Chris Connelly New USDA Comm Director

Chuck Zimmerman

USDAThe USDA has a new Director of Communications and he’s Chris Connelly. Connelly replaces Terri Teuber Moore, who has been named the Deputy Director of Communications for Policy and Planning at the White House.

“Chris Connelly brings broad experience in management and public policy communications, a shared belief in the importance of transparency and a commitment to continuing this department’s reputation for responsiveness. He will be a great addition to the USDA team,” Conner said. “Chris carries on a tradition that Terri helped to build through her commitment, integrity and insight, which have been invaluable to USDA. I’m confident that she will do well in her new role at the White House.”

Connelly has served since 2001 as Chief of Staff and Communications Director for the Office of Representative Jo Ann Davis. Prior to that, he advised Members of Congress as Deputy Chief of Staff, Press Secretary and Assistant Press Secretary, as well as organizing and managing congressional staff. Connelly has served as a policy analyst and speechwriter on national issues. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Oral Roberts University and a Master of Arts in Public Policy from Regent University.

Connelly will assume his new role at USDA on Monday, December 3, as will Corry Schiermeyer, who will serve as Deputy Director of Communications.

We welcome Chris and Corry and look forward to working with them.

USDA

Watermelon Promotion Board Members Appointed

Melissa Sandfort

watermelon-3-copy.jpgActing Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner appointed six producer and six handler members to serve on the National Watermelon Promotion Board.

Two producer members have been reappointed for a second term, and four new producer and six new handler members have been appointed to serve on the board for the next three-year term of office beginning Jan. 1, 2008, and ending on Dec. 31, 2010. A full list of appointees can be found here.

Authorized under the Watermelon Research and Promotion Act of 1985, the board administers an industry-funded national research and promotion program to maintain and expand markets for watermelon. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service monitors the operations of the board.

Agribusiness, USDA

Happy Holidays From BCS

Chuck Zimmerman

Illinois, Kelly and Leigh AnnI’ve been on the road today and wound up at the BCS Communications holiday party.

Here’s the 3 amigos with Santa outside their office where the party is in full swing. We’ve got multiple inflatable holiday characters arranged around and on the building. One of them kind of deflated but thanks to the local fire department they’re back to full shape.

While I was here and before the cocktails started I interviewed the hosts. This is becoming a tradition now since this is the third year we’ve done this. So feel free to get caught up on what’s going on with BCS in this YouTube video (give it a few minutes to process if it doesn’t play yet):

Here under the moose, elk, mule deer, caribou and other assorted mounts the party is one you don’t want to miss. I’m sure we’ll do it again.

Agencies, Video

Zimfo Bites

Melissa Sandfort

  • Bayer CropScience AG, Mertec LLC and M.S. Technologies LLC announced that they have entered into a long-term collaboration agreement to jointly develop and commercialize several innovative trait technology products in soybeans. Under this agreement Bayer CropScience and M.S. Technologies will combine proprietary technologies and will make them available for insertion into high-yielding elite germplasm contributed by Mertec LLC. The agreement allows for resulting traits and products to be broadly licensed to the seed industry. One of the first products expected from the collaboration will be soybean varieties with tolerance to both glyphosate and to HPPD inhibitors, a class of herbicides that include Bayer’s Balance® Pro brand isoxaflutole, currently used in corn in the United States.
  • The U.S. Poultry & Egg Association announces the addition of Paul Pressley as vice president, Poultry & Egg Institute. He will provide overall strategic management for the institute. He will also be responsible for developing and implementing industry-specific human resources and employee education/training programs, risk management programs designed to identify and reduce risks to the industry in terms of property loss and employee safety and retention, and programs designed to assess and document the industry’s personnel needs. Pressley served as the director of risk management and insurance for Gold Kist in Atlanta, Ga., for 22 years.
  • Asoyia® is launching a new, higher premium program for 2008 to increase the bottom line even more for Midwestern soybean growers. The Non-GMO premiums will now start at $1.25 per bushel with a potential to earn up to $0.40 more per bushel subject to soybean market volatility. Pay no technology fees on any Non-GMO seed. Asoyia will offer 11 Non-GMO varieties for improved seed emergence, disease resistance and standability in a high yielding 1% Ultra Low Linolenic soybean.
Zimfo Bytes

Gatorade Inventor Passes Away

Chuck Zimmerman

GatoradeI was saddened to learn just now that the inventor of Gatorade died earlier today. He’s Dr. Cade and for us Gators he’s meant a lot. From a story on Reuters:

The retired Florida professor who invented Gatorade, the hydrating drink that created a multibillion-dollar sports beverage market, died on Tuesday at age 80, the University of Florida said.

