Then National Agri-Marketing Association held it’s first ever producer panel here at the Cattle Industry Convention today. Pictured are (l-r) Jason McCann, MO, Laurie Lickely, ID, Gary Cooper, Southeast Agnet/Moderator and Kevin Kester, CA. The focus was on new communications technology.
I visited with them briefly before the session to get each of their thoughts on this subject and I think you’ll be interested to hear what they think about the importance of social networks like Twitter and Facebook. Agribusinesses will be interested to note the importance of using these channels to communicate with their farmer customers today!
Get more perspective on producer use of new communications technology in my interview with the panel here: Interview with NAMA Producer Panel
Agriblogger was one of the “techie talkers” at the first ever NCBA Communications workshop, organized by Mike Deering and Mary Geiger of the NCBA Washington staff, prior to the kick off of the 2012 Cattle Industry Convention in Nashville Tuesday.
State cattle and beef organization staff involved in communications were invited to the workshop and about 40 from around the country attended. In addition to Chuck’s presentation on the latest tools of the trade for communicators, the tech talk segment of the workshop also featured Lauren Chase of the Montana Stockgrowers Association (MSGA).
Lauren has been Multimedia Outreach Specialist for MSGA for less than a year and has already made a name for herself in the agricultural social media world. She graduated in 2010 from the University of Iowa with degrees in both journalism and anthropology and while she has no agriculture background, she has become a strong advocate for agriculture.
One of the social media moves she made for the MSGA last year was to take advantage of the fact that current NCBA president Bill Donald hails from Montana to make him into a YouTube spokesman for the beef industry. It helps that Bill is a colorful personality with a great sense of humor and that, combined with Lauren’s talent with a Flip camera and video editing software, created the YouTube video series “Bill on Beef” which airs weekly.
Here’s a sample of “Bill on Beef.”
Follow the Cattle Industry Convention on Twitter using the #CIC12 hashtag.
I don’t know if this is the only planned TweetUp for the Cattle Industry Convention but it’s the only one I got invited to. What do you think about this? Are cattle farmers social or what?
Step aside, computers. An in-person “tweet up” is planned for all those attending the 2012 Cattle Industry Annual Convention, held Feb. 1-4 in Nashville, Tenn.
The American Angus Association®, Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) and Angus Productions, Inc. (API) will host the event for their Twitter followers and others who would like to learn more about online communications.
“The social media world allows us to connect with others in seconds, but very rarely do we get to visit with them in person,” says Jena Thompson, Association assistant director of public relations. “This is a perfect opportunity to get to know your virtual friends.”
Attendees will have a chance to meet and share more than Twitter’s 140 characters, while in a social setting at the trade show. The gathering is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 1 at the Angus booths, 1062, during the NCBA Trade Show Welcome Reception.
“The ‘tweet up’ is also a great event for those who do not have Twitter accounts,” says Laura Nelson, Certified Angus Beef LLC industry information specialist. “If you’re interested in learning the ropes, stop by and we can help get you started.”
For more details or questions, follow the Association, CAB and API using the following Twitter handles, respectively: @AngusAssoc, @BlackInkBasics and @ABBeditor.
As of right now there are 49 tweeps signed up with 9 saying maybe. Go on over to the FB event page and let ‘em know you plan to attend. You can follow coverage of the 2012 Cattle Industry Annual Convention and Trade Show via Twitter using the official hashtag: #CIC12
Events started taking place today for IPE Week in Atlanta and Novus International got their schedule started with a presentation titled, “Like It: Consumers want to hear your expert opinion.” The session was conducted by David Armano, Executive Vice President – Global Innovation & Integration. His focus was on “how cutting edge research influences the everyday consumer via social media.”
I spoke with David afterward. He says he talked about what’s next in regards to social media and digital and how some of the technology shifts are being dictated by our behaviors and the ways we now communicate and do business. He especially zeroed in on the changes in media and talks about a Media Cloverleaf (Mainstream, New Media, Social and Owned). He also shared some polling study information from what they call the Trust Barometer. One of the findings was that traditionally academics and technical experts have been perceived as the most trustworthy. Last year the third most trusted individual was a financial industry analyst but this year it’s someone like yours truly ie. someone like you! I think you’ll find some great information in my conversation with David.
