If you’re a regular reader of AgWired then you know we’re new media evangelists (blogs, podcasts, and all sorts of online social networking). So when I see a pretty mainstream media outlet do a story on this I like to pass it along. This time it’s about podcasting and it’s in Investors.com.
Podcast audiences have branched out far beyond just geeks. And advertisers are starting to like them, too.
After having placed ads with Web sites and search engines, more advertisers are starting to spread their ad dollars to audio and video podcasts in an attempt to reach certain consumers.
Podango Productions President is quoted in the article as saying:
“With podcasting, the audiences tend to be very specific, very targeted,” he said. “That takes care of your challenge as a brand marketer.”
That’s what podcasting is about in a nutshell. I’d call agriculture a pretty niche topic in terms of the media world today.
I really like the idea of Rabobank producing an audio podcast of their news releases. (If you’d like this done for your company or organization then give the ag experts at ZimmComm New Media a call.)
Here’s what the latest RaboCast is about:
Since 1937 June has been Dairy Month: an annual tradition to celebrate the dairy industry. A new Rabobank podcast examines some causes for this celebration, such as growth in specialty products and an increase in dairy exports.
In the podcast, Rabobank Dairy Analyst and Food & Agribusiness Research and Advisory Managing Director Debbie Perkins, explores the current U.S. dairy market, the growth of specialty products and export opportunities. (The full podcast is available online at www.RabobankAmerica.com/Rabocast.)
Okay farm podcasters. You’ve got a new choice in recording gear. You’re already carrying an iPod right? Just add the Alesis ProTrack and you’re good to go.
Record stereo direct-to-iPod with ProTrack. Capture live audio anywhere and anytime with the convenience of your iPod (Classic and 5th generation) and iPod nano (2nd or 3rd generation). Just slide your iPod into the integrated sled and you’re ready to roll.
You can record without additional equipment using the built-in pair of condenser microphones fixed in XY configuration. ProTrack also gives you a pair of combo XLR - 1/4-inch inputs so you can connect any professional sound source including external microphones. When running on plug-in power using the included AC adapter, ProTrack supplies 48V phantom power.
For you agribloggers and farm podcasters seeking some professional improvement opportunities this summer, here’s one. It’s the Blogworld & New Media Expo. The dates are September 20-21 in Las Vegas. I am thinking about going.
They’ve got these interesting tidbits about blogging on the Expo homepage. You’ll find links in them to where they got the information. Important Blogging Statistics
* Over 12 million American adults currently maintain a blog.
* More than 147 million Americans use the Internet.
* Over 57 million Americns read blogs.
* 1.7 million American adults list making money as one of the reasons they blog.
* 89% of companies surveyed say they think blogs will be more important in the next five years.
* 9% of internet users say they have created blogs.
* 6% of the entire US adult population has created a blog .
* Technorati is currently tracking over 70 million blogs .
* over 120 thousand blogs are created every day .
* There are over 1.4 million new blog posts every day .
* 22 of the 100 most popular websites in the world are blogs .
* 120,000 new blogs are created every day .
* 37% of blog readers began reading blogs in 2005 or 2006 .
* 51% of blog readers shop online .
* Blog readers average 23 hours online each week .
The executive director of the National Biodiesel Board is not just a country music fan, but also a country music singer… well, for his wife and kids at home at least. But today, Joe got a bit more exposure than a home audience. He performed live on the Dave Nemo Show on XM Radio with renowned country music singer/songwriter Michael Peterson.
Michael and Joe also delved into energy issues, renewable fuels and where all that fits in with public policy. Joe says the National Biodiesel Board is aiming to have biodiesel replace five percent of the national supply of diesel fuel. He says that is equivalent to the amount of diesel the U.S. if refining and importing from in Iraq. In other words, he says the National Biodiesel Board is aiming to replace the diesel fuel we get from Iraq.
