Meet Nancy Bunker Koester

Chuck Zimmerman

Cindy and Nancy at AMSOne of the special people I got to meet this week at the Ag Media Summit was the new National Corn Growers Association, Director of Communications, Nancy Bunker Koester.

AMS gave Nancy the chance to meet and interact with a hundreds of ag media professionals and other industry leaders. She is not unfamiliar with this industry, having worked for Monsanto – which is ironically where her predecessor Mimi Ricketts now works. She has also done some consulting work with NCGA in the past.

She is pictured here with Cindy at the AMS 10th anniversary dinner. I did an interview with her earlier in the day about her background and plans for working with the corn growers on important issues.

“We have a message to get out about food, fuel and feed, that there’s plenty of corn seed to go around for that,” Nancy said. “And we’re working to fervently to be sure people know that.”

Listen to my interview with Nancy here: nancy.mp3

Ag Media Summit Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the Agricultural Media Summit is sponsored by:
BASF and Successful Farming

Ag Groups, Audio, Corn, NCGA

Case IH Sponsors Craig Morgan Tour

Chuck Zimmerman

Case IHI guess Case IH liked sister company, New Holland’s, Michael Peterson, “Down On The Farm” promotion. Of course we’ve all known that agricultural marketing superstar Gene Hemphill, was on to something big.

Global farm equipment manufacturer Case IH has announced an agreement to sponsor a concert tour by country music superstar Craig Morgan. Titled “Craig Morgan Powered by Case IH… International Harvester. The Legend Rolls On,” the collaboration follows up on the success of Morgan’s hit song “International Harvester” with a cross-country tour that celebrates the American farmer.

Case IHCase IH Vice President Jim Walker (right) presented singer-songwriter Craig Morgan (left, tractor’s seat) with a new Case IH Farmall 55 tractor at the Racine County Fair, Union Grove, Wis., near the world headquarters of the Case IH brand. The gift celebrates the kickoff of the tour titled, “Craig Morgan Powered by Case IH… International Harvester. The Legend Rolls On.”

According to Jim Walker, vice president, Case IH North American Agricultural Business, the connection between Case IH and Craig Morgan came about naturally. “The International Harvester brand is a big part of our tradition here at Case IH, so Craig’s song really struck a chord around here,” Walker says.

“In his music, Craig Morgan stands for a lot of the same things Case IH stands for: pride in our heritage, pride in American agriculture, and a rock-solid commitment to our core values. It just makes sense for us to join him out on the road.”

As Morgan’s tour (http://www.craigmorgan.com/?content=tour) crisscrosses the United States, there will be numerous tie-ins with local Case IH dealerships. In addition to on-stage and semi-trailer signage, Case IH and Farmall machinery will be on display at selected concert venues. Dealerships will be offered promotional opportunities like VIP tickets and concert meet & greet sessions.

Agribusiness, Tractor

First NAMA Webinar Next Week

Chuck Zimmerman

NAMA WebinarsThe first in a series of NAMA Webinars will take place next week. Make sure you get registered today.

Direct Branding: Where Message Meets Measure
August 7, 2008 ~ 1:00 p.m. (Central Time)

Barb Murphy, President of Weyforth-Haas Marketing will present Direct Branding: Where Message Meets Measure on Thursday, August 7.

Make sure your marketing strategy, or even just your next campaign, not only inspires and supports the desired belief about your brand or product, but motivates measurable response. NAMA’s first webinar will focus on how to create the right mix of message, measure and media.

The webinar, which will cost $35, will begin at 1:00 (central time) and will last for approximately one hour.

Register now for the webinar at http://payment.nama.org/webinar.htm. You will receive a confirmation email with the log in information for the webinar.

NAMA

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Effective immediately, Novus International, Inc. is increasing its ALIMET feed supplement price to $6.50 per kilogram. Due to differences in transportation costs, actual ALIMET selling prices may vary by world area above or below the new price. Novus will fulfill all existing contracts.
  • Murray Wise, Westchester Group founder and CEO, will be hosting his first-ever Webinar presentation next week on the causes behind the current boom in agriculture and how long the boom is expected to last. The discussion will cover trends in global demand and biofuel production, and their impact on commodity prices and land values in the U.S. and around the world. The Webinar will be presented twice: Monday, Aug. 4 at 10:00 a.m. CDT and Wednesday, Aug. 6 at 3:00 p.m. CDT. To register for either Webinar presentation, please contact Renee Schum of Westchester Group, Inc. at (217) 352-6000 or renee@westchester-group.com.
  • Now is the time to register for the 2008 International Forum for Women in Dairying. Held Sept. 28-29 in Madison, Wisc., IFWD highlights a great agenda, including exciting tours, inspirational speakers, and most of all, open interaction with other women passionate about the dairy industry. More information can be found here.
    Zimfo Bytes

    Rhea + Kaiser Employee Working Olympics

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Christina HarpChristina Harp, Rhea + Kaiser, got a very cool gig at the Olympics in China. I wish I could take my Schwinn over and provide some assistance and get the “ag” stories that we’ll never see/hear. She’s going to have some stories to tell.

    Christina Harp, account coordinator with Rhea + Kaiser Marketing Communications, is serving as a liaison for the Olympics News Service at the Laoshan Cycling Venue during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

    Harp, a recent graduate of Purdue University, learned of the opportunity through the Purdue University Department of Communication. Harp, along with 13 other Purdue students and recent graduates, will spend seven weeks in China providing assistance to media. The student group was organized through the Beijing Olympic Committee and the Communication University of China.