Dr. Robert Cade created the drink in 1965 to help rehydrate the school’s athletes during games in Florida’s punishing heat and named it after the university’s mascot, the gator.

You can read more in the Gainesville Sun. I wonder how many bottles of Gatorade I’ve bought over the years. Do you remember playing sports and having to drink the first batches of the powder mix? Let’s just say the product has improved over the years.

Food

Renewable Fuel Cartoons

Chuck Zimmerman

CartoonThe Renewable Fuels Coalition is starting to crank up their campaign and it includes cartoons. That’s a great idea. You can find the first ones here.

The Renewable Fuels Now Coalition is a group of organizations and associations that support the need for a balanced energy diet in America. ZimmComm New Media is proud to be assisting the group in its efforts.

Biodiesel, Ethanol

James Garner Thanks Corn Growers

Chuck Zimmerman

I did not know that James Garner knew much about growing corn but in this YouTube video he sure thanks our corn farmers for the job they do. You can find it on NCGA’s Farmers Matter.

Maybe it’s because he was a spokesperson for the beef industry and learned how important corn is to a good steak!

Ag Groups, Corn

Eubank Joins HAT

Chuck Zimmerman

Andy EubankHoosier Ag Today has increased their staff with the addition of Andy Eubank. Maybe we’ll see some agriblogging from the HAT team now.

Hoosier Ag Today is proud to announce the appointment of Andy Eubank as Vice President of Operations. Eubank will join HAT President Gary Truitt in hosting and producing agricultural programs that are aired on 30 radio stations across the state. “Andy’s more than 30 years of experience in radio will make him a valuable part of the HAT team,” said Truitt. Most recently Eubank served as Vice President and General Manager of WSAL and WLHM in Logansport, IN.

Eubank will assume his position in early December and will be based in HAT’s new branch office and studio located in West Lafayette, IN. He has a long history of working with local farmers and farm organizations as well as extensive involvement in local civic and charitable organizations. “He shares our passion for serving the people of rural Indiana and will make a great addition to the team,” said Truitt. The addition of Eubank will give HAT the largest farm broadcast team based in Indiana.

Media

Show Me Some Schmap

Chuck Zimmerman

Many of the pictures I take out and about the country have been getting used by various publications, newsletters and websites. Here’s a unique one than I was happy to allow to use a couple of the photos I took at this summer’s CMA Music Festival. It’s called Schmap. They’re basically travel guides. They needed some photos for their Nashville Map.

The site lets you create widgets like this one for your website so I thought I’d post one here that has my photos they used in it. When you go to the site there’s a photo album than includes a few of the ones I took.

Uncategorized

Heinze and Slagle at Beef Board

Chuck Zimmerman

Lynn HeinzeI’m still getting caught up on email from the last couple weeks so I’ve been meaning to let you know what those of us at NAFB’s Trade Talk already know and that’s that Lynn Heinze is now on board with the Cattlemen’s Beef Board as well as Melissa Slagle. That would be the Melissa that posts here on AgWired btw.

The Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB) will strengthen its efforts to keep cattlemen informed about how their checkoff dollars are being invested and the results of those investments with the addition of two new members to its staff. Lynn Heinze, formerly vice president of information for the U.S. Meat Melissa SlagleExport Federation, is the new executive director of communications for CBB, and Melissa Slagle is its new trade media manager. Both veterans of agricultural communications, Heinze and Slagle join the CBB staff as the checkoff Board transitions management of producer communications from a contracted effort to a CBB staff responsibility.

“We are extremely pleased to have Lynn and Melissa complete the Beef Board team,” Chief Executive Officer Tom Ramey said. “Lynn has been working on behalf of the checkoff for many years –through his previous roles with the U.S. Meat Export Federation and, prior to that, on the producer communications team for the beef checkoff – so he’s returning home, in a sense. Read More

Ag Groups, Beef