Some critics arguing against renewable fuels point out that the alternative fuel sources will never fully replace the need for oil. But, Joe says that’s not the point, “That’s like saying if you can’t do everything than you shouldn’t do anything.” Joe says The National Biodiesel Board simply doesn’t share that frame of thought. That’s why it has launched the BioTrucker Fuel Card. The card offers card holders cash price on all biodiesel fuel at 5,000 participating locations and special discounts at select truck stops all without any transaction fees. Those interested can sign up for the card at BioTrucker.com.
Both Michael and Joe lauded the farmers that make up the nation’s ag industry. Joe says agriculture is a powerful industry that fosters cutting-edge, technological innovation. “Ag is slow to move but powerful to respond,” Joe said.
You can listen to the entire broadcast of the Dave New Show with Michael and Joe here:
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I also got some videos of Michael and Joe while they were singing and strumming their guitars. You can watch the videos here:
Fans waved and hollered, calling out “Michael!” as the New Holland/Michael Peterson float rolled past during the 2008 CMA Country Music Festival Kick-Off Parade. Some fans even blew kisses to the country music singer/songwriter. Others boldly cried out their admiration for the inspirational speaker. Michael and local FFA students tossed t-shirts and waved back to an eager and excited crowd. At one point, Michael even took a phone call from a random construction worker’s phone. I believe it was Michael’s drummer on the line. I’ll have to double check that with Michael though…
I took a couple videos from float, offering a “float’s eye view” of the parade.
Willie Vogt, ZimmComm NAMA iPod touch winner and Farm Futures Editorial Director, has a guest column that just showed up on the Pioneer GrowingPoint website. It’s all about farm podcasting with a title of “Tap Into Information On-Demand, Time to put that computer to work and pull in the information you need automatically.
You’re busy, yet you’re finding that the longer you farm the more information you need, and not always at the times it’s provided. Radio is a great tool when you’re in the tractor, the computer is great when you’re in the office. What if you could put both tools to work and get more information even easier?
That’s the value of a podcast. These controlled broadcasts of information allow you to subscribe to an information resource and listen when you want to - either on your computer or using an mp3 player in your tractor or pickup.
I know there are some of you reading this and saying “why hassle with it?” The answer is that there is a growing body of information from key information providers in agriculture offering news, in-depth information and more that you can listen to using this technology. So I’ll try to break it down so it’s easier to understand and you can then try it out.
He then proceeds to do just that in a way that shows that Willie gets it and he’s helping farmers get it. I find it interesting that more people with publication backgrounds like Willie are promoting podcasts than I see with farm broadcasting backgrounds. Add to that the fact that this is being promoted by Pioneer. But then, they’re not called Pioneer for nothing.
You may know that we produce a podcast for Pioneer called Forage Forum.
Just in time for my presentation at the TOCA meeting tomorrow (Blogging and podcasting for profit. Sponsored by Ewing Irrigation and PBI Gordon) is this report from Universal McCann titled, “Power to the People, Social Media Tracker Wave 3.” (pdf-24MB) They’ve done this study globally 3 times now so it’s got some interesting comparative data in it. Basically folks, new media is where it’s at in today’s online world no matter what country you’re in or what your occupation or age demographic. So for those of you who still wonder why you should know more about this, your questions will be answered. If you still wonder then let’s just say you have gotten off the Cluetrain. Here’s some interesting points and I urge you to download the report with the link above to read the whole thing.
Social media is a global phenomenon happening in all markets regardless of wider economic, social and cultural development.
All social media platforms have grown significantly over the three Waves: Video Clips are the quickest growing platform, up from 31% penetration in Wave 1 to 83% in Wave 3.
57% have joined a Social Network, making it the number one platform for creating and sharing content: 55% of users have uploaded photos, 22% of users have uploaded videos.
Blogs are a mainstream media world-wide and a collective rival to traditional media – 73% have read a blog, 45% have started a blog.