    “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that’s enabling me to grow personally and professionally,” said Harp, who works on the Bayer CropScience account at R+K. “I’m looking forward to the many different experiences I’ll have and people I’ll meet.”

    Harp’s assignment includes image uploading and printing, as well as image delivery to the Main Press Center. She also will provide onsite support to photographers throughout the Games.

    Agencies

    IFAJ President David Markey Says Goodbye

    Chuck Zimmerman

    IFAJThe International Federation of Agricultural Journalists will have a chance to celebrate our outgoing President, David Markey, this fall at the Congress in Austria/Slovenia. David has had a big and positive impact on the organization and I’m sure he’ll continue to be supportive. Here’s his letter to the membership about his term ending.

    It’s hard to believe that my term of office as President of the IFAJ comes to an end in September. The organisation has changed quite significantly in that period, and I want to pay tribute to the members of the Executive Committee who served during my term of office for their hard and dedicated work.

    IFAJ is a voluntary organisation and quite simply, you get out of it what you put in to it. As I have said many times before, change is good if it’s for the right reasons. The move to make your organisation a more professional one is, I believe, essential. Read More

    IFAJ

    Register For Aggie-Lance Social Media Tele-Seminar

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Aggie-LanceIn the last week I think I’ve helped bring almost a hundred agricultural marketing and communications people closer to an understanding of new social media mechanisms. If you weren’t one of them then you’ve got a chance next week. On August 6, I’ll be participating in a tele-seminar that’s being conducted by Mark Jewell, Aggie-Lance. I do like being called one of . . . “ag industry’s brightest social media minds.” Register here.

    Tune your phone lines to a special event this August 6th, as some of the ag industry’s brightest social media minds converge in one jam packed tele-seminar. Hosted by, Aggie-Lance.com, founder Mark Jewel this seminar will feature Chuck Zimmerman from Agwired.com and Zimmcomm.biz, John Blue from Truffle Media, and Liza Markle from the National FFA Organization. The topic at hand: What is social media, and WHY do we need to be using it in the agriculture industry today? Expect to come away with a couple tangible ideas that you can apply straight away!     Read More

    Agribusiness

    Interview with the Secretary

    Cindy Zimmerman

    We like to pack as much into a trip as we can, so this morning we left Tampa early to get to Orlando for the Florida Farm to Fuel Summit where Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer was speaking.

    Sec. Ed SchaferI got a chance to sit down with him and chat for a few minutes, and since this was mainly for programs I produce for Southeast AgNet, the questions all centered around Florida agriculture. We only had a few minutes and he had already hit on every other topic from energy to the Farm Bill to trade in his remarks. Schafer made a couple of other Florida stops after Orlando – in Gainesville and Jacksonville – so I asked him about that.

    It was nice to finally get to meet the Secretary since Chuck has already had that pleasure a few times. Being at the summit also allowed us to gather content for Domestic Fuel and cover the meeting for another client, the Renewable Fuels Association. RFA president and CEO Bob Dinneen addressed the group and I will be using some of the audio we gathered here to do a podcast for them. So, we killed quite a few birds with this one trip!

    Listen to my interview with Secretary Schafer here: f2f-08-schafer-interview.mp3

    Audio, Energy, RFA

    USW Officers Assume Duty

    Melissa Sandfort

    The U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) Board of Directors honored wheat producer Ron Suppes, Dighton, Kan., as he turned over the Chairman’s gavel to Michael Edgar, Yuma, Ariz., at its annual meeting July 28, 2008, in Kansas City, Mo. Also at the meeting, Janice Mattson, Chester, Mont., assumed the duties of Vice Chairman, while Don Schieber, Ponca City, Okla., assumed the Secretary-Treasurer position. The organization elects officers for the next marketing year (June-May) at its Winter Board Meeting.

    “I have always been taught to do the best you can no matter what situation you face and to leave things in better shape than you found them,” Suppes said. “I only hope that during my chairmanship those things have taken place and benefitted our customers and U.S. wheat producers.” Four generations of Suppes’ family were at the meeting to help the organization celebrate his year as Chairman.

    USW committees and joint committees with the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) also met and reported to the Board during the meeting. Several guests including Kansas Secretary of Agriculture Adrian Polansky, Dr. Barry Flinchbaugh, Kansas State University (Retired) and advisor to the Kansas Agriculture and Rural Leadership program, and Mark Gold, Managing Partner of Top Third Marketing, Chicago, Ill., made presentations. The Board also heard updates from David Cleavinger, President of NAWG, Wildorado, Texas, and Marcia Scheideman, President of Wheat Foods Council, Denver, Colo.

    USW’s next board meeting is a joint session with NAWG Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, 2008 in Dallas, Texas.

    Wheat

    Florida Farm to Fuel Summit

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Sec. Ed SchaferCindy and I got up early this morning and left Tampa for Orlando where we’re attending the Florida Farm to Fuel Summit. I think this is the third one.

    We missed our old friend Charlie Bronson, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture, although he’ll be here later this afternoon. We did see him on video though.

    Right now our U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Ed Schafer, is speaking. I’ll add a link to some audio after his remarks and press availability. The Secretary is here to speak on Food, Conservation and the Energy Act of 2008.

    I’ll be traveling home later today but we’re getting to spend the morning here which is when all the very important people are speaking anyway.

    Energy, USDA