Sherry Fisher and Ernie Neff.
Southeast AgNet is a traditional media company that’s beginning to explore the new media waters. Southeast AgNet, the parent company is a farm radio network in Florida, Georgia and Alabama. They’ve long been a client of ours and owner Gary Cooper was our business partner once upon a time when we lived in Florida. Cindy produces a number of daily reports for the network. But now they own a magazine and have a large trade show.
And in addition to that they have a blog which they’re unveiling this week at AgNet Online. They’re currently directing people to it through their company homepage but it is a stand alone website. This is their start into the new media world and they’ve got lots of plans for it. I put the site together for them not long ago and have been working with them on training and development. This week they had me down to “blog” the Citrus Expo and our next step is to start podcasting. There’s no question that we’re going to see more and more of this as time goes on. I’m happy to see my former business partner, now client, taking the lead in the southeast!
You can see the Citrus Expo blogging we’ve been doing. Today we did 20 posts that contain pictures, stories and interviews. I got about 17 of them up and am working closely with Randall who will probably be doing more of this for them as time goes on.
It’s been about 15 years since Cindy and I moved to Missouri from Florida. I do miss my home state so getting a chance to blog the Citrus Expo for Southeast AgNet has been a treat. I just ate a blackened grouper supper and my dessert was a second slab of grouper! One of the cool things about Citrus Expo is running into a bunch of people I used to know and have missed. One of them is Carl Berner, Berner Oil. He’s pictured here in between his sons.
Carl is a first time exhibitor at Citrus Expo and a sponsor of today’s Beast Feast lunch. Carl says he wanted an opportunity to interact with the people involved in citrus production since his company was founded with a committment to supporting Florida agriculture.
He says his company is looking into new energy alternatives like ethanol and biodiesel and works hard at staying on the cutting edge with technology to meet the needs of his customers. You can hear my interview with him here: Carl Berner Interview (3 min MP3)
I’m posting onto Southeast AgNet’s news blog from Citrus Expo so feel free to check it out. I’m also going to be doing some posts here too.
Like this one. We’ll have some more pictures of tomorrow’s Beast Feast here at Citrus Expo but the preparations are underway now.
Here’s part of the catering crew, including Denise Sullivan (far right) getting things ready. On the left they’re making elk meat balls. The feast will include fried alligator and swamp cabbage.
Mmmm. Mmmm.
I interviewed Denise who is the wife of Buddy Sullivan, Buddy’s Kuntry Katering. She says they brought in a swamp cabbage chef from Kissimmee who makes the best in the state and they had to ship in the elk from Texas. You can hear my interview with Denise here: Denise Sullivan Interview (3 min MP3)
Isn’t this a hard working crew? I’m in Ft. Myers now for the 2006 Citrus Expo and we’re set up in the Lee Civic Center. It’s set up day for exhibitors, including Southeast AgNet, owner and manager of the Expo.
Here you’ve got Southeast AgNet President, Gary Cooper, (left), yours truly in the middle and Southeast AgNet Programming Manager, Randall Weiseman (right).
I interviewed Gary in between him doing his radio shows and answering questions from exhibitors. Gary says this is the company’s first year running the Expo since they purchased Citrus Industry Magazine and the Expo. He expects at least 1,200 people per day for the show and says that one of the neat new features is a “Beast Feast” lunch. I’m sure we’ll have more on that later.
Another week and another road trip. This time I’ll be heading out to the Citrus Expo in Ft. Myers, FL. The theme is “Citrus Production in Transitional Times.”
This is a multi-blogging trip as I work with Southeast AgNet on the development of their new blog site, AgNet Online. Here’s another example of how the lines are blurring in the media world. This is a traditional broadcast company, that now owns a publication, a trade show and is starting to blog and podcast.
This is my old stomping grounds since I grew up in Sarasota, just to the north of Ft. Myers. And Gary Cooper, owner of Southeast AgNet was a business partner of mine once upon a time. It’ll be interesting seeing some faces I haven’t seen in over 15 years and I’m looking forward to it. So I’ll be posting here starting Wednesday.
Tropical Storm Fay has certainly changed my plans this week. Instead of being in a plane on my way to Ft. Myers, FL for the Florida Citrus Expo, I’m staying home. The final word on the status of the event is pending the next forecast this morning but it doesn’t look good.
Farmer Dave down in Florida at 
The acting Agriculture Secretary is swiftly exercising his authority. Ag Secretary Chuck Conner has named six new officials to the 20-member 
The 
One of the coolest things we’ve done here at the 2006 Citrus Expo is introduce the 
This happy looking group is the staff of 
It’s been about 15 years since Cindy and I moved to Missouri from Florida. I do miss my home state so getting a chance to blog the Citrus Expo for 
I’m posting onto Southeast AgNet’s news blog from Citrus Expo so feel free to check it out. I’m also going to be doing some posts here too.
Isn’t this a hard working crew? I’m in Ft. Myers now for the 2006 Citrus Expo and we’re set up in the Lee Civic Center. It’s set up day for exhibitors, including Southeast AgNet, owner and manager of the Expo.
Another week and another road trip. This time I’ll be heading out to the 
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