Social media has strong impacts over brand’s reputation – 34% post opinions about products and brands on their blog – 36% think more positively about companies that have blogs.
Here’s the percentage of respondents who agreed with these statements:
56% Blogging is a good way to express yourself
36% I think more positively about companies that have blogs
33% I have a favorite blog that I read regularly
32% I trust bloggers opinions on products and services
31% Blogging is an important way to socialize with friends
There’s so much information in this report that I can’t even begin to point it all out. It’s all good. Just take some time, take a deep breath and say, “I will read it and I will try to “get it.” If you’re in agricultural marketing today then I hope you understand all the terms in the graphic at the top of this post.
The Wheat Food Council is celebrating its 35th anniversary and wants to use the milestone to help promote nutrition for children. That’s why the council is releasing a cookbook that’s meant to benefit a non-profit organization dedicated to influencing children’s eating habits through education.
In celebration of its 35th anniversary, the Wheat Foods Council today unveiled Food for Thought from Parents to Children, an educational cookbook featuring recipes from celebrity chef and mother of three, Chef Gale Gand, and parents across America. The cookbook showcases wheat-based recipes and addresses the importance of nutrition education for children, emphasizing a parent’s role in a child’s healthy diet.
A portion of cookbook proceeds benefits Spoons Across America, a not-for-profit organization that works to positively influence the eating habits of children through hands-on education. The cookbook is available for $3.50 and can be purchased online.
Food for Thought from Parents to Children features 30 recipes developed by parents throughout America and five exclusive creations from Chef Gand, award-winning pastry chef, cookbook author and Food Network personality. Nutritious, wheat-based recipes, in the categories of breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and desserts, are accompanied by educational facts about the featured foods including nutritional content, portion sizes and food origin. Also included is a guide that parents can use to ensure time spent in the kitchen with their kids is a fun, educational experience.
Podcasting is becoming more mainstream all the time. Now USDA’s FSIS is using this great new media communications tool.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) today launched a series of educational podcasts tailored to address food safety and education issues for consumers and other stakeholders.
As a part of the Agency’s ongoing outreach efforts to small and very small establishments, FSIS will initially focus on providing small and very small plant owners, operators and employees with important information through the use of podcasts.
Subscribers will receive the latest additions through an RSS feed, or Web feed collector, with news and information about Agency work to ensure public health protection through food safety. FSIS podcasts will be short, factual audio and video files featuring scientists, policy experts and other specialists.
To listen to individual podcasts or sign up for a free subscription, visit http://www.fsis.usda.gov. For assistance or details concerning FSIS podcasts, please send an e-mail to podcast@fsis.usda.gov.
I just finished doing Blogging 101 for the international ag media attending the Alltech Symposium.
Thanks to Liz Broomall, Alltech intern, for taking the photo. Ignore those empty chairs. The crowd was all around there and behind Liz.
I kind of rambled around on the subjects of blogging, podcasting, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr. I was also very surprised to be speaking to a group where no one raised their hand to say they have a blog or a podcast! Ag media, hello, it’s a new media world.
As it turns out we did have a couple people here like Ned Arthur with Truffle Media Networks and Emmy Koeleman, All About Feed, who are getting it.
I collected everyone’s cards for a drawing and want to say congratulations to Ing. Agr. Felix Sammartino, Expoagro, who won an “I’ve Been Blogged by AgWired” t-shirt.
Now he can say that he really has been blogged.
I want to thank Alltech for the opportunity to talk about a subject I dearly love and that’s agriblogging and farm podcasting. There were some great follow questions which shows me that these folks are thinking about how their business is changing.
Forage Forum features “news and information important to dairy professionals working for successful animal nutrition.” It’s kind of interesting that a seed company provides this kind of service for dairy producers - and that is the topic of this week’s podcast as Dr. Bill Mahanna, coordinator of global nutritional sciences for Pioneer discusses to company’s integrated forage approach and the expertise available to producers.
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Bill Mahanna on Integrated Forage Program (4:30 min MP3)
To see all archived Pioneer Forage Forum podcasts, click here.
Previous Forage Forum podcasts are also archived at the Pioneer GrowingPoint website. To access them, go to www.pioneer.com/growingpoint and click “Livestock Nutrition” and “Forage Blog.”
For those of you who are continuing to ponder the wonder of new media and are maybe waiting out this “fad” then you might want to take notice of a recent Arbitron-Edison Media Research study titled, “The Infinite Dial 2008: Radio’s Digital Platforms.” You will find that there continues to be huge growth in the number of people with iPods and who are listening to podcasts. That growth percentage is 40 percent. Here’s some nuggets from the study:
iPod/Portable MP3 player ownership continues dramatic growth. Nearly four in ten
(37 percent) own an iPod or other brand of portable MP3 player; up from 30 percent in
2007 and more than two and a half times the number in 2005 (14 percent). Nearly three-
quarters (73 percent) of those age 12-17 own a digital audio player.
Audio podcasting usage continues to increase along side the proliferation of
iPod/MP3 player ownership. Eighteen percent have ever listened to an audio podcast;
up from 13 percent in 2007. Nine percent have listened to an audio podcast in the past
month (an estimated 23 million).
The study also found out how important mobile phones are to people today:
More than one in five (21 percent) consumers said radio has a big impact on their lives; ranking second only to mobile phones (33 percent) as the audio platform/device that has the biggest impact on people’s lives.
This week I attended a portion of the AAEA/LPC Regional Design & Writing Workshop in Johnston, IA. Some of you are probably thinking, “Why didn’t he stay since he so obviously needs help?” Yeah, but I had other places to be too.
So in this week’s program you’ll hear from LPC Executive Director Diane Johnson who talks about the workshop and the fun and games we did last night. The Workshop was held at Pioneer Hi-Bred’s Carver Center and I also spoke with Jerry Harrington about how he got involved in providing us with the auditorium where the Workshop was held. You can see pictures in the Workshop photo album.
After I left the Workshop I visited the Iowa Soybean Association office to conduct some precision ag interviews for Precision Pays. While I was there I got to meet Linda Funk, Executive Director of The Soyfoods Council. We talked about the Soyfoods Podcast project we’ve been working an and you can learn more about why they decided to use podcasting in the program.
This week’s program ends with music from the Podsafe Music Network. It’s called “Writings on a Page” by Jonathon Dewveall. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
You can download and listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 166 (16 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 National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), which has been making audio files of its top news stories available for some time, is now providing another convenient way for listeners to get them – through podcast subscription.
“We’re always on the lookout for ways to improve service and make it more convenient for our key audiences to get our information,” said Fred Stemme, NCGA vice president of marketing. “More and more, people prefer to listen to the news while they are doing something else – rather than having to sit down and read it – and podcasting is a good tool for getting the word out about what we do.”
In the interests of being completely transparent, ZimmComm New Media has provided technical assistance to NCGA in helping them get their podcast started and we can do the same for your company or organization.
The Soyfoods Council has a new podcast series started which you can find a link to on their website. We’ve worked with Executive Director, Linda Funk, to create this new series which you can subscribe to with this feed link. Remember that you can use your browser to subscribe now or my favorite, iTunes.
The Soyfoods Council website www.thesoyfoodscouncil.com has been an important resource for information about soyfoods for three years, including information on the latest nutrition research as well as details on new products, foodservice usage and consumer information.
The Council has added a series of monthly podcasts to the site. The initial podcast features an interview with soyfoods expert Dr. Mark Messina, professor of nutrition at Loma Linda University and former researcher with the National Cancer Institute.
In this podcast Messina focuses on soy and breast cancer and emphasizes the value of even a single serving daily of soyfoods for girls. He summarizes a study from the National Cancer Institute showing that girls who regularly consumed soy had a 58% less chance of getting breast cancer as adults. “Even a single serving of soyfoods a day can make a difference,” Messina reports. One serving of soyfoods is 1 cup of soymilk, 4 ounces of tofu, ½ cup edamame or ¼ cup roasted soybeans.
Future podcasts will focus on new nutrition research results from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Institute in Seattle, on how chefs use soyfoods in a variety of foodservice operations, and how registered dietitians recommend adding soyfoods to special and every day diets.
Over on our sister Domestic Fuel site we just introduced a new podcast today to feature renewable energy news twice a month (or more often). The Domestic Fuel Cast will feature people and news of interest in the alternative fuels industry.
If you’d like subscribe to the podcast then here’s the url/feed link: http://www.zimmcomm.biz/domesticfuel/domestic-fuel-cast.xml. You can use your browser (IE, Firefox, Safari, etc.) to subscribe or if you’d like to get it into your iPod or Zune then we recommend using iTunes or the Zune software.
Our first podcast features aerospace engineer and author Robert Zubrin, who has been getting some media attention lately for his book, “Energy Victory,” in which he outlines a simple plan for “winning the war on terror by breaking free of oil.”
You can listen to the first program here:
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Cindy found some great pictures from the current class going through the Wedgworth Leadership Institute. I assume they were learning to use their iPods for creating and subscribing to podcasts like the ZimmCast during the media training portion of the program. The name of the program changed after a generous donation in honor of the memory of Mr. George Wedgworth.
The program’s name was changed to the Wedgworth Leadership Institute for Agriculture and Natural Resources (WLIANR) in 2003. The program is sponsored by the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) at the University of Florida and has an academic home in the Department of Agricultural Education and Communication. The program has an advisory council made up of alumni, industry officials and university personnel, who assist the director and program staff in keeping the program relevant and advise in program structure and content.
Personnel of the WLIANR include:
Dr. Hannah S. Carter, program director
Dr. Ed Osborne, executive director
Ms. Janice Barner, executive secretary
Ms. Rochelle Strickland, program coordinator
The podcasting folks at Truffle Media Networks are starting a new one to focus on ag podcasting. Although it sounds a lot like my ZimmCast I’m sure glad to see another channel for you to learn about how to integrate new media tools into your agricultural marketing strategy.
Agriculture promotion professionals, get ready to download. Ag Media Conversations – the first self-documenting podcast about ag podcasting – is set to launch on March 25th. The show is the latest in the offerings of Truffle Media and will focus on utilizing current technologies in the advertising and public relations field.
Co-hosted by Aaron Gilbertie and Raylee St. Onge, Ag Media Conversations is a weekly podcast with interviews from marketing communications professionals on advancements in promoting products and services. It is available to listen to or download at www.TruffleMedia.com.
“The purpose of this podcast is to cover real world uses for new social media in the ag industry,” said Gilbertie. “Ag Media Conversations will create a dialog among peers about how podcasting and other multi-media forms can be used – it’s a way to share and learn from others and utilizes the very technologies we will be discussing.”
I just had to write about this since I’ve been doing more and more consulting on the use of new media and social networking for agribusiness. It is the idea of “community” instead of an “audience.” In most of my presentations I try to work in this concept since I think it’s at the root of what’s driving the success of online networking whether it’s MySpace, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, blogging or podcasting. You are part of the AgWired community. We’re in this together and this blog allows us to interact. You may not see or read all the comments that get posted but they’re a small part of the feeback I get from emails, phone calls and face to face conversation. I’m really not trying to force what I think is important on you (usually) but post information that you think is important to the community. That’s why I ask questions and seek your thoughts and suggestions all the time. Do you agree?
The age of instantaneous internet communications via computer, mobile phone, iPod or whatever is your gadget of choice, is here to stay. Farmers are engaged and there’s no going back. There’s increasing evidence of this everywhere you turn, including at whatever farm show you happened to attend this winter. However, there are still a lot of people involved in agrimarketing and communications who just don’t get it or maybe they’re just hoping that they can hang on to “the way it’s always been done” until they retire.