It has never been easier for cooperatives to reach out to members and potential members than it is these days with social media.
One cooperative that has taken the social media plunge and found it very worth their while is Frontier FS, which covers the area around Jefferson, Wisconsin – right between Madison and Milwaukee. I talked with Becky Wiedenhoeft, who is social media administrator for Frontier, about their experience.
“The first platform that we chose to work with was Facebook because of the high level of usage,” said Becky. “It kind of helps build stronger relationships and trust and a feeling of community.”
Becky notes that a good mix of content is important to keep people engaged. “They’re not feeling like they’re being inundated with advertisements, it’s more of a community than a place to post marketing ads,” she said. Frontier started its Facebook page last April and already has nearly 200 “likes” and Becky says they can tell by some of the tracking options for Facebook that there are lots more who check in on the page.
Some of the Frontier FS crop specialists have also branched out into Twitter as a way to keep people informed about conditions in the area such as possible disease outbreaks, and their Twitter feeds are linked to the Facebook page as well. “It’s an awesome way to share information with growers instantly,” Becky said.
You can listen to my interview with Becky about Frontier FS and social media here: Becky Wiedenhoeft Interview
Big news from the AgChat Foundation today! Welcome Emily Zweber as the first Executive Director. It seems like it has been a long time coming to some of us board members but really, it hasn’t been. In fact, the AgChat Foundation is less than two years old.
So let’s meet Emily:
Zweber, an organic dairy farmer from Elko, Minn., will focus on furthering ACF’s mission of connecting farmers to diverse audiences via social media platforms. She also will provide day-to-day management oversight and fundraising support.
“Emily uses social media every day on the family farming operation, so she’s a great choice for this position,” says Darin Grimm, ACF president. “What began as an all-volunteer outcropping of an agricultural social media movement is growing into a professionally managed organization. Having Emily on board is a real boost.”
Grimm added that ACF’s highly-successful summer thought-leadership and social media training conference is slated to provide more content than ever in its third year, and that additional training programs are planned.
Emily received her bachelor’s degree in agriculture economics and international studies from South Dakota State University and is a University of Minnesota Center for the Study of Policy and Governance Humphrey Policy Fellow. Previously, she has served as the Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation’s executive director and the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation’s special programs coordinator. Emily and her husband, Tim, co-own and operate Zweber Farms with Tim’s parents.
Established in 1906, the Zweber farm is a certified organic dairy. The family also runs a successful natural meat business for which Emily coordinates all social media and marketing.
I spoke with Darin and Emily by phone just a few minutes ago. Listen in on our conversation about today’s exciting news and get to know Emily.
This morning I’m participating in a National Corn Growers Association social media webinar. My input will be on Google + and there will also be information provided on Facebook. I am using Google + and although there are a number of things I like about it, I’m still have most of my “friends” on Facebook only so, there’s that consideration to keep in mind.
I don’t know if you’ve registered but you can do so on the NCGA website.
Today’s growers have a whole new set of tools to use on the farm when it comes to communicating the importance of what we’re doing, and it’s vitally important that we know how to use these tools well and that we have then at hand when we need them.
Throughout 2011, the National Corn Growers Association will hold a series of hourly webinars – online tutorials – to help our members and others learn how to use some of these tools, such as Facebook and Twitter. This series of monthly webinars is provided free, courtesy the generous support of Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont Business.
From Main Street to MTV, everyone is talking about food. Unfortunately, this conversation does not often include the people who grow it. CommonGround Conversations creates a space for America’s farm families, and the people who support them, to share the story. Here, we have a meeting ground that will let you discover the values and hard work that underlie our nation’s abundant, safe harvest. Help us share our story! By submitting photos of yourself, family and friends waving at the camera, join your voice with like-minded people to open a national dialogue saying, “Hi! I support farmers. Let’s talk about how we grow our food.”
Now’s your chance to join in on the CommonGround movement and let your voice be heard.
Right now, the movement is growing. Help us find the CommonGround between the people who grow food and those who buy it. Start today on CommonGround’s Facebook fan page. Here’s how to join the conversation:
He’s known as The Twittering Farmer. He’s @Tykerman1 or rather Steve Tucker. You know someone on Twitter by their handle and sometimes it gets difficult to call them by their real name!
I “met” Steve via Twitter and enjoyed how he handled himself on a CNN interview and them talked with him myself. That was over two years ago. But I had not met Steve until the AgChat Foundation’s Agvocacy 2.0 Conference. So I visited with Steve to see what he thinks about the development of “agvocacy.” In the pic I’m sure Steve is busy cranking out a tweet. You can see what happened if you check out the conference hashtag – #ACFC11.
In this week’s program we get a wrap-up of the AgChat Foundation’s Agvocacy 2.0 Conference. I spoke with Michele Payn-Knoper, founder of the weekly AgChat conversation on Twitter and an AgChat Foundation board member and also Amanda Sollman, who took on the project this summer of helping us put on the conference. Michele says we had 115 attendees which is more than double last year’s inaugural conference. Changes in this year’s conference included extended networking times and beginner and advanced sessions on different breakout topics.
Listen to my conversations with Michele and Amanda in this week’s ZimmCast: Agvocacy 2.0 Conference
While the conference was taking place, local news outlet, The Tennessean, had a crew come by and they did a story about what was going on that I thought you might enjoy. It’s titled, “Got a question about your food? Tweet your Farmer.”
This edition of the ZimmCast features a couple of interviews from the AgCareers.com 2011 Ag HR Roundtable held last week in West Lafayette, Indiana where social media in the spotlight – like it is everywhere!
One of the featured speakers at the event was Eve Mayer Orsburn, CEO of Social Media Delivered, one of the largest social media optimization companies in the world. Eve has developed this multi-national company in just three years, serving clients like GM and Sheraton with consulting, training and managing their social media services. Eve also hosts a weekly radio show called “Social Media for the CEO” and is author of a book by the same name.
Eve spoke to the Ag HR Roundtable about how companies can use social media in their recruiting efforts, as well as their marketing efforts. She will get more in-depth on that topic at an AgCareers.com workshop in Des Moines, October 12-13 titled “Implementing A Successful Social Media Strategy to Boost Recruitment.” The first 25 participants to register for the workshop will get a complimentary copy of her book “The Social Media Business Equation.”
Kathryn Doan coordinates social media efforts for AgCareers.com from the company’s Guelph, Ontario office. Kathryn grew up on a dairy farm and is now a turkey and cash crop farmer with her husband in Ontario. She talks about the AgCareers.com social media strategy and their goals to create conversation within the agriculture and food industries.
GROWMARK announced their sponsorship today of a new online location for farmers called cropNAtion. You can create a free account and be in on the start of a new social network for farmers. I’m sure they’re looking for feedback.
Today’s farmers and ranchers are so busy increasing their productivity to meet the needs of a growing world that they don’t have time to sit and visit with their neighbors like they used to. However, there is still great value in building relationships, sharing information, and asking for advice.
A new website and mobile application, cropNAtion, will allow farmers and ranchers to connect with each other whether they are across the country or across the section.
The site, www.cropnation.com, is designed to serve as a one-stop resource for on the go information. After creating a profile, users can share information about their operations, ask and answer questions, upload photos and videos, and access the latest markets and weather conditions.
“We saw a need for farmers and ranchers to have a ‘virtual coffeeshop’ – a place where they could ask questions, share stories and photos, and cultivate relationships,” said Jim Spradlin, GROWMARK vice president, agronomy. “GROWMARK is pleased to sponsor this site, which we hope will be fed by farmers everywhere.”
Anyone with an interest in North American agriculture may register for and use the free site. The mobile application will be available for iPhone and Android platforms in late summer.
Measuring the return on investment of social media is a big challenge. We deal with the question of “how to” all the time. More importantly though is answering the question of what your goal is with social media. This topic was on the agenda at the Agricultural Media Summit.
I spoke with Shelly Kramer, V3 Integrated Marketing, an integrated marketing and social media agency. She spoke to a full house and answered questions for a while afterward.
Shelly says that to measure your social media ROI you need to have a plan. I know that’s tough but if you don’t know what your goal is, then how do you know if you met it? To help her clients better understand digital marketing and especially the social channels she encourages them to act online just like they do in real life. However, that’s not easy for companies to do.
Listen in on my conversation with Shelly in this week’s program and hear more about her perspective and thoughts on using social media in your marketing efforts: Integrating Social Media & Measuring ROI
Thanks to our ZimmCast sponsor, GROWMARK, locally owned, globally strong, for their support.
The Wyffels Hybrids Corn Strategies greeting committee included communications manager, Jill Loehr (center). I asked her how she’s finding success marketing this independent seed company. She says, “I think one of the things we have to do is stand out. We can’t afford to let someone flip past our ad or not pay attention to our radio or some of the one on one things we’re doing.” She says the company is just trying to get people to take a good look at what they’re doing. Jill says she hopes corn growers leave an event like Corn Strategies with a feeling that Wyffels “truly cares more.”
I asked her how their social media efforts are going. Wyffels has started with Facebook and Jill says, “Our personality comes out on Facebook.” That’s exactly what social media can do for a company and why I recommend using it to put a more personal face on the brand.
How many of you are using Google+? How many of you care? Just what we need, another social network right? I kind of feel that way myself. We’re doing pretty good with Twitter, Facebook, etc. I know many of you are just getting used to using them. So do we really need another one? I’ve had a number of people asking what I think and do I recommend it. Here are some initial thoughts.
To start with, it’s like all things new. Not everyone is there so who are you going to talk to? That will change and is already changing as they allow more and more people in. I think the early adopter have jumped on Google+ and they are writing a lot about it. Reactions are mixed. Some love it and some already hate it. I’ve only been in it for about a week and with relatively little time to get the full experience. At first take it seems a little like Twitter on steroids.
Since social networking is all about having conversations I liken this to looking at a new house and wondering if I want to live there. I kind of like the house I live in now but is this one better? Does it have more room and better appliances? Do I want to have two houses (Facebook and Google+)? Some people are very comfortable with a primary residence and a vacation house at the lake or the beach. I’m not so sure I want that. But since my business is all about using social media I will use them both.
Getting started with Google+ is relatively simple, especially if you are already an active Google user. I am. I use Google for all kinds of things. My first thought was that Google+ might be a good fit and integrate with all my other Google apps (Gmail, iGoogle, Analytics, etc.). Since we’re still in the beta stage of Google+ I’m sure there will be a lot more development work as Google gets the feedback so many users are providing. For example, I’d like to be able to have a Twitter post update Google+. I like that and so do many of my followers on Facebook. However, I’ve seen comments from people wanting to keep Google+ “pure” from apps that allow this to happen.
I think it’s too early for me to provide a point by point comparison between Google+ and Facebook. I don’t see Google+ competing with Twitter that much yet btw. There are too many 3rd party apps for Twitter that make it such a useful tool and Google+ doesn’t have them yet. Emphasis on yet.
Google+ makes it real easy to add friends and group them which is called Circles. Yeah, there’s some new language to learn. I’ve already got around 50 friends and families connected to me but only a few are very active yet. Most of them are already active in Facebook and seem to be staying there most of the time.
So, should you join? Why not? Whey not create an account and at least take a peek? You can even create a nice little vanity url for yourself on Google+. Here’s mine: http://gplus.to/ChuckZimmerman.
Have you joined? What do you think? Feel free to add comments.
Social media was part of the buzz at the InfoAg Conference this year. The conference is held every other year. This means that since the last one we’ve had a new iPhone, the iPad and Android! I’ve got some interesting stories to post on our Precision Pays website that include how a new company is using the iPad for precision applications.
So this is the stage from this morning when Paul Schrimpf, Croplife Media Group, Jeremy Wilson, Crop IMS and I conducted back to back session on social media. I want to thank all the folks who tweeted in using the conference hashtag – #InfoAg. Click on the link to see what the conversation was all about.
Are you ready to Chatter? If so, then Chatterbarn is looking for some feedback during their beta test before going fully “live.” So go ahead and register for your launch day invitation. Feel free to post your comments and thoughts here too and we’ll pass them along. What do you think about the idea and need for this type of social networking kind of environment for agriculture? Is one needed? Would you use it? You know. All those kinds of questions.
Chatterbarn is the destination point for rural living and everything agriculture. The ChatterBoard connects you locally, to your neighbors and community. It connects you around the world to your customers, vendors and business associates. Teams are your own personal groups that can be created to invite those that you interact with the most for quick access to discussion, knowledge sharing, and interaction. Hubs are public information centers sponsored by businesses in the agricultural industry. These information centers provide product information, training webinars, video conferences, and other critical information from companies around the world that impact your life the most.
The Chatterbarn Exchange is a powerful real- time marketplace that not only allows for sellers to post items for sale, but is unique in the fact that it can be buyer-controlled as well. This means that if you need something specific, even in a certain amount of time, you can submit a request with a price range that you are willing to pay, and Chatterbarn will match your request with someone that has what you are looking for and notify you immediately by email and/or text. The Chatterbarn Exchange not only facilitates the exchange of products, but also the exchange of information.
The third component of the Chatterbarn Exchange allows you to submit questions into the network, which can be responded to by others, to facilitate the sharing of knowledge, best practices, and information throughout the industry. You will use the Chatter Button throughout the site to make things happen. It will help you post your comments to the Chatterboard and submit your items to the Chatterbarn Exchange. So, are you ready to Chatter?
Illinois Farm Families are offering mothers from the Chicago area a chance to see first-hand what farmers do, ask questions and connect with the people who produce food for their families and then share what they learn with others as Field Mom reporters.
Illinois Farm Families (IFF) will equip the “Field Moms” with video cameras so they can record and share what they see and learn. Their videos, stories, and photos will be available to everyone on the IFF website WatchUsGrow.org. The Field Moms will also be participating in media interviews and offering insights about their experiences on Twitter and Facebook.
Chicago-area Moms can apply for the opportunity to become a Field Mom at Watch Us Grow. To be eligible, a Mom must be an Illinois resident at least 18 years old, with at least one child under the age of 13 living at home. Applications will be accepted until August 21, 2011.
Field Mom applicants should have a strong interest in learning more about their food and where it comes from. They are expected to be honest, willing to ask questions among peers and farmers, and able to attend up to five day-long farm tours over the next year. Most tours will leave the greater Chicago area at 8 a.m. and return about 6 p.m. More information about Field Mom expectations is available on our website.
Even if you can’t commit to being a Field Mom, you can subscribe to follow the Field Moms on their farm tours, and communicate with them online. Illinois Farm Families will send you email alerts when the Field Moms are on the move, posting thoughts, pictures or videos, or when there’s other news to share.
Sounds like a great way to address that disconnect that non-farmers have with the people who feed them.
Discussion dinners on a variety of topics were held last night at the Alltech International Symposium. I attended the Communications dinner which had a focus on social media. Pictured are our discussion moderators (l-r) Damien O’Reilly and Billy Frey. I will be sharing an interview with Billy in next week’s ZimmCast.
Our dinner discussion provided an interesting insight into what people in agribusiness know, or think they know, about social media. Most of those in the room were either personally involved or professionally in their business. Some comments that caught my attention included:
A European participant said that not many farmers are involved in social media. I don’t know what the environment is across the pond but here in America I would disagree with that to a certain extent. So many farm companies and member organizations have been conducting training programs and encouraging farmers to get involved in the online discussion that I believe we have “a lot” of farmers involved in social media.
Another participant wanted to know how you “control” what people are saying about your company or products. Control is a red flag word to me. You have no control! No matter what your desire is, you can’t control what people are saying. However, Billy made a good point about how you can “manage” the conversation by being involved and engaging people even if they write something negative about you or your company. I always say that they’re going to talk about you whether you join the conversation or not.
A student participant startled everyone by telling us to “get off Facebook.” She said there’s no way you can believe anything you read on it and she didn’t like the idea that a company would check up on an applicant by looking at their Facebook page. Sorry, young lady. Facebook along with other social media channels are open to everyone and I highly encourage you to be careful about what you post anywhere. On the point of believing what you read, I agree to a certain extent. You need to be careful about what you read and that includes product reviews. One participant was sure that his competition was paying people to write negative comments about his products online. He didn’t have proof though. But I certainly believe it does happen. I’m just not sure how much.
It was a very good discussion but showed me that there is a long way to go when it comes to companies integrating social media into their marketing communications mix. One other comment that I appreciated was on the subject of ROI for social media expenses. He asked why it is that companies don’t have a clue what the return is on their advertising expenses for traditional media and yet want to know exactly how many widgets they sold by investing some dollars in social media. Good question. It’s kind of like a double standard. Several participants said that their use of social media had positive returns for their business.
Follow the action on the Alltech Innovations Blog, including photos, interviews and there will be live streaming of certain sessions.
The Twitter stream for the Alltech International Symposium is being projected on the wall here in the general session using wiffiti. You can follow along with the #AlltechSymposium hashtag. I’ll be we’ll see more of this at ag conferences! That’s why we’re the “Game Changers.”
Follow the action on the Alltech Innovations Blog, including photos, interviews and there will be live streaming of certain sessions.
In this week's program Chuck talks with Mike Adams, AgriTalk.
Chuck and Mike often wind up at the same events all over the country so it seemed like a good idea to do a little AgriTalking about the changes they've seen in the ag media landscape.
Then National Agri-Marketing Association held it’s first ever producer panel here at the Cattle Industry Convention today. Pictured are (l-r) Jason McCann, MO, Laurie Lickely, ID, Gary Cooper, Southeast Agnet/Moderator and Kevin Kester, CA. The focus was on new communications technology.
Agriblogger was one of the “techie talkers” at the first ever 
Lauren has been Multimedia Outreach Specialist for MSGA for less than a year and has already made a name for herself in the agricultural social media world. She graduated in 2010 from the University of Iowa with degrees in both journalism and anthropology and while she has no agriculture background, she has become a strong advocate for agriculture. 
Events started taking place today for IPE Week in Atlanta and Novus International got their schedule started with a presentation titled, “Like It: Consumers want to hear your expert opinion.” The session was conducted by 
It has never been easier for cooperatives to reach out to members and potential members than it is these days with social media.
“The first platform that we chose to work with was 
One of the featured speakers at the event was Eve Mayer Orsburn, CEO of 
Kathryn Doan coordinates social media efforts for AgCareers.com from the company’s Guelph, Ontario office. Kathryn grew up on a dairy farm and is now a turkey and cash crop farmer with her husband in Ontario. She talks about the AgCareers.com social media strategy and their goals to create conversation within the agriculture and food industries. 
Illinois Farm Families (IFF) will equip the “Field Moms” with video cameras so they can record and share what they see and learn. Their videos, stories, and photos will be available to everyone on the IFF website 
Discussion dinners on a variety of topics were held last night at the Alltech International Symposium. I attended the Communications dinner which had a focus on social media. Pictured are our discussion moderators (l-r) Damien O’Reilly and Billy Frey. I will be sharing an interview with Billy in next week’s ZimmCast.
The Twitter stream for the Alltech International Symposium is being projected on the wall here in the general session using 
In this week's program Chuck talks with Mike Adams, AgriTalk.