I’ve been hearing a lot about a new book titled, “Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations” by Clay Shirky. I’ve got a copy on order. I found the following excerpt on this idea of community vs. audience from “Teaching Online Journalism.” I think Clay’s made an excellent point and wonder what you think about it. By the way, new media teaching is really catching on in our J-schools as evidenced by this excellent blog.
A good deal of user-generated content isn’t actually “content” at all, at least not in the sense of material designed for an audience. Instead, a lot of it is just part of a conversation.
Mainstream media has often missed this, because they are used to thinking of any group of people as an audience. Audience, though, is just one pattern a group can exist in; another is community. Most amateur media unfolds in a community setting, and a community isn’t just a small audience; it has a social density, a pattern of users talking to one another, that audiences lack. An audience isn’t just a big community either; it’s more anonymous, with many fewer ties between users. Now, though, the technological distinction between media made for an audience and media made for a community is evaporating; instead of having one kind of media come in through the TV and another kind come in through the phone, it all comes in over the internet.
As a result, some tools support both publication and conversation. Weblogs aren’t only like newspapers and they aren’t only like coffeeshops and they aren’t only like diaries — their meaning changes depending on how they are used, running the gamut from reaching the world to gossiping with your friends.
I also think of communities as being somewhat small and where people share common interests. I think that’s another reason the traditional marketers and communicators are having problems with blogs and podcasts. They try to measure their success in the same way they measure a mass media buy. How many impressions did I make? Of course you don’t really know the answer to that question since you don’t know if they were really listening, watching or reading. I’d much rather reach a small audience of actively engaged participants than waste a lot of money reaching a larger “audience” of people who aren’t really paying attention and may not even be interested in what I have to sell. I think people who subscribe to or regularly read a blog are much more likely to support the companies that are supporting the “community” and more likely to pass that enthusiasm along to others.
These are people like you who are choosing to be here and/or subscribe. You are the AgWired We.
I really like the idea of Rabobank producing an audio podcast of their news releases. (If you’d like this done for your company or organization then give the ag experts at ZimmComm New Media a call.)
Okay farm podcasters. You’ve got a new choice in recording gear. You’re already carrying an iPod right? Just add the 
For you agribloggers and farm podcasters seeking some professional improvement opportunities this summer, here’s one. It’s the 
Willie Vogt, ZimmComm NAMA iPod touch winner and 
Just in time for my presentation at the TOCA meeting tomorrow (Blogging and podcasting for profit. Sponsored by Ewing Irrigation and PBI Gordon) is this report from 
Podcasting is becoming more mainstream all the time. Now 
I just finished doing Blogging 101 for the international ag media attending the Alltech Symposium.
Forage Forum features “news and information important to dairy professionals working for successful animal nutrition.” It’s kind of interesting that a seed company provides this kind of service for dairy producers - and that is the topic of this week’s podcast as Dr. Bill Mahanna, coordinator of global nutritional sciences for Pioneer discusses to company’s integrated forage approach and the expertise available to producers.
For those of you who are continuing to ponder the wonder of new media and are maybe waiting out this “fad” then you might want to take notice of a recent 
This week I attended a portion of the AAEA/LPC Regional Design & Writing Workshop in Johnston, IA. Some of you are probably thinking, “Why didn’t he stay since he so obviously needs help?” Yeah, but I had other places to be too.
After I left the Workshop I visited the Iowa Soybean Association office to conduct some precision ag interviews for Precision Pays. While I was there I got to meet Linda Funk, Executive Director of 
The 
Over on our sister 
Our first podcast features aerospace engineer and author Robert Zubrin, who has been getting some media attention lately for his book, 
Cindy found some 
The podcasting folks at 
Peanut producers are meeing in Panama City, FL and Cindy has them covered